• 84000
  • The Collection
  • The Kangyur
  • Discourses
  • General Sūtra Section
  • Toh 257

This rendering does not include the entire published text

The full text is available to download as pdf at:
/translation/toh257.pdf

ཉི་མའི་སྙིང་པོ།

The Quintessence of the Sun
The Messengers

Sūryagarbha
འཕགས་པ་ཤིན་ཏུ་རྒྱས་པ་ཆེན་པོའི་སྡེ་ཉི་མའི་སྙིང་པོ་ཞེས་བྱ་བའི་མདོ།
’phags pa shin tu rgyas pa chen po’i sde nyi ma’i snying po zhes bya ba’i mdo
The Noble Very Extensive Sūtra “The Quintessence of the Sun”
Ārya­sūryagarbha­nāma­mahāvaipulya­sūtra

Toh 257

Degé Kangyur, vol. 66 (mdo sde, za), folios 91.b–245.b

ᴛʀᴀɴsʟᴀᴛᴇᴅ ɪɴᴛᴏ ᴛɪʙᴇᴛᴀɴ ʙʏ
  • Bandé Zangkyong
  • Bandé Kawa Paltsek

Imprint

84000 logo

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

First published 2022

Current version v 1.0.14 (2025)

Generated by 84000 Reading Room v2.26.1

84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha is a global non-profit initiative to translate all the Buddha’s words into modern languages, and to make them available to everyone.

Logo for the license

This work is provided under the protection of a Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND (Attribution - Non-commercial - No-derivatives) 3.0 copyright. It may be copied or printed for fair use, but only with full attribution, and not for commercial advantage or personal compensation. For full details, see the Creative Commons license.

Options for downloading this publication

This print version was generated at 1.30pm on Tuesday, 28th January 2025 from the online version of the text available on that date. If some time has elapsed since then, this version may have been superseded, as most of 84000’s published translations undergo significant updates from time to time. For the latest online version, with bilingual display, interactive glossary entries and notes, and a variety of further download options, please see
https://84000.co/translation/toh257.


co.

Table of Contents

ti. Title
im. Imprint
co. Contents
s. Summary
ac. Acknowledgements
i. Introduction
tr. The Translation
+ 12 chapters- 12 chapters
1. Protection of the Sacred Dharma
2. The Messengers
3. The Dhāraṇī Mantras
4. The Purification of Karmic Actions
5. The Protection
6. Chapter Six
7. The Presentation of the Conjunctions of the Lunar Mansions
8. Chapter Eight
9. The Recollection of the Buddha
10. The Travel to Mount Sumeru
11. The Going for Refuge of the Nāgas
12. Conclusion
c. Colophon
n. Notes
b. Bibliography
+ 3 sections- 3 sections
· Tibetan Sources
· Chinese Sources
· Secondary Sources
g. Glossary

s.

Summary

s.­1

The Quintessence of the Sun is a long and heterogeneous sūtra in eleven chapters. At the Veṇuvana in the Kalandakanivāpa on the outskirts of Rājagṛha, the Buddha Śākyamuni first explains to a great assembly the severe consequences of stealing what has been offered to monks and the importance of protecting those who abide by the Dharma. The next section tells of bodhisattvas sent from buddha realms in the four directions to bring various dhāraṇīs as a way of protecting and benefitting this world. While explaining those dhāraṇīs, the Buddha Śākyamuni presents various meditations on repulsiveness and instructions on the empty nature of phenomena. On the basis of another long narrative involving Māra and groups of nāgas, detailed teachings on astrology are also introduced, as are a number of additional dhāraṇīs and a list of sacred locations blessed by the presence of holy beings.


ac.

Acknowledgements

ac.­1

This text was translated by the Dharmachakra Translation Committee under the supervision of Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche. Benjamin Collet-Cassart translated the text from Tibetan into English and wrote the introduction. Andreas Doctor compared the draft translation with the original Tibetan and edited the text.

The translation was completed under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.


The generous sponsorship of Jamyang Sun and Manju Sun, which helped make the work on this translation possible, is most gratefully acknowledged.


i.

Introduction

i.­1

The Quintessence of the Sun, which belongs to the General Sūtra section of the Kangyur, is a long and heterogeneous sūtra containing eleven chapters. At the Veṇuvana in the Kalandakanivāpa on the outskirts of Rājagṛha, the Buddha Śākyamuni first explains to a great assembly the severe consequences of stealing what has been offered to monks and the importance of protecting those who abide by the Dharma. The next section tells of bodhisattvas sent from buddha realms in the four directions to bring various dhāraṇīs as a way of protecting and benefitting this world. While explaining those dhāraṇīs, the Buddha Śākyamuni presents various meditations on repulsiveness and instructions on the empty nature of phenomena. On the basis of another long narrative involving Māra and groups of nāgas, detailed teachings on astrology are also introduced, as are a number of additional dhāraṇīs and a list of sacred locations blessed by the presence of holy beings.


Text Body

The Translation
The Noble Very Extensive Sūtra
The Quintessence of the Sun

1.
Chapter One

Protection of the Sacred Dharma

[B1] [F.91.b]


1.­1

Homage to all buddhas and bodhisattvas!


Thus did I hear at one time. The Blessed One was residing in the Veṇuvana at the Kalandakanivāpa near Rājagṛha, surrounded and attended by an innumerable, limitless, and indescribable number of bodhisattva great beings who had arrived from countless other buddha realms of the ten directions. He was also surrounded and attended by an innumerable, limitless, and indescribable number of great hearers who had gathered there from different buddha realms of the ten directions. In the same way, an innumerable, limitless, and indescribable number of other beings who had arrived there from the various buddha realms of the ten directions‍—Śakra, Lord Brahmā, the rulers of the gods, the rulers of the nāgas, the rulers of the yakṣas, the rulers of the gandharvas, the rulers of the asuras, the rulers of the garuḍas, the rulers of the kinnaras, and the rulers of the mahoragas‍—filled all the pathways on the ground and in the sky throughout the entire buddha realm of Sahā. There also arrived an innumerable and limitless number of different gods from the desire and form realms, of nāgas, yakṣas, and rākṣasas, and of asuras, garuḍas, kinnaras, and mahoragas. Sitting in silence, they looked up at the Blessed One as he revealed how bodhisattva conduct quickly brings perfection and manifests like space and as he gave teachings on the mindfulness of breathing, which is the gateway to immortality, and the sublime states. [F.92.a] They filled all the pathways on the ground and in the sky throughout the entire buddha realm of Sahā.


2.
Chapter Two

The Messengers

2.­1

When the Blessed One had begun this discourse with King Bimbisāra on how to protect all those monks who abide by the Dharma, in the eastern direction, beyond countless buddha realms as numerous as the grains of sand in the Ganges, there was a world called Absence of Torment, where the thus-gone, worthy, perfect Buddha Campaka Color was residing, thriving, living well, and teaching the Dharma. In that buddha realm, the bodhisattva great being named Quintessence of the Sun’s Energy was sitting in the assembly of the blessed thus-gone Campaka Color in order to listen to the Dharma. At one point, as the bodhisattva great being Quintessence of the Sun’s Energy looked upward, he saw in the sky above that innumerable and countless bodhisattva great beings were departing from the east and proceeding toward the west. When he looked toward the west where those bodhisattva great beings were going, he saw a brilliant light. At that moment, he bowed down with his palms joined together in the direction of the Buddha Campaka Color and asked, “Respected Blessed One, I have seen in the sky above that innumerable and countless bodhisattva great beings are departing from the east and proceeding toward the west. I have also seen a brilliant light in the western direction. Why is this so?” [F.107.b]

2.­2

The thus-gone Campaka Color replied to the bodhisattva great being Quintessence of the Sun’s Energy, “Noble son, in the western direction, beyond countless buddha realms as numerous as the grains of sand in the Ganges, in a place ripe with the five degenerations, there is a buddha realm called Sahā, where the thus-gone, worthy, perfect Buddha Śākyamuni resides, thrives, and lives well. To ensure that the Dharma way and the lineage of the Three Jewels endure for a long time and that those who abide by the Dharma remain without interruption, he delivers to a great assembly Dharma teachings that are the gateways to the ascertainment of the three vehicles. He has gathered an assembly in that buddha realm of Sahā in order to destroy the domain of the māras, to cause them to lose their power, to raise the banner of the Dharma, and to ensure that the Dharma way endures for a long time. There, all the thus-gone ones have uttered the dhāraṇī mantra called jewel crest and then left after having engaged with that buddha realm. The thus-gone Śākyamuni has gathered a great assembly of bodhisattva great beings and great hearers. They possess the three eyes that are endowed with the four correct knowledges, and they display the sublime states. This retinue distinctly fills the earth and the sky of the buddha realm of Sahā, and it is insatiable with respect to the sacred Dharma teachings revealed by the thus-gone Śākyamuni.

2.­3

“At one point, the thus-gone Śākyamuni, who is endowed with the most delightful voice, wished to explain the four means of attracting disciples, the practice of the Dharma of The Quintessence of the Sun, the section on the light rays that destroy the nāgas, the dhāraṇī mantra that exhausts the karmic actions of sentient beings. So he formed the following wish: [F.108.a] ‘May all bodhisattva great beings who are practicing the six perfections within all the buddha realms of the ten directions‍—those who have reached emancipation over a hundred eons, who possess the eighteen unique qualities, who are not led astray by others, who have reached the level of nonregression, and who are experts in unobstructed wisdom‍—come to this buddha realm of Sahā! Once they have assembled here, may they employ their individual virtuous qualities and concentrations so that in this buddha realm this great earth may become highly favorable and nourishing and so that beings may be endowed with qualities, recall, diligence, and generosity‍—just as in other buddha realms!’

2.­4

“This is why the bodhisattva great beings who have entered that buddha realm of Sahā are now sitting there absorbed in concentration in accordance with their own appropriate virtuous qualities, and this is why light is now radiating from the bodies of some of those meditators, as if from oil lamps. From the bodies of some of the others radiate light rays like the light emitted by many hundreds of thousands of suns and moons. The brilliant light emitted by the gathering of those numerous bodhisattva great beings is now pervading the buddha realm of Sahā. All those bodhisattva great beings who have arrived from all the buddha realms of the ten directions, none of whom had ever gone there before, arose from their absorptions and departed for the buddha realm of Sahā. Having arrived, they are now sitting cross-legged and revel in their individual concentrations. They pay homage to the thus-gone Śākyamuni and serve him, and they behold his great assembly. There, they also listen to the practice of the Dharma of The Quintessence of the Sun, [F.108.b] the section on the light rays that destroy the nāgas, the dhāraṇī mantra that exhausts the karmic actions of sentient beings.

2.­5

“Noble son, since you have arisen from your absorption, you should, noble son, go to the Sahā world! Noble son, in that buddha realm of Sahā, sentient beings are bound by intense craving‍—they are referred to as those who have fallen into craving. In that buddha realm, women are unattractive and ugly, yet they are extremely conceited in terms of their appearance. They are smelly and unclean yet conceited due to their obsession with cleanliness. They are two-faced and lying yet proud of their pure conduct. They are stupid yet proud of their skills. They are miserly yet proudly consider themselves generous. They are unfaithful yet proudly consider themselves faithful. They are hypocritical and deceitful yet proudly consider themselves honest. They are envious yet proudly consider themselves free from envy. They are malicious yet proudly consider themselves loving. They create divisions yet proudly consider themselves harmonious. They have wrong views yet proudly consider their views to be correct. Even sacred beings who are great scholars, who possess magical powers, who revel in the higher perceptions, and who have trained in concentration can be overpowered by women in an instant. Through the faults of women, all their roots of virtue will be destroyed, and they will go to the lower realms and be born as hell beings.

2.­6

“Noble son, if you would like to bring my words to the Sahā world in order to convey them to the thus-gone Śākyamuni, these words of mine will instill faith in the practice of the Dharma of The Quintessence of the Sun, the section on the light rays that destroy the domain of the nāgas, [F.109.a] the dhāraṇī mantra that exhausts the karmic actions of sentient beings. For that I shall confer the dhāraṇī mantra that accords with the truth. It is powerful and very beneficial. It exhausts all forms of attachment associated with the desire realm, the form realm, and the formless realm as well as all forms of pride, special pride, and pride that thinks ‘I am.’ It exhausts all forms of longing, covetousness, excitement, and ignorance. It exhausts the views related to the transitory collection, all the extremist views, all doubts, all the views that consider discipline and disciplined conduct to be supreme, and all the views of permanence and nihilism, as well as all the views related to sentient beings, obscurations, living beings, persons, creators, feeling subjects, forms, sounds, smells, tastes, textures, great marvels, birth, and abiding. This acceptance that accords with the truth induces complete and genuine understanding of all the aggregates, from the aggregate of form up to the aggregate of consciousness. It induces complete and genuine understanding of all the faculties, from the eye faculty up to the mind faculty. [F.109.b] It induces genuine understanding and abandonment of all the aggregates, the elements, and the sense sources. It liberates from desire related to any phenomenon, and it reveals the complete happiness of emancipation.

2.­7

“Why will I do so? Because in those lands there are sentient beings who are like blind creatures, who are completely dull, who are like sheep, and who are intoxicated by sensual desire. This acceptance that accords with the truth eliminates all the views of those sentient beings and provides them with inexhaustible enjoyment. This acceptance that accords with the truth is the steadfast treasure of the entire Dharma. It subjugates all māras and enemies by converting them to the inconceivable Dharma, and it destroys the domain of all the māras. Furthermore, noble son, this acceptance that accords with the truth annihilates the māras and defeats the nāgas. It delights the gods, it pleases the hearts of the yakṣas, it causes the asuras to run away, it frightens the garuḍas, it generates faith in the kinnaras, and it terrifies the mahoragas. It subjugates the enemies, it generates sincere faith in the members of the kṣatriya class, it attracts the brāhmaṇas, and it pleases the vaiśyas and the śūdras. It frees women from their desires, it engenders weariness in the scholars, it delights the spiritual practitioners, and it cures all diseases. It pacifies and eliminates all struggle, famine, untimely death, hostile armies, untimely storms, untimely rain and flooding, untimely hurricanes, [F.110.a] untimely warm weather, snow, and heat waves, and it softens and purifies all substances that are harsh, rough, and hard to touch. It expands direct perception,25 clarifies the way of the sacred Dharma, ensures that the lineage of the Three Jewels remains uninterrupted, and causes one to adhere to the teachings of the Buddha. It provides relief to those who are afraid of saṃsāra, generates the knowledge of exhaustion, causes one to realize the knowledge of the unborn, overcomes all the dense darkness of ignorance, and removes the burden of suffering.

2.­8

syād yathedaṃ: vayevaya­parivāre vāhevāha­parivāre pṛthave pṛthavāparivāre āve āva parivāre tejeteja­parivāre mālemāla­parivāre khagekhaga­parivāri āloke āloka parivāre sthāmesthāma­parivāre rijerija­parivāre silesila­parivāre gamegama­parivāre āvopa avopa­parivāre mālamalama lamalama rālarālama vijñāna­bhūtagrahe bhūta­grahāparivāre cakṣugraha­parivāre śotragrahe śotra­grahāparivāre ghrāṇagrahe grāṇagrahā­parivāre jihvāgrahe jihvāgrahāparivāre kāyagrahe kāyagrahā­parivāre mangrahe mangrahā­parivāre sparśagrahe sparśa­grahāparivāre vedanāgrahe vedanāgrahā­parivāre tṛṣṇāgraha tṛṣṇāgrahā­parivāre upādānagrahe upādāna­grahāparivāre bhāvagrahe bhāva­grahāparivāre jātigrahe jāti­grahāparivāre jaramaraṇa­grahe jaramaraṇa­grahāparivāre duḥkhas antapāna­grahe duḥkhas antapāna­grahāparivāre ārapāradvijagrahe ārapāradvija­grahāparivāre avṛtavi­vṛtasya avaramu­pamasasya vegavini vṛti āryar asmi saṃve­gaśānti svāhā.

2.­9

“Noble son, with this practice of the Dharma of The Quintessence of the Sun, the section on the light rays that destroy the nāgas, [F.110.b] the dhāraṇī that exhausts the karmic actions of sentient beings, I will instill faith in others and confer upon them the acceptance that accords with the truth. Therefore, arise, and go to the buddha realm of Sahā! Present my words to the thus-gone Śākyamuni. Ask him if he has any ills or problems and whether he is healthy and well. Tell him, ‘In the eastern direction, beyond countless buddha realms as numerous as the grains of sand in the Ganges, there is a world called Absence of Torment. In that buddha realm, the thus-gone Campaka Color resides, thrives, lives well, and teaches the Dharma. That thus-gone one has sent me here to ask these questions to the Blessed One: “Respected Blessed One, are you well and free from ills? Are the members of your retinue comfortable and in good health? Are they eager to listen to the sacred Dharma? Do they apply the Dharma in the way they hear it? Do they persevere in the Dharma? Do they abide by the Dharma? Are the domains of the māras and the nāgas subjugated in your buddha realm? Is this the domain of the Buddha alone? Are you turning the Dharma wheel without obstruction in this place?” For those who turn a wheel of non-Dharma in this buddha realm, the thus-gone Campaka Color instills faith by granting the practice of the Dharma of The Quintessence of the Sun, the section on the light rays that destroy the nāgas, the dhāraṇī mantra that exhausts the karmic actions of sentient beings. He confers upon them this powerful and beneficial dhāraṇī mantra that accords with the truth. It exhausts all forms of attachment associated with the desire realm, the form realm, [F.111.a] and the formless realm. […]26 It overcomes all the dense darkness of ignorance, and it removes the burden of suffering.’ ”

2.­10

The bodhisattva great being Quintessence of the Sun’s Energy then said, “Respected Blessed One, when I consider this beneficial acceptance that accords with the Dharma and is filled with qualities, I am utterly afraid to go to the buddha realm of Sahā! Why? Because I have just heard about that realm from the Blessed One, and I am now aware that in the buddha realm of Sahā sentient beings are predominantly under the influence of desire and like blind persons. There, the women are unattractive and ugly yet extremely conceited in terms of their appearance. […] Even sacred beings who are great scholars, who have trained in concentration, and who revel in the higher perceptions can be overpowered by women. Through the faults of women, all their roots of virtue will be destroyed, and they will go to the lower realms and be born as hell beings.”

2.­11

The blessed thus-gone Campaka Color replied to the bodhisattva great being Quintessence of the Sun’s Energy, “Noble son, you do not speak for your own sake, and you do not act for your own benefit. Noble son, you speak and act for the sake of all sentient beings. Noble son, who is the lay practitioner named Vimalakīrti who appears in the buddha realm of Sahā, within the retinue of the thus-gone Śākyamuni? [F.111.b] Is that not you?”

He remained silent.

2.­12

“In that buddha realm and in countless trillions of buddha realms in between, I, the thus-gone Campaka Color, also sometimes manifest in the physical form of Brahmā to ripen beings. To ripen beings, I sometimes manifest in the physical form of Īśvara, of a spiritual practitioner, of Śakra, of a god, of the lord of the nāgas, of the lord of the asuras, of the lord of the garuḍas, of the lord of kinnaras, of the lord of humans, of a solitary buddha, of a hearer, of a member of the kṣatriya class, of a brāhmaṇa, of a householder, of a woman, of a boy, of a girl, of an animal, of a preta, and of a hell being.

2.­13

“There are eighty thousand bodhisattva great beings in this retinue who are absorbed in attainment and arise from that state together with me. In this retinue, there are also some bodhisattvas whose minds are wavering and unsettled, and they strongly wish to behold the thus-gone Śākyamuni, to pay homage to him, to serve him, and to behold his great assembly. They also strongly wish to hear The Great Assembly from the thus-gone Śākyamuni. [F.112.a] However, those bodhisattvas only want to go there together with me. It would be improper if they were deceived by sensual desires there and if they were to go there and act in ways that make them unworthy to be my followers, so I will now speak for their benefit.”

2.­14

The thus-gone Campaka Color then said to the bodhisattva Quintessence of the Sun’s Energy, “Noble son do not be afraid! Do not be afraid! Sacred being, I will confer upon you the dhāraṇī mantra called lotus of sunlight, through which one will develop intense aversion for the entire prison of the three realms; one will reach, perfect, and abide by the gateway of liberation, the absorption of the absence of marks; one will enter unwavering absorption; and one will thoroughly pass into nirvāṇa. This dhāraṇī mantra accomplishes all physical feelings and perceptions as well as the level of gaining control and liberation. It accomplishes the elimination of the ocean of saṃsāra and the removal of obstructions to the lineage of the Three Jewels. It accomplishes great love, great compassion, liberated insight, the subjugation of all māras and enemies, the knowledge of exhaustion, and the knowledge of the unborn, as well as enjoyment, life energy, peace, and lasting nirvāṇa.

2.­15

“Noble son, all afflictions, such as desire, will diminish in those who listen one-pointedly to this sunlight dhāraṇī mantra, and after they die they will circle for seven lifetimes among the gods. There they will remember their former lives and will not be sullied by desires. [F.112.b] They will become sages among the gods, worthy to be worshiped by them. After they die, they will circle for seven lifetimes among the humans, without being sullied by desires. They will become sages among the humans, worthy to be revered and worshiped by all the gods and humans. Those who listen one-pointedly to this sunlight dhāraṇī mantra seven times will, after they die, be born seven times among the gods, as sages endowed with the five higher perceptions and worthy to be revered and worshiped by all the gods. Then, they will be born seven times among the humans, as sages endowed with the five higher perceptions and worthy to be revered and worshiped by the gods, the nāgas, the yakṣas, the asuras, the humans, and the nonhumans. Noble son, all the gods and goddesses who recite seven times this dhāraṇī mantra lotus of sunlight to gatherings of gods in the god realms and listen to it one-pointedly will disregard all the pleasures of the five senses and delight in concentration. In this world, if someone whispers it seven times in the ears of kings, of members of the kṣatriya class, or of brāhmaṇas, vaiśyas, or śūdras, and if they listen to it one-pointedly, they will all disregard all the pleasures of the five senses and delight in concentration. Noble son, a woman who listens to this dhāraṇī mantra lotus of sunlight and contemplates it or recites it for seven days without doing anything else will, [F.113.a] accordingly, experience a diminution of all her afflictions, such as desire. It will be the last time she is born with a female body, and she will not regress on the path to unsurpassed and perfect awakening. From then on, until she reaches unsurpassed parinirvāṇa, she will never again be born with a female body while circling in saṃsāra‍—unless she wishes to. Noble son, if people create a cooling balm by reciting this dhāraṇī mantra lotus of sunlight seven times, anoint great drums or conch shells with it, and then beat these drums or blow in these conch shells, the potency of the curses directed at humans will be annihilated anywhere the sound reaches. No torments related to medicines, envoys, words, mental activity, physical transformation, pretense, bondage, the body, or the heart will be experienced, and fruits will manifest without doing any work. Noble son, the dhāraṇī mantra lotus of sunlight thus possesses great miraculous powers.

