The Sūtra on Impermanence (2)
Toh 310
Degé Kangyur, vol. 72 (mdo sde, sa), folios 155.b.5–157.a.5
Imprint
Translated by Charles DiSimone and Jin Kyoung Choi
under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha
First published 2023
Current version v 1.1.11 (2024)
Generated by 84000 Reading Room v2.25.1
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Table of Contents
Summary
The Sūtra on Impermanence (Anityatāsūtra) is a short discourse on the impermanence of conditioned states. The Buddha explains that it does not matter what one’s social status is, whether one is born in a heaven, or even if one has realized awakening and is an arhat, a pratyekabuddha, or a buddha. All that lives will eventually die. He concludes with a series of verses on impermanence exhorting the audience to understand that happiness is to bring conditioned states to rest.
Acknowledgements
This translation was produced by Charles DiSimone and Jin Kyoung Choi. DiSimone translated the text into English from Tibetan and Sanskrit, created the Sanskrit critical edition, and prepared the introduction. Choi checked and revised the translation, critical edition, and introduction. DiSimone and Choi produced the glossary. We wish to thank the Royal Asiatic Society of London for kindly providing high-quality scans of the RAS Anityatāsūtra manuscript witness and Dr. Miroj Shakya of the University of the West for kindly providing high-quality scans of the PDP Anityatāsūtra manuscript witnesses. Both of these were of immense importance in the creation of the critical edition.
The translation was completed under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.
Introduction
In the span of a human life, it can sometimes feel as if we have all the time in the world. As time goes by and one day bleeds into the next, the months and years pass away. Grave concerns over the inherent dis-ease of existence are put out of mind as more pressing matters arise and we become concerned with what appear to be more immediate goals. The Sūtra on Impermanence (Anityatāsūtra) is a discourse that steers the listener or reader away from such notions.
The Sūtra on Impermanence is a short work, which may be separated into fifteen sections. It begins with the very brief opening half of its narrative frame 1.1. This opening frame gives little information apart from indicating that the Buddha was staying at the Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍada’s Park, in Śrāvastī. There is no interlocutor. The Buddha addresses the monks in his presence by declaring that all conditioned states are impermanent and therefore should be rejected 1.2, noting that “life indeed concludes with death, has its limit in death, for there is nothing that is born that will not die,” the refrain of the sūtra 1.3. He then goes on to present various examples of types of beings, starting with wealthy people of high social status who, despite their status, will ultimately die 1.4. He continues with further examples of beings ascending in importance: kings 1.5, sages 1.6, gods in the realm of desire 1.7, gods in the form realm 1.8, and gods in the formless realm 1.9. All such beings will die. Moving beyond this general hierarchy within Buddhist cosmology, the Buddha continues to the three vehicles and declares that even those who have realized awakening and are free from further births, that is, arhats 1.10, pratyekabuddhas 1.11, and buddhas 1.12, have bodies that will eventually come to an end. The Buddha then reiterates his refrain that there is nothing that is born that will not die, using a simile of clay pots that are created and eventually destroyed 1.13. Following this, the Buddha recites a series of verses on the transitory nature of life designed to inspire one to soteriological pursuits 1.14.1 The sūtra ends with the concluding half of the narrative frame, which is even more brief than the opening half, stating the delight of those who heard the Buddha’s discourse 1.15.
A number of Sanskrit witnesses of The Sūtra on Impermanence survive. These extant manuscripts might be classified into at least two separate transmissions. The first is what we may call the “Potala Transmission,” which consists of two Indic manuscripts copied in Dhārikā script. These were both collected into the Sanskrit manuscript library at the Potala Palace in Lhasa and are still housed there to this day. While these two manuscripts are unavailable for inspection, photostats have been made that are held by the China Tibetology Research Center (CTRC) in Beijing.2 To call this a transmission itself is somewhat debatable. The two manuscripts, while sharing the same script, were copied by different hands and often show divergences from one another. However, they do share similarities that are not seen in the other witnesses, which suggests the possibility of a shared transmission. Nonetheless, it is unclear when each manuscript came into the possession of the Potala or from where they were produced. Additionally, because of the extensive use of the Dhārikā script over a number of centuries, it is not possible to provide a satisfactory estimate for the dates of these two manuscripts. Both witnesses appear as component works in larger multitext sūtra manuscripts, but the exact nature of these two distinct multitext manuscripts remains unclear. They are without known titles and are not known to have circulated in South Asia or beyond, apart from the witnesses within the Potala Palace Collection.
The second extant transmission of The Sūtra on Impermanence may be referred to as the “Nepalese Transmission.” This transmission consists of a number of manuscripts that have been uncovered in collections throughout the Kathmandu Valley and are now spread throughout collections in Nepal, Europe, and Japan. There are seven individual witnesses known to scholars: two witnesses in the National Archives of Nepal,3 one witness in a private collection in Lalitpur (Patan) in Nepal,4 one witness in the collection of the Société Asiatique in Paris,5 one witness in the collection of the Royal Asiatic Society in London,6 one witness in the collection of the Tōyō Bunko in Tokyo,7 and one witness in the collection of the Tokyo University Library.8 All of the known manuscript witnesses of The Sūtra on Impermanence in the Nepalese Transmission are rather late, dating from the eighteenth to the nineteenth century ᴄᴇ. All of the manuscripts we have examined were copied in variations of the so-called Nepalese akṣaras (Newari script, Pracalit, etc.) and this is doubtlessly also the case for the manuscripts that have not been checked. Without fail, each witness within the Nepalese Transmission is found as a component work within larger Dhāraṇīsaṃgraha manuscripts. The classification of The Sūtra on Impermanence as a component work of the Dhāraṇīsaṃgraha appears to have been a Nepalese innovation, as the earlier Sanskrit witnesses from the Potala Transmission and the Tibetan and Chinese translations do not classify the sūtra as having any association with dhāraṇī. It may be that the repetition of the sūtra’s refrain or the verses were the factors that caused this text to be associated with dhāraṇī collections. However, it is perhaps more likely that The Sūtra on Impermanence became associated with the Dhāraṇīsaṃgraha due in part to its short length. Dhāraṇīsaṃgraha collections are made up of shorter texts, and short sūtras are included as well as dhāraṇī texts. It should be noted that while The Sūtra on Impermanence only appears as a component work within Dhāraṇīsaṃgraha manuscripts, it is not included in all Dhāraṇīsaṃgraha manuscripts, the traditional contents of which appear to have been somewhat fluid.9 Of particular note within the Nepalese Transmission are the witnesses from the Royal Asiatic Society (RAS) and the Tokyo University Library (TUL). It is certain that these two manuscripts were produced by the same scribal tradition. The TUL witness was either copied from the RAS witness or, probably more likely, was copied from an intermediate witness that is no longer extant.10
The translation of The Sūtra on Impermanence within the Degé Kangyur contains only a very brief colophon mirroring the Sanskrit colophon. The colophon simply states that the sūtra has ended, providing no details on the translation.11 This brief colophon is seen in the majority of witnesses to The Sūtra on Impermanence within the Tibetan Kangyurs. However, there are three witnesses with expanded colophons: two witnesses in the Langdo (lang mdo) collection and one in the Namgyal Kangyur.12 These colophons state that The Sūtra on Impermanence was translated by the team of Kamalagupta (tenth–eleventh century) and Rinchen Sangpo (958–1055), who were frequent collaborators. Kamalagupta, a Kashmiri paṇḍita, was an immigrant to Tibet, and Rinchen Sangpo was a native Tibetan translator. This places the date of the translation within the tenth and eleventh centuries in the beginning of the second transmission of Tibetan translations. Beyond these colophons there are no major variations among the Tibetan versions of The Sūtra on Impermanence within the various Kangyurs. The Sūtra on Impermanence is always included in the General Sūtra Section in all Kangyurs. There is another work titled The Sūtra on Impermanence (1) (Anityatāsūtra),13 Toh 309, appearing directly before Toh 310, the sūtra translated here. While these two works share a title and theme, their content differs, and they are each unique works. It should be noted, however, that the opening and concluding narrative frame of Toh 309 is nearly the same as that of Toh 310. This may suggest that the two works developed in connection with one another and are possibly parallels of the same work from different Buddhist textual traditions.
