This rendering does not include the entire published text

The full text is available to download as pdf at:
/translation/toh220.pdf

སངས་རྒྱས་ཀྱི་སྡེ་སྣོད་ཚུལ་ཁྲིམས་འཆལ་པ་ཚར་གཅོད་པ།

The Buddha’s Collected Teachings Repudiating Those Who Violate the Discipline
Notes

Buddhapiṭakaduḥśīlanigraha

སངས་རྒྱས་ཀྱི་སྡེ་སྣོད་ཚུལ་ཁྲིམས་འཆལ་པ་ཚར་གཅོད་པ་ཞེས་བྱ་བ་ཐེག་པ་ཆེན་པོའི་མདོ།

sangs rgyas kyi sde snod tshul khrims ’chal pa tshar gcod pa zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo

The Great Vehicle Discourse “The Buddha’s Collected Teachings Repudiating Those Who Violate the Discipline”

Buddhapiṭakaduḥśīlanigrahanāmamahāyānasūtra

Toh 220

Degé Kangyur, vol. 63 (mdo sde, dza), folios 1.b–77.b

ᴛʀᴀɴsʟᴀᴛᴇᴅ ɪɴᴛᴏ ᴛɪʙᴇᴛᴀɴ ʙʏ

Dharmaśrīprabha
Palgyi Lhünpo

Translated by the Dharmachakra Translation Committee
under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha

First published 2023

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co.

Summary

s.1

When Śāriputra voices amazement at how the Buddha uses words to point out the inexpressible ways in which nothing has true existence, the Buddha responds with an uncompromising teaching on how the lack of true existence and the absence of a self are indeed not simply philosophical views but the very cornerstone of the Dharma. To have understood, realized, and applied them fully is the main quality by which someone may be considered a member of the saṅgha and authorized to teach others and to receive offerings. Those who persist in perceiving anything‍—even elements of the path and its results‍—as having any kind of true existence are committing the most serious of all violations of discipline (śīla), and since they fail to follow the Buddha’s core teaching in this way they should not even be considered his followers. The Buddha’s dialogue with Śāriputra continues on the consequences of monks’ violating their discipline more broadly, and he gives several prophecies about the future decline of the Dharma that will be caused by the misbehavior of such monks.

ac.

Acknowledgements

ac.1

An initial translation by Nika Jovic for the Dharmachakra Translation Committee was completed under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha. Andreas Doctor, Adam Krug, and John Canti revised and edited the translation and the introduction, and Dion Blundell copyedited the text. Martina Cotter was in charge of the digital publication process.

The generous sponsorship of Zhou Tian Yu, Chen Yi Qin, and LZ which helped make the work on this translation possible, is most gratefully acknowledged.

Introduction

i.1

Repudiating Those Who Violate the Discipline is located in the General Sūtra section of the Degé Kangyur and is structured in eight chapters followed by a long epilogue. Although it purports to be a text on discipline and how it is violated, its main doctrinal thrust is to set out a view of Buddhist practice based uncompromisingly on the ultimate view of emptiness. To practice or teach others in ways that do not fully embrace that ultimate view turns out to be the transgression of discipline to which the sūtra’s title refers, and the Buddha goes even further in insisting that those who follow such mistaken ways are not only failing to follow his teachings correctly but are also not qualified to receive offerings and are not even to be considered members of the Buddhist saṅgha.

The Translation

The Great Vehicle Sūtra
The Buddha’s Collected Teachings Repudiating Those Who Violate the Discipline

Chapter 1

The Setting

[F.1.b] [B1]

1.1

Homage to all buddhas and bodhisattvas.

Thus did I hear at one time. The Blessed One was residing in the Deer Park of Ṛṣipatana at Vārāṇasī, together with a great saṅgha of five hundred monks who had exhausted their defilements, completed their tasks, done their duties, laid down their burdens, accomplished their goals, and eliminated the bonds binding them to existence. Their minds were fully liberated by perfect understanding, their insight was fully liberated, and they had attained mastery. They were all worthy ones, except for one person‍—Venerable Ānanda.

Chapter 2

The Teaching on Recollection

2.1

“Blessed One,” Śāriputra then inquired, “according to this Dharma discourse, what are the ways in which an evil friend gives instructions and teachings, and what are the ways in which a virtuous friend gives instructions and teachings?”