2.­16

tadyathā: siddhamate vilokamate eleketereṣe rūcisurūci buddhevi­buddhe mahābuddhe unmadte unmadta pratiṣedhane ragadhura­gadhuva pratiṣedhane­bindu bindumate ciṭaciṭa­pratiṣedhani arkacandra adhe hatacid atihatanirmi hatakāmavege hatapauna­bhaviraje hatac kṣusamate hatavitama­buddhe hatayāgre hatavisamāgre hatasumudracave hata­vitamāraje hatatite hata­dharmacacate hata­dharmarāje hata­vahurāje hata­pavarjamati hataugharaśmi hata­dharmasiddhi hatasarva upadhana­jñājñājñā vijñājñājñā rivijñājñājña sarva­mārgajñajñā eṣa antasaṁsāra­duḥkhe svāhā.

2.­17

“Noble son, remembering this dhāraṇī mantra that dries up all the rivers of desire and leads to the other shore of emancipation, [F.113.b] proceed to the Sahā world! Since you have already overcome all the demonic hooks of desire through your courage and heroic exertion with the objects, no one is able to sully your body or mind with the fetters of desire. So go to the buddha realm of Sahā and apply this dhāraṇī mantra as you have heard it! In that place, surely none of the billions of māras will be able to sully you with the stench of desire through the use of any mantras, medicines, or doctrines‍—just as no god or human can do so!”

2.­18

At that moment, the bodhisattva great being Quintessence of the Sun’s Energy and all the other myriads of bodhisattvas and divine beings as well as the gods and humans exclaimed with amazement and astonishment, “The wisdom vision of the blessed buddhas and the level of mastery they have attained are amazing! They are truly amazing! We have never before heard this dhāraṇī mantra that completely destroys the torments of desire!”

2.­19

Within the retinue, there were eighty-four thousand goddesses and girls who listened to this dhāraṇī mantra with reverence. As soon as they heard it their female genitals disappeared, they developed male genitals, and they all reached nonregression on the path to unsurpassed and perfect awakening.

2.­20

The thus-gone Campaka Color then held up a garland of campaka flowers and said to the bodhisattva great being Quintessence of the Sun’s Energy, “O noble son, take this garland of campaka flowers along with the dhāraṇī mantra lotus of sunlight and the acceptance that accords with the truth. [F.114.a] Bring to that place those two dhāraṇīs which clear away desire like a flash of lightning, as well as the Dharma gateway. Once there, please convey my words to the thus-gone Śākyamuni and ask him if he has any ills or problems and whether he is healthy and well. Tell him ‘The thus-gone Campaka Color is inquiring whether you, respected Blessed One, are well and free from ills. Do the members of your retinue listen to you with respect? Are they eager for the Dharma? Do they abide by the Dharma? Do they persevere in the Dharma? That thus-gone one causes others to develop faith in those dhāraṇīs which clear away afflictions in all buddha regions, and in the Dharma gateway. He confers those powerful and beneficial dhāraṇī mantras‍—the Dharma gateways that clear away desire like a flash of lightning. They exhaust all forms of attachment associated with the desire realm and the form realm. […] They overcome all the dense darkness of ignorance, and they remove the burden of suffering.’ ” [B3]

The bodhisattva great being Quintessence of the Sun’s Energy replied, “Respected Blessed One, I shall do so!”

2.­21

Also, at that moment, eighty thousand bodhisattvas exclaimed in unison, “Respected Blessed One, we also wish to behold the thus-gone Śākyamuni, pay homage to him, worship him, revere him, and behold his great assembly, so we also wish to go. From that thus-gone one we wish to hear The Great Assembly, the Dharma gateway that clears away afflictions in all the buddha regions!”

The thus-gone Campaka Color replied to them, [F.114.b] “Noble sons, in that case, all of you proceed together while assuming the appearance, look, hue, shape, and behavior of mahābrahmās!”

2.­22

At that moment, the bodhisattva Quintessence of the Sun’s Energy and all the myriads of other bodhisattvas emanated bodies with the appearance, look, hue, shape, and behavior of mahābrahmās. They prostrated to the feet of the thus-gone Campaka Color and circumambulated him three times. Then they departed, and in a single instant they arrived in the buddha realm of Sahā. Immediately upon arriving, those sacred beings showered a rain of campaka flowers everywhere in the buddha realm of Sahā in order to worship the Blessed One. They then proceeded toward Magadha and the place where the blessed thus-gone Śākyamuni was residing. When they arrived there, they prostrated to the feet of the Blessed One and sat to one side. Up to that moment, the Blessed One had been engaged in a discourse with King Bimbisāra about how to abide by the Dharma.

2.­23

At that time, in the southern direction, beyond buddha realms as numerous as the grains of sand needed to fill a city one league square, there was a world ripe with the five degenerations called Banner of Degeneration, where the thus-gone, worthy, perfect Buddha King of the Lord of Mountains was residing. He thrived, lived well, and taught the Dharma. At that point there was a bodhisattva great being named Gandhahastin present in his assembly. In the sky above he saw an innumerable and limitless number of bodhisattvas departing from the south and proceeding toward the north. [F.115.a] As he looked in the direction in which those bodhisattva great beings were going, he saw a brilliant light. He then questioned the thus-gone King of the Lord of Mountains, who replied to him in the same way as before: “Noble son, beyond buddha realms as numerous as the grains of sand needed to fill a city one league square, there is a world called Sahā, where the thus-gone Śākyamuni resides. He thrives, lives well, and teaches the Dharma. In that place, there is now a great assembly in which that thus-gone one reveals Dharma teachings that are the gateways to the ascertainment of the three vehicles, in order to ensure that the Dharma way remains for a long time, to ensure that the lineage of the Three Jewels remains uninterrupted, to ensure that those who abide by the Dharma remain without interruption, to destroy the domain of the māras, and to raise the banner of the Dharma. There, all the thus-gone ones have recited the dhāraṇī mantra called jewel crest and then left. The thus-gone Śākyamuni has gathered a great assembly of bodhisattva great beings and hearers who possess the three eyes that are endowed with the four correct knowledges and who display the sublime states. This retinue distinctly fills the earth and the sky of the buddha realm of Sahā, and it is insatiable with respect to the Dharma teachings of the thus-gone Śākyamuni, who is endowed with the most delightful voice.

2.­24

“Noble son, if you would like to bring my words to the Sahā world in order to convey them to the thus-gone Śākyamuni, [F.115.b] there these words of mine will instill faith in the practice of the Dharma of The Quintessence of the Sun, the section on the light rays that destroy the domain of the nāgas, the dhāraṇī mantra that exhausts the karmic actions of sentient beings. There, I will confer this powerful and beneficial dhāraṇī mantra that accords with emptiness. It exhausts all forms of attachment associated with the desire realm, the form realm, and the formless realm, as well as all forms of pride, special pride, and pride that thinks ‘I am.’ […] It generates the knowledge of exhaustion, causes one to realize the knowledge of the unborn, overcomes all the dense darkness of ignorance, and removes the entire burden of suffering.

2.­25

tadyathā: dhumate dhumate akṣidhumate prabhāsadhumate sarvākāśa­dhumate avavīkṣakhaga vimānakhaga avamohakhaga ananyakhaga vyavavṛdatikhaga arocanakhaga animākhaga lokakhaga śikhikhaga vitimirakhaga namokhaga akṣikhaga śrotrakhaga ghrāṇakhaga jihvākhaga kāyakhaga manakhaga rūpakhaga śaptakhaga gandhakhaga rasakhaga sparśakhaga dharmakhaga cakṣurdhātukhaga rūpadhātukhaga cakṣurvijñānadhātukhaga yāpadmana­dhātukhaga dharma­dhātukhaga manvijñāna­dhātukhaga pṛthavīdhātukhaga apadhātukhaga tejodhātukhaga vāyudhātukhaga caturanusmṛtyupasthānakhaga yāvadveṇikakhaga yāvadmārgakhaga abhikṣipa ananana vanana samudranana sarvakaranana sarva­saṃskara­viśeṣanana akinacananana kṣatakṣata ilimili iiiilimile svāhā.

2.­26

“Noble son, this is the dhāraṇī mantra that accords with emptiness. [F.116.a] It is very powerful and beneficial. It exhausts all forms of attachment associated with the desire realm and the form realm, and […] it removes the burden of suffering. Arise, and go to the buddha realm of Sahā! Present my words to the thus-gone Śākyamuni and ask him if he has any ills. […] For those who turn a wheel of non-Dharma in this buddha realm, the thus-gone King of the Lord of Mountains instills faith by granting the practice of the Dharma of The Quintessence of the Sun, the section on the light rays that destroy the nāgas, the dhāraṇī mantra that exhausts the karmic actions of sentient beings. He confers this powerful and beneficial dhāraṇī mantra that accords with emptiness. It exhausts all forms of attachment associated with the desire realm and the form realm, and […] it removes the entire burden of suffering.”

2.­27

The bodhisattva great being Gandhahastin said, “Respected Blessed One, when I consider the benefits of the qualities and emptiness that are related to this dhāraṇī mantra that accords with emptiness, I am afraid to go to the buddha realm of Sahā! Why is it so, respected Blessed One? Because I have heard and understood what the Blessed One said: that in that buddha realm of Sahā, sentient beings are predominantly under the influence of intense desire; […] due to the faults of women, all beings’ roots of virtue will deteriorate, and they will go to the lower realms and be born as hell beings.” [F.116.b]

2.­28

The thus-gone King of the Lord of Mountains then said to the bodhisattva great being Gandhahastin, “The sky has three conditions. Due to those three conditions, it is always beautiful, it is unafflicted by snow, and it does not dry up the rivers. When the body has three conditions present‍—expertise, acceptance, and restraint‍—the stormy river of ignorance will not afflict the six sense faculties.27 You are speaking like a child. Because of those three circumstances you are liberated from all rivers. These three circumstances reveal the nonexistence of sentient beings and the Dharma that removes the burden of the aggregates. You have cultivated the thirteen types of acceptance of the unborn nature of phenomena and abandoned all fears, so why do you say that you are afraid? Sometimes you assume the physical form of Brahmā to liberate beings in other buddha realms. At other times you manifest in many other buddha realms, in the physical forms of Maheśvara, Śakra, Nārāyaṇa, gods, yakṣas, lords of the nāgas, asuras, universal monarchs, doctors, members of the kṣatriya class, brāhmaṇas, hearers, […] or ministers. You constantly manifest within afflicted buddha realms to purify buddha realms, so why do you say that you are afraid of ripening sentient beings?

2.­29

“Noble son, I will now reveal to you the teaching of the inexhaustible core. It fulfills all wishes, it attracts omniscient wisdom, it subjugates the four māras, it eliminates all obstructions to the lineage of the Three Jewels, it produces the light rays that destroy the entire domain of the nāgas, [F.117.a] it exhausts all karmic actions of sentient beings, it produces great love, it brings sentient beings to maturity, it lets one take rebirth in the lower realms intentionally and with great compassion, it protects sentient beings, it pleases the minds of all beings, it reverses all wrong paths, views, desires, aspirations, and vehicles of all beings, it liberates all beings from the lower realms, it liberates all women and causes them to obtain male bodies, it causes all sections of the Dharma to become inexhaustible, it eliminates all miserliness, it causes all types of absorption and higher perceptions to become inexhaustible, it generates faith in all beings, it establishes them on the path of the bodhisattvas, it transforms the vehicle of the hearers and the vehicle of conditions, […] and it accomplishes unsurpassed parinirvāṇa. Such is the teaching of the inexhaustible core. Merely by hearing it, all the karmic obscurations of sentient beings, as well as all their other obscurations‍—as numerous as the grains of sand in the Ganges‍—that cause them to block, discard, and disregard all roots of virtue and prevent their fulfillment and practice, will be immediately exhausted. The fruition of these obscurations will not manifest, except for that of the karmic actions generated by the acts of immediate retribution, the rejection of the sacred Dharma, and the denigration of noble beings.

2.­30

“Noble son, joy, faith, and understanding will develop in those who listen one-pointedly to this teaching of the inexhaustible core even a single time. [F.117.b] All the karmic obscurations of those sentient beings, as well as all their other obscurations‍—as numerous as the grains of sand in the Ganges‍—that cause them to block, discard, and disregard all roots of virtue and prevent their fulfillment and practice, will be immediately exhausted. The fruition of these obscurations will not manifest. No matter how they engage in the roots of virtue, if they undertake the practice of the perfection of generosity, they will be blessed by all buddhas, by all bodhisattvas, by all circumstantial victors, and by all worthy ones. Their households will experience inexhaustible enjoyments. If they are themselves proper vessels with body, speech, and mind undefiled by miserliness, and if they practice generosity without apprehension and with minds free of contempt for the recipients of generosity, even if they give away their head‍—their most sacred limb, no one in the world with its gods and humans will be able to create obstacles for them, unless they have committed the acts of immediate retribution, rejected the sacred Dharma, or denigrated noble beings.

2.­31

“If they are diligent in undertaking the practice of the perfection of discipline, if they please the noble beings and receive their blessings, and if they abide by pure discipline, patience, and certainty, they will be worthy to be trusted and revered by Śakra, Brahmā, and all the protectors of the world. They will also be worthy to be revered by all the members of the kṣatriya class, the brāhmaṇas, the vaiśyas, and the śūdras. They will spend their days and nights without criticizing others or praising themselves and without clinging to personal gains and honor. They will sleep well, wake up refreshed, and experience few discomforts, and food and beverages will be available for them immediately and in great quantity. They will be compassionate and altruistic toward all beings [F.118.a] and will exert themselves in meaningful endeavors. Later, when they die, in the ten directions they will see blessed buddhas who will give them this advice: ‘Excellent, sublime being, excellent! Your discipline is faultless, so please come here to my pure realm! I will establish you on the ten levels.’ Due to their vision of the buddhas, noble joy and faith will arise in them. After they die, they will be born into pure buddha realms where buddhas are present, and there they will quickly reach the ten levels. Once they abide on the ten levels, they will then swiftly awaken to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood.

2.­32

“If, when they hear this teaching of the inexhaustible core, those persons immediately cultivate the perfection of diligence, they will be endowed with generosity, pleasant speech, the ability to benefit, diligence that accords with one’s aim, strength, enthusiasm, intelligence, and sacred courage. They will be worthy to be trusted, worshiped, revered, remembered, pleased, and protected by all the lords of the gods, nāgas, yakṣas, asuras, garuḍas, kinnaras, mahoragas, and humans, […] and they will swiftly awaken to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood.

2.­33

“If, when they hear this teaching of the inexhaustible core, those persons immediately cultivate the perfection of patience, they will be free from all beings, they will be endowed with nonapprehension, [F.118.b] they will be blessed by noble beings, and they will achieve the acceptance that focuses on the Dharma. Even if their main and secondary limbs are cut off, not a single instant of anger will arise in them, and they will renounce all forms of aggression. They will be worthy to be trusted by everyone, from the lords of the gods to the lords of the humans, […] and they will swiftly awaken to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood.

2.­34

“Similarly, if, when they hear this teaching of the inexhaustible core, those persons immediately cultivate the perfection of concentration, they will be swiftly blessed by noble beings and achieve the concentration that focuses on the Dharma, and they will achieve liberation, and formless attainment, as well as trillions of gateways to absorption, dhāraṇī, and acceptance. They will always be considered by all the buddhas. Everyone‍—from the lords of the gods to the lords of the humans‍—will think about them, and they will deserve their trust. […] They will swiftly awaken to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood.

2.­35

“Noble son, those who listen one pointedly to this teaching of the inexhaustible core even a single time will give rise to intense joy, faith, and comprehension. All their karmic obscurations, mental obscurations, obscurations to the Dharma, and afflictive obscurations‍—as numerous as the grains of sand in the Ganges‍—that cause them to block, discard, and disregard all roots of virtue and prevent their fulfillment and practice will be exhausted. The fruition of these obscurations will not manifest, except for that of the karmic actions generated by the acts of immediate retribution, the rejection of the sacred Dharma, and the denigration of noble beings. [F.119.a]

2.­36

“When they cultivate the perfection of insight of the noble ones, they will be blessed by all buddhas, bodhisattvas, solitary buddhas, and worthy ones, and they will enjoy remaining in seclusion. The qualities through which they purify and perfect the faculty of insight of the noble ones will arise within their minds and mental states. They will comprehend all phenomena and eliminate and transcend all doubts. The world with its gods and asuras will not be able to harm them, and they will be worthy to be trusted, remembered, pleased, worshiped, revered, and protected by all the lords of the gods, yakṣas, asuras, garuḍas, kinnaras, and humans. Later, when they die, in the ten directions they will behold familiar blessed buddhas who will extend them a hand and say, ‘Sacred being, come here and stay in my pure buddha realm. I will establish you on the ten levels by means of knowledge.’ Through their vision of these buddhas, their noble joy, and their faith, they will, after they die, be born into pure buddha realms where buddhas are present. There they will attain the ten levels, and before long they will awaken to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood. Noble son, [F.119.b] this is how greatly beneficial the great teaching of the inexhaustible core is.

2.­37

“If sentient beings who are despised and rejected from all the pure buddha realms, who have committed the acts of immediate retribution, who have rejected the sacred Dharma, denigrated the noble ones, and committed the root downfalls hear this great teaching of the inexhaustible core, and if, while maintaining for seven years an attitude that is loving, affectionate toward all beings, impartial, and free from slander or idle gossip, they remember it by constantly cultivating the recollection of the Buddha and fixing their attention on him three times during the day and three times during the night while draping their shawls over one shoulder, kneeling on both knees, and joining their palms together, then, after those seven years have passed, the entirety of their terrible karmic actions will be exhausted and purified. Noble son this great teaching of the inexhaustible core is therefore endowed with great miraculous powers.

2.­38

“If women who wish for success hear this teaching of the inexhaustible core and remember it while visualizing the Buddha in front of them three times during the day and three times during the night for seven months while kneeling on both knees and joining their palms together, they will achieve great success. From then on, until they reach unsurpassed and perfect awakening, they will no longer be born with a female body in saṃsāra‍—unless they wish for it. If women who wish for a husband, for status, for wealth, for pregnancy, [F.120.a] or for sons perform ablutions, guard against frivolousness,28 and remember this great teaching of the inexhaustible core by visualizing the Buddha in front of them three times during the day and three times during the night in a solitary place while kneeling on both knees and bowing with their palms joined together, their wishes will then be fulfilled accordingly. Until they reach unsurpassed nirvāṇa, it will be the last time they are born with a female body‍—unless they wish for it. This great teaching of the inexhaustible core is therefore very meaningful and beneficial; you have never heard anything like this before!

2.­39

tadyathā: śaraṇavyaya śikṣavyaya smṛtivyaya brahmaṇivyaya ṛddhivyaya indrīyavyaya balavyaya bodhyaṅavyaya samādhivyaya dhāraṇīvyaya kṣāntivyaya dhyānavyaya arūpavyaya aninajavyaya mārgavyaya avijñāvyaya pratisamavidvyaya bhūmivyaya vidyāvyaya āmaitrivyaya mahākāruṇāvyaya pṛthavivyaya satvavyaya dharmavyaya tamovyaya ālokavyaya pratibhasavyaya pratiśrudkavyaya gaganavyaya marutavyaya śunyatāvyaya praṇihitavyaya animittavyaya rutavyaya ghoṣavyaya kincanāvyaya abhisamaya anūna apaha cacacaca cārāca caravimu cavicakṣaca kucacāravimu vyayavimu kṣayavimu caravimu cavicakṣaca kucacāravimu vyayavimu kṣayavimu asamudra caravimu cchadavimu ākāśavimu vyupaśamavimu anābhasavimu ahatavimu ārapāravimu araparavimu upaśamasalilavimu svāhā.

2.­40

“Noble son, this is the great teaching of the inexhaustible core. It is endowed with great qualities, great meaning, and great benefits. It subjugates all sentient beings and benefits, cleanses, illuminates, and pacifies all of them. [F.120.b] Arise, and go to the Sahā world to present my words to the thus-gone Śākyamuni!”

2.­41

Then, amazed and filled with intense joy, the entire retinue exclaimed, “The unobscured wisdom vision of the blessed buddhas is amazing, and so is this great teaching taught by the Thus-Gone One! It eliminates all minor, middling, and severe karmic obscurations that hinder all roots of virtue, and it swiftly delivers the happiness of emancipation!”

2.­42

Then, the bodhisattva Gandhahastin exclaimed:

2.­43
“This inexhaustible core that was uttered
Liberates the entire world
And exhausts all the karmic actions of sentient beings;
There is nothing else like it!
2.­44
“It casts far away the karmic actions
One has generated in saṃsāra.
It liberates from all forms of suffering
And delivers splendorous merit.
2.­45
“It dries up the ocean of saṃsāra,
It overcomes all negative actions,
And it swiftly leads to the realms
Where the guides reside.
2.­46
“After perceiving the many shortcomings
Of saṃsāra, the vessel of suffering,
All afflictions will be cleared away,
And sublime awakening will be achieved.
2.­47
“If sentient beings listen to this way,
They will become unassailable.
Therefore, listening to it respectfully
Will lead to everything glorious!
2.­48

“Respected Blessed One, I will remember this great teaching of the inexhaustible core and go to the Sahā world!”

2.­49

At that moment, the bodhisattva great beings in the retinue arose from their absorption, and before long [F.121.a] an innumerable and limitless number of them exclaimed in unison, “Respected Blessed One, we also want to behold the thus-gone Śākyamuni, to pay homage to him, to worship him, to revere him, to behold his great assembly, and to listen to the Dharma teaching of The Quintessence of the Sun, which has never been heard before! Blessed One, please allow us to go there!”

2.­50

The thus-gone King of the Lord of Mountains replied, “Noble sons, all of you please proceed together while adopting the attire, behavior, marks, shape, and majestic power of Śakra.”

2.­51

Then, the bodhisattva great being Gandhahastin and all the innumerable and limitless bodhisattva great beings manifested personal emanations with the attire, behavior, marks, shape, and majestic power of Śakra. They prostrated to the feet of the blessed thus-gone King of the Lord of Mountains, circumambulated him three times, and left. In a single instant they arrived in the Sahā world. As soon as they arrived, in this buddha realm of Sahā they showered a rain of perfumed substances‍—powders of white sandalwood, uragasāra sandalwood, tamāla tree leaves, aloeswood, Chinese incense, and yellow sandalwood‍—to worship the blessed Śākyamuni. When, looking like Śakra, they arrived at the place where the thus-gone Śākyamuni was residing, they prostrated to the feet of the Blessed One, circumambulated him three times, and then sat to one side. [F.121.b] Up to that moment, the Blessed One had been engaged in a discourse with King Bimbisāra about how to abide by the Dharma.

