The Aspiration of Maitreya is an aspiration prayer excerpted from The Question of Maitreya (Maitreyaparipṛcchā). It has enjoyed immense popularity in the Tibetan tradition, where it ranks, perhaps, second only to Samantabhadra’s Prayer of Good Conduct from the Gaṇḍavyūhasūtra. As the Buddha tells Ānanda in The Question of Maitreya, this aspiration prayer was recited by Maitreya six times per day while training on the bodhisattva path. The aspiration touches on many classic Great Vehicle themes such as the seven-limbed practice, the six perfections, the realization of emptiness, and the benefit of beings.
This publication was completed under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.
The text was translated, edited, and introduced by the 84000 translation team. The translation was produced by Karen Liljenberg with Ulrich Pagel acting as consultant, as part of the 84000 translation of The Question of Maitreya (Toh 85). Lowell Cook compared the versions of it as a standalone text and wrote the introduction, which was edited by George FitzHerbert. Ibby Caputo copyedited the text. Sameer Dhingra was in charge of the digital publication process.
The Aspiration of Maitreya is an aspiration prayer in twenty-four metered stanzas excerpted from the sūtra The Question of Maitreya in the Ratnakūṭa collection.1 As the Buddha tells Ānanda in the sūtra, this was the aspiration prayer that Maitreya recited three times per day and three times per night while training on the bodhisattva path. The aspiration reflects many classic Great Vehicle themes such as the seven-limbed practice, the six perfections, the realization of emptiness, and the benefit of beings.
The Aspiration of Maitreya was excerpted from The Question of Maitreya presumably due to its popularity, particularly in the Tibetan tradition, where it ranks, perhaps, second only to Samantabhadra’s Prayer of Good Conduct (bzang spyod smon lam, Toh 1095 from the Gaṇḍavyūhasūtra, The Stem Array Toh 44-45). The aspiration is recited daily in many monasteries. The prayer is also popular in the Mongolian Buddhist tradition due to the centrality of the Geluk tradition there, in which Maitreya and Tuṣita Heaven occupy positions of great importance. The Aspiration of Maitreya is included as one of the “six aspiration prayers,” a collection of prayers frequently recited in the Geluk tradition on behalf of the recently deceased.2
The Aspiration of Maitreya appears as an independent text in the Dhāraṇī section of the Degé Kangyur (Toh 1096)33 and in the Dedication and Aspirations section of the Degé Tengyur (Toh 4378). In the Tengyur, it appears under the slightly more elaborated title The Sovereign Aspiration of Maitreya (byams pa’i smon lam gyi rgyal po), underscoring its status as a “king” among aspiration prayers.
No Indian commentaries on the aspiration prayer are known. It was recognized as an important feature of the sūtra The Question of Maitreya at least as far back as the early translation period, as evidenced by the description of the sūtra in the Phangthangma catalog as “the longer Noble [Sūtra] of the Question of Maitreya containing the aspiration.” (’phags pa byams pas zhus pa chen po smon lam can).4 The prayer would later be the subject of several commentaries in the Tibetan literature, notably those by Shākya Chokden (shA kya mchog ldan, 1428–1507); Drukpa Padma Karpo (’brug pa pad ma dkar po, 1527–92); Tāranātha (tA ra nA tha, 1575–1634), who adds comments on the significance of the whole sūtra; Choné Trakpa Shedrup (co ne grags pa bshad sgrub, 1675–1748); Ngulchu Dharmabhadra (dngul chu dhar ma bha dra, 1772–1851); and Kyedor Khenpo Ngawang Khedrup (kye rdor mkhan po ngag dbang mkhas grub, 1779–1838).
Although Sanskrit fragments exist for some sections of the sūtra, these do not include Maitreya’s aspiration. The Question of Maitreya appears in Chinese translation (Taishō 310-41), but the aspiration prayer itself does not seem to have been preserved as an independent work as in the Tibetan tradition. The present translation, which has been excerpted from the translation of The Question of Maitreya, was prepared based on the witnesses in the Degé Kangyur and Tengyur which were compared against variant readings listed in the Comparative Edition Kangyur.
