The Question of Mañjuśrī
Toh 172
Degé Kangyur, vol. 60 (mdo sde, ma), folios 1.b–5.a
Imprint
Translated by the Kīrtimukha Translation Group
under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha
First published 2021
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Table of Contents
Summary
The bodhisattva Mañjuśrī approaches the Buddha and asks about the extent of the merit represented by the Buddha’s “Dharma conch,” which here seems to mean the Buddha’s voice. The Buddha proceeds to illustrate the vastness of this merit by means of a cosmic multiplication—sequentially compounding the merit of all beings in a certain realm if they each possessed the merit of a cakravartin, a brahmā god, a bodhisattva, and so forth, each having more merit than the previous one. The expansion continues through a list of the eighty designs marking the body of a buddha and the thirty-two signs of a great being, which, multiplied inconceivably, are said to be equal in merit to the Dharma conch. The Buddha then explains how the voice, body, and light of the Buddha are made known throughout countless realms and take on numberless manifestations to tame beings.
Acknowledgements
This sūtra was translated by the Kīrtimukha Translation Group. Celso Wilkinson, Laura Goetz, and L.S. Summer translated the text from the Tibetan and Sanskrit. William Giddings provided comparisons to the Chinese versions of the text.
The translation was completed under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.
Introduction
The Question of Mañjuśrī presents a dialogue between the Buddha and the bodhisattva Mañjuśrī, in which the Buddha illustrates the vastness of the merit represented by the Buddha’s Dharma conch and how, by means of his conch and other auspicious qualities, the Buddha and his teaching pervade countless worlds and manifest in countless guises according to the myriad needs and dispositions of beings.
The sūtra opens with Mañjuśrī approaching the Buddha and asking him to explain the measure of the merit represented by the Buddha’s “Dharma conch,” which in this sūtra seems to mean the Buddha’s voice. The conch symbolizes the far-reaching power of the Buddha’s word and the vast extent to which the teachings resonate among the incalculable realms. The conch shell is also one of the eight auspicious emblems that each symbolize various beneficent aspects of the Buddha’s teaching.
In order to express the vast magnitude of the merit of the Dharma conch, the Buddha proceeds to present a sequence of hypothetical scenarios in which all beings in a given realm possess the merit of a previously introduced figure or attribute. That merit is then multiplied by varying amounts to equal that of an even greater figure or attribute—from the cakravartin monarch to Māra, to brahmā gods of increasingly vast domains, to pratyekabuddhas and bodhisattvas, to the pores of the Buddha’s body and his eighty excellent signs—culminating in lists of the eighty designs marking the Buddha’s hands and feet and the thirty-two signs of a great being. Finally, the Buddha states that the sum of multiplying these eighty designs by an inconceivable amount is equal to the sum of merit generated by the Dharma conch. A very similar passage, with the same sequence of meritorious figures and signs culminating in the Buddha’s voice, can be seen in the Ratnameghasūtra (Toh 231),1 while a somewhat less similar presentation of the exponential superiority of the Dharma conch is found in another sūtra, the Akṣayamatinirdeśasūtra (Toh 175, placed nearby in the Degé Kangyur).2
The list of eighty designs on the Buddha’s hands and feet is a unique feature of this sūtra. Peter Skilling has compiled an analysis of the various sources that list the designs and symbols found on the body or on the hands and feet of the Buddha.3 Such lists are well known in the Theravādin traditions, which include an early list of around forty designs given by Buddhaghosa in his commentaries on the Digha and Majjhima Nikāyas, and several later lists of one hundred and eight signs found in Pali sources from the twelfth to fourteenth centuries. In the Kangyur this list of eighty designs is found exclusively in The Question of Mañjuśrī, but there are two texts in the Tengyur that contain similar lists: Śamathadeva’s Abhidharmakośaṭīkopayikā (Toh 4094) contains two lists—one short and one long—of designs found on the body of the Buddha, cited from texts that no longer exist, and Daśabalaśrīmitra’s Saṃskṛtāsaṃskṛtaviniścaya (Toh 3897) also contains a short and long list of designs found on the hands and feet of the Buddha. In this latter text the long list is, with some exceptions, nearly identical to that found in The Question of Mañjuśrī and likely drawn from the same source. Skilling points out that although The Question of Mañjuśrī is a Mahāyāna sūtra, this list must have been taken from a Vaibhāṣika or (Mūla)Sarvāstivādin source.4
The eighty designs differ from the more commonly known eighty excellent signs on the body of a buddha. The eighty designs are adornments on the hands and feet that are said to be greater in the hierarchy of merit than the eighty excellent signs on the body, which, although not enumerated in Tibetan sources of The Question of Mañjuśrī, are listed in two of the Chinese versions.5 The thirty-two signs listed in this sūtra align roughly with other standard enumerations in the canonical literature.
The Buddha goes on to explain that the Dharma conch, with its power to tame beings, causes the teachings to pervade countless world systems, as do his body, light, and conduct—all of which manifest according to the needs and inclinations of beings. In the end, Mañjuśrī praises the Buddha, and the audience rejoices in his teaching.
There was no known Sanskrit original of The Question of Mañjuśrī available until recently, when a manuscript containing a collection of twenty texts, all of them sūtras, was found in the Potala Palace in Lhasa. Bhikṣuṇī Vinītā published a critical edition of this collection, along with an English translation, in the series Sanskrit Texts from the Autonomous Region (2010). Unfortunately, due to the inaccessibility of the manuscript collection and because it is missing a final colophon, its origin and date are currently unknown.6 In our translation, citations of the Sanskrit are given using Vinītā’s emendations of the handwritten manuscript.
The Question of Mañjuśrī is the last in the manuscript collection and is abruptly cut off about one third of the way through, ending in the middle of the third folio (F.2.b) of this sūtra as found in the Degé Kangyur. In the Sanskrit manuscript, this sūtra is titled Dharmaśaṅkhasūtra, or The Dharma Conch Sūtra, while in Tibetan manuscripts it is only ever called The Question of Mañjuśrī (Mañjuśrīparipṛcchāsūtra).