2.­52

Also during that time, in the western direction, beyond buddha realms as numerous as the grains of sand in forty-two Ganges Rivers, there was a buddha realm ripe with the five degenerations called Essence Banner, where thus-gone, worthy, perfect Buddha Royal Mass of Glorious Wisdom was residing. He thrived, lived well, and taught the Dharma to sentient beings and in accordance with the inclinations of the members of his four assemblies. A bodhisattva great being named Glorious Essence of Light, who had joined the assembly to listen to the Dharma, looked upward and saw in the sky above an innumerable and limitless number of bodhisattva great beings departing from the west and proceeding toward the east. When he looked in the eastern direction, where those bodhisattva great beings were going, he saw a brilliant light. He then questioned the thus-gone Royal Mass of Glorious Wisdom, who replied to him, “Noble son, in the eastern direction, beyond buddha realms as numerous as the grains of sand in forty-two Ganges Rivers, in a place ripe with the five degenerations, there is a world called Sahā, where the blessed Buddha, the thus-gone Śākyamuni, resides, thrives, lives well, and teaches the Dharma. At this time, there is in that place a great assembly [F.122.a] in which that thus-gone one reveals Dharma teachings that are the gateways to the ascertainment of the three vehicles, to ensure that the Dharma way and the lineage of the Three Jewels endure for a long time, to ensure that those who abide by the Dharma remain without interruption, to destroy the domain of the māras, and to raise the banner of the Dharma. There, all the thus-gone ones have recited the dhāraṇī mantra called jewel crest and then left. The thus-gone Śākyamuni has gathered a great assembly of bodhisattva great beings and hearers who possess the three eyes that are endowed with the four correct knowledges and who display the sublime states. This retinue distinctly fills the earth and the sky of the buddha realm of Sahā, and it is insatiable with respect to the Dharma teachings of the thus-gone Śākyamuni, who is endowed with the most delightful voice.

2.­53

“Noble son, if you would like to bring my words to the Sahā world in order to convey them to the thus-gone Śākyamuni, I shall instill faith there in the practice of the Dharma of The Quintessence of the Sun, the section on the light rays that destroy the domain of the nāgas, the dhāraṇī mantra that exhausts the karmic actions of sentient beings. There, I will confer this powerful and beneficial acceptance that accords with the absence of wishes. It exhausts all forms of attachment associated with the desire realm, the form realm, and the formless realms, as well as all forms of pride, special pride, and pride that thinks ‘I am.’ […] It generates the knowledge of exhaustion, [F.122.b] causes one to realize the knowledge of the unborn, overcomes all the dense darkness of ignorance, and removes the burden of suffering.

2.­54

tadyathā: śanaśava maśanaśava avakṣaśava kṣukṣutaśava cakṣaśava śrotraśava ghrāṇaśava jihvaśava kāyaśava manaśava kṣubhavidha cakṣuprativiśava śrotra abhakṣabha ghrāṇatejakṣabha jihvavāyukṣabha kāyakramakṣabha manoja āloka­jñāyakṣabha vījasaṅkramakṣabha aṅgarakhagakṣabha samāropa­vyayakṣabha śamakankṣabha kṣayakarasakṣabha śāntavyahyasthakṣabha natotaitatona acanainanatona naghavanayinatona eśa evāntodukhasya svāhā.

2.­55

“Noble son, this is the dhāraṇī mantra that accords with the absence of wishes. It is powerful and beneficial, it exhausts all forms of attachment associated with the desire realm and the form realm, […] and it removes the entire burden of suffering. Take it with you, and go to the Sahā world! Convey my words to the thus-gone Śākyamuni and ask him if he has any ills or problems and whether he is healthy and well. Tell him, ‘In the western direction, beyond buddha realms as numerous as the grains of sand in forty-two Ganges Rivers, there is a buddha realm ripe with the five degenerations called Essence Banner, where the thus-gone, worthy, perfect Buddha Royal Mass of Glorious Wisdom resides, lives well, and teaches the Dharma to sentient beings and in accordance with the inclinations of the members of his four assemblies. [F.123.a] That thus-gone one has sent me here from that place to ask these questions to the Blessed One: “Respected Blessed One, are you well and free from ills? Are the members of your retinue in good health? Are they eager to listen to the sacred Dharma? Do they apply the Dharma in the way they hear it? Do they persevere in that Dharma? Do they abide by the Dharma? Are the domains of the māras and the nāgas subjugated in your buddha realm? Is this the domain of a single buddha? Are you turning the Dharma wheel without obstruction in this place?” For those who turn a wheel of non-Dharma in this buddha realm, the thus-gone, worthy, perfect Buddha Royal Mass of Glorious Wisdom instills faith by granting the practice of the Dharma of The Quintessence of the Sun, the section on the light rays that destroy the domain of the nāgas, this dhāraṇī mantra that exhausts the karmic actions of sentient beings. He also confers this powerful and beneficial dhāraṇī mantra that accords with the absence of wishes. It exhausts all forms of attachment associated with the desire realm and the form realm, […] and it removes the entire burden of suffering.’ ”

2.­56

The bodhisattva great being Glorious Essence of Light then said, “Respected Blessed One, when I consider the benefits of this dhāraṇī mantra that accords with the absence of wishes, I am very afraid of going to the buddha realm of Sahā! [F.123.b] Why is it so? Because I have heard and understood what the Blessed One said: in that buddha realm of Sahā, sentient beings experience intense suffering due to their improper views; they are predominantly under the influence of intense desire and are like blind persons; […] due to the faults of women, all roots of virtue will deteriorate, and beings will be born instantly in the Hell of Unceasing Torment.”

2.­57

The thus-gone Royal Mass of Glorious Wisdom replied to the bodhisattva great being Glorious Essence of Light, “Answer these questions, noble son, answer these questions! In the buddha realm of Sahā, in the great ocean between the four continents, have you not established six hundred forty million nāgas into the practice of taking the threefold refuge by displaying the frightening appearance of a garuḍa, the king of birds, for nine days? Have you not caused them to give rise to the mind set on unsurpassed and perfect awakening?”

2.­58

“Respected Blessed One, that is correct. I did as you have just said. I have indeed established sixty hundred forty million nāgas in that practice, until awakening, by displaying a frightening appearance.”

2.­59

“Well then, noble son, in the middle of the four continents, in the place where no rain was falling and all the nāgas had become distressed, did you not manifest as great elephant-nāgas, great horse-nāgas, and great snake-nāgas showering down rains for seven days?”

“Respected Blessed One, that is correct. I did that due to my specific past aspirations.”

2.­60

“Then why are you nervous to be sent there by me?” the Blessed One continued. [F.124.a]

The bodhisattva replied, “Respected Blessed One, when a skilled person encounters a great treasure of gems and starts digging with his fingernails, the more he or she digs, the more he or she will discover large amounts of jewels. Respected Blessed One, in the same way, the more a skilled person extracts the thus-gone ones’ treasure by means of such words, the more that person will gain huge amounts of invaluable Dharma gems. Therefore, in order to ripen beings in that place, I am now seeking from the Thus-Gone One great amounts of Dharma seals that can generate the thus-gone ones’ power, so that I may ripen a huge number of these beings.”

2.­61

The thus-gone Royal Mass of Glorious Wisdom then said to the bodhisattva great being Glorious Essence of Light, “Noble son, I confer upon you what is known as the great teaching of the fundamental knowledge mantra: [B4]

2.­62

tadyathā: striraṇaśama samudthānaśama avarjanaśama svaraṁgaśasama saṁyogaśama bandhanaśama samavisaraśama vātīnaśama samākramśama avidyāśama saṃskāraśama vijñānaśama nāmarūpaśama ṣaḍāyatanaśama sparśaśama vedanaśama tṛṣṇaśama upādanaśama bhavaśama jātiśama jarāmaraṇaśama yāvadsarvamanuṣyaśama yāvadsarvatraidhātuka­saṁskṛtaśama ārapāraśama.

2.­63

“This is the great teaching of the fundamental knowledge mantra. [F.124.b] In that place, merely by hearing that great teaching, the lesser, moderate, and intense cravings of sentient beings and their afflictions that are the cause of saṃsāra will be completely pacified, as will their afflictions that act as the causes of rebirth in the form and formless realms. All their afflictions, as numerous as the grains of sand in the Ganges, will be pulverized, and all the physical, verbal, and mental negativities of the five classes of beings that they have accumulated so far‍—those that have not yet reached full fruition and those that have not been purified‍—will be counteracted. If some beings listen one-pointedly and appropriately to this great teaching of the fundamental knowledge mantra and cultivate this Dharma for seven days without doing anything else, everything that causes the deterioration and obstruction of virtue will be exhausted without coming to fruition. The same applies to everything that causes wealth to decline, everything that causes one to be separated from desirable objects, everything that harms the body and disturbs the mind, everything that causes one to feel weary of any type of virtue, and everything that causes one to feel joyful about any type of nonvirtue‍—except for the acts of immediate retribution, the rejection of the sacred Dharma, the denigration of the noble ones, and the root downfalls.

2.­64

“Those beings will then engage in such roots of virtue. If they undertake the practice of the perfection of generosity, they will be blessed by all buddhas, by all bodhisattvas, by all circumstantial victors, and by all worthy ones, and their households will experience inexhaustible wealth. If they cultivate the perfections of discipline, patience, diligence, concentration, and insight, [F.125.a] they will not be harmed by the world with its gods and asuras. Instead, they will be worthy to be trusted, remembered, pleased, worshiped, revered, and protected by everyone, from all the lords of the gods to all the lords of the humans. Later, when they die, they will see in the ten directions blessed buddhas who will extend their hands and tell them, ‘Sublime beings, welcome! Please stay here in my pure buddha realm. I will establish you on the ten levels.’ Due to their visions of the buddhas and their noble joy and faith, they will, after they die, be born into buddha realms where the buddhas are present. There, they will reach the ten levels, and before long they will awaken to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood. Noble son, this great teaching of the fundamental knowledge mantra is therefore very valuable.

2.­65

“Noble son, in that buddha realm of Sahā, sentient beings are deteriorating in the roots of virtue that are conducive to certainty. Why is it so? Because they have been removed from all the buddha realms of the ten directions and because they commit the acts of immediate retribution, reject the sacred Dharma, denigrate the noble ones, and commit the root downfalls. For a long time, they have all experienced various types of intense and harsh suffering in the three lower realms. Due to their release from and purification of those three lower realms, [F.125.b] they adopt the paths of the ten virtuous actions. Due to that cause, as well as the previous aspirations of the thus-gone Śākyamuni, they have now obtained a human body in that buddha realm. However, because of their familiarity with the experience of suffering in the lower realms, they have completely forgotten any faculties of faith up to insight that they had developed familiarity with in the past. This also applies to any previous familiarity with generosity up to insight, and it also applies to aspirations, weariness of saṃsāra, happiness of emancipation, and cultivation of the sublime states. Having forgotten all these, they have been born into that buddha realm. Moreover, due to all their former negative acts, they are born unattractive, ugly, with limbs missing, and lacking food, drinks, clothes, bedding, and ornaments. There they have short lifespans, their intellect and intelligence are weak, and they have few resources and possessions. Their roots of virtue, merits, and accomplishments are weak, and they perform few positive deeds. They engage in negative activities, they are seized by wrong view, they have faith in negative treatises, and they form harmful aspirations. They are affected by many diseases, they have many distractions, they have many activities and undertakings, and they repeatedly perform the three types of negative acts.29 They are discomposed, scathing, impetuous, harsh, and angry. They follow the paths of the ten nonvirtuous actions, and they reject the Three Jewels. Therefore, most beings in that buddha realm are headed for the three lower realms. [F.126.a]

2.­66

“Noble son, merely hearing this great teaching of the fundamental knowledge mantra will immediately liberate those beings from the paths that lead to the lower realms, since it connects them to the virtues that accord with certainty. They will rejoice in their past familiarity with the faculties of faith up to insight, as well as in their former formation of aspirations, meditation on the defects of saṃsāra, and cultivation of the sublime states. Just by hearing it, their lifespans will increase, their health will improve, their resources and possessions will multiply, and their virtuous deeds will immensely increase, as will their accomplishments of roots of virtue, their insight, their love, their equanimity, and their wholesome actions. Just by hearing it, they will all develop the correct view. Those beings who listen respectfully to this great teaching of the fundamental knowledge mantra and contemplate these qualities one-pointedly for seven days without doing anything else will follow the paths of the ten virtuous actions. They will engage in the three types of positive acts, take refuge in the Three Jewels, delight in the strength of aspirations, abide by the Dharma, and illuminate the lineage of the Three Jewels. All those beings‍—except for those who have committed the acts of immediate retribution or the root downfalls‍—will recollect their previous lives there. After they die, they will then be born in this buddha realm of Sahā, over and over again. Those sentient beings who have not yet experienced the karmic ripening of their extremely severe negative actions will, [F.126.b] if they hear this great teaching of the fundamental knowledge mantra, achieve such qualities. As soon as they hear it, all their immeasurable karmic obscurations will be exhausted.

2.­67

“In that place, those sentient beings should write down this entire Dharma teaching. They should build statues of the seven perfect buddhas and create monastic compounds for the saṅgha of the thus-gone Śākyamuni’s hearers who abide by the Dharma. They should also arrange benefactors in that place, exert themselves in restoring their vows at the proper times, and listen to the Dharma. For those sentient beings who have developed delight and supreme joy in the Three Jewels, there may manifest some undesirable consequences that resemble those various types of intense suffering they would otherwise experience in the three lower realms for myriads of eons: some may be sick for extended periods, but this will lead to the exhaustion of the capacity of their previous nonvirtuous actions. For some, it will be exhausted through their limbs being cut off. For some, it will be exhausted through running out of wealth. For some, it will be exhausted through the dissolution of their retinues. For some, it will be exhausted through losing their resources and possessions. For some, it will be exhausted through being harmed physically by members of their retinues and servants, or through being thrown into prison. For some, it will be exhausted through being told unpleasant words and being insulted. Through such consequences of similar nature, the nonvirtuous actions they created previously will be exhausted. Noble son, this great teaching of the fundamental knowledge mantra is therefore very valuable. [F.127.a]

2.­68

tadyathā: khagapariccheda garbhakṣase garbharevidyā prabhagakṣe kṣavayoge pratihāre śamanasikathe samameghajuṣṭe akṣayatate kṣabhavaje ninadanajhuṣe samāgrajhuṣe adhyāśayajhuṣe viprabhajhuṣe śaikṣajhuṣe satyajavajhuṣe sainyajavajhuṣe salilaguhyajhuṣe salaguhyavyākṣe paṇaghoṣe sadānakone sarvadhananthye vītapravṛtate upakramaṇathe anacchadyaprakhe pratikramana sakhathyeśe salocanavame krodhadharekāśasaśe ākāśakhage nayakuñje vidyāvane klānavane upavane samemakāre śārayavane meghajhuṣe harikona vanayanmukhe sarakṣakole narāyanajhuṣe indravasane o a a va ā aravaha jarā avarāva sameghaduḥkhenastira­ṇirvāhe svāhā.

2.­69

“Noble son, this great teaching of the fundamental knowledge mantra is very valuable and beneficial. It benefits, cleanses, illuminates, reminds, and pacifies all beings. Sentient beings who listen to it one-pointedly and accomplish it as it is taught will be blessed by all thus-gone ones, by all bodhisattva great beings, by all circumstantial victors, and by all the worthy ones. They will deserve the consideration, trust, reverence, offerings, and protection of everyone‍—from the lords of the gods to the lords of the humans. Later, in their last moment of consciousness when they are about to die, they will see in front of them blessed buddhas from the ten directions [F.127.b] who will extend their hands and tell them, ‘O, come here, you who possess a wealth of qualities! Please stay in my pure buddha realm. I will establish you on the ten levels.’ Due to their noble joy, delight, and faith born from their visions of the buddhas, they will, after they die, be born into buddha realms where the buddhas are present. There they will reach the ten levels and swiftly awaken to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood. This great teaching of the fundamental knowledge mantra is therefore very valuable and beneficial for exhausting the karmic actions of sentient beings and causing the attainment of complete purity and the attainment of the happiness of emancipation. Therefore, take it with you, go to the Sahā world, and present my words to the thus-gone Śākyamuni!”

The bodhisattva great being Glorious Essence of Light replied, “Respected Blessed One, I shall do so!”

2.­70

At that moment, in that retinue, an innumerable and limitless number of bodhisattva great beings exclaimed in unison, “Respected Blessed One, we also want to behold the thus-gone Śākyamuni, to pay homage to him, to revere him, to behold his great assembly, and to hear the practice of the Dharma of The Quintessence of the Sun, the section on the light rays that destroy the domain of the nāgas, this dhāraṇī mantra that exhausts the karmic actions of sentient beings. It has not been long since we arose from the practice of absorption. Respected Blessed One, since many others have already left, please allow us also to go to the Sahā world!” [F.128.a]

2.­71

The thus-gone Royal Mass of Glorious Wisdom said to them, “Noble sons, all of you proceed together while assuming the complexion, marks, appearance, shape, behavior, and attire of Nārāyaṇa!”

They replied, “Respected Blessed One, we shall do so!”

2.­72

The bodhisattva great being Glorious Essence of Light and all those bodhisattva great beings now transformed themselves to have the complexion, marks, appearance, shape, behavior, and attire of Nārāyaṇa. They prostrated to the feet of the thus-gone Royal Mass of Glorious Wisdom and circumambulated him three times. Then they left and instantaneously arrived in the buddha realm of Sahā. As soon as they arrived, they showered a rain of gold from the Jambū River everywhere in the buddha realm of Sahā in order to worship the Blessed One. They then proceeded toward the middle region of the four continents, in the direction of Magadha. When they arrived there, they prostrated to the feet of the blessed Śākyamuni and sat to one side. The Blessed One was still engaged in a discourse with King Bimbisāra about how to abide by the Dharma.

2.­73

Also during that time, in the northern direction, beyond buddha realms as numerous as the grains of sand in eighty Ganges Rivers, there was a buddha realm ripe with the five degenerations called Manifestation of All Perfumes, where the thus-gone, worthy, perfect Buddha Glorious Essence of Flowers was residing. He thrived, lived well, and taught the Dharma. [F.128.b] A bodhisattva great being named Ākāśagarbha was present in that assembly in order to listen to the Dharma. At one point, he looked in the sky above and saw an innumerable and limitless number of bodhisattva great beings departing from the north and proceeding toward the south. When he looked in the southern direction, he saw a brilliant light. He then bowed down with his palms joined together in the direction of the Buddha Glorious Essence of Flowers and said, “Respected Blessed One, when I recently arose from the practice of absorption, I saw in the sky above an innumerable and limitless number of bodhisattva great beings departing from the north and going toward the south. Then, respected Blessed One, as I looked toward the south, I saw a brilliant light and wondered, ‘Why is this so?’ ”

2.­74

The thus-gone Glorious Essence of Flowers replied to the bodhisattva great being Ākāśagarbha, “Noble son, in the southern direction, beyond buddha realms as numerous as the grains of sand in eighty Ganges Rivers, there is a buddha realm ripe with the five degenerations called Sahā, where the thus-gone, worthy, perfect Buddha Śākyamuni resides. He thrives, lives well, and to a great assembly he now reveals Dharma teachings that are the gateways to the ascertainment of the three vehicles, to ensure that the Dharma way endures for a long time and that those who abide by the Dharma of the lineage of the Three Jewels remain without interruption. In that buddha realm of Sahā, [F.129.a] a great assembly of the Buddha has gathered to destroy and cleanse the domain of the māras, to raise the banner of the Dharma, and to ensure that the Dharma way remains for a long time. There, all the thus-gone ones have uttered the dhāraṇī mantra called jewel crest and then left after having engaged with that buddha realm. The thus-gone Śākyamuni has gathered a great assembly of bodhisattva great beings and great hearers who possess the three eyes that are endowed with the four correct knowledges and who display the sublime states. This retinue fills the earth and the sky of that buddha realm of Sahā, and it is insatiable with respect to the Dharma teachings of the thus-gone Śākyamuni, who is endowed with the most delightful voice.

2.­75

“Wishing to explain the four means of attracting disciples, the practice of the Dharma of The Quintessence of the Sun, the section on the light rays that destroy the domain of the nāgas, the dhāraṇī mantra that exhausts the karmic actions of sentient beings, that thus-gone Śākyamuni, who is endowed with the most delightful voice, has formed the wish, ‘May the bodhisattva great beings from the buddha realms of the ten directions‍—from those who will reach emancipation over a hundred eons up to those who are in their final existence and possess the eighteen unique qualities, who are not led astray by others, and who are experts in unobstructed wisdom‍—enter this buddha realm of Sahā at this very moment! Once they are here, may they abide by each of their virtuous concentrations! In the same way, may the great earth in this buddha realm come to possess great strength, nourishment, and qualities. In the same way, may everyone be endowed with recollection, diligence, [F.129.b] generosity, and insight‍—just as in other buddha realms! May all bodhisattva great beings who are dwelling in the buddha realms of the ten directions enter this buddha realm of Sahā at this very moment! Once they have gathered here, may they dwell in accordance with the power of their individual virtues and in accordance with their concentrations!’

2.­76

“The light that radiates from the bodies of some of those beings who are absorbed in states of concentration is like the light emitted by oil lamps. The light that radiates from the bodies of some is like the light emitted by […] many trillions of suns and moons. This brilliant light emitted by the gathering of those bodhisattva great beings is now pervading the buddha realm of Sahā. Right now, the bodhisattva great beings who had withdrawn into meditative seclusion in all the buddha realms of the ten directions and who had never previously gone to the buddha realm of Sahā have arisen from their absorptions and departed for that realm. Once they arrive there, they will behold that thus-gone one and his great assembly. They will hear that great dhāraṇī mantra, sit cross-legged, and revel in a variety of individual virtuous concentrations.

2.­77

“Noble son, you should also arise from your absorption and go to the buddha realm of Sahā! Noble son, in that buddha realm of Sahā, sentient beings have extremely short lifespans. They are affected by many diseases, their intelligence is weak, and their involvement with roots of virtue is limited. Their merit and their pursuit of virtuous activities are weak, [F.130.a] they are not afraid of the afterlife, their resources and possessions are few, and they are attached to desirable objects. They engage in nonvirtue, they are envious, and they have abandoned modesty and humility. Since most of them have adopted the paths of the ten nonvirtuous actions, they will be born in the lower realms. Why is it so? Because, after they die, sentient beings living there who engage in a variety of actions are born in that same place as evil beings‍—from yakṣas to kaṭapūtanas. Those evil beings‍—from yakṣas to kaṭapūtanas‍—feed themselves by robbing the earth of its vitality. They also feed themselves by robbing of their vitality all grains, herbs, flowers, fruits, leaves, and juices. In this sense they are powerful beings. They also rob the vitality of humans who are in the womb and the vitality of those who have just been born. They also rob the vitality of the milk and the vitality of food and beverages. Since, in that place, they rob the vitality of humans when they are in the womb and right after they are born, the humans lack vitality and so must feed themselves on food and drink that are already degraded. Because of this, the humans living there are very sickly and have short lifespans. They are forgetful, and all their roots of virtue are corrupted. They are devoid of merit, they are not afraid of the afterlife, they lack resources and possessions, and they are attached to desirable objects. Since their conduct is impure, […] and since they have adopted the paths of the ten nonvirtuous actions, [F.130.b] they will be born in the lower realms.

