དམ་པའི་ཆོས་དྲན་པ་ཉེ་བར་གཞག་པ།
The Application of Mindfulness of the Sacred Dharma
Notes
Saddharmasmṛtyupasthāna
འཕགས་པ་དམ་པའི་ཆོས་དྲན་པ་ཉེ་བར་གཞག་པ།
’phags pa dam pa’i chos dran pa nye bar gzhag pa
The Noble Application of Mindfulness of the Sacred Dharma
Āryasaddharmasmṛtyupasthāna
Toh 287
Degé Kangyur, vol. 68 (mdo sde, ya), folios 82.a–318.a; vol. 69 (mdo sde, ra), folios 1.b–307.a; vol. 70 (mdo sde, la), folios 1.b–312.a; and vol. 71 (mdo sde, sha), folios 1.b–229.b
ᴛʀᴀɴsʟᴀᴛᴇᴅ ɪɴᴛᴏ ᴛɪʙᴇᴛᴀɴ ʙʏ
- Tsultrim Gyaltsen
- Shang Buchikpa
- Sherap Ö
Imprint
Translated by the Dharmachakra Translation Committee
under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha
First published 2021
Current version v 1.0.36 (2025)
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Table of Contents
Summary
While on the way to Rājagṛha to collect alms, a group of newly ordained monks are approached by some non-Buddhists, who suggest that their doctrine is identical to that of the Buddha, since everyone agrees that misdeeds of body, speech, and mind are to be given up. The monks do not know how to reply, and when they later return to the brahmin town of Nālati, where the Buddha is residing, Śāradvatīputra therefore encourages them to seek clarification from the Blessed One himself. In response to the monks’ request, the Buddha delivers a comprehensive discourse on the effects of virtuous and unvirtuous actions, explaining these matters from the perspective of an adept practitioner of his teachings, who sees and understands all this through a process of personal discovery. As the teaching progresses, the Buddha presents an epic tour of the realm of desire—from the Hell of Ultimate Torment to the Heaven Free from Strife—all the while introducing the specific human actions and attitudes that cause the experience of such worlds and outlining the ways to remedy and transcend them. In the final section of the sūtra, which is presented as an individual scripture on its own, the focus is on mindfulness of the body and the ripening of karmic actions that is experienced among humans in particular.
Acknowledgements
Translated by the Dharmachakra Translation Committee under the supervision of Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche. The translation was produced by Thomas Doctor with help from Benjamin Collet-Cassart and Timothy Hinkle. Thomas also wrote the introduction. Andreas Doctor checked the translation against the Tibetan and edited the text. The 84000 editorial team subsequently reviewed the translation and made further edits. Wiesiek Mical assisted by reviewing numerous passages against the available Sanskrit sources. Robert Kritzer generously shared several unpublished articles on the text with us, and Vesna Wallace and Mitsuyo Demoto kindly gave us access to drafts of their critical Sanskrit editions of chapters 1 and 3, respectively.
The translation was completed under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.
The generous sponsorship of Sun Ping, Tian Xingwen, and Sun Fanglin, which helped make the work on this translation possible, is most gratefully acknowledged.
Text Body
The Translation
The Noble Application of Mindfulness of the Sacred Dharma
Colophon
The Thus-Gone One has taught those causes
From which all phenomena have appeared,
And also that which is their cessation.
This is what the Great Mendicant has taught.
India is the origin of all that is good and possesses all things excellent, both in terms of her soil and her sciences, for which she is the universal source. This is the land of the cultured and the learned and all her inhabitants are wise. Seeing India to be the eyes of Jambudvīpa, the perfect Buddha achieved full awakening within this land, with its magnificent cities through which the great river Gaṅgā descends.
In the eastern part of India’s central lands lies the great monastery of Nālandā.639 The sovereign of the land is the splendid prince Rāmapāla,640 whose glory outshines others and whose reign reaches far and wide. This prince has established the temple known as Jagaddala to support the pure and the gentle, holy beings who are experts regarding the staircase leading to the higher realms and liberation. From here appeared numerous exceptionally learned paṇḍitas, such that people of the world speak of “the five hundred omniscient ones,” who are praised by all paṇḍitas as being equal to the masters of the past.
Among them is someone whom kings and ministers, who take pride in their mundane wealth, carry on their shoulders as if he were their head—someone whom paṇḍitas, who take pride in their scholarship, and worldly folk regard as their crown jewel. He is regarded as a guide by those who have relinquished concern for this life and who endeavor to accomplish liberation, allowing them to clearly distinguish good qualities from flaws. All the people of the land see him as beautiful and endearing, as if he were their only child. He enraptures even the vicious and ungrateful with his great goodwill. [F.228.b] Due to his love for others, he suffers agony and pain as he beholds the miseries of all wandering beings, yet he skillfully extends his compassionate care to them. He is foretold in the prophetic discourse of Tiger Ear Star as an individual endowed with numerous qualities and a great instigator who upon exchanging his body would be born in the higher realms. He yearns to meet Maitreya and has tremendous yearning for the Dharma. He has also weakened all emotions such as desire and anger. Who could properly extol such a person’s qualities? In short, his knowledge of mundane human customs is great, and his benevolence is like a golden ground. With respect for the sacred Dharma, he is endowed with perfect learning and he is pure, serene, gentle, accommodating, noble, truthful, undeceiving, honest, and successful in terms of accomplishment. Like a majestic wish-fulfilling tree that grows from a turquoise ground, he is adorned with the blooming flowers and ripe fruits of a bounty of temporary and ultimate virtues in this and all other lives. Thus, perfectly accomplishing what benefits both oneself and all others, there is nothing that he does that is not meaningful. Such is this master endowed with the shining beauty of unimpeded mastery of the five fields of learning, the great paṇḍita known as Śāntākaragupta. Explanations based on five Indian volumes were received from that master, as well as the great scholar and holy man, the supreme Vinaya holder known as Abhayākaragupta; the one whose learning is comparable to Mañjuśrī, the supreme paṇḍita endowed with perfect eloquence and insight, Śakyarakṣita; and also the great paṇḍita Vīryākaraśānti, and others. [F.229.a]
Likewise, in the lower reaches of the central land of Magadha—where the shrines of the thus-gone ones are numerous, and the land is full of Buddhists who have faith in the Three Jewels—lies the great monastic complex of Vikramaśīla. It was established by the bodhisattva king, Devapāla, and serves as the eyes of the Dharma teachings. Among its numerous learned scholars there are Śakyarakṣita himself; the great paṇḍita Subhūticandra, who is expert in linguistics, poetry, and the syntactic structures of Sanskrit; the Abhidharma expert known as Aḍitacandra; and other such masters. It is from all those masters that the explanations based on five Indian volumes were received.
The translators listened carefully to the sūtra and with veneration they sought careful explanation in order to comprehend all the scripture’s words and meanings, thoroughly investigating the most difficult points with the appropriate methods for understanding their significance. In the process of translation, they were guided by the light of insight that comes from mastering four languages—Sanskrit, the Indian vernaculars, Tibetan Dharma language, and the Tibetan vernaculars.
Nevertheless, the topics of the sūtras are numerous and the subjects are profound. In particular, the statements in this sūtra carry numerous implicit messages and convey their meaning by means of beautiful verbal adornments that evince an unparalleled mastery of poetry. Hence, their meanings are not easily accessible to those of weak learning. Especially, brief scriptural passages that convey numerous meanings have been translated in that same fashion. This approach allows those endowed with the jewels of understanding to ascertain numerous meanings, but if any one of those were to be singled out as the sole implied meaning, that would be a mistake. Rather, translation should convey just as much meaning as the words imply. Therefore, in short, without violating the way the Indian and Tibetan languages convey the same meaning by means of different expressions, and without breaking with the tradition established by the decrees of the scholars of the past, this translation has been made in veneration of the sacred Dharma by the northerner, the monk Tsultrim Gyaltsen, who was born into the family of Patshap. This was undertaken during the reign of the Indian king Rāmapāla, whose banner of perfect glory and majesty flies higher than any other. In this manner, those segments that had previously been translated of this Great Vehicle discourse known as The Application of Mindfulness of the Sacred Dharma were completed. [F.229.b]
The subsequent editing and revision of the text was undertaken by the monk Tsultrim Gyaltsen himself, with the assistance of two others. The first is the spiritual teacher known as Shang Buchikpa, who everyone calls by this name because he benefits them and is auspicious for them, caring for all sentient beings as if they were his “only child.”641 Accordingly, his name reveals that he is endowed with great compassion. The second editor is known as Sherap Ö, because he is a veritable “light of insight” for all who follow the Dharma.642 With knowledge of the way the vehicles progress, he summarizes the teachings by means of principles such as the two realities, and thus—with insight developed gradually through conviction, ascertainment, and realization—he spreads the light that overcomes the darkness of afflictive and cognitive obscurations in both oneself and others. Thus, his name shows that this master is endowed with great insight and that he accomplishes his own and others’ objectives perfectly. In this way, the translation was corrected, refined, and properly finalized through the fivefold process of drafting, primary editing, testing the relations between word and meaning, secondary editing, and secondary testing of the relations.
May the stainless virtues that ensue from translating and assisting in the translation of this sacred Dharma teaching—this precious discourse on mindfulness in the Great Vehicle, which is the foundation, root, and vital essence of all the vehicles—reach all beings extending to the end of space, so that they may find happiness while in existence. And may a lush canopy spread over them from the tree that offers refuge, awakening, and fruition. As soon as we leave this life behind, may we be reborn in realms of the buddhas, and in all other lives of cyclic existence, may we exclusively do what benefits others.
The number of sections has not been determined. In accord with the Indian text the length of the scripture amounts to thirty-six thousand ślokas. There appear to be a few unique archaic elements of writing. When dividing The Application of Mindfulness into sections of three hundred ślokas, there are one hundred and twenty sections.
Notes
For an in-depth presentation of this section on mindfulness of the body, see Kritzer 2020.
