The Wheel of Dedication outlines a ritual of dedicationfor bodhisattvas. The Buddha teaches a prayer formula where practitioners acknowledge their limitations, seek refuge in the buddhas and bodhisattvas, and make extensive mental offerings. After the dedication follows a mantra to be recited, whereby the practitioners will purify negative karma, accumulate merit, and progress toward awakening.
ac.
Acknowledgments
ac.1
Translated by the Bodhicharya Translation Team under the supervision of Ringu Tulku. Lama Karma Wangmo translated the text from Tibetan into English and wrote the summary. Holly Gayley compared the draft translation with the Tibetan, edited the text, and compiled the introduction based on research on the Chinese provenance of the text by Zhujun Ma. Ringu Tulku discussed key terminology in depth and helped resolve a number of difficult passages, and L.S. Summer consulted on the Sanskrit title and mantra.
ac.2
The translation was completed under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha. Rory Lindsay edited the translation and the introduction, Alexander O’Neill checked the translation against the Chinese version, and Dawn Collins copyedited the text. Martina Cotter was in charge of the digital publication process.
i.
Introduction
i.1
The Wheel of Dedication outlines a ritual of dedicationfor bodhisattvas. The Buddha teaches a prayer formula where practitioners acknowledge their limitations, seek refuge in the buddhas and bodhisattvas, and make extensive mental offerings. After the dedication follows a mantra to be recited, whereby the practitioners will purify negative karma, accumulate merit, and progress toward awakening.
i.2
This sūtra is no longer extant in Sanskrit. It was first translated from Sanskrit into Chinese (Taishō 998) by the Khotanese monk Śīladharmain 790 ᴄᴇ.1 The colophon of the Tibetan translation of The Wheel of Dedication states that it was produced based on the Chinese text by the translator Nampar Mitok, who used Śīladharma’s Chinese translation as his source text.2 The Chinese source of the Tibetan translation is also substantiated by the inclusion of this sūtra in the Phangthangma and Denkarma catalogs under the category “Mahāyāna sūtras translated from Chinese.”3 Therefore, we can date the Tibetan translation to sometime between 790, when the work was translated into Chinese, and the early ninth century, when the Phangthangma and Denkarma catalogs were compiled.
i.3
The content of The Wheel of Dedication is almost the same as that found in another text in the Kangyur, The Great King of Dedications (Toh 809), which was translated from Sanskrit into Tibetan.4 While the two texts are very similar, Toh 809 presents itself as an extract from a longer and currently still unidentified source text. Saerji (2011) has compared the two Tibetan translations together with the Chinese translation and aligned all three texts, sentence by sentence. This makes it evident that the three texts are indeed closely related, although significant differences can also be noted throughout. Therefore, it is unlikely that the three texts, in the form that we find them today, are directly related textual witnesses.
i.4
This translation is based on the Degé Kangyur xylograph with reference to the Comparative Edition (dpe bsdur ma), the Stok Palace manuscript Kangyur, and the Chinese translation (Taishō 998).
Thus did I hear at one time. The Bhagavānwas residing at the peak of the Precious Jewel5Vajra Mountaintogether with a retinue of many bodhisattva mahāsattvas.6
1.3
Then,7 the Bhagavānsaid to the bodhisattva Vajramaṇi,8 “Son of noble family,9 bodhisattvas who wish to pursue the great awakening; who wish to liberate all sentient beings; who wish to uphold the vows of a bodhisattva;10 who wish to serve and venerate all the tathāgatas by rousing the intent of great awakening,11 and, possessing great compassion; who wish to gather the vast and extensive accumulation of merit of bodhisattvas;12 who wish to accomplish the wisdom of a buddha; who wish to fully engage in unhindered dhāraṇī,samādhi, gates of liberation, miraculous powers, and clairvoyances;13 who wish to create a great repository and treasury in space; and who wish to grant and offer with their own hands like a wish-fulfilling jewel, should recite these words:
1.4
“ ‘All the bhagavānbuddhas in the ten directions,14 the great bodhisattvas abiding on the ten bhūmis, and vajra holders, please grant me your attention. Since I (insert name) could not settle on the authentic path, now I generate bodhicitta.15 At all times and in every way, I offer my body and mind to all the tathāgatas and bodhisattvas of the three times. Tathāgatas endowed with great power and all the bodhisattvas abiding on the great bhūmis, please accept me. May my great accumulation of merit and wisdom, cultivation of diligence, broadening of the mind, full pacification and discipline, powers, clairvoyances, perfections, and so forth,16 be swiftly brought to complete perfection.
1.5
17“ ‘Bhagavāns endowed with great compassion,18 please grant me your attention once more. I (insert name) am wandering in saṃsāra, bound by strong shackles, imprisoned, deprived of the authentic path, and overpowered by enemies—the afflictions. I have no protector, no refuge, no eyes, no support, no leader, and no guide. I have gone astray from the path, become enmeshed in saṃsāra, turned my back to the great nirvāṇa, and am heading toward the lower realms. I have been following the wrong path and fallen into unwholesome ways. I am continually caught in bad company and lack positive guides. Confused about what is authentic or not, beneficial or not, and meaningful or not, I also lack virtuous qualities and have accumulated much nonvirtue. Turning my back on the buddhas, bodhisattvas, and exalted ones, I have been miserable and tormented by the sufferings of birth, old age, sickness, and death. My mind is constantly distracted, without fear and shame.1920 Lacking generosity, ethics, peace, solitude, practice, and heedfulness, I have strayed far away from the gates21 of dhāraṇīand samādhi, bearing well the depth of the ten bhūmis,22 the profound perfection of wisdom, and evenness.