2.­78

“Noble son, in the past, when I was a bodhisattva, I made the aspiration to be endowed with diligence, enthusiasm, and firm30 resolution during my activities, and I venerated the perfect buddhas of the past. I supplicated them so that I may be able to protect pregnant women by whatever means necessary. I supplicated them so that, through my diligence, both the mothers and the children present in their wombs may experience well-being. I supplicated them so that no gods, nāgas, yakṣas, rākṣasas, garuḍas, kinnaras, mahoragas, kumbhāṇḍas, pretas, piśācas, pūtanas, kaṭapūtanas, ojohāras, apasmāras, fevers that last one day, fevers that last two days, fevers that last three days, fevers that last four days, vetālas, mantras, or medicines may be able to harm their bodies and minds. I supplicated them so that the mothers, the children present in their wombs, the newborn children, the milk they drink, and the food and drink they ingest may not be harmed in any way. I supplicated them so that their vitality may not be robbed and so that their bodies, elements, and minds may not be disturbed in any way. I supplicated them so that those beings may remain in the womb in a natural way and so that they may come out of the womb easily and unharmed, without their bodies or minds being hurt. I supplicated them so that they may drink milk and enjoy food and beverages with ease. I supplicated them so that they may experience little discomfort, live a long life, be intelligent, [F.131.a] […] adopt the paths of the ten virtuous actions, delight in generosity, self-control, and restraint, and be afraid of the afterlife. I asked them what are the mantras and medicines through which I could ripen those sentient beings, and so those perfect buddhas of the past taught me this great teaching‍—a mantra formula, a dhāraṇī mantra called the peaceful core of knowledge, through which I could ripen infinite myriads of beings and establish them in the six perfections.

2.­79

“With firm diligence and resolution, in all my lives I continuously protected pregnant women with this dhāraṇī mantra, this mantra formula, this vidyā mantra called the peaceful core of knowledge. I established in the three objects of refuge these women and the children in their wombs. From then on, those pregnant women and their children could not be hurt or injured, and their bodies, elements, and minds could no longer be disturbed by gods or any other beings, including māras, apasmāras, humans, and nonhumans. The world with its gods and asuras could no longer rob their vitality or hurt them with any medicines or mantras. Pregnant mothers would not be harmed by them anymore, and the children present in their wombs would remember their previous lives. The bodies of those beings who had entered the womb would have perfectly developed faculties, beautiful and elegant appearances, and excellent complexions which are replete with the most delightful features. They would be highly intelligent and emerge from the bellies of their mothers with ease [F.131.b] and with minds free of forgetfulness. Immediately after their births, powerful gods renowned for their great strength, each surrounded by a retinue of a hundred thousand members, would protect them and guard them. No humans or nonhumans could hurt them, injure them, disturb their bodies, elements, and minds, take their vitality, or hurt them with mantras and drugs. Those beings would have the most excellent physiques, and they would remember their past lives and be afraid of the afterlife. They would be endowed with a loving mindset, great compassion, and a generous attitude. They would delight in discipline and be endowed with patience, diligence, and other qualities. They would enjoy seclusion, exert themselves in concentration, and experience great joy in the presence of virtuous friends, and they would be endowed with the noble knowledge of emancipation that brings such qualities and leads to the exhaustion of suffering. Gods, nāgas, and yakṣas would diligently venerate those beings who dwelled in peace and with few afflictions. These people would vividly perceive the defects of saṃsāra and wish for the happiness of emancipation. If they were to give rise to the mind set on unsurpassed and perfect awakening, they would accordingly swiftly achieve the absorption of the bodhisattvas without forgetting the mind set on awakening. If they were to give rise to the mind set on the vehicle of the solitary buddhas, they would swiftly achieve the acceptance that accords with birth and disintegration. If those sentient beings were to give rise to the mind set on the vehicle of the hearers, [F.132.a] they would, in accordance with this, achieve the acceptance that accords with the truth. All those sentient beings would be free from the three lower realms and proceed toward the higher realms. Noble son, through my commitment to engaging in the application of such skillful means, I ripened sentient beings and accomplished unsurpassed and perfect awakening. Noble son, this great teaching of the peaceful core of knowledge is therefore very meaningful.

2.­80

“Noble son, when I saw sentient beings affected by diseases, I would infuse31 the medicinal plant siṃhakṣir32 with this great teaching of the peaceful core of knowledge and give it to those sick persons, and all their diseases would be completely cured. Where no such medicinal plant was available, I would instead infuse food and drink with the teaching of the peaceful core of knowledge and give it to those sick persons, and all their diseases would be completely cured. If those were not available either, I would infuse medicinal decoctions33 with the mantra formula of the peaceful core of knowledge and give it to those sick persons, and all their diseases would be completely cured. Noble son, through my commitment to engaging in the application of such skillful means, I ripened sentient beings and accomplished unsurpassed and perfect awakening.

2.­81

“Noble son, in places where trees did not bear flowers or fruits, I would infuse rainwater with the mantra formula of the peaceful core of knowledge and sprinkle it on those trees. Many flowers and fruits would then grow on those trees for many years, even in the absence of any water. I did the same with sugarcane plants, grapes, grains, and herbs. In places affected by droughts, where no rain was falling, I would infuse tortoise heart34 with the mantra formula of the peaceful core of knowledge and wrap it with campaka leaves. [F.132.b] I would then place it on the shore of the ocean of the nāgas, and strong rains and great masses of water would pour down. If the downpour of those strong rains damaged the houses, fields, and monastic compounds, I would then infuse a precious gem of the king of snakes with this mantra formula of the peaceful core of knowledge and place it in the abode of those nāgas, and the rains would then come to a halt.

2.­82

“In places affected by untimely wind, sun, untimely clouds, darkness, sandstorms, cold, heat, or untimely seasons, by armies, or by disturbances of the moon, the sun, the planets, the lunar mansions, the full moon, the half-moon, the seasons, or the years, I would, for the sake of sentient beings and out of compassion for them, perform ablutions day and night for seven days, feed on milk and cooked rice, and with great delight in the cultivation of the sublime states recite this teaching of the peaceful core of knowledge without doing anything else. Had I failed to look after those lands for these seven days, I would not have kept the promise I made to myself. In those places, I would infuse with this great teaching of the peaceful core of knowledge an extract of campa herbs35 combined with uragasāra sandalwood, mix it with an emetic made from the fruits of madana trees, and place it by a temple. That would pacify all instances of untimely wind, sun, untimely clouds, darkness, sandstorms, cold, and heat, and it would cause the seasons, the moon, the sun, the planets, the lunar mansions, the full moon, the half-moon, and the years to occur properly.

2.­83

“Noble son, in this way I revealed the Dharma of this great teaching of the peaceful core of knowledge in places where people adhered to signs of auspiciousness and fortune and had wrong views. [F.133.a] Wherever people heard it, their afflictions would diminish. After renouncing all such signs of auspiciousness, fortune, and wrong views, those beings henceforth formed groups devoted to virtuous deeds and wholesome actions and to numerous aspirations.

2.­84

“Noble son, similarly, through my commitment to engaging in the application of such skillful means, I ripened sentient beings, made them master the six perfections, and awoke to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood. This great teaching of the peaceful core of knowledge is therefore very helpful and beneficial to sentient beings: it benefits all of them, it cures all their diseases, and it protects and liberates all pregnant women. It pacifies all afflictions, it generates complete knowledge of all the aggregates and elements, and it causes one to discern all phenomena. It reveals all skillful means, it makes one realize the complete happiness of emancipation, and it induces sincere faith in all sentient beings. It causes one to attain happiness related to all phenomena, it eradicates all māras and enemies in accordance with the Dharma, and it thoroughly subjugates all the domains of the māras. Noble son, this great teaching of the peaceful core of knowledge annihilates all māras and vanquishes the afflictions. It pleases the gods, it delights the yakṣas, it overcomes the asuras, it frightens the garuḍas, it generates faith in the kinnaras, and it puts the mahoragas to flight. It completely pacifies quarrels, [F.133.b] fights, famines, death, diseases, hostile armies, untimely wind, rain, and all types of sicknesses. It pacifies cold, heat, snow, and heat waves, and it softens substances that are harsh, rough, and hard to touch. It causes the way of the Dharma related to all phenomena to blaze, it reveals the teachings of the buddhas, and it ensures that the lineage of the Three Jewels remains uninterrupted. It provides relief to those who are afraid of saṃsāra, it generates knowledge of exhaustion, it actualizes knowledge of the unborn, it overcomes all the dense darkness of ignorance, and it removes the burden of suffering. This is the great teaching of the peaceful core of knowledge:

2.­85

tadyathā: manākṣa avākṣa ghasākṣa janekṣa marmanākṣa kṣavākṣa maṇḍākṣa naṭākṣa nadarahu visanāda khaganāda atanaṭa kunaṭa parikunaṭa nāṭanāṭa parikanāṭa udtaranāṭa vināṭa kuñjanāṭa cavaṃvaranāṭa khaghamabhanāṭa puśkaranāṭa siṅharudranāṭa samalanāṭa śirikusaklaunāṭa talamarutakhava tehukṣavatirakṣadāmarajuvaha naputisantiranajava amohoragajala atrinā atrinā rava atrinākṣa avahā mārgatrinākṣa eṣa evantoduḥkhasya svāhā.”

2.­86

When the Blessed One delivered this teaching, six hundred million beings in that retinue achieved the concordant acceptance, and sixty trillion of them entered into faultlessness.

2.­87

“Noble son, through you I will confer this great teaching of the peaceful core of knowledge upon the thus-gone Śākyamuni. I will also bestow faith in the practice of the Dharma of The Quintessence of the Sun, the section on the light rays that destroy the domain of the nāgas, the dhāraṇī mantra that exhausts the karmic actions of sentient beings. [F.134.a] Take this peaceful core of knowledge with you, and go to that buddha realm of Sahā! Present my words to the thus-gone Śākyamuni, and ask him if he has any ills or problems and whether he is healthy and well. Tell him, ‘In the northern direction, beyond buddha realms as numerous as the grains of sand in eighty Ganges Rivers, there is a buddha realm ripe with the five degenerations called Manifestation of All Sounds,36 where the thus-gone, worthy, perfect Buddha Glorious Essence of Flowers resides and teaches the Dharma. That thus-gone one has sent me here from that buddha realm to ask these questions to the Blessed One: “Respected Blessed One, are you well and free from ills? Are the members of your retinue comfortable and in good health? Are they eager to listen to the sacred Dharma? Do they apply the Dharma persistently in the way they hear it? Do they abide by the Dharma? Are the domains of the māras and the nāgas subjugated in your buddha realm? Is this your only buddha realm? Are you turning the Dharma wheel without obstruction in this place?” For the sake of those who will turn the wheel in this buddha realm, the thus-gone Glorious Essence of Flowers will, in this place, bestow faith in the practice of the Dharma of The Quintessence of the Sun, this section on the light rays that destroy the domain of the nāgas, the dhāraṇī mantra that cleanses the karmic actions of sentient beings. He bestows this powerful and beneficial great teaching of the peaceful core of knowledge, which benefits all beings, [F.134.b] cures all diseases, pacifies all afflictions, […] and removes the burden of suffering.’ ”

2.­88

At that moment, the entire retinue exclaimed, amazed and astonished, “The blessed buddhas’ wisdom and vision, which are unimpeded with respect to all phenomena, are amazing! They are truly amazing! The Thus-Gone One has now revealed to us nothing but this great teaching of the peaceful core of knowledge, which benefits all beings and has never been heard before. What wise being in pursuit of awakening would not strive for something endowed with such countless and limitless qualities?”

2.­89

Then, the bodhisattva Ākāśagarbha said, “When the sentient beings who are afraid of saṃsāra and pursue the happiness of emancipation proclaim the names of the Blessed One and the words of this dhāraṇī mantra peaceful core of knowledge, the great attainments and virtues of sentient beings will greatly increase in them, along with feelings of joy, delight, and respect.”

2.­90

The thus-gone Glorious Essence of Flowers replied, “Thus it is, noble son! It is just as you have said! Noble son, when I was a bodhisattva and practiced the conduct with diligence, I made these aspirations: ‘Once I achieve awakening, if, in all the buddha realms of the ten directions, sentient beings who have the wish to strive for the perfections‍—from generosity up to insight‍— [F.135.a] proclaim my name and cause sentient beings to contemplate it, then, if there are any beings in the world with its gods and asuras who have the ability to create obstacles to their practice of those perfections, may the virtuous side of those beings‍—all but the causes that are results of their previous actions‍—multiply many hundreds of thousands of times! May I postpone my awakening to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood in order to help those mothers who experience great joy with their children, those who are weary of the burden of having children, and those pregnant women who pay homage to me, as well as anyone who proclaims my name with joy, respect, and faith. May I postpone my awakening to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood in order to help should any human or nonhuman being filled with hostility use medicines or mantras to hurt or disturb the bodies and minds of such mothers and the children they carry in their wombs, or should they for a single instant hurt a newborn baby!’ Those are the aspirations I made in the past when I was a bodhisattva. In accordance with those, anyone who is now tormented by such sufferings in any buddha realm and‍—as it was explained before‍—anyone who proclaims my name with joy, respect, and faith will be liberated from their sufferings. It will not be any other way‍—except when it comes to causes that are results of their previous actions, if these are not purified.” [B5]

2.­91

The bodhisattva said, [F.135.b] “Respected Blessed One, that buddha realm of Sahā is strange: in that place, sentient beings are extremely hostile, impetuous, harsh, and envious. They lack affection and gratitude, they speak with harsh words, and they adhere to wrong views. So it would not be good if I were hurt there by some of those beings. I would not benefit anyone by going there!”

2.­92

“Noble son,” replied the Blessed One, “it is impossible. There is no chance for this to happen! Not even ten million māras could hurt or create obstacles to those who have properly cultivated and contemplated the sublime states free from concepts; it would be impossible! Noble son, you have already properly cultivated and contemplated the sublime states free from concepts for a long time, so do not be afraid! Noble son, I will confer upon you a dhāraṇī mantra of great love that emerges from the sublime states free from concepts. Through this mantra, all hostile beings will develop trust and become stupefied; it will cause them to achieve acceptance, recollection, and sincere faith.

2.­93

tadyathā: vovriha vuvula ilavara ilasaha haṭyaṭyagaganākṣa śamaśama mitramitra cakravartitile sāgaratile durbhali hihile havahenarājane yavanamitre kṣānatimitre mitrarlame mitrakhaghe sarvasatojamitre sarvakramamitre manavartamitre dhitiśaramitre svāhā.

2.­94

“Noble son, if one rubs both hands with oil from campaka grains while reciting this secret dhāraṇī mantra that pacifies and stupefies hostile beings, it will make all hostile beings trusting and astonished. All those beings with hostile minds, such as the trillions of angry snakes, yakṣas, kumbhāṇḍas, pūtanas, and māras, will become powerless. [F.136.a] Even if all those hostile beings were to fill the four continents, a single handful of water would immediately annihilate them all. Even if the four oceans were entirely filled with murky water, a single handful of water would immediately make that water completely clear. There are no doubts about this, so take it with you, and go to the buddha realm of Sahā!”

2.­95

At that moment, the innumerable and limitless bodhisattvas exclaimed in unison, “Respected Blessed One, we also wish to behold the thus-gone Śākyamuni, to pay homage to him, to revere him, to behold his great assembly, and to listen to the practice of the Dharma of The Quintessence of the Sun, the section on the light rays that destroy the domain of the nāgas, the dhāraṇī mantra that cleanses the karmic actions of sentient beings! Respected Blessed One, if you grant your permission, we will also go to the buddha realm of Sahā!”

2.­96

The blessed thus-gone Glorious Essence of Flowers replied to them, “Noble sons, all of you please proceed together while adopting the attire, marks, shape, implements, and behavior of universal monarchs ruling over the four continents.”

2.­97

All those eight hundred million bodhisattvas then transformed themselves to have the attire, marks, shape, implements and behavior of universal monarchs ruling over the four continents. Then, the bodhisattva Ākāśagarbha and all the other bodhisattvas bowed their heads to the feet of the thus-gone Glorious Essence of Flowers, circumambulated him three times, and rested in the sky. Each bodhisattva great being also manifested seven lotuses, each with a thousand petals made of precious gems, [F.136.b] as well as the four kinds of troops. They departed in this manner and instantaneously arrived in this buddha realm of Sahā. Some of them showered a rain of gold powder everywhere in the buddha realm of Sahā in order to worship the blessed thus-gone Śākyamuni and his bodhisattvas. To worship the blessed thus-gone Śākyamuni and his bodhisattvas, others showered a rain of silver powder, and still others showered rains of perfumed powders, pearls, gold threads, pearl necklaces, armlets, cotton, fine fabrics, parasols, banners, and flags. All of them circumambulated this buddha realm of Sahā three times and then sat to one side.

2.­98

This concludes the chapter called “The Messengers,” the second chapter in “The Quintessence of the Sun,” the Great Vehicle discourse of The Great Assembly.


3.
Chapter Three

The Dhāraṇī Mantras

3.­1

When King Bimbisāra saw the unprecedented sight of innumerable and limitless numbers of mahābrahmās, Śakras, Nārāyaṇas, and universal monarchs ruling over the four continents, he was utterly amazed. He stood up and went close to them. Next, together with their retinues, the bodhisattva great beings‍—the four messengers of the buddhas‍—sat down and bowed with their palms joined together in the direction of the thus-gone Śākyamuni. [F.137.a] The bodhisattva great being Quintessence of the Sun’s Energy then tossed garlands of campaka flowers in the direction of the thus-gone Śākyamuni and uttered these verses:


4.
Chapter Four

The Purification of Karmic Actions

4.­1

The Blessed One then said to the four messengers and the other bodhisattva great beings, “Noble sons, abide in this buddha realm by your individual virtues!”

4.­2

So, together with their retinues, those bodhisattva great beings sat cross-legged in their respective places. Then, those beings who had thoroughly cultivated the absorption of the dhāraṇī of acceptance entered into their respective states of absorption. From the bodies of some of those beings dwelling in equipoise radiated lights like the light emitted by oil lamps. From the bodies of some others radiated lights like the light emitted by trillions of suns and moons.


5.
Chapter Five

The Protection

5.­1

Then, together with their respective retinues, all the rulers of the gods, the rulers of the nāgas, the rulers of the yakṣas, the rulers of the asuras, the rulers of the garuḍas, the rulers of the kinnaras, the rulers of the mahoragas, the rulers of the pretas, the rulers of the piśācas, and the rulers of the pūtanas bowed with their palms joined together in the direction of the Blessed One and said, “Respected Blessed One, in all the places where monks, nuns, male and female lay practitioners, or faithful sons or daughters of noble family observe this initial practice of repulsiveness up to the absorption of cessation while contemplating the virtuous factors that have just been described, we shall regard them‍—up to the faithful daughters of noble family‍—together with their retinues as the teachers of their own respective classes. [F.178.b] We shall serve all of them through body, speech, and mind, and we shall ensure that they never lack Dharma robes, alms, bedding, medicine, and requisites. We shall liberate them from the fifteen unsettling dangers. What are those fifteen?55 We shall liberate them from the unsettling dangers related to the body. We shall liberate them from dirt, sticks, weapons, poison, stones, hostile beings, abusive beings, and faithless beings. We shall liberate them from disturbances in the elements. We shall protect those who serve them with offerings of delicious food and beverages, medicine, and requisites. We shall protect all such righteous sponsors, relatives, and benefactors from the unsettling dangers caused by diseases, enemies, bhūtas, and foes. We shall protect them from the unsettling dangers caused by poison, kings, civil war, invasion, and famine. Those are the fifteen unsettling dangers.


6.

Chapter Six

6.­1

At that time, [F.183.a] King Bimbisāra, who felt joyful and exhilarated, exclaimed, “Respected Blessed One, this buddha realm of Sahā is filled with bodhisattva great beings who exert themselves in concentration, and it is bathed in a brilliant light that has never been seen or heard of before. This is amazing! Respected Well-Gone One, this is truly amazing! Still, besides this buddha realm and its outer mountain range, nothing else whatsoever appears. Respected Blessed One, if this entire buddha realm of Sahā is perceived due to the light of those bodhisattva great beings, what would the light emitted by the thus-gone ones who have entered into absorption be like? Might we be able to perceive the arrays of qualities of other buddha realms through the light emitted by the Thus-Gone One?”


7.
Chapter Seven

The Presentation of the Conjunctions of the Lunar Mansions

7.­1

When the evil Māra saw all these thus-gone ones and retinues in their respective palaces present within the body of the Thus-Gone One, he became extremely unhappy. Dirt emerged from his entire body, and he began to weep out of distress. He started to run to and fro, to leave only to reappear, and to jump up, run and race around, gape, laugh, sigh, lick his mouth, close his eyes, stretch and contract his arms, [F.188.a] rest his head in his hands, and rub his throat and breast. When they saw this, all the sentient beings residing in the abode of Māra were unsettled. They became displeased and unhappy. One māra leader named Celestial Tree questioned the evil Māra with these verses:


8.

Chapter Eight

8.­1

Sāgara then said:

8.­2
“You remember past lives
Based on the placement of the lunar mansions in the sky.
Wise one, leader of the three realms,
Clear-minded one, glorious being,
8.­3
“As an example of your love and compassion,
And in accordance with your affection for everyone,
Please liberate all the nāgas from this place!
Your discipline and observances
8.­4
“Are unmatched in the three realms.
You bring satisfaction to all the nāgas.
You are the master of all sages, [F.212.b]
And you are worthy to be worshiped by the humans.

9.
Chapter Nine

The Recollection of the Buddha

9.­1

When the evil Māra saw that all the nāgas had taken refuge in the Blessed One, [F.215.a] he became exceedingly distressed and scared, and his body began to shake like the leaves of a jujube tree. Sweating, he raised his two hands and lamented:

9.­2
“The nāgas have gone for refuge.
All beings have become deluded
And placed on the path of immortality.
Look at this endless deceit!”

10.
Chapter Ten

The Travel to Mount Sumeru

10.­1

Then, the Blessed One said to the bodhisattva great being Jyotīrasa, “Noble son, tell me the message of that group of nāgas.”

With a mind devoid of afflictions, Jyotīrasa replied, “Blessed One, it is time for you to come! Blessed One, please perform your deeds!”

10.­2

The Blessed One replied, “Noble son, [F.220.a] it is time for the Thus-Gone One to reveal the inconceivable teaching on the nāgas’ karmic action‍—the teaching of purification.”


11.
Chapter Eleven

The Going for Refuge of the Nāgas

11.­1

While showering rains of flowers, precious gems, and Dharma robes, playing instruments and drums, and singing melodious songs, all the gods, nāgas, yakṣas, and asuras present there departed from the summit of Mount Sumeru together with the Blessed One. Attended by his saṅgha of hearers and surrounded by his saṅgha of bodhisattvas, the Blessed One then took a seat on the cushions that had been prepared for him at the center of the sacred site of wise sages. To worship the Blessed One, all the gods, nāgas, yakṣas, asuras, and kinnaras showered rains of various ornaments, powders, flowers, and precious gems from the sky. The nāgas also offered the Blessed One different kinds of flowers, perfumes, precious gems, silken clothes, fine fabrics, Dharma robes, and ornaments. They circumambulated him three times, prostrated to his feet, and sat in front of him to listen to the Dharma. The nāga king Sāgara then asked, “Respected Blessed One, what are the deeds through which sentient beings are born as nāgas?”


12.

Conclusion

12.­1

Then the elder Ājñātakauṇḍinya said to the Blessed One, “Blessed One, please bless the nāgas! Please make this Dharma teaching, which involves the conduct of teaching about the inconceivable karmic action, blaze for a long time!”