Zhengfa nianchu jing 正法念處經 (Taishō 721). For more information on this version of the sūtra, see Lewis R. Lancaster, “K 801,” The Korean Buddhist Canon.
The Chinese translation was produced by Gautama Prajñāruci, who translated the text from 538 to 541 ᴄᴇ.
The AMSD is also the fourth-longest text in the entire Kangyur collection, where only The Detailed Explanations of Discipline (Toh 3, 2217 pages), The Perfection of Wisdom in One Hundred Thousand Lines (Toh 8, 9398 pages), and The Perfection of Wisdom in Twenty-five Thousand Lines (Toh 9, 2302 pages) are longer.
Denkarma, 300.b.4. See also Herrmann-Pfandt 2008, p. 150, n. 271. For further details, see van der Kuijp 2009, pp. 8–13.
Stuart 2012, pp. 25–29.
Stuart 2012, pp. 26–27.
See Stuart 2012 and 2015a. This section corresponds to the whole of chapter 2 according to the Chinese chapter structure. In this English translation we follow the chapter division included in the Tibetan translation, although we have introduced a significant number of headings and subheadings of our own for the sake of readability and ease of navigation. For an overview of the Chinese chapter structure, see Stuart 2012, p. 30.
These sections correspond to chapter 1 and 3 in the Chinese chapter structure.
Rangjung Dorjé 2010.
On this topic, see also Kritzer 2020. Other publications on AMSD are found in Mizuno 1964 and Moretti 2017.
Cabezón 2017, pp. 45–65.
Degé: mu stegs can spyod pa pa kun tu rgyu ba dag. Here we have taken the phrase (Skt. tīrthika-caraka-parivrājaka) as a generic designation for the same group of people: the flourishing communities of non-Buddhist mendicants of various religious outlooks, who lived as wandering spiritual seekers (śramaṇa) in India during the time of the Buddha. Often, these wandering practitioners of various religious paths would interact with each other and exchange views and practices, such as we hear in this scripture. Several of the Buddha’s foremost students, such as Śāriputra (a short form of Śāradvatīputra), were living the life of a wandering mendicant prior to meeting the Buddha.
This folio of the Degé Kangyur is blank.
Here “carefully observe inner phenomena” renders the Tibetan nang gi chos la chos kyi rjes su lta ba. Literally, this would read “carefully observe phenomena in terms of inner phenomena.” This expression is repeated multiple times throughout this text and, due to the number of times this phrase is repeated, we have opted to contract the phrase in English so that the translation reads “carefully observe inner phenomena.” Similarly, in the last chapter where the internal and external body are examined, we have rendered “carefully considers and attends to the body in terms of the internal body” as “carefully considers and attends to the internal body.” The same applies to the external body.
Tib. mun nag chen po. No such name appears below in the description of the hells that surround Ultimate Torment.
Translation tentative. Tib. srog chags dud ka.
Translation tentative. Degé: lag pa brdabs pa’i sgra lta bur/ mi ni chung bar gyur pa yin/ gang dag de thob chos mi shes/ mi ni rmongs pa dag gis bslus.
Based on the sgyu ma that appears in Choné, Lithang, Narthang, Yongle, and Lhasa. Degé and Stok read rgyu ma.
Based on the sgyu ma that appears in Choné, Lithang, Narthang, Yongle, and Lhasa. Degé and Stok read rgyu ma.
Translation based on the mtho dma’ found in Choné, Lithang, Narthang, and Lhasa. Degé reads mthon dman.
Based on the bsten that appears in Kangxi, Urga, Narthang, and Lhasa. Degé reads bstan.
Literally “holy life” (Skt. brahmacārya, Tib. tshang par spyod pa). The term refers to a pure and celibate lifestyle.
Following nan gtan in Choné, Lithang, Narthang, Kangxi, and Yongle. Degé reads na gtan.
Degé: bar ma gsum gyi tshor bag sum rjes su bsgoms pa. Skt. trimadhyamās trivedanānubhavitās.
“Craving is the wick” inserted based on the Sanskrit (vartibhūtā tṛṣṇā). See Stuart 2012, p. 231 (4.2.22).
Although the text here mentions the fifth ground, it is unclear where the explanation of the fifth ground starts, since a similar passage follows below. See also Stuart 2012, p. 327, n. 59.
Note that the text only mentions ten kinds. Cf. Stuart 2012, p. 331, n. 70.
Prior to this sentence the Sanskrit includes a description of the hells and starving spirits as associated with the colors blue and yellow, respectively. See Stuart 2012, p. 335 (5.1.10 and 5.1.11).
Translation tentative. Degé: bdag nyid gtar bzhag. Based on the Sanskrit bandhakaṃ yadi cātmāṇam kṛtvā papeṣu rajyate, Stuart 2012, p. 340, translates: “Making a shackle of the self he delights in evil.”
Translation tentative. Degé: chos ’di dag la yid ’jug pa skye ba’i mtshan nyid mi ’dra zhing ngo bo nyid mi ’dra ba yin te/ dper na sa chen po bcu’i chos lta bu’o. Skt. tathā daśa mahābhaumā dharmāḥ anyad eve lakṣaṇam cetanāyāḥ. Cf. Stuart 2012, p. 343, n. 116.
It is unclear to us what the intended “first” and “second” might be.
An action “with acquisition” is one that has been “acquired” (Tib. thob pa, Skt. prāpta) within a continuum of the five aggregates such that it will ripen its effect within that continuum. In the case of an action without acquisition, no such ripening is effectuated.
Degé: der zhugs pa zhes bya ba ni. Although the Tibetan text thus appears to join this phrase with the subsequent passage, the translation here follows the Sanskrit edition (Stuart 2015, 480–81).
Based on the bsten that appears in Choné, Lithang, Narthang, and Lhasa, and supported by the Sanskrit. Degé reads bstan.
Presumably the three unconditioned factors—analytic cessation, nonanalytic cessation, and space—which are characterized by the absence of conditioned entities.
Although all the Tibetan editions consistently read dga’, the translation here assumes dka’ in accord with the Sanskrit edition and the wording in the previous sentence (F.144.a1–2).
The Tibetan text appears to have a negation too many here: bde ba ma yin pa ma yin. This is supported by the Sanskrit (Stuart 2015, p. 524).
The text could be implying bear fights and eagle fights staged for entertainment.
We have not been able to identify this body part.
Translation tentative. Degé: ji tsam du sdig pa bya’i srog gcod pa ni byas gsod/ srog chags dud ka lta bu ni dud ka lta bus gsod/ rgya dang gdos kyis ri dags gsod pa rngon pa spyod pa’i ngang tshul can ni de dag gis gsod cing / de gis dbang du byas nas za ste.
The text also mentions three other animals, whose names are listed in Sanskrit transcription: *mātalaka, *mātolaka, and *dṛśyabhute. We have been unable to identify these animals.
The following description of the human conditions that resemble the sufferings in the Reviving Hell is at times unclear to us and the translation should therefore be regarded as tentative.
The Tibetan here mentions another torturous sensation: lum pa ka’i tshor ba. lum pa ka may be a Sanskrit transliteration, but we have not been able to find any comparable term.
Translation tentative.
Degé: sa’i tshor ba. The meaning is not clear to us.
Not translated: khar gongs.
The animal is listed in the text as *marakoṭaka (unidentified). Here and below we have translated this animal as “biting insects,” or simply “insects.”
The text here also features a seemingly Sanskrit transcription, *cālbīnaka, which we have not been able to identify.
Translation uncertain. The Tibetan reads: rgya mtsho sum cu’i dbu ba’i tshor ba.
Translation tentative. Degé: snod kyi gzhi.
Translation tentative.
The following passage, apart from the first verse, is in prose in the Sanskrit text.
In place of “sharp,” the Skt. reads “glistening” (pradīpta). The Sanskrit word could also mean “burning.”
Degé: lha la snyad btags pa.
The remainder of the versified part is rendered in prose in the Sanskrit text.
This line is absent from the Sanskrit text.
Full karmic ripening results from acts that are carried out as well as accumulated. Karmic accumulation generally requires that the given act is intentional, seen through to completion, and not subsequently regretted.
Degé: thags star.
The Sanskrit includes here several lines of additional text that sum up the last few paragraphs.
Translation tentative. Degé: mi yi tha ma bu yi don/ /des na sdig pa khyod kyis byas/ /gang gis sngan byas sdig byas pa/ /phyis ni gnod par mi ’gyur min.
The names “Lump,” “Copious Degeneration,” and “Crier,” could not be meaningfully matched with the Sanskrit names; possibly they are meant to correspond with the “Hell of Lumps” (piṇḍo[sic]naraka—the sense is unclear), and the “Heavy Punishment” (yātanabahula), and the Cuṭucuṭu (the meaning is unclear). The hell called “Pleading” which is included in this list of hells and increases its number to seventeen, doesn’t appear mentioned again below.
Translation tentative. Degé: gang gis byis pa gzhan du bzhin du mthus sba ba’i gnas su bcug pa. Sanskrit reads, “forcing the children of others, while they weep and cry, to stimulate one’s own genitals.”
The text only lists fifteen such hells. See, however, our n.69 below regarding the hell of the “Śālmali Forest.”
Degé: gsod med. In the description of this hell found below, it is called “No Death” (Degé: ’chi med).
“Śālmali Forest” is absent from the list in both the Tibetan and the Sanskrit, but its description is included later on as one of the sixteen surrounding hells. It makes the number of hells in the list here sixteen.
“Eagle” is a provisional translation of dhūmika (Degé: bya dhya mi ka), which is a “smoke-colored” species of a bird of prey.
I.e., their present and future lives.
I.e., those free from the fever of afflictions.
Translation tentative. Degé: rmog thag.
Here and in a similar passage below the Tibetan only mentions the “Howling Hell.”
Translation tentative. Degé: mtshon cha hu lu ka.