2.2

“Śāriputra,” the Blessed One replied, “a monk might instruct and teach another monk as follows: ‘Come, monk. Engage your attention on the Buddha, engage your attention on the Dharma, and engage your attention on the Saṅgha. Engage your attention on recollecting moral discipline. Engage your attention on recollecting giving. Engage your attention on recollecting the gods. Come, monk. Observe the body as being the body and sustain that observing. To keep hold of the distinguishing marks of sustaining, engage your attention on the body’s impure characteristics. Come, monk. Engage your attention on the fact that all formations are impermanent and are suffering. Engage your attention on the fact that all phenomena lack a self and are empty. Come, monk. Hold fast to the distinguishing marks you have observed and keep them in mind. Bear the distinguishing marks you have observed in mind so that the mind will not wander. Come, monk. Reflect upon and work to acquire wholesome qualities. Do not hold on to the distinguishing marks of unwholesome qualities. Generate enthusiasm to help you to not hold on to them and to abandon them instead. Remain vigilant about the distinguishing marks that indicate that you have abandoned nonvirtues, so that they do not arise in the future. Come, monk. Carefully consider and direct your attention to the aspects of the aggregates, the sense fields, and the elements as repulsive. [F.9.a] Come, monk. Bear in mind the distinguishing marks that indicate wholesome and unnwholesome qualities. Then, engage your attention on these key points to abandon them: To abandon desire, engage your attention on impurity. To abandon anger, engage your attention on love. To abandon delusion, engage your attention on dependent origination. Come, monk. Engage your attention on pure moral discipline. Engage your attention on the distinguishing marks related to absorption. Engage your attention on pure insight. Direct your effort toward the four concentrations. Reflect upon and work to acquire the result you should attain. Engage your attention without considering unwholesome qualities. Engage your attention and rely on virtuous qualities. Strive to cultivate the path. Bear those distinguishing marks that indicate virtuous qualities perfectly in mind and engage your attention on the fact that nirvāṇa is happiness and peace. Work to acquire this view, so that you can attain nirvāṇa.’ When a monk instructs and teaches another with such statements and also says, ‘Engage your attention on purity,’ he is encouraging him to hold a mistaken understanding. The notion that this is to view things correctly will encourage him to view things wrongly.

Chapter 3

The Virtuous Friend

3.1

“Blessed One,” Śāriputra then inquired, “how must one explain these teachings so that one does not become an evil friend? Blessed One, how must one instruct and teach to be referred to as a virtuous friend?”

3.2

“Śāriputra,” replied the Blessed One, “a monk should instruct and teach another monk about this as follows: ‘Come, monk. Cultivate recollecting the Buddha and have conviction in it. Do not engage your attention on some state that is attained. Since there are no entities when you see correctly, you must have the convinction that the intrinsic nature of phenomena is not an object of correct seeing, and let go of the notion that something lacking intrinsic nature possesses any essence.

Chapter 4

The Noble Saṅgha

4.1

“Śāriputra, what is the noble saṅgha? It refers to those who have the acceptance that engages in the absence of cessation, the absence of origination, the absence of distinguishing marks, the absence of characteristics, and the absence of elaboration‍—those who have a particular conviction in it, correctly teach it, and provide the proper conditions for understanding it. Those with that particular conviction in the absence of characteristics do not even apprehend a self, let alone apprehending stream enterers, once-returners, non-returners, and worthy ones; apprehending something as a phenomenon; apprehending men, women, and paṇḍakas; apprehending something as an imputation; or apprehending something as a basis. The saṅgha does not apprehend any such things.

Chapter 5

Violated Discipline

5.1

“Śāriputra, the torments of monks who violate their discipline are tenfold. Monks who experience these ten tormenting afflictions because they have violated their discipline will not savor the Buddha’s teachings. They will not engage or be interested in explanations of the profound Dharma. They will be afraid, scared, and terrified when they hear teachings related to nonapprehending, such as emptiness, the absence of distinguishing marks, and the absence of wishes. They will not understand the meaning of what the Thus-Gone One realized and taught, and they will be hostile toward monks who propound the Dharma, and not even want to look at them.

Chapter 6

Teaching Impure Dharma

6.1

“Śāriputra, Jambudvīpa will be filled with unholy beings who are absorbed in the pursuit of their own livelihoods, who cling to disputes, and who harm both themselves and others. That is why, Śāriputra, the Blessed One Kāśyapa prophesied that excessive gain and honor would cause the teachings of the Thus-Gone Śākyamuni to quickly disappear. Thus, Śāriputra, gain and honor will cause this Dharma-Vinaya to quickly disappear.