Ānanda,10 this is the skillful means through which the bodhisattva mahāsattva Maitreya—by adhering to it, through the easy vehicle, the easy avenue, and the easy path—perfectly accomplished unsurpassed and perfect awakening.
This concludes “The Noble Sovereign Aspiration of Maitreya,” excerpted from the Great Vehicle Sūtra “The Exposition of Maitreya’s Question” in the Heap of Jewels.11
The Aspiration of Maitreya is an aspiration prayer excerpted from The Question of Maitreya (Maitreyaparipṛcchā). It has enjoyed immense popularity in the Tibetan tradition, where it ranks, perhaps, second only to Samantabhadra’s Prayer of Good Conduct from the Gaṇḍavyūhasūtra. As the Buddha tells Ānanda in The Question of Maitreya, this aspiration prayer was recited by Maitreya six times per day while training on the bodhisattva path. The aspiration touches on many classic Great Vehicle themes such as the seven-limbed practice, the six perfections, the realization of emptiness, and the benefit of beings.
This publication was completed under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.
The text was translated, edited, and introduced by the 84000 translation team. The translation was produced by Karen Liljenberg with Ulrich Pagel acting as consultant, as part of the 84000 translation of The Question of Maitreya (Toh 85). Lowell Cook compared the versions of it as a standalone text and wrote the introduction, which was edited by George FitzHerbert. Ibby Caputo copyedited the text. Sameer Dhingra was in charge of the digital publication process.
The Aspiration of Maitreya is an aspiration prayer in twenty-four metered stanzas excerpted from the sūtra The Question of Maitreya in the Ratnakūṭa collection.1 As the Buddha tells Ānanda in the sūtra, this was the aspiration prayer that Maitreya recited three times per day and three times per night while training on the bodhisattva path. The aspiration reflects many classic Great Vehicle themes such as the seven-limbed practice, the six perfections, the realization of emptiness, and the benefit of beings.
The Aspiration of Maitreya was excerpted from The Question of Maitreya presumably due to its popularity, particularly in the Tibetan tradition, where it ranks, perhaps, second only to Samantabhadra’s Prayer of Good Conduct (bzang spyod smon lam, Toh 1095 from the Gaṇḍavyūhasūtra, The Stem Array Toh 44-45). The aspiration is recited daily in many monasteries. The prayer is also popular in the Mongolian Buddhist tradition due to the centrality of the Geluk tradition there, in which Maitreya and Tuṣita Heaven occupy positions of great importance. The Aspiration of Maitreya is included as one of the “six aspiration prayers,” a collection of prayers frequently recited in the Geluk tradition on behalf of the recently deceased.2
The Aspiration of Maitreya appears as an independent text in the Dhāraṇī section of the Degé Kangyur (Toh 1096)33 and in the Dedication and Aspirations section of the Degé Tengyur (Toh 4378). In the Tengyur, it appears under the slightly more elaborated title The Sovereign Aspiration of Maitreya (byams pa’i smon lam gyi rgyal po), underscoring its status as a “king” among aspiration prayers.
No Indian commentaries on the aspiration prayer are known. It was recognized as an important feature of the sūtra The Question of Maitreya at least as far back as the early translation period, as evidenced by the description of the sūtra in the Phangthangma catalog as “the longer Noble [Sūtra] of the Question of Maitreya containing the aspiration.” (’phags pa byams pas zhus pa chen po smon lam can).4 The prayer would later be the subject of several commentaries in the Tibetan literature, notably those by Shākya Chokden (shA kya mchog ldan, 1428–1507); Drukpa Padma Karpo (’brug pa pad ma dkar po, 1527–92); Tāranātha (tA ra nA tha, 1575–1634), who adds comments on the significance of the whole sūtra; Choné Trakpa Shedrup (co ne grags pa bshad sgrub, 1675–1748); Ngulchu Dharmabhadra (dngul chu dhar ma bha dra, 1772–1851); and Kyedor Khenpo Ngawang Khedrup (kye rdor mkhan po ngag dbang mkhas grub, 1779–1838).