1.6
“ ‘I have not accomplished the four immeasurables—loving kindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity. I do not possess the superior discipline of a bodhisattva.23 I am a long way from nonattachment and unobstructed great wisdom. I am not well established in the perfection of virtues, which are the cause of nirvāṇa.24 I am deficient in miracles, powers, and fearlessness. Not resting in authentic mindfulness, I have not engaged in the quality of not forgetting, nor accomplished diligent application. Due to being careless in making merit, proud of my view, and obscured by doubts, I have not directly realized the seven branches of awakening. Likewise,[F.304.b] I have not accomplished the noble eightfold path25 and am overwhelmed by countless hundreds of thousands of afflictions, while intensely suffering from various kinds of pain. Constantly in anguish and feeble minded, I am angry, always agitated, and continually absorbed in hundreds of thousands of afflictions.
1.7
“ ‘Tathāgatas and bodhisattvas, with great compassion, please be my refuge, be my support, be my guide. May I quickly complete the path of unsurpassed genuine perfect buddhas as well as the gathering of accumulations and path of great bodhisattvas.26 May I quickly complete the ten powers of a tathāgata; the four fearlessnesses; the eighteen distinctive qualities of a buddha; and the attributes of a tathāgata such as unhindered courage, samādhi, recollection, qualities of complete liberation, miraculous powers,clairvoyances, and perfections. Moreover, may I come to possess all excellent merit.’
“At the time of making vast offerings also recite these words:
1.8
“ ‘All the bhagavānbuddhas endowed with great powers and all the assemblies of bodhisattvas, please grant me your attention again. Having made these great offerings and service to all the buddhas and bodhisattvas, I offer them my body. To all the buddhas and bodhisattvas I dedicate and offer all the beautiful things that no one owns or possesses,27 such as all kinds of ornaments in the worlds of the ten directions; all finery; various kinds of exquisite celestial palaces; ornaments, trees, mountains, flags, maṇḍalas,28 and perfectly displayed treasures, all made of precious substances; refined parasols and victory banners; festoons of jewels and lattices of pearls; bejeweled vessels; heaps of gemstones; radiating jewel lights; bejeweled islands with massive luminous crystals;[F.305.a] sounds of refined bells decorated with hanging tassels made of glittering gems encased in gold; pure golden flowers with anthers of finest gold29 surrounded by forests of gilded trees; various palaces enveloped by clouds of jewels raining down gem drops; palaces of treasures containing many kinds of jewels with walls decorated with celestial gems; all the jewel trees forming beautiful enclosures of gardens for great vidyādharas; precious palaces, abodes, trees, forests, and so forth.
1.9
“ ‘I also offer to all the buddhas and bodhisattvas everything that no one claims or possesses,30 such as all kinds of excellent medicines existing in the world that prolong life and so forth; precious gems that completely fulfill the hopes of sentient beings;31 excellent foods that are unprocessed and naturally delicious; a variety of incense trees such as sandalwood,32 aloe wood, and red sandalwood; different kinds of trees with broad leaves and flowers that continuously intoxicate with their fragrance; fragrant sublime incenses that have never before been apprehended; various kinds of wish-fulfilling trees; assorted precious gems derived from the great oceans such as wish-fulfilling jewels, and so forth; great mountains such as Mount Meru,Mount Kailāsa,Mount Gandhamādana,Mount Malaya,33Mount Mucilinda,34Mount Mahala,35Vajra Mountain, and so forth; various exquisite36 peaks, plateaus, rocks, caves, palaces, ornaments, patios, manifold pathways, a multitude of pillars and circles of self-illuminating jewels, all made of various kinds of precious substances; diverse gems such as beryl, and so forth; as many unowned celestial palaces with an abundance of beautiful and captivating divine riches as there are in the heavens;[F.305.b] various kinds of celestial musical instruments that emanate pleasant sounds just by being moved by the power of a breeze; palaces abiding in the sky that emanate pleasant sounds of music; numerous kinds of divine musical instruments that play melodiously without moving;37 various celestial birds that sing sweetly from sky palaces; thunderous reverberations issuing forth from exquisite clouds; divine precious gems that emit beautiful melodies; as well as celestial scented trees, a variety of flowering trees, garland trees, a multitude of perfume and incense trees, lamp trees, victory banner trees, flag trees, jewel trees, and so forth.38
1.10
“ ‘I honor all these bhagavānbuddhas and great bodhisattvas and offer them as many great clouds of offerings as there are in the buddha realms seen by all tathāgatas, such as clouds of flowers, incense, garlands, fragrances, and perfumes; clouds of refined parasols, victory banners, flags, and garments; clouds of various gemstones; clouds of heaps of jewels, and so forth—all these varieties of magnificent clouds, as well as burning lamps in vessels as vast as a thousandfold world system, filled with scented oil, with wicks as big as Mount Meru.39
1.11
“ ‘Likewise, as much sublime merit as has been gathered by these various kinds of offerings, I perfectly dedicate all of it to unsurpassed awakening. Just as the past bhagavānbuddhas cultivated numerous virtues and perfectly dedicated them for awakening without fixed points of reference,40 in that same way I also perfectly dedicate all this merit to unsurpassed true complete awakening. Moreover, I request those bhagavānbuddhas, who have attained completely perfect buddhahood at the seat of awakening,[F.306.a] who have turned the great wheel of Dharma, who have defeated the hosts of māras,41 and now intend to pass into nirvāṇa, to remain for an entire great kalpa for the benefit and happiness of all sentient beings. I rejoice in whatever merit has been accrued by all the buddhas and bodhisattvas and every living being. Just as all the tathāgatas of the three times and the bodhisattvas confessed every wrongdoing and stain of nonvirtuous action, in the same way I also perfectly confess and completely purify them.’
