co.

Table of Contents

s.

Summary

s.­1

The Four Stanzas consists of six verses in total. It is a praise to the Buddha, to the places associated with his presence, and to stūpas. The praise itself comprises the first four verses, hence the text’s title. The last two verses explain the origin of the text and the benefits that accrue from its recitation.

ac.

Acknowledgements

ac.­1

This text was translated by the Pema Yeshé Dé Translation Team. Giuliano Proença translated the text from Tibetan into English and prepared the introduction, the glossary, and the notes.

ac.­2

The translation was completed under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha. Andreas Doctor edited the translation and the introduction, and Dawn Collins copyedited the text. Martina Cotter was in charge of the digital publication process.

i.

Introduction

i.­1

The Four Stanzas consists of six verses1 and is a praise to the Buddha, to the places associated with his presence, and to stūpas. The praise itself comprises the first four verses, hence the text’s title. The last two verses explain the origin of the text and the benefits that accrue from its recitation.

i.­2

The Sanskrit text of The Four Stanzas is extant in several manuscripts from Nepal. Gergely Hidas edited one of these manuscripts as part of his edition of two dhāraṇī collections.2 Kazuo Kano has also published a critical edition of the Sanskrit text of The Four Stanzas,3 together with a Japanese translation. The initial stanza in the extant Sanskrit versions differs from the Tibetan translation found in The Four Stanzas, but the Tibetan translation of the first verse in Jetāri’s Bodhi­cittotpāda­samādāna­vidhi (Toh 3968) aligns perfectly with the Sanskrit. The earliest quotation of The Four Stanzas can be found in the Tibetan translation of Bhāviveka’s Tarkajvālā (Toh 3856), composed during the sixth century.4 This was followed by several quotations in other works.5

i.­3

Kano concludes that The Four Stanzas was part of a set of five texts used for recitation in India,6 which also included The Dhāraṇī of the Six Gates (Toh 141, 526, 916),7 The Two Stanza Dhāraṇī (Toh 143, 611, 918),8 The Single Stanza (Toh 323),9 and The Prayer of Good Conduct (Toh 1095, 4377).10 Initially, these five texts circulated individually. However, they had become popular in India as a set by the time of Advayavajra or Ratnākaraśānti (eleventh century) and were later incorporated into the dhāraṇī collections of Nepal.

i.­4

The Four Stanzas is found in the Sūtra section in all Kangyurs of the Tshalpa, Thempangma, and mixed lines, as well as in independent Kangyurs such as the Phukdrak manuscript and the Langdo collection. It is also included in some collections from Western Tibet.11 It is not known who translated The Four Stanzas into Tibetan, for neither the colophons nor Tibetan historical works mention the translators.12

i.­5

The Tibetan scholar Tāranātha (1575–1634) composed a commentary on The Four Stanzas as well as sequential commentaries on three of the other five texts in the above-mentioned set,13 corroborating Kano’s view that these texts were seen as related.14 The importance of The Four Stanzas and the other texts in the set for recitation is evident, for in Tibet they are included in extracts from sūtra and tantra (gces btus), collected liturgical texts (chos spyod), collections of mantras and dhāraṇīs for recitation, and collections of sādhanas. They are also sometimes mentioned as texts for recitation in preliminary practices.

i.­6

This English translation is based on the Degé print and on Kano’s Sanskrit edition, in consultation with the Comparative Edition (dpe bsdur ma), as well as the Phukdrak and the Stok Palace manuscripts. The most significant variants are mentioned in the notes.

Text Body

The Four Stanzas
1.

The Translation

[F.204.a]


1.­1

Homage to the Three Jewels!


1.­2
I pay homage to all victorious ones,
Those celebrated perfect buddhas,
And to their bodies
That possess the thirty-two supreme marks.15
1.­3
Where the perfect buddhas were born,
Where they reached awakening,
Where they turned the wheel of peace, [F.204.b]
Where they passed into parinirvāṇa, free from defilement,
1.­4
Where those sugatas16 sat,
Where they walked and stood,
And where they slept like lions‍—
To all those places I bow.
1.­5
I also bow to all stūpas,
With and without relics,
Above, in between, below,
And in the cardinal and intermediate directions.
1.­6
These stanzas were uttered
By the victorious one Difficult to Follow,17
The best of humans,
Who dwells in the northeastern direction.18
1.­7
Those who praise the tathāgatas
With these four stanzas
Will not go to the lower realms
For a thousand lifetimes.19
1.­8

Thus ends “The Four Stanzas.”

n.