Although Sanskrit fragments exist for some sections of the sūtra, these do not include Maitreya’s aspiration. The Question of Maitreya appears in Chinese translation (Taishō 310-41), but the aspiration prayer itself does not seem to have been preserved as an independent work as in the Tibetan tradition. The present translation, which has been excerpted from the translation of The Question of Maitreya, was prepared based on the witnesses in the Degé Kangyur and Tengyur which were compared against variant readings listed in the Comparative Edition Kangyur.
Ānanda,10 this is the skillful means through which the bodhisattva mahāsattva Maitreya—by adhering to it, through the easy vehicle, the easy avenue, and the easy path—perfectly accomplished unsurpassed and perfect awakening.
This concludes “The Noble Sovereign Aspiration of Maitreya,” excerpted from the Great Vehicle Sūtra “The Exposition of Maitreya’s Question” in the Heap of Jewels.11
This text, Toh 1096, and all those contained in this same volume (gzungs ’dus, waM), are listed as being located in volume 101 of the Degé Kangyur by the Buddhist Digital Resource Center (BDRC). However, several other Kangyur databases—including the eKangyur that supplies the digital input version displayed by the 84000 Reading Room—list this work as being located in volume 102. This discrepancy is partly due to the fact that the two volumes of the gzungs ’dus section are an added supplement not mentioned in the original catalog, and also hinges on the fact that the compilers of the Tōhoku catalog placed another text—which forms a whole, very large volume—the Vimalaprabhānāmakālacakratantraṭīkā (dus ’khor ’grel bshad dri med ’od, Toh 845), before the volume 100 of the Degé Kangyur, numbering it as vol. 100, although it is almost certainly intended to come right at the end of the Degé Kangyur texts as volume 102; indeed its final fifth chapter is often carried over and wrapped in the same volume as the Kangyur dkar chags (catalog). Please note this discrepancy when using the eKangyur viewer in this translation.
Phangthangma 2003, 5-10, Herrmann-Pfandt 2008, p.37, no.65. The standalone prayer is also listed as a separate text in both extant imperial catalogs, the Phangthangma and the Denkarma. See Herrmann-Pfandt 2008, p. 269, no. 469.
las rnam pa gsum, “the three [kinds of] actions,” is interpreted by Dharmabhadra and Ngawang Khedrup to mean meritorious actions of body, speech, and mind. Padma Karpo interprets it to mean meritorious actions causing rebirth as a human, meritorious actions causing rebirth as a god, and “nontransferring” actions (mi g.yo ba’i las) causing rebirth in the two higher realms (of form and no-form).
The commentaries differ considerably in their interpretations of these two lines, with Padma Karpo emphasizing simply the inanimate nature of the four elements, and most of the others detailing particular qualities of patience for which each of the four is a simile. Despite the syntax, most agree that “not dwelling” (mi gnas pa) refers principally to the wind element. The translation here is an attempt to remain open to more than one interpretation.
According to Tāranātha’s commentary, the threefold knowledge (rig pa gsum) comprises (1) knowledge of the whole of the past (sngon gyi mtha’ rig pa), (2) knowledge of the whole of the future (phyi ma’i mtha’ rig pa), and (3) knowledge of the exhaustion of defilements (zag zad rig pa). The other commentaries take the three kinds of knowledge to be (1) knowledge of the minds, (2) mental events, and (3) their causes, of all sentient beings in the past, present, and future.
This narrative ending, also excerpted from The Question of Maitreya (Toh 85), is found only in Toh 4378, not in Toh 1096.
The conclusion here is translated from Toh 4378. Toh 1096 ends with the simpler formulation, “This concludes ‘The Noble Aspiration of Maitreya.’ ”
A major śrāvaka disciple and personal attendant of the Buddha Śākyamuni during the last twenty-five years of his life. He was a cousin of the Buddha (according to the Mahāvastu, he was a son of Śuklodana, one of the brothers of King Śuddhodana, which means he was a brother of Devadatta; other sources say he was a son of Amṛtodana, another brother of King Śuddhodana, which means he would have been a brother of Aniruddha).
