The Stem Array
Śilpābhijña
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)
Generated by 84000 Reading Room v2.26.1
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
Śilpābhijña
Sudhana went to where Śilpābhijña, the head merchant’s son, was present. When he came to him, he bowed his head to the feet of Śilpābhijña, the head merchant’s son, then stood before Śilpābhijña, the head merchant’s son, with his palms together in homage and 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! Ārya, I pray that you explain to me how bodhisattvas should train in bodhisattva conduct and how they should practice it!”
When he had said that, Śilpābhijña, the head merchant’s son, said, “Noble one, I have attained the bodhisattva liberation called higher knowledge of the arts.
“Noble one, in that way, while studying the alphabet, through reciting the letter A and through the power of a bodhisattva, I realized the gateway to the perfection of wisdom called the undifferentiated range.
“Through reciting the letter Ra I realized the gateway to the perfection of wisdom called the infinite particulars of the bases. [F.274.a]
“Through reciting the letter Pa I realized the gateway to the perfection of wisdom called blending1908 the basis of the realm of phenomena.
“Through reciting the letter Ca I realized the gateway to the perfection of wisdom called dividing the wheel.
“Through reciting the letter Na I realized the gateway to the perfection of wisdom called without location and without basis.1909
“Through reciting the letter La I realized the gateway to the perfection of wisdom called stainless through having no name and no location.1910
“Through reciting the letter Da I realized the gateway to the perfection of wisdom called irreversible union.
“Through reciting the letter Ba I realized the gateway to the perfection of wisdom called the vajra field.
“Through reciting the letter Ḍa1911 I realized the gateway to the perfection of wisdom called the complete wheel.
“Through reciting the letter Ṣa1912 I realized the gateway to the perfection of wisdom called the essence of the ocean.
Through reciting the letter Va I realized the gateway to the perfection of wisdom called the accomplishment of complete increase.
“Through reciting the letter Ta I realized the gateway to the perfection of wisdom called the field of stars.
“Through reciting the letter Ya I realized the gateway to the perfection of wisdom called the undifferentiated1913 heap.
“Through reciting the letter Ṣṭa1914 I realized the gateway to the perfection of wisdom called the cessation of all torment.
“Through reciting the letter Ka I realized the gateway to the perfection of wisdom called undifferentiated clouds.
“Through reciting the letter Sa1915 I realized the gateway to the perfection of wisdom called the pervading rainfall.
“Through reciting the letter Ma I realized the gateway to the perfection of wisdom called the pinnacle adorned by great power. [F.274.b]
“Through reciting the letter Ga I realized the gateway to the perfection of wisdom called complete accomplishment.
“Through reciting the letter Tha1916 I realized the gateway to the perfection of wisdom called the undifferentiated essence of the true nature.
“Through reciting the letter Ja I realized the gateway to the perfection of wisdom called entering the purification of the saṃsāra of beings.
“Through reciting the letter Sva1917 I realized the gateway to the perfection of wisdom called the display of the memory of all the buddhas.
“Through reciting the letter Dha I realized the gateway to the perfection of wisdom called the analysis through examination of the field of phenomena.
“Through reciting the letter Śa I realized the gateway to the perfection of wisdom called the light of the wheel of instruction of all the buddhas.
“Through reciting the letter Kha I realized the gateway to the perfection of wisdom called the essence of the knowledge of the causes and levels of the composite.
“Through reciting the letter Kṣa1918 I realized the gateway to the perfection of wisdom called examining the treasure of the ocean of the pacification of karma.
“Through reciting the letter Sta I realized the gateway to the perfection of wisdom called the essence1919 of purity through dispelling all kleśas.
“Through reciting the letter Ña1920 I realized the gateway to the perfection of wisdom called perceiving the origin of the world.1921
“Through reciting the letter Pha1922 I realized the gateway to the perfection of wisdom called the field of the knowledge of the wheel that counters saṃsāra.
“Through reciting the letter Bha I realized the gateway to the perfection of wisdom called the display of the perception of the entire field of dwellings.