The Tibetan only mentions the “Howling Hell.”
Translation tentative. Degé: sems can dmyal ba pa de cho nges ’debs pa na/ zla ba drug lus pa’i rus pa gang yin pa de dag kyang rang gi lus las byung ba’i srin bu….
Above, this hell was named “Continuation of Life and Death.”
Translation tentative. Degé: lus kyi lhag ma lus pa dag shin tu rgyug ste.
Above, this hell was called “Joyless Thought.”
Translation tentative. Degé: brgyad pa’i blo. Narthang: brgyud pa’i blo. Kangxi: brgyan pa’i blo.
Translation tentative. We have been unable to establish the precise nature of the following form of torture.
The translation of this name follows the Sanskrit, reading kālāvelā as kālavelā. The Tibetan gnod skyes suggests “Harm Arisen.”
Translation tentative. Degé: mig ’dren pa dag gis drangs pa dang / de nas yang shin tu gzhon sha can sdug par skyes te/ gnod par ches mang ba dag gis de ’byin par byed do.
Degé: srin bu tA la la lwa la ka. Skt. tālūlaka.
Places of pilgrimage (tīrtha), here meant figuratively, are usually on the banks of sacred rivers, hence the mention of “holy water” (tīrthasalila˚). The translation of this verse remains tentative.
Above, this hell was called Consuming Blood and Marrow.
Translation tentative. Degé: gang me lce’i phung po bcu gcig po de dag ni bcu drug gi char yang mi phod do.
We have been unable to identify the enumerations mentioned at the end of this paragraph.
Reading ’bying (following the Yongle and Kangxi) instead of ’byin.
Degé here transliterates the Sanskrit pippalaka as pib pa la ka, and sūcaka as su tsa ka. The two terms can be translated, respectively, as “pin” and “needle.”
Translation tentative.
Degé: snying gi lam la.
Translation tentative. Degé: cog cog por bsgyings par ’dug la skom ’thung zhing lag pa la ldag pa.
Degé: srin bu a ba mA si ka. The translation is based on reading the Sanskrit māsikā as mācikā.
Translation tentative. Degé: skye ba’i bar du byed pa yin te.
Based on the bskol ba that appears in Choné, Lithang, Narthang, Yongle, and Lhasa. Degé reads bskor ba.
Based on the brkyang nul that appears in Kangxi, Lithang, Narthang, and Yongle. Degé reads skyong nul.
Translation of “fleas, or bedbugs” is tentative. Degé: srog chags mar ko Ta ka’am rkang la za ba’am.
Translation tentative.
Translation tentative. Degé: tshan ma dang mtshan ma las byung ba byas pa. The terms used for “cause and effect” (nimitta-naimittika) indicate the dualistic view of Sāṅkhya philosophy.
Rather than gcal, the translation here assumes ’dral, as appears consistently in all versions of the name of this hell.
Translation tentative. Degé: lus snang ba’i ’du shes mi ’thob pa.
The text also mentions another animal (Degé: tsi lin da, Skt cilinda), which we have been unable to identify.
Translation tentative.
Translation tentative.
Translation tentative.
Translation tentative.
Based on the snying rje chen po that appears in Choné, Lithang, Narthang, Yongle, and Lhasa. Degé reads snying rje chen por.
Translation tentative. Degé: dmyal ba pa yi kha ba ’dra.
Based on the khyad par dran that appears in Choné, Kangxi, and Yongle. Degé reads khyab par dran.
Based on the ’bar that appears in Choné, Lithang, Narthang, Yongle, and Lhasa. Degé reads ’brang.
The name of this hell (Tib. tsha ba pa’i sa, Skt. nidāghabhūmi) appears in the section dedicated to it later on as “Land of No Mercy” (Tib. snying rje med pa’i sa, Skt. nirdayabhūmi) twice. This is most likely due to scribal errors, as the two Sanskrit name phrases have a very similar form.
Degé: de ’di ltar kun nas byi brun la lcags kyi mda’ ’phen pa ’phangs pa tsam gyis ’gro ba mi mngon pa.
As is done during a wedding ceremony.
The translation of this sentence follows the Sanskrit.
Translation of the preceding lines in this paragraph is tentative.
In its dedicated section below, this hell is called Black Belly.
The translation follows the Sanskrit tārāmāla. In the dedicated section below, however, the Sanskrit name tīramālā (Shore Garland = Shoreline) is used. Degé reads ’gram dngar. ’gram dang ra as appears In Choné, Lithang, Kangxi, Yongle, and Lhasa appear instead ’gram dngar.
Our translation of the eighty types of worms and the corresponding winds is in many places tentative as we have been unable to identify this diagnostic system within classical Indian medicine.
Degé: srin bu ud ting ga la. The translation reads the Skt. uḍḍīṃśa˚ as uḍḍīśa˚.
Degé: srin bu sbi sbi dza. The Tibetan is a phonetic rendering of the Sanskrit sphipphija, but the meaning is unclear.
Degé: srin bu ha tsu ra ba.
Degé: srin bu snying po me tog skyed.
Degé: srin bu ku ha ka.
Translation tentative. Degé: du shya ga ta.
Degé: srin bu bar bur.
Degé: srin bu so su ra.
Translation tentative. Degé: rlung khwa bu ga drug.
Degé: um pa ra.
Degé: srin bu si mi si ma.
Degé: srin bu u ma bu ga.
Degé: srin bu tsun tsu.
Degé: rlung pib pa la ka. This is the Tibetan rendering of the Skt. pippalaka, one of the two death winds, the other being sūcaka. The names could be translated, respectively, as “pins” and “needles.”
The corresponding statement in the Skt. is not about the penis becoming erect, but about the testicles moving up, presumably inside the scrotum.
The corresponding Sanskrit, which constitutes a separate sentence, is not about “ejaculating,” but about “emitting saliva.” The term used (utsṛjati) is the same that can be used for ejaculating, but in this context it just indicates that the saliva will be emitted externally, that is, it will flow from the mouth.
Translation tentative. Degé: sangs rgyas rin chen la sogs pa/ /sna tshogs chos kyis mtshungs par gang.
Presumably the seven suns that, according to Buddhist cosmology, appear when a universe is destroyed.
Degé: lcags kyi mtshon brang kol li ka.
Degé: srin bu mar ko ta ka.
Translation of this verse is tentative.
Translation tentative.
Translation tentative. Degé: spyo spyo brgyad brgyad nas.
Translation tentative. Degé: mngon med.
Translation tentative. Degé: ’gog thal thul tsam na ’chi bar ’gyur.
Translation tentative. Degé: bdud kyi phyogs ni dams so.
The following enumeration resembles, but is not identical with, the one that appears on 2.964.
Above, this hell was named “Raven’s Belly.”
Above, this hell was named “Fearsome Screams.”
Above, this hell was named “Like Unopened Flowers.”
Above, this hell was named “The Sound of Water.” Here the translation of the term “Jambu Bird” (Degé: bya ’dzam pa) is tentative, as we have been unable to identify this bird and the significance of its name.
Above, this hell was named “Wrapped in Every Possible Pain.”
Above, this hell was named “Longing for Smell.”
Translation tentative. Degé: de la mang du mnar med pa lnga ’byung.
The translation of this sentence follows the Sanskrit.
This list also includes three additional animals that we have been unable to identify. Degé: ’ga’ la, go ta ka, and phye ba.
Translation tentative. Degé: gog thal thul.
This list also includes two additional animals that we have been unable to identify. Degé: ’ba’ sa ka and tung ka.
Translation tentative. Degé: srog chags ri la gnas pa grib ma ’jigs byed/ dang mun pa can dang / zin pa gnas pa.
The translation assumes rlung dud pas, as appears in Choné, Lithang, Narthang, Kangxi, Yongle, and Lhasa. Degé reads rlung drud pas.
This tentative translation infers the word “years.” Tib: bye ba lnga bcu rtsa drug dang / /de bzhin bye ba lnga bcu rtsa drug gnas.
Translation tentative. Degé: yun ring du rngo mon gis nyon mongs. Choné, Lithang, and Narthang here read rdo mong, whereas Kangxi and Yongle read rngol mong.
The translation assumes g.yon, as appears in Choné, Narthang, and Lhasa. Degé reads g.yos.
Translation tentative. Degé: spu zin zhes byed pa brgya phrag khri dang ldan pa de mngon par brjod pa.
Translation tentative. Degé: ’du ba’i gzhir gnas shing rdo la za.
The translation assumes gsheg, as appears in Choné, Lithang, Narthang, Yongle, and Lhasa. Degé reads gshegs.
This figure is a figurative approximation. The Tibetan reads: bye ba khrag khrig sum cu rtsa dgu dang / ther ’bum dgu stong dang / bye ba dung phyur drug cu dang / skyang ’phyes bye ba sum cu sa dza’a li ni dang / kod TU di kod TU dang / ke sa ra stong phrag nyi shu ste.
The translation assumes ko ba, as appears in Choné, Lithang, Narthang, Yongle, and Lhasa. Degé reads ko dra ba.
Translation tentative. Degé: khyim gyi nang na bu ’byin pa’i skad ngan don pa.
Translation tentative. Degé: gtum po’i bu btsa’ ba’i khyim.
Translation tentative. Degé: sbrul rnams kyis ’khris shing kun nas dra bar gang ba der sems can dmyal ba pa der ’gro bar byed do.
Translation of the last two lines in this verse is tentative. Degé: byed la ltos la sdig yod de/ /byed pa rnams kyi rjes su ’jug.
Translation of the last two lines in this verse is tentative. Degé: de nyid las ni ston byed pa/ /brtan pa dag gis gnyi ga pong.
Literally the text reads “fish, giant fish, nakra crocodiles, kumbhīra crocodiles, infant-killing crocodiles, turtles, and otters.”
Translation tentative. Degé: yi dags kun ston.