Ānanda, having always been in the Buddha’s presence, is said to have memorized all the teachings he heard and is celebrated for having recited all the Buddha’s teachings by memory at the first council of the Buddhist saṅgha, thus preserving the teachings after the Buddha’s parinirvāṇa. The phrase “Thus did I hear at one time,” found at the beginning of the sūtras, usually stands for his recitation of the teachings. He became a patriarch after the passing of Mahākāśyapa.
Awakening refers to the state of realization and understanding possessed by a buddha regarding the nature of things.
A being who is dedicated to the cultivation and fulfilment of the altruistic intention to attain perfect buddhahood, traversing the ten bodhisattva levels (daśabhūmi, sa bcu). Bodhisattvas purposely opt to remain within cyclic existence in order to liberate all sentient beings, instead of simply seeking personal freedom from suffering. In terms of the view, they realize both the selflessness of persons and the selflessness of phenomena.
The term can be understood to mean “great courageous one” or "great hero,” or (from the Sanskrit) simply “great being,” and is almost always found as an epithet of “bodhisattva.” The qualification “great” in this term, according to the majority of canonical definitions, focuses on the generic greatness common to all bodhisattvas, i.e., the greatness implicit in the bodhisattva vow itself in terms of outlook, aspiration, number of beings to be benefited, potential or eventual accomplishments, and so forth. In this sense the mahā- is closer in its connotations to the mahā- in “Mahāyāna” than to the mahā- in “mahāsiddha.” While individual bodhisattvas described as mahāsattva may in many cases also be “great” in terms of their level of realization, this is largely coincidental, and in the canonical texts the epithet is not restricted to bodhisattvas at any particular point in their career. Indeed, in a few cases even bodhisattvas whose path has taken a wrong direction are still described as bodhisattva mahāsattva.
Later commentarial writings do nevertheless define the term—variably—in terms of bodhisattvas having attained a particular level (bhūmi) or realization. The most common qualifying criteria mentioned are attaining the path of seeing, attaining irreversibility (according to its various definitions), or attaining the seventh bhūmi.
A fully realized (“awakened”) being.
Dhyāna is defined as one-pointed abiding in an undistracted state of mind, free from afflicted mental states. Four states of dhyāna are identified as being conducive to birth within the form realm. In the context of the Mahāyāna, it is the fifth of the six perfections. It is commonly translated as “concentration,” “meditative concentration,” and so on.
The fourth of the six perfections. A state of mind characterized by joyful persistence when engaging in any virtuous behavior of body, speech, or mind.
Morally virtuous or disciplined conduct and the abandonment of morally undisciplined conduct of body, speech, and mind. In a general sense, moral discipline is the cause for rebirth in higher, more favorable states, but it is also foundational to Buddhist practice as one of the three trainings (triśikṣā) and one of the six perfections of a bodhisattva. Often rendered as “ethics,” “discipline,” and “morality.”
Clairvoyance, i.e., the ability to see all forms whether they are near or far, subtle or gross; also the ability to see the births and deaths of sentient beings. This is the first of the six (or sometimes five) superknowledges (ṣaḍabhijñā).
Emptiness denotes the ultimate nature of reality, the total absence of inherent existence and self-identity with respect to all phenomena. According to this view, all things and events are devoid of any independent, intrinsic reality that constitutes their essence. Nothing can be said to exist independent of the complex network of factors that gives rise to its origination, nor are phenomena independent of the cognitive processes and mental constructs that make up the conventional framework within which their identity and existence are posited. When all levels of conceptualization dissolve and when all forms of dichotomizing tendencies are quelled through deliberate meditative deconstruction of conceptual elaborations, the ultimate nature of reality will finally become manifest. It is the first of the three gateways to liberation.