Notes

n.­1
The Yongle, Lithang, Kangxi, Narthang, and Choné Kangyurs omit one stanza.
n.­2
Cambridge manuscript Add.1680.8 (fragmentary, in palm leaf, ca. twelfth/thirteenth century). See Hidas 2021, p. 32.
n.­3
His sources are four manuscripts from Nepal, three on paper (one from 1792), and one palm leaf manuscript: Matsunami no. 419 (A.D.1792 = samvat 912), no. 202 (date unknown), NGMPP A131/9, and Asiatic Society of Bengal no. 9987. See Kano 2011, pp. 61–65.
n.­4
Bhāviveka was also called Bhāvaviveka and Bhavya. He flourished ca. 500–570.
n.­5
The text is also cited in Prajñākaramati’s Bodhi­caryāvatāra­pañjikā (Toh 3872), Vitakarman’s Mudrā­catura­ṭīkā­ratna­hṛdaya­nāma (Toh 2259), Rāmapāla’s Sekanirdeśa­pañjikā (Toh 2253), and Kṛṣṇa Paṇḍita’s Kṛṣṇayamāritantra­rājāprekṣaṇa­patha­pradīpa­nāma­ṭīkā (Toh 1920).
n.­6
Kano concludes this by studying the sūtras listed in Ratnākaraśānti’s Muktāvalī (Toh 1189), Kāṇha’s Yogaratnamālā (Toh 1183), and Advayavajra’s Kudṛṣṭinir­ghātana, as well as by analyzing the structure of the Tibetan canonical collections, the Nepali collections of dhāraṇīs, and several Tibetan commentaries.
n.­7
Ṣaṇmukhī­dhāraṇī, Toh 141, 526, 916.
n.­8
Gāthādvaya­dhāraṇī, Toh 143, 611, 918.
n.­9
Ekagāthā, Toh 323.
n.­11
The Gondhla, Egoo, Stagrimo, Stongde, Bardan, and Reruk collections.
n.­12
The Four Stanzas is not listed in the imperial catalogs, but it is included in Butön’s History of Buddhism. See Butön Rinchen Drup (bu ston rin chen grub), folio 161.b.
n.­13
The Dhāraṇī of the Six Gates (Toh 141, 526, 916), The Two Stanza Dhāraṇī (Toh 143, 611, 918), and The Single Stanza (Toh 323). See Jonang Jetsün Tāranātha (jo nang rje btsun tA ra nA tha), pp. 709–54.
n.­14
In the Phukdrak Kangyur, and in the Bardan, Stagrimo, and Stongde collections, The Single Stanza, The Four Stanzas, and The Two Stanza Dhāraṇī also appear in sequence. In the Bardan collection, The Prayer of Good Conduct comes before The Single Stanza, so that the four texts are grouped together.
n.­15
Kano’s Sanskrit edition reads sarva­buddhān namasyāmi jinān apratipudgalān/ śarīrāṇi ca sarveṣāṃ saṃbuddhānāṃ yaśasvinām: “I pay homage to all buddhas, the matchless victorious ones, and to the relics [or bodies] of all celebrated perfect buddhas.” This matches exactly the quotation of this stanza in the Tibetan translation of Jetāri’s Bodhi­cittotpāda­samādāna­vidhi (Toh 3968): rgyal ba gang zag bla na med pa yi/ /sangs rgyas rnams ni thams cad dang/ /rdzogs pa’i sangs rgyas grags ldan pa/ /kun gyi sku la phyag ’tshal lo.
n.­16
Kano’s Sanskrit edition reads tathāgatāḥ.
n.­17
The Tibetan in most witnesses reads bsten dka’ (“Difficult to Follow”), except for Lhasa, which reads bstan dka’ (“Difficult to Teach”). Kano’s edition of the Sanskrit reads duṣprasava (“Difficult to Command”?). Hidas’s edition (p. 32) reads duṣprasaha (“Difficult to Bear”).
n.­18
This stanza is missing in Yongle, Lithang, Kangxi, Narthang, and Choné.
n.­19
The Sanskrit in Kano’s edition reads kalpa­koṭisahasrebhir na te gacchanti durgatim, which corresponds to the Stok Palace Kangyur: bskal pa bye ba stong du ni/ de ni ngan ’gror ’gro mi ’gyur, and Phukdrak: bskal pa bye ba stong du yang/ de ni ngan ’gror ’gro mi ’gyur. “They will not go to the lower realms for ten billion eons.”
b.