Chapter 7

Connections to Previous Lives

7.1

“Śāriputra, this is what must be understood through these teachings: Countless, innumerable eons ago, a blessed buddha named Mahāvyūha appeared. He was a thus-gone, worthy, perfect buddha endowed with perfect knowledge and conduct, a well-gone one, a knower of the world, unsurpassed, a guide of beings to be tamed, and a teacher of both gods and men. The blessed Thus-Gone One Mahāvyūha lived for sixty-eight billion years, Śāriputra, and the monks who were hearers in his assembly numbered sixty-eight trillion. [F.47.a]

Chapter 8

Honoring, Respecting, Revering, Worshiping, and Pleasing the Thus-Gone Ones

8.1

“Śāriputra, I remember times in the past when relying on this unsurpassed and perfect awakening had led me to become a universal monarch. I honored, respected, revered, and worshiped three hundred million buddhas who were all called Śākyamuni, as well as their assemblies of hearers, by offering them robes, alms, sleeping places, medicine, and other necessities. After pleasing them, I practiced with the sole aim of achieving unsurpassed and perfect awakening. Still, those blessed buddhas did not prophesy about me, saying, ‘In the future, you will become a thus-gone, worthy, perfect buddha.’ Why is that? Because I entertained notions related to apprehending and clung to the view of a self.

Epilogue

9.1

“Śāriputra, I remember when a thus-gone, worthy, perfect buddha named Brilliant Light appeared in the world. At that time the bodhisattva Maitreya was a universal monarch who generated under him the roots of virtue associated with the mind of awakening for the first time. The lifespan of that blessed one was eighty-four thousand years, and his great gathering of hearers was threefold: there were nine hundred sixty million worthy ones in the first great gathering, nine hundred forty million worthy ones in the second, and nine hundred twenty million worthy ones in the third. Śāriputra, when King Vairocana saw that blessed one, great joy arose in his mind. For ten thousand years, he venerated and pleased that blessed one and his saṅgha of hearers. […] In a prayer, he made this aspiration: ‘When I pursue awakening in the future, may I obtain a lifespan just as long as his, and may I gain a saṅgha of great hearers of the same size. [F.58.a] When I establish sentient beings in happiness, may I awaken to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood!’

Colophon

c.1

Translated, edited, and finalized in the Lhenkar Palace by the Indian preceptor Dharmaśrīprabha and the translator monk Palgyi Lhünpo

ab.

Abbreviations

C	Choné (co ne) Kangyur
D	Degé (sde dge) Kangyur
H	Lhasa (zhol) Kangyur
J	Lithang (’jang sa tham) Kangyur
K	Peking (pe cin) Kangxi Kangyur
N	Narthang (snar thang) Kangyur
S	Stok Palace (stog pho brang) Manuscript Kangyur
Y	Peking Yongle (g.yung lo) Kangyur

Notes

n.1

The usual formulation of these qualities comprises a pair of terms, one of which describes what qualities are positively present and the other what negative attributes have been eliminated. While the second of the two elements‍—the quality of being rid of hindrances‍—is summarized throughout by the term “liberated” (grol), the terminology used for the first element‍—summarizing the positive attributes‍—evolves as the text unfolds. In the first few chapters we see mentions of “having knowledge and being liberated” (rig pa dang grol ba). In the fourth, fifth, and seventh chapters the equivalent becomes being “coherent and liberated” (rigs pa dang grol ba). In the ninth chapter, the terms used are “equipped and liberated” (ldan pa dang grol ba). It is noteworthy that the term for “coherent and liberated” (yuktamukta, rigs pa dang grol ba) is also used in the canonical literature (in the Vinayavibhaṅgha (Toh 3), Vinayottaragrantha (Toh 7a), several Vinaya commentaries, and some sūtras) as a description of the necessary qualities of the inspired eloquence (pratibhāna, spobs pa) of those qualified to give teachings; in this regard see, for example, Upholding the Roots of Virtue (Toh 101), n.73.

n.2

In this catalog, Repudiating Those Who Violate the Discipline is included among the “Miscellaneous Sūtras” (Tib. mdo sde sna tshogs) less than ten sections (Tib. bam po) long. Denkarma F.297.a; see also Herrmann-Pfandt 2008, p. 53, no. 92.

n.3

Fo cang jing 佛藏經 (Buddhapiṭakaduḥśīlanigraha), Taishō 653 (CBETA; SAT).

n.4

Tsui 2010, p. 130.

n.5

Chen 2014, pp. 178–79. Here Chung-hui Tsui tells us that this work was inscribed by Fan Hai, who was the court scribe during that period, and is dated 457 ᴄᴇ. The postscript of this sūtra provides noteworthy details, such as the quantity of paper used, the time when proofreading was completed, the name of the sūtra and its scroll number, and the shrine or temple owner. It also identifies the patron of the sūtra as the king Juqu Anzhou (d. 460), who devoted himself to promoting Buddhism in China.