“Through reciting the letter Cha I realized the gateway to the perfection of wisdom called the different fields of the parasols that engage in the methods1923 for supreme accumulation. [F.275.a]
“Through reciting the letter Sma I realized the gateway to the perfection of wisdom called turning in the direction of the vision of all buddhas.
“Through reciting the letter Hva1924 I realized the gateway to the perfection of wisdom called the essence of the ocean1925 that gives rise to the power to see the appearances of all beings.
“Through reciting the letter Tsa1926 I realized the gateway to the perfection of wisdom called entering the realization of the practice of the ocean of all qualities.
“Through reciting the letter Gha I realized the gateway to the perfection of wisdom called the unwavering ocean of holding the clouds of all the Dharma.
“Through reciting the letter Ṭa1927 I realized the gateway to the perfection of wisdom called going in the direction of the prayers of all the buddhas.
“Through reciting the letter Ṇa1928 I realized the gateway to the perfection of wisdom called analyzing the end of the inexhaustible wheel of letters.
“Through reciting the letter Spha1929 I realized the gateway to the perfection of wisdom called the field of fully accomplishing the ripening of all beings.
“Through reciting the letter Ska I realized the gateway to the perfection of wisdom called the pervasion of the wheel through the light of the unimpeded discernment of the essences of the bhūmis.
“Through reciting the letter Ysa1930 I realized the gateway to the perfection of wisdom called the range of the perception of the Dharma teaching of all the buddhas.
“Through reciting the letter Śca I realized the gateway to the perfection of wisdom called the pervasion of the thunder that comes from the clouds of Dharma in the sky of beings.
“Through reciting the letter Ṭha1931 I realized the gateway to the perfection of wisdom called the lamp that possesses the complete accomplishment of the necessity of the absence of a self for the sake of beings. [F.275.b]
“Through reciting the letter Ḍha1932 I realized the gateway to the perfection of wisdom called the undifferentiated essence of the wheel of the Dharma.
“Noble one, I have realized those entrances to the perfection of wisdom and so on, countless innumerable entrances to the perfection of wisdom.
“Noble one, in that way, I have attained the bodhisattva liberation called higher knowledge of the arts.
“Noble one, I know only that, and therefore how could I know or describe the qualities of the bodhisattvas who have attained perfection in all mundane and supramundane arts; who engage in all arts; who comprehend all writing, numbers, counting, and calculations; who have attained skill in the ways of all mantras and medicines; who heal demonic afflictions from bhūtas, planets and stars, apasmāras, kākhordas, and vetālas; who know the medicines and methods that heal the elements of beings; who know the practices of the collected methods for the elements; who know the origin, creation, classes, sources, and values of gold, jewels, pearls, beryl, conch, crystal, coral, red pearls, white coral, saffron, rubies, emeralds,1933 and all precious materials; who establish parks, forests for mendicants, towns, villages, regions, lands,1934 and royal residences; who comprehend the zodiac,1935 omens, signs on beings, earth tremors, red skies, shooting stars, good and bad signs, signs of famine and harvest, [F.276.a] and all other mundane knowledge; and who can explain and teach and comprehend all the categories of supramundane qualities, knowing them correctly without obscuration, doubt, uncertainty, perplexity, indecision, bewilderment, stupidity,1936 unhappiness, lack of confidence, lack of knowledge, or misunderstanding?
“Depart, noble one. In the town called Vartanaka in the region called Kevalaka in this land of Magadha resides a kalyāṇamitra by the name of Bhadrottamā. Go to her and ask her, ‘How should a bodhisattva train in and practice bodhisattva conduct?’ ”
Sudhana, the head merchant’s son, bowed his head to the feet of Śilpābhijña, the head merchant’s son. He circumambulated Śilpābhijña, the head merchant’s son, many hundreds of thousands of times, keeping him to his right, and, looking back at him again and again, he departed from Śilpābhijña, the head merchant’s son.
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.