The Stem Array
Acalā
Toh 44-45
Degé Kangyur, vol. 37 (phal chen, ga), folios 274.b–396.a; vol. 38 (phal chen, a), folios 1.b–363.a
- Surendrabodhi
- Vairocanarakṣita
- Bandé Yeshé Dé
- Jinamitra
Imprint
Translated by Peter Alan Roberts
under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha
First published 2021
Current version v 1.0.30 (2024)
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84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha is a global non-profit initiative to translate all the Buddha’s words into modern languages, and to make them available to everyone.
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Table of Contents
Summary
In this lengthy final chapter of the Avataṃsaka Sūtra, while the Buddha Śākyamuni is in meditation in Śrāvastī, Mañjuśrī leaves for South India, where he meets the young layman Sudhana and instructs him to go to a certain kalyāṇamitra or “good friend,” who then directs Sudhana to another such friend. In this way, Sudhana successively meets and receives teachings from fifty male and female, child and adult, human and divine, and monastic and lay kalyāṇamitras, including night goddesses surrounding the Buddha and the Buddha’s wife and mother. The final three in the succession of kalyāṇamitras are the three bodhisattvas Maitreya, Mañjuśrī, and Samantabhadra. Samantabhadra’s recitation of the Samantabhadracaryāpraṇidhāna (“The Prayer for Completely Good Conduct”) concludes the sūtra.
Acknowledgements
Translated by Peter Alan Roberts and edited by Emily Bower, who was also the project manager. Ling Lung Chen was consultant for the Chinese, and Tracy Davis copyedited the final draft. The translator would like to thank Patrick Carré and Douglas Osto, who have both spent decades studying and translating this sūtra, for their advice and help.
The translation was completed under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.
The generous sponsorship of Richard and Carol Weingarten; of Jamyang Sun, Manju Chandra Sun and Siqi Sun; and of an anonymous donor, which helped make the work on this translation possible, is most gratefully acknowledged.
Text Body
Chapter 45: The Stem Array
Acalā
Sudhana, the head merchant’s son, left the city of Suprabha, and having followed the road for a little while, he contemplated the instruction given to him by King Mahāprabha: he remembered the way of bodhisattva conduct called the banner of great love; he meditated on the light of the great samādhi called exercising power over the world; he realized1052 the variegated display of the lion throne and adornments of the pure bodhisattva body; he increased the inconceivable power and strength of bodhisattva aspiration and merit; [F.36.a] he made firm1053 the inconceivable way of bodhisattva wisdom that ripens beings; he reflected upon the inconceivable greatness of the general enjoyments of the bodhisattvas; he considered the inconceivable different aspects1054 of the bodhisattvas; he remembered the inconceivable pure ripening of beings by bodhisattvas; he thought about the inconceivable pure and perfect bodhisattva assembly of pupils; he had conviction in the inconceivable radiance of the bodhisattvas’ dedication to their duty to beings; and he attained happiness, powerful attraction, delight, contentment, deep joy, clarity of mind, brightness of mind, stability of mind, vastness of mind, and inexhaustibility of mind. He was in that way dedicated to remembering and thinking of the kalyāṇamitra.
With his face covered in tears, he thought “Ah! Oh! Seeing the kalyāṇamitra is the source of all precious qualities. It perfects and purifies all bodhisattva conduct. It makes pure all bodhisattva mindfulness. It purifies all the domains of bodhisattva retention. It gives rise to the radiance of all bodhisattva samādhis. It accomplishes seeing all buddhas. It brings down the rain from the Dharma clouds of all1055 the buddhas. It indicates the way of all bodhisattva prayers. It gives rise to the inconceivable light of knowledge and wisdom. [F.36.b] It grows the sprouts1056 of stable bodhisattva faculties. The kalyāṇamitras save me from falling into the chasm of the lower existences. The kalyāṇamitras have brought me to the realization of the way of the equality of phenomena. The kalyāṇamitras have shown me the paths to happiness and to unhappiness. The kalyāṇamitras have taught me the Mahāyāna. The kalyāṇamitras have given me the instructions on the completely good bodhisattva conduct. The kalyāṇamitras have shown me the road to the city of omniscience. The kalyāṇamitras have guided me on the way to the town of omniscience. The kalyāṇamitras have made me enter the ocean of the ways of the realm of the Dharma. The kalyāṇamitras have taught me the ways of an ocean of what is to be known in the three times. The kalyāṇamitras have shown me all the circles of ārya assemblies.1057 The kalyāṇamitras have increased all my good qualities.”
While he thus wept and wailed, the devas who were assembled in the sky, who were bodhisattva devas, emissaries of the buddhas who continually followed him and inspired him, called down to him, “Noble one, the bodhisattvas who follow the instructions of the kalyāṇamitras greatly please the buddha bhagavats. The bodhisattvas who never go against the words of the kalyāṇamitras come close to omniscience. The bodhisattvas who do not doubt the words of the kalyāṇamitras [F.37.a] come close to the kalyāṇamitras. The bodhisattvas who always have the kalyāṇamitras in their minds are approaching all their goals.
“Noble one, go to the upāsikā Acalā in the royal capital of Sthirā! You will hear the bodhisattva conduct from her.”
Then Sudhana, the head merchant’s son, emerged from samādhi’s light of wisdom and eventually arrived at Sthirā, where the upāsikā Acalā was.