n.6

The Denkarma (Tib. ldan dkar ma) catalog includes Toh 123 among the discourses translated from Chinese (Denkarma, F.300.a; Herrmann-Pfandt 2008, p. 138, no. 255). Toh 123 also lacks the standard colophon that usually follows Tibetan translations from the Sanskrit. Additionally, this text contains specific vocabulary (discussed at length in Rolf Stein’s Tibetica Antiqua, pp. 1–85) indicating that it was translated from the Chinese. See also Silk 2018, p. 234.

n.7

In the Degé Kangyur, Toh 220 spans 154 folios, while Toh 123 spans 119.

n.8

Thompson 1994, p. 171.

n.9

Silk 1994, pp. 158–62.

n.10

McCombs 2014, pp. 65–66.

n.11

Morell 1994, pp. 141, 194, 249.

n.12

Adamek 2011, pp. 215–16.

n.13

Translated based on the Stok, Yongle, Lithang, Peking, Narthang, Choné, and Lhasa editions: ’ur sgra. Degé reads: ’ud sgra.

n.14

From this point onward in the text this repeated phrase is explicitly abridged by omitting what follows down to and including “cannot be pointed out,” with the instruction (to the reader) that it should be expanded as before. For ease of reading, we have chosen to provide the full sentence for each occurrence.

n.15

The Yongle, Lithang, Narthang, Choné, Lhasa, and Stok editions read: gnon (“oppressing”).

n.16

Translated based on the Stok, Yongle, Peking, and Choné editions: ’jigs pa ma yin pa med pa. The Degé Kangyur reads ’jig pa ma yin pa med pa (“it is without nondisintegration”).

n.17

The two terms that are used here are both commonly translated as “person” in English, but they have been rendered here as “primordial man” (Skt. puruṣa, Tib. skyes bu) and “person” (Skt. pudgala, Tib. gang zag). In this case, the term skyes bu translates the Sanskrit term puruṣa or “cosmic man” of the renowned Rig Veda 10.90 and, by extension, the inactive ultimate being of the Sāṁkhya, while the term gang zag translates the Sanskrit term pudgala, which refers to the “person” at the level of the individual.

n.18

The Tibetan brtan pa here could simply mean “fixed” or “stable” but, following as it does just after the two preceding terms, may also refer to the polestar (Skt. dhruva), mythologically personified as the son of Uttānapāda and thus grandson of Manu. Compare with the same Tibetan term, rendered “stability,” in the list at 5.53 where it appears instead flanked by rtag pa (“permanence”) and ther zug (“eternality”).

n.19

Here, presumably, with the meaning of a being disembodied after death and seeking rebirth.

n.20

This rendering is somewhat speculatively based on the reading in the Degé Kangyur, tshangs par spyad pa’i tha snyad, which is also the reading in the Lhasa, Dodedrak, and Urga Kangyurs. The Stok Palace, Shey, Yongle, Lithang, Peking, Narthang, and Choné Kangyurs instead read tshangs par spyad pa’i tha chad (“improper pure conduct”), which superficially might seem a more likely reading but is not quite in line with the theme of this passage. The Phugdrak Kangyur reads: tshangs par spyad pa’i mtha’ chad pa (“lowliest of pure conduct”).

n.21

This is an abbreviated reference to a statement widespread in the canonical literature about arhats “regarding gold as no different than filth and the palm of the hand as like space itself.”

n.22

Translated following the Degé, Lhasa, Urga, Stok Palace, and Shey Kangyurs, which all read bzhi po here. The Narthang, Yongle, Lithang, Kanxi, and Choné Kangyurs instead have gzhi po, which could possibly be interpreted as “basis” or “substratum.”

n.23

Translated according to the reading chos zhes bya ba’i tha snyad in the Stok Palace, Shey, Narthang, and Lhasa Kangyurs. Degé and most Kangyurs read chos shes bya ba’i tha snyad …, which seems less likely; the sentence would then be translated, “The noble ones even deny that it is a correctly designated convention to designate phenomena that are objects of knowledge.”

n.24

Aside from the list of musical instruments, we have translated the Tibetan word sgra as “terms” in this paragraph.

n.25

Tentative translation. Tib. dpe chad pa. This obscure turn of phrase does not appear to occur anywhere else in the Kangyur. It has been rendered literally here in spite of the fact that the literal meaning makes little sense in context. Plausible alternatives are difficult to discern.

n.26

Tib. ma byas pa, usually shorthand for the notion that what one experiences is not the karmic result of past actions.