12.­2

The Blessed One said, “As long as the great stūpas in this four-continent world still contain beings who diligently engage in practice, this Dharma teaching will continue to be practiced on the four continents. What are those great stūpas? Here in Jambudvīpa, many past buddhas, bodhisattvas, solitary buddhas, and hearers have continuously resided at this stūpa‍—the sacred site of wise sages called Complete Support‍—and they will continue to reside here in the future. The perfect buddhas of the past have entrusted this sacred site of wise sages called Complete Support to Varuṇa, to ensure that the great teachings remain for a long time. I also entrust it to him. He will joyfully ripen those persons who abide by the Dharma and diligently engage in practice. He will also protect those donors and benefactors who strive to serve those who abide by the Dharma.”


c.

Colophon

c.­1

This was translated by the Indian preceptors Sarvajñadeva, Vidyākaraprabha, and Dharmākara and the translator Bandé Zangkyong. It was then edited and finalized by the translator-editor Bandé Kawa Paltsek.


n.

Notes

n.­1
Hoernle 1916, pp. 121–25.
n.­2
Roberts, Peter Alan. trans., The White Lotus of Compassion, Toh 112 (84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2018).
n.­3
Roberts, Peter Alan. trans., The King of Samādhis Sūtra, Toh 127 (84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2018).
n.­4
See Mahamegha Translation Team, trans. The Great Cloud (1), Toh 232.
n.­5
Denkarma, folio 297.b; note that the title in the Denkarma is ’phags pa ’dus pa chen po’i sde nyi ma’i snying po The Denkarma is dated to c. 812 ᴄᴇ. In this catalog, The Quintessence of the Sun is included among the “Miscellaneous Mahāyāna Sūtras” (theg pa chen po’i mdo sde sna tshogs) with a length of thirteen sections (bam po). See also Herrmann-Pfandt 2008, p. 46, no. 81.
n.­6
Ed. Bhikkhu Pāsādika 1989, pp. 79–82.
n.­7
Cutler 2002, pp. 231–32 and 253.
n.­8
Lévi 1905, pp. 256–58; Lévi 1904, pp. 546–47 and 565.
n.­25
Translated based on Kangxi, Yongle, Lithang, Choné, and Narthang: mngon sum ’gyur du rnam par ’phel bar byed pa. Degé: mdangs sum ’gyur du rnam par ’phel bar byed pa.
n.­26
The ellipses […] throughout this translation indicate omissions of passages that appeared previously in the text (Tibetan: … nas … bar).
n.­27
This translation is tentative. Degé: nam mkha’ la rkyen gsum yod de/ gsum gyis khyab pas rnam par mdzes so/ gangs ni gdung bar mi byed do/ chu klung dag la skam par mi ’gyur ro/ rkyen gsum pa dag la mkhas pa dang / bzod pa dang / bsdams pas lus khyab pa ni lung gis ma rig pa’i chu bos kyang dbang po drug gdung bar mi byed do. Stok: nam mkha’ la rkyen gsum yod de/ gsum gyis khyad par rnam par mdzes so/ gangs ni gdung bar mi byed do/ chu klung dag la skam par mi ’gyur ro/ rkyen gsum po mkhas pa dang / bzod pa dang / bsdams pas lus khyad pa ni lung gis ma rig pa’i chu bos kyang dbang po drug gdung bar mi byed do.
n.­28
This translation is tentative. Tibetan: byi ’chor pa srung ba.
n.­29
The negative acts related to body, speech, and mind.
n.­30
Translated based on Stok, Kangxi, Yongle, and Lhasa: brtan pa. Degé: brten pa.
n.­31
Translation based on Stok, Narthang, and Lhasa: brabs. Kangxi and Choné: brims. Degé: brams. This applies to the instances below as well.
n.­32
We have been unable to identify this substance. Tibetan: sman sing ha k+Shir.
n.­33
Translated based on Stok, Yongle, and Kangxi: sman bkus te bor ba. Degé: sman bkrus te bor ba.
n.­34
We are unsure what this refers to‍—perhaps a plant? Tibetan: ru sbal gyi snying.
n.­35
Tibetan: lcam pa.
n.­36
In the previous section, this buddha realm was called Manifestation of All Perfumes.
n.­55
Based on the following section of the text, it is unclear what those fifteen dangers are.

b.

Bibliography

Tibetan Sources

nyi ma’i snying po (Sūryagarbha). Toh 257, Degé Kangyur vol. 66 (mdo sde, za), folios 91.b–245.b.

nyi ma’i snying po. 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. 66, pp. 262–616.

nyi ma’i snying po. Stok Palace Kangyur vol. 63 (mdo sde, na), folios 161.b–394.b.

glang ru lung bstan pa (Gośṛṅgavyākaraṇa). Toh 357, Degé Kangyur vol. 76 (mdo sde, aH), folios 220.b–232.a. English translation in Dharmachakra Translation Committee 2021. [Full citation listed in secondary sources]

zla ba’i snying po (Candragarbha). Toh 356, Degé Kangyur vol. 76 (mdo sde, aH), folios 216.a–229.b.

snying rje pad+ma dkar po (Karuṇā­puṇḍarīka). Toh 112, Degé Kangyur vol. 50 (mdo sde, cha), folios 129.a–297.b. English translation in Roberts 2023. [Full citation listed in secondary sources]

ting nge ’dzin gyi rgyal po (Samādhirāja). Toh 127, Degé Kangyur vol. 55 (mdo sde, da), folios 1.b–170.b. English translation in Roberts 2018. [Full citation listed in secondary sources]

sprin chen po (Mahāmegha). Toh 232, Degé Kangyur vol. 64 (mdo sde, wa), folios 113.a–214.b. English translation in Mahamegha Translation Team 2022. [Full citation listed in secondary sources]

blo gros mi zad pas bstan pa (Akṣayamati­nirdeśa). Toh 175, Degé Kangyur vol. 60 (mdo sde, ma), folios 79.a–174.b. English translation in Braarvig and Welsh 2020. [Full citation listed in secondary sources]

Nāgārjuna. mdo kun las btus pa (Sūtrasamuccaya). Toh 3934, Degé Tengyur vol. 110 (dbu ma, ki), folios 148.b–215.a. See also Bhikkhu Pāsādika 1989.

Denkarma (pho brang stod thang ldan dkar gyi chos kyi ’gyur ro cog gi dkar chag). Toh 4364, Degé Tengyur vol. 206 (sna tshogs, jo), folios 294.b–310.a.

Chomden Rikpai Raltri (bcom ldan rig pa’i ral gri). bstan pa rgyas pa rgyan gyi nyi ’od. In bka’ gdams gsung ’bum phyogs bsgrigs thengs gsum pa, 1:191–266. Chengdu: si khron mi rigs dpe skrun khang, 2009. BDRC W1PD153536.

Chinese Sources

Rizang fen 日藏分. Taishō 397-14. (Translation of the Sūryagarbhasūtra by Narendrayaśas [Naliantiyeshe 那連提耶舍]).

Secondary Sources

Bhikkhu Pāsādika, ed. Nāgārjuna’s Sūtrasamuccaya: A Critical Edition of the Mdo kun las btus pa. Fontes Tibetici Havnienses 2. Copenhagen: Akademisk Forlag, 1989.

Braarvig, Jens. Akṣayamatinirdeśasūtra. Vol. 2, The Tradition of Imperishability in Buddhist Thought. Oslo: Solum Forlag, 1993.

Braarvig, Jens, and David Welsh, trans. The Teaching of Akṣayamati (Akṣayamati­nirdeśa, Toh 175). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2020.

Cutler, Joshua W. C., ed. The Great Treatise on the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment. Vol. 3. Translated by The Lamrim Chenmo Translation Committee. Ithaca, NY: Snow Lion, 2002.

Demiéville, Paul. Choix d’études bouddhiques. Leiden: Brill, 1973.

Dharmachakra Translation Committee, trans. The Prophecy on Mount Gośṛṅga (Gośṛṅgavyākaraṇa, Toh 357). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2021.

Herrmann-Pfandt, Adelheid. Die lHan kar ma: ein früher Katalog der ins Tibetische übersetzten buddhistischen Texte. Vienna: Verlag der österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, 2008.

Hoernle, A. F. Rudolph. Manuscript Remains of Buddhist Literature Found in Eastern Turkestan. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1916.

Kotyk, Jeffrey Theodore. “Buddhist Astrology and Astral Magic in the Tang Dynasty.” PhD diss., Leiden University, 2017.

Lévi, Sylvain (1904). “Notes chinoises sur l’Inde: IV. Le pays de Kharoṣṭra et l’écriture kharoṣṭrī.” Bulletin de l’Ecole française d’Extrême-Orient 4 (1904): 543–79.

Lévi, Sylvain (1905). “Notes chinoises sur l’Inde: V. Quelques documents sur le bouddhisme indien dans l’Asie centrale (première partie).” Bulletin de l’Ecole française d’Extrême-Orient 5 (1905): 253–305.

Mahamegha Translation Team (2022), trans. The Great Cloud (1) (Mahāmegha, Toh 232). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2018.

Mak, Bill M. “Indian Jyotiṣa through the Lens of Chinese Buddhist Canon.” Journal of Oriental Studies 48, no. 1 (June 2015): 1–19.

Martin, Dan. Unearthing Bon Treasures: Life and Contested Legacy of a Tibetan Scripture Revealer, with a General Bibliography of Bon. Brill’s Tibetan Studies Library 1. Leiden: Brill, 2001. 

Nakamura, Hajime. Indian Buddhism: A Survey with Biographical Notes. Intercultural Research Institute Monograph Series 9. Tokyo: KUFS Publication, 1980.

Nattier, Jan. Once Upon a Future Time: Studies in a Buddhist Prophecy of Decline. Berkeley: Asian Humanities Press, 1991.

Roberts, Peter Alan, trans. The King of Samādhis Sūtra (Samādhi­rājasūtra, Toh 127). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2018.

Roberts, Peter Alan, trans. (2023). The White Lotus of Compassion (Karuṇā­puṇḍarīka­nāma­mahā­yāna­sūtra), Toh 112. 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2023.

Silk, Jonathan A. Managing Monks: Administrators and Administrative Roles in Indian Buddhist Monasticism. New York: Oxford University Press, 2008.


g.

Glossary

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

AS

Attested in source text

This term is attested in a manuscript used as a source for this translation.

AO

Attested in other text

This term is attested in other manuscripts with a parallel or similar context.

AD

Attested in dictionary

This term is attested in dictionaries matching Tibetan to the corresponding language.

AA

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.

RP

Reconstruction from Tibetan phonetic rendering

This term is a reconstruction based on the Tibetan phonetic rendering of the term.

RS

Reconstruction from Tibetan semantic rendering

This term is a reconstruction based on the semantics of the Tibetan translation.

SU

Source unspecified

This term has been supplied from an unspecified source, which most often is a widely trusted dictionary.

g.­1

Absence of Heat

Wylie:
  • ma dros pa
Tibetan:
  • མ་དྲོས་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • —

A buddha realm located in the eastern direction during the time of the Buddha Śākyamuni. Also called Absence of Torment.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 3.­7
  • g.­3
g.­2

absence of marks

Wylie:
  • mtshan ma med pa
Tibetan:
  • མཚན་མ་མེད་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • animitta

The absence of the conceptual identification of perceptions, knowing that the true nature has no attributes, such as color or shape. One of the three gateways of liberation.

Located in 10 passages in the translation:

  • 2.­14
  • 4.­51
  • 4.­75
  • 4.­104
  • 4.­115
  • 4.­117-118
  • 7.­47
  • g.­62
  • g.­266
g.­3

Absence of Torment

Wylie:
  • yongs su gdung ba med pa
Tibetan:
  • ཡོངས་སུ་གདུང་བ་མེད་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • —

A buddha realm located in the eastern direction during the time of the Buddha Śākyamuni. Also called Absence of Heat.

Located in 4 passages in the translation:

  • 2.­1
  • 2.­9
  • n.­39
  • g.­1
g.­4

absence of wishes

Wylie:
  • smon pa med pa
Tibetan:
  • སྨོན་པ་མེད་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • apraṇihita

The absence of any conceptual goal that one is focused upon achieving, knowing that all composite phenomena create suffering. One of the three gateways of liberation.

Located in 17 passages in the translation:

  • 2.­53
  • 2.­55-56
  • 3.­37
  • 3.­39
  • 4.­65-66
  • 4.­73
  • 4.­76
  • 4.­87
  • 4.­104-106
  • 4.­118
  • 4.­121
  • g.­62
  • g.­266
g.­5

absorption

Wylie:
  • ting nge ’dzin
Tibetan:
  • ཏིང་ངེ་འཛིན།
Sanskrit:
  • samādhi

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

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.

Located in 53 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­28-29
  • 2.­4-5
  • 2.­14
  • 2.­29
  • 2.­34
  • 2.­49
  • 2.­70
  • 2.­73
  • 2.­76-77
  • 2.­79
  • 4.­2
  • 4.­26-27
  • 4.­32
  • 4.­34-35
  • 4.­37
  • 4.­44-45
  • 4.­51
  • 4.­62
  • 4.­96
  • 4.­121
  • 4.­124
  • 5.­1-2
  • 5.­8
  • 5.­10
  • 6.­1
  • 6.­5-6
  • 6.­17
  • 6.­25
  • 7.­39
  • 7.­53
  • 8.­34
  • 9.­22-23
  • 9.­27
  • 9.­29-30
  • 10.­34
  • 12.­33
  • 12.­38
  • 12.­40
  • 12.­42
  • 12.­57
  • g.­80
  • g.­241
  • g.­242
g.­9

aggregate

Wylie:
  • phung po
Tibetan:
  • ཕུང་པོ།
Sanskrit:
  • skandha

The five aggregates of form, sensation, perception, formation, and consciousness. On the individual level the five aggregates refer to the basis upon which the mistaken idea of a self is projected.

Located in 14 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­23
  • 2.­6
  • 2.­28
  • 2.­84
  • 3.­52
  • 4.­34
  • 4.­47-48
  • 4.­104
  • 4.­119
  • 7.­50
  • 8.­32
  • g.­77
  • g.­86
g.­11

Ājñātakauṇḍinya

Wylie:
  • kun shes kau Di n+ya
Tibetan:
  • ཀུན་ཤེས་ཀཽ་ཌི་ནྱ།
Sanskrit:
  • ājñāta­kauṇḍinya

Another name for Kauṇḍinya. As he was the first to understand the Buddha Śākyamuni’s teaching on the four truths of the noble ones, he received the name Ājñātakauṇḍinya (Kauṇḍinya Who Understood).

Located in 15 passages in the translation:

  • 3.­30
  • 4.­3-5
  • 4.­7-8
  • 4.­23
  • 4.­51
  • 4.­79
  • 4.­85
  • 4.­87
  • 6.­4
  • 10.­32
  • 11.­25
  • 12.­1
g.­12

Ākāśagarbha

Wylie:
  • nam mkha’i snying po
Tibetan:
  • ནམ་མཁའི་སྙིང་པོ།
Sanskrit:
  • ākāśagarbha

A bodhisattva residing in a buddha realm in the northern direction during the time of the Buddha Śākyamuni.

Located in 9 passages in the translation:

  • 2.­73-74
  • 2.­89
  • 2.­97
  • 3.­46
  • 3.­55
  • 3.­58
  • 4.­110
  • 4.­119
g.­15

apasmāra

Wylie:
  • brjed byed
Tibetan:
  • བརྗེད་བྱེད།
Sanskrit:
  • apasmāra

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

A class of nonhuman beings believed to cause epilepsy, fits, and loss of memory. As their name suggests‍—the Skt. apasmāra literally means “without memory” and the Tib. brjed byed means “causing forgetfulness”‍—they are defined by the condition they cause in affected humans, and the term can refer to any nonhuman being that causes such conditions, whether a bhūta, a piśāca, or other.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 2.­78-79
g.­18

asura

Wylie:
  • lha ma yin
Tibetan:
  • ལྷ་མ་ཡིན།
Sanskrit:
  • —

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

A type of nonhuman being whose precise status is subject to different views, but is included as one of the six classes of beings in the sixfold classification of realms of rebirth. In the Buddhist context, asuras are powerful beings said to be dominated by envy, ambition, and hostility. They are also known in the pre-Buddhist and pre-Vedic mythologies of India and Iran, and feature prominently in Vedic and post-Vedic Brahmanical mythology, as well as in the Buddhist tradition. In these traditions, asuras are often described as being engaged in interminable conflict with the devas (gods).

Located in 40 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­1
  • 1.­28
  • 1.­33
  • 2.­7
  • 2.­12
  • 2.­15
  • 2.­28
  • 2.­32
  • 2.­36
  • 2.­64
  • 2.­79
  • 2.­84
  • 2.­90
  • 3.­8
  • 3.­50
  • 3.­52
  • 3.­58
  • 4.­48
  • 4.­50
  • 4.­105
  • 4.­107-108
  • 4.­118-119
  • 4.­122-123
  • 5.­1
  • 6.­12
  • 6.­18
  • 7.­39
  • 10.­11-12
  • 10.­24-25
  • 11.­1
  • 12.­36-37
  • 12.­40
  • 12.­58
  • 12.­69
g.­22

Banner of Degeneration

Wylie:
  • snyigs ma’i rgyal mtshan
Tibetan:
  • སྙིགས་མའི་རྒྱལ་མཚན།
Sanskrit:
  • —

Name of a buddha realm located in the southern direction during the time of the Buddha Śākyamuni.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 2.­23
  • 3.­22
g.­24

bhūta

Wylie:
  • ’byung po
Tibetan:
  • འབྱུང་པོ།
Sanskrit:
  • bhūta

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

This term in its broadest sense can refer to any being, whether human, animal, or nonhuman. However, it is often used to refer to a specific class of nonhuman beings, especially when bhūtas are mentioned alongside rākṣasas, piśācas, or pretas. In common with these other kinds of nonhumans, bhūtas are usually depicted with unattractive and misshapen bodies. Like several other classes of nonhuman beings, bhūtas take spontaneous birth. As their leader is traditionally regarded to be Rudra-Śiva (also known by the name Bhūta), with whom they haunt dangerous and wild places, bhūtas are especially prominent in Śaivism, where large sections of certain tantras concentrate on them.

Located in 6 passages in the translation:

  • 5.­1
  • 5.­7
  • 8.­16
  • 8.­19
  • 9.­28
  • 12.­38
g.­25

Bimbisāra

Wylie:
  • gzugs can snying po
Tibetan:
  • གཟུགས་ཅན་སྙིང་པོ།
Sanskrit:
  • bimbisāra

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

The king of Magadha and a great patron of the Buddha. His birth coincided with the Buddha’s, and his father, King Mahāpadma, named him “Essence of Gold” after mistakenly attributing the brilliant light that marked the Buddha’s birth to the birth of his son by Queen Bimbī (“Goldie”). Accounts of Bimbisāra’s youth and life can be found in The Chapter on Going Forth (Toh 1-1, Pravrajyāvastu).

King Śreṇya Bimbisāra first met with the Buddha early on, when the latter was the wandering mendicant known as Gautama. Impressed by his conduct, Bimbisāra offered to take Gautama into his court, but Gautama refused, and Bimbisāra wished him success in his quest for awakening and asked him to visit his palace after he had achieved his goal. One account of this episode can be found in the sixteenth chapter of The Play in Full (Toh 95, Lalitavistara). There are other accounts where the two meet earlier on in childhood; several episodes can be found, for example, in The Hundred Deeds (Toh 340, Karmaśataka). Later, after the Buddha’s awakening, Bimbisāra became one of his most famous patrons and donated to the saṅgha the Bamboo Grove, Veṇuvana, at the outskirts of the capital of Magadha, Rājagṛha, where he built residences for the monks. Bimbisāra was imprisoned and killed by his own son, the prince Ajātaśatru, who, influenced by Devadatta, sought to usurp his father’s throne.

Located in 18 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­42
  • 1.­45
  • 1.­47
  • 1.­50
  • 1.­53-54
  • 1.­56
  • 1.­62
  • 1.­65
  • 1.­69
  • 1.­74
  • 2.­1
  • 2.­22
  • 2.­51
  • 2.­72
  • 3.­1
  • 6.­1
  • 6.­3
g.­32

Brahmā

Wylie:
  • tshangs pa
Tibetan:
  • ཚངས་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • brahmā

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

A high-ranking deity presiding over a divine world; he is also considered to be the lord of the Sahā world (our universe). Though not considered a creator god in Buddhism, Brahmā occupies an important place as one of two gods (the other being Indra/Śakra) said to have first exhorted the Buddha Śākyamuni to teach the Dharma. The particular heavens found in the form realm over which Brahmā rules are often some of the most sought-after realms of higher rebirth in Buddhist literature. Since there are many universes or world systems, there are also multiple Brahmās presiding over them. His most frequent epithets are “Lord of the Sahā World” (sahāṃpati) and Great Brahmā (mahābrahman).

Located in 21 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­1
  • 1.­30
  • 2.­12
  • 2.­28
  • 2.­31
  • 4.­33
  • 4.­118
  • 6.­18
  • 7.­95-96
  • 7.­99
  • 9.­27
  • 10.­4
  • 10.­24-25
  • 10.­27
  • 10.­31
  • 10.­33
  • 12.­66-67
  • g.­167
g.­33

brāhmaṇa

Wylie:
  • bram ze
Tibetan:
  • བྲམ་ཟེ།
Sanskrit:
  • brāhmaṇa

The highest of the four classes in the Indian caste system, it is most closely associated with religious vocations.

Located in 25 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­41
  • 1.­43-44
  • 1.­48
  • 1.­61
  • 1.­63
  • 1.­67-70
  • 1.­72-73
  • 2.­7
  • 2.­12
  • 2.­15
  • 2.­28
  • 2.­31
  • 3.­52
  • 4.­48
  • 4.­105
  • 4.­119
  • 5.­2
  • 9.­21
  • 10.­33
  • 11.­20
g.­37

buddha realm

Wylie:
  • sangs rgyas kyi zhing
Tibetan:
  • སངས་རྒྱས་ཀྱི་ཞིང་།
Sanskrit:
  • buddhakṣetra

Roughly a synonym for “universe,” although Buddhist cosmology contains many universes of different types and dimensions. “Buddha realm” indicates, in regard to any type of universe, that it is the field of influence of a particular buddha.

