The Questions of the Nāga King Sāgara (1)
Toh 153
Degé Kangyur, vol. 58 (mdo sde, pha), folios 116.a–198.a
- Jinamitra
- Prajñāvarman
- Yeshé Dé
Imprint
Translated by the Dharmachakra Translation Committee
under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha
First published 2021
Current version v 1.0.13 (2025)
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Table of Contents
Summary
The Questions of the Nāga King Sāgara begins with a miracle that portends the coming of the Nāga King Sāgara to Vulture Peak Mountain in Rājagṛha. The nāga king engages in a lengthy dialogue with the Buddha on various topics pertaining to the distinction between relative and ultimate reality, all of which emphasize the primacy of insight into emptiness. The Buddha thereafter journeys to King Sāgara’s palace in the ocean and reveals details of the king’s past lives in order to introduce the inexhaustible casket dhāraṇī. In the nāga king’s palace in the ocean, he gives teachings on various topics and acts as peacemaker, addressing the ongoing conflicts between the gods and asuras and between the nāgas and garuḍas. Upon returning to Vulture Peak, the Buddha engages in dialogue with King Ajātaśatru and provides Nāga King Sāgara’s prophecy.
Acknowledgements
Translated by the Dharmachakra Translation Committee under the guidance of Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche. The translation was produced by Timothy Hinkle, who also wrote the introduction. Andreas Doctor checked the translation against the Tibetan and edited the text.
The translation was completed under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.
The generous sponsorship of Kelvin Lee, Doris Lim, Chang Chen Hsien, Lim Cheng Cheng, Ng Ah Chon and family, Lee Hoi Lang and family, the late Lim Kim Heng, and the late Low Lily, which helped make the work on this translation possible, is most gratefully acknowledged.
Text Body
The Questions of the Nāga King Sāgara
Colophon
It was translated, proofed, and finalized by the Indian preceptors Jinamitra and Prajñāvarman and the editor-translator Bandé Yeshé Dé and others.
Bibliography
Tibetan Canonical Texts
klu’i rgyal po rgya mtshos zhus pa (Sāgaranāgarājaparipṛcchā). Toh 153, Degé Kangyur vol. 58 (mdo sde, pha), folios 116.a–198.a.
’phags pa klu’i rgyal po rgya mtshos zhus pa zhes bye ba theg pa chen po’i mdo. bka’ ’gyur (dpe bsdur ma) [Comparative Edition of the Kangyur], krung go’i bod rig pa zhib ’jug ste gnas kyi bka’ bstan dpe sdur khang (The Tibetan Tripitaka Collation Bureau of the China Tibetology Research Center). 108 volumes. Beijing: krung go’i bod rig pa dpe skrun khang (China Tibetology Publishing House), 2006–9, vol. 58, 303–518.
’phags pa klu’i rgyal po rgya mtshos zhus pa zhes bye ba theg pa chen po’i mdo. Stok Palace Kangyur vol. 66 (mdo sde, ba), folios 166.a.–282.a.
dri med grags pas bstan pa (Vimalakīrtinirdeśa). Toh 176, Degé Kangyur vol. 60 (mdo sde, ma), folios 175.a–239.a. English translation in Thurman (2017).
phung po gsum pa’i mdo (Triskandhakasūtra). Toh 284, Degé Kangyur vol. 68 (mdo sde, ya), folios 57.a–77.a.
pho brang stod thang ldan dkar gyi chos kyi ’gyur ro cog gi dkar chag [Denkarma]. Toh 4364, Degé Tengyur vol. 206 (sna tshogs, jo), folios 294.b–310.a.
klu’i rgyal po rgya mtshos zhus pa (Sāgaranāgarājaparipṛcchā). Toh 154, Degé Kangyur vol. 58 (mdo sde, pha), folios 198.b–205.a. English translation in Dharmachakra Translation Committee (2020b).
klu’i rgyal po rgya mtshos zhus pa (Sāgaranāgarājaparipṛcchā). Toh 155, Degé Kangyur vol. 58 (mdo sde, pha), folios 205.a–205.b. English translation in Sakya Pandita Translation Group (2011).
Atiśa. dbu ma’i man ngag rin po che’i za ma tog kha phye ba (Ratnakaraṇdodghātanāmamadhyamakopadeśa). Toh 3930, Degé Tengyur vol. 110 (dbu ma, ki), folios 96.b–116.b. .
Śāntideva. bslab pa kun las btus pa (Śikṣāsamuccaya). Toh 3940, Degé Tengyur vol. 111 (dbu ma, khi), folios 3.a–194.b.
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