n.27

Tentative translation. Tib. shA ri’i bu de bzhin gshegs pas sangs rgyas rjes su dran pa’i chos bstan pa la yang sangs rgyas bcom ldan ’das rnams kyis kyang rjes su dran par mi spyod do. This reading is consistent across the Tshalpa and Thempangma recensions of the Kangyur. However, this line breaks the pattern established in the section, and has been emended here by reading the phrase sangs rgyas bcom ldan ’das kyis as *sangs rgyas bcom ldan ’das kyi.

n.28

Tib. dge sbyong chu skyar. The Sanskrit term baka, rendered here in Tibetan as chu skyar, literally means “stork” or “crane.” The stork, crane, and other birds like it evoke a sense of cheating, hypocrisy, and cunning deceit in Sanskrit literature, most likely due to the cunning and stealth with which they hunt their food.

n.29

Tentative translation. The Degé and Stok editions read chos gos mi gtsang ba’i dgon pa dang ldan pa yin no.

n.30

Tib. chos dang ’thun pas. It is also possible to read this phrase as “legally” or “according to the law,” and that it refers to Buddhists being legally prohibited from teaching.

n.31

Translated based on the Stok, Yongle, Lithang, Peking, Narthang, Choné, and Lhasa editions: ngas. Degé reads: des.

n.32

The phrase “scatters flies” has been added to the English translation for the sake of clarity.

n.33

Translated based on the Stok edition: dpang du gyur pa yin. Degé reads: dbang du gyur pa yin (“overpowered”).

n.34

Translated based on the Stok, Lithang, Peking, and Narthang editions: btsam pa med pa. Degé reads: rtsam pa med pa.

n.35

Tentative translation. Tib. dge sbyongs du khas ’tshe ba.

n.36

Translated based on the Yongle, Lithang, Peking, Narthang, Choné, and Lhasa editions: ’dod pa rnams la log par spyod pa. The Degé and Stok editions read: ’dod pa rnams la log par mi spyod pa (“who does not engage in sexual misconduct”).

n.37

Tentative translation. Tib. zhi ba don med par spyod pa.

n.38

Tentative translation. Tib. de la skyes bu dam pa ma yin pa la rjes su ma gnang ba de lta bu gang ci yang rung mchil ma dor ba tsam de thams cad kyang dad pas byin pa yin no.

n.39

Tentative translation. The Degé and Stok editions read: dkyogs. The Yongle, Lithang, Peking, Narthang, Choné, and Lhasa editions read: bkyogs. This translation amends the verb to bklags.

n.40

Translated based on the Stok edition: brang sa.

n.41

Tentative translation. Tib. bdag dang gnyis kyis.

n.42

Tib. nges par ’byung ba. According to the previous list, this probably refers to the monk Apprehending Origination (Tib. ’byung par dmigs pa).

n.43

Translated according to the reading in most Kangyurs: rigs pa. Lhasa, however, has rig pa, “knowledge,” which would be more in line with the usual characterization of the saṅgha as rig pa dang grol ba, “[having] knowledge and liberation” as in 4.10, 4.33, and 7.13.

n.44

The six non-Buddhist teachers are Purāna Kāśyapa, Māskārin Gośāliputra, Saṃjāyin Vairaṭiputra, Kakuda Kātyāyana, Ajita Keśakambala, and Nirgrantha Jñātiputra.

n.45

See n.43.

n.46

Tentative translation. It is not quite clear to us who this being called Constant Generosity might be, although it appears to refer to the Buddha himself. Tib. thams cad rtag tu sbyin zhes bya bas dge ba ci yin zhes tshol ba na.

n.47

Reading Stok Palace ldan pa instead of Degé bden pa

n.48

We have been unable to identify this element in this list: phu gu pa.

n.49

Tentative translation. Tib. kha dog gi rigs rnam pa sna tshogs.

n.50

Tentative translation. Tib. sor bzhir rtog pa.

n.51

Tentative translation. Tib. ’du ’dzi las skyes pa. This compound is likely synonymous with the compound ’du ’dzi la dga’ ba (Skt. saṅgaṇikārāma).

n.52

Translated based on the Stok edition: rma rlon. Degé reads: rma klan.

n.53

Translation based on the Stok Palace and Yongle Kangyur readingss: ldan pa. Degé reads: bden pa (“true”).

n.54

Translation based on the Stok Palace Kangyur reading: ldan pa. Degé reads: bden pa (“true”).

n.55

Only eleven of the “twelve branches of Buddhist scripture” are enumerated here. “Extensive teachings” (Skt. vaipulya; Tib. shin tu rgyas pa'i sde) is missing.