There are three versions of the text found in the Chinese Tripiṭaka: one (Taishō 473) translated by Faxian (法賢, 337–422 ᴄᴇ), which combines the titles The Question of Mañjuśrī and The Dharma Conch (佛説妙吉祥菩薩所問大乘法螺經); another (Taishō 661) translated by Divākara (地婆訶羅, 613–687 ᴄᴇ) called The Mahāyāna Sūtra on the Hundred Meritorious Marks (大乘百福相經); and a third (Taishō 662), said to be translated by Divākara, called The Mahāyāna Sūtra on the Marks Adorned with a Hundred Merits (大乘百福莊嚴相經).7
No information is given in the colophon as to the translator or editor of the Tibetan. The Denkarma and Phangthangma imperial catalogs both mention a Question of Mañjuśrī among the registry of sūtras, although there is a slight ambiguity owing to the length of ninety ślokas (one śloka equaling sixteen syllables in the Sanskrit source) described in both catalogs,8 which seems a bit short for this text. Nonetheless, considering the sūtra’s early presence in the Chinese canon, this is most likely the same text, and assuming this is the case we can surmise that it was translated into Tibetan in the early translation period at a date no later than that of the Denkarma, 812 ᴄᴇ.
We have based our translation primarily on the Degé edition of the Tibetan Kangyur, but we have also consulted the Sanskrit as well as the Comparative Edition (Tib. dpe bsdur ma) and several other Kangyur editions, including those from Tshalpa, Thempangma, and independent lines. These recensions are generally consistent and roughly correspond to the Sanskrit and Chinese sources, but there are occasional differences such as additions or omissions of stages in the hierarchical sequence of merit.9 There are also, as is to be expected, some variations between the Chinese and Tibetan translations of the lists found in the sūtra.
Text Body
The Question of Mañjuśrī
The Translation
[B1] [F.1.b]
Homage to all buddhas and bodhisattvas!
Thus did I hear at one time. The Blessed One was dwelling in the Samanta Assembly Hall in Śrāvastī together with a great saṅgha of 1,250 monks, innumerable bodhisattva mahāsattvas, and many hundreds of thousands of beings to be tamed, and other bodhisattva mahāsattvas headed by Avalokiteśvara.
The Blessed One sat unwavering upon a jeweled lion throne. Through the power of the Buddha, the bodhisattva mahāsattva Mañjuśrī rose from his seat, draped his upper robe over one shoulder, and knelt on his right knee. Joining his palms toward the Blessed One, [F.2.a] he said, “Blessed One, how extensive is the great merit of the Tathāgata’s Dharma conch,10 the great merit by which the wishes of the many hundred sextillions of beings to be tamed are completely fulfilled?”
The Blessed One replied to the bodhisattva mahāsattva Mañjuśrī, “Mañjuśrī, the great merit of the Tathāgata’s Dharma conch,11 the great merit by which the wishes of a hundred sextillion beings to be tamed are completely fulfilled, arises from insight and is imbued with great compassion.12 It is inconceivable.13
“Mañjuśrī, if all of the beings in the world were to engage in the path of the ten virtuous actions, and if that collection of merit, which is the collection of merit of all those beings, were multiplied by a hundred, it would equal that of a cakravartin king who has dominion over the four continents and possesses the seven treasures. The seven treasures are as follows: the precious wheel, the precious elephant, the precious horse, the precious jewel, the precious woman, the precious steward, and the precious minister. He has a thousand heroic sons who are courageous, have excellent well-built bodies, and utterly defeat opposing armies. Mañjuśrī, such is the cakravartin king’s great miraculous powers and might. [F.2.b]
“Mañjuśrī, if all beings in the world with its four continents were to possess the cakravartin king’s merit, and if that merit, which is the merit of all those beings, were multiplied by a hundred,14 it would equal that of Śakra, lord of the gods. Such is the lord of the gods’ great miraculous powers and great might.
“Mañjuśrī,15 if all of the beings in the realm of the world with its four continents were to possess Śakra’s merit, and if that merit, which is the merit of all those beings, were multiplied by a hundred thousand,16 it would equal that of Māra, lord of the desire realm, who understands the teachings within the desire realm.17 Such is Māra of the desire realm’s great miraculous powers and great might.
“Mañjuśrī,18 if all of the beings in the realm of the world with its four continents were to possess Māra’s merit, and if that merit, which is the merit of all of those beings, were multiplied by a hundred thousand, it would equal that of a brahmā, sovereign of a chiliocosm,19 whose love pervades the domain of a chiliocosm.
“Mañjuśrī, if all of the beings in this chiliocosm were to possess the merit of a brahmā god, sovereign of a chiliocosm, and if that merit, which is the merit of all those beings, were multiplied by a hundred thousand, it equal that of a brahmā god, sovereign of a dichiliocosm,20 whose love pervades the domain of a dichiliocosm.
“Mañjuśrī, if all of the beings in this dichiliocosm were to possess the merit of a brahmā god, sovereign of a dichiliocosm, and if that merit, which is the merit of all of those beings, were multiplied by a hundred thousand, it would equal that of a supremely great almighty brahmā, sovereign of a trichiliocosm,21 [F.3.a] whose love pervades the domain of a great trichiliocosm.
“Mañjuśrī, consider a supremely great almighty brahmā. In a single intermediate eon following the rise of the waters after the eon of destruction,22 the trichiliocosm fills up with rainfall with its droplets of water. A supremely great almighty brahmā knows all the drops of water that have amassed in his world. Therefore, he is endowed with great wisdom and has great miraculous powers and great might. The root of virtue of a great almighty one is no trifling thing.