He searched and looked for the upāsikā Acalā, and many people said to him, “Noble one, the upāsikā Acalā is young and lives with her parents at home, where, surrounded by her family, she teaches the Dharma to a great gathering of people.”
Then Sudhana, the head merchant’s son, his mind filled with great happiness, enthusiasm, and joy, went to the home of the upāsikā Acalā. After arriving there, while he was waiting at the door he saw1058 the entire house shining with a pervading golden light that brought ease to mind and body. The instant the light touched Sudhana, the head merchant’s son, he entered, and there arose five hundred subtle and newly developed entrances to samādhi such as entrances to the samādhi called power over all sensations,1059 entrances to the samādhi called the region of peace, entrances to the samādhi called apart from1060 all beings, entrances to the samādhi called the all-seeing equanimity, and entrances to the samādhi called the treasure of the tathāgatas. [F.37.b] Those samādhis were very subtle and newly developed like a consciousness that has just entered the womb.
Then Sudhana sensed a lovely scent of such a kind that male devas did not have, that female devas did not have, that male nāgas did not have, that female nāgas did not have, that male yakṣas did not have, that female yakṣas did not have, that male gandharvas did not have, that female gandharvas did not have, that male asuras did not have, that female asuras did not have, that male garuḍas did not have, that female garuḍas did not have, that male kinnaras did not have, that female kinnaras did not have, that male mahoragas did not have, that female mahoragas did not have, that male humans did not have, and that female humans did not have.
There was no equal to that girl’s body in the worlds in the ten directions, let alone one that was superior.
Apart from the luster of the color of the bodies of the tathāgatas, and the luster of the color of consecrated bodhisattvas, there was no one in the worlds in the ten directions who had a body with a luster of color that equaled the luster of color of her body, let alone one that was superior.
Apart from the shape and figure of the bodies of the tathāgatas, and the shape and figure of consecrated bodhisattvas, there was no one in the worlds in the ten directions who had a body with a shape and figure that equaled the shape and figure of her body, let alone one that was superior.
Apart from the aura of light of the tathāgatas, and the aura of light of consecrated bodhisattvas, there was no one in the worlds in the ten directions who had an aura of light that equaled her aura of light, let alone one that was superior.
Apart from the tathāgatas and the consecrated bodhisattvas, there was no one in the worlds in the ten directions, in the realms of devas, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kinnaras, mahoragas, humans, or nonhumans, who had a scent that equaled the scent of the breath that came from her mouth, let alone one that was superior.
Apart from the displays and enjoyments of the abodes of the tathāgatas, and the displays and enjoyments of the abodes of the consecrated bodhisattvas, [F.38.a] there was no one in the worlds in the ten directions who could equal the displays and enjoyments of her abode, let alone anyone who could be her superior.
Apart from the perfect entourage of attendants of the tathāgatas and the perfect entourage of attendants of the consecrated bodhisattvas, there was no one in the worlds in the ten directions who could equal her perfect entourage of attendants, let alone anyone who could be her superior.
There was no being among the classes of beings in the worlds in the ten directions who could look upon the upāsikā Acalā with desire.
There was no being among the classes of beings in the worlds in the ten directions whose kleśas did not cease as soon as they saw the upāsikā Acalā.
Just as the Mahābrahmās who have power over a million desire realms1061 do not have kleśas arising within them, in the same way, the beings who saw the upāsikā Acalā did not have kleśas arising within them.
There was no being among the classes of beings in the worlds in the ten directions who had enough of looking upon the upāsikā Acalā, apart from those who had the contentment of wisdom.
Sudhana, the head merchant’s son, saw the inconceivable majesty of the upāsikā Acalā’s body and her inconceivable form, color, shape, and figure; he saw the inconceivable network of unimpeded light rays from the entirety of the ground, city, and jewels; and he saw the accomplishment of inconceivable benefits for beings.
He smelled the lovely scent that arose from all her pores, saw the infinite perfect assembly of her attendants, saw the perfect, unassailable display of the aerial palace that was her home, perceived the measureless ocean of its qualities, and praised the upāsikā Acalā with this verse: [F.38.b]
After Sudhana, the head merchant’s son, had praised the upāsikā Acalā with that verse, he said to her, “Āryā, I have developed the aspiration for the highest, complete enlightenment, but I do not know how bodhisattvas should train in bodhisattva conduct and in what way they should practice it. Āryā, I have heard that you give instruction and teachings to bodhisattvas! I pray that you explain to me how bodhisattvas should train in bodhisattva conduct and how they should practice it!”
The upāsikā Acalā spoke with a gentle, beautiful, delightful voice to Sudhana, the head merchant’s son, with words that brought him joy, saying, “Noble one, it is excellent, excellent, that you have developed the aspiration for the highest, complete enlightenment.
“Noble one, I have attained the bodhisattva liberation called the essence of wisdom that is difficult to attain. I train in the gateway of bodhisattva conduct that possesses a strong commitment. I have attained the gateway of the power of retention of the level of the equality of all phenomena. I have attained the gateway called the light of the wisdom of eloquence that elucidates the basis1065 of all phenomena, [F.39.a] and I have attained the gateway of the samādhi called the display of the tireless search for the Dharma.”
Sudhana asked, “Āryā, what is the scope of the bodhisattva liberation called the essence of the wisdom that is difficult to attain? What is the scope of the gateway of bodhisattva conduct with a strong commitment, of the gateway of maintaining the level of the equality of all phenomena, of the gateway of the light of the wisdom of eloquence that elucidates the basis1066 of all phenomena, and of the gateway of the samādhi called the display of the tireless search for the Dharma?”