Denotes the whole of existence, i.e., the five forms of life or the three planes of existence—all the possible kinds and places of karmic rebirth. It is also the tenth of the twelve links of dependent origination (often translated as “becoming”).
A clear analysis or detailed presentation. Also translated as “prophecy.”
The first of the six or ten perfections, often explained as the essential starting point and training for the practice of the other perfections.
When the Buddhist teachings are classified according to their power to lead beings to an awakened state, a distinction is made between the teachings of the Lesser Vehicle (Hīnayāna), which emphasizes the individual’s own freedom from cyclic existence as the primary motivation and goal, and those of the Great Vehicle (Mahāyāna), which emphasizes altruism and has the liberation of all sentient beings as the principal objective. As the term “Great Vehicle” implies, the path followed by bodhisattvas is analogous to a large carriage that can transport a vast number of people to liberation, as compared to a smaller vehicle for the individual practitioner.
The Ratnakūṭa section of the Kangyur (Toh 45–93) is a distinct collection of forty-nine selected sūtras on a range of themes. It is also found in the Chinese Tripiṭaka (Taishō 310). In some titles and colophons the collection is presented as a single sūtra with its component texts as chapters.
The states of devas, asuras, and humans.
As the sixth of the six perfections,
Literally the “grounds” in which qualities grow. Here it refers specifically to levels of awakening, especially the ten levels of the awakened bodhisattvas.
The bodhisattva Maitreya is an important figure in many Buddhist traditions, where he is unanimously regarded as the buddha of the future era. He is said to currently reside in the heaven of Tuṣita, as Śākyamuni’s regent, where he awaits the proper time to take his final rebirth and become the fifth buddha in the Fortunate Eon, reestablishing the Dharma in this world after the teachings of the current buddha have disappeared. Within the Mahāyāna sūtras, Maitreya is elevated to the same status as other central bodhisattvas such as Mañjuśrī and Avalokiteśvara, and his name appears frequently in sūtras, either as the Buddha’s interlocutor or as a teacher of the Dharma. Maitreya literally means “Loving One.” He is also known as Ajita, meaning “Invincible.”
For more information on Maitreya, see, for example, the introduction to Maitreya’s Setting Out (Toh 198).
In Buddhism more generally, merit refers to the wholesome karmic potential accumulated by someone as a result of positive and altruistic thoughts, words, and actions, which will ripen in the current or future lifetimes as the experience of happiness and well-being. According to the Mahāyāna, it is important to dedicate the merit of one’s wholesome actions to the awakening of oneself and to the ultimate and temporary benefit of all sentient beings. Doing so ensures that others also experience the results of the positive actions generated and that the merit is not wasted by ripening in temporary happiness for oneself alone.
In the general Mahāyāna teachings the mind of awakening (bodhicitta) is the intention to attain the complete awakening of a perfect buddha for the sake of all beings. On the level of absolute truth, the mind of awakening is the realization of the awakened state itself.
A collective name for the realms of animals, pretas, and denizens of the hells.
The all-knowing state of complete buddhahood that is the goal of the path of the Great Vehicle.
A term meaning acceptance, forbearance, or patience. As the third of the six perfections, patience is classified into three kinds: the capacity to tolerate abuse from sentient beings, to tolerate the hardships of the path to buddhahood, and to tolerate the profound nature of reality. As a term referring to a bodhisattva’s realization, dharmakṣānti (chos la bzod pa) can refer to the ways one becomes “receptive” to the nature of Dharma, and it can be an abbreviation of anutpattikadharmakṣānti, “forbearance for the unborn nature, or nonproduction, of dharmas.”
An ancient Indian spiritual title, often translated as “sage” or “seer.” The title is particularly used for divinely inspired individuals credited with creating the foundations of Indian culture. The term is also applied to Śākyamuni and other realized Buddhist figures.
The seven limbs are paying homage to the buddhas, presenting them with offerings, disclosing one’s negative deeds, rejoicing in the positive deeds of all beings, requesting the Dharma, supplicating the awakened ones to remain with us, and dedicating all virtues to the benefit of sentient beings.