Located in 114 passages in the translation:

  • s.­1
  • i.­1
  • 1.­1-2
  • 1.­16
  • 1.­27-28
  • 1.­30-33
  • 1.­35
  • 1.­38
  • 1.­49
  • 1.­70
  • 1.­73
  • 2.­1-5
  • 2.­9-12
  • 2.­17
  • 2.­22-23
  • 2.­26-28
  • 2.­31
  • 2.­36-37
  • 2.­51-52
  • 2.­55-57
  • 2.­64-66
  • 2.­69
  • 2.­72-77
  • 2.­87
  • 2.­90-91
  • 2.­94-95
  • 2.­97
  • 3.­7-8
  • 3.­10
  • 3.­22
  • 3.­25
  • 3.­37
  • 3.­40
  • 3.­52
  • 3.­54
  • 4.­1
  • 4.­3
  • 4.­13
  • 4.­15
  • 4.­77
  • 4.­112
  • 4.­121
  • 4.­123
  • 5.­12
  • 6.­1
  • 6.­6
  • 6.­12-13
  • 6.­18
  • 6.­25
  • 7.­38-39
  • 7.­57
  • 8.­32
  • 9.­21-23
  • 10.­23-26
  • 10.­32
  • 10.­34
  • 12.­27
  • 12.­31
  • 12.­36
  • 12.­56-57
  • 12.­69
  • n.­36
  • n.­39
  • n.­44
  • g.­1
  • g.­3
  • g.­12
  • g.­22
  • g.­66
  • g.­93
  • g.­106
  • g.­174
  • g.­175
  • g.­183
  • g.­210
  • g.­285
  • g.­296
g.­38

Campaka Color

Wylie:
  • tsam pa ka’i mdog
Tibetan:
  • ཙམ་པ་ཀའི་མདོག
Sanskrit:
  • —

A buddha residing in the eastern direction at the time of the Buddha Śākyamuni.

Located in 16 passages in the translation:

  • 2.­1-2
  • 2.­9
  • 2.­11-12
  • 2.­14
  • 2.­20-22
  • 3.­7-8
  • 3.­10-11
  • 3.­14
  • 4.­33
  • 4.­47
g.­40

Celestial Tree

Wylie:
  • nam mkha’i shing
Tibetan:
  • ནམ་མཁའི་ཤིང་།
Sanskrit:
  • —

Name of a mercenary demon.

Located in 6 passages in the translation:

  • 7.­1
  • 7.­8
  • 7.­12
  • 7.­16
  • 7.­22
  • 7.­24
g.­42

circumstantial victor

Wylie:
  • rkyen gyi rgyal ba
Tibetan:
  • རྐྱེན་གྱི་རྒྱལ་བ།
Sanskrit:
  • —

A being who attains victory (i.e., awakening) through specific circumstances. A synonym for a solitary buddha.

Located in 4 passages in the translation:

  • 2.­30
  • 2.­64
  • 2.­69
  • 4.­14
g.­45

Complete Support

Wylie:
  • kun rten
Tibetan:
  • ཀུན་རྟེན།
Sanskrit:
  • —

A holy site blessed by the presence of sages.

Located in 3 passages in the translation:

  • 7.­29
  • 12.­2-3
g.­47

concentration

Wylie:
  • bsam gtan
Tibetan:
  • བསམ་གཏན།
Sanskrit:
  • dhyāna

The fifth of the six perfections. Generally one of the synonyms for meditation, referring to a state of mental stability. The specific four concentrations are four successively subtler states of meditation that are said to lead to rebirth into the corresponding four levels of the form realm.

Located in 44 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­30
  • 1.­33
  • 1.­35
  • 2.­3-5
  • 2.­10
  • 2.­15
  • 2.­34
  • 2.­64
  • 2.­75-76
  • 2.­79
  • 3.­3
  • 3.­10
  • 3.­25
  • 3.­40
  • 3.­54
  • 4.­13
  • 4.­70
  • 4.­76
  • 4.­82
  • 4.­84
  • 4.­95-97
  • 4.­121
  • 6.­1
  • 6.­6
  • 7.­17
  • 8.­11
  • 8.­20
  • 9.­22
  • 10.­18
  • 11.­49
  • 12.­32
  • 12.­37
  • 12.­56
  • g.­55
  • g.­56
  • g.­65
  • g.­81
  • g.­236
  • g.­243
g.­49

Dharmākara

Wylie:
  • d+harmA ka ra
Tibetan:
  • དྷརྨཱ་ཀ་ར།
Sanskrit:
  • dharmākara

Butön includes the Kashmiri abbot Dharmākara in his list of ninety-three paṇḍitas invited to Tibet to assist in the translation of the Buddhist scriptures. Tāranātha dates Dharmākara to the rule of *Vanapāla, son of Dharmapāla. With Paltsek, he translated two of Kalyāṇamitra’s works on Vinaya, the Vinaya­praśnakārikā (’dul ba dri ba’i tshig le’ur byas pa, Toh 4134) and the Vinaya­praśnaṭīkā (’dul ba dri ba rgya cher ’grel pa, Toh 4135).

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • i.­2
  • c.­1
g.­55

eighteen unique qualities

Wylie:
  • ma ’dres pa bcwa brgyad
Tibetan:
  • མ་འདྲེས་པ་བཅྭ་བརྒྱད།
Sanskrit:
  • aṣṭādaśāveṇika

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

Eighteen special features of a buddha’s behavior, realization, activity, and wisdom that are not shared by other beings. They are generally listed as: (1) he never makes a mistake, (2) he is never boisterous, (3) he never forgets, (4) his concentration never falters, (5) he has no notion of distinctness, (6) his equanimity is not due to lack of consideration, (7) his motivation never falters, (8) his endeavor never fails, (9) his mindfulness never falters, (10) he never abandons his concentration, (11) his insight (prajñā) never decreases, (12) his liberation never fails, (13) all his physical actions are preceded and followed by wisdom (jñāna), (14) all his verbal actions are preceded and followed by wisdom, (15) all his mental actions are preceded and followed by wisdom, (16) his wisdom and vision perceive the past without attachment or hindrance, (17) his wisdom and vision perceive the future without attachment or hindrance, and (18) his wisdom and vision perceive the present without attachment or hindrance.

Located in 7 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­29
  • 1.­32
  • 2.­3
  • 2.­75
  • 3.­30
  • 4.­52
  • 4.­119
g.­59

element

Wylie:
  • khams
Tibetan:
  • ཁམས།
Sanskrit:
  • dhātu

One way of describing experience and the world in terms of eighteen elements (eye and form, ear and sound, nose and smell, tongue and taste, body and physical objects, and mind and mental phenomena, to which the six consciousnesses are added). Also refers here to the “four great elements.”

Located in 15 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­23
  • 2.­6
  • 2.­78-79
  • 2.­84
  • 3.­52
  • 4.­47
  • 4.­104
  • 4.­114
  • 4.­119
  • 5.­1
  • 7.­50
  • 8.­32
  • 11.­25
  • 12.­49
g.­62

emptiness

Wylie:
  • stong pa nyid
Tibetan:
  • སྟོང་པ་ཉིད།
Sanskrit:
  • śūnyatā

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

Emptiness denotes the ultimate nature of reality, the total absence of inherent existence and self-identity with respect to all phenomena. According to this view, all things and events are devoid of any independent, intrinsic reality that constitutes their essence. Nothing can be said to exist independent of the complex network of factors that gives rise to its origination, nor are phenomena independent of the cognitive processes and mental constructs that make up the conventional framework within which their identity and existence are posited. When all levels of conceptualization dissolve and when all forms of dichotomizing tendencies are quelled through deliberate meditative deconstruction of conceptual elaborations, the ultimate nature of reality will finally become manifest. It is the first of the three gateways to liberation.

Located in 30 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­60
  • 2.­24
  • 2.­26-27
  • 3.­22
  • 3.­24
  • 3.­26
  • 3.­41
  • 4.­26-27
  • 4.­30
  • 4.­53-54
  • 4.­58-61
  • 4.­63-64
  • 4.­73
  • 4.­76
  • 4.­104
  • 4.­118
  • 4.­121
  • 5.­18-20
  • 8.­32
  • 9.­9
  • g.­266
g.­65

equipoise

Wylie:
  • mnyam par bzhag pa
  • mnyam par gzhag pa
Tibetan:
  • མཉམ་པར་བཞག་པ།
  • མཉམ་པར་གཞག་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • samāhita
  • samāpatti

A state of mental equipoise derived from deep concentration.

Located in 7 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­30
  • 1.­59
  • 4.­2
  • 4.­69
  • 4.­71
  • 4.­104
  • 6.­25
g.­66

Essence Banner

Wylie:
  • snying po’i rgyal mtshan
Tibetan:
  • སྙིང་པོའི་རྒྱལ་མཚན།
Sanskrit:
  • —

Name of a buddha realm located in the western direction during the time of the Buddha Śākyamuni.

Located in 3 passages in the translation:

  • 2.­52
  • 2.­55
  • 3.­37
g.­75

five degenerations

Wylie:
  • snyigs ma lnga
Tibetan:
  • སྙིགས་མ་ལྔ།
Sanskrit:
  • pañcakaṣāya

Five aspects of life that indicate the degenerate nature of a given age. They are the impurities of views, of afflictions, of sentient beings, of lifespan, and of time.

Located in 13 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­38
  • 1.­49
  • 2.­2
  • 2.­23
  • 2.­52
  • 2.­55
  • 2.­73-74
  • 2.­87
  • 3.­22
  • 3.­52
  • 6.­13
  • 11.­66
g.­76

five higher perceptions

Wylie:
  • mngon par shes pa lnga
Tibetan:
  • མངོན་པར་ཤེས་པ་ལྔ།
Sanskrit:
  • pañcābhijñā

Divine sight, divine hearing, the ability to know past and future lives, the ability to know the minds of others, and the ability to produce miracles.

Located in 6 passages in the translation:

  • 2.­15
  • 7.­68-69
  • 12.­27
  • 12.­31
  • g.­129
g.­77

formation

Wylie:
  • ’du byed
Tibetan:
  • འདུ་བྱེད།
Sanskrit:
  • saṃskāra

One of the five aggregates, they are formative forces concomitant with the production of karmic seeds causing future saṃsāric existence.

Located in 15 passages in the translation:

  • 4.­34
  • 4.­61
  • 4.­68
  • 4.­89
  • 4.­99-100
  • 4.­104
  • 6.­23
  • 8.­32
  • 12.­51-54
  • n.­81
  • g.­9
g.­79

four assemblies

Wylie:
  • ’khor bzhi po
Tibetan:
  • འཁོར་བཞི་པོ།
Sanskrit:
  • catuḥparṣad

The assemblies of monks, nuns, laymen, and laywomen.

Located in 5 passages in the translation:

  • 2.­52
  • 2.­55
  • 3.­15
  • 3.­30
  • 3.­45
g.­81

four concentrations

Wylie:
  • bsam gtan bzhi
Tibetan:
  • བསམ་གཏན་བཞི།
Sanskrit:
  • caturdhyāna

The four levels of concentration related to the form realm.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 9.­27
  • g.­47
g.­82

four correct knowledges

Wylie:
  • so so yang dag par rig pa bzhi
Tibetan:
  • སོ་སོ་ཡང་དག་པར་རིག་པ་བཞི།
Sanskrit:
  • catuḥ­pratisaṃvid

Genuine discrimination with respect to phenomena, meaning, language, and eloquence.

Located in 6 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­35
  • 2.­2
  • 2.­23
  • 2.­52
  • 2.­74
  • 9.­27
g.­83

four great elements

Wylie:
  • ’byung ba chen po bzhi
Tibetan:
  • འབྱུང་བ་ཆེན་པོ་བཞི།
Sanskrit:
  • caturmahābhūta

Earth, water, fire, and wind.

Located in 6 passages in the translation:

  • 4.­17
  • 4.­36
  • 4.­57
  • 4.­113
  • g.­59
  • g.­110
g.­85

four kinds of troops

Wylie:
  • dpung gi tshogs yan lag bzhi pa
Tibetan:
  • དཔུང་གི་ཚོགས་ཡན་ལག་བཞི་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • caturaṅga­balakāya

The fourfold division of an army into infantry, cavalry, elephants, and chariots.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 2.­97
g.­86

four māras

Wylie:
  • bdud bzhi
Tibetan:
  • བདུད་བཞི།
Sanskrit:
  • caturmāra

Four symbols or personifications of the defects that prevent awakening. These four are devaputramāra (lha’i bu’i bdud), the divine māra, which is the distraction of pleasures; mṛtyumāra (’chi bdag gi bdud), the māra of death; skandhamāra (phung po’i bdud), the māra of the aggregates, which is the body; and kleśamāra (nyon mongs pa’i bdud), the māra of the afflictions.

Located in 4 passages in the translation:

  • 2.­29
  • 3.­26
  • 8.­32
g.­87

four means of attracting disciples

Wylie:
  • bsdu ba’i dngos po bzhi
Tibetan:
  • བསྡུ་བའི་དངོས་པོ་བཞི།
Sanskrit:
  • catuḥ­saṅgrahavastu

These are traditionally listed as four: generosity, kind talk, meaningful actions, and practicing what one preaches.

Located in 3 passages in the translation:

  • 2.­3
  • 2.­75
  • 9.­22
g.­88

four truths of the noble ones

Wylie:
  • ’phags pa’i bden pa bzhi
Tibetan:
  • འཕགས་པའི་བདེན་པ་བཞི།
Sanskrit:
  • caturāryasatya

The Buddha’s first teaching, which explains suffering, the origin of suffering, the cessation of suffering, and the path to the cessation of suffering.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 4.­76
  • g.­11
g.­93

Gandhahastin

Wylie:
  • spos kyi glang po che
Tibetan:
  • སྤོས་ཀྱི་གླང་པོ་ཆེ།
Sanskrit:
  • gandhahastin

A bodhisattva residing in a buddha realm in the southern direction at the time of the Buddha Śākyamuni.

Located in 10 passages in the translation:

  • 2.­23
  • 2.­27-28
  • 2.­42
  • 2.­51
  • 3.­16
  • 3.­26-27
  • 4.­53
  • 4.­63
g.­95

gandharva

Wylie:
  • dri za
Tibetan:
  • དྲི་ཟ།
Sanskrit:
  • gandharva

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

A class of generally benevolent nonhuman beings who inhabit the skies, sometimes said to inhabit fantastic cities in the clouds, and more specifically to dwell on the eastern slopes of Mount Meru, where they are ruled by the Great King Dhṛtarāṣṭra. They are most renowned as celestial musicians who serve the gods. In the Abhidharma, the term is also used to refer to the mental body assumed by sentient beings during the intermediate state between death and rebirth. Gandharvas are said to live on fragrances (gandha) in the desire realm, hence the Tibetan translation dri za, meaning “scent eater.”

Located in 4 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­1
  • 6.­12
  • 10.­24
  • 12.­69
g.­96

Ganges

Wylie:
  • gang gA
Tibetan:
  • གང་གཱ།
Sanskrit:
  • gaṅgā

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

The Gaṅgā, or Ganges in English, is considered to be the most sacred river of India, particularly within the Hindu tradition. It starts in the Himalayas, flows through the northern plains of India, bathing the holy city of Vārāṇasī, and meets the sea at the Bay of Bengal, in Bangladesh. In the sūtras, however, this river is mostly mentioned not for its sacredness but for its abundant sands‍—noticeable still today on its many sandy banks and at its delta‍—which serve as a common metaphor for infinitely large numbers.

According to Buddhist cosmology, as explained in the Abhidharmakośa, it is one of the four rivers that flow from Lake Anavatapta and cross the southern continent of Jambudvīpa‍—the known human world or more specifically the Indian subcontinent.

Located in 27 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­31
  • 1.­33
  • 1.­35
  • 1.­69
  • 2.­1-2
  • 2.­9
  • 2.­29-30
  • 2.­35
  • 2.­52
  • 2.­55
  • 2.­63
  • 2.­73-74
  • 2.­87
  • 3.­7
  • 3.­37
  • 3.­41
  • 3.­45
  • 3.­52
  • 6.­6
  • 6.­12-13
  • 6.­17
  • 6.­25
  • 8.­32
g.­97

garuḍa

Wylie:
  • nam mkha’ lding
Tibetan:
  • ནམ་མཁའ་ལྡིང་།
Sanskrit:
  • garuḍa

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

In Indian mythology, the garuḍa is an eagle-like bird that is regarded as the king of all birds, normally depicted with a sharp, owl-like beak, often holding a snake, and with large and powerful wings. They are traditionally enemies of the nāgas. In the Vedas, they are said to have brought nectar from the heavens to earth. Garuḍa can also be used as a proper name for a king of such creatures.

Located in 30 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­1
  • 1.­28
  • 1.­33
  • 2.­7
  • 2.­12
  • 2.­32
  • 2.­36
  • 2.­57
  • 2.­78
  • 2.­84
  • 3.­52
  • 3.­58
  • 4.­48
  • 4.­50
  • 4.­105
  • 4.­107-108
  • 4.­118-119
  • 4.­122-123
  • 5.­1
  • 6.­12
  • 7.­39
  • 8.­28
  • 10.­24
  • 12.­36
  • 12.­40
  • 12.­58
  • 12.­69
g.­105

Glorious Essence of Flowers

Wylie:
  • dpal me tog gi snying po
Tibetan:
  • དཔལ་མེ་ཏོག་གི་སྙིང་པོ།
Sanskrit:
  • —

A buddha residing in the northern direction during the time of the Buddha Śākyamuni.

Located in 14 passages in the translation:

  • 2.­73-74
  • 2.­87
  • 2.­90
  • 2.­96-97
  • 3.­51-52
  • 3.­54-55
  • 3.­59
  • 4.­110
  • 4.­112
  • 4.­119
g.­106

Glorious Essence of Light

Wylie:
  • snang ba’i snying po dpal
Tibetan:
  • སྣང་བའི་སྙིང་པོ་དཔལ།
Sanskrit:
  • —

A bodhisattva residing in a buddha realm in the western direction during the time of the Buddha Śākyamuni.

Located in 11 passages in the translation:

  • 2.­52
  • 2.­56-57
  • 2.­61
  • 2.­69
  • 2.­72
  • 3.­31
  • 3.­41
  • 4.­65
  • 4.­88
  • 4.­105
g.­119

Heaven of the Thirty-Three

Wylie:
  • sum cu rtsa gsum pa
Tibetan:
  • སུམ་ཅུ་རྩ་གསུམ་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • trāyastriṃśa

The second-lowest heaven of the desire realm located above Mount Meru and reigned over by Indra, otherwise known as Śakra, and thirty-two other gods.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 12.­14
  • g.­224
g.­125

Hell of Unceasing Torment

Wylie:
  • mnar med pa
Tibetan:
  • མནར་མེད་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • avīci

One of the eight hot hells.

Located in 4 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­49
  • 1.­72
  • 2.­56
  • 4.­90
g.­129

higher perception

Wylie:
  • mngon par shes pa
Tibetan:
  • མངོན་པར་ཤེས་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • abhijñā

Supernormal cognitive powers possessed to different degrees by bodhisattvas and buddhas, they are listed as the five higher perceptions or the six higher perceptions.

Located in 8 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­33
  • 2.­5
  • 2.­10
  • 2.­29
  • 4.­13
  • 9.­22-23
  • 9.­27
g.­134

Īśvara

Wylie:
  • dbang phyug
Tibetan:
  • དབང་ཕྱུག
Sanskrit:
  • īśvara

Literally “lord,” this term is an epithet for the god Śiva, but functions more generally in Buddhist texts as a generalized “supreme being” to whom the creation of the universe is attributed.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 2.­12
  • g.­170
g.­136

Jambū River

Wylie:
  • ’dzam bu’i chu bo
Tibetan:
  • འཛམ་བུའི་ཆུ་བོ།
Sanskrit:
  • jambūnadī

A legendary river carrying the remains of the golden fruit of a legendary rose-apple (jambu) tree.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 2.­72
  • 10.­5
g.­137

Jambudvīpa

Wylie:
  • ’dzam bu’i gling
Tibetan:
  • འཛམ་བུའི་གླིང་།
Sanskrit:
  • 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.

Located in 6 passages in the translation:

  • 7.­30
  • 7.­40
  • 9.­13
  • 12.­2
  • 12.­15
  • g.­190
g.­138

Jyotīrasa

Wylie:
  • skar ma la dga’ ba
Tibetan:
  • སྐར་མ་ལ་དགའ་བ།
Sanskrit:
  • jyotīrasa

Name of a sage.

Located in 18 passages in the translation:

  • 7.­67-73
  • 7.­84
  • 7.­105
  • 8.­6
  • 8.­31-35
  • 9.­12
  • 9.­21
  • 10.­1
g.­139

Kalandakanivāpa

Wylie:
  • ka lan da ka gnas
Tibetan:
  • ཀ་ལན་ད་ཀ་གནས།
Sanskrit:
  • kalandakanivāpa

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

A place where the Buddha often resided, within the Bamboo Park (Veṇuvana) outside Rajagṛha that had been donated to him. The name is said to have arisen when, one day, King Bimbisāra fell asleep after a romantic liaison in the Bamboo Park. While the king rested, his consort wandered off. A snake (the reincarnation of the park’s previous owner, who still resented the king’s acquisition of the park) approached with malign intentions. Through the king’s tremendous merit, a gathering of kalandaka‍—crows or other birds according to Tibetan renderings, but some Sanskrit and Pali sources suggest flying squirrels‍—miraculously appeared and began squawking. Their clamor alerted the king’s consort to the danger, who rushed back and hacked the snake to pieces, thereby saving the king’s life. King Bimbisāra then named the spot Kalandakanivāpa (“Kalandakas’ Feeding Ground”), sometimes (though not in the Vinayavastu) given as Kalandakanivāsa (“Kalandakas’ Abode”) in their honor. The story is told in the Saṃghabhedavastu (Toh 1, ch.17, Degé Kangyur vol.4, folio 77.b et seq.). For more details and other origin stories, see the 84000 Knowledge Base article Veṇuvana and Kalandakanivāpa.

Located in 3 passages in the translation:

  • s.­1
  • i.­1
  • 1.­1
g.­140

Kanakamuni

Wylie:
  • gser thub
Tibetan:
  • གསེར་ཐུབ།
Sanskrit:
  • kanakamuni

One of the six buddhas who preceded Śākyamuni in this Fortunate Eon.

Located in 4 passages in the translation:

  • 11.­61
  • 12.­3
  • 12.­9
  • g.­231
g.­144

Kāśyapa

Wylie:
  • ’od srung
Tibetan:
  • འོད་སྲུང་།
Sanskrit:
  • kāśyapa

One of the six buddhas who preceded Śākyamuni in this Fortunate Eon. Also the name of one of the Buddha Śākyamuni’s principal pupils.

Located in 8 passages in the translation:

  • 7.­48
  • 11.­61
  • 11.­72
  • 12.­3
  • 12.­9
  • 12.­32-33
  • g.­231
g.­145

kaṭapūtana

Wylie:
  • lus srul po
Tibetan:
  • ལུས་སྲུལ་པོ།
Sanskrit:
  • kaṭapūtana

Ugly spirits with rotting bodies.

Located in 5 passages in the translation:

  • 2.­77-78
  • 3.­58
  • 5.­5
  • 7.­39
g.­146

Kauṇḍinya

Wylie:
  • kau Di n+ya
Tibetan:
  • ཀཽ་ཌི་ནྱ།
Sanskrit:
  • kauṇḍinya

The first monk that the Buddha Śākyamuni recognized as having understood his teachings.