Sudhana said, “Āryā, please teach me. Through the power of the buddhas and being in the care of the kalyāṇamitras, I will believe it, comprehend it, know it, understand it, discern it, cognize it, reflect upon it as a focus of my attention, contemplate it, not deny it, not conceptualize it, not add to it, and be in accord with it.”
Then the upāsikā Acalā said to Sudhana, the head merchant’s son, “Noble one, in the past, during a kalpa called Stainless Light, appeared the tathāgata named Pralambabāhu. At that time I was the only daughter1068 of King Vidyuddatta. One night when I was not sleeping,1069 the door of the royal residence1070 was shut, my parents were asleep, the staff of men and women had gone to sleep, the sound of music being played had ceased, and the five hundred women that I spent time with were sleeping, I sat on my bed, looking at the constellations of stars in the sky. In the sky above I saw the Tathāgata Arhat Samyaksaṃbuddha Pralambabāhu, who was like Sumeru, the lord of mountains. He was accompanied by an entourage of many nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kinnaras, and mahoragas. His body spread a network of unimpeded light rays throughout all directions. From all the pores of the tathāgata’s body came a beautiful scent [F.39.b] that brought ease to my mind and body and great happiness to my mind.
“I arose from my bed and stood on the floor, and with my ten fingers placed together in homage, I bowed down to the Tathāgata Pralambabāhu. As I looked at the crown of his head there seemed to be no end to it, and I could not grasp his extent to the right or left. I could never have enough of contemplating his perfect signs and features of a great being.
“At that time, I wondered, ‘Through what kind of karma can one obtain such a perfect body? Give rise to the perfect signs and features of a great bring? Have such a perfect display of light? Attain such a perfect entourage? Have such a perfect residence and requisites that are of the nature of the mind? Develop such a perfection of merit? Have such purified wisdom? Attain such perfect, inconceivable miracles from samādhi? Complete such perfect powers of retention? And have the power of such perfect eloquence?’
“Noble one, the Bhagavat Tathāgata Pralambabāhu knew my thought and said, ‘Girl, develop an invincible motivation for the defeat of all the kleśas. Develop an undefeatable motivation for eliminating all attachment. Develop an unwearying motivation for comprehending the way of the profound Dharma. Develop an unshakable motivation for descending into the whirling ocean of the range1071 of the thoughts of beings. Develop an unconfused motivation for the rebirth in all the states of existence within saṃsāra. Develop a never-satisfied motivation for the continuous aspiration to see all the buddhas. [F.40.a] Develop a never-satiated motivation in order to obtain the clouds of Dharma of all the buddhas. Develop a realized motivation in order to realize the light of the way of the Dharma of all the buddhas. Develop an acquisitive motivation for acquiring the Dharma wheels of all the buddhas. Develop a motivation to be without delusion concerning even a small gesture, let alone to know that which comes from a tathāgata’s mouth. Girl, you should develop the motivation to distribute the precious Dharma in accordance with the aspirations of beings.’
“Noble one, I heard from the Bhagavat Tathāgata Arhat Samyaksaṃbuddha Pralambabāhu, that king of the gateways of instruction to the way of the Dharma, and I longed to attain omniscient wisdom. I aspired to the nature of the strengths. I wished for the words of the Buddha. I wanted to have the purified display of light of a buddha. I wanted to attain the perfect body of a buddha. I longed to have a buddha’s pure signs and features of a great being. I aspired to have the perfect assembly of followers of a buddha. I wished for1072 the pure realms of a buddha. I longed for the perfect conduct of a buddha. I rejoiced in the perfect lifespan of a buddha. I had developed the motivation that could not be impaired by all the kleśas or by the śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas, which like a vajra could not be defeated even by the strength of all mountains and weapons.
“Noble one, from that time until now, through the power of having developed that motivation, throughout as many kalpas as there are atoms in Jambudvīpa, [F.40.b] I do not remember1073 ever in my mind enjoying pleasures, let alone copulation.
“Noble one, from that time until now, I have never had one thought of anger toward a kalyāṇamitra, let alone offended any other being.
“Noble one, from that time until now, I do not remember having ever given rise to a single thought that holds the view that there is a self, let alone having attachment to things that I think of as being mine.
“Even when I died and was reborn inside a womb, I do not remember being in a state of stupidity, having various concepts, or having a neutral state of mind, let alone having a state of mental fixation.
“Throughout those kalpas I do not remember ever forgetting1074 seeing a buddha, even down to the perception of the sight of a buddha in a dream, let alone the perception of the visual images of the ten levels of bodhisattvas.
“From that time until now, while holding the clouds of Dharma of all the tathāgatas, I do not remember forgetting1075 in my mind even a single word or term of the Dharma, even down to a single syllable, let alone what has emerged from the treasure of the mouths of the tathāgatas.
“From that time until now, while I drank and drank from the ocean of the Dharma, I do not remember ever ignoring and not contemplating even any words of the worldly Dharmas.
“From that time until now, I do not remember not accomplishing the samādhi of a single gateway to the ways of the Dharma from among the ocean of the ways of the Dharma, even down to the ways of the knowledge of worldly crafts.
“From that time until now, while I held the wheels of Dharma of the tathāgatas in order to guide beings, I do not remember leaving out a single word or even a single syllable that was transmitted to me.