There is one Chinese translation by Fatian 法天 (aka Dharmadeva), Foshuo zhuxing youwei jing 佛說諸行有為經, completed in 984 ᴄᴇ and found in the Collected Sūtras (Jingji bu 經集部) section of the Taishō Tripiṭaka. The content of this Chinese translation generally agrees with that of the Sanskrit and Tibetan. However, as is so often the case with Chinese translations, sections are sometimes abbreviated and blurred together.
There are no direct Pali equivalents to The Sūtra on Impermanence. There are multiple works with the same name, Aniccasutta, found in the Saṃyuttanikāya, but none of these are directly related to the sūtra translated here. While there are no direct equivalents in the Pali canon, there are multiple instances of passages and phrases that directly parallel the content of The Sūtra on Impermanence, often but not always in the Saṃyuttanikāya.14
There are also a number of parallel passages to be found within surviving Sanskrit Buddhist works beyond the verses shared with the Udānavarga, which themselves appear across a spectrum of texts.15 That the present sūtra is not found in Pali, but that its modular pieces may be found in Pali works, may be telling. This, taken with the fact that the Chinese translation is rather late and is in the Collected Sūtras section of the Taishō, not associated with any āgama, may suggest that The Sūtra on Impermanence belongs to an āgama that was not translated in its entirety into Chinese. This would possibly also suggest a (Mūla-)Sarvāstivāda āgama affiliation for this work. This may be bolstered, too, by the fact that Kamalagupta, the primary translator of the work into Tibetan, was from Kashmir, where the Mūlasarvāstivāda tradition would have been dominant during his lifetime. Another source pointing toward a (Mūla-)Sarvāstivāda affiliation is the inclusion of the verses found in the Udānavarga, which was likely a Sarvāstivāda work.16 Nonetheless, we should not conclude any doctrinal affiliation with certainty. It is also possible, although less plausible, that this work was translated later because it was composed later and was not included in any āgama/nikāya collection.
The primary source texts used for this English translation were the Tibetan translation in the Degé Kangyur and a critical edition of the Sanskrit created from the witnesses of the Royal Asiatic Society, Tokyo University Library, and private collection of Mr. Padmajyoti Dhakhwa of Patan. The Tibetan of the Degé and the Sanskrit are generally consistent but differences between the two are noted when encountered. While there are no major differences between the Tibetan and Sanskrit, when differing readings are noted, translations of more substantial differences are provided in the notes.17 There is some disagreement found between the Tibetan and the Sanskrit on the number of verses at the end of the sūtra, with two recorded in the Degé and four in the Sanskrit, sharing one verse between them. All verses from both the Tibetan and Sanskrit are translated, totaling five verses.
The Sanskrit edition was created for this translation and may be found in the appendices. In addition to the RAS, TUL, and PDP manuscripts that make up the edition, variant readings from the first of the two CTRC manuscripts are also always noted. The edition follows the general orthography of the three Sanskrit manuscript witnesses. Therefore, some variations in the spelling of words are not emended to conform to classical Sanskrit standards. For example, gemination is always reported. Sandhi is not always standardized because the formations used would not have been considered incorrect when the manuscripts were copied, and they can provide important information about inherent punctuation of statements.
In addition to the Degé and Sanskrit critical edition, multiple Kangyurs were consulted. The Degé was checked throughout against the Peking Kangyur with substantial variants, which do not occur often, noted when present. The Choné and Stok Palace versions of the Tibetan were also consulted. The Chinese translation was also consulted throughout. Variants between the Chinese and the Tibetan and Sanskrit are occasionally noted. Instances where something appears in the Tibetan but not the Sanskrit and/or Chinese are always noted.
Text Body
The Translation
[F.155.b] [RAS.60.a2] [TUL.46.a3] [PDP.222.b9]
Thus did I hear at one time. The Blessed One was staying in Śrāvastī, in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍada’s Park, along with a great community of monks numbering 1,250.19
Then, the Blessed One addressed those monks: “Monks, all conditioned states are impermanent, uncertain, unreliable, subject to change. This being the case, monks, one should become disgusted with, indifferent to, not fixated upon,20 and liberated from all conditioned states.21
“For all beings, all spirits, and all that draw breath, life indeed concludes with death, has its limit in death, [F.156.a] for there is nothing [PDP.223.a] that is born that will not die.
“Monks,22 those wealthy householder families, wealthy brahmin families, and wealthy warrior families who are of great wealth, of great affluence, having an abundance of jewels, rubies, pearls, beryl, conch shells, crystal, coral, [RAS.60.b] gold, silver, and luxuries; owning an abundance of treasuries and storerooms of money and grain; [TUL.46.b] having an abundance of male slaves, female slaves, servants,23 and laborers; and having an abundance of friends, counselors,24 relations, and relatives—even for them life concludes with death, has its limit in death, for there is nothing that is born that will not die.25
“Monks,26 those consecrated kings and warriors, who have obtained strength27 and power through sovereignty over the people, who dwell having conquered the great circumference of the Earth—even for them life concludes with death, has its limit in death, for there is nothing that is born that will not die.
“Monks,28 those sages who are forest hermits, whose livelihood consists of fallen fruit,29 who eat fallen fruit, who are nourished by fallen fruit—even for them life concludes with death, has its limit in death, for there is nothing that is born that will not die.30
“Monks,31 those gods of the realm of desire32—the gods of the Heaven of the Four Great Kings, the gods of the Heaven of the Thirty-Three, the gods of Yāma Heaven, the gods of Tuṣita Heaven, the gods of the Heaven of Delightful Emanations, and the gods of the Heaven of Control of Enjoyments Created by Others—even for them life concludes with death, has its limit in death, for there is nothing that is born that will not die.
“Monks,33 those gods of the form realm34—those who have obtained the first dhyāna, that is, those who attend Brahmā, those stationed before Brahmā, those in the assembly of Brahmā,35 and those Great Brahmā gods; [RAS.61.a] those who have obtained the second dhyāna, that is, those of limited radiance, [F.156.b] those of immeasurable radiance, and those who are radiant ones; those who have obtained the third dhyāna, that is, those of limited splendor, those of immeasurable splendor, and those of complete splendor; those who have obtained the fourth dhyāna, that is, those who are unclouded, those with abundant merit, those with great fruition, and those who have a nature that is free from perception; and those gods36 [of the Pure Abodes (śuddhāvāsa)], that is, those who are relatively not great, those without trouble, those of excellent appearance, those of excellent observation,37 and those who are highest—even for them [TUL.47.a] life concludes with death, has its limit in death, for there is nothing that is born that will not die.38
“Monks,39 those gods of the formless realm40—those gods belonging to the sphere of the infinity of space, those belonging to the sphere of the infinity of consciousness, those belonging to the sphere of nothingness, those belonging to the sphere of neither perception nor nonperception; even for them life concludes with death, has its limit in death, for there is nothing that is born that will not die. These are the three worlds.41
“Monks,42 those arhats, whose negative influences have been exhausted, who have fulfilled their duty, who have done what is to be done, who have laid aside their burdens, who have reached their own goals, those for whom the fetters of existence have been exhausted, whose minds have been completely liberated by proper, highest knowledge, those who have obtained the excellent perfection consisting of complete mastery of thought—even for them their pleasing43 bodies are subject to being given up.44
“Monks,45 those pratyekabuddhas living alone like a rhinoceros, who live in crowds,46 who master themselves alone, who pacify themselves alone, who enter parinirvāṇa themselves alone—even for them their pleasing47 bodies are subject to being given up. [RAS.61.b]
“Monks,48 those tathāgatas, [F.157.a] arhats, complete and perfect buddhas, mighty with the ten powers, worthy of admiration, roaring a true lion’s roar, confident in the four confidences—confidence in ascending dharmas, confidence in all their teaching, confidence in comprehending the path to nirvāṇa, and confidence in their effort for the knowledge of exhausting negative influences49—their bodies strong-limbed and firm like Nārāyaṇa—even for them their pleasing50 bodies are subject to being given up.51
“Monks, just as pots made by potters, [PDP.223.b] whether unfired or fired, are destroyed, conclude in destruction,52 it is exactly so, monks, for all beings, all spirits, and all that draw breath—[TUL.47.b] life indeed concludes with death, has its limit in death, for there is nothing that is born that will not die.”
So said the Blessed One. After the Sugata said this, the Teacher spoke further:
So said the Blessed One. The assembly was delighted, and those monks rejoiced at the speech of the Blessed One.58
Here ends the noble “Sūtra on Impermanence.”