“Mañjuśrī, if all of the beings in this trichiliocosm were to possess the merit of a great brahmā, sovereign of a trichiliocosm, and if that merit, which is the merit of all those beings, were multiplied by many hundred sextillions, it would equal that of a pratyekabuddha who had obtained great might.23
“Mañjuśrī, put aside this great trichiliocosm. Mañjuśrī, if all the beings in the domain of the buddhas, the realm of the worlds of the ten directions, were to possess the merit obtained by a pratyekabuddha who had obtained great might, and if that merit, which is the merit of all of those beings, were multiplied by many hundred sextillions, it would equal that of a single bodhisattva in their final existence.
“Mañjuśrī, if all of the beings in the realm of the worlds of the ten directions of space—beings born from an egg, born from a womb, born from heat and moisture, and born miraculously; those with form and those without; and those with perception, those without perception, and those with neither perception nor nonperception24 [F.3.b]—were to possess the merit of a bodhisattva in their final existence, and if that merit, which is the merit of all of those beings, were multiplied by many hundred sextillions, it would equal that of a single hair pore on the body of the Tathāgata. Each of the nine million nine hundred thousand hair pores on the body of the Tathāgata are established in the same way.
“Mañjuśrī, if the merit that is equal to the merit contained in all those hair pores were multiplied many hundred sextillions, it would equal that of one of the eighty excellent signs on the body of the Tathāgata.25 Each of the eighty excellent signs is established on the body of the Tathāgata in the same way.
“Mañjuśrī, if that merit, which is the merit contained in the eighty excellent signs, were multiplied by many hundred sextillions, it would be like that of one of the designs marking the Tathāgata’s hands and feet.
“The eighty designs are as follows:26 (1) a parasol, (2) a victory banner, (3) a śrīvatsa, (4) a garland, (5) a hook, (6) a diadem, (7) a staff,27 (8) a vase, (9) an elephant, (10) a horse, (11) a tiger, (12) a makara, (13) a fish, (14) a turtle, (15) a peacock, (16) a kalaviṅka bird, (17) a partridge, (18) a cāṣa bird,28 (19) a cakravāka shelduck, (20) a parrot, (21) a goose, (22) a dove, (23) barley, (24) the great medicine, (25) bamboo, (26) a gayal, (27) a nāga, (28) a goat, (29) a bull, (30) a mountain, (31) a bilva fruit tree,29 (32) a black antelope, (33) a precious jewel, (34) a supreme sword, (35) a vajra, (36) a bow, (37) an arrow, (38) a lance, (39) a trident, (40) a plow, (41) a mace, (42) an axe, (43) a lasso,30 (44) a boat, (45) a pearl ornament, (46) a cloud, (47) Brahmā, (48) Indra, (49) Dhṛtarāṣṭra,31 (50) Varuṇa, (51) Virūḍhaka, (52) Virūpākṣa, (53) Dhanada, (54) a great sage, (55) Śrī, (56) a sun, (57) a moon, [F.4.a] (58) a fire, (59) wind, (60) a lotus, (61) a nandyāvarta, (62) a triangle,32 (63) an excellent throne, (64) a mirror, (65) a tail whisk, (66) dūrvā grass, (67) puroḍāśa cake, (68) a boy, (69) a girl, (70) a drum, (71) a conch, (72) a mṛdaṅga drum,33 (73) a bracelet, (74) an armband, (75) an earring,34 (76) a ring, (77) a dangling earring, (78) an excellent flower, (79) a wish-granting tree, and (80) a lion at the center of a wheel.35 These are the eighty designs. They appear on the palms of the Tathāgata’s hands and the soles of his feet.
“Mañjuśrī, if that merit, which is the merit contained in those eighty designs, were multiplied by many hundred sextillions, it would be like one of the signs of a great being on the Tathāgata’s body; each of the thirty-two signs of a great being are established in the same way. They are as follows:36 (1) the uṣṇīṣa on the head, (2) right-curling dark blue hair on the head, (3) an even forehead, (4) being adorned with a beautiful complexion,37 (5) an ūrṇā hair between the eyebrows, (6) dark blue eyes with bovine eyelashes, (7) forty close-fitting teeth, (8) white canine teeth, (9) cheeks like a lion, (10) a large and slender tongue, (11) a torso like a lion, (12) an arm span and height that are identical like the banyan tree, (13) a hair growing from every pore,38 (14) a concealed male organ, (15) full and rounded thighs, (16) calves like those of Eṇeya, king of antelopes, (17) broad heels, (18) palms and soles that are soft and supple, (19) webbed fingers and toes, (20) long fingers and toes, (21) feet with high arches, (22) a supreme organ of taste, (23) round shoulders, (24) the seven prominent parts, (25) fine skin the color of gold, (26) the ability to reach the hands to the knees without bending, (27) well-positioned feet, (28) palms and soles with the mark of the wheel, [F.4.b] and (29) the voice of Brahmā. These are the thirty-two signs of a great being. They appear on the body of the Tathāgata.
“Mañjuśrī, if that merit, which is the merit contained in the thirty-two signs of a great being, were multiplied innumerable times, multiplied inconceivably, multiplied incalculably, and multiplied beyond expression, it would be like that of the Tathāgata’s Dharma conch. By the power of taming with the Dharma conch, with his voice the Tathāgata engenders understanding throughout limitless and countless world realms. Just as with his voice, so it is with his light and his body.39
“In this way, Mañjuśrī, this great merit, arisen from great insight, imbued with compassion, generated through skill-in-means and aspirations, completely pure in moral discipline,40 and authentically born from the distinctions of practice, is inconceivable to all śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas.41
“Mañjuśrī, the form body of the Tathāgata is especially exalted for two reasons. What are these two reasons? They are the power of aspiration and the power of the complete ripening of the virtue of sentient beings to be tamed. Mañjuśrī, for these two reasons the form body of the Tathāgata is especially exalted.
“Mañjuśrī, just as the form body of the Tathāgata is especially exalted,42 the Dharma taught is also especially exalted.
“Mañjuśrī, just as the light of the Tathāgata is especially exalted, his conduct is also especially exalted.
“Mañjuśrī, whatever particular color, shape, or conduct will tame sentient beings, [F.5.a] sentient beings will see the Tathāgata accordingly as having that particular color, shape, and conduct.
“Mañjuśrī, whatever particular signs will tame sentient beings, sentient beings will see the Tathāgata accordingly as having those particular signs.
“Mañjuśrī, whatever Dharma teachings will fully ripen sentient beings, sentient beings will understand the particular Dharma teachings of the Tathāgata to be Dharma teachings of that kind.
“Mañjuśrī, whatever conduct tames sentient beings and causes them to engage with the teachings of the Tathāgata, sentient beings will see the Tathāgata abiding by that conduct.
“Mañjuśrī, in this way the tathāgata, arhat, perfect Buddha comes into the world, benefits and brings happiness to many beings, has love and affection for the world, and takes birth in order to help, benefit, and bring happiness to gods, humans, and the host of beings.”
Then the bodhisattva Mañjuśrī rose from his seat and, approaching the Blessed One, pressed his palms together and said, “Blessed One—my unparalleled, matchless teacher, supreme protector in the three realms and benefactor for all sentient beings, unperturbed by worldly phenomena, unblemished like the sky, inconceivable, a worthy inspiration, desirable to behold, and beautiful to behold—I have truly found a great treasure! Sugata, I have truly found a great treasure!”
Youthful Mañjuśrī was overjoyed at what the Tathāgata had said. The bodhisattva great beings and the monks praised the words of the Blessed One.
Abbreviations
C | Choné (co ne) Kangyur |
---|---|
D | Degé (sde dge) Kangyur |
F | Phukdrak (phug brag) Kangyur |
Go. | Gondhla Collection |
H | Lhasa (zhol) Kangyur |
J | Lithang (li thang) Kangyur |
K | Peking (pe cin) or “Kangxi” Kangyur |
N | Narthang (snar thang) Kangyur |
S | Stok Palace (stog pho brang bris ma) Kangyur |
Sanskrit | Sanskrit manuscript found in the Potala Palace (see Introduction and Bibliography) |
Saṃskṛtāsaṃskṛtaviniścaya | A commentary by Daśabalaśrīmitra found within the Tengyur containing a list of the eighty designs found on the hands and feet of the Tathāgata (see Bibliography) |
Taishō 473 | 4th–5th century Chinese translation by Faxian (法賢) |
Taishō 661 | 7th century Chinese translation by Divākara (地婆訶羅) |
Taishō 662 | 7th century Chinese translation by Divākara (地婆訶羅) |
U | Urga (ku re) Kangyur |
Y | Yongle (g.yung lo) Kangyur |
Notes
Bibliography
Tibetan Sources
’jam dpal gyis dris pa (Mañjuśrīparipṛcchā). Toh 172, Degé Kangyur vol. 60 (mdo sde, ma), folios 1.b–5.a.
’jam dpal gyis dris pa. 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), 2006–2009, vol. 60, pp. 3–13.
’jam dpal gyis dris pa. Stok 56, Stok Palace Kangyur vol. 57 (mdo sde, cha), folios 142.b–147.b.
’jam dpal gyis dris pa. F150, Phukdrak Kangyur vol. 66 (mdo sde, pa), folios 260.b–265.b.
’jam dpal gyis zhus pa. Go 26.7, Gondhla Collection vol. 26 (ka-ma), folios 17.a–21.a.
blo gros mi zad pas bstan pa (Kṣayamatinirdeśa). Toh 175, Degé Kangyur, vol. 60 (mdo sde, ma), folios 79.a–174.b. English translation in Braarvig, Jens, and David Welsh (2020).
byams pas zhus (Maitreyaparipṛcchā). Toh 149, Degé Kangyur vol. 57 (mdo sde, pa), folios 330.b–331.a. English translation in Kīrtimukha Translation Group (2021).
shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa khri brgyad stong pa (Āṣṭādaśasāhasrikāprajñāpāramitā). Toh 10, Degé Kangyur vol. 29 (khri brgyad, ka), folios 1.b–300.a; vol. 30 (khri brgyad, kha), folios 1.b–206.a; vol. 31 (khri brgyad, ga), folios 1.b–206.a. English translation in Sparham (2022).
shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa khri pa (Daśasāhasrikāprajñāpāramitā). Toh 11, Degé Kangyur vol. 31 (shes phyin, ga), folios 1.b–91.a; vol. 32 (shes phyin, nga), folios 92.b–397.a. English translation in Padmakara Translation Group (2018).
rgya cher rol pa (Lalitavistara). Toh 95, Degé Kangyur vol. 46 (mdo sde, kha), folios 1.b–216.b. English translation in Dharmachakra Translation Committee (2013).
Āryaśūra. pha rol tu phyin pa bsdus pa (Pāramitāsamāsa). Toh 3944, Degé Tengyur vol. 111 (dbu ma, khi), folios 217.b–235.a.
Daśabalaśrīmitra. ’dus byas dang ’dus ma byas rnam par nges pa (Saṃskṛtāsaṃskṛtaviniścaya). Toh 3897, Degé Tengyur vol. 108 (dbu ma, ha), folios 109.a–110.a. English translation in Skilling (1992): 71–73.
Maudgalyāyana. rgyu gdags pa (Kāraṇaprajñapti). Toh 4087, Degé Tengyur vol. 139 (mngon, pa), folios 93.a–172.b.
Śamathadeva. chos mngon pa’i mdzod kyi ’grel bshad nye bar mkho ba (Abhidharmakośaṭīkopayikā). Toh 4094, Degé Tengyur vol. 146 (mngon pa, ju), folios 1.b–95.a.