The following presentation of the worlds of the starving spirits follows only roughly the thirty-six categories mentioned here. Some of the above categories are not described below while others that are not mentioned here are included.
Translation tentative. Degé: bu dang bu mo gzhan dang mi ’dra bar mi dga’ ba ma yin la/ dga’ ba dang slu ba ma yin te/ mi slu ba la mngon par gnod pa byas na.
Translation tentative. Degé: yi dags kyi chang pa.
Skt. aśvamedha. A Vedic ritual according to which an army follows a freely roaming horse, attacking any opposition they may meet on the way.
Translation tentative. Degé: de la ’jig rten pa de dag pha zhes brjod do.
Degé: mkha’ ’gro ma’am mkha’ ’gror ’gyur. The Sanskrit for these terms (ḍākinī and ḍāka) is defined by Monier-Williams as beings who attend terrifying goddesses, feeding on human flesh.
Translation of these two sentences is tentative. Degé: yi dags rdzu ’phrul che ba mi dge ba’i las shin tu mi zad pa yang ma yin la/ de sbyin pa tsher ma lta bu yang byin te/ rgyu des rdzu ’phrul che ba nyid du ’gyur ro.
Degé: mthson cha’i bu ga.
The translation assumes dgra, as appears in Choné, Lithang, Narthang, Yongle, and Lhasa. Degé reads sgra.
Translation tentative. Degé: nye ba’i dgon pa mang po.
Translation of the first three lines in this verse is tentative. Degé: bde ba las la rag las mthong / /yid ni de bzhin bde ba las/ /’chi dang skye ba rnams spyad pa.
The meaning of the last part of this sententence is not clear to us. Degé: nad pa rnams kyi lha mchod pa’am gnod sbyin mchod pa’i phyir las mi bzad pa drag po gang gis gzhan dag bslus nas nor rdzas phrogs sam lug bsad na.
One verse line may be missing from the Tibetan block print here.
Translation tentative. Degé: gang gis lus mi gtsang ba de ’dzin par byed do.
Presumably “the thirty-six” refers to the thirty-six realms of the starving spirits. We are unsure what “the forty” refers to.
Presumably the ninety-eight afflictive propensities (Skt. anuśaya, Tib. bag nyal) that are enumerated in abhidharma teachings, such as Vasubandhu’s Abhidharmakośa.
Perhaps the remedies of the 108 afflictions that, according to Vasubandhu’s Abhidharmakośa, are overcome on the paths of seeing (Skt. darśanamārga, Tib. mthong lam) and cultivation (Skt. bhāvanāmārga, Tib. bsgom lam).
Presumably the twelve links of dependent origination.
We are unsure what the various enumerations in this verse refer to.
The “four rivers” are desire, becoming, ignorance, and wrong view.
Perhaps “the three” are the three kinds of suffering outlined in the first stanza and in the introduction to these verses. Alternatively, the reference could be to attachment, anger, and delusion.
Translation tentative. Degé: gal te brgya la sdug bsngal de rtse zhil bar byed na.
Translation tentative. Degé: rab tu rtse zhil lo.
Degé: ri dags. Sanskrit: mṛga. Defined (apart from the common translation of “deer”) by Monier-Williams as “a large soaring bird.”
Translation tentative. Degé: des phyogs tsam du dud ’gro’i ’jig rten la rtog par byed de/ dra ba mang po’i dud ’gror ’gyur.
We have been unable to identify this animal. Degé: srin bu gtsug (Kangxi, Yongle: srin bu btsug).
Another animal, which we have been unable to identify, is mentioned here. Degé: srog chags dhun du.
Translation tentative. Degé: ’gro ba gsum par skye bar ’gyur ba.
It is not clear to us what these eleven categories might be.
Here the text mentions another animal category, which we have been unable to identify. Degé: shug tu ’brel ba.
Translation tentative. Degé: ga la go li ka.
This list also includes a bird that we have been unable to identify (Degé: byan lag) and, oddly, the mongoose (Degé: ne’u le).
Tib. rgya mtsho bar ma. Presumably a reference to the oceans that lie at an intermediate distance between Meru and the outer ring of mountains.
It remains unclear to us which passage the text here refers to. Degé: de sbyin pa tsher ma dang bas pa yang byin na/ snga ma bzhin tsher ma bdun gyi nang du skyes la.
Translation tentative. Degé: btsan snogs byed.
Translation tentative. Degé: ltad mo che ba dag dang / bya’o cog dang ’dra bar ston pa dag.
Translation tentative. Degé: mthong na yid dang ’thad pa dang dang / mig ’gram ring ba sha stag.
Translation tentative. Degé: lhan cig gtams pa.
We have been unable to identify this bird. Degé: spu spa da ma.
Four such birds are mentioned here, which we have been unable to identify. Degé: bya bhring ga ra dzas dang hu lu kun da dang mu lu kun da dang sbrig ka gan dha.
The following description of the trees in these forests (and beyond), as well as their names, is in several instances tentative.
Here is mentioned another tree, which we have been unable to render in translation. Degé: sprig ka.
It is unclear to us whether maduka, nalikera, and panasa are names of trees or flowers.
Here is mentioned another quality, which we have been unable to render in translation. Degé: byi du ra.
Here are mentioned three flowers (or trees?), which we have been unable to identify. Degé: rgun shing dang ka pid tha dang pa ru Sha ka.
Translation tentative. Degé: bzhag gis dkrigs pa.
I.e., Rāhu.
Although the necklace asuras here are described together with the city of Double Pleasure, it appears from the descriptions that follow that they are separate realms (see below, 3.197–3.199).
Translation tentative. Degé: mi’i kha na las.
Translation tentative. Degé: de yang gcig gcig yin te/ gal te ’dod rgyal ba brgya snyed yod pa de dag gi nang na ’di ltar ’du shes pa ’di kho na nyid gcig yin no zhes de dag rjod par byed do.
Translation tentative. Degé: gnod sbyin mthu rab tu chen po brgya rtsa gcig gyen du ’gro ba snang ba dang mi snang ba gang yin pa.
Translation tentative. Degé: gser gyi ’og phag sprin.
Translation tentative. Degé: tin di kun dga’.
Translation tentative. Degé: sems kyis ma bsgom pa’i sbyin pa ngan pa sbyin pa.
Translation tentative. Degé: de ni khyed yin rtag tu brtson/ legs par mthong ba mchog yin de.
Translation tentative. Degé: rtsigs. Choné, Lithang, Narthang, and Lhasa: brtsigs.
The text only has chos, instead of nang gi chos as appears elsewhere in the text.
Translation tentative. Degé: dus su sbyor ba (Skt. kālaprayoga).
The translation assumes dge ’dun pa, as appears in Choné, Lithang, Narthang, Yongle, and Lhasa. Degé reads dga’ ’dun pa.
Here another offering is mentioned, which we have been unable to identify. Degé: du gul la ka ba.
It is unclear to us precisely how this measure relates to this realm/city.
Note that here and below the capital of King Puṣpamāla is identified as Profound, whereas above it was called Beauty.
Here the list also includes another class of divine beings, which we have been unable to identify. Degé: kun di pa ka.
Translation tentative. Degé: phan tshun rtog cing mtshon cha’i tshogs kyi rgyun gcig la gcig ’debs pa.
Translation tentative. Degé: ji ltar de’i lus kyi jo bo shin tu phra ba yang mi mngon pa de ltar mda’ sna tshogs char ltar phab bo.
Translation tentative. Degé: chos gcig dang bcas pas.
Translation tentative. Degé: chu srin du na dhu gsod pa.
Translation tentative. Degé: ci la gzhes ci la gzhes.
Translation tentative. Degé: mgo bcad pa ni ma gtogs te/ lha rnams kyi dgra yang zhi bar ’gyur. The following might be better in terms of sense (though still grammatically problematic): “An exception is when they are decapitated, in which case they will be pacified, as is the case with the enemies of the gods.”
The translation assumes btag pa, as appears in Choné, Lithang, Narthang, Yongle, and Lhasa. Degé reads gtag pa.
Translation tentative. Degé: khro ba la rlung dang srin bu mang ku.
Translation tentative. Degé: lha ma yin rnams kyis mi ’thun pa’ mtha’ las ’bras bu nyams pa’i lhag ma thob ste/ ’bros khung tshol bar gyur ba rnams ded chos la lta zhing sa’i ’og gi sgo gzung bar bya’o.
Translation tentative. Degé: kyed kyis yul dang dus de dag shes bzhin du bdag nyid gsod pa’i dgra don med pa ’di dag byas so.
Translation tentative. Degé: ’di ltar gang gis mi bya bar bya de dag gi ngo bo med pa la blo gros ngan pa ’di skyes ban ye bar gnas so.
Note that the numbering of the levels in this section appears to be mistaken. The text reads “seventeenth” but the previous level was the fifteenth and farther below (at 4.A.410) the text lists the following level as the seventeenth. It is therefore likely that this is a scribal error.
Reading bkur instead of bskrun following Yongle, Lithang, Kangxi, Narthang, and Choné.
Degé: bya tan da pa. We have been unable to identify this bird.
Degé: shing ta la ba tin tu ka. We have been unable to identify this tree.
Translation tentative. Degé: ’khor ba’i sdug bsngal gyi phyang mo la nyug go.
Above, and just below, this realm is called Enjoying the Wind.
Translation tentative. Degé: ku shi ra’i dri dang dres pas.
It is not clear to us what the point of reference for this comparison is.
The text mentions a specific fruit that we have been unable to identify. Degé: ’bras bu bi tsu man da.
Translation tentative. Degé: bsam pa’i tshal.
Reading min instead of smin following Yongle, Lithang, Kangxi, Narthang, Choné, and Zhol.
Translation tentative. Degé: rgyal po la gnod pa byed pa’i mi spyi gtsug nas bzung ste sbyangs pa dang / sdug bsngal ba las gang gis de thar bar byas na/.
Translation tentative. Degé: shing byis pa.