Bibliography

Source Texts

tshigs su bcad pa bzhi pa (Caturgāthā). Toh 324, Degé Kangyur vol. 72 (mdo sde, sa), folios 204.a–204.b.

tshigs su bcad pa bzhi pa. bka’ ’gyur (dpe bsdur ma) [Comparative Edition of the Kangyur], krung go’i bod rig pa zhib ’jug ste gnas kyi bka’ bstan dpe sdur khang (The Tibetan Tripitaka Collation Bureau of the China Tibetology Research Center). 108 volumes. Beijing: krung go’i bod rig pa dpe skrun khang (China Tibetology Publishing House), 2006–9, vol. 72, pp. 587–88.

Kano, Kazuo 加納和雄. “Ekagāthā, Caturgāthā, Gāthādvayadhāraṇī: Jūichi seiki no indo bukkyō ni okeru dokuju kyōten no setto, Ekagāthā, Caturgāthā, Gāthādvayadhāraṇī: 11世紀のインド仏教における読誦経典のセット [Caturgāthā, Gāthādvayadhāraṇī: A Set of Recitation Sūtras in the 11th century India].” Mikkyō bunka 密教文化 227: 49–88.

Related Texts

Jetāri. byang chub kyi sems bskyed pa dang yi dam blang ba’i cho ga (Bodhi­cittotpāda­samādāna­vidhi). Toh 3968, Degé Tengyur vol. 112 (mdo ’grel, gi), folios 241.b–245.a.

Other References and Translations

84000. The Dhāraṇī of the Six Gates (Ṣaṇmukhī­dhāraṇī, Toh 141, 526, 916). Translated by the Pema Yeshé Dé Translation Team. Online publication. 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2022.

84000. The Prayer of Good Conduct (Bhadra­caryāpraṇidhāna, bzang spyod smon lam, Toh 1095). Translated by Peter Alan Roberts. Online publication, 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2025.

84000. The Single Stanza (Ekagāthā, tshigs su bcad pa gcig pa, Toh 323). Translated by Pema Yeshé Dé Translation Team. Online publication, 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2025.

84000. The Two Stanza Dhāraṇī (Gāthādvaya­dhāraṇī, tshigs su bcad pa gnyis pa’i gzungs, Toh 143). Translated by Pema Yeshé Dé Translation Team. Online publication, 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2025.

Butön Rinchen Drup (bu ston rin chen grub). chos ’byung (bde bar gshegs pa’i bstan pa’i gsal byed chos kyi ’byung gnas gsung rab rin po che’i gter mdzod). In The Collected Works of Bu-Ston, vol. 24 (ya), folios 1.b–212.a (pp. 633–1055). New Delhi: International Academy of Indian Culture, 1965–71. BDRC W22106.

Hidas, Gergely. Powers of Protection: The Buddhist Tradition of Spells in the Dhāraṇīsaṃgraha Collections. Beyond Boundaries 9. Boston: de Gruyter, 2021.

Jonang Jetsün Tāranātha (jo nang rje btsun tA ra nA tha). gSung ’bum tA ra nA tha (rtag brtan phun tshogs gling gi par ma), vol. 12, C. Namgyal & Tsewang Taru, 1982–1987, pp. 709–54. BDRC W22277.

Mahāvyutpatti with sGra sbyor bam po gñis pa. Bibliotheca Polyglotta, University of Oslo. Input by Jens Braarvig and Fredrik Liland, 2010. Last accessed July 7, 2015.

Resources for Kanjur and Tanjur Studies. University of Vienna. Accessed March 4, 2024.

g.

Glossary

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

AS

Attested in source text

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

AO

Attested in other text

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

AD

Attested in dictionary

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

AA

Approximate attestation

The attestation of this name is approximate. It is based on other names where the relationship between the Tibetan and source language is attested in dictionaries or other manuscripts.