Located in 44 passages in the translation:

  • 3.­30
  • 4.­5-6
  • 4.­8-9
  • 4.­11
  • 4.­13-14
  • 4.­22
  • 4.­28
  • 4.­52-57
  • 4.­65-67
  • 4.­73
  • 4.­79
  • 4.­85-86
  • 4.­88-95
  • 4.­97-98
  • 4.­100-105
  • 6.­4
  • 10.­32
  • 11.­25
  • 11.­90
  • g.­11
g.­148

Kawa Paltsek

Wylie:
  • dpal brtsegs
Tibetan:
  • དཔལ་བརྩེགས།
Sanskrit:
  • —

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

Paltsek (eighth to early ninth century), from the village of Kawa north of Lhasa, was one of Tibet’s preeminent translators. He was one of the first seven Tibetans to be ordained by Śāntarakṣita and is counted as one of Guru Rinpoché’s twenty-five close disciples. In a famous verse by Ngok Lotsawa Loden Sherab, Kawa Paltsek is named along with Chokro Lui Gyaltsen and Zhang (or Nanam) Yeshé Dé as part of a group of translators whose skills were surpassed only by Vairotsana.

He translated works from a wide variety of genres, including sūtra, śāstra, vinaya, and tantra, and was an author himself. Paltsek was also one of the most important editors of the early period, one of nine translators installed by Tri Songdetsen (r. 755–797/800) to supervise the translation of the Tripiṭaka and help catalog translated works for the first two of three imperial catalogs, the Denkarma (ldan kar ma) and the Samyé Chimpuma (bsam yas mchims phu ma). In the colophons of his works, he is often known as Paltsek Rakṣita (rak+Shi ta).

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • i.­2
  • c.­1
g.­150

King of the Lord of Mountains

Wylie:
  • ri dbang gi rgyal po
Tibetan:
  • རི་དབང་གི་རྒྱལ་པོ།
Sanskrit:
  • —

A buddha residing in the southern direction at the time of the Buddha Śākyamuni.

Located in 12 passages in the translation:

  • 2.­23
  • 2.­26
  • 2.­28
  • 2.­50-51
  • 3.­22
  • 3.­24
  • 3.­26
  • 3.­29
  • 4.­53-54
  • 4.­63
g.­151

kinnara

Wylie:
  • mi ’am ci
Tibetan:
  • མི་འམ་ཅི།
Sanskrit:
  • kinnara

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

A class of nonhuman beings that resemble humans to the degree that their very name‍—which means “is that human?”‍—suggests some confusion as to their divine status. Kinnaras are mythological beings found in both Buddhist and Brahmanical literature, where they are portrayed as creatures half human, half animal. They are often depicted as highly skilled celestial musicians.

Located in 29 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­1
  • 1.­28
  • 1.­33
  • 2.­7
  • 2.­12
  • 2.­32
  • 2.­36
  • 2.­78
  • 2.­84
  • 3.­52
  • 4.­48
  • 4.­50
  • 4.­105
  • 4.­107-108
  • 4.­118-119
  • 4.­122-123
  • 5.­1
  • 6.­12
  • 7.­39
  • 7.­73
  • 10.­24
  • 11.­1
  • 12.­36
  • 12.­40
  • 12.­58
  • 12.­69
g.­153

Krakucchanda

Wylie:
  • ’khor ba ’jig
Tibetan:
  • འཁོར་བ་འཇིག
Sanskrit:
  • krakucchanda

One of the six buddhas who preceded Śākyamuni in this Fortunate Eon.

Located in 5 passages in the translation:

  • 11.­12
  • 12.­3
  • 12.­5
  • 12.­9
  • g.­231
g.­155

kṣatriya

Wylie:
  • rgyal rigs
Tibetan:
  • རྒྱལ་རིགས།
Sanskrit:
  • kṣatriya

The second highest of the four classes in the Indian caste system, it is associated with warriors, the aristocracy, and kings.

Located in 30 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­41
  • 1.­43-48
  • 1.­50-51
  • 1.­55-56
  • 1.­58
  • 1.­63
  • 1.­67-70
  • 1.­72-73
  • 2.­7
  • 2.­12
  • 2.­15
  • 2.­28
  • 2.­31
  • 3.­52
  • 4.­48
  • 4.­105
  • 4.­119
  • 5.­2-3
g.­157

kumbhāṇḍa

Wylie:
  • grul bum
Tibetan:
  • གྲུལ་བུམ།
Sanskrit:
  • kumbhāṇḍa

A class of beings subordinate to the great king of the south, Virūḍhaka. The name is a play on the word āṇḍa, which means “egg” but is a euphemism for testicle, as they are often depicted as having testicles as big as pots (from khumba, or “pot”).

Located in 14 passages in the translation:

  • 2.­78
  • 2.­94
  • 4.­50
  • 4.­107
  • 4.­123
  • 7.­39
  • 7.­97
  • 10.­3
  • 11.­23
  • 12.­34
  • 12.­40-41
  • 12.­58
  • 12.­69
g.­166

Magadha

Wylie:
  • ma ga d+hA
Tibetan:
  • མ་ག་དྷཱ།
Sanskrit:
  • magadha

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

An ancient Indian kingdom that lay to the south of the Ganges River in what today is the state of Bihar. Magadha was the largest of the sixteen “great states” (mahājanapada) that flourished between the sixth and third centuries ʙᴄᴇ in northern India. During the life of the Buddha Śākyamuni, it was ruled by King Bimbisāra and later by Bimbisāra's son, Ajātaśatru. Its capital was initially Rājagṛha (modern-day Rajgir) but was later moved to Pāṭaliputra (modern-day Patna). Over the centuries, with the expansion of the Magadha’s might, it became the capital of the vast Mauryan empire and seat of the great King Aśoka.

This region is home to many of the most important Buddhist sites, including Bodh Gayā, where the Buddha attained awakening; Vulture Peak (Gṛdhra­kūṭa), where the Buddha bestowed many well-known Mahāyāna sūtras; and the Buddhist university of Nālandā that flourished between the fifth and twelfth centuries ᴄᴇ, among many others.

Located in 7 passages in the translation:

  • 2.­22
  • 2.­72
  • 7.­40
  • 8.­26
  • 12.­18
  • g.­25
  • g.­212
g.­167

mahābrahmā

Wylie:
  • tshangs pa chen po
Tibetan:
  • ཚངས་པ་ཆེན་པོ།
Sanskrit:
  • mahābrahmā

Beings from the third heaven of the realm of form, meaning “great Brahmā.”

Located in 8 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­3
  • 1.­12
  • 2.­21-22
  • 3.­1
  • 7.­65
  • 9.­30
  • g.­104
g.­170

Maheśvara

Wylie:
  • dbang phyug che
Tibetan:
  • དབང་ཕྱུག་ཆེ།
Sanskrit:
  • maheśvara

One of the most frequently used names for Śiva. The name is often synonymous with Īśvara, but it is sometimes presented as that of a separate deity.

Located in 3 passages in the translation:

  • 2.­28
  • 6.­18
  • 9.­27
g.­171

mahoraga

Wylie:
  • lto ’phye chen po
Tibetan:
  • ལྟོ་འཕྱེ་ཆེན་པོ།
Sanskrit:
  • mahoraga

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

Literally “great serpents,” mahoragas are supernatural beings depicted as large, subterranean beings with human torsos and heads and the lower bodies of serpents. Their movements are said to cause earthquakes, and they make up a class of subterranean geomantic spirits whose movement through the seasons and months of the year is deemed significant for construction projects.

Located in 26 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­1-2
  • 1.­28
  • 1.­33
  • 2.­7
  • 2.­32
  • 2.­78
  • 2.­84
  • 3.­52
  • 3.­58
  • 4.­48
  • 4.­50
  • 4.­105
  • 4.­107-108
  • 4.­118-119
  • 4.­122-123
  • 5.­1
  • 6.­12
  • 7.­39
  • 10.­24
  • 12.­36
  • 12.­58
  • 12.­69
g.­174

Manifestation of All Perfumes

Wylie:
  • spos thams cad yang dag par ’phags pa
Tibetan:
  • སྤོས་ཐམས་ཅད་ཡང་དག་པར་འཕགས་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • —

Name of a buddha realm located in the northern direction during the time of the Buddha Śākyamuni. Also called Manifestation of All Sounds.

Located in 4 passages in the translation:

  • 2.­73
  • 3.­52
  • n.­36
  • g.­175
g.­175

Manifestation of All Sounds

Wylie:
  • sgra thams cad yang dag par ’phags pa
Tibetan:
  • སྒྲ་ཐམས་ཅད་ཡང་དག་པར་འཕགས་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • —

Name of a buddha realm located in the northern direction during the time of the Buddha Śākyamuni. Also called Manifestation of All Perfumes.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 2.­87
  • g.­174
g.­176

Māra

Wylie:
  • bdud
Tibetan:
  • བདུད།
Sanskrit:
  • māra

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

Māra, literally “death” or “maker of death,” is the name of the deva who tried to prevent the Buddha from achieving awakening, the name given to the class of beings he leads, and also an impersonal term for the destructive forces that keep beings imprisoned in saṃsāra:

(1) As a deva, Māra is said to be the principal deity in the Heaven of Making Use of Others’ Emanations (paranirmitavaśavartin), the highest paradise in the desire realm. He famously attempted to prevent the Buddha’s awakening under the Bodhi tree‍—see The Play in Full (Toh 95), 21.1‍—and later sought many times to thwart the Buddha’s activity. In the sūtras, he often also creates obstacles to the progress of śrāvakas and bodhisattvas. (2) The devas ruled over by Māra are collectively called mārakāyika or mārakāyikadevatā, the “deities of Māra’s family or class.” In general, these māras too do not wish any being to escape from saṃsāra, but can also change their ways and even end up developing faith in the Buddha, as exemplified by Sārthavāha; see The Play in Full (Toh 95), 21.14 and 21.43. (3) The term māra can also be understood as personifying four defects that prevent awakening, called (i) the divine māra (devaputra­māra), which is the distraction of pleasures; (ii) the māra of Death (mṛtyumāra), which is having one’s life interrupted; (iii) the māra of the aggregates (skandhamāra), which is identifying with the five aggregates; and (iv) the māra of the afflictions (kleśamāra), which is being under the sway of the negative emotions of desire, hatred, and ignorance.

Located in 91 passages in the translation:

  • s.­1
  • i.­1
  • 1.­33
  • 1.­35
  • 1.­64
  • 1.­67
  • 2.­2
  • 2.­7
  • 2.­9
  • 2.­14
  • 2.­17
  • 2.­23
  • 2.­52
  • 2.­55
  • 2.­74
  • 2.­79
  • 2.­84
  • 2.­87
  • 2.­92
  • 2.­94
  • 3.­2
  • 3.­7-8
  • 3.­17
  • 3.­22
  • 3.­33
  • 3.­37
  • 3.­52
  • 4.­48
  • 4.­105
  • 4.­119
  • 7.­1
  • 7.­3
  • 7.­7-8
  • 7.­10
  • 7.­12
  • 7.­14
  • 7.­17
  • 7.­20
  • 7.­24
  • 7.­27-28
  • 7.­32-33
  • 7.­35
  • 7.­37
  • 7.­40-41
  • 7.­43
  • 7.­48-49
  • 7.­53-54
  • 7.­61
  • 7.­63-64
  • 8.­23
  • 8.­29
  • 8.­31
  • 8.­34
  • 9.­1
  • 9.­3
  • 9.­6
  • 9.­9
  • 9.­12-16
  • 9.­20
  • 9.­30
  • 10.­15
  • 10.­23-25
  • 12.­36-37
  • 12.­40
  • 12.­42-43
  • 12.­46-49
  • 12.­56
  • 12.­58
  • 12.­69
  • g.­86
  • g.­90
  • g.­217
g.­182

Mount Sumeru

Wylie:
  • ri rab
Tibetan:
  • རི་རབ།
Sanskrit:
  • sumeru

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

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.

Located in 29 passages in the translation:

  • 3.­15
  • 6.­6
  • 7.­29
  • 7.­31
  • 7.­50
  • 10.­3-4
  • 10.­10-14
  • 10.­22-26
  • 10.­28-29
  • 10.­32
  • 10.­40
  • 11.­1
  • 11.­81
  • 12.­14
  • g.­84
  • g.­107
  • g.­181
  • g.­208
  • g.­223
g.­188

nāga

Wylie:
  • klu
Tibetan:
  • ཀླུ།
Sanskrit:
  • nāga

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

A class of nonhuman beings who live in subterranean aquatic environments, where they guard wealth and sometimes also teachings. Nāgas are associated with serpents and have a snakelike appearance. In Buddhist art and in written accounts, they are regularly portrayed as half human and half snake, and they are also said to have the ability to change into human form. Some nāgas are Dharma protectors, but they can also bring retribution if they are disturbed. They may likewise fight one another, wage war, and destroy the lands of others by causing lightning, hail, and flooding.

Located in 248 passages in the translation:

  • s.­1
  • i.­1
  • 1.­1
  • 1.­28
  • 1.­33
  • 1.­35
  • 2.­3-4
  • 2.­6-7
  • 2.­9
  • 2.­12
  • 2.­15
  • 2.­24
  • 2.­26
  • 2.­28-29
  • 2.­32
  • 2.­53
  • 2.­55
  • 2.­57-59
  • 2.­70
  • 2.­75
  • 2.­78-79
  • 2.­81
  • 2.­87
  • 2.­95
  • 3.­2
  • 3.­7-8
  • 3.­22
  • 3.­37
  • 3.­52
  • 4.­48
  • 4.­50
  • 4.­107-108
  • 4.­118
  • 4.­122-123
  • 5.­1
  • 5.­5
  • 6.­5
  • 6.­12
  • 6.­18
  • 7.­17-19
  • 7.­21
  • 7.­23
  • 7.­27-32
  • 7.­34
  • 7.­36
  • 7.­38-39
  • 7.­55
  • 7.­58
  • 7.­61-62
  • 7.­65
  • 7.­68-73
  • 7.­76
  • 7.­78
  • 7.­85
  • 7.­97
  • 7.­105
  • 8.­3-6
  • 8.­16
  • 8.­19
  • 8.­30-31
  • 8.­33-34
  • 9.­1-2
  • 9.­12-13
  • 9.­18
  • 10.­1-2
  • 10.­13
  • 10.­16-17
  • 10.­19-21
  • 10.­23-24
  • 10.­28-30
  • 10.­35-39
  • 11.­1-10
  • 11.­16
  • 11.­18
  • 11.­23
  • 11.­26-27
  • 11.­34-35
  • 11.­38
  • 11.­47
  • 11.­50
  • 11.­52
  • 11.­55
  • 11.­57
  • 11.­61-64
  • 11.­67-72
  • 11.­75-76
  • 11.­89
  • 11.­91
  • 12.­1
  • 12.­3-26
  • 12.­28
  • 12.­31-32
  • 12.­34-37
  • 12.­40-42
  • 12.­56
  • 12.­58-60
  • 12.­62
  • 12.­64
  • 12.­68-69
  • g.­6
  • g.­10
  • g.­13
  • g.­14
  • g.­20
  • g.­21
  • g.­27
  • g.­28
  • g.­29
  • g.­30
  • g.­36
  • g.­44
  • g.­48
  • g.­57
  • g.­58
  • g.­60
  • g.­63
  • g.­64
  • g.­71
  • g.­92
  • g.­97
  • g.­100
  • g.­101
  • g.­102
  • g.­103
  • g.­111
  • g.­112
  • g.­114
  • g.­128
  • g.­131
  • g.­133
  • g.­135
  • g.­142
  • g.­154
  • g.­163
  • g.­164
  • g.­179
  • g.­184
  • g.­185
  • g.­186
  • g.­189
  • g.­195
  • g.­201
  • g.­215
  • g.­221
  • g.­227
  • g.­251
  • g.­252
  • g.­258
  • g.­259
  • g.­262
  • g.­274
  • g.­279
  • g.­288
  • g.­290
  • g.­300
g.­191

Nārāyaṇa

Wylie:
  • sred med kyi bu
Tibetan:
  • སྲེད་མེད་ཀྱི་བུ།
Sanskrit:
  • nārāyaṇa

An alternate name for Viṣṇu (khyab ’jug).

Located in 6 passages in the translation:

  • 2.­28
  • 2.­71-72
  • 3.­1
  • 6.­18
  • 9.­27
g.­194

ojohāra

Wylie:
  • mdangs ’phrog pa
Tibetan:
  • མདངས་འཕྲོག་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • ojohāra

A class of supernatural beings that rob the strength of beings.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 2.­78
g.­197

paths of the ten nonvirtuous actions

Wylie:
  • mi dge ba bcu’i las kyi lam
Tibetan:
  • མི་དགེ་བ་བཅུའི་ལས་ཀྱི་ལམ།
Sanskrit:
  • daśākuśala­karmapatha

Killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, lying, divisive speech, harsh speech, gossip, covetousness, ill will, and wrong views.

Located in 4 passages in the translation:

  • 2.­65
  • 2.­77
  • 4.­11
  • g.­198
g.­198

paths of the ten virtuous actions

Wylie:
  • dge ba bcu’i las kyi lam
Tibetan:
  • དགེ་བ་བཅུའི་ལས་ཀྱི་ལམ།
Sanskrit:
  • daśakuśala­karmapatha

Not engaging in the paths of the ten nonvirtuous actions: killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, lying, divisive speech, harsh speech, gossip, covetousness, ill will, and wrong views.

Located in 5 passages in the translation:

  • 2.­65-66
  • 2.­78
  • 9.­22
  • 12.­68
g.­199

perfection

Wylie:
  • pha rol tu phyin pa
  • pha rol phyin
Tibetan:
  • ཕ་རོལ་ཏུ་ཕྱིན་པ།
  • ཕ་རོལ་ཕྱིན།
Sanskrit:
  • pāramitā

See “six perfections.”

Located in 10 passages in the translation:

  • 2.­30-34
  • 2.­36
  • 2.­64
  • 6.­2
  • 11.­2
  • 12.­68
g.­200

piśāca

Wylie:
  • sha za
Tibetan:
  • ཤ་ཟ།
Sanskrit:
  • piśāca

A class of nonhumans said to dwell in impure and perilous places, where they feed on impure things, including flesh.

Located in 12 passages in the translation:

  • 2.­78
  • 3.­58
  • 4.­50
  • 4.­107
  • 4.­122-123
  • 5.­1
  • 7.­39
  • 11.­23
  • 12.­41
  • 12.­58
  • 12.­69
g.­202

preta

Wylie:
  • yi dgas
Tibetan:
  • ཡི་དགས།
Sanskrit:
  • preta

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

One of the five or six classes of sentient beings, into which beings are born as the karmic fruition of past miserliness. As the term in Sanskrit means “the departed,” they are analogous to the ancestral spirits of Vedic tradition, the pitṛs, who starve without the offerings of descendants. It is also commonly translated as “hungry ghost” or “starving spirit,” as in the Chinese 餓鬼 e gui.

They are sometimes said to reside in the realm of Yama, but are also frequently described as roaming charnel grounds and other inhospitable or frightening places along with piśācas and other such beings. They are particularly known to suffer from great hunger and thirst and the inability to acquire sustenance. Detailed descriptions of their realm and experience, including a list of the thirty-six classes of pretas, can be found in The Application of Mindfulness of the Sacred Dharma, Toh 287, 2.­1281– 2.1482.

Located in 33 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­38
  • 1.­49
  • 2.­12
  • 2.­78
  • 3.­58
  • 4.­17
  • 4.­50
  • 4.­89
  • 4.­92
  • 4.­107
  • 4.­122-123
  • 5.­1
  • 7.­39
  • 8.­13
  • 11.­2-4
  • 11.­6-7
  • 11.­23
  • 11.­46
  • 11.­48
  • 11.­50
  • 11.­52
  • 11.­55
  • 11.­61
  • 12.­41
  • 12.­58
  • 12.­69
  • g.­53
  • g.­268
  • g.­302
g.­209

pūtana

Wylie:
  • srul po
Tibetan:
  • སྲུལ་པོ།
Sanskrit:
  • pūtana

A class of disease-causing spirits associated with cemeteries and dead bodies.

Located in 8 passages in the translation:

  • 2.­78
  • 2.­94
  • 3.­58
  • 4.­123-124
  • 5.­1
  • 7.­39
  • 12.­69
g.­210

Quintessence of the Sun’s Energy

Wylie:
  • nyi ma’i shugs kyi snying po
Tibetan:
  • ཉི་མའི་ཤུགས་ཀྱི་སྙིང་པོ།
Sanskrit:
  • —

A bodhisattva residing in a buddha realm in the eastern direction at the time of the Buddha Śākyamuni.

Located in 14 passages in the translation:

  • 2.­1-2
  • 2.­10-11
  • 2.­14
  • 2.­18
  • 2.­20
  • 2.­22
  • 3.­1
  • 3.­11-12
  • 4.­33
  • 4.­47
  • 4.­51
g.­212

Rājagṛha

Wylie:
  • rgyal po’i khab
Tibetan:
  • རྒྱལ་པོའི་ཁབ།
Sanskrit:
  • rājagṛha

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

The ancient capital of Magadha prior to its relocation to Pāṭaliputra during the Mauryan dynasty, Rājagṛha is one of the most important locations in Buddhist history. The literature tells us that the Buddha and his saṅgha spent a considerable amount of time in residence in and around Rājagṛha‍—in nearby places, such as the Vulture Peak Mountain (Gṛdhrakūṭaparvata), a major site of the Mahāyāna sūtras, and the Bamboo Grove (Veṇuvana)‍—enjoying the patronage of King Bimbisāra and then of his son King Ajātaśatru. Rājagṛha is also remembered as the location where the first Buddhist monastic council was held after the Buddha Śākyamuni passed into parinirvāṇa. Now known as Rajgir and located in the modern Indian state of Bihar.

Located in 4 passages in the translation:

  • s.­1
  • i.­1
  • 1.­1
  • g.­292
g.­213

rākṣasa

Wylie:
  • srin po
Tibetan:
  • སྲིན་པོ།
Sanskrit:
  • rākṣasa

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

A class of nonhuman beings that are often, but certainly not always, considered demonic in the Buddhist tradition. They are often depicted as flesh-eating monsters who haunt frightening places and are ugly and evil-natured with a yearning for human flesh, and who additionally have miraculous powers, such as being able to change their appearance.

Located in 10 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­1
  • 1.­28
  • 2.­78
  • 4.­50
  • 4.­107
  • 12.­40-41
  • 12.­58
  • 12.­69
  • g.­214
g.­216

root downfalls

Wylie:
  • ltung ba’i rtsa ba
Tibetan:
  • ལྟུང་བའི་རྩ་བ།
Sanskrit:
  • mūlāpatti

Downfalls are actions of body, speech, and mind that cause one to fall from the path of awakening and, in the cases of root downfalls, to fall into the lower realms of existence.

Located in 4 passages in the translation:

  • 2.­37
  • 2.­63
  • 2.­65-66
g.­219

Royal Mass of Glorious Wisdom

Wylie:
  • ye shes dpal brtsegs rgyal po
Tibetan:
  • ཡེ་ཤེས་དཔལ་བརྩེགས་རྒྱལ་པོ།
Sanskrit:
  • —

A buddha residing in the western direction during the time of the Buddha Śākyamuni.