“From that time until now, there is not a single prayer from the ocean of the visions of buddhas that I have not accomplished in order to purify the ocean of beings, even down to carrying out the prayer of a buddha who was an emanation. [F.41.a]
“From that time until now, I do not remember not practicing any bodhisattva conduct from the ocean of the past bodhisattva conduct of the ocean of buddhas in order to purify my conduct.
“From that time until now, I do not remember creating a single motivation that was focused on being a śrāvaka or a pratyekabuddha.
“Noble one, from that time until now, throughout as many kalpas as there are atoms in Jambudvīpa, I do not remember ever having given rise to doubts, dualistic identification, conceptualized identification, variegated identification, obdurate1076 identification, identification as inferior,1077 or identification as appropriate or inappropriate concerning any single word or syllable.
“Noble one, since that time, I have never been separated from the appearance of a buddha. I have never been separated from the buddha bhagavats. I have never been separated from the bodhisattvas. I have never been separated from the true kalyāṇamitras. I have never been separated from hearing the prayers of the buddhas. I have never been separated from hearing of the conduct of the bodhisattvas. I have never been separated from hearing the way of the perfections of the bodhisattvas. I have never been separated from hearing the way of the light of the wisdom of the level of the bodhisattvas. I have never been separated from the attainment of hearing the inexhaustible treasures and treasuries of the retentions and samādhis of the bodhisattvas. I have never been separated from hearing of the comprehension of and entry into the centerless and endless network of world realms. I have never been separated from the attainment of hearing the causes for the arising of the centerless and endless [F.41.b] realms of beings. I have never been separated from the light of the wisdom of the cessation of the domain of the network of the kleśas of all beings. I have never been separated from the attainment of the wisdom of the causes that give rise to the roots of merit of all beings. I have never been separated from the manifestation of bodies in accordance with the aspirations of all beings. I have never been separated from the pure domain of the speech that brings knowledge to all beings.
“Noble one, I have accomplished this gateway of the bodhisattva liberation called the essence of the wisdom that is difficult to attain and the gateway of the samādhi called the display of the tireless search for the Dharma; I have reflected on the gateway to bodhisattva conduct with a firm commitment; I have contemplated the gateway called the power of retention of the level of the equality of all phenomena and the gateway called the light of the wisdom of eloquence that elucidates the basis of all phenomena; and therefore miraculous powers have arisen. Noble one, do you wish to see them?”
Sudhana answered, “I wish to do so.”
The upāsikā Acalā viewed, analyzed, followed, and realized gateways of bodhisattva liberations such as the essence of wisdom that is difficult to attain and many millions of gateways of samādhis: gateways of samādhis such as the display of the tireless search for the Dharma, samādhis such as the display of the unfailing domain, samādhis such as facing the display of the domain of the wisdom of the ten strengths, and samādhis such as the inexhaustible treasure of the buddha family.
As soon as the upāsikā Acalā rested in those samādhis, Sudhana, the head merchant’s son, saw world realms as numerous as the atoms in ten anabhilāpya buddha realms in the ten directions shake in six ways, [F.42.a] and he saw that they were formed of pure beryl. He saw in each world realm a billion tathāgatas in a billion four-continent world realms. He saw some dwelling in Tuṣita and so on, up to some passing away into nirvāṇa. He saw that because those completely pure world realms of beryl were unobscured, each of those tathāgatas pervaded the entire realm of phenomena with their light rays and halos; each of those tathāgatas had their own ocean of separate assemblies of followers; and each of those tathāgatas taught the wheel of the entire Dharma, which was heard by all beings, who listened to the domains of their speech.
Then the upāsikā Acalā rose from that samādhi and said to Sudhana, the head merchant’s son, “Noble one, did you see that? Did you hear that? Did you discern that?”
He answered “I saw it. I heard it. I discerned it.”
The upāsikā Acalā said, “Noble one, I have trained in the gateway of the bodhisattva conduct called possessing a strong commitment; I have rested in the samādhi called the display of the tireless search for the Dharma; I have dwelled in the gateway of bodhisattva liberations called the essence of the wisdom that is difficult to attain; I have realized the power of retention of the level of the equality of all phenomena; and through being skilled in describing the light of the wisdom of eloquence that elucidates the basis of all phenomena, I have taught beings and brought them satisfaction.
“However, how could I know the conduct or describe the qualities of the bodhisattvas who possess measureless, inconceivable qualities; whose activity has no fixed location, like the lord of birds in the sky; who, like the great lord of the garuḍas, [F.42.b] dive into the ocean of beings in order to extract the ripened bodhisattvas; who, like merchants, go the island of the jewels of omniscience, longing for the jewel that is the wisdom of the ten strengths; who, like strong fishermen, go onto the ocean of saṃsāra1078 with the beautiful net of the domain of the wheel of the Dharma in their hands in order to draw ripened beings out from the water of craving; who, like the lord of the devas,1079 move throughout the three realms, filling them in order to repel and subjugate the attacks of the asuras of the kleśas; who, like the disk of the sun, rise high in the sky of the realm of the Dharma in order to dry the water of the craving of beings and the mud of the kleśas; who, like the full moon, shine in the sky of wisdom in order to cause the night lotuses of the minds of those to be guided to blossom; who, like the surface of the Earth, support all equally without any distinction between those who are friends and not friends, or those who are high and those who are low, in order to cause the sprouts of the power of goodness in all beings to rise and grow; who, like a tempest, move everywhere without impediment in order to uproot the trees, vines, forests, and groves of the kleśas and false views of all beings; who, like a cakravartin, act within the world in order to gather all beings through conditions and requisites as methods of gathering pupils?