RP

Reconstruction from Tibetan phonetic rendering

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

RS

Reconstruction from Tibetan semantic rendering

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

SU

Source unspecified

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

g.­1

Difficult to Follow

  • bsten dka’
  • བསྟེན་དཀའ།
  • —

Buddha that uttered The Four Stanzas and dwells in the northeastern direction. See n.­17.

g.­2

lower realm

  • ngan ’gro
  • ངན་འགྲོ།
  • durgati AS

A collective name for the realms of animals, hungry ghosts, and denizens of the hells.

g.­3

parinirvāṇa

  • mya ngan las ’das pa
  • ཡོངས་སུ་མྱ་ངན་ལས་འདས་པ།
  • parinirvāṇa AD

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

This refers to what occurs at the end of an arhat’s or a buddha’s life. When nirvāṇa is attained at awakening, whether as an arhat or buddha, all suffering, afflicted mental states (kleśa), and causal processes (karman) that lead to rebirth and suffering in cyclic existence have ceased, but due to previously accumulated karma, the aggregates of that life remain and must still exhaust themselves. It is only at the end of life that these cease, and since no new aggregates arise, the arhat or buddha is said to attain parinirvāṇa, meaning “complete” or “final” nirvāṇa. This is synonymous with the attainment of nirvāṇa without remainder (anupadhiśeṣanirvāṇa).

According to the Mahāyāna view of a single vehicle (ekayāna), the arhat’s parinirvāṇa at death, despite being so called, is not final. The arhat must still enter the bodhisattva path and reach buddhahood (see Unraveling the Intent, Toh 106, 7.14.) On the other hand, the parinirvāṇa of a buddha, ultimately speaking, should be understood as a display manifested for the benefit of beings; see The Teaching on the Extraordinary Transformation That Is the Miracle of Attaining the Buddha’s Powers (Toh 186), 1.32.

The term parinirvāṇa is also associated specifically with the passing away of the Buddha Śākyamuni, in Kuśinagara, in northern India.

g.­4

perfect buddha

  • rdzogs pa’i sangs rgyas
  • རྫོགས་པའི་སངས་རྒྱས།
  • saṃbuddha AS

A term used to emphasize the superiority of buddhas as contrasted with the achievement of worthy ones (arhat) and solitary buddhas (pratyekabuddha).

g.­5

relic

  • sku
  • སྐུ།
  • śarīra AS

The physical remains or personal objects of a previous tathāgata, arhat, or other realized person that are venerated for their perpetual spiritual potency. They are often enshrined in stūpas and other public monuments so the Buddhist community at large can benefit from their blessings and power.

g.­6

stūpa

  • mchod rten
  • མཆོད་རྟེན།
  • stūpa AS

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

The Tibetan translates both stūpa and caitya with the same word, mchod rten, meaning “basis” or “recipient” of “offerings” or “veneration.” Pali: cetiya.

A caitya, although often synonymous with stūpa, can also refer to any site, sanctuary or shrine that is made for veneration, and may or may not contain relics.

A stūpa, literally “heap” or “mound,” is a mounded or circular structure usually containing relics of the Buddha or the masters of the past. It is considered to be a sacred object representing the awakened mind of a buddha, but the symbolism of the stūpa is complex, and its design varies throughout the Buddhist world. Stūpas continue to be erected today as objects of veneration and merit making.

g.­7

sugata

  • bde gshegs
  • བདེ་གཤེགས།
  • sugata AD

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

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

g.­8

tathāgata

  • de gshegs
  • de bzhin gshegs pa
  • དེ་གཤེགས།
  • དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པ།
  • tathāgata AS

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

A frequently used synonym for buddha. According to different explanations, it can be read as tathā-gata, literally meaning “one who has thus gone,” or as tathā-āgata, “one who has thus come.” Gata, though literally meaning “gone,” is a past passive participle used to describe a state or condition of existence. Tatha­(tā), often rendered as “suchness” or “thusness,” is the quality or condition of things as they really are, which cannot be conveyed in conceptual, dualistic terms. Therefore, this epithet is interpreted in different ways, but in general it implies one who has departed in the wake of the buddhas of the past, or one who has manifested the supreme awakening dependent on the reality that does not abide in the two extremes of existence and quiescence. It is also often used as a specific epithet of the Buddha Śākyamuni.

g.­9

thirty-two supreme marks

  • mtshan mchog sum cu gnyis
  • མཚན་མཆོག་སུམ་ཅུ་གཉིས།
  • —

These are the major physical marks that identify the buddha body of emanation and which also, in some sources and traditions, portend the advent of a universal monarch. They are listed in The Play in Full (Toh 95), 7.­99.

g.­10

Three Jewels

  • dkon mchog gsum
  • དཀོན་མཆོག་གསུམ།
  • triratna AO

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

The Buddha, Dharma, and Saṅgha‍—the three objects of Buddhist refuge. In the Tibetan rendering, “the three rare and supreme ones.”

g.­11

victorious one

  • rgyal ba
  • རྒྱལ་བ།

One of the epithets applied to a buddha.

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