1.12
“Having performed offerings, confession, and so forth in the presence of all the buddhas and bodhisattvas vividly visualized,42 recite this secret mantraone hundred and eight times:43
1.13
oṃ sambhara sambhara bhimana sara mahājāvā hūṃ |44
1.14
“Whoever recites this secret mantra, whatever they wish for, all of it will be fulfilled and great cloud banks of celestial offerings as well as all the tathāgatas will appear before them. Any son or daughter of noble family who keeps in mind the tathāgatas and reads or recites this great Wheel of Dedication either during the day or at night, their wrongdoing and nonvirtuous actions will be purified, all their afflictions will be gradually cleared away, and they will obtain all the accumulation of merit described above. Just by reading it once, they will be endowed with the glory of one hundred Brahmās45 and, even in their dreams, they will always see the buddhas. Moreover, after passing away they will be born in a pure realm.”
1.15
When the Bhagavānhad spoken these words, all those numerous assemblies of bodhisattvas praised the teachings of the Bhagavān.46
1.16
This concludes the Mahāyāna sūtra “The Wheel of Dedication.”
c.
Colophon
c.1
Translated by Bandé Nampar Mitokfrom the Chinese translation, which was made by Śīladharma, a Khotanese monk who is a master of the Tripiṭaka, based on an Indian Dharma teaching.47
General Sūtra Section
The Wheel of Dedication
Toh 242
Imprint
Summary
Acknowledgments
Introduction
The Translation
Colophon
Notes
Glossary
Bibliography
s.
Summary
s.1
The Wheel of Dedication outlines a ritual of dedicationfor bodhisattvas. The Buddha teaches a prayer formula where practitioners acknowledge their limitations, seek refuge in the buddhas and bodhisattvas, and make extensive mental offerings. After the dedication follows a mantra to be recited, whereby the practitioners will purify negative karma, accumulate merit, and progress toward awakening.
ac.
Acknowledgments
ac.1
Translated by the Bodhicharya Translation Team under the supervision of Ringu Tulku. Lama Karma Wangmo translated the text from Tibetan into English and wrote the summary. Holly Gayley compared the draft translation with the Tibetan, edited the text, and compiled the introduction based on research on the Chinese provenance of the text by Zhujun Ma. Ringu Tulku discussed key terminology in depth and helped resolve a number of difficult passages, and L.S. Summer consulted on the Sanskrit title and mantra.
ac.2
The translation was completed under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha. Rory Lindsay edited the translation and the introduction, Alexander O’Neill checked the translation against the Chinese version, and Dawn Collins copyedited the text. Martina Cotter was in charge of the digital publication process.
i.
Introduction
i.1
The Wheel of Dedication outlines a ritual of dedicationfor bodhisattvas. The Buddha teaches a prayer formula where practitioners acknowledge their limitations, seek refuge in the buddhas and bodhisattvas, and make extensive mental offerings. After the dedication follows a mantra to be recited, whereby the practitioners will purify negative karma, accumulate merit, and progress toward awakening.
i.2
This sūtra is no longer extant in Sanskrit. It was first translated from Sanskrit into Chinese (Taishō 998) by the Khotanese monk Śīladharmain 790 ᴄᴇ.1 The colophon of the Tibetan translation of The Wheel of Dedication states that it was produced based on the Chinese text by the translator Nampar Mitok, who used Śīladharma’s Chinese translation as his source text.2 The Chinese source of the Tibetan translation is also substantiated by the inclusion of this sūtra in the Phangthangma and Denkarma catalogs under the category “Mahāyāna sūtras translated from Chinese.”3 Therefore, we can date the Tibetan translation to sometime between 790, when the work was translated into Chinese, and the early ninth century, when the Phangthangma and Denkarma catalogs were compiled.
i.3
The content of The Wheel of Dedication is almost the same as that found in another text in the Kangyur, The Great King of Dedications (Toh 809), which was translated from Sanskrit into Tibetan.4 While the two texts are very similar, Toh 809 presents itself as an extract from a longer and currently still unidentified source text. Saerji (2011) has compared the two Tibetan translations together with the Chinese translation and aligned all three texts, sentence by sentence. This makes it evident that the three texts are indeed closely related, although significant differences can also be noted throughout. Therefore, it is unlikely that the three texts, in the form that we find them today, are directly related textual witnesses.
i.4
This translation is based on the Degé Kangyur xylograph with reference to the Comparative Edition (dpe bsdur ma), the Stok Palace manuscript Kangyur, and the Chinese translation (Taishō 998).
Thus did I hear at one time. The Bhagavānwas residing at the peak of the Precious Jewel5Vajra Mountaintogether with a retinue of many bodhisattva mahāsattvas.6
1.3
Then,7 the Bhagavānsaid to the bodhisattva Vajramaṇi,8 “Son of noble family,9 bodhisattvas who wish to pursue the great awakening; who wish to liberate all sentient beings; who wish to uphold the vows of a bodhisattva;10 who wish to serve and venerate all the tathāgatas by rousing the intent of great awakening,11 and, possessing great compassion; who wish to gather the vast and extensive accumulation of merit of bodhisattvas;12 who wish to accomplish the wisdom of a buddha; who wish to fully engage in unhindered dhāraṇī,samādhi, gates of liberation, miraculous powers, and clairvoyances;13 who wish to create a great repository and treasury in space; and who wish to grant and offer with their own hands like a wish-fulfilling jewel, should recite these words:
1.4
“ ‘All the bhagavānbuddhas in the ten directions,14 the great bodhisattvas abiding on the ten bhūmis, and vajra holders, please grant me your attention. Since I (insert name) could not settle on the authentic path, now I generate bodhicitta.15 At all times and in every way, I offer my body and mind to all the tathāgatas and bodhisattvas of the three times. Tathāgatas endowed with great power and all the bodhisattvas abiding on the great bhūmis, please accept me. May my great accumulation of merit and wisdom, cultivation of diligence, broadening of the mind, full pacification and discipline, powers, clairvoyances, perfections, and so forth,16 be swiftly brought to complete perfection.