The six practices or qualities that a follower of the Great Vehicle perfects in order to transcend cyclic existence and reach the full awakening of a buddha. They are generosity, discipline, patience, diligence, concentration, and insight.
Gods, asuras, humans, animals, hungry ghosts, and hell beings.
These comprise divine sight, divine hearing, knowledge of the minds of others, remembrance of past lives, the ability to perform miracles, and the ability to destroy all mental defilements.
The concept of skillful or expedient means is central to the understanding of the Buddha’s enlightened deeds and the many scriptures that are revealed contingent on the needs, interests, and mental dispositions of specific types of individuals. It is, therefore, equated with compassion and the form body of the buddhas, the rūpakāya.
According to the Great Vehicle, training in skillful means collectively denotes the first five of the six perfections when integrated with wisdom, the sixth perfection. It is therefore paired with wisdom (prajñā), forming the two indispensable aspects of the path. It is also the seventh of the ten perfections. (Provisional 84000 definition. New definition forthcoming.)
The Sanskrit term śrāvaka, and the Tibetan nyan thos, both derived from the verb “to hear,” are usually defined as “those who hear the teaching from the Buddha and make it heard to others.” Primarily this refers to those disciples of the Buddha who aspire to attain the state of an arhat seeking their own liberation and nirvāṇa. They are the practitioners of the first turning of the wheel of the Dharma on the four noble truths, who realize the suffering inherent in saṃsāra and focus on understanding that there is no independent self. By conquering afflicted mental states (kleśa), they liberate themselves, attaining first the stage of stream enterers at the path of seeing, followed by the stage of once-returners who will be reborn only one more time, and then the stage of non-returners who will no longer be reborn into the desire realm. The final goal is to become an arhat. These four stages are also known as the “four results of spiritual practice.”
An advanced bodhisattva samādhi. see The Sūtra on the Samādhi of Valiant Progress (Śūraṃgamasamādhisūtra, Toh 132).
An advanced bodhisattva samādhi. see The Illusory Absorption (Māyopamasamādhi, Toh 130).
An advanced bodhisattva samādhi celebrated in many Mahāyāna sūtras.
These are (1) emptiness as a gateway to liberation, (2) signlessness as a gateway to liberation, and (3) wishlessness as a gateway to liberation. Among them, emptiness is characterized as the absence of inherent existence, signlessness as the absence of distinguishing marks, and aspirationlessness as the absence of hopes and fears.
Tuṣita (or sometimes Saṃtuṣita), literally “Joyous” or “Contented,” is one of the six heavens of the desire realm (kāmadhātu). In standard classifications, such as the one in the Abhidharmakośa, it is ranked as the fourth of the six counting from below. This god realm is where all future buddhas are said to dwell before taking on their final rebirth prior to awakening. There, the Buddha Śākyamuni lived his preceding life as the bodhisattva Śvetaketu. When departing to take birth in this world, he appointed the bodhisattva Maitreya, who will be the next buddha of this eon, as his Dharma regent in Tuṣita. For an account of the Buddha’s previous life in Tuṣita, see The Play in Full (Toh 95), 2.12, and for an account of Maitreya’s birth in Tuṣita and a description of this realm, see The Sūtra on Maitreya’s Birth in the Heaven of Joy, (Toh 199).
When a buddha gives their first teaching they set in motion the wheel of the Dharma, just as how a monarch with exceptional merit sets in motion a magical wheel that easily subdues all their enemies.
Although the Sanskrit term
’phags pa byams pa’i smon lam. Toh 1096, Degé Kangyur vol. 101 (gzungs ’dus, waM), folios 266.a–267.a.
’phags pa byams pa’i smon lam gyi rgyal po. Toh 4378, Degé Tengyur vol. 207 (sna tshogs, nyo), folios 303.b–304.b.
’phags pa byams pa’i smon lam, 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. 98, pp. 931–34.