n.56

Tentative translation. Tib. gang gi phyir bden pa’i yon tan ’di dag gsung ba ni de ltar ’gyur ba’i phyir ro.

n.57

Tib. sha ri’i bu dper na. Here, the Tibetan reads “Śāriputra,” which must be a mistake.

n.58

Tentative translation. Tib. bdag nyid chen pos dgon gnas dang/ gnas gsum zhal gyis bzhes mod kyi.

n.59

Tentative translation.

n.60

Tib. bud med lta bu’i ’dod rtsa.

n.61

Translation based on the Stok Palace, Yongle, Lithang, Peking, Narthang, Choné, and Lhasa Kangyur readings: bud med. Degé reads: dug med.

n.62

Translation based on the Stok Palace, Yongle, Lithang, Peking, Narthang, and Choné Kangyur readings: gsog. Degé reads: gsob.

n.63

Above, this was called Higher Discernment of the Dharma.”

n.64

Translation based on the Stok Palace Kangyur reading: rnam par thar pa. Degé reads: rnam par ’thag pa (“Victory”).

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Stein, Rolf. Rolf Stein’s Tibetica Antiqua: With Additional Materials. Translated and edited by Arthur P. McKeown. Brill’s Tibetan Studies Library 24. Leiden: Brill, 2010.

Thompson, H. Leslie, trans. Jamgon Kongtrul’s Retreat Manual. Ithaca, NY: Snow Lion Publications, 1994.

Tsui, Chung-hui [崔中慧]. “A Study of Early Buddhist Scriptural Calligraphy: based on Buddhist manuscripts found in Dunhuang and Turfan (3–5 century).” PhD diss., University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong SAR, 2010.

Glossary

Types of attestation for names and terms of the corresponding source language

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Attested in other text

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Attested in dictionary

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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.

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g.1

absence of distinguishing marks

mtshan ma med pa

མཚན་མ་མེད་པ།

animitta

g.2

absence of wishes

smon pa med pa

སྨོན་པ་མེད་པ།

apraṇihita

g.3

acceptance that concords with the truth

rjes su ’thun pa’i bzod pa

རྗེས་སུ་འཐུན་པའི་བཟོད་པ།

ānulomikī kṣānti

g.5

aggregate

phung po

ཕུང་པོ།

skandha

g.7

Ānanda

kun dga’ bo

ཀུན་དགའ་བོ།

ānanda

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

A major śrāvaka disciple and personal attendant of the Buddha Śākyamuni during the last twenty-five years of his life. He was a cousin of the Buddha (according to the Mahāvastu, he was a son of Śuklodana, one of the brothers of King Śuddhodana, which means he was a brother of Devadatta; other sources say he was a son of Amṛtodana, another brother of King Śuddhodana, which means he would have been a brother of Aniruddha).

Ānanda, having always been in the Buddha’s presence, is said to have memorized all the teachings he heard and is celebrated for having recited all the Buddha’s teachings by memory at the first council of the Buddhist saṅgha, thus preserving the teachings after the Buddha’s parinirvāṇa. The phrase “Thus did I hear at one time,” found at the beginning of the sūtras, usually stands for his recitation of the teachings. He became a patriarch after the passing of Mahākāśyapa.

g.17

Brilliant Light

shin tu ’od

ཤིན་ཏུ་འོད།

g.19

coherent

rigs pa

རིགས་པ།

[yukta?]

The Tibetan rigs pa is used to translate several Sanskrit terms (which cannot be reconstructed with certainty for this text) with the literal meaning of being connected or coherent, but with contextual meanings ranging from appropriateness or suitability, through correctness, conformity, congruence, to reasoned and rational thinking or argument, and the principles used to validate scriptural statements. In this text the epithet is one of several others paired with “liberated” as criteria for the authenticity of monks, their worthiness to receive offerings, etc. See “knowledge,” “equipped,” “liberated,” and also n.1. “Coherent and liberated” is also used (in other texts) as a description of the necessary qualities of the inspired eloquence (pratibhāna, spobs pa) of those qualified to give teachings.

g.23

Deer Park

ri dags kyi nags

རི་དགས་ཀྱི་ནགས།

mṛgadāva

g.24

dependent origination

rten cing ’brel par ’byung ba

རྟེན་ཅིང་འབྲེལ་པར་འབྱུང་བ།

pratītyasamutpāda

g.27

Dharmaśrīprabha

dharma shrI pra bha

དྷརྨ་ཤྲཱི་པྲ་བྷ།

dharmaśrīprabha

g.31

element

khams

ཁམས།

dhātu

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

In the context of Buddhist philosophy, one way to describe experience in terms of eighteen elements (eye, form, and eye consciousness; ear, sound, and ear consciousness; nose, smell, and nose consciousness; tongue, taste, and tongue consciousness; body, touch, and body consciousness; and mind, mental phenomena, and mind consciousness).