Translation tentative. Degé: rtog pas bskyed pa dga’.
Translation tentative. Degé: tshon rtsis bris pa bris mi ’gyur.
Degé: rtag tu rgyu. We are unsure what this refers to.
Translation tentative. Degé: stug po sbyor ba.
Translation tentative. Degé: dbu ba rog rog ’bab pa.
The text mentions three specific insects that we have been unable to identify: srog chags lu ta dang / ki ta dang / sbrang bu mchu rings dag.
Based on bres, as appears in Choné, Lithang, Narthang, Yongle, and Lhasa. Degé reads bris.
Instead of “vast countries,” the Tibetan (rgya yul) could also be translated as “China.”
Translation tentative. Degé: skye bo yongs su smra ba bsdus pa.
Translation tentative. Degé: ’gram pa rngul.
We have been unable to identify this material. Degé: ke ra Ta ka.
Translation assumes khri snyan rather than khri snyen.
Translation tentative. Degé: de bzhin du smyug ma’i nang ’dres pa’i sbu gu rnam pa du ma dag kyang lha mo de dag gis mthong ste.
Translation tentative. Degé: thams cad nas rtag tu dog cing phan tshun gyi gdong mthon po gzhan dang zhan ’byes pa skyed pa.
I.e., the elephant is in musth.
Here the text also mentions another fruit (Degé: nA Di ke rya), which we have been unable to identify.
Translation tentative. Degé: lha’i ’dod pa’i yon tan lnga dga ’byor cing ldan par gyur pas rtse zhing ’ong ba’i sgras dga’ bar byed de.
Based on the skye ba rtag par that appears in Choné, Lithang, Narthang, Yongle, and Lhasa. Degé reads skye ba rtag pa.
Translation of the last two lines in this verse is tentative. Degé: ’di ltar chos gnas dam pa ste/ /bdag la phan pa rtag tu gyis.
Degé: … zhyes ba la sogs pa dbang po sum cu lha’i ’jig rten nas tshe ’phos pa dang.
Translation tentative. Degé: skyed mos tshal gang yin pa de ri rab dang skra lta bur chung zad ’dra ba’i dper bya na.
Translation of these last three sentences is tentative.
The text actually reads “not delighting,” but we have assumed that this is a mistake.
The text here mentions a specific flower (tsu la sa), which we have been unable to identify.
Translation of the two preceding sentences is tentative. The Tibetan reads: de dag rlung gis gtor ba dang ’phral la ’bab cing de nyid ri dags skom pa lta bur mthong la/ ngo bo gzhan du ’gyur te ngo bo dag ni mi gsal ba’i ngo bor snang ngo.
It seems that two lines are missing from the verse here.
The Tibetan text here mistakenly mentions the name of the realm just treated, thus reading “Dwelling on Mixed Riverbanks.”
The Tibetan text also mentions two additional types of fruit that we have been unable to identify: tA ma pu ra ka and nA Di ke ra.
“Envoy” here translates yul gyi spyan (literally, “the eye of a region”).
The translation of the last part of this sentence is tentative.
The translation of the last part of this sentence is tentative. The Tibetan text reads: dri tsam zhig gis gser gyi yon tan gyi khyim gyi gnas su skye bar ’gyur ro.
Degé: lha’i ’jig rten gnyis la dbang ba.
Based on the ma brtsegs pa that appears in Kangxi, Choné, Lithang, Narthang, and Yongle. Degé reads ma rtse ba.
The text here includes an additional element in this list that we have been unable to translate in this context: nges par ’byung ba skye ba.
The translation of this line is tentative. Degé: glu dang sil snyan sgra myur mtshungs.
It appears that the last two lines of this verse are missing from the Tibetan manuscript.
The translation assumes sred pa, as appears in Choné, Lithang, Narthang, Yongle, and Lhasa. Degé reads sreg pa.
Tib. gnyi ga’i cha las rnam par grol ba. This refers to liberation from both afflictive obscurations as well as obstacles to the accomplishment of the eight emancipations.
It appears that two lines are missing from this verse.
The list of trees includes an additional tree that we have been unable to identify. Degé reads nA De ker (some other manuscripts read nA Di ker).
The text mentions that the leaves are of a tree called ba la sha, which we have been unable to identify.
This god realm is named in two different ways in this text: Resembling the Full Moon and Moving Like the Moon.
The translation of this sentence is tentative.
The translation of this sentence is tentative. Degé: de bya gong ma sreg dang sreg dan ka ra ka bha kyi nang du skye bar ’gyur.
Translation tentative.
Translation assumes bag med pa la gnas pa as appears in Choné, Lithang, Narthang, Yongle, and Lhasa. Degé reads bag med pa la gnos pa. We are not sure what types of objects may be implied here.
Degé: yul gnyis gyis kun du drangs pa na.
The Tibetan text lists two additional items, which we have been unable to identify, that such people will not take from the beach or riverbank: bhal lA ta ka (Skt. bhallātaka = “cashew nut”!) and sha bha ri ka.
Translation here and just below is tentative. The Tibetan reads gtogs ’dod.
Translation of these two lines is tentative. Degé: de bas ’jig rten ’das tshig gzung / ’jig rten pa lta ga la zhig.
It seems that two lines may be missing somewhere from these verses.
The translation of the two middle lines in this verse is tentative. Degé: dga’ bas sel bar mi byed gang / dga’ ba bsal ba’i dag pa de.
The translation assumes lag ris, as appears in Kangxi, Choné, Lithang, Narthang, Yongle, and Lhasa. Degé reads lig ris.
Translation tentative. Degé: gshin rje’i mi rnams kyis spyo brgyad.
Degé: lig ris lag pa phyin ci log tu bcings nas. Instead of lig ris, the translation assumes lag ris, as appears in Kangxi, Choné, Lithang, Narthang, Yongle, and Lhasa. The same applies in the following line.
Translation tentative. It is unclear to us what is meant by “the truth of the three occasions.” Degé: gsum gyi skabs bden pa.
It is unclear what this refers to. Degé: bsil ba.
It is unclear from the text what the characteristics of the ninth intermediate existence are.
Degé: mtshan nyid gsum kun ’thun no. We are not sure which characteristics are intended here.
Translation tentative. Degé: rim pa brgyad brtsis nas chos nyi shu’i bar du bstan pa gang yin pa. It is unclear to us in which sense the teaching of the twenty can be seen as eightfold.
The text here mentions two additional unidentified animals: chu srin dhun dhu gsod and tsu lan da.
The text includes two additional unidentified animals: srog chags rlung ’gam and kab tab bya.
The text includes three additional unidentified animals: sa lin dha ka, k’a Do ra, and id tya ha ka.
The text includes three additional unidentified animals: srog chags sUk+sh+ma tsa ra, u tsa tsa ka, and ra sha sha ka.
It is unclear to us how this explanation is intended. Degé: gtso bo dag de ltar skyon gsum gyi bye brag tha dad pa bzhi’i skyon gyis khams ’byung bar ’gyur ro.
Degé: gang gnyi ga ’dzin pa bag med pa’i mi rnams. It is not clear us which pair is implied by the mention of “both.”
This name, which we have transcribed as it appears in the Tibetan (following Yongle, Lithang, Kangxi, Narthang, and Choné: mad ta dang da) is not a proper Sanskrit term. Degé reads mad ta din da.
This name, which we have transcribed as it appears in the Tibetan (mad ta ka Ta ma) is not a proper Sanskrit term.
Translation tentative. Degé: sdig pa’i grogs po dang tom col du mi ’dre.
Translation tentative. Degé: gsar du skyes pa’i yid ltad mo la zhugs pa lha phyi bzhin ’brang stong snyed kyis bskor cing / thams cad du yang de dag nyid kyis yongs su bskor ba rnams.
Translation tentative. Degé: de lha rnams kyis mchod cing bde ba du ma dag myong ba na/ ri’i gsab gseb de dag na rin po che’i ’od kyi phreng ba lang long ’bar ba.
Translation tentative. Degé: sa zam.
Translation tentative. Degé: rgyu’i ming yang med pa’i las rnams las byung ba de sems can thams cad kyis brjod par mi nus pa’i phyir ro/ gang gi phyir las rnams kyi rgyu’i tshad kyi ming med pa’i phyir ro.
Two lines may be missing from this verse.
The meaning of this entire section is unclear and these lines don’t seem to fit properly within the context of the narrative. Degé: der yang rgya cher ’thab bral gyi bdag po de la shin tu yon tan phun sum tshogs pa thams cad rnam pa du ma’i sgo nas mkhyen par byed de/ rgan pa’i mchog de dag thams cad kyis sngar bzhin no.
Translation tentative. Degé: gang gi bdag nyid chen po de dang gang dag gi yang gzi brjid chen po dang ldan pa de’i nang yin.
The Tibetan text states that the Blessed One now speaks to the hearers (Degé: bcom ldan ’das kyis nyan thos rnams la bka’ stsal pa), but the content of his speech also clearly shows that he is addressing Saumya.
Translation tentative. Degé: ji ltar phyin nas mi gdung ba/ de ltar bdag la phan pas gnos.
The Tibetan text is ambiguous here, and it is unclear whether the predictions are made by Kanakamuni or his emanations.
In the list of the twenty-seven realms located within the Heaven Free from Strife, which was given above (4.C.4), this heaven is not included. Now it appears as the second realm.
Translation tentative. Degé: de dag rnam thos nas lha gsar du skyes pa de dag phyir yang lha’i bu mo de dag gis yongs su bskor ba’i lha nyid la lta bar byed de/ dman pa dang bar ma’i gzugs dang cha byad dang rgyan can skye’o.
In accord with the previous instances of this name, the translation here assumes gnas rather than nags.
Translation tentative. Degé: do shal dang pad ma ’phyang ba rnams kyi mchan khung lcong ba.
Translation tentative. Degé: bya’i tshogs rtse zhing legs par rgyu ba’i rkang pa bsten par ’os pa.