1.5
17“ ‘Bhagavāns endowed with great compassion,18 please grant me your attention once more. I (insert name) am wandering in saṃsāra, bound by strong shackles, imprisoned, deprived of the authentic path, and overpowered by enemies—the afflictions. I have no protector, no refuge, no eyes, no support, no leader, and no guide. I have gone astray from the path, become enmeshed in saṃsāra, turned my back to the great nirvāṇa, and am heading toward the lower realms. I have been following the wrong path and fallen into unwholesome ways. I am continually caught in bad company and lack positive guides. Confused about what is authentic or not, beneficial or not, and meaningful or not, I also lack virtuous qualities and have accumulated much nonvirtue. Turning my back on the buddhas, bodhisattvas, and exalted ones, I have been miserable and tormented by the sufferings of birth, old age, sickness, and death. My mind is constantly distracted, without fear and shame.1920 Lacking generosity, ethics, peace, solitude, practice, and heedfulness, I have strayed far away from the gates21 of dhāraṇīand samādhi, bearing well the depth of the ten bhūmis,22 the profound perfection of wisdom, and evenness.
1.6
“ ‘I have not accomplished the four immeasurables—loving kindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity. I do not possess the superior discipline of a bodhisattva.23 I am a long way from nonattachment and unobstructed great wisdom. I am not well established in the perfection of virtues, which are the cause of nirvāṇa.24 I am deficient in miracles, powers, and fearlessness. Not resting in authentic mindfulness, I have not engaged in the quality of not forgetting, nor accomplished diligent application. Due to being careless in making merit, proud of my view, and obscured by doubts, I have not directly realized the seven branches of awakening. Likewise,[F.304.b] I have not accomplished the noble eightfold path25 and am overwhelmed by countless hundreds of thousands of afflictions, while intensely suffering from various kinds of pain. Constantly in anguish and feeble minded, I am angry, always agitated, and continually absorbed in hundreds of thousands of afflictions.
1.7
“ ‘Tathāgatas and bodhisattvas, with great compassion, please be my refuge, be my support, be my guide. May I quickly complete the path of unsurpassed genuine perfect buddhas as well as the gathering of accumulations and path of great bodhisattvas.26 May I quickly complete the ten powers of a tathāgata; the four fearlessnesses; the eighteen distinctive qualities of a buddha; and the attributes of a tathāgata such as unhindered courage, samādhi, recollection, qualities of complete liberation, miraculous powers,clairvoyances, and perfections. Moreover, may I come to possess all excellent merit.’
“At the time of making vast offerings also recite these words:
1.8
“ ‘All the bhagavānbuddhas endowed with great powers and all the assemblies of bodhisattvas, please grant me your attention again. Having made these great offerings and service to all the buddhas and bodhisattvas, I offer them my body. To all the buddhas and bodhisattvas I dedicate and offer all the beautiful things that no one owns or possesses,27 such as all kinds of ornaments in the worlds of the ten directions; all finery; various kinds of exquisite celestial palaces; ornaments, trees, mountains, flags, maṇḍalas,28 and perfectly displayed treasures, all made of precious substances; refined parasols and victory banners; festoons of jewels and lattices of pearls; bejeweled vessels; heaps of gemstones; radiating jewel lights; bejeweled islands with massive luminous crystals;[F.305.a] sounds of refined bells decorated with hanging tassels made of glittering gems encased in gold; pure golden flowers with anthers of finest gold29 surrounded by forests of gilded trees; various palaces enveloped by clouds of jewels raining down gem drops; palaces of treasures containing many kinds of jewels with walls decorated with celestial gems; all the jewel trees forming beautiful enclosures of gardens for great vidyādharas; precious palaces, abodes, trees, forests, and so forth.