Located in 15 passages in the translation:

  • 2.­52
  • 2.­55
  • 2.­57
  • 2.­61
  • 2.­71-72
  • 3.­37
  • 3.­39
  • 3.­41
  • 3.­44
  • 3.­52
  • 4.­65
  • 4.­73
  • 4.­87
  • 4.­105
g.­221

Sāgara

Wylie:
  • rgya mtsho
Tibetan:
  • རྒྱ་མཚོ།
Sanskrit:
  • sāgara

A nāga king.

Located in 14 passages in the translation:

  • 7.­30
  • 7.­65
  • 8.­1
  • 8.­33
  • 10.­17
  • 10.­28
  • 10.­35
  • 11.­1
  • 11.­4
  • 11.­9
  • 12.­13
  • 12.­59
  • 12.­61
  • 12.­63
g.­222

sage

Wylie:
  • drang srong
Tibetan:
  • དྲང་སྲོང་།
Sanskrit:
  • ṛṣi

An ancient Indian spiritual title, especially for divinely inspired individuals credited with creating the foundations for all Indian culture.

Located in 115 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­9-10
  • 1.­67
  • 2.­15
  • 3.­5
  • 3.­18
  • 3.­21
  • 3.­35
  • 4.­51
  • 7.­25
  • 7.­29-32
  • 7.­38
  • 7.­55
  • 7.­67-69
  • 7.­71-74
  • 7.­77
  • 7.­84
  • 7.­94
  • 7.­97-98
  • 7.­100
  • 7.­104-105
  • 8.­4
  • 8.­6-9
  • 8.­11
  • 8.­27
  • 8.­30-33
  • 8.­35
  • 9.­7
  • 9.­12
  • 10.­13
  • 10.­18
  • 10.­21
  • 10.­23-25
  • 10.­28
  • 10.­31
  • 11.­1
  • 11.­70
  • 12.­2-3
  • 12.­5
  • 12.­7-33
  • 12.­36-37
  • 12.­42
  • g.­23
  • g.­35
  • g.­39
  • g.­45
  • g.­46
  • g.­61
  • g.­67
  • g.­68
  • g.­89
  • g.­127
  • g.­138
  • g.­160
  • g.­161
  • g.­165
  • g.­204
  • g.­205
  • g.­207
  • g.­211
  • g.­220
  • g.­239
  • g.­247
  • g.­248
  • g.­264
  • g.­277
  • g.­280
  • g.­282
  • g.­289
g.­223

Sahā

Wylie:
  • mi mjed
Tibetan:
  • མི་མཇེད།
Sanskrit:
  • sahā

This present universe of ours, usually referring to the whole trichiliocosm but at times only to our own world with its four continents surrounding Mount Sumeru. Sahā means “endurance,” as beings here have to endure suffering.

Located in 66 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­1-2
  • 1.­27
  • 1.­30-31
  • 1.­33
  • 1.­35
  • 2.­2-6
  • 2.­9-11
  • 2.­17
  • 2.­22-24
  • 2.­26-27
  • 2.­40
  • 2.­48
  • 2.­51-53
  • 2.­55-57
  • 2.­65-66
  • 2.­69-70
  • 2.­72
  • 2.­74-77
  • 2.­87
  • 2.­91
  • 2.­94-95
  • 2.­97
  • 3.­10
  • 3.­25
  • 3.­40
  • 3.­54
  • 4.­3
  • 4.­15
  • 4.­121
  • 6.­1
  • 6.­6
  • 6.­12-13
  • 6.­18
  • 6.­25
  • 9.­22
  • 10.­4
  • 10.­23-24
  • 10.­27
  • 10.­31-32
  • 10.­34
  • 12.­56
  • g.­32
g.­224

Śakra

Wylie:
  • brgya byin
Tibetan:
  • བརྒྱ་བྱིན།
Sanskrit:
  • śakra

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

The lord of the gods in the Heaven of the Thirty-Three (trāyastriṃśa). Alternatively known as Indra, the deity that is called “lord of the gods” dwells on the summit of Mount Sumeru and wields the thunderbolt. The Tibetan translation brgya byin (meaning “one hundred sacrifices”) is based on an etymology that śakra is an abbreviation of śata-kratu, one who has performed a hundred sacrifices. Each world with a central Sumeru has a Śakra. Also known by other names such as Kauśika, Devendra, and Śacipati.

Located in 27 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­1-2
  • 1.­30
  • 2.­12
  • 2.­28
  • 2.­31
  • 2.­50-51
  • 3.­1
  • 4.­118
  • 6.­18
  • 7.­65
  • 7.­95-96
  • 7.­99
  • 9.­27
  • 10.­9
  • 10.­17
  • 10.­23-25
  • 10.­27
  • 10.­30
  • 12.­66-67
  • g.­119
  • g.­147
g.­226

Śākyamuni

Wylie:
  • shAkya thub pa
Tibetan:
  • ཤཱཀྱ་ཐུབ་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • śākyamuni

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

An epithet for the historical Buddha, Siddhārtha Gautama: he was a muni (“sage”) from the Śākya clan. He is counted as the fourth of the first four buddhas of the present Good Eon, the other three being Krakucchanda, Kanakamuni, and Kāśyapa. He will be followed by Maitreya, the next buddha in this eon.

Located in 89 passages in the translation:

  • s.­1
  • i.­1
  • 2.­2-4
  • 2.­6
  • 2.­9
  • 2.­11
  • 2.­13
  • 2.­20-24
  • 2.­26
  • 2.­40
  • 2.­49
  • 2.­51-53
  • 2.­55
  • 2.­65
  • 2.­67
  • 2.­69-70
  • 2.­72
  • 2.­74-75
  • 2.­87
  • 2.­95
  • 2.­97
  • 3.­1
  • 3.­15
  • 3.­25
  • 3.­30-31
  • 3.­40
  • 3.­45
  • 3.­54
  • 3.­60
  • 6.­12-13
  • 6.­16-18
  • 6.­25
  • 7.­38
  • 12.­57
  • g.­1
  • g.­3
  • g.­11
  • g.­12
  • g.­22
  • g.­25
  • g.­38
  • g.­50
  • g.­66
  • g.­93
  • g.­98
  • g.­99
  • g.­105
  • g.­106
  • g.­132
  • g.­139
  • g.­140
  • g.­144
  • g.­146
  • g.­150
  • g.­153
  • g.­166
  • g.­168
  • g.­172
  • g.­173
  • g.­174
  • g.­175
  • g.­178
  • g.­210
  • g.­219
  • g.­225
  • g.­229
  • g.­231
  • g.­234
  • g.­254
  • g.­256
  • g.­280
  • g.­283
  • g.­287
  • g.­292
  • g.­299
g.­231

seven perfect buddhas

Wylie:
  • yang dag par rdzogs pa’i sangs rgyas bdun po
Tibetan:
  • ཡང་དག་པར་རྫོགས་པའི་སངས་རྒྱས་བདུན་པོ།
Sanskrit:
  • —

The best known of many sets of past buddhas, including Śākyamuni as the seventh, his three predecessors in this eon (Krakucchanda, Kanakamuni, and Kāśyapa), and the three last buddhas of the previous eon (Vipaśyin, Śikhin, and Viśvabhū).

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 2.­67
g.­234

Śikhin

Wylie:
  • gtsug tor can
Tibetan:
  • གཙུག་ཏོར་ཅན།
Sanskrit:
  • śikhin

One of the six buddhas who preceded Śākyamuni in this Fortunate Eon.

Located in 6 passages in the translation:

  • 11.­6
  • 11.­9
  • 11.­61
  • g.­17
  • g.­91
  • g.­231
g.­235

six higher perceptions

Wylie:
  • mngon shes drug
Tibetan:
  • མངོན་ཤེས་དྲུག
Sanskrit:
  • ṣaḍabhijñā

Divine sight, divine hearing, knowledge of the minds of others, remembrance of past lives, ability to perform miracles, and the knowledge that all mental defilements have been destroyed.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 3.­35
  • g.­129
g.­236

six perfections

Wylie:
  • pha rol tu phyin pa drug
Tibetan:
  • ཕ་རོལ་ཏུ་ཕྱིན་པ་དྲུག
Sanskrit:
  • ṣaṭpāramitā

The trainings of the bodhisattva path: generosity, discipline, patience, diligence, concentration, and insight.

Located in 10 passages in the translation:

  • 2.­3
  • 2.­78
  • 2.­84
  • 7.­48
  • 8.­32
  • 9.­22
  • 11.­2
  • 12.­36
  • g.­47
  • g.­199
g.­238

solitary buddha

Wylie:
  • rang sangs rgyas
Tibetan:
  • རང་སངས་རྒྱས།
Sanskrit:
  • pratyekabuddha

Someone who has attained liberation without relying on a teacher in their final lifetime and as a result of progress in previous lives but, unlike a buddha, does not have the accumulated merit and motivation to teach others. Like śrāvaka (“hearer”), this term is also used to denote Buddhists who do not follow the Mahāyāna.

Located in 22 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­52
  • 2.­12
  • 2.­36
  • 2.­79
  • 4.­52
  • 4.­96
  • 4.­115
  • 4.­117
  • 4.­121
  • 5.­5
  • 5.­19
  • 6.­5
  • 6.­13
  • 6.­18
  • 6.­25
  • 12.­2
  • 12.­27
  • 12.­31
  • n.­21
  • g.­42
  • g.­273
  • g.­291
g.­253

sublime states

Wylie:
  • tshangs pa’i gnas
Tibetan:
  • ཚངས་པའི་གནས།
Sanskrit:
  • brahmavihāra

The four qualities of limitless love, compassion, joy, and equanimity.

Located in 20 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­1
  • 1.­5
  • 2.­2
  • 2.­23
  • 2.­52
  • 2.­65-66
  • 2.­74
  • 2.­82
  • 2.­92
  • 3.­55
  • 3.­60
  • 7.­48
  • 7.­70
  • 8.­32
  • 9.­21-23
  • 9.­27
  • 10.­33
g.­255

śūdra

Wylie:
  • dmangs rigs
Tibetan:
  • དམངས་རིགས།
Sanskrit:
  • śūdra

The fourth and lowest of the classes in the Indian caste system, it generally encompasses the laboring class.

Located in 23 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­41
  • 1.­43-48
  • 1.­67-70
  • 1.­72-73
  • 2.­7
  • 2.­15
  • 2.­31
  • 3.­8
  • 3.­52
  • 4.­48
  • 4.­105
  • 4.­119
  • 5.­2
  • 7.­66
g.­260

Supreme Being

Wylie:
  • skye mchog
Tibetan:
  • སྐྱེ་མཆོག
Sanskrit:
  • —

A demon leader.

Located in 5 passages in the translation:

  • 3.­3-4
  • 10.­19
  • 10.­33
  • g.­134
g.­263

ten levels

Wylie:
  • sa bcu
Tibetan:
  • ས་བཅུ།
Sanskrit:
  • daśabhūmi

The ten levels of a bodhisattva’s development into a fully awakened buddha.

Located in 5 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­29
  • 2.­31
  • 2.­36
  • 2.­64
  • 2.­69
g.­266

three gateways of liberation

Wylie:
  • rnam par thar pa’i sgo gsum
Tibetan:
  • རྣམ་པར་ཐར་པའི་སྒོ་གསུམ།
Sanskrit:
  • trivimokṣadvāra

Emptiness, absence of marks, and absence of wishes.

Located in 5 passages in the translation:

  • 4.­72
  • 11.­90
  • g.­2
  • g.­4
  • g.­62
g.­267

Three Jewels

Wylie:
  • dkon mchog gsum
Tibetan:
  • དཀོན་མཆོག་གསུམ།
Sanskrit:
  • triratna

The Buddha, Dharma, and Saṅgha.

Located in 36 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­28
  • 1.­33
  • 1.­35
  • 1.­39
  • 1.­67
  • 1.­72-73
  • 2.­2
  • 2.­7
  • 2.­14
  • 2.­23
  • 2.­29
  • 2.­52
  • 2.­65-67
  • 2.­74
  • 2.­84
  • 3.­8
  • 3.­18
  • 3.­26
  • 3.­52
  • 3.­58
  • 3.­60
  • 4.­48
  • 4.­105
  • 4.­109
  • 4.­119
  • 4.­123
  • 5.­6
  • 6.­5
  • 8.­6
  • 8.­32
  • 11.­76-77
  • 11.­89
g.­268

three lower realms

Wylie:
  • ngan song gsum
  • ngan ’gro gsum
Tibetan:
  • ངན་སོང་གསུམ།
  • ངན་འགྲོ་གསུམ།
Sanskrit:
  • tryapāya
  • tridurgati

The animal, preta, and hell realms.

Located in 13 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­34
  • 2.­65
  • 2.­67
  • 2.­79
  • 4.­14
  • 4.­17
  • 4.­55
  • 11.­7
  • 11.­38
  • 11.­50
  • 11.­65
  • 11.­90
  • 12.­68
g.­269

three objects of refuge

Wylie:
  • skyabs gsum
Tibetan:
  • སྐྱབས་གསུམ།
Sanskrit:
  • triśaraṇa

The Buddha, Dharma, and Saṅgha.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 2.­79
g.­270

three realms

Wylie:
  • srid pa gsum
  • srid pa gsum po
  • khams gsum
  • khams gsum pa
Tibetan:
  • སྲིད་པ་གསུམ།
  • སྲིད་པ་གསུམ་པོ།
  • ཁམས་གསུམ།
  • ཁམས་གསུམ་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • tribhava
  • tridhātu

The desire realm, form realm, and formless realm.

Located in 17 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­5
  • 1.­30
  • 2.­14
  • 3.­30
  • 4.­25
  • 4.­33
  • 4.­51
  • 4.­61
  • 4.­72
  • 4.­76
  • 4.­98
  • 8.­2
  • 8.­4
  • 8.­11
  • 8.­16
  • 8.­30
  • n.­51
g.­273

three vehicles

Wylie:
  • theg pa gsum
Tibetan:
  • ཐེག་པ་གསུམ།
Sanskrit:
  • triyāna

The hearer, solitary buddha, and bodhisattva vehicles.

Located in 10 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­34
  • 2.­2
  • 2.­23
  • 2.­52
  • 2.­74
  • 4.­120
  • 6.­5
  • 9.­23
  • 11.­89-90
g.­278

universal monarch

Wylie:
  • ’khor los sgyur ba
  • ’khor los sgyur ba’i rgyal po
Tibetan:
  • འཁོར་ལོས་སྒྱུར་བ།
  • འཁོར་ལོས་སྒྱུར་བའི་རྒྱལ་པོ།
Sanskrit:
  • 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.

Located in 9 passages in the translation:

  • 2.­28
  • 2.­96-97
  • 3.­1
  • 6.­18
  • 6.­25
  • 9.­27
  • 11.­5
  • g.­265
g.­284

vaiśya

Wylie:
  • rje’u rigs
Tibetan:
  • རྗེའུ་རིགས།
Sanskrit:
  • vaiśya

The second lowest of the four classes in the Indian caste system, it generally includes the merchants and farmers.

Located in 19 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­41
  • 1.­43-44
  • 1.­48
  • 1.­67-70
  • 1.­72-73
  • 2.­7
  • 2.­15
  • 2.­31
  • 3.­8
  • 3.­52
  • 4.­48
  • 4.­105
  • 4.­119
  • 5.­2
g.­288

Varuṇa

Wylie:
  • chu lha
Tibetan:
  • ཆུ་ལྷ།
Sanskrit:
  • varuṇa

A nāga king.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 12.­2-3
g.­291

vehicle of conditions

Wylie:
  • rkyen gyi theg pa
Tibetan:
  • རྐྱེན་གྱི་ཐེག་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • —

Another name for the solitary buddha vehicle.

Located in 4 passages in the translation:

  • 2.­29
  • 6.­17
  • 12.­56
  • n.­21
g.­292

Veṇuvana

Wylie:
  • ’od ma’i tshal
Tibetan:
  • འོད་མའི་ཚལ།
Sanskrit:
  • veṇuvana

A forest monastery north of Rājagṛha where the Buddha Śākyamuni spent several monsoon retreats and delivered many Great Vehicle teachings.

Located in 4 passages in the translation:

  • s.­1
  • i.­1
  • 1.­1
  • g.­139
g.­297

Vidyākaraprabha

Wylie:
  • bid+yA ka ra pra b+ha
Tibetan:
  • བིདྱཱ་ཀ་ར་པྲ་བྷ།
Sanskrit:
  • vidyākara­prabha

According to Nyangral Nyima Öser’s history, Ralpachen invited the Indian abbot Vidyākaraprabha to Tibet along with Jinamitra, Surendrabodhi, and Dānaśīla in the first part of the ninth century. Vidyākaraprabha was the author of the Madhyamaka­nayasāra­samāsa­prakaraṇa, a work in the Yogācāra-Madhyamaka school pioneered by Śāntarakṣita, translated into Tibetan with Paltsek under the name dbu ma’i lugs kyi snying po mdor bsdus pa’i rab tu byed pa (Toh 3893). He worked with Paltsek on numerous other translations on topics as diverse as the Sphuṭārthā commentary to the Abhisamayālaṅkāra, an extract from the Vimuktimārga, and the early Vidyottamamahātantra.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • i.­2
  • c.­1
g.­298

Vimalakīrti

Wylie:
  • dri ma med par grags pa
Tibetan:
  • དྲི་མ་མེད་པར་གྲགས་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • vimalakīrti

One of the sixteen great bodhisattvas. The names of the sixteen vary from text to text.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 2.­11
g.­299

Vipaśyin

Wylie:
  • rnam par gzigs
Tibetan:
  • རྣམ་པར་གཟིགས།
Sanskrit:
  • vipaśyin

One of the six buddhas who preceded Śākyamuni in this Fortunate Eon.

Located in 3 passages in the translation:

  • 11.­61
  • 11.­65
  • g.­231
g.­301

well-gone one

Wylie:
  • bde bar gshegs pa
Tibetan:
  • བདེ་བར་གཤེགས་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • sugata

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

One of the standard epithets of the buddhas. A recurrent explanation offers three different meanings for su- that are meant to show the special qualities of “accomplishment of one’s own purpose” (svārthasampad) for a complete buddha. Thus, the Sugata is “well” gone, as in the expression su-rūpa (“having a good form”); he is gone “in a way that he shall not come back,” as in the expression su-naṣṭa-jvara (“a fever that has utterly gone”); and he has gone “without any remainder” as in the expression su-pūrṇa-ghaṭa (“a pot that is completely full”). According to Buddhaghoṣa, the term means that the way the Buddha went (Skt. gata) is good (Skt. su) and where he went (Skt. gata) is good (Skt. su).

Located in 10 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­45
  • 1.­47
  • 1.­57
  • 1.­69
  • 4.­5
  • 4.­87
  • 6.­1
  • 11.­4
  • 11.­50
  • 11.­66
g.­303

worthy one

Wylie:
  • dgra bcom pa
Tibetan:
  • དགྲ་བཅོམ་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • arhat

Used both as an epithet of buddhas and to refer to the final accomplishment of the śrāvaka path.

Located in 37 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­74
  • 2.­1-2
  • 2.­23
  • 2.­30
  • 2.­36
  • 2.­52
  • 2.­55
  • 2.­64
  • 2.­69
  • 2.­73-74
  • 2.­87
  • 3.­7
  • 3.­15
  • 3.­30
  • 3.­45
  • 3.­52
  • 3.­60
  • 4.­3
  • 4.­6
  • 4.­14
  • 4.­38-39
  • 4.­41
  • 4.­43-45
  • 4.­52
  • 4.­72
  • 4.­77
  • 4.­84
  • 4.­104
  • 8.­30
  • 11.­6
  • 11.­9
  • 11.­60
g.­304

yakṣa

Wylie:
  • gnod sbyin
Tibetan:
  • གནོད་སྦྱིན།
Sanskrit:
  • yakṣa

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

A class of nonhuman beings who inhabit forests, mountainous areas, and other natural spaces, or serve as guardians of villages and towns, and may be propitiated for health, wealth, protection, and other boons, or controlled through magic. According to tradition, their homeland is in the north, where they live under the rule of the Great King Vaiśravaṇa.

Several members of this class have been deified as gods of wealth (these include the just-mentioned Vaiśravaṇa) or as bodhisattva generals of yakṣa armies, and have entered the Buddhist pantheon in a variety of forms, including, in tantric Buddhism, those of wrathful deities.

Located in 58 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­1
  • 1.­28
  • 1.­33
  • 1.­35
  • 2.­7
  • 2.­15
  • 2.­28
  • 2.­32
  • 2.­36
  • 2.­77-79
  • 2.­84
  • 2.­94
  • 3.­8
  • 3.­17
  • 3.­52
  • 3.­58
  • 4.­11
  • 4.­48
  • 4.­50
  • 4.­105
  • 4.­107-108
  • 4.­118-119
  • 4.­122-123
  • 5.­1
  • 6.­5
  • 6.­12
  • 6.­18
  • 7.­38-39
  • 7.­70
  • 7.­73
  • 7.­97
  • 8.­5
  • 8.­16
  • 10.­19
  • 10.­23-24
  • 10.­34
  • 11.­1
  • 11.­23
  • 12.­29-31
  • 12.­33-34
  • 12.­36-37
  • 12.­40-41
  • 12.­58
  • 12.­66
  • 12.­69
  • g.­70
g.­306

Zangkyong

Wylie:
  • bzang skyong
Tibetan:
  • བཟང་སྐྱོང་།
Sanskrit:
  • —

Tibetan translator of the ninth century.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • i.­2
  • c.­1
0
    You are downloading:

    The Quintessence of the Sun

    Click here to make a dāna donation

    This is a free publication from 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, a non-profit organization sharing the gift of Buddhist wisdom with the world.

    The cultivation of generosity, or dāna—giving voluntarily with a view that something wholesome will come of it—is considered to be a fundamental Buddhist practice by all schools. The nature and quantity of the gift itself is often considered less important.

    Table of Contents


    Search this text


    Other ways to read

    Download PDF
    Download EPUB
    Open in the 84000 App

    Spotted a mistake?

    Please use the contact form provided to suggest a correction.


    How to cite this text

    The following are examples of how to correctly cite this publication. Links to specific passages can be derived by right-clicking on the milestones markers in the left-hand margin (e.g. s.1). The copied link address can replace the url below.

    • Chicago
    • MLA
    • APA
    84000. The Quintessence of the Sun (Sūryagarbha, nyi ma’i snying po, Toh 257). Translated by Dharmachakra Translation Committee. Online publication. 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2025. https://84000.co/translation/toh257/UT22084-066-015-chapter-2.Copy
    84000. The Quintessence of the Sun (Sūryagarbha, nyi ma’i snying po, Toh 257). Translated by Dharmachakra Translation Committee, online publication, 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2025, 84000.co/translation/toh257/UT22084-066-015-chapter-2.Copy
    84000. (2025) The Quintessence of the Sun (Sūryagarbha, nyi ma’i snying po, Toh 257). (Dharmachakra Translation Committee, Trans.). Online publication. 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha. https://84000.co/translation/toh257/UT22084-066-015-chapter-2.Copy

    Related links

    • Other texts from General Sūtra Section
    • Published Translations
    • Browse the Collection
    • 84000 Homepage
    Sponsor Translation

    Bookmarks

    Copyright © 2011-2024 84000 - All Rights Reserved
    • Website: https://84000.co
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy