The Stem Array
Supratiṣṭhita
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
Supratiṣṭhita
Then Sudhana, the head merchant’s son, remembering the instructions of the kalyāṇamitra and the Dharma teaching called All-Seeing Eyes, contemplating the miracles of that tathāgata, keeping in his mind the clouds of the words and terms of that Dharma, [F.333.a] comprehending that ocean of Dharma gateways, observing the precepts of that Dharma, entering377 those ways of turning toward378 the Dharma, absorbed into the sky of that Dharma, purifying the range of that Dharma, and meditating on the precious continent379 of that Dharma, eventually arrived at Sāgaratīra in the Laṅka region.380 Wishing to see the bhikṣu Supratiṣṭhita, he looked for him in the eastern direction. In the same way, wishing to see the bhikṣu Supratiṣṭhita, he looked for him everywhere: in the southern direction, in the western direction, in the northern direction, in the northeastern direction, in the southeastern direction, in the southwestern direction, in the northwestern direction, above, and below.
Then he saw the bhikṣu Supratiṣṭhita walking back and forth in the sky accompanied by countless hundreds of thousands of devas.
He saw deva lords in the sky making offerings to the bhikṣu Supratiṣṭhita with clouds of scattered divine flower petals, the sound of countless clouds of divine music, and countless adorning streamers and banners.
He saw that nāga lords in the sky had created high clouds, made of the spreading incense smoke of black agarwood, from which came inconceivable claps of thunder.
He heard kinnara lords offering their divine beautiful voices in songs of praise and the sounds of a concert with all musical instruments being played.
He saw mahoraga lords in the sky joyfully and with faith bringing forth an inconceivable cloud of fine clothing in beautiful colors,381 [F.333.b] with the appearance of delighting in the bhikṣu Supratiṣṭhita.
He saw asura lords in the sky conjuring an inconceivable cloud of precious jewels shining with an inconceivable display of qualities.
He saw a gathered multitude of garuḍa lords in human form, color,382 and shape, encircled by the daughters of the garuḍa lords, delighting383 in nonviolence384 and with their palms together in homage.
He saw an inconceivable hundred thousand yakṣa lords, arranged with their retinues in the sky, who had very ugly bodies and the power of love toward the bhikṣu Supratiṣṭhita.
He saw an inconceivable hundred thousand rākṣasa lords with their retinues in the sky who circled around the bhikṣu Supratiṣṭhita, guarding him.
He saw an inconceivable hundred thousand Brahmakāyika lords with their retinues in the sky with their palms together in homage, engaged in singing his praises with beautiful, melodious voices.
He saw an inconceivable hundred thousand Śuddhāvāsa devas in their aerial palaces in the sky making offerings to the bhikṣu Supratiṣṭhita.
Sudhana, the head merchant’s son, on seeing the bhikṣu Supratiṣṭhita walking in the sky, was filled with joy, delighted, elated, pleased, and happy. He placed his palms together in homage and said, “Ārya, I have developed the aspiration for the highest, complete enlightenment, but I do not know this—how should a bodhisattva seek for the Buddhadharma? [F.334.a] How should a bodhisattva obtain the Buddhadharma? How should a bodhisattva compile the Buddhadharma? How should a bodhisattva serve385 the Buddhadharma? How should a bodhisattva protect386 the Buddhadharma? How should a bodhisattva follow the Buddhadharma? How should a bodhisattva accumulate387 the Buddhadharma? How should a bodhisattva pervade388 the Buddhadharma? How should a bodhisattva purify the Buddhadharma? How should a bodhisattva train in the Buddhadharma?389 How should a bodhisattva understand the Buddhadharma?
“Ārya, I have heard that you give instruction and teachings to bodhisattvas! Therefore, Ārya, teach me how bodhisattvas should practice the Buddhadharma so that while practicing they will not lack the sight of the Buddha in order to not become separated from the truth; will not lack the vision of the bodhisattvas in order to have the same way390 as the roots of merit of all bodhisattvas; will not lack the Buddhadharma in order to realize wisdom; will not lack the bodhisattva aspiration in order to attain all the goals of the bodhisattvas; will not lack bodhisattva conduct in order to never become weary of remaining throughout all kalpas; will not lack the pervading of all buddha realms in order to purify all world realms; [F.334.b] will not lack seeing the miracles of buddhas in order to perceive all the miraculous manifestations of all the tathāgatas; will not lack a composite presence so that through bodhisattva conduct that is like a magical creation they will experience as their own bodies the āyatanas that are born and pass away within all existences; will not lack hearing the Dharma in order to obtain the clouds of Dharma of all the tathāgatas; and will not lack the light of wisdom in order to gain and use the knowledge of the three times.”391
When he had said this, the bhikṣu Supratiṣṭhita said to Sudhana, the head merchant’s son, “Noble one, it is excellent, excellent, that you have developed the aspiration for the highest, complete enlightenment and that you ask questions about the Buddha’s Dharma, the Dharma of omniscience, the self-arisen Dharma.