Vasubandhu. chos mngon pa’i mdzod kyi bshad pa (Abhidharmakośabhāṣya). Toh 4090, Degé Tengyur vol. 140 (mngon pa, ku), folios 26.a–258.a. English translation in Sangpo 2012.
Phangthangma (dkar chag ’phang thang ma). Beijing: mi rigs dpe skrun khang, 2003.
Denkarma (pho brang stod thang ldan dkar gyi chos ’gyur ro cog gi dkar chag). Toh 4364, Degé Tengyur vol. 206 (sna tshogs, jo), folios 294.b–310.a.
Mahāvyutpatti (bye brag rtogs byed chen po). Toh 4346, Degé Tengyur vol. 204 (sna tshogs, co), folios 1.b–131.a. Also in Sakaki, Ryozaburo, ed. 1916–25; reprint, 1965; and Delhi: Tibetan Religious and Cultural Publication Centre (bod gzhung shes rig dpe khang), 2000.
Sanskrit and Chinese Sources
Vinītā, Bhikṣuṇī, ed. and trans. A unique collection of twenty Sūtras in a Sanskrit manuscript from the Potala. Sanskrit Texts from the Tibetan Autonomous Region 7/1. Beijing: China Tibetology Publishing House; Vienna: Austrian Academy of Sciences Press, 2010.
Faxian, trans. 佛説妙吉祥菩薩所問大乘法螺經 (fo shuo miao ji xiang pu sa suo wen da cheng fa luo jing; Chinese translation of The Question of Mañjuśrī), Taishō 473.
Divākara, trans. 大乘百福相經 (da cheng bai fu xiang jing; Chinese translation of The Question of Mañjuśrī), Taishō 661.
Divākara, trans. 大乘百福莊嚴相經 (da cheng bai fu zhuang yan xiang jing; Chinese translation of The Question of Mañjuśrī), Taishō 662.
Secondary Literature
Braarvig, Jens, and David Welsh, trans. The Teaching of Akṣayamati (Akṣayamatinirdeśa, Toh 175). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2020.
Dharmachakra Translation Committee, trans. The Jewel Cloud (Ratnamegha, Toh 231). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2019.
Dharmachakra Translation Committee, trans. The Play in Full (Lalitavistara, Toh 95). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2013.
Herrmann-Pfandt, Adelheid. Die lHan kar ma: ein früher Katalog der ins Tibetische übersetzten buddhistischen Texte. Vienna: Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, 2008.
Kīrtimukha Translation Group, trans. The Question of Maitreya (2) (Maitrīparipṛcchā, Toh 149). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2021.
McRae, John, trans. “The Sutra of Mañjuśrī’s Question.” In The Sutra That Expounds the Descent of Maitreya Buddha and His Enlightenment and The Sutra of Mañjuśrī’s Questions, pp. 27–143. BDK English Tripiṭaka. Moraga: BDK America, 2016.
Padmakara Translation Group, trans. The Transcendent Perfection of Wisdom in Ten Thousand Lines (Daśasāhasrikāprajñāpāramitā, Toh 11). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2018.
Sangpo, Gelong Lodrö, trans. Abhidharmakośa-Bhāṣya of Vasubandhu Volume III. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 2012.
Silk, Jonathan A. “Review Article: Buddhist Sūtras in Sanskrit from the Potala.” Indo-Iranian Journal 56 (2013): 61–87.
Skilling, Peter. “Symbols on the body, feet, and hands of a Buddha, Part I—Lists.” Journal of the Siam Society 80 (1992): 67–79.
Sparham, Gareth, trans. The Transcendent Perfection of Wisdom in Eighteen Thousand Lines (Aṣṭadaśasāhasrikāprajñāpāramitā, Toh 10). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2022.
Glossary
Types of attestation for names and terms of the corresponding source language
Attested in source text
This term is attested in a manuscript used as a source for this translation.
Attested in other text
This term is attested in other manuscripts with a parallel or similar context.
Attested in dictionary
This term is attested in dictionaries matching Tibetan to the corresponding language.
Approximate attestation
The attestation of this name is approximate. It is based on other names where the relationship between the Tibetan and source language is attested in dictionaries or other manuscripts.
Reconstruction from Tibetan phonetic rendering
This term is a reconstruction based on the Tibetan phonetic rendering of the term.
Reconstruction from Tibetan semantic rendering
This term is a reconstruction based on the semantics of the Tibetan translation.