1.9
“ ‘I also offer to all the buddhas and bodhisattvas everything that no one claims or possesses,30 such as all kinds of excellent medicines existing in the world that prolong life and so forth; precious gems that completely fulfill the hopes of sentient beings;31 excellent foods that are unprocessed and naturally delicious; a variety of incense trees such as sandalwood,32 aloe wood, and red sandalwood; different kinds of trees with broad leaves and flowers that continuously intoxicate with their fragrance; fragrant sublime incenses that have never before been apprehended; various kinds of wish-fulfilling trees; assorted precious gems derived from the great oceans such as wish-fulfilling jewels, and so forth; great mountains such as Mount Meru,Mount Kailāsa,Mount Gandhamādana,Mount Malaya,33Mount Mucilinda,34Mount Mahala,35Vajra Mountain, and so forth; various exquisite36 peaks, plateaus, rocks, caves, palaces, ornaments, patios, manifold pathways, a multitude of pillars and circles of self-illuminating jewels, all made of various kinds of precious substances; diverse gems such as beryl, and so forth; as many unowned celestial palaces with an abundance of beautiful and captivating divine riches as there are in the heavens;[F.305.b] various kinds of celestial musical instruments that emanate pleasant sounds just by being moved by the power of a breeze; palaces abiding in the sky that emanate pleasant sounds of music; numerous kinds of divine musical instruments that play melodiously without moving;37 various celestial birds that sing sweetly from sky palaces; thunderous reverberations issuing forth from exquisite clouds; divine precious gems that emit beautiful melodies; as well as celestial scented trees, a variety of flowering trees, garland trees, a multitude of perfume and incense trees, lamp trees, victory banner trees, flag trees, jewel trees, and so forth.38
1.10
“ ‘I honor all these bhagavānbuddhas and great bodhisattvas and offer them as many great clouds of offerings as there are in the buddha realms seen by all tathāgatas, such as clouds of flowers, incense, garlands, fragrances, and perfumes; clouds of refined parasols, victory banners, flags, and garments; clouds of various gemstones; clouds of heaps of jewels, and so forth—all these varieties of magnificent clouds, as well as burning lamps in vessels as vast as a thousandfold world system, filled with scented oil, with wicks as big as Mount Meru.39
1.11
“ ‘Likewise, as much sublime merit as has been gathered by these various kinds of offerings, I perfectly dedicate all of it to unsurpassed awakening. Just as the past bhagavānbuddhas cultivated numerous virtues and perfectly dedicated them for awakening without fixed points of reference,40 in that same way I also perfectly dedicate all this merit to unsurpassed true complete awakening. Moreover, I request those bhagavānbuddhas, who have attained completely perfect buddhahood at the seat of awakening,[F.306.a] who have turned the great wheel of Dharma, who have defeated the hosts of māras,41 and now intend to pass into nirvāṇa, to remain for an entire great kalpa for the benefit and happiness of all sentient beings. I rejoice in whatever merit has been accrued by all the buddhas and bodhisattvas and every living being. Just as all the tathāgatas of the three times and the bodhisattvas confessed every wrongdoing and stain of nonvirtuous action, in the same way I also perfectly confess and completely purify them.’
1.12
“Having performed offerings, confession, and so forth in the presence of all the buddhas and bodhisattvas vividly visualized,42 recite this secret mantraone hundred and eight times:43
1.13
oṃ sambhara sambhara bhimana sara mahājāvā hūṃ |44
1.14
“Whoever recites this secret mantra, whatever they wish for, all of it will be fulfilled and great cloud banks of celestial offerings as well as all the tathāgatas will appear before them. Any son or daughter of noble family who keeps in mind the tathāgatas and reads or recites this great Wheel of Dedication either during the day or at night, their wrongdoing and nonvirtuous actions will be purified, all their afflictions will be gradually cleared away, and they will obtain all the accumulation of merit described above. Just by reading it once, they will be endowed with the glory of one hundred Brahmās45 and, even in their dreams, they will always see the buddhas. Moreover, after passing away they will be born in a pure realm.”
1.15
When the Bhagavānhad spoken these words, all those numerous assemblies of bodhisattvas praised the teachings of the Bhagavān.46
1.16
This concludes the Mahāyāna sūtra “The Wheel of Dedication.”
c.
Colophon
c.1
Translated by Bandé Nampar Mitokfrom the Chinese translation, which was made by Śīladharma, a Khotanese monk who is a master of the Tripiṭaka, based on an Indian Dharma teaching.47
Notes
Date listed in Lancaster 2004. The most detailed account according to Chinese sources is found in the Record of Newly Translated Sūtras Including the Ten Bhūmis Sūtra in the Zhenyuan Period of the Great Tang (佛說十力經大唐貞元新譯十地等經記 Datang zhenyuan xinyi shididengjing ji), which was written by Yuanzhao in 794 ᴄᴇ. It states that the Buddhist layman Yang Xigu, who was the military commander of the Beiting protectorate, commissioned the translation of The Ten Bhūmis in nine fascicles and The Wheel of Dedication in one fascicle. More specifically, it says that he had “the Khotanese tripiṭaka-ācārya and śramaṇa Śīladharma translate The Ten Bhūmis. The tripiṭaka-ācārya recited it in Sanskrit and translated terms, the śramaṇa Dazhen worked as the scribe, the śramaṇa Fachao worked as the style editor, the śramaṇa Shanxin worked as the initial checker, and the śramaṇa Fajie (Wukong) worked to check the text based on Sanskrit and translated terms. The Wheel of Dedication was translated in the same manner” (佛説十力經 Foshuo shili jing, T780.17. 717a11–15). The Chinese text as found in the Taishō is based only on the Tripiṭaka Koreana, as it is absent in the Song, Yuan, and Ming editions of the canon (T998 note【原】麗本，此經宋元明三本俱欠). Several alternative Chinese manuscripts of the sūtra exist (Saerji 2011, p. 186), but have not been consulted for the purposes of this translation.
Besides Toh 242, Nampar Mitok also translated Toh 239 and Toh 3932 from Chinese into Tibetan. See Li 2021, p. 200. Saerji (2011, p. 186) reads the colophon differently and suggests that Śīladharma not only translated the text from Sanskrit into Chinese but also participated in the translation of this sūtra from Chinese into Tibetan. However, if that were the case, why would he not have translated directly from the Sanskrit into Tibetan?
See Herrmann-Pfandt 2008, p. 144–45 (no. 262). See also Silk 2019, p. 235–36.
This is one of six cases where the same text, or portions of the same texts, were included in the Kangyur both in translations from Chinese and Sanskrit. See Li 2020, p. 94. Note, however, that Li (note 69) misidentifies the translation from the Sanskrit as Toh 810. The corresponding text to Toh 242 is Toh 809.