I.e., a rainbow.
The text reads “Moving in the Stream,” which, however, is the previous heaven. Assuming this is a mistake, we have changed it to “Living on the Peak.”
Translation tentative. Degé: sdug bsngal gang zhig mngon zhen ’di/ chos de byed las yin par ’dod.
This realm is named the same way as the one just mentioned. Presumably this is a mistake, although it is unclear what an alternative name might be.
Translation of the last two lines in this verse is tentative. Degé: bu med las khyod ’di nas ni/ /pha rol ’gro bas mi nus pas.
The translation assumes sgom (here understood as a translation of bhāvanā), as appears in Choné, Lithang, Narthang, Yongle, and Lhasa. Degé reads skom.
The translation assumes khron ma, as appears in Choné, Lithang, Narthang, Yongle, and Lhasa. Degé reads khron pa.
It appears that one line is missing from this verse.
The translation assumes smas pa rather than smras pa.
Translation tentative. Degé: des mthong nas mthong ba’i skyon rnams rtsom par ’gyur te/ nam mkha’ nas nam mkhar rnam par rtog pa rnam par du mar g.yo zhing ’gyur ba’i skye gnas brgyas kyang nam mkha’i dkyil du bltas.
Translation tentative. Degé: lha dang lha mo’i tshogs kyis gang ba de ga shed na kun tu rgyu ba.
The translation of this and the preceding sentences is tentative. Degé: vai DUrya’i rang bzhin gyi rdo la ji lta ba bzhin du gzhan rnams la yang mi mthong ngo/ mgo bo ma lus par lhung bar mthong.
Translation of the last two lines in this verse is tentative. Degé: bud me rnams btsog ’dod pa ’di/ /gnas pa med pa’i grogs de btsog.
The meaning of this verse is also unclear to us and the translation is tentative.
The text does not make the subject of this sentence clear, but we assume that bees are implicitly understood to be the subject.
It seems that a line is missing from the Tibetan here. The remaining verses come in sets of four lines.
Translation of the last two lines in this verse is tentative. Degé: de ltar gzhan yang rtsol bas ni/ /rnam par dpyad na rnyed ’gyur ba.
This stanza appears to have only three lines.
This stanza appears to have only three lines.
Translation tentative. Degé: sa gzhi’i cha yang ’khri shing gi khang pas nye bar dben pa.
The translation of these two lines is tentative and the meaning is not clear to us. Degé: gzugs kyi spyi ni ma mthong na/ /yongs smin ji ltar so so yin.
Choné, Lithang, Narthang, Yongle, and Lhasa simply read “across leagues” (dpag tshad ltar ’gro ba).
Translation tentative. Degé: rjes su ’thun pa dang bzlog par yang lngas ’gro bar ’gyur ro.
Translation tentative. Degé: ’byug bar ’gyur ba’i ’dus byas de ni sna tshogs pa’i bud shing dang chu dang yang dag par ldan pas ’di lta ste.
In the original list of the various abodes in the Heaven Free from Strife (4.C.4), this heaven was not mentioned.
We have been unable make sense of the first part of this sentence and have therefore left it out of our translation. Degé: chu ser rdo rje’i kyi gyog dang phan tshun du ’gal ba’ ’khor lo spu’i kyi gyog gcig tu skyes pa’i spu dang skra rnam dang bral ba.
Translation tentative. Degé: ngar ’dzin pa ’khor lo’i rdzas.
Following Narthang and Lhasa, we read ’phyang mo instead of phyang mo. Nevertheless, the translation of the first two lines in this stanza remains tentative.
It is unclear to us what “lotuses” might refer to here.
The Tibetan here contains the word gnems pas, which we have not been able to determine. The Yongle and Kangxi editions alternatively read gnams pas, and the Choné has gdams pas.
Translation tentative. Degé: ring du ni dpag tshad lnga brgya’i rgyar gyur pa’i ngo bo ni dpag tshad lnga’o.
Degé: chu la dkyil li kud ’khor ba nas ’khor ba. The translation here is conjectural, as the text appears corrupt. Kangxi: chu la dkyil bkud ’khor ba nas ’khor ba. Choné: chu la skyil krung ’khor ba nas ’khor ba. Yongle: chu la dkyil li ’kud ’khor ba nas ’khor ba.
The translation assumes skye bar byas par gzhan, as appears in Kangxi, Choné, Lithang, Narthang, Yongle, and Lhasa. Degé reads skye bas byas par gzhan.
The translation assumes rtog, as appears in Kangxi, Choné, Lithang, Narthang, Yongle, and Lhasa. Degé reads rtogs.
Translation tentative. Degé: ji ltar nye ’khor de srid kyi nam mkha’ las nags de yongs su bskor nas phyi rol gyi phreng ba sa’i yongs su ’khor ba ni rin po che bdun gyi rang bzhin gyi rin po che brgyus pa’i phreng ba bzung bas mchu las ’phyang ba’o.
The entire descriptive passage that begins at the bottom of F.73.b (4.C.760) and ends here remains rather unclear to us, and the translation hence remains tentative.
Following Choné, Lithang, Narthang, Kangxi, and Lhasa, the translation here assumes dkrol ba la zad. Degé reads dkrol ba la zid.
It is unclear from the Tibetan text where the description of this realm begins. It is clear, however, that the description of the six stūpas that follows just below belongs to the realm of Moving in Gatherings. We have therefore inserted this headline at this point.
Translation tentative. Degé: gzhan ’di’i gsum pa sdom pa ma yin pa’i skyon yang dag par ston pa sku sdung la gnas pa rnams.
Presumably the seven types of lay vows.
I.e., Śikhin.
Degé: sha shis khyim gyi las kyis ’jigs pas. The significance of sha shis remains unresolved.
The translation assumes rgyu snyom, as appears in Choné, Lithang, Narthang, and Lhasa. Degé reads sgyu snyom.
The translation assumes rgyu snyom, as appears in Choné, Lithang, Narthang, and Lhasa. Degé reads sgyu snyom.
The translation assumes rgyu snyom, as appears in Choné, Lithang, Narthang, and Lhasa. Degé reads sgyu snyom.
Translation tentative. Degé: ji ltar ’di na bdag gi bud med du byas pas de dang de’i rtsa lag tu sngon gyur pa zhes byas la de gzhom par bya’o.
The exact enumeration of these eight is not clear to us.
I.e., Vipaśyin.
The translation assumes kyi, as appears in Kangxi, Choné, Lithang, Narthang, Yongle, and Lhasa. Degé reads kyis.
I.e., Vipaśyin.
The translation assumes thos pas kyang ste, as appears in Kangxi, Choné, Lithang, Narthang, Yongle, and Lhasa. Degé reads thos pas kyang skye.
The translation assumes mtho brtsam, as appears in Choné, Lithang, Narthang, and Lhasa. Degé reads tho tsam.
Translation tentative. Degé: rgyab kyi sha za bar byed pa (“eating the flesh of the back”).
Translation tentative. Degé: gsus pa (b)skyod pa byed pa (“agitating the belly”).
Translation tentative. Degé: gnyis sbyor. This could perhaps also refer to sexual intercourse (literally, “joining two”).
In the Tibetan this verse has only two lines.
Translation tentative. Degé: gnya’ shing gang tsam du lta ba snying las chung ba.
The translation assumes re dogs, as appears in Kangxi and Yongle. Degé reads reg dogs.
Translation tentative. Degé: dmyal ba’i bar du (literally, “down to the hells”).
The translation assumes mtho btsam, as appears in the Narthang and Lhasa. Degé reads tho tsam.
I.e., between the mental and physical aggregates of his stream of being.
Translation tentative. Degé: gnas pa’i rab tu byas pa.
These are traditionally enumerated stages in the development of a human embryo and foetus.
Reading dran med par instead of drin med par.
Translation tentative. Degé: ’thag pa’i snal ma ’chugs pa.
Translation tentative. Degé: gang gi tshe rabs gtan gyi gshul nas lhung ba.
Translation tentative. Degé: mi gtsang bas rjes su ’brel ba’i dus su ’jug ngos rnams mi mthong ba dang / mthong bas sems stobs ’chor ba dang /.
The translation assumes srid, as appears in Choné, Lithang, Narthang, and Lhasa. Degé reads sred.
The translation assumes bsten, as appears in Yongle and Kangxi. Degé reads brtan.
Reading rtog bzhin du instead of rtog mi bzhin du.
In the above list, this was the second among the seven qualities. Here, however, it is listed as the first. The numbers of the subsequent qualities are likewise adjusted in the text.
Translation of last two lines is tentative. Degé: rnam par spangs pas gang la yang / /skye gnas la ni rab sdang brjod.
The translation assumes ko trog can, as appears in Choné, Lithang, Narthang, and Yongle. Degé reads rko trog can.
Translation tentative. Degé: mgo bo gcogs pas sa gzhi g.yo ba’i rang bzhin ma yin no.
The translation assumes sred pa, as appears in Kangxi, Lithang, Narthang, and Yongle. Degé reads srid pa.
The list here includes another item that we have been unable to identify: shin dzi tA.
Translation assumes yang, as appears in Narthang and Lhasa. Degé reads kyang bad.
It is unclear to us what “a ruler of the second class” (rigs gnyis pa’i dbang po) refers to.
Translation assumes byung, as appears in Lhasa. Degé reads bung.
Translation assumes ’khor ba’i, as appears in Lhasa. Degé reads ’khor bas.
This verse has only two lines in the Tibetan.
Translation tentative. Degé: lha’i tshogs de dag rnams thams cad nyid ni chu dang bral ba’i mchod rten no.
Degé: de nas lha’i bdag pos ’di skad ces smras so. Although the Tibetan text states that the following question is asked by Musulundha, the context indicates that it is asked of him by the accompanying gods.
I.e., since they are not unaffected by mental afflictions.
