The Stem Array
Veṣṭhila
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 1.0.29 (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
Veṣṭhila
Then Sudhana went to the town of Śubhapāraṃgama [F.66.a] and approached the householder Veṣṭhila. He bowed his head to his feet, stood before him, and, with his hands placed together in homage, said, “Ārya, 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.
“Ārya, I have heard that you give instruction and teachings to bodhisattvas! Explain to me how bodhisattvas should train in bodhisattva conduct and how they should practice it!”
Veṣṭhila said, “Noble one, I have attained the bodhisattva liberation called the attainment of the summit of inexhaustibility.
“Noble one, from my mind’s viewpoint, a tathāgata has not passed into nirvāṇa, does not pass into nirvāṇa, and will not pass into nirvāṇa in any world other than as a way to bring beings who are to be guided under his control, not as a way to enter truly complete nirvāṇa.
“Noble one, in that way, when I opened the door of the sandalwood-throne shrine of the Tathāgata, I attained, by opening the door of the shrine, the bodhisattva samādhi called the display of the unceasing family of the buddhas.
“Noble one, in each instant of mind I rest in this samādhi, and I attain many special features.”
Veṣṭhila replied, “Noble one, when I am resting in this samādhi, [F.66.b] there appear to me all the tathāgatas, such as Kāśyapa, in a continuous succession of one buddha after another within the lineage of this world: all the tathāgatas such as Kanakamuni, Krakucchanda, Viśvabhuk, Śikhin, Vipaśyin, Tiṣya, Puṣya, Yaśottara, and Padmottara. I see in the consecutive appearances of the buddhas the unceasing succession of one buddha after another, a hundred buddhas in one instant of mind. In the next instant of mind I perceive a thousand buddhas. In the next instant of mind I perceive a hundred thousand buddhas. In the same way I see ten million buddhas, a thousand million1224 buddhas, ten thousand million1225 buddhas, a million million buddhas,1226 ten million billion buddhas,1227 ten million million billion1228 buddhas, a hundred thousand million billion1229 buddhas, and ten million million billion1230 buddhas, and so on, until in a subsequent moment of mind I perceive an inexpressible number of inexpressible numbers of buddhas appearing in succession. In the next instant of mind I see tathāgatas as numerous as the atoms in Jambudvīpa. In the next instant of mind I see tathāgatas as numerous as the atoms in an inexpressible number of inexpressible numbers of buddha realms.
“I also perceive the successive accumulations for the first development of the aspiration to enlightenment by those tathāgatas. I perceive the miraculous powers they attain through their first development of the aspiration to enlightenment. I perceive their pure fulfillment of their different prayers. I perceive their pure conduct. I perceive their complete accomplishment of the perfections. I perceive their attainment of all the bodhisattva bhūmis. I perceive their pure attainment of patience. I perceive their roaring1231 that disperses the disturbances of the māras. I perceive the display of the miracles of their complete buddhahood. I perceive the purification of their different buddha realms. I perceive their different ripening of beings. I perceive their different gatherings of followers. I perceive their different halos of light. I perceive their supremacy in turning the wheel of the Dharma. I perceive their attainment of the miraculous powers, miracles, and miraculous manifestations of buddhahood.
“I remember and keep the Dharma teachings of these tathāgatas clearly and distinctly. Through my memory I possess them. With my intelligence1232 I understand them. With reverence1233 I distinguish among them. With my intellect I comprehend them. With my wisdom I illuminate them.
“I also see and know the future succession of buddhas, such as Maitreya. I see a hundred buddhas in one instant of mind. In the next instant of mind I perceive a thousand buddhas, and so on, up to the instant of mind in which I see tathāgatas as numerous as the atoms in an inexpressible number of inexpressible numbers of buddha realms.
“I also perceive the successive accumulations for the first development of the aspiration to enlightenment by those tathāgatas. I perceive the miraculous powers they attain through their first development of the aspiration to enlightenment. I perceive their pure fulfillment of their different prayers. I perceive their pure conduct. I perceive their complete accomplishment of the perfections. [F.67.a] I perceive their attainment of all the bodhisattva bhūmis. I perceive their pure attainment of patience. I perceive their roaring1234 that disperses the disturbances of the māras. I perceive the display of the miracles of their complete buddhahood. I perceive the purification of their different buddha realms. I perceive their different ripening of beings. I perceive their different gatherings of followers. I perceive their different halos of light. I perceive their supremacy in turning the wheel of the Dharma. I perceive their attainment of the miraculous powers, miracles, and miraculous manifestations of buddhahood.
“I remember and keep the Dharma teachings of these tathāgatas clearly and distinctly. [F.67.b] Through my memory I possess them. With my intelligence1235 I understand them. With reverence1236 I distinguish among them. With my intellect I comprehend them. With my wisdom I illuminate them.
“Just as I see and know the succession of buddhas in the past and in the future in the lineage of this world realm, I see and know in the lineage of world realms in the ten directions as numerous as the atoms in an inexpressible number of inexpressible numbers of buddha realms the succession of tathāgatas in the past and in the future.
“I also perceive the successive accumulations for the first development of the aspiration to enlightenment by those tathāgatas, and so on.
“I know and comprehend the unbroken, unceasing succession of the buddhas. It is unequaled;1237 it is known through faith, is known through the diligence and resolve of bodhisattvas, augments the power of the diligence of bodhisattvas, and cannot be overcome by the entire world, by all śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas, or by bodhisattvas who have not entered its scope.
“I see and know the succession of the present tathāgatas that reside in world realms in the ten directions, such as Vairocana.
“I see a hundred buddhas in one instant of mind. In the next instant of mind I perceive a thousand buddhas, and so on, up to the instant of mind in which I see tathāgatas as numerous as the atoms in an inexpressible number of inexpressible numbers of buddha realms.
“When I wish to see a certain tathāgata, I see him. [F.68.a] I hear all that has been taught, is being taught, and will be taught by those buddhas, those bhagavats. When I have heard them, I retain them. Through my memory I possess them. With my intelligence1238 I understand them. With reverence1239 I distinguish among them. With my intellect I comprehend them. With my wisdom I illuminate them.
“Noble one, I know this bodhisattva liberation called the attainment of the summit of inexhaustibility, but how could I know the conduct or describe the qualities of the bodhisattvas who know the three times in a single instant; who in one fraction of an instant of their practice dwell in an array of samādhis; who have entered into the sunlight of the tathāgatas;1240 who understand the equality of all concepts and misconceptions; who have realized the samādhi that is equal to that of all the buddhas; who act in the nonduality of self, beings, and buddhas; who are in the domain of the display of the Dharma of natural luminosity; who have cut through the net of the world with the device of wisdom; who act without disturbing the seal1241 of the Dharma of the tathāgatas; who have the scope of wisdom that understands the entire realm of phenomena; who have the scope of wisdom that understands the Dharma teaching of all the tathāgatas?
“Depart, noble one. In this southern region, there is the mountain named Potalaka. There dwells the bodhisattva by the name of Avalokiteśvara. Go to him and ask him, ‘How should a bodhisattva train in bodhisattva conduct? How should a bodhisattva practice it?’ ” [F.68.b]
Then he spoke these two verses:
Then Sudhana, the head merchant’s son, bowed his head to the feet of the householder Veṣṭhila, circumambulated the householder Veṣṭhila many hundreds of thousands of times, keeping him to his right, and, looking back again and again, departed from the householder Veṣṭhila. [B5]
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.