“Depart, noble one. In this southern region, in a land called Amitatosala, there is a town named Tosala. There dwells the parivrājaka by the name of Sarvagamin. Go to him and ask him, ‘How should a bodhisattva train in bodhisattva conduct? How should a bodhisattva practice it?’ ”
Then Sudhana, the head merchant’s son, bowed his head to the feet of the upāsikā Acalā, [F.43.a] circumambulated the upāsikā Acalā a hundred thousand times, keeping her to his right, and, looking back again and again, departed from the presence of the upāsikā Acalā.
Colophon
This was translated and revised by the Indian upādhyāyas Jinamitra and Surendrabodhi and by the chief editor Lotsawa Bandé Yeshé Dé and others.2232
Tibetan Editor’s Colophon
A Multitude of Buddhas is the marvelous essence of the final, ultimate, definitive wheel from among the three wheels of the Sugata’s teaching. It has many other titles, such as The Mahāvaipulya Basket, The Earring, The Lotus Adornment, and so on.
It has seven sections:2233 A Multitude of Tathāgatas,2234 The Vajra Banner Dedication,2235 The Teaching of the Ten Bhūmis,2236 The Teaching of Completely Good Conduct,2237 [F.362.b] The Teaching of the Birth and Appearance of the Tathāgatas,2238 The Transcendence of the World,2239 and Stem Array.2240 These are subdivided into forty-five chapters.
According to Butön Rinpoché and others, it contains thirty-nine thousand and thirty verses, a hundred and thirty fascicles, and an additional thirty verses. In the Tshalpa Kangyur edition there are a hundred and fifteen fascicles, the Denkarma edition has a hundred and twenty-seven fascicles,2241 and present-day editions have various numbers of fascicles.2242
This sūtra was first received from Ārya Nāgārjuna by Paṇḍita Buddhabhadra and Paṇḍita Śikṣānanda (652–710), and they both translated it into Chinese. It is taught that Surendrabodhi and Vairocanarakṣita became principal editors for a Chinese translation.
As for the lineage of the text, there is the lineage from China: The perfect Buddha, Ārya Mañjuśrī, Lord Nāgārjuna, the two paṇḍitas mentioned above, and Heshang Tushun. Then the lineage continued through others until Üpa Sangyé Bum received it from Heshang Gying-ju. Then that lineage was passed on through Lotsawa Chokden and has continued up to the present time.
The lineage from India is as follows:
It was passed from Nāgārjuna to Āryadeva, and then Mañjuśrīkīrti, and so on, until Bari Lotsawa received it from Vajrāsana. It is taught that the lineage then continued through Chim Tsöndrü Sengé, the great Sakya Lord,2243 and so on.
However, I have not seen any other text or history of a translation made by any other lotsawa or paṇḍita other than those listed in the colophon to this translation into Tibetan.
The king of Jangsa Tham2244 had a complete Kangyur made that was based on the Tshalpa Kangyur. At the present time this is known as the Lithang Tshalpa Kangyur (1609–14). I considered this to be a reliable source and so have made it the basis for this edition. However, it has many omissions, accretions, and misspellings, and therefore I have at this time corrected it by seeking out many older editions.
There are variant Indian texts and conflicting translations, and I have not been able to ascertain from them a definitive single meaning or correct words. Nevertheless, this text is nothing but a valid edition.
There are varying translations of terms that have been left unrevised, as there is no contradiction in meaning. For example, it has rgyan instead of bkod pa;2245 ’byam klas instead of rab ’byams;2246 so so yang dag par rig pa instead of tha dad pa yang dag par shes pa;2247 thugs for dgongs pa;2248 [F.363.a] nyin mtshan dang zla ba yar kham mar kham dang instead of nyin mtshan dang yud du yan man dang;2249 and tha snyad instead of rnam par dpyod pa.2250
Sanskrit words have many cases and tenses, so that although the Tibetan lotsawas and paṇḍitas, who had the eyes of the Dharma, translated their meaning, their tenses, cases, and so on are difficult to discern. Those are the majority of the examples of uncertainty, and there are also a few other kinds, but they are nevertheless in accord with Tibetan grammar.
In most texts there are many archaic words, so that the meaning of the translation is not clear, but there is a consistency when those words are all in archaic Tibetan. However, there appears to have occurred in later times a strong adulteration of the text so that there is a mixture of archaic and modern forms. There are also unreliable placements of the shad mark that differentiates clauses, but all these have been left as they are because these faults are few and minor. Therefore, this revision has been diligently edited without becoming analogous to knocking down the ancient megaliths of the southern regions.
May this remain for the entire kalpa within the circle of the Cakravāla Mountains, as bright as the sun and moon, as the glory of the merit of nonsectarian beings and the precious teaching of the Buddha.
This was printed in the water tiger year called dge byed (1722),2251 in the presence of Tenpa Tsering (1678–1738), the divine Dharma king who rules in accordance with the Dharma, who has the vast, superior wealth of the ten good actions, and who is a bodhisattva as a ruler of humans and the source of happiness in the four regions of greater Tibet.
This was written by the attendant Gelong Tashi Wangchuk, who in the process of revision was commanded to become its supervisor.