’phags pa byams pa’i smon lam gyi rgyal po. bstan ’gyur (dpe bsdur ma) [Comparative Edition of the Tengyur], krung go’i bod rig pa zhib ’jug ste gnas kyi bka’ bstan dpe sdur khang (The Tibetan Tripiṭaka Collation Bureau of the China Tibetology Research Center). 120 volumes. Beijing: krung go’i bod rig pa dpe skrun khang (China Tibetology Publishing House), 1994–2008, vol. 116, pp. 1631–35.
’phags pa byams pas zhus pa zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo (Āryamaitreyaparipṛcchānāmamahāyānasūtra). Toh 85, Degé Kangyur, vol. 44 (dkon brtsegs, cha), folios 104.b–116.b.
’phags pa byams pas zhus pa zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo, bka’ ’gyur (dpe bsdur ma) [Comparative Edition of the Kangyur], krung go’i bod rig pa zhib ’jug ste gnas kyi bka’ bstan dpe sdur khang (The Tibetan Tripitaka Collation Bureau of the China Tibetology Research Center). 108 volumes. Beijing: krung go’i bod rig pa dpe skrun khang (China Tibetology Publishing House), 2006–9, vol. 44, pp. 289–316.
Choné Trakpa Shedrup (co ne grags pa bshad sgrub). byams pa’i smon lam gyi rnam par bzhad pa dga’ ldan du bgrod pa’i lam bzang. In co ne grags pa bshad sgrub kyi gsung ’bum. Beijing: Mes po’i shul bzhag series, krung go’i bod rig pa dpe skrun khang (China Tibetology Publishing House), 2009. BDRC W1PD90129.
Drukpa Padma Karpo (’brug pa pad+ma dkar po). ’phags pa byams pa’i smon lam gyi ’grel pa thogs med kyi dgongs pa gsal bar bstan pa. In gsung ’bum, vol. 7 (ja), pp. 349–76. Darjeeling: Kargyud Sungrab Nyamso Khang, 1973–74. BDRC W10736.
Kyedor Khenpo Ngawang Khedrup (kye rdor mkhan po ngag dbang mkhas grub). byams pa’i smon lam gyi tshig don rnam bshad. In gsung ’bum, vol. 2, pp. 315–60. Leh, Ladakh: S.W. Tashigangpa, 1972–74. BDRC W16912.
Ngulchu Dharmabhadra (dngul chu d+harma b+hadra). byams pa’i smon lam gyi ’grel pa’i zin bris. In gsung ’bum, vol. 1. pp. 495 et seq. Ngulchu Chödzong: dngul chu bla brang, 2000? BDRC W6493.
Shākya Chokden (shAkya mchog ldan). byams pas btab pa’i smon lam gyi rnam par bshad pa byams pa’i chos la ’jug pa’i sgo. In gsung bum, vol. 8 (nya), pp. 407–30. New Delhi: Ngawang Topgyel, 1995. BDRC W23200.
Tāranātha (tA ra nA tha). byams smon gyi ’grel pa. In gsung ’bum (blockprints from rtag brtan phun tshogs gling), vol. 13, pp. 257–99. Leh, Ladakh: Namgyal & Tsewang Taru, 1982–87. BDRC W22277.
84000. The Question of Maitreya (1) (Maitreyaparipṛcchā, byams pas zhus pa, Toh 85). Translated by Karen Liljenberg and team. Online publication. 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2024.
Herrmann-Pfandt, Adelheid. Die lHan kar ma: ein früher Katalog der ins Tibetische übersetzten buddhistischen Texte. Vienna: Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, 2008.
Phangthangma (dkar chag ‘phang thang ma). Beijing: mi rigs doe skrun khang, 2003.
Majer, Zsuzsa. “On After-Death Ritual Texts Mentioned by Travellers (A. M. Pozdneev and Bálint Gábor of Szentkatolna).” In Mongolica Pragensia, vol. 1 (2017): 65–92.
Samye Translations. “Maitreya’s Aspiration.” Lotsawa House, 2020. Version: 1.3-20221012.