This also refers to the elements of the world, which can be enumerated as four, five, or six. The four elements are earth, water, fire, and air. A fifth, space, is often added, and the sixth is consciousness.

g.33

equipped

ldan pa

ལྡན་པ།

[yukta?] AO

One of several different epithets, as applied to authentic monks or practitioners, that are paired with “liberated” (mukta, grol ba). Others in this text are [having] “knowledge” and “coherent,” q.v.; see also n.1. The Tibetan ldan pa in this context may be an alternative to rigs pa as a rendering of a single Sanskrit term in the source text, or a closely related term. The most literal meaning is “joined” or “connected,” but the specific sense is set out in 9.72–9.74.

g.37

four concentrations

bsam gtan bzhi po

བསམ་གཏན་བཞི་པོ།

caturdhyāna

g.51

insight

shes rab

ཤེས་རབ།

prajñā

g.54

Jambudvīpa

’dzam bu’i gling

འཛམ་བུའི་གླིང་།

jambudvīpa

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

The name of the southern continent in Buddhist cosmology, which can signify either the known human world, or more specifically the Indian subcontinent, literally “the jambu island/continent.” Jambu is the name used for a range of plum-like fruits from trees belonging to the genus Szygium, particularly Szygium jambos and Szygium cumini, and it has commonly been rendered “rose apple,” although “black plum” may be a less misleading term. Among various explanations given for the continent being so named, one (in the Abhidharmakośa) is that a jambu tree grows in its northern mountains beside Lake Anavatapta, mythically considered the source of the four great rivers of India, and that the continent is therefore named from the tree or the fruit. Jambudvīpa has the Vajrāsana at its center and is the only continent upon which buddhas attain awakening.

g.56

Kāśyapa

’od srung

འོད་སྲུང་།

kāśyapa

g.58

knowledge

rig pa

རིག་པ།

vidyā AO

“Having knowledge” is one of several different epithets, as applied to authentic monks or practitioners, that are paired with “liberated” (mukta, grol ba), and is the most usual. Others in this text are “coherent” and “equipped,” q.v.; see also n.1. In later literature the knowledge to which this term refers is usually explained as knowing truly, knowing to the full extent, and knowing with inner wisdom.

g.61

Lhenkar Palace

pho brang lhan dkar

ཕོ་བྲང་ལྷན་དཀར།

g.62

liberated

grol ba

གྲོལ་བ།

mukta AO

A quality or criterion applied in this text to authentic monks or practitioners that summarizes their having rid themselves of hindrances to awakening, paired with several different epithets describing their positive qualities; see “knowledge,” “coherent,” and “equipped”; see also n.1. In later literature the liberation to which this term refers is usually explained as being from attachment, obstruction, and the obscuration of inferior outlook.

g.68

Mahāvyūha

bkod pa che

བཀོད་པ་ཆེ།

mahāvyūha

g.69

Maitreya

byams pa

བྱམས་པ།

maitreya

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

The bodhisattva Maitreya is an important figure in many Buddhist traditions, where he is unanimously regarded as the buddha of the future era. He is said to currently reside in the heaven of Tuṣita, as Śākyamuni’s regent, where he awaits the proper time to take his final rebirth and become the fifth buddha in the Fortunate Eon, reestablishing the Dharma in this world after the teachings of the current buddha have disappeared. Within the Mahāyāna sūtras, Maitreya is elevated to the same status as other central bodhisattvas such as Mañjuśrī and Avalokiteśvara, and his name appears frequently in sūtras, either as the Buddha’s interlocutor or as a teacher of the Dharma. Maitreya literally means “Loving One.” He is also known as Ajita, meaning “Invincible.”