The Chinese transliterates 摩尼 “maṇi.”
“mahāsattvas” is absent in Chinese.
Chn. 爾時 “At that time…”
Tib. rdo rje rin po che; Chn. 金剛摩尼, Vajramaṇi.
Chn. 佛子 “Son of the Buddha…”
Chn. 已受菩薩律儀戒 “having already received the bodhisattva precepts…”
Chn. 學已曾發起大菩提心 “having trained and already roused the intent of great bodhicitta…”
Chn. 欲廣積集諸大菩薩福德資糧 “wishing to extensively accumulate the accumulations of merit and wisdom of all the great bodhisattvas”
“miraculous powers, and clairvoyances” is treated in the Chinese as 神通遊戲 “sport in the miraculous powers…” (Skt. ṛddhivikrīdita, cf. Yogācārabhūmiśāstra 瑜伽師地論 1579.30.755c21).
“in the ten directions” is absent in Chinese.
In the Chinese, the problem for the disciples is that, although they have already generated bodhicitta, they have not yet settled on the authentic path: 弟子某甲已發菩提心，未安住正道…
“and so forth” is absent in the Chinese.
The Chinese begins the next paragraph with 復作是言, “Further, they should say…”
Chn. 大悲者 “Great compassionate one…”
Chn. 不得安隱無怖無畏 “Unable to attain calm tranquility, without fear and without dread…”
In Chinese, this sentence starts, 闕修寂靜調伏 “Lacking the cultivation of tranquility, training and discipline…” and continues as in the Tibetan.
The Chinese specifies 二門 “two gates,” in which case, it may either refer to samādhi and dhāraṇī, but it may also refer to other sets of two gates in addition to samādhi and dhāraṇī.
“bearing well the depth of the ten bhūmis” is not conveyed by the Chinese 十地法忍, which is better understood as “the ten bhūmis, and patience regarding dharmas (Skt. dharmakṣānti)…”
In the Chinese, this sentence is worded 不具菩薩三聚戒蘊 “I am not endowed with the aggregate of the three groups of bodhisattva precepts.” The “three groups of bodhisattva precepts” has several interpretations, but according to the Vijñaptimātratāsiddhiśāstra (成唯識論), they are the groups of (1) the Hīnayāna pratimokṣa, (2) the cultivation of wholesome states, and (3) the precepts that benefit sentient beings, i.e., bodhisattva precepts (T1585.31.51b08–53a18).
In the Chinese, this sentence reads 不能安住於寂滅因善成立法 “I am unable to abide in the Dharma that is well established by the cause of tranquility.”
The Chinese adds 如實 “… in accord with reality…”
Chn. 大菩提道菩提資糧 “… the path of great bodhi and the gathering of accumulations for bodhi.”
“all the beautiful things that no one owns or possesses” is worded in the Chinese as 大莊嚴具, “implements of great adornment.”
Chn. 寶座寶壇 “jeweled seats and jeweled platforms…” In Chinese, esoteric texts, “platform,” can indicate maṇḍala.
“finest gold” in Chinese is more specifically 閻浮檀金 “Jambūnada gold.”
“no one claims or possesses” in Chinese is worded 無攝無受, which is more likely to be understood as “without grasping or attachment,” i.e., on the part of the yogin.
In Chinese, this clause reads 諸末尼寶能與有情所求眾藥 “… various maṇi jewels that can offer sentient beings all the medicines they seek…”
Here, the Chinese ads 阿伽盧樹 “agaru trees,” i.e., agarwood trees.
Perhaps as a mistake, the Chinese transliterates this as 摩尼耶 “Maṇīya.”
The Chinese transliterates this as 尹地(二合)耶, literally “Indhya,” but possibly implying Vindhya.
The Chinese transliterates this as 曼陀羅, Mandāra, a mountain well-known from various purāṇas.
Rather than exquisite, the Chinese prefixes each of the items in this list with 寶, “jeweled.”
“without moving” is rendered 不鼓自然, “spontaneously without being played…”, in the Chinese.
The Chinese appears to separate the discourse between this paragraph and the next in the following way, with some variant wording: 此等一切無所攝受，奉施一切諸佛菩薩 “… all these, without any grasping, I offer to all the buddhas and bodhisattvas.” It picks up in the first sentence of the following paragraph as follows: 所有一切佛眼所覩，諸佛剎中大供養雲， “All that the buddha-eyes observe: the great clouds of offerings as there are in the buddhakṣetras…”
The Chinese concludes the sentence with “奉施一切諸佛世尊、諸大菩薩。 “I offer to all the buddha bhagavāns and the great bodhisattvas.”
The Chinese here is puzzling, with 以無所得而為方便 reading “with nothing to be attained as a skillful means…”
The Chinese 降伏魔怨 does not have a plural marker for “māras,” so “defeated Māra” is a more likely reading.
Instead of “and so forth in the presence of all the buddhas and bodhisattvas vividly visualized,” the Chinese suggests 即以淨心憶念一切諸佛菩薩，對佛像前, “then, with a pure mind, recollect all the buddhas and bodhisattvas, and in front of a buddha image…”
“one hundred and eight times”—the Chinese has 滿足八遍 “a full eight times…”
The mantra found here and elsewhere is for the purpose of multiplying the meritorious results of a practice. According to Saerji 2011, there are at least four significantly different variants in the Tibetan and Chinese, including those found in this sūtra and Toh 809. The mantra as it reads in the Taishō is 唵娑頗(二合)羅裟頗(二合)羅微摩那娑(去引)囉摩訶(引)若縛吽 “oṃ sphara sphara vimana sāṃra mahājñā va hūṃ.”