Sanskrit Texts
Appendix A
[RAS60a2] [TUL46a3] [PDP222b9] || [PDP222b10] oṃ namaḥ sarvajñā[RAS60a3]ya ||
1.1 evam mayā [TUL46a4] śrutam; ekasmin59 samaye60 bhagavān61 śrāvastyāṃ viharati sma ||62 jetavane ’nāthapiṇḍa‹da›syārāme63 mahatā bhikṣusaṃghena sārddhan64 ‹ardha›trayodaśabhir65 bhikṣuśataiḥ ||66
1.2 tatra khalu bha[RAS60a4]gavān bhikṣūn67 āmantrayate [TUL46a5] sma ||68 anityā69 bhikṣavaḥ sarva[PDP222b11]saṃskārā70 adhruvā anāśvāsikā71 vipariṇāmadharmānaḥ72 ||73 yad74 yāvad bhikṣavaḥ sarvebhyaḥ75 saṃskārebhyo76 ’laṃ nirve[RAS60a5]tum77 alaṃ viraktum78 alaṃ79 vimoktuṃ ||80
1.3 sarveṣām satvā[TUL46a6]nāṃ sarveṣāṃ bhūtānāṃ sarveṣāṃ81 prāṇinām82 āmaraṇāntaṃ83 hi jīvita‹ṃ›84 maraṇaparyavasānaṃ nāsti [PDP223a1] jātasyāmaraṇaṃ85 ||86
1.487 ye ‹’›pi88 te bhikṣa[RAS60a6]vo89 gṛhapati{yo}mahāsālakulā90 brāhmaṇamahāsāla[TUL46a7]kulā‹ḥ›91 kṣatriyamahāsālakulā92 āḍhyā{ṃ}93 mahādhanā94 mahābhogāḥ prabhūtamaṇimānikya95muktāvaiḍūryyaśaṃkhaśilāpravā[RAS60b1]lajātarūparajatavittopakaraṇāḥ96 [PDP223a2] prabhūtadhanadhānyakośakoṣṭhā[TUL46b1]gārasaṃnicayāḥ97 prabhūtadāsīdāsakarmakarapauruṣeyāḥ98 prabhūtamitrāmātyajñātisālohitās;99 te[RAS60b2]ṣām api maraṇāntaṃ100 jīvitaṃ maraṇaparyavasānaṃ101 nāsti jātasyāmaraṇaṃ ||102
1.5103 ye ‹’›pi te [TUL46b2] bhikṣavaḥ rājānaḥ kṣatriyāś ca [PDP223a3] mūrddhābhiṣiktā104 jānapadaiśvaryasthāmavīryam105 anuprāptā ma[RASA60b3]hāntaṃ pṛthvīmaṇḍalam abhinirjityāvasanti ‹|› teṣām api maraṇāntaṃ hi jīvitaṃ maraṇaparyava[TUL46b3]sānaṃ106 nāsti jātasyāmaraṇaṃ ||107
1.6108 ye ’pi te bhikṣava109 ṛṣayo vānaprasthāḥ110 pramu[RAS60b4]ktaphalāhārā[PDP223a4]ḥ pramuktaphalabhojinaḥ111 pramuktaphalena yāpa‹ya›nti112 ‹|› teṣām api maraṇāntaṃ hi jīvitaṃ113 maraṇaparya[TUL46b4]vasānaṃ114 nāsti jātasyāmaraṇaṃ ||115
1.7 ye ’pi te bhikṣavaḥ116 kā[RAS60b5]māvacarā devāś cāturmahārājikā117 devās trayastriṃśā118 devā119 yāmā120 devās121 tuṣitā devā122 [PDP223a5] nirmāṇaratayo123 devāḥ124 paranirmitava[TUL46b5]śavarttino devās; teṣām api maraṇāntaṃ hi jī[RAS60b6]vita‹ṃ›125 maraṇaparyavasānaṃ126 nāsti jātasyāmaraṇaṃ ||127
1.8 ye ‹’›pi te bhikṣavo128 rūpiṇo129 devāḥ prathamadhyānalābhino130 brahmakāyikā131 brahmapurohi[TUL46b6]tā brahmapārṣadyā132 [PDP223a6] mahābrahmā[RAS61a1]ṇaḥ133 ‹|› dvitīyadhyānalābhinaḥ134 parīttā{śu}bhā135 apramāṇā{śu}bhā136 ābhāsvarās;137 tṛtīyadhyānalābhinaḥ138 parīttaśubhā139 apramāṇaśubhāḥ140 [TUL46b7] śubhakṛtsnā‹ś›;141 caturthadhyānalābhino142 ’nabhrakāḥ143 pu[RAS61a2]ṇyaprasavā bṛhatphalā144 asaṃjñisatvā145 abṛhā atapāḥ [PDP223a7] sudṛśāḥ146 sudarśanā147 akaniṣṭhāś ca148 devās; teṣām api [TUL47a1] maraṇāntaṃ hi jīvitaṃ maraṇaparyavasānaṃ149 nāsti jātasyāma[RAS61a3]raṇaṃ ||150
1.9 ye ‹’›pi te bhikṣavo151 ’rūpiṇo152 devā ākāśānantyāyatanopagā153 vijñānānantyāyatanopagā154 ākiñcanyāya[PDP223a8]tanopagā155 [TUL47a2] naivasaṃjñānāsaṃjñāyatanopagāś156 ca157 devāś158 ca159 ‹|› [RAS61a4] teṣām api maraṇāntaṃ160 hi jīvitaṃ161 maraṇaparyavasānaṃ nāsti jātasyāmaraṇaṃ ||162 traidhātukam idaṃ163 ||164
1.10 ye ’pi te bhikṣavo165 ’rhantaḥ kṣīṇāśravā166 [TUL47a3] kṛtakṛtyāḥ kṛtakaraṇīyā167 apahṛ[RAS61a5]tabhārā168 [PDP223a9] anuprāptasvakārthāḥ169 parikṣīṇabhavasaṃyojanāḥ170 samyagājñāsuvimuktacittāḥ171 sarvacetovaśiparamapāramitāprāptās;172 teṣām api173 kāyā174 [TUL47a4] nikṣepaṇadharmāḥ175 ||176
1.11 [RAS61a6] ye ‹’›pi te bhikṣavaḥ pratyekabuddhāḥ177 khaḍgaviṣāṇakalpā ekam ātmāna‹ṃ›178 damayanti179 [PDP223a10] ekam ātmānaṃ180 śamayanti181 ekam ātmānaṃ parinirvāpayanti182 ‹|› teṣām apy ayaṃ kāyo183 nikṣe[TUL47a5]paṇa[RAS61b1]dharmaḥ184 ||185
1.12 ye ‹’›pi te bhikṣavas186 tathāgatā arhantaḥ samyaksaṃbuddhā187 daśabalabalinaḥ188 udārārṣabhāḥ189 samyaksiṃhanādanādinaś190 caturvaiśāradya‹viśaradā›191 dharmā[PDP223a11]rohaṇavaiśāradyaṃ192 |193 sarva[TUL47a6]dharma[RAS61b2]deśanāvaiśāradyaṃ194 |195 nirvāṇamārgāvatāraṇavaiśāradyaṃ196 |197 āśravajñānaprahāṇavaiśāradyaṃ198 |199 {viśadā}dṛḍhanārāyaṇasaṃhatakāyās;200 teṣām apy ayam kāyo201 nikṣepaṇadharmaḥ202 ||203
1.13 tadya[TUL47a7]thāpi [RAS61b3] nāma bhikṣavaḥ kumbhakāra[PDP223b1]kṛtāni204 bhāṇḍāni205 āmāni206 vā pakvāni207 vā208 bhedanaparyantāni209 bhedanaparyavasānāny;210 evam211 eva bhikṣavaḥ sarveṣāṃ satvānāṃ sarveṣāṃ bhūtānāṃ sarveṣāṃ212 prā[RAS61b4]ṇi[TUL47b1]nāṃ213 maraṇāntaṃ214 hi215 jīvitaṃ maraṇaparyavasānaṃ nāsti jātasyāmaraṇaṃ216 ||
yathā hi227 kumbhakāreṇa mṛttikābhājanaṃ228 kṛtaṃ229 |230
sarvam231 bhedanaparyantaṃ satvānāṃ232 jīvitaṃ233 tathā234 ||235
[PDP223b3] yathā [RAS61b6] phalānāṃ pakvānāṃ236 śaśvat237 patanato bha[TUL47b3]yaṃ238 |239
tathā240 saṃskārajāḥ241 satvānāṃ242 nityaṃ243 maraṇato bhayaṃ244 ||245
sarve kṣayāntā246 nicayāḥ247 patanāntā‹ḥ›248 samucchrayāḥ |249
saṃyogāś ca viyogāntā250 ma[RAS62a1]raṇāntaṃ hi jīvitaṃ ||251
Appendix B
Anityatāsūtra. Manuscript witness held in the collection of the Royal Asiatic Society, London: Hodgson Collection, Ms. no. 55 (H. 147), folios 60a2–62a1. Yellow paper, 240 leaves, 6 lines, 39.0 x 10.5 cm, Nepalese akṣaras, dated 1791 ᴄᴇ.
60a2
2 || oṃ namaḥ sarvajñā
3 ya || evam mayā śrutam ekasmi samaye bhagavāṃ śrāvastyāṃ viharati sma jetavane ’nāthapiṇḍasyārāme mahatā bhikṣusaṃghena sārddha trayodaśabhir bhikṣuśataiḥ tatra khalu bha
4 gavān bhikṣūn āmantrayate sma || anitā bhikṣavaḥ sarvasaskārā adhruvā anāsvāsikā viparināmadharmānaḥ || yad yāvad bhikṣavaḥ sarvvebhyaḥ saṃskārebhyo ’laṃ nirva=
5 tum alaṃ viraktam alam vimoktuṃ | sarveṣām satvānāṃ sarveṣāṃ bhūtānāṃ sarveṣāṃ prāṇinām āmaranāntaṃ hi jivita maraṇaparyavasānaṃ nāsti jātasyāmaraṇaṃ ra ye pi te bhikṣa
6 vo gṛhapatayo mahāsālakulā brāhmaṇamahāsālakulā kṣatriyo mahāsākulā āsāṃ mahādhanā mahābhogāḥ prabhūtamaṇimā niṣkamuktāvaiḍūryyaśaṃkhaśilāpravā=
60b
1 lajātarūparajatavittopakaraṇāḥ prabhūtadhanadhānyakoṣṭhakoṣṭhāgārasaṃnicayāḥ prabhūtadāsidāsakarmakarapauraṣeyāḥ prabhūtamitrāmātyajñātisārohitās te
2 ṣām api maraṇāntaṃ jīvitaṃ maraṇaparyavasānaṃ nāsti jātasyāmaraṇaṃ | ye pi te bhikṣavaḥ rājānaḥ kṣatriyāś ca mūrddhnābhiṣiktā jānapadaiśvaryāsthāmavīryam anuprāptā ma
3 hāntaṃ pṛthvīmaṇḍalam abhinirjityāvasanti teṣām api maraṇāntaṃ hi jīvitaṃ maraṇaparyavasānaṃ nāsti jātasyāmaraṇaṃ | ye ’pi te bhikṣava ṛṣayo vānaprasthāḥ pramu=
4 ktaphalāhārāḥ pramuktaphalabhojinaḥ pramuktaphalena yāpanti teṣām api maraṇāntaṃ hi jivitaṃ maraṇaparyavaṃsānaṃ nāsti jātasyāmaraṇaṃ | ye ’pi te bhikṣavaḥ kā
5 māvacarā devāś cātumahārājikā devās trayatriṃsā devā yāmā devās tuṣitā devā nirmānaratayo devāḥ paranirmitavaśavarttino devās teṣām api maraṇāntaṃ hi jī
6 vita maraṇaparyavasānaṃ nāsti jātasyāmaraṇaṃ | ye pi te bhikṣavo rūpino devāḥ prathamadhyānalābhino brahmakāyikā brahmapurohitā brahmapārṣadyā mahābrahmā{{dvi}}
61a
1 ṇā dvitīyadhyānalābhināḥ paritaśubhā apramānaśubhā ābhāsvarās tṛtīyadhyānalābhinaḥ paritaśubhā apramānaśubhāḥ śubhakṛtsnā caturdhyānalābhino ’nabhrakāḥ pu=
2 ṇyaprasavā bṛhatphalā asaśisatvābṛhā atapāḥ sudarśāḥ sudarśaṇā akaniṣṭāś ca devās teṣām api maraṇāntaṃ hi jīvitaṃ maraṇaparyavasānaṃ nāsti jātasyāma=
3 raṇaṃ | ye pi te bhikṣavo ’rūpino devā ākāśānaṃtyāyatanopagā vijñānānaṃtyāyatanopagā ākiṃcityāyatanopagā naivasaṃjñānāsaṃjñāyatanopagāś ca devāś ca
4 teṣām api maraṇāntaṃ hi jīvitaṃ maraṇaparyavasānaṃ nāsti jātasyāmaraṇaṃ | traidhātukam idaṃ || ye pi te bhikṣavo ’rhantaḥ kṣīṇāśravā kṛtakṛtyāḥ kṛtakaraṇīyā apahṛ
5 tabhārā ānuprā‹‹pta››svakārthāḥ parikṣīṇabhavasaṃyojanāḥ samyagājñāsuvimuktacittāḥ sarvacetovasiparamapāramitāprāptās teṣāṃ api kāyā nikṣepanadharmāḥ |
6 ye pi te bhikṣavaḥ pratyakakabuddhāḥ khaḍgaviṣāṇakalpā ekam ātmāna damanti ekam ātmānaṃ samayanti ekam ātmānaṃ parinivāpayanti teṣāṃ apy ayaṃ kāyo nikṣepaṇa
61b
1 dharmaḥ | ye pi te bhikṣavas tathāgatā arhantaḥ samyaksambuddhā daśabalabalinaḥ udārārṣabhāḥ samyaksiṃhanādanādinaś catuvaiśāradya dharmārohaṇāvaiśāradyaṃ | sarvadharma
2 deśanāvaiśāradyaṃ | nirvāṇamārgavatāraṇavaiśāradyaṃ | āśravajñānaprahāṇavaiśāradyaṃ | viśadādṛḍhanārāyanasaṃhatakāyāś teṣāṃ apy ayaṃ kāyo nikṣepanadharmaḥ | tadyathāpi
3 nāma bhikṣavaḥ kumbhākārakṛtāni bhāṇḍā āmāni vā pakkāni vā bhedanaparyyantāni bhedanaparyavaśāny evam eva bhikṣavaḥ sarveṣāṃ satvānāṃ sarveṣāṃ bhūtāṇāṃ sarveṣāṃ prā=
4 ṇināṃ maraṇāntaṃ hi jīvitaṃ maraṇaparyavasānaṃ nāsti jātasyāmaraṇaṃ || idam avocad bhagavān idam uktyo sugato hy athāparā ’vāca śāstā || anityā bata saṃskārā u
5 tpādavyayadhārminaḥ | utpadya hi nirūdhyante teṣāṃ vyupasamaḥ sukhaṃ || yathā hi kumbhakāreṇa mṛttikābhājanaṃ kṛtaṃ | sarvam bhedanapartantaṃ satvānāṃ jivitaṃ tathā || yathā =
6 phalānāṃ pakkānāṃ śaśva‹‹taṃ›› patanato bhayaṃ | tathā saskārājāḥ satvā‹‹nāṃ›› nityaṃ maraṇato bhāyaṃ || sarvve kṣayāntā nicayāḥ patanāntā samucchrayāḥ | saṃyogāś ca viyogāntā ma
62a
1 raṇāntaṃ hi jīvitaṃ || || idam avocad bhagavānn ātamanās te ca bhikṣavas te ca parṣado bhgavato bhāṣitam abhyanandan ity āryānityatāsūtraṃ samāptaṃ || ○ || ※ ||
Appendix C
Anityatāsūtra. Manuscript witness held in the collection of the Tokyo University Library, Tokyo. Kawaguchu and Takakusu Collection, Ms. 416 No. 8, folios 46a3–47b4. White paper, 117 leaves, 7 lines, 38.4 x 10.6 cm, Nepalese akṣaras, undated (~nineteenth century).
46a
3 || oṃ namaḥ sarvajñāya || evam mayā
4 śrutam, ekasmin samaya bhagavān* śrāvastyāṃ viharati sma | jetavane nāthapiṇḍasyārāme mahatā bhikṣusaṃghena sārddhan* trayodaśabhir bhikṣuśataiḥ tatra khalu bhagavān* bhikṣūnām āmantrayate
5 sma | anitā bhikṣavaḥ sarvasaṃskārā adhruvā anāsvāsikā vipariṇāmadharmānaḥ | yad yāvad bhikṣavaḥ sarvebhyaḥ saṃskārebhya laṃ nirvatum alaṃ viraktam alaṃ vimoktuṃ | sarveṣām satvā
6 nāṃ sarveṣāṃ bhūtānāṃ sarveṣāṃ prāṇinām āmaraṇanāṃtaṃ hi jīvita maraṇaparyavasānaṃ nāsti tasyāmaraṇaṃ ra ye pi te bhikṣavo gṛhapatayo mahāsālakulā brāhmaṇamahāsāla
7 kulā kṣatriyo mahāsālakulā āsāṃ mahādhanā mahābhogāḥ prabhūtamaṇimā niṣkamuktāvaiḍūryyaśaṃkhasilāpravālajātavittopakaraṇāḥ prabhūtadhanadhānyakoṣṭhakoṣṭhāṃ
46b
1 gārasanniccayāḥ prabhūtadāsidāsakarmakarapauraṣeyāḥ prabhūtamitrāmātyajñātisālohitās teṣām api maraṇāṃtaṃ jīvitaṃ maraṇaparyavasānaṃ nāsti jātasyāmaraṇaṃ | ye pi te
2 bhikṣavaḥ rājānaḥ kṣatriyāś ca mūrddhnābhiṣiktā jānapadaiśvaryāsthāmaviryam anuprāptā mahāntaṃ pṛthvīmaṇḍalam abhinirjityāvasanti teṣām api maraṇāntaṃ hi jīvitaṃ maraṇaparyava=
3 sānaṃ nāsti jātasyāmaraṇaṃ | ye pi te bhikṣava ṛṣayo vānapasthāḥ pramuktaphalāhārāḥ pramuktaphale bhojinaḥ pramuktaphalena yāpanti teṣām api maraṇāntaṃ hi jīvitaṃ maraṇaparyaṃ
4 vasānaṃ nāsti jātasyāmaraṇaṃ || ye pi te bhikṣavaḥ kāmāvacarā devāś cātumahārājikā devās traye triṃśā devā yāmā devās tuṣitā devā nirmāṇaratayo devāḥ paranirmitava=
5 śavarttino devās teṣām api maraṇāṃtaṃ hi jivita maraṇaparyavasānaṃ nāsti jātasyāmaraṇaṃ | ye pe te bhikṣavo rūpino devāḥ prathamadhyānarābhino brāhmakāyikā brahmapurohi
6 tā brahmapārṣadhyā mahābra[hma]nā dvitiyadhyānalābhinaḥ paritaśubhā apramānaśubhā ābhāsvarās tṛtīyadhyānalābhinaḥ paritaśubhā apranaśubhā ābhāsvarās tṛtīyadhyanarābhinaḥ
7 paritaśubhā apramānaśubhāḥ śubhakṛtsnā caturthadhyānalābhino nabhrakāḥ punyaprasavā bṛhat*phalā asaṃgītvā abṛhātapāḥ sudarśāḥ sudarśanā akaniṣṭāś ca devās teṣāṃ api
47a
1 maraṇāntaṃ hi jīvitaṃ maraṇaparyavasānaṃ nāsti jātasyāmaraṇaṃ | ye pi te bhikṣavo rūpino devā ākāśānaṃ*tyāyatanopagā vijñānānaṃtyāyatanopagā ākiṃciṃtyāyatanopagā
2 naivasaṃjñānām asaṃjñāyatanopagāś ca devāś ca teṣām api maraṇāṃtaṃ hi jīvita maraṇaparyavasānaṃ nāsti jātasyāmaraṇaṃ | traidhātukam idaṃ ye pi te bhikṣavo rhantaḥ kṣīṇāśravā
3 kṛtakṛtyāḥ kṛtakaraṇīyā apahitabhārā anuprāsvakārthāḥ parikṣīnabhavasaṃyojanāḥ samyagājñāsuvimuktacittāḥ sarvacetovasiparamapāramitāprāptā‹‹s teṣā››m api kāyā
4 nikṣapadharmāḥ || ye pi te bhikṣavaḥ pratyekabuddhāḥ khaḍgaviṣāṇakalpā ekam ātmā damaṃti ekam ātmānaṃ samayanti ekam ātmānaṃ parinirvāpayanti teṣāṃ apy ayaṃ kāyo nikṣa
5 panadharmaḥ | ye pi te bhikṣavas tathāgatā arhantaḥ samyaskaṃbuddhā daśabalabalinaḥ udārāṣabhāḥ samyak*siṃhanādanādinaś catuvaiśāradya dharmārohanavaiśāradyaṃ | sarvadha
6 dharmadyasanāvaiśāradyaṃ | nirvāṇamārgavatāraṇavaiśāradyaṃ || āśravajñānaprahāṇavaiśāradyaṃ | viśadhādṛḍhanārāyaṇasaṃhatakāyās teṣāṃ apy ayaṃ kāyo nikṣapanadharmaḥ || tadya
7 thāpi nāma bhikṣavaḥ kuṃbhākārakṛtāni bhāṇḍā āmāni vā bakkāni vā bhedanaparyantāni bhedanaparyavaśany avam eva bhikṣavaḥ sarveṣāṃ satvānāṃ sarveṣāṃ bhūtānāṃ sarveṣāṃ prāṇī
47b
1 nā amarānāṃ hi jīvitaṃ maraṇaparyavasānaṃ nāsti jātasyāmaraṇaṃ || idaṃm avocad bhagavān idam uktyo sugato hy athāparāvāca śāstā || anityā bata saṃskārā utpādavyadhārmi
2 naḥ | utpadya hi nirudhyante teṣāṃ vyapasamaḥ sukhaṃ | yathā hi kuṃbhakāreṇa mṛtikābhājanaṃ kṛta | sarvam bhedanaparyantaṃ satvānāṃ jītan tathā | yathā phalānāṃ kkānāṃ śaśvat patanato =
3 yaṃ || tathā saskārajāḥ satvā nitya maraṇato bhayaṃ || sarve kṣāyāṃ niścayāḥ patanāntā samucchrayāḥ | saṃyogaś ca viyogāntā maraṇāntaṃ hi jīvitaṃ || || idam avoca
4 d bhagavānn ātamanās te ca bhikśavas te ca parṣado bhagavato bhāṣitam abhyanaṃdan ity āryānityatāsutraṃ samāptaṃ || || 8 ||
Appendix D
Anityatāsūtra. Manuscript witness held in the private collection of Mr. Padmajyoti Dhakhwa of Patan, folios 222b10–223b4. Yellow paper, 11 lines, Nepalese akṣaras, undated (~nineteenth century).
222b
9 ||
10 oṃ namaḥ sarvsjñāya || evaṃ mayā śrutam ekasmin samaye bhgavān* śrāvastyāṃ viharati sma || jetavane nāthapiṇḍasyārāme mahatā bhikṣusaṃghena sārddhaṃ trayodaśabhir bhikṣuśataiḥ || tatra khalu bhagavān* bhikṣūn āmantrayate sma || anit*yā bhikṣavaḥ sarva
11 saṃskārā adruvā anāśvāsikā vipariṇāmadharmānaḥ || ye yāvat bhikṣavaḥ sarvebhyaḥ saṃskārebhyo laṃ nivartum alaṃ viraktam alaṃ vimoktuṃ || sarveṣāṃ satvānāṃ sarveṣāṃ bhūtānāṃ sarveṣāṃ prāṇīnāṃ āmaraṇāntaṃ hi jīvita maraṇaparyavasānāṃ nāsti
223a
1 jātasyāmaraṇaṃ || ye pi te bhikṣavo gṛhapatayo mahāśālakulā brāhmaṇamahāśālakulā • āsāṃ mahādhano mahābhogāḥ prabhūtamaṇimāniṣkamuktāvaiḍūryaśaṃkhaśilāpravālajātarūparajatavit*topakaraṇāḥ
2 prabhūtadhanadhānyakośakoṣṭāgārasannicayāḥ prabhūtadāsīdāsakarmakarapauruṣeyāḥ prabhūtamitrāmāt*yajñātisālohitās teṣām api maraṇāntaṃ jīvitaṃ maraṇaparyavasānaṃ nāsti jātasyāmaraṇaṃ || ye pi te bhikṣavaḥ rājānaḥ kṣatriyāś ca
3 mūrddhābhiṣiktā jānapadaiśvaryyasthāmavīryam anuprāptā mahāntaṃ pṛthvīmaṇḍalam abhinirjityāvasanti teṣāṃ api maraṇāntaṃ hi jīvitaṃ maraṇaparyapasānaṃ nāsti jātasyāmaraṇaṃ || ye pi te bhikṣavaḥ ṛṣayo vānaprasthāḥ pramuktaphalāhārā
4 ḥ pramuktaphalabhojinaḥ pramuktaphalena yāpaṃti teṣām api maraṇāntaṃ hi jīvitaṃ maraṇaparyavasānaṃ nāsti jātasyāmaraṇaṃ || ye pi te bhikṣavaḥ kāmāvacarā devās cāturmahārajikā devās trayastriṃśā devā yāmā devās tuṣitā devā
5 nirmāṇaratayo devāḥ paranirmitavaśavarttino devās teṣāṃ api maraṇāntaṃ hi jīvitaṃ maraṇaparyyavasānaṃ nāsti jātasyāmaraṇaṃ || ye pi te bhikṣavo rūpiṇo devāḥ prathamadhyānalābhino brahmakāyikā brahmapurohitā brahmapārṣadyā =
6 mahābrahmāṇaḥ dvitīyadhyānalābhinaḥ parītaśubhā apramāṇaśubhā ābhāsvarās tṛtīyadhyānalābhinaḥ parītaśubhā apramāṇaśubhā śubhakṛtsnā caturthadhyānalābhino nabhrakāḥ punyaprasavā bṛhatphalā asaṃjñisatvā abṛhā atapāḥ
7 sudṛśāḥ sudarśanā akaniṣṭāś ca devās teṣām api maraṇāntaṃ hi jīvitaṃ maraṇaparyyavasānaṃ nāsti jātasyāmaraṇaṃ || ye pi te bhikṣava ārūpiṇo devā ākāśānant*yāyatanopagā vijñānānant*yāyatanopagā ākiñcanyāya
8 tanopagā naivasaṃjñānāsaṃjñāyatanopagāś ca devās teṣām api maraṇāntaṃ hi jīvitaṃ maraṇaparyavasānaṃ nāsti jātasyāmaraṇaṃ || traidhātukam idaṃ || ye ’pi te bhikṣavo ’rhantaḥ kṣīṇāsravāḥ kṛtakṛt*yāḥ kṛtakaraṇīyā apahṛtabhārā
9 anuprāptasvakārthāḥ parikṣīṇabhavasaṃyojanāḥ samyagājñāsuvimuktacit*tā sarvacetovaśiparamapāramitāprāptās teṣāṃ api kāya nikṣepaṇadharmāḥ || ye pi te bhikṣavaḥ pratyekabuddhāḥ khaḍgaviṣāṇakalpā ekam ātmāna damayanti
10 ekam ātmāna śamayanti ekam ātmānaṃ parinirvāyanti teṣāṃ apy ayaṃ kāyo nikṣepaṇadharmaḥ || ye pi te bhikṣavas tathāgatā arhantaḥ samyaksaṃbuddhā daśabalabalinaḥ udārārṣabhāḥ samyaksiṃhanādanādinaś caturvaiśāradya dharmā
11 rohaṇavaiśārdyaṃ || sarvadharmadeśanāvaiśāradyaṃ || nirvāṇamārgāvatāraṇavaiśāradyaṃ || āśravajñānaprahāṇavaiśāradyaṃ || viśadādṛḍhanārāyaṇasaṃhatakāyās teṣām apy kāyo nikṣepanadharmaḥ || tadyathāpi nāma bhikṣavaḥ kumbhakāra
223b
1 kṛtāni bhāṇḍāni āmāmi vā pakvāni vā bhedanaparyyantāni bhedanaparyavasānāny evam eva bhikṣavaḥ sarveṣāṃ satvānāṃ sarveṣāṃ bhūtānāṃ sarveṣāṃ prāṇināṃ āmaraṇāntaṃ hi jīvitaṃ maraṇaparyavasānaṃ nāsti jātasyāmaraṇṃ || idam avoca
2 d bhagavān idam ukto sugato hy athāparo vāca śāstā || anit*yā bata saṃskārā utpādavyayadhārmiṇaḥ || utpādya hi nirudhyante teṣāṃ vyapaśamaḥ sukhaṃ || yathā hi kumbhakāreṇa mṛt*tikābhājanaṃ kṛtaṃ || sarvaṃ bhedanaparyantaṃ satvānāṃ jīvitaṃ tathā
3 yathā phalānāṃ pakvānāṃ śaśvat patanato bhayaṃ || tathā saṃskārajāḥ satvā nit*yaṃ maraṇato bhayaṃ || sarve kṣayāntā nicayāḥ patanāntā samucchrayāḥ || saṃyogāś ca viyogāntā maraṇāntaṃ hi jīvitaṃ || || idam avocad bhagavān āt*tmanā
4 s te ca bhikṣavas te ca parṣado bhagavato bhāṣitam abhyanandann ity āryānit*yatāsūtraṃ samāptaṃ || 596 ||
Appendix E
[ ] square brackets: ‹‹ ›› double pointed brackets
damaged akṣaras or uncertain readings (transliteration): addition by scribe (transliteration)
[ ] square brackets: {{ }} double curly brackets
damaged akṣaras or uncertain readings (transliteration): deletion by scribe (transliteration)
[ ] square brackets: ○ small circle
damaged akṣaras or uncertain readings (transliteration): circle symbol in ms. (transliteration)
[ ] square brackets: ※ crossed symbol
damaged akṣaras or uncertain readings (transliteration): floral embellishment in ms. (transliteration)
[ ] square brackets: ‹ › pointed brackets
damaged akṣaras or uncertain readings (transliteration): addition by editor (reconstruction)
[ ] square brackets: { } curly brackets
damaged akṣaras or uncertain readings (transliteration): deletion by editor (reconstruction)
[ ] square brackets: underline
damaged akṣaras or uncertain readings (transliteration): emendation of individual akṣara by editor (reconstruction)
[ ] square brackets: * asterisk
damaged akṣaras or uncertain readings (transliteration): virāma
[ ] square brackets: • higher dot
damaged akṣaras or uncertain readings (transliteration): dot like punctuation in ms.
[ ] square brackets: ; semicolon
damaged akṣaras or uncertain readings (transliteration): punctuation added by editor where sandhi would make a daṇḍa impossible
[ ] square brackets: | vertical bar
damaged akṣaras or uncertain readings (transliteration): daṇḍa
[ ] square brackets: || double vertical bar
damaged akṣaras or uncertain readings (transliteration): double daṇḍa
[ ] square brackets: ’a
damaged akṣaras or uncertain readings (transliteration): avagraha
[ ] square brackets: = equal sign
damaged akṣaras or uncertain readings (transliteration): filler mark
Abbreviations
BHSD | Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Grammar and Dictionary. (Edgerton, Franklin). |
---|---|
CTRC | Manuscript witness of the Anityatāsūtra held in the collection of the China Tibetology Research Center. |
DN | Dīgha-nikāya (Rhys Davids, T. W., and J. Estlin Carpenter). |
MPS | Mahāparinirvāṇasūtra (Waldschmidt, Ernst). |
MW | Monier-Williams’s Sanskrit-English dictionary. |
Ms. | Manuscript. |
Mvy | Mahāvyutpatti (Ishihama, Yumiko and Yoichi Fukida). |
NidSa | Nidānasaṃyukta (Tripāṭhī, Chandrabhāl). |
PDP | Manuscript witness of the Anityatāsūtra held in the private collection of Mr. Padmajyoti Dhakhwa of Patan, folios 222b10–223b4. |
PTS | Pali Text Society, London. |
PTSD | The Pali Text Society’s Pali-English Dictionary (Rhys Davids, T .W. and William Stede). |
RAS | Manuscript witness of the Anityatāsūtra held in the collection of the Royal Asiatic Society, London: Hodgson Collection. |
SN | Saṃyutta-nikāya (Feer, Léon). |
SWTF | Sanskrit-Wörterbuch der buddhistischen Texte aus den Turfan-Funden. (Waldschmidt, Ernst, et al). |
TUL | Manuscript witness of the Anityatāsūtra held in the collection of the Tokyo University Library, Tokyo |
UV | Udānavarga (Bernhard, Franz). |
ŚPrSū | Śakrapraśnasūtra (Waldschmidt, Ernst). |
Notes
Lg29.4, mdo, Ha-L15 9b4–11b3: myi rtag pa nyid kyi mdo’ rdzogs s+ho / rgya gar kyi mkhan po ka ma la gub tra dang / zhu chen gyi lo tsha ba dge’ slong rin chen bzang pos bsgyur zhing zhus te gtan la phab pa /
Lg59.4, mdo, Ha-L97 10b1–12a6: mi rtag pa nyid kyi mdo rdzogs s+ho / rgya gar gyi mkhan po ka ma la gub tra dang / zhu chen gi lo tsha ba rin chen bzang pos sgyur cing zhus te / gtan la phab pa /
Ng22.51, mdo, za 308b5–310a8: myi rtag pa nyid kyi mdo’ / rdzogs s+ho / rgya gar gi mkhan po ka ma la kub ta dang / zhu chen gi lo tsa ba dge slong rin chen bzang pos bsgyur cing zhus te / gtan la phab pa /
1.8a “Those gods of the form realm who have obtained the first dhyāna—those who attend Brahmā, those stationed before Brahmā, and those Great Brahmā gods—even for them life concludes with death, has its limit in death, for there is nothing that is born that will not die.
1.8b “Those gods who have obtained the second dhyāna—those of limited radiance, [F.156.b] those of immeasurable radiance, and those who are radiant—even for them life concludes with death, has its limit in death, for there is nothing that is born that will not die.
1.8c “Those gods who have obtained the third dhyāna—those of limited splendor, those of immeasurable splendor, and those of complete splendor—even for them life concludes with death, has its limit in death, for there is nothing that is born that will not die.
1.8d “Those gods who have obtained the fourth dhyāna—those who are unclouded, those with abundant merit, those with great fruition, those who have a nature that is free from perception, and [those gods of the Pure Abodes]: those who are relatively not great, those without trouble, those of excellent appearance, those of excellent observation, and those who are highest—even for them life concludes with death, has its limit in death, for there is nothing that is born that will not die.”
1.12 “Those tathāgatas, [F.157.a] arhats, complete and perfect buddhas, mighty with the ten powers, confident in the four confidences, worthy of admiration, their bodies strong-limbed and firm like Nārāyaṇa, roaring a true lion’s roar—even for them their pleasing bodies are subject to being given up.”
Bibliography
Primary Sources
mi rtag pa nyid kyi mdo (Anityatāsūtra). Toh 310, Degé Kangyur vol. 72 (mdo sde, sa), folios 155b.5–157a.5.
Anityatāsūtra. Manuscript witness held in the collection of the Royal Asiatic Society, London. Hodgson Collection, Ms. no. 55 (H. 147), folios 60a2–62a1.
Anityatāsūtra. Manuscript witness held in the collection of the Tokyo University Library, Tokyo. Kawaguchu and Takakusu Collection, Ms. 416 no. 8, folios 46a3–47b4.
Anityatāsūtra. Manuscript witness held in the private collection of Mr. Padmajyoti Dhakhwa of Patan, folios 222b10–223b4.
Works Referred To in the Introduction, Notes, etc.
ched du brjod pa’i tshoms (Udānavarga). Toh 326, Degé Kangyur vol. 72 (mdo sde, sa), folios 209.a–253.a. English translation in Champa Thupten Zongtse (1990).
mi rtag pa nyid kyi mdo (Anityatāsūtra). Toh 309, Degé Kangyur vol. 72 (mdo sde, sa), folios 155a.2–155b.4. English translation in Sakya Pandita Translation Group (2013).
Bernhard, Franz. Udānavarga. 2 vols. Sanskrittexte aus den Turfanfunden 10. Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1965–68.
Brough, John. The Gāndhārī Dharmapada. London Oriental Series Volume 7. London: Oxford University Press, 1962.
Champa Thupten Zongtse. Udānavarga. Band III. Sanskrittexte aus den Turfanfunden 10, 3. Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1990.
Edgerton, Franklin. [1953]. Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Grammar and Dictionary. 2 vols. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1972.
Feer, Léon. [1884–98]. Saṃyutta-Nikāya. 5 vols. London/Oxford: Pali Text Society, 1975–2006.
Filliozat, Jean. “Catalogue des manuscrits sanskrits et tibétains de la Société Asiatique.” Journal Asiatique 233 (1941–42): 1–81.
Hidas, Gergeley. Powers of Protection: The Buddhist Tradition of Spells in the Dhāraṇīsaṃgraha Collections. Beyond Boundaries Volume 9. Berlin/Boston: De Gruyter, 2021.
Ishihama, Yumiko and Yoichi Fukuda, eds. A New Critical Edition of the Mahāvytupatti: Sanskrit-Tibetan-Mongolian Dictionary of Buddhist Terminology. Materials for Tibetan-Mongolian Dictionaries, Vol. 1. Tokyo: The Toyo Bunko, 1989.
Kimura, Takayasu. “The Anityatā-Sūtram.” In 俳教の歴史と思想:壬生台舜煩毒記念, edited by 壬生台舜博士質毒記念論文集刊行曾, (95)–(108). Tokyo: 大蔵出版, 1985.
Monier-Williams, Monier. A Sanskrit-English Dictionary. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1899.
Rhys Davids, T. W., and J. Estlin Carpenter. [1890–1911]. The Dīgha Nikāya. 3 vols. Reprint, London: Pali Text Society, 1966–76.
Rhys Davids, T. W., and William Stede. The Pali Text Society’s Pali-English Dictionary. London: Pali Text Society, 1921–25.
Sakya Pandita Translation Group, trans. The Sūtra on Impermanence (1) (Anityatāsūtra, Toh 309). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha. 2013.
Shakya, M. B. “Āryānityātāsūtra.” Buddhist Himalaya 1, no. 1 (1988): 58–60 [1–3].
Takakusu, Junjirō 高楠順次郎, and Watanabe Kaikyoku 渡辺海旭, eds. Taishō shinshū daizōkyō 大正新脩大藏經. 100 vols. Tokyo: Taishō Issaikyō Kankōkai 大正一切經刊行會, 1924–34.
Tripāṭhī, Chandrabhāl. Fünfundzwanzig Sūtras des Nidānasaṃyukta. Sanskrittexte aus den Turfanfunden 8, Berlin: Akademie-Verlag, 1962.
Vinītā, Bhikṣunī, ed. and trans. A Unique Collection of Twenty Sūtras in a Sanskrit Manuscript from the Potala. Sanskrit Texts from the Tibetan Autonomous Region 7/1. Beijing: China Tibetology Publishing House; Vienna: Austrian Academy of Sciences Press, 2010.
Waldschmidt, Ernst. Bruchstücke buddhistischer sutras aus dem zentralasiatischen Sanskritkanon I. Leipzig: Deutsche morgenländische Gesellschaft, 1932.
Waldschmidt, Ernst. [1950–51]. Das Mahāparinirvāṇasūtra: Text in Sanskrit und Tibetisch, verglichen mit dem Pāli nebst einer Übersetzung der chinesischen Entsprechung im Vinaya der Mūlasarvāstivādins. 3 vols. Berlin: Akademie-Verlag, 1950–51. Reprint, Kyoto: Rinsen Book Co., 1986.
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Yamada, Isshi. “Anityatāsūtra.” Indogaku Bukkyōgaku Kenkyū (印度學佛教學研究) 20, no. 2 (1972): 30–35.
Glossary
Types of attestation for names and terms of the corresponding source language
Attested in source text
This term is attested in a manuscript used as a source for this translation.
Attested in other text
This term is attested in other manuscripts with a parallel or similar context.
Attested in dictionary
This term is attested in dictionaries matching Tibetan to the corresponding language.
Approximate attestation
The attestation of this name is approximate. It is based on other names where the relationship between the Tibetan and source language is attested in dictionaries or other manuscripts.
Reconstruction from Tibetan phonetic rendering
This term is a reconstruction based on the Tibetan phonetic rendering of the term.
Reconstruction from Tibetan semantic rendering
This term is a reconstruction based on the semantics of the Tibetan translation.
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all that draw breath
- srog chags thams cad
- སྲོག་ཆགས་ཐམས་ཅད།
- sarveṣāṃ prāṇinām
arhat
- dgra bcom pa
- དགྲ་བཅོམ་པ།
- arhat
Blessed One
- bcom ldan ’das
- བཅོམ་ལྡན་འདས།
- bhagavān
complete and perfect buddha
- yang dag par rdzogs pa’i sangs rgyas
- ཡང་དག་པར་རྫོགས་པའི་སངས་རྒྱས།
- samyaksaṃbuddha
conditioned states
- ’du byed
- འདུ་བྱེད།
- saṃskāra
confident in the four confidences
- mi ’jigs pa bzhis bsnyengs pa mi mnga’ ba
- མི་འཇིགས་པ་བཞིས་བསྙེངས་པ་མི་མངའ་བ།
- caturvaiśāradyaviśarada
consecrated
- spyi bo nas dbang bskur ba
- སྤྱི་བོ་ནས་དབང་བསྐུར་བ།
- mūrdha-abhiṣikta
dhyāna
- bsam gtan
- བསམ་གཏན།
- dhyāna
forest hermit
- nags na gnas pa
- ནགས་ན་གནས་པ།
- vānaprastha
gods of the form realm
- gzugs can gyi lha
- གཟུགས་ཅན་གྱི་ལྷ།
- rūpīṇo devāḥ
gods of the Heaven of Control of Enjoyments Created by Others
- gzhan ’phrul dbang byed kyi lha
- གཞན་འཕྲུལ་དབང་བྱེད་ཀྱི་ལྷ།
- paranirmitavaśavartino devāḥ
gods of the Heaven of Delightful Emanations
- ’phrul dga’i lha
- འཕྲུལ་དགའི་ལྷ།
- nirmāṇaratayo devāḥ
gods of the Heaven of the Four Great Kings
- rgyal chen bzhi’i ris kyi lha
- རྒྱལ་ཆེན་བཞིའི་རིས་ཀྱི་ལྷ།
- devāś cāturmahārājikāḥ
gods of the Heaven of the Thirty-Three
- sum cu rtsa gsum gyi lha
- སུམ་ཅུ་རྩ་གསུམ་གྱི་ལྷ།
- trayastriṃśā devā
gods of Tuṣita Heaven
- dga’ ldan gyi lha
- དགའ་ལྡན་གྱི་ལྷ།
- tuṣitā devāḥ
gods of Yāma Heaven
- ’thab bral gyi lha
- འཐབ་བྲལ་གྱི་ལྷ།
- yāmā devāḥ
Great Brahmā gods
- tshangs chen
- ཚངས་ཆེན།
- mahābrahman
Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍada’s Park
- rgyal bu rgyal byed kyi tshal mgon med zas sbyin gyi kun dga’ ra ba
- རྒྱལ་བུ་རྒྱལ་བྱེད་ཀྱི་ཚལ་མགོན་མེད་ཟས་སྦྱིན་གྱི་ཀུན་དགའ་ར་བ།
- jetavanam anāthapiṇḍadasyārāmaḥ AO
like a rhinoceros
- bse ru lta bu
- བསེ་རུ་ལྟ་བུ།
- khaḍgaviṣāṇakalpa
mighty with the ten powers
- stobs bcu’i stobs dang ldan pa
- སྟོབས་བཅུའི་སྟོབས་དང་ལྡན་པ།
- daśabalabalin
Nārāyaṇa
- sred med
- སྲེད་མེད།
- nārāyaṇa
pratyekabuddha
- rang sangs rgyas
- རང་སངས་རྒྱས།
- pratyekabuddha
sage
- drang srong
- དྲང་སྲོང་།
- ṛṣi
spirit
- ’byung po
- འབྱུང་པོ།
- bhūta
Śrāvastī
- mnyan du yod pa
- མཉན་དུ་ཡོད་པ།
- śrāvastī
Sugata
- bde bar gshegs pa
- བདེ་བར་གཤེགས་པ།
- sugata
tathāgata
- de bzhin gshegs pa
- དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པ།
- tathāgata
those belonging to the sphere of neither perception nor nonperception
- ’du shes med ’du shes med min skye mched
- འདུ་ཤེས་མེད་འདུ་ཤེས་མེད་མིན་སྐྱེ་མཆེད།
- naivasaṃjñānāsaṃjñāyatanopaga
those belonging to the sphere of nothingness
- ci yang med pa’i skye mched
- ཅི་ཡང་མེད་པའི་སྐྱེ་མཆེད།
- ākiñcanyāyatanopaga
those belonging to the sphere of the infinity of consciousness
- rnam shes mtha’ yas skye mched
- རྣམ་ཤེས་མཐའ་ཡས་སྐྱེ་མཆེད།
- vijñānānantyāyatanaopaga
those gods belonging to the sphere of the infinity of space
- nam mkha’ mtha’ yas skye mched
- ནམ་མཁའ་མཐའ་ཡས་སྐྱེ་མཆེད།
- ākāśānantyāyatanopaga
those gods of the formless realm
- gzugs med pa’i lha rnams
- གཟུགས་མེད་པའི་ལྷ་རྣམས།
- arūpīṇo devāḥ
those in the assembly of Brahmā
- —
- —
- brahmapārṣadya
those of complete splendor
- dge rgyas pa
- དགེ་རྒྱས་པ།
- śubhakṛtsna
those of excellent appearance
- gya nom snang
- གྱ་ནོམ་སྣང་།
- sudṛśa
those of excellent observation
- shin tu mthong ba
- ཤིན་ཏུ་མཐོང་བ།
- sudarśana
those of immeasurable radiance
- tshad med ’od
- ཚད་མེད་འོད།
- apramānābha
those of immeasurable splendor
- tshad med dge
- ཚད་མེད་དགེ
- apramāṇaśubha
those of limited radiance
- ’od chung
- འོད་ཆུང་།
- parīttābha
those of limited splendor
- dge chung
- དགེ་ཆུང་།
- parīttaśubha
those stationed before Brahmā
- tshangs pa mdun na ’don
- ཚངས་པ་མདུན་ན་འདོན།
- brahmapurohita
those who are highest
- ’og min
- འོག་མིན།
- akaniṣṭha
those who are radiant
- ’od gsal ba
- འོད་གསལ་བ།
- ābhāsvara
those who are relatively not great
- mi che ba
- མི་ཆེ་བ།
- abṛha
those who are unclouded
- sprin med
- སྤྲིན་མེད།
- anabhraka
those who attend Brahmā
- tshangs ris
- ཚངས་རིས།
- brahmakāyika
those who have a nature that is free from perception
- ’du shes med pa’i sems can
- འདུ་ཤེས་མེད་པའི་སེམས་ཅན།
- asaṃjñisattva
those who have obtained the first dhyāna
- bsam gtan dang po thob pa
- བསམ་གཏན་དང་པོ་ཐོབ་པ།
- prathamadhyānalābhin
those who have obtained the fourth dhyāna
- bsam gtan bzhi pa thob pa
- བསམ་གཏན་བཞི་པ་ཐོབ་པ།
- caturthadhyānalābhin
those who have obtained the second dhyāna
- bsam gtan gnyis pa thob pa’i lha rnams
- བསམ་གཏན་གཉིས་པ་ཐོབ་པའི་ལྷ་རྣམས།
- dvitīyadhyānalābhin
those who have obtained the third dhyāna
- bsam gtan gsum pa thob ba
- བསམ་གཏན་གསུམ་པ་ཐོབ་བ།
- tṛtīyadhyānalābhin
those who live in crowds
- tshogs na spyod pa
- ཚོགས་ན་སྤྱོད་པ།
- vargacārin
those with abundant merit
- bsod nams ’phel
- བསོད་ནམས་འཕེལ།
- puṇyaprasava
those with great fruition
- ’bras bu che ba
- འབྲས་བུ་ཆེ་བ།
- bṛhatphala
those without trouble
- mi gdung ba
- མི་གདུང་བ།
- atapa
worthy of admiration
- khyu mchog gi gnas su zhal gyis ’che ba
- ཁྱུ་མཆོག་གི་གནས་སུ་ཞལ་གྱིས་འཆེ་བ།
- udārārṣabha