Source unspecified
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a supreme organ of taste
- ro bro ba’i mchog
- རོ་བྲོ་བའི་མཆོག
- rasarasāgratā
ability to reach the hands to the knees without bending
- ma btud par phyag pus mo’i lha nga la reg pa
- མ་བཏུད་པར་ཕྱག་པུས་མོའི་ལྷ་ང་ལ་རེག་པ།
- anavanatapralambabāhu
adorned with a beautiful complexion
- kha dog gis brgyan pa
- ཁ་དོག་གིས་བརྒྱན་པ།
- —
almighty
- dbang phyug
- དབང་ཕྱུག
- īśvara
an arm span and height that are identical like the banyan tree
- shing n+ya gro d+ha ltar chu zheng gab pa
- ཤིང་ནྱ་གྲོ་དྷ་ལྟར་ཆུ་ཞེང་གབ་པ།
- nyagrodhaparimaṇḍala
arhat
- dgra bcom pa
- དགྲ་བཅོམ་པ།
- arhat
Avalokiteśvara
- spyan ras gzigs dbang po
- སྤྱན་རས་གཟིགས་དབང་པོ།
- avalokiteśvara
bamboo
- ’od ma
- འོད་མ།
- veṇu
barley
- nas
- ནས།
- yava
beings with neither perception nor nonperception
- ’du shes med ’du shes med min gyi sems can
- འདུ་ཤེས་མེད་འདུ་ཤེས་མེད་མིན་གྱི་སེམས་ཅན།
- naivasaṃjñānāsaṃjñāsattva
bilva fruit tree
- bil shing ba
- བིལ་ཤིང་བ།
- bilvavṛkṣa
black antelope
- ri dags nag po
- ri dwags nag po
- རི་དགས་ནག་པོ།
- རི་དྭགས་ནག་པོ།
- kṛṣṇamṛga
born from a womb
- mngal las skyes pa
- མངལ་ལས་སྐྱེས་པ།
- jārāyuja
born from an egg
- sgo nga las skyes pa
- སྒོ་ང་ལས་སྐྱེས་པ།
- aṇḍaja
born from heat and moisture
- drod gsher las skyes pa
- དྲོད་གཤེར་ལས་སྐྱེས་པ།
- saṃsvedaja
born miraculously
- rdzus te skyes pa
- རྫུས་ཏེ་སྐྱེས་པ།
- upapādukaja
boy
- khye’u
- ཁྱེའུ།
- —
Brahmā
- tshangs pa
- ཚངས་པ།
- brahmā
broad heels
- zhabs kyi rting pa che ba
- ཞབས་ཀྱི་རྟིང་པ་ཆེ་བ།
- āyatapādapārṣṇi
bull
- khyu mchog
- ཁྱུ་མཆོག
- vṛṣabha
- ṛṣabha
cakravāka shelduck
- ngur pa
- ངུར་པ།
- cakravāka
cakravartin
- ’khor los sgyur ba
- འཁོར་ལོས་སྒྱུར་བ།
- cakravartin
calves like those of Eṇeya, king of antelopes
- byin pa ri dags kyi rgyal po e ne ya ’dra ba
- བྱིན་པ་རི་དགས་ཀྱི་རྒྱལ་པོ་ཨེ་ནེ་ཡ་འདྲ་བ།
- eṇeyamṛgarājajaṅgha
cāṣa bird
- tsA sha
- tsa sha
- ཙཱ་ཤ།
- ཙ་ཤ།
- cāṣa
cheeks like a lion
- ’gram pa seng ge’i ’dra ba
- འགྲམ་པ་སེང་གེའི་འདྲ་བ།
- siṃhahanu
chiliocosm
- stong gi ’jig rten gyi khams
- སྟོང་གི་འཇིག་རྟེན་གྱི་ཁམས།
- sāhasralokadhātu
cloud
- sprin
- སྤྲིན།
- megha
concealed male organ
- pho mtshan mi snang bar nub pa
- ཕོ་མཚན་མི་སྣང་བར་ནུབ་པ།
- —
conch
- dung
- དུང་།
- śaṅkha
dangling earring
- rna cha phyang phrul can
- རྣ་ཆ་ཕྱང་ཕྲུལ་ཅན།
- —
dark blue eyes with bovine eyelashes
- spyan mthon mthing la ba’i rdzi ma ’dra ba
- སྤྱན་མཐོན་མཐིང་ལ་བའི་རྫི་མ་འདྲ་བ།
- abhinīlanetragopakṣman
desire realm
- ’dod pa’i khams
- འདོད་པའི་ཁམས།
- kāmadhātu
Dhanada
- nor sbyin
- ནོར་སྦྱིན།
- dhanada
Dharma conch
- chos kyi dung
- ཆོས་ཀྱི་དུང་།
- dharmaśaṅkha
Dhṛtarāṣṭra
- ’khor srung po
- yul ’khor srung
- ’khor srung
- འཁོར་སྲུང་པོ།
- ཡུལ་འཁོར་སྲུང་།
- འཁོར་སྲུང་།
- dhṛtarāṣṭra
dhyāna
- bsam gtan
- བསམ་གཏན།
- dhyāna
dichiliocosm
- stong gnyis kyi ’jig rten gyi khams
- སྟོང་གཉིས་ཀྱི་འཇིག་རྟེན་གྱི་ཁམས།
- dvisāhasralokadhātu
dove
- thi ba
- ཐི་བ།
- kapota
drum
- rnga
- རྔ།
- —
dūrvā grass
- rtswa dur ba
- རྩྭ་དུར་བ།
- dūrvā
eight auspicious emblems
- bkra shis rtags brgyad
- བཀྲ་ཤིས་རྟགས་བརྒྱད།
- aṣṭamaṅgala
eighty designs
- ri mo’i rjes kyi mtshan brgyad cu
- རི་མོའི་རྗེས་ཀྱི་མཚན་བརྒྱད་ཅུ།
- —
eighty excellent signs
- dpe byad bzang po brgyad cu
- དཔེ་བྱད་བཟང་པོ་བརྒྱད་ཅུ།
- aśītyānuvyañjana
elephant
- glang po
- glang po che
- གླང་པོ།
- གླང་པོ་ཆེ།
- hastin
eon
- bskal pa
- བསྐལ་པ།
- kalpa
eon of destruction
- bskal pa ’jig pa
- བསྐལ་པ་འཇིག་པ།
- saṃvartakalpa
even forehead
- dpral ba mnyam pa
- དཔྲལ་བ་མཉམ་པ།
- samalalāṭa
excellent flower
- me tog bzang po
- མེ་ཏོག་བཟང་པོ།
- —
excellent throne
- dge ba’i stan
- dge ba’i bstan
- khri stan bzang po
- དགེ་བའི་སྟན།
- དགེ་བའི་བསྟན།
- ཁྲི་སྟན་བཟང་པོ།
- bhadrāsana RS
feet with high arches
- zhabs kyi steng mtho ba
- ཞབས་ཀྱི་སྟེང་མཐོ་བ།
- utsaṅgapāda
fine skin the color of gold
- pags pa srab la gser gyi mdog ’dra ba
- པགས་པ་སྲབ་ལ་གསེར་གྱི་མདོག་འདྲ་བ།
- sūkṣmasuvarṇacchavi
fire
- me
- མེ།
- agni
fish
- nya
- ཉ།
- matsya
form realm
- gzugs kyi khams
- གཟུགས་ཀྱི་ཁམས།
- rūpadhātu
formless realm
- gzugs med pa’i khams
- གཟུགས་མེད་པའི་ཁམས།
- ārūpyadhātu
forty close-fitting teeth
- so bzhi bcu thags bzang ba
- སོ་བཞི་བཅུ་ཐགས་བཟང་བ།
- catvāriṃśadaviraladanta
four continents
- gling bzhi
- གླིང་བཞི།
- caturdvīpa
full and rounded thighs
- brla gang zhing zlum pa
- བརླ་གང་ཞིང་ཟླུམ་པ།
- suvartitoru
garland
- phreng ba
- ཕྲེང་བ།
- mālā
gayal
- ba men
- བ་མེན།
- gavaya
girl
- bu mo
- བུ་མོ།
- —
goat
- ra
- ར།
- aja
goose
- ngang pa
- ངང་པ།
- haṃsa
great medicine
- sman chen po
- སྨན་ཆེན་པོ།
- mahauṣadhi
- mahauṣadha
great sage
- drang srong chen po
- དྲང་སྲོང་ཆེན་པོ།
- maharṣi
hair growing from every pore
- spu khung bu re re nas skyes pa
- སྤུ་ཁུང་བུ་རེ་རེ་ནས་སྐྱེས་པ།
- —
having an excellent well-built body
- yan lag mchog gi gzugs dang ldan pa
- ཡན་ལག་མཆོག་གི་གཟུགས་དང་ལྡན་པ།
- varāṅgarūpin
hook
- kyo ba thang
- lcags kyu
- ཀྱོ་བ་ཐང་།
- ལྕགས་ཀྱུ།
- aṅkuśa
horse
- rta
- རྟ།
- aśva
hundred sextillion
- bye ba khrag khrig brgya stong
- བྱེ་བ་ཁྲག་ཁྲིག་བརྒྱ་སྟོང་།
- koṭiniyutaśatasahasra
Indra
- dbang po
- དབང་པོ།
- indra
insight
- shes rab
- ཤེས་རབ།
- prajñā
intermediate eon
- bar gyi bskal pa
- བར་གྱི་བསྐལ་པ།
- antarakalpa
kalaviṅka bird
- ka la ping ka
- ka la bing+ka
- ཀ་ལ་པིང་ཀ
- ཀ་ལ་བིངྐ།
- kalaviṅka
lance
- shag ti
- mdung thung
- ཤག་ཏི།
- མདུང་ཐུང་།
- śakti
large and slender tongue
- lce che zhing srab pa
- ལྕེ་ཆེ་ཞིང་སྲབ་པ།
- prabhūtatanujihva RS
lasso
- zhags pa
- ཞགས་པ།
- pāśa
lion at the center of a wheel
- ’khor lo’i dbus kyi seng ge
- ’khor lo dang dpung gi seng ge
- ’khor lo dpung gi seng ge
- འཁོར་ལོའི་དབུས་ཀྱི་སེང་གེ
- འཁོར་ལོ་དང་དཔུང་གི་སེང་གེ
- འཁོར་ལོ་དཔུང་གི་སེང་གེ
- —
long fingers and toes
- sor mo ring ba
- སོར་མོ་རིང་བ།
- dīrghāṅguli
lotus
- pad mo
- པད་མོ།
- padma
mace
- gtun
- gtun shing
- གཏུན།
- གཏུན་ཤིང་།
- musala
makara
- chu srin
- chu srin ma ka ra
- ཆུ་སྲིན།
- ཆུ་སྲིན་མ་ཀ་ར།
- makara
Mañjuśrī
- ’jam dpal
- འཇམ་དཔལ།
- mañjuśrī
Māra
- bdud
- བདུད།
- māra
moon
- zla ba
- ཟླ་བ།
- candra
mountain
- ri
- རི།
- parvata
mṛdaṅga
- smri tang ga
- rdza rnga
- smri ga
- smri dang ga
- སྨྲི་ཏང་ག
- རྫ་རྔ།
- སྨྲི་ག
- སྨྲི་དང་ག
- mṛdaṅga
nāga
- klu
- ཀླུ།
- nāga
nandyāvarta
- g.yung drung
- གཡུང་དྲུང་།
- nandyāvarta
palms and soles that are soft and supple
- zhabs dang phyag gi mthil ’jam zhing mnyen pa
- zhabs dang phyag gi mthil ’jam zhing gzhon sha chags pa
- ཞབས་དང་ཕྱག་གི་མཐིལ་འཇམ་ཞིང་མཉེན་པ།
- ཞབས་དང་ཕྱག་གི་མཐིལ་འཇམ་ཞིང་གཞོན་ཤ་ཆགས་པ།
- mṛdutaruṇahastapādatala RS
palms and soles with the mark of the wheel
- zhabs dang phyag gi mthil na ’khor lo’i mtshan yod pa
- ཞབས་དང་ཕྱག་གི་མཐིལ་ན་འཁོར་ལོའི་མཚན་ཡོད་པ།
- cakrāṅkitahastapādatala
parasol
- gdugs
- གདུགས།
- chattra
parrot
- ne tso
- ནེ་ཙོ།
- śuka
partridge
- shang shang te’u
- ཤང་ཤང་ཏེའུ།