For more information on Maitreya, see, for example, the introduction to Maitreya’s Setting Out (Toh 198).

g.79

non-returner

phyir mi ’ong ba

ཕྱིར་མི་འོང་བ།

anāgāmin

g.81

once-returner

lan cig phyir ’ong ba

ལན་ཅིག་ཕྱིར་འོང་བ།

sakṛdāgāmin

g.82

Palgyi Lhünpo

dpal gyi lhun po

དཔལ་གྱི་ལྷུན་པོ།

g.83

paṇḍaka

ma ning

མ་ནིང་།

paṇḍaka

g.88

prophecies

lung bstan pa’i sde

ལུང་བསྟན་པའི་སྡེ།

vyākaraṇa

g.93

Ṛṣipatana

drang srong lhung ba

དྲང་སྲོང་ལྷུང་བ།

ṛṣipatana

g.94

Śākyamuni

shAkya thub pa

ཤཱཀྱ་ཐུབ་པ།

śākyamuni

g.101

Śāriputra

shA ri’i bu

ཤཱ་རིའི་བུ།

śāriputra

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

One of the principal śrāvaka disciples of the Buddha, he was renowned for his discipline and for having been praised by the Buddha as foremost of the wise (often paired with Maudgalyāyana, who was praised as foremost in the capacity for miraculous powers). His father, Tiṣya, to honor Śāriputra’s mother, Śārikā, named him Śāradvatīputra, or, in its contracted form, Śāriputra, meaning “Śārikā’s Son.”

g.104

sense fields

skye mched

སྐྱེ་མཆེད།

āyatana

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

These can be listed as twelve or as six sense sources (sometimes also called sense fields, bases of cognition, or simply āyatanas).

In the context of epistemology, it is one way of describing experience and the world in terms of twelve sense sources, which can be divided into inner and outer sense sources, namely: (1–2) eye and form, (3–4) ear and sound, (5–6) nose and odor, (7–8) tongue and taste, (9–10) body and touch, (11–12) mind and mental phenomena.

In the context of the twelve links of dependent origination, only six sense sources are mentioned, and they are the inner sense sources (identical to the six faculties) of eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind.

g.110

stream enterer

rgyun du zhugs pa

རྒྱུན་དུ་ཞུགས་པ།

srotaāpanna

g.123

universal monarch

khor los sgyur ba’i rgyal po

ཁོར་ལོས་སྒྱུར་བའི་རྒྱལ་པོ།

cakravartin

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

An ideal monarch or emperor who, as the result of the merit accumulated in previous lifetimes, rules over a vast realm in accordance with the Dharma. Such a monarch is called a cakravartin because he bears a wheel (cakra) that rolls (vartate) across the earth, bringing all lands and kingdoms under his power. The cakravartin conquers his territory without causing harm, and his activity causes beings to enter the path of wholesome actions. According to Vasubandhu’s Abhidharmakośa, just as with the buddhas, only one cakravartin appears in a world system at any given time. They are likewise endowed with the thirty-two major marks of a great being (mahāpuruṣalakṣaṇa), but a cakravartin’s marks are outshined by those of a buddha. They possess seven precious objects: the wheel, the elephant, the horse, the wish-fulfilling gem, the queen, the general, and the minister. An illustrative passage about the cakravartin and his possessions can be found in The Play in Full (Toh 95), 3.3–3.13.

Vasubandhu lists four types of cakravartins: (1) the cakravartin with a golden wheel (suvarṇacakravartin) rules over four continents and is invited by lesser kings to be their ruler; (2) the cakravartin with a silver wheel (rūpyacakravartin) rules over three continents and his opponents submit to him as he approaches; (3) the cakravartin with a copper wheel (tāmracakravartin) rules over two continents and his opponents submit themselves after preparing for battle; and (4) the cakravartin with an iron wheel (ayaścakravartin) rules over one continent and his opponents submit themselves after brandishing weapons.

g.124

Vairocana

rnam par snang byed

རྣམ་པར་སྣང་བྱེད།

vairocana

g.125

Vārāṇasī

bA rA Na sI

བཱ་རཱ་ཎ་སཱི།

vārāṇasī

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

Also known as Benares, one of the oldest cities of northeast India on the banks of the Ganges, in modern-day Uttar Pradesh. It was once the capital of the ancient kingdom of Kāśi, and in the Buddha’s time it had been absorbed into the kingdom of Kośala. It was an important religious center, as well as a major city, even during the time of the Buddha. The name may derive from being where the Varuna and Assi rivers flow into the Ganges. It was on the outskirts of Vārāṇasī that the Buddha first taught the Dharma, in the location known as Deer Park (Mṛgadāva). For numerous episodes set in Vārāṇasī, including its kings, see The Hundred Deeds, Toh 340.

g.127

virtuous friend

dge ba’i bshes gnyen

དགེ་བའི་བཤེས་གཉེན།

kalyāṇamitra

g.130

wisdom

ye shes

ཡེ་ཤེས།

jñāna

g.132

worthy one

dgra bcom pa

དགྲ་བཅོམ་པ།

arhat

The Buddha’s Collected Teachings Repudiating Those Who Violate the Discipline Notes

Toh 220

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