At this point the text lists another peaceful location that we have been unable to translate: shes bya nyi ma sten par byed pa rnams su.
Translation tentative. The Tibetan verses end abruptly and may be incomplete. Degé: yid ’chos pa ni shes par dka’/ /de bzhin min ’dod ’jig rten pa’i.
Translated based on sems khral, as appears in Stok. Degé reads sems bral.
Translated based on me, as appears in Stok. Degé reads med.
Here and below, the text plays on the meanings of dhātu/khams, which include “realm,” “disposition,” “element,” and “metal.”
Reading brjod as brjed pa.
Translated based on rgyu bar gyur na, as appears in Stok. Degé reads rgyal po rgyu bar gyur na.
Translation tentative. Degé: bal li Ni.
Translated based on gzhon pa, as appears in Stok. Degé reads bzhon pa.
Translation tentative. Degé: ring ba dang thung ba’i skyon.
Here Degé reads skyim pa lta bur. We have been unable to translate this.
The list here includes two other types of birds that we have been unable to identify: ni tA na tA and pra ban dzu Da.
Here the text includes another flower that we have been unable to identify: ni na da (Stok reads na ni da).
Translation of the first three lines in this verse is tentative. Degé: las kyi ’khrul ’khor phung po khams/ /sbyin pa mi ’gran khams gsum ’di/ /ma lus thams cad ’thung bar byed.
Here the text includes three other birds that we have been unable to identify: lun tan (Stok reads ni lun tan), ma ku la, and ha shun da.
Here the text includes a type of bird that we have been unable to identify: bi shA ba (Stok reads bI sha khA).
The text numbers this realm as the fifth, but in the presentation of the realms in the Heaven Free from Strife, this is the tenth realm.
Degé: yang dag par ldan pa. This name did not appear in the original list of the twenty-seven realms of the Heaven Free from Strife mentioned at 4.C.4. Below, however, an alternative name of this realm is listed as Endowed with Migration, which is a name that did appear in the original list. We have therefore used this name throughout this section.
Translated based on ’bar ba, as appears in Stok. Degé reads ’bab pa.
At this point the Tibetan text seems to be missing the actual explanation of the close relationship between Musulundha and Auspicious Time. This line appears to be merely the conclusion of such an explanation.
The text here names this forest the Swan Forest, but this seems to be a mistake.
Translated based on sred pa, as appears in Stok. Degé reads srid pa. This also applies to the same occurrence that follows in this sentence.
We have been unable to identify this item. Degé: ni khu sti.
We have been unable to identify this item. Degé: ni tsu la.
We have been unable to identify this instrument. Degé: sa kA sha.
Translation tentative. Degé: mthon po’i rang bzhin ’phyang mo zhon.
Instead of “other instruments,” Degé reads rnga mur ba, which is presumably a form of drum. We have been unable to identify this instrument.
Translation tentative. Degé: bcom ldan ’das lags kyis mkha’ lding la mnga’ mdzad pa’i rgyal po gshegs mdzod.
Translated based on dus, as appears in Stok. Degé reads des. Presumably, this refers to the three times of the day (morning, noon, and evening).
Earlier, this realm was named Emanation of a Hundred Light Rays.
The translation assumes chu tshang tshing, as appears in Choné, Lithang, Narthang, Yongle, and Lhasa. Degé reads chu tshag tshig.
Translated based on Stok: gang gis. Degé reads ngag gis.
Although the text here describes this as the seventh level, this divine land is the twelfth land described in the Heaven Free from Strife.
Translated based on Stok: rgyags par. Degé reads rgyas par.
This verse has only two lines in the Tibetan.
Translation tentative. Degé: thig ’debs lam gyi ’khrul ’khor yin.
Reading la as las.
Translation tentative. Degé: nor gzhis rnams glo bur du ’phel ’grib mi byed pa.
In the explanation that follows, these thirty-five points are not presented in the same order, and at times the topics are not identical either.
Translation tentative. Degé: ri dags kyi ’khor ba ’grol bar byed pa.
The translation assumes ’bral ba, as appears in Kangxi, Stok, Choné, Lithang, Narthang, Yongle, and Lhasa. Degé reads ’brel ba.
The translation assumes yul, as appears in Stok, Choné, Lithang, Narthang, and Yongle. Degé reads lus.
The translation assumes tshang bas, as appears in Kangxi and Choné. Stok, Yongle, Lithang, Narthang, and Lhasa read chad pas. Degé reads chang bas.
The translation of “with regard to the triple field of qualities, discipline, and both” is tentative. Degé: zhing rnam pa gsum po yon tan dang / tshul khrims dang / gnyi ga srid pa rnams la. .
Translated based on Stok: sa gzhi’i mchog. Degé reads sa gzhir mchog.
Translation tentative. Degé: bug rdol ’byung ba.
Translated based on Stok: ’gegs pa. Degé reads ’gebs pa.
Translation tentative. Degé: rang gi gtam rnams dag kyang rang gis rjod par byed pa.
Translation tentative. Degé: lce gzhal zhing ljags phyin pa.
Translated based on Stok: dang ’tshe ba med pa. Degé reads deng ’tshe ba med pa.
The translation assumes skyed par byed do, as appears in Kangxi, Narthang, Yongle, and Lhasa. Degé and Stok read sred par byed do.
Translation tentative. Degé reads byug ba dang ldan pa. Stok reads byung ba dang ldan pa.
The translation of “born in a flower” is tentative. Degé: snying por brjod pa las skye bar ’gyur ba.
The translation of “environment” is tentative. Degé: bsten grogs, which literally means “companion.”
The translation assumes ’jam pa, as appears in the Kangxi, Choné, Lithang, Narthang, Yongle, and Lhasa. Degé reads ’jom pa.
Translation tentative. Degé: gang ma thang yang.
The translation assumes ded pa, as appears in Stok. Kangxi, Choné, Lithang, Narthang, Yongle, and Lhasa read ’dod pa. Degé reads dod pa.
We are not sure what type of drum this is. Degé: rnga mur ba.
The translation assumes srid pa, as appears in Stok. Degé reads sred pa.
Translation tentative. Degé reads dka’ bslas kyis ’tsho bar ’gyur. Narthang, Kangxi, Lithang, Choné, and Yongle read bka’ slas kyis ’tsho bar ’gyur. Stok reads dka’ bslas kyis tshor bar ’gyur. The context favors ’tshe ba (“to harm, damage,” etc.) instead of ’tsho ba (“to support, survive,” etc.).
At this point the list includes an animal that we have been unable to identify: ser ba cag cag.
At this point the list includes an animal that we have been unable to identify: sto ma ra. Stok reads sta ma ra.
Translation of “great mountain of time” here, as well as just below, is tentative. Degé: dus kyi ri chen po.
The translation assumes rting la, as appears in Stok. Degé reads gting la.
The translation assumes nags kyi yul ’di, as appears in Stok. Degé reads nags kyi dus ’di.
According to Degé, these two (i.e., “losing influence” and “aging”) are presented as separate sufferings. However, this would make the list consist of seventeen items. We have therefore joined them here. In Stok, the suffering of losing influence is absent.
I.e., the world of one’s present life and the world that is to come after death.
Translation tentative. Degé: gzhan gyi bsam pa rjes su tshol ba.
The text literally reads ti mi ti ming ga, nakra, makara, and ri ra Sho monsters.”
The translation assumes yid, as appears in Kangxi, Choné, Lithang, Narthang, Yongle, and Lhasa. Degé reads nyid.
Tib. ming dang gzugs, “name and form,” i.e., the aggregate of form and the four nonphysical aggregates.
In the text’s presentation of these realms, the realm of Constant Bliss is actually number fourteen. In the original list of these realms presented above, it is listed as the thirteenth realm.
Translated based on Stok: yid byas la reg. Degé reads yid byas la re.
The translation of this sentence is tentative. Degé: zhe sdang gti mug rnams kyis long bar gyur ba’i ’chi bdag rnams thams cad da rtse dga’o/ de ltar de dag rnam dang de yang lhan cig tu spyod pa la yang de bzhin du yang mi rtsi’o.
The translation assumes dzam bu’i chu bo, as appears in Narthang and Lhasa. Degé and Stok read ’jam pa chu bal. Kangxi, Choné, Lithang, and Yongle: ’jam pa chu ba.
The translation assumes ’jam, as appears in Choné, Lithang, Narthang, Yongle, and Lhasa. Degé and Stok read ring.
The translation assumes ’du ba as appears in Stok, Narthang, and Lhasa. Degé reads du ba. Kangxi, Choné, Lithang, and Yongle: du ma.
The translation of “threefold deterioration” is tentative. The Tibetan versions read as follows. Degé: kAr ShA pa Na gsum. Stok: kA kShA pa na gsum. Yongle and Kangxi: kAr shA pa na gsum. We are guessing that the Sanskrit transliteration here represents the word kṣāpaṇa.
Translated based on Stok: gcig spyod pa. Degé: kha cig spyod pa.
The translation assumes thong, as appears in Choné, Lithang, Narthang, Stok, Yongle, and Lhasa. Degé reads mthong.
Translation tentative. Degé: bsten grogs rnams ni rkun ma’i bsten grogs yin no.
Translation tentative. Degé: chu zhag du ma bsgrangs ba ’ba’ zhig gi btung ba ’thung ba.
Translation tentative. Degé: rtsad ’brel.
Translated based on Stok: gyi. Degé: gyis.
Translation tentative. Degé: ’khor ba thams cad kyi ’ching bas mun pa thams cad kyi tshogs su gyur pa’i mun nag gi zhen pa’i rdul du gyur pa’i ’ching ba.
This verse has only two lines in the Tibetan.
Translation tentative. Degé: dus ’das nas byed pa’i tshig rnams ji ltar dus gzhan du.
Translation tentative. Degé: bdag nyid tshol bar byed pa’i ngag / du ma rdzes su bsngags par ’gyur.