“glory of … Brahmās”—in Chinese, 梵福, according to the Abhidharmakośabhāṣya is interpreted as “merits of the Brahmā heaven” but, more specifically, the Sarvāstivādins interpret it as “merits of the Brahmapurohita heaven” (T1558.29.97c16–29).
“praised the teachings of the Bhagavān” is rendered in Chinese as 歡喜奉行 “rejoiced and sincerely practiced it.”
Chinese colophon: 于闐三藏尸羅達摩於北庭龍興寺譯\. Translated by the Khotanese Tripiṭaka Śīladharma at Longxing Temple in Beiting.
Glossary
Bhagavān
bcom ldan ’das
བཅོམ་ལྡན་འདས།
bhagavān (Attested Dictionary)
世尊
In Buddhist literature, this is an epithet applied to buddhas, most often to Śākyamuni. The Sanskrit term generally means “possessing fortune,” but in specifically Buddhist contexts it implies that a buddha is in possession of six auspicious qualities (bhaga) associated with complete awakening. The Tibetan term—where bcom is said to refer to “subduing” the four māras, ldan to “possessing” the great qualities of buddhahood, and ’das to “going beyond” saṃsāra and nirvāṇa—possibly reflects the commentarial tradition where the Sanskrit bhagavat is interpreted, in addition, as “one who destroys the four māras.” This is achieved either by reading bhagavat as bhagnavat (“one who broke”), or by tracing the word bhaga to the root √bhañj (“to break”).
bodhicitta
byang chub sems
བྱང་ཆུབ་སེམས།
bodhicitta (Attested Dictionary)
菩提心
In the general Mahāyāna teachings the mind of awakening (bodhicitta) is the intention to attain the complete awakening of a perfect buddha for the sake of all beings. On the level of absolute truth, the mind of awakening is the realization of the awakened state itself.
buddha
sangs rgyas
སངས་རྒྱས།
buddha (Attested Dictionary)
佛
clairvoyance
mngon par shes pa
མངོན་པར་ཤེས་པ།
abhijñā (Attested Dictionary)
神通, 神通遊戲
The clairvoyances are listed as either five or six. The first five are the “divine eye,” “divine ear,” “performance of miraculous power,” “recollection of past lives,” and “knowing others’ thoughts.” A sixth, “knowing that all outflows have been eliminated,” is often added. The first five are attained through concentration (dhyāna) and are sometimes described as worldly, as they can be attained to some extent by non-Buddhist yogins, while the sixth is supramundane and attained only by realization.
dedication
bsngo ba
བསྔོ་བ།
pariṇata (Attested Dictionary)
迴向
Mentally or ritually directing the merit produced from virtuous activity toward a specific goal.
dhāraṇī
gzungs
གཟུངས།
dhāraṇī (Attested Dictionary)
總持, 陀羅尼門
From the Sanskrit verb dhṛ (“to hold”), the term refers to the ability to hold or retain the Buddha’s teachings in the memory, and the specific mnemonic formulas or aids to doing so, which also distill the teachings into shorter utterances. From there, the term also carries a strong sense that such formulas or devices, when spoken or rehearsed in the mind, have extraordinary power to effect change in the world and in oneself.
exalted ones
’phags pa
འཕགས་པ།
ārya (Attested Dictionary)
聖
The Sanskrit ārya has the general meaning of a noble person, one of a higher class or caste. In Buddhist literature, depending on the context, it often means specifically one who has gained the realization of the path and is superior for that reason. In particular, it applies to stream enterers, once-returners, non-returners, and worthy ones (arhats) and is also used as an epithet of bodhisattvas. In the five-path system, it refers to someone who has achieved at least the path of seeing (darśanamārga).
miraculous powers
rdzu ’phrul
རྫུ་འཕྲུལ།
ṛddhi (Attested Dictionary)
神, 神通
The supernatural powers of a śrāvaka correspond to the first abhijñā: “Being one he becomes many, being many he becomes one; he becomes visible, invisible; goes through walls, ramparts and mountains without being impeded, just as through air; he immerses himself in the earth and emerges from it as if in water; he goes on water without breaking through it, as if on [solid] earth; he travels through the air crosslegged like a winged bird; he takes in his hands and touches the moon and the sun, those two wonderful, mighty beings, and with his body he extends his power as far as the Brahma world” (Śūraṃgamasamādhisūtra, trans. Lamotte 2003).
The great supernatural powers (maharddhi) of bodhisattvas are “causing trembling, blazing, illuminating, rendering invisible, transforming, coming and going across obstacles, reducing or enlarging worlds, inserting any matter into one’s own body, assuming the aspects of those one frequents, appearing and disappearing, submitting everyone to one’s will, dominating the supernormal power of others, giving intellectual clarity to those who lack it, giving mindfulness, bestowing happiness, and finally, emitting beneficial rays” (Śūraṃgamasamādhisūtra, trans. Lamotte 2003).