Ye dharmahetuprabhavā hetun teṣān tathāgato hy avadat. Teṣāñ ca yo nirodha evaṃ vādī mahāśramanaḥ.
Bibliography
Kangyur Texts
sdong po bkod pa (Gaṇḍavyūha). Toh 44, ch. 45, Degé Kangyur vol. 37 (phal chen, ga), folios 274.b–396.a; vol. 38 (phal chen, a), folios 1.b–363.a.
sdong po bkod 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. 37, pp. 590–853; vol. 38, pp. 3–800.
sdong po bkod pa. Stok Palace Kangyur vol. 39 (phal chen, ca), folios 22.b–352.a; vol. 40 (phal chen, cha), folios 1.a–310.a.
sangs rgyas phal po che zhe bya ba shin tu rgyas pa chen po’i mdo (Buddhāvataṃsakanāmamahāvaipulyasūtra) [The Mahāvaipulya Sūtra “A Multitude of Buddhas”]. Toh 44, Degé Kangyur vols. 35–38 (phal chen, ka–a). Stok Palace Kangyur vols. 35–40 (phal chen, ka–cha).
dga’ bo la mngal na gnas pa bstan pa (Nandagarbhāvakrantinirdeśa) [The Sūtra on Being in the Womb That Was Taught to Nanda]. Toh 57, Degé Kangyur vol. 41 (dkon brtsegs, ga), folios 205.b–236.b.
rgya cher rol pa (Lalitavistara). Toh 95, Degé Kangyur vol. 46 (mdo sde, kha), folios 1.b–216.b. English translation in Dharmachakra Translation Committee (2013).
snying rje chen po’i pad ma dkar po (Mahākaruṇāpuṇḍarīka) [White Lotus of Compassion Sūtra]. Toh 111, Degé Kangyur vol. 50 (mde sde, cha), folios 56.a–128.b.
ting nge ’dzin gyi rgyal po’i mdo (Samādhirājasūtra). Toh 127, Degé Kangyur vol. 55 (mdo sde, da), folios 1.b–170.b. English translation in Roberts (2018a).
dam pa’i chos pad ma dkar po (Saddharmapuṇḍarīka) [Lotus Sūtra/Lotus of the Good Dharma]. Toh 113, Degé Kangyur vol. 51 (mdo sde, ja), folios 1.b–180.b. English translation in Roberts (2018b).
bde ba can gyi bkod pa (Sukhāvatīvyūha). Toh 115, Degé Kangyur vol. 51 (mdo sde, ja), folios 195.b–200.b. English translation in Sakya Pandita Translation Group (2011).
rnam par snang mdzad chen po mngon par rdzogs par byang chub pa rnam par sprul pa byin gyis rlob pa shin tu rgyas pa mdo sde’i dbang po’i rgyal po (Mahāvairocanābhisambodhivikurvatīadhiṣṭhānavaipulyasūtraindrarājānāmadharmaparyāya). Toh 494, Degé Kangyur vol. 86 (rgyud, tha), folios 151.b–260.a.
phung po gsum pa’i mdo (Triskandhakasūtra) [The Confession of the Three Heaps]. A reference to a passage (1.43 et seq.) in the Vinaya-viniścayopāli-paripṛcchā, Toh 68, Degé Kangyur vol. 43 (dkon brtsegs, ca) folios 120.a–121.a. English translation in UCSB Buddhist Studies Translation Group (2021).
byang chub sems dpa’i spyod yul gyi thabs kyi yul la rnam par ’phrul pa bstan pa (Bodhisattvagocaraupāyaviṣayavikurvāṇanirdeśa/Satyaka Sūtra) [The Teaching of the Miraculous Manifestation of the Range of Methods in the Field of Activity of the Bodhisattvas]. Toh 146, Degé Kangyur vol. 57 (mdo sde, pa), folios 82.a–141.b. English translation in Jamspal (2010).
tshangs pa’i dra ba’i mdo (Brahmajālasūtra). Toh 352, Degé Kangyur vol. 76 (mdo sde, aH), folios 70.b–86.a.
tshe dang ldan pa dga’ bo la mngal du ’jug pa bstan pa (Āyuṣmannandagarbhāvakrantinirdeśa) [The Sūtra on Entering the Womb That Was Taught to Āyuṣmat Nanda]. Toh 58, Degé Kangyur vol. 41 (dkon brtsegs, ga), folios 237.a–248.a. English translation in Kritzer 2021.
bzang po smon lam (Bhadracaryāpraṇidhāna). Toh 1095, Degé Kangyur vol. 101 (gzungs, waM), folios 262.b–266.a.
shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa stong phrag nyi shu lnga pa (Pañcaviṃśatisāhasrikāprajñāpāramitā) [The Perfection of Wisdom in Twenty-Five Thousand Lines]. Toh 9, Degé Kangyur vols. 26–28 (nyi khri, ka–ga). English Translation in Padmakara Translation Group (2023).
sa bcu’i le’u (Daśabhūmika) [Ten Bhūmi Sūtra]. Toh 44, ch. 31, Degé Kangyur vol. 36 (phal chen, ga), folios 46.a–283.a. English translation in Roberts (2021).
sems kyi rgyal pos dris nas grangs la ’jug pa bstan pa. Toh 44, ch. 36, Degé Kangyur vol. 36 (phal chen, kha), folios 348.b–393.b. Comparative Edition (dpe bsdur ma) Kangyur vol. 36 (phal chen, kha), pp. 807–25.