The meaning of these two lines is not clear to us. Degé reads: de la pha dang ma med par/ /’gro zhing rjes su ’gro ba min.
Although this heading mentions twenty-two wholesome factors, only twenty-one are discussed in the text itself. See n.538.
This factor is not treated in the commentary that follows.
Translation tentative. Degé reads: kun gyis ’drul ’jug bya bar yang ’gyur.
Translated based on Stok: gcig tu. Degé: gcag tu.
Presumably the three primary tools used by mahouts for the training and handling of elephants.
The translation assumes rgyal, as appears in Kangxi, Choné, Stok, and Yongle. Degé reads rkyal.
Translation tentative. Degé: chu klung gi ngos la bcom nas sgrol ba rnams dang ma yin no.
Translated based on Stok: grogs po dang khab la sogs pa’i rlung. Degé: grog ma dang khab la sogs pa’i rlung.
Note that in the list presented at 4.C.2634 the corresponding principle appears as the fifteenth.
The translation assumes bsnyems pa’i, as appears in Stok. Degé reads gnems pa’i. Kangxi, Choné, Lithang, and Narthang read bnems pa’i. Lhasa reads gnams pa’i.
Since one of the twenty-two points listed above (“gentle speech”) is not treated in the ensuing discussion, there are only twenty-one topics.
It is unclear to us which (if any) of the twenty-seven realms in the Heaven Free from Strife (mentioned above at 4.C.4) this refers to.
Translated based on Stok: dga’ bar. Degé: dge bar.
Translated based on Lithang and Narthang: tho ’khor. Degé: then ’khor. Stok and Yongle: thon kor. Lhasa: than kor.
The translation assumes smre par byed, as appears in Choné, Lithang, Narthang, and Lhasa. Degé reads sme bar byed. Stok reads smod par byed.
The translation assumes smre par byed, as appears in Choné, Lithang, Narthang, and Lhasa. Degé reads sme bar byed. Stok reads smod par byed.
Although presented in the text as a new quality, this is clearly a continuation of quality no. 29.
Since the majority of the following verses follow a four-line structure from this point onward, we have broken this verse after only two lines.
See preceding note.
Translation tentative. Degé: shes min gang dag legs ldan pa’i/ bde ba’i skal ldan skye ’gag med. Kangxi, Choné, Lithang, Narthang, Stok, and Lhasa: shes min yang dag legs ldan pa’i/ bde ba’i skal ldan skye ’gag med.
Our translation of this verse is tentative.
We have been unable to identify this food.
Translated based on Stok: yi dags rnams. Degé: yi dags rnams sam.
Translated based on Choné, Lithang, Narthang, Yongle, and Lhasa: shin tu smre bar gyur ba. Degé and Stok: shin tu sme bar gyur ba.
Here, and throughout the remainder of the text, we have contracted what literally reads “carefully considers and attends to the body in terms of the internal body” as “carefully considers and attends to the internal body.” The same applies to the presentation of the external body. See also n.17.
Translation tentative. Tibetan: ltigs pa.
The Tibetan here says fifty-four, but proceeds to enumerate only fifty.
Translated based on Stok: ’dzin pa. Degé: ’jim pa.
Translation tentative. Degé and Stok: tshil khra. Choné and Kangxi: tshil khri.
Translation tentative. Tibetan: zas kyi gnas dang po.
Translated based on Stok: jantumandharava. Degé: jantumāndara. Lithang, Kangxi, Choné, and Yongle: jantumāttara. Narthang: jantumādhara. Note that Monier-Williams defines jantumātṛ as “a kind of worm living in the bowels.”
The text mentions another ailment that we have been unable to identify: mo dyA lang.
Translation tentative. Degé: rgyun drag tu ’byung ba.
Translated based on Stok: kha mi bde ba. Degé: ka mi bde ba.
Degé: tsun tsu ra kaH. Stok: tsun tsu ra gaH. We have not been able to find a comparable Sanskrit word.
Translated based on Stok: smin pa’i gnas. Degé: smin ma’i gnas.
Translated based on Choné, Lithang, Narthang, Yongle, and Lhasa: rtsa. Degé and Stok: rgyus pa.
Translated based on Choné, Lithang, Narthang, Stok, Yongle, and Lhasa: g.yan pa. Degé: g.yem pa.
Translated based on Kangxi and Yongle: rig par ’gyur ro. Degé and Stok: rid par ’gyur ro. Choné, Lithang, Narthang, and Lhasa: ring bar ’gyur ro.
Translated based on Kangxi, Yongle, Stok, and Lhasa: ’drud byed. Degé reads ’brud byed.
Translation tentative. Tibetan: smin ma ’dra ba yang skye bar ’gyur.
Translated based on Kangxi, Yongle, and Stok: rko glog. Degé: rko rlog.
Translation tentative. Degé: phi spi skyes pa. Stok: phi pi skyes pa.
Translated based on Stok: mnar ba byed pa. Degé: mner ba byed pa.
Translation tentative. All sources: pho tshe.
This worm is not covered in the explanations below.
Translated based on Degé and Stok: auṭhīṅgā. Choné, Lithang, Kangxi, and Yongle: auṭṭīṅgā.
Translated based on Stok: snyam par. Degé and the other witnesses: snyom par.
Translated based on Stok: lgang phug. Degé: lgang pag.
Although all editions here combine “thinker” and “enjoyer” as the name of a single species of worm, we treated them as two distinct worms in accord with the enumeration at 5.114.
The translation of ljang ngar as “hip” is speculative. Immediately below at the description of the leg-sleeping wind, this term is given as a synonym for “leg/calf” (byin pa). Given the present context, however, hip seems a more likely choice.
Translation tentative. All sources read rgyus pa’i dra bas g.yogs par yang ljang ngar gcig gi yul phyogs su byed do.
The translation of “chin” is speculative. All Tibetan sources read og sko.
Previously, this worm was called “the driller.” Here all witnesses read so su ra. Perhaps this could represent the Sanskrit sausurāda, which Monier-Williams defines as “a kind of worm.” Farther below, this worm is called “the cavity worm” (Stok: rlubs can, Degé: slubs can).
Translated based on Kangxi, Yongle, Stok, and Lhasa: ’drud byed. Degé: ’brud byed.
Translated based on Stok: ’tsho ba. Degé: tsho ba.
Translation tentative. All witnesses read kreng tor.
Translation tentative. All witnesses read kha mngar po.
The translation assumes lha ba, as appears in Kangxi, Choné, Yongle, and Stok. Degé reads lta ba.
Translated based on Stok and Lhasa: mar gsar. Degé: mar sar.
It seems there is a mistake in the text, as it should be the tooth-extractor wind that is described here. The upward-moving wind is taken up below.
Just above, this wind was only called “the downward-moving wind.”
Translation tentative. All witnesses read shu shu ’u ba.
Translated based on Stok: glan. Degé: rlan.
Translated based on Stok: gis. Degé: gi.
Although all editions here combine “thinker” and “enjoyer” as the name of a single species of worm (kun du rtogs pas dga’ ba’i srin) we have treated them as two distinct worms in accord with the enumeration at 5.114.
Translated based on Kangxi, Choné, Narthang, Yongle, and Lhasa: rku bar byed. Degé and Stok: ku bar byed.
Translation tentative, based on Kangxi, Choné, Narthang, Yongle, and Lhasa: rku bar byed. Degé and Stok: ku bar byed.
Translation tentative. Degé: so so ba rnams legs par rab tu shes par byed pa dang / kun tu mdzes pa dang / tshor ba rnams dang / so so bar gyur pa’i chos rnams kyang rab tu shes par byed do.
This “second age” refers to the age of threefold endowment. The Degé reads gnyis ldan gyi dus: typically this is the name of the third “age of twofold endowment,” however in this context the source seems to apply gnyis ldan as an ordinal number rather than the name of the age.
This “third age” refers to the age of twofold endowment. The Degé reads gsum ldan gyi dus: typically this is the name of the second “age of threefold endowment,” however in this context the source seems to apply gsum ldan as an ordinal number rather than the name of the age.
Translated based on Stok: tūrṇaka. Degé: sūrnaka.
Translated based on Kangxi, Choné, Lithang, Narthang, Stok, Yongle, and Lhasa: btab pa. Degé: btag pa.
The text only reads “five leagues.” We have added “thousand” as it seems to fit the context better.
Translated based on Kangxi, Stok, Yongle, and Lhasa: mdza’ ba ma yin pa. Degé: dza’ ba ma yin pa.
Farther down (5.296) the text describes this mountain as being 84,000 leagues high, which is the standard number for the height of Mount Sumeru.
Saṅkāśa means “to appear in sight.”
Translation tentative. Degé: ’dzam bu gling na gnas pa gang yin pa chos kyi dus na ’chi ’phos par gyur pa de la ngang pa’i rgyal por’gyur te/ de de la rab tu gnas par byed pa yin no//.
The list only includes fourteen ponds.
Only twenty-eight classes are listed.
Only nineteen species are enumerated.
Twenty-two species appear to be listed.
It is not clear what “the second” refers to. Perhaps it could be Garland Abode, which was not described previously. However, Garland Abode was listed as the third of the five areas.
Translation tentative. All witnesses read me tog gin ye bar len pa.
Translation tentative. All witnesses read rno ba’i me tog rnams.
Translated based on Stok: rgya. Degé: brgya.
Translated based on Choné, Lhasa, Lithang, Narthang, Kangxi, Yongle, and Stok: tsva ldum. Degé: tsva rdum.
The Tibetan literally reads, “There is not even as much as a hole made by a needle (khab kyis phug pa tsam yang med do).”
This name is a tentative rendering of the Tibetan ba len+d+ra.
This name is a tentative rendering of the Tibetan ne bai pA la. According to the Tibetan colophon this person is said to have founded Jagaddala Monastery, an act normally linked to King Rāmapāla, whose reign also coincides with the time of composition of this colophon.
Buchikpa means “only child.”
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