Mount Gandhamādana
spos kyi ri
སྤོས་ཀྱི་རི།
*gandhamādanaparvata (Reconstructed Semantic)
香山
Mount Kailāsa
ri ti se
རི་ཏི་སེ།
kailāsaparvata (Attested Dictionary)
鷄娑囉山
Mount Mahala
ri ma ha la
རི་མ་ཧ་ལ།
曼陀羅山
Mount Malaya
ri ma la ya
རི་མ་ལ་ཡ།
malayaparvata (Reconstructed Phonetic)
摩尼耶山
Mount Meru
ri rab lhun po
རི་རབ་ལྷུན་པོ།
sumeruparvata (Attested Dictionary)
須彌山
According to ancient Buddhist cosmology, this is the great mountain forming the axis of the universe. At its summit is Sudarśana, home of Śakra and his thirty-two gods, and on its flanks live the asuras. The mount has four sides facing the cardinal directions, each of which is made of a different precious stone. Surrounding it are several mountain ranges and the great ocean where the four principal island continents lie: in the south, Jambudvīpa (our world); in the west, Godānīya; in the north, Uttarakuru; and in the east, Pūrvavideha. Above it are the abodes of the desire realm gods. It is variously referred to as Meru, Mount Meru, Sumeru, and Mount Sumeru.
Mount Mucilinda
ri btang bzung
རི་བཏང་བཟུང་།
mucilindaparvata (Attested Dictionary)
尹地(二合)耶大山
Nampar Mitok
rnam par mi rtog
རྣམ་པར་མི་རྟོག
The translator who translated the text from Chinese into Tibetan.
pure realm
dag pa’i zhing
དག་པའི་ཞིང་།
kṣetraśuddhi (Attested Dictionary)
淨土
The five Pure Abodes are the highest heavens of the Form Realm (rūpadhātu). They are called “pure abodes” because ordinary beings (pṛthagjana; so so’i skye bo) cannot be born there; only those who have achieved the fruit of a non-returner (anāgāmin; phyir mi ’ong) can be born there. A summary presentation of them is found in the third chapter of Vasubandhu's Abhidharmakośa, although they are repeatedly mentioned as a set in numerous sūtras, tantras, and vinaya texts.
The five Pure Abodes are the last five of the seventeen levels of the Form Realm. Specifically, they are the last five of the eight levels of the upper Form Realm—which corresponds to the fourth meditative concentration (dhyāna; bsam gtan)—all of which are described as “immovable” (akopya; mi g.yo ba) since they are never destroyed during the cycles of the destruction and reformation of a world system. In particular, the five are Abṛha (mi che ba), the inferior heaven; Atapa (mi gdung ba), the heaven of no torment; Sudṛśa (gya nom snang), the heaven of sublime appearances; Sudarśana (shin tu mthong), the heaven of the most beautiful to behold; and Akaniṣṭha (’og min), the highest heaven.
Yaśomitra explains their names, stating: (1) because those who abide there can only remain for a fixed amount of time, before they are plucked out (√bṛh, bṛṃhanti) of that heaven, or because it is not as extensive (abṛṃhita) as the others in the pure realms, that heaven is called the inferior heaven (abṛha; mi che ba); (2) since the afflictions can no longer torment (√tap, tapanti) those who reside there because of their having attained a particular samādhi, or because their state of mind is virtuous, they no longer torment (√tap, tāpayanti) others, this heaven, consequently, is called the heaven of no torment (atapa; mi gdung ba); (3) since those who reside there have exceptional (suṣṭhu) vision because what they see (√dṛś, darśana) is utterly pure, that heaven is called the heaven of sublime appearances (sudṛśa; gya nom snang); (4) because those who reside there are beautiful gods, that heaven is called the heaven of the most beautiful to behold (sudarśana; shin tu mthong); and (5) since it is not lower (na kaniṣṭhā) than any other heaven because there is no other place superior to it, this heaven is called the highest heaven (akaniṣṭha; ’og min) since it is the uppermost.
samādhi
ting nge ’dzin
ཏིང་ངེ་འཛིན།
samādhi (Attested Dictionary)
等持
In a general sense, samādhi can describe a number of different meditative states. In the Mahāyāna literature, in particular in the Prajñāpāramitā sūtras, we find extensive lists of different samādhis, numbering over one hundred.
In a more restricted sense, and when understood as a mental state, samādhi is defined as the one-pointedness of the mind (cittaikāgratā), the ability to remain on the same object over long periods of time. The Drajor Bamponyipa (sgra sbyor bam po gnyis pa) commentary on the Mahāvyutpatti explains the term samādhi as referring to the instrument through which mind and mental states “get collected,” i.e., it is by the force of samādhi that the continuum of mind and mental states becomes collected on a single point of reference without getting distracted.
secret mantra
gsang sngags
གསང་སྔགས།
guhyamantra (Attested Dictionary)
密言
A formula of words or syllables that are recited aloud or mentally in order to bring about a magical or soteriological effect or result. The term has been interpretively etymologized to mean “that which protects (trā) the mind (man)”.
Śīladharma
shI la d+har+ma
ཤཱི་ལ་དྷརྨ།
śīladharma (Attested Dictionary)
尸羅達摩
The translator who translated the text from Sanskrit into Chinese.
ten bhūmis
sa bcu
ས་བཅུ།
daśabhūmi (Attested Dictionary)
十地
The ten levels of a bodhisattva’s development into a fully awakened buddha.
Vajra Mountain
rdo rje’i ri
རྡོ་རྗེའི་རི།
金剛山
Vajramaṇi
rdo rje rin po che
རྡོ་རྗེ་རིན་པོ་ཆེ།
vajramaṇi (Attested Dictionary)
金剛摩尼
Bibliography
Source Texts
’phags pa yongs su bsngo ba’i ’khor lo zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo (Pariṇatacakrasūtra). Toh 242, Degé Kangyur vol 65 (mdo sde, zha), folios 303.a–306.a.
’phags pa yongs su bsngo ba’i ’khor lo zhes bya 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. 65, pp. 794–802.
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