Sanskrit Editions of the Gaṇḍavyūha
Vaidya, P. L., ed. Gaṇḍavyūhasūtra. Darbhanga: Mithila Institute, 1960.
Gaṇḍavyūhasūtra. GRETIL edition input by members of the Digital Sanskrit Buddhist Canon Input Project, based on the edition by P. L. Vaidya. Gaṇḍavyūhasūtra. Darbhanga: The Mithila Institute, 1960. Last updated July 31, 2020.
Suzuki, D. T., and Hokei Idzumi, eds. The Gaṇḍavyūha Sūtra. rev. ed. Tokyo: Society for the Publication of Sacred Books of the World, 1949.
Chinese Editions of the Gaṇḍavyūha and Commentaries
Da fangguang fohuayan jing 大方廣佛華嚴經 (Avataṃsaka Sūtra), translated by Buddhabhadra. Taishō 278.
Da fangguang fohuayan jing 大方廣佛華嚴經 (Avataṃsaka Sūtra), translated by Śikṣānanda. Taishō 279.
Da fangguang fohuayan jing 大方廣佛華嚴經 (Avataṃsaka Sūtra), translated by Prajñā. Taishō 293.
Da fangguang fohuayan jing ru fajie pin 大方廣佛華嚴經入法界品 (Avataṃsaka Sūtra, Gaṇḍavyūha Chapter), translated by Divākara. Taishō 295.
Da fangguang fohuayan jing busiyi fo jingjie fen 大方廣佛華嚴經不思議佛境界分 (Avataṃsaka Sūtra, Chapter on The Teaching on the Inconceivability of the Buddhadharma), translated by Devaprajñā. Taishō 300.
Da fangguang fohuayan jing busiyi fo jingjie fen 大方廣佛華嚴經入法界品四十二字觀門 (Avataṃsaka Sūtra, Contemplation on the 42 Syllables of the Gaṇḍavyūha), translated by Amoghavajra. Taishō 1019.
Cheng Guan 澄觀. Da fangguang fohuayan jingshu 大方廣佛華嚴經疏 (Commentary on the Avataṃsaka Sūtra). Taishō 1735.
Translations of the Gaṇḍavyūha
Carré, Patrick. Soûtra de l’Entrée dans la dimension absolue. 2 vols.: I. Introduction et Traité de Li Tongxuan XXII–XL; II. Soûtra et glossaire. Plazac, France: Éditions Padmakara, 2019.
Cleary, Thomas. “Entry into the Realm of Reality” (chapter 39), in The Flower Ornament Scripture: A Translation of the Avatamsaka Sutra, pp. 1135–1532. Boston: Shambhala Publications, 1993.
Osto, Douglas (2010). “A New Translation of the Sanskrit Bhadracarī with Introduction and Notes.” New Zealand Journal of Asian Studies 12, no. 2 (2010): 1–21.
———(2020). “The Supreme Array Scripture.” D. E. Osto. Accessed July 6, 2021.
Related Works in Tibetan
Madhyavyutpatti (sgra sbyor bam po gnyis pa). Toh 4347, Degé Tengyur, vol. 204 (sna tshogs, co) folios 131.b–160.a.
Mahāvyutpatti (bye brag tu rtogs par byed pa chen po). Toh 4346, Degé Tengyur vol. 204 (sna tshogs, co), folios 1.b–131.a.
Ngorchen Könchok Lhündrup (ngor chen dkon mchog lhun grub) and Ngorchen Sangyé Phuntsok (ngor chen sangs rgyas phun tshogs). Ngor chos ’byung: A History of Buddhism, being the text of dam pa’i chos kyi byung tshul legs par bshad pa bstan pa rgya mtshor ’jug pa’i gru chen zhes bya ba rtsom ’phro kha skon bcas. New Delhi: Ngawang Topgay, 1973.
Pekar Zangpo (pad dkar bzang po). mdo sde spyi’i rnam bzhag: bstan pa spyi’i rgyas byed las mdo sde spyi’i rnam bzhag bka’ bsdu ba bzhi pa zhes bye ba’i bstan bcos. Beijing: mi rigs dpe skrun khang (Minorities Publishing House), 2006.
Phangthangma (dkar chag ’phang thang ma). Beijing: mi rigs dpe skrun khang, 2003.
Situ Chökyi Jungné (si tu chos kyi ’byung gnas). “sde dge bka’ ’gyur gyi dkar chags.” In ta’i si tu pa kun mkhyen chos kyi ’byung gnas bstan pa’i nyin byed kyi bka’ ’bum, vol. 9, folios 1.b–224.b. Kangra, Himachal Pradesh: Palpung Sungrab Nyamso Khang, 1990.
Related Works in Other Languages
Burnouf, Eugene. Le lotus de la bonne loi. Paris: L’Imprimerie Nationale, 1852.
Carré, Patrick. Notes sur la traduction française de l’Avataṃsakasūtra. Forthcoming.
Dharmachakra Translation Committee, trans. The Play in Full (Lalitavistara, Toh 95). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2013.
Edgerton, Franklin. Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Grammar and Dictionary. 2 vols. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1970.
Fontein, Jan (2012). Entering the Dharmadhātu: A Study of the “Gandavyūha” Reliefs of Borobudur. Leiden: Brill, 2012.
———(1967). The Pilgrimage of Sudhana: A Study of Gaṇḍavyūha Illustrations in China, Japan and Java. The Hague: Mouton, 1967.