- jīvaṃjīva
- jīvaṃjīvaka
peacock
- rma bya
- རྨ་བྱ།
- mayūra
pearl ornament
- mu tig gi rgyan
- mu tig gi brgyan
- མུ་ཏིག་གི་རྒྱན།
- མུ་ཏིག་གི་བརྒྱན།
- —
plow
- gshol
- གཤོལ།
- hala
pratyekabuddha
- rang sangs rgyas
- རང་སངས་རྒྱས།
- pratyekabuddha
precious elephant
- glang po rin po che
- གླང་པོ་རིན་པོ་ཆེ།
- hastiratna
precious horse
- rta rin po che
- རྟ་རིན་པོ་ཆེ།
- aśvaratna
precious jewel
- nor bu rin po che
- ནོར་བུ་རིན་པོ་ཆེ།
- maṇiratna
precious minister
- blon po rin po che
- བློན་པོ་རིན་པོ་ཆེ།
- pariṇāyakaratna
precious steward
- khyim bdag rin po che
- ཁྱིམ་བདག་རིན་པོ་ཆེ།
- gṛhapatiratna
precious wheel
- ’khor lo rin po che
- འཁོར་ལོ་རིན་པོ་ཆེ།
- cakraratna
precious woman
- bud med rin po che
- བུད་མེད་རིན་པོ་ཆེ།
- strīratna
puroḍāśa
- pu ro da sha
- པུ་རོ་ད་ཤ།
- puroḍāśa
right-curling dark blue hair on the head
- dbu’i mthon mthing la g.yas phyogs su ’khyil ba
- དབུའི་མཐོན་མཐིང་ལ་གཡས་ཕྱོགས་སུ་འཁྱིལ་བ།
- —
round shoulders
- dpung mgo zlum pa
- དཔུང་མགོ་ཟླུམ་པ།
- saṃvṛtaskandha
Śakra
- brgya byin
- བརྒྱ་བྱིན།
- śakra
Samanta Assembly Hall
- kun nas mdzes pa
- ཀུན་ནས་མཛེས་པ།
- samantaprāsāda
seven prominent parts
- bdun mtho ba
- བདུན་མཐོ་བ།
- saptotsada
seven treasures
- rin po che sna bdun
- རིན་པོ་ཆེ་སྣ་བདུན།
- saptaratna
śrāvaka
- nyan thos
- ཉན་ཐོས།
- śrāvaka
Śrāvastī
- mnyan du yod pa
- མཉན་དུ་ཡོད་པ།
- śrāvastī
Śrī
- dpal
- དཔལ།
- śrī
śrīvatsa
- dpal be’u
- དཔལ་བེའུ།
- śrīvatsa
staff
- dbyig to
- dbyig tog
- དབྱིག་ཏོ།
- དབྱིག་ཏོག
- —
sun
- nyi ma
- ཉི་མ།
- sūrya
supreme sword
- ral gri mchog
- ral gyi mchog
- རལ་གྲི་མཆོག
- རལ་གྱི་མཆོག
- —
tail whisk
- rnga yab
- རྔ་ཡབ།
- cāmara
tathāgata
- de bzhin gshegs pa
- དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པ།
- tathāgata
ten virtuous actions
- dge ba bcu’i las
- དགེ་བ་བཅུའི་ལས།
- daśakuśalakarman
the voice of Brahmā
- tshangs pa’i dbyangs
- ཚངས་པའི་དབྱངས།
- brahmasvara
thirty-two signs of a great being
- skyes bu chen po’i mtshan sum cu rtsa gnyis
- སྐྱེས་བུ་ཆེན་པོའི་མཚན་སུམ་ཅུ་རྩ་གཉིས།
- dvātriṃśanmahāpuruṣalakṣaṇa
three realms
- khams gsum
- ཁམས་གསུམ།
- tridhātu
tiger
- stag
- སྟག
- vyāghra
torso like a lion
- ro stod seng ge ’dra ba
- རོ་སྟོད་སེང་གེ་འདྲ་བ།
- siṃhapūrvārdhakāya
triangle
- gru gsum
- གྲུ་གསུམ།
- trikoṇa
trichiliocosm
- stong gsum gyi stong chen po’i ’jig rten gyi khams
- སྟོང་གསུམ་གྱི་སྟོང་ཆེན་པོའི་འཇིག་རྟེན་གྱི་ཁམས།
- trisāhasramahāsāhasralokadhātu
trident
- mdung rtse gsum pa
- མདུང་རྩེ་གསུམ་པ།
- triśūla
turtle
- rus sbal
- ru sbal
- རུས་སྦལ།
- རུ་སྦལ།
- kūrma
ūrṇā hair between the eyebrows
- smin mtshams kyi mdzod spu
- སྨིན་མཚམས་ཀྱི་མཛོད་སྤུ།
- —
uṣṇīṣa
- gtsug tor
- གཙུག་ཏོར།
- uṣṇīṣa
vajra
- rdo rje
- རྡོ་རྗེ།
- vajra
Varuṇa
- chu’i lha
- ཆུའི་ལྷ།
- varuṇa
vase
- bum pa
- བུམ་པ།
- —
victory banner
- rgyal mtshan
- རྒྱལ་མཚན།
- dhvaja
Virūḍhaka
- ’phags skyes po
- འཕགས་སྐྱེས་པོ།
- virūḍhaka
Virūpākṣa
- mig mi bzang
- མིག་མི་བཟང་།
- virūpākṣa
webbed fingers and toes
- zhabs dang phyag gi sor mo’i bar dra bar ’brel ba
- ཞབས་དང་ཕྱག་གི་སོར་མོའི་བར་དྲ་བར་འབྲེལ་བ།
- jālāvanaddhāṅgulipāṇipāda
well-positioned feet
- zhabs rab tu gnas pa
- ཞབས་རབ་ཏུ་གནས་པ།
- supratiṣṭhitapāda
white canine teeth
- mche ba dkar ba
- མཆེ་བ་དཀར་བ།
- śukladanta
wind
- rlung
- རླུང་།
- vāyu
wisdom
- ye shes
- ཡེ་ཤེས།
- jñāna
wish
- bsam pa
- བསམ་པ།
- abhiprāya
wish-granting tree
- dpag bsam gyi shing
- དཔག་བསམ་གྱི་ཤིང་།
- kalpavṛkṣa