Gifford, Julie A. Buddhist Practice and Visual Culture: The Visual Rhetoric of Borobodur. Abingdon: Routledge, 2011.
Gómez, Luis Óscar. “Selected Verses from the Gaṇḍavyūha: Text, Critical Apparatus, and Translation.” PhD diss., Yale University, 1967.
Gómez, Luis Óscar, and Hiram Woodward Jr., eds. Barabuḍur: History and Significance of a Buddhist Monument. Berkeley: Asian Humanities Press, 1981.
Hamar, Imre. “The History of the Buddhāvataṃsaka-sūtra: Shorter and Larger Texts.” In Reflecting Mirrors: Perspectives on Huayan Buddhism, edited by Imre Hamar, 139–68. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag, 2007.
Harrison, Paul. “Searching for the Origins of the Mahāyāna: What Are We Looking For?” The Eastern Buddhist 28, no. 1 (1995): 48–69.
Kern, H. Saddharma-Puṇḍarīka or the Lotus of the Good Law. Sacred Books of the East 21. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1884.
Kim, Hyung-Hi. La carrière du Bodhisattva dans l’Avataṃsaka-sūtra: Materiaux pour l’étude de l’Avataṃsaka-sūtra et ses commentaires chinois. Bern: Peter Lang, 2013.
Kritzer, Robert, trans. The Sūtra on Entry into the Womb (Garbhāvakrāntisūtra, Toh 58). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2021.
Jamspal, Lozang. The Range of the Bodhisattva, A Mahāyāna Sūtra: Ārya-bodhisattva-gocara, Introduction and Translation. New York: The American Institute of Buddhist Studies, Columbia University Center for Buddhist Studies, Tibet House US, 2010.
Lewis, Todd T. “Contributions to the Study of Popular Buddhism: The Newar Buddhist Festival of Guṃlā Dharma.” Journal of the International Association of Buddhist Studies 16, no. 2 (Winter 1993): 309–54.
McMahan, David. “Transpositions of Metaphor and Imagery in the Gaṇḍavyūha and Tantric Buddhist Practice.” Pacific World Journal Third Series, no. 6 (Fall 2004): 181–94.
Monier-Williams, Monier. A Sanskrit–English Dictionary. Reprint of 1899 edition. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1976.
Osto, Douglas (2008). Power, Wealth and Women in Indian Mahāyāna Buddhism: The Gaṇḍavyūha-sūtra. Oxfordshire: Routledge Critical Studies in Buddhism, 2008.
———(2009a). “ ‘Proto-Tantric’ Elements in the Gaṇḍavyūha-sūtra.” Journal of Religious History 33, no. 2 (June 2009): 165–77.
———(2009b). “The Supreme Array Scripture: A New Interpretation of the Title ‘Gaṇḍavyūha-sūtra.’ ” Journal of Indian Philosophy 37 (2009): 273–90.
Ōtake, Susumu. “On the Origin and Early Development of the Buddhāvataṃsaka-Sūtra.” In Reflecting Mirrors: Perspectives on Huayan Buddhism, edited by Imre Hamar, 87–107. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag, 2007.
Padmakara Translation Group, trans. The Perfection of Wisdom in Twenty-five Thousand Lines (Pañcaviṃśatisāhasrikāprajñāpāramitā, Toh 9). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2023.
Revianur, A. “Forms and types of Borobudur’s stupas.” In Cultural Dynamics in a Globalized World, edited by Melani Budianta et al., 577–84. New York: Routledge, 2018.
Roberts, Peter Alan, trans. (2018a). The King of Samādhis Sūtra (Samādhirājasūtra, Toh 127). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2018.
———, trans. (2018b). The White Lotus of the Good Dharma (Saddharmapuṇḍarīka, Toh 113). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2018.
———, trans. (2021).The Ten Bhūmis (Daśabhūmika, Toh 44-31). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2021.
Sakya Pandita Translation Group, trans. The Display of the Pure Land of Sukhāvatī (Sukhāvatīvyūha, Toh 115). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2011.
Shastri, Bahadur Chand. “The Identification of the First Sixteen Reliefs on the Second Main-Wall of Barabudur.” Bijarden tot de Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde van Nederlandsch-Indië (Journal of the Humanities and Social Sciences of Southeast Asia) 89, no. 1 (January 1932): 173–81.
Steinkellner, E. Sudhana’s Miraculous Journey in the Temple of Ta Pho: The Inscriptional Text of the Tibetan Gaṇḍavyūhasūtra Edited with Introductory Remarks. Rome: Instituto italiano per il Medio ed Estremo Oriente, 1995.
Tsugunari Kubo and Akira Yuyama, trans. The Lotus Sutra (Taishō Volume 9, Number 262). Berkeley: Numata Center for Buddhist Translation and Research, 2007.
UCSB Buddhist Studies Translation Group, trans. Determining the Vinaya: Upāli’s Questions (Vinayaviniścayopāliparipṛcchā, Toh 68). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2021.
Un, Ko. Little Pilgrim. Berkeley: Parallax Press, 2005.
Van Norden, Bryan, and Nicholaos Jones. “Huayan Buddhism.” The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Winter 2019 Edition).
Walser, Joseph. Genealogies of Mahāyāna Buddhism: Emptiness, Power and the Question of Origin. New York: Routledge, 2018.
Williams, Paul. Mahāyāna Buddhism: The Doctrinal Foundations. New York: Routledge, 2009.