“Noble one, I have the attainment of the unimpeded gateway, the liberation of a bodhisattva. I have acquired, followed, categorized, analyzed, examined, and elucidated this unimpeded gateway, this liberation of a bodhisattva, and I have attained the light of wisdom called the unimpeded apex. Having attained that, I have no impediment in perceiving the minds and conduct of all beings; I have no impediment in knowing the births and deaths of all beings; I have no impediment in entering the gateway of remembering past lives; I have no impediment in dwelling with all beings in future kalpas; [F.335.a] I have no impediment in perceiving all the beings of the present time; I have no impediment in knowing the relative languages of all beings; I have no impediment in cutting through the doubts of all beings; I have no impediment in comprehending the different faculties of all beings; I have no impediment in acting at the right time to ripen and guide all beings; I have no impediment in identifying days, nights, seconds, hours,392 and periods of time; I have no impediment in entering into the ocean of the three times;393 and I have no impediment in incorporeally394 pervading the buddha realms in the ten directions, because I am present without substance and have attained noncomposite miraculous powers.
“Noble one, because I am present without substance and have the power of noncomposite miraculous powers, I can walk back and forth, stand,395 sit, lie down, and perform various activities in the sky. I can become invisible. I can reappear. I can become smoke. I can become a fire. [F.335.b] I can transform from one into many. I can transform from many into one. I can be both visible and invisible. I can pass without impediment through walls and without impediment through city ramparts, as if through space.396 I travel cross-legged through the air, as a bird does. I can plunge into the earth and reappear the way a bird does in water. I can walk on water without sinking like a bird on the ground. I can produce smoke and flames the way a great fire does. I can make the ground shake. I can wipe clean with my hands this sun and this moon that have such great miraculous power, great mightiness, and great brilliance. My body can dominate everywhere up to and including the world of Brahmā. I can cover the world with a mist formed from clouds of incense smoke and then make it shine. I can cover the world with a network of clouds of light rays from all jewels. I can send forth a cloud of emanations that resemble all beings.
“I can emanate clouds of networks of lights of infinite colors that go to all directions and realms. In that way, they go to the east, to the south, to the west, to the north, to the northeast, to the southeast, to the southwest, to the northwest, downward, and upward. In one instant of mind, they go beyond one world realm in the east.
“They go beyond two world realms and ten world realms. They go beyond a hundred world realms. They go beyond a thousand world realms, a hundred thousand world realms, ten million world realms, a billion world realms, a trillion world realms, a quintillion world realms, an incalculable number of world realms, a measureless number of world realms, [F.336.a] innumerable world realms, an inconceivable number of world realms, an unequaled number of world realms, an unfathomable number of world realms, an infinite number of world realms, an endless number of world realms, limitless world realms, and an inexpressible number of world realms.
“All the buddha bhagavats that are present, living, and remaining in those world realms, in that ocean of world realms, in that vast extent of world realms, in the world realms in the directions, in the world realms that are coming to an end, in the world realms that are assembled, in the world realms that are created, in those world realms that are named, in the gateways of those world realms, in the kalpas of those world realms, in the entrances into those world realms, and at the bodhimaṇḍas of those world realms, those buddha bhagavats who are teaching the Dharma in the circle of their assembled followers in those world realms—each of the tathāgatas among those tathāgatas has a variety of bodies that are as numerous as the atoms in the infinite buddha realms. I approach each of those bodies while sending down a rain from clouds of offering as numerous as the atoms in the infinite buddha realms. Having approached them, I make a continuous offering of all flowers, all incense, all garlands, all powders, all ointments, all food, all banners, all flags, all canopies, all networks of beads, and all ornaments.397
“I know and remember whatever all those buddha bhagavats [F.336.b] say, teach, utter, explain, describe, elucidate, instruct, proclaim, and disclose.
“I remember all the pure buddha realms of those buddha bhagavats. As it is in the east, so it is in the south, the west, the north, the northeast, the southeast, the southwest, the northwest, above and below, beyond one world realm, beyond two world realms and ten world realms, beyond a hundred world realms, and so on, up to beyond as many world realms as there are atoms in even more innumerable than innumerable buddha realms.
“I see all the buddha bhagavats that are present, living, and remaining in those world realms, in that ocean of world realms, in those pure world realms, who are teaching the Dharma in the circle of their followers. I make offerings to those tathāgatas with all flowers, and so on, up to all ornaments.398 I know and remember whatever all those buddha bhagavats say, and so on, and what they disclose. I remember all the pure buddha realms that there are of those buddha bhagavats.
“Whatever being sees me, who associates with me, will definitely attain the highest, complete enlightenment. [F.337.a] Whether they are small or huge, good or bad, happy or unhappy beings, however many of them see me, I will bless all of their bodies and I will not let the time to ripen and guide them pass. However many beings come before me, I will establish all of them in this bodhisattva liberation that goes everywhere and has fruitful prowess.
“Noble one, I know only this bodhisattva liberation that goes everywhere, which is dedicated to making offerings and serving the tathāgatas and which is an unimpeded gateway favorable for ripening all beings.
“How could I know or describe the qualities of the bodhisattvas who have the conduct of great compassion, who have the conduct of practicing the Mahāyāna, who have the conduct that is never apart from the path of the bodhisattvas, who have unimpeded conduct, who have the conduct of the essence of bodhisattva motivation that is never lost, who have the conduct that never forsakes the aspiration to enlightenment, who have the conduct that is focused on the Buddhadharma, who have the conduct that is never apart from attention to omniscience, who have the conduct that is as vast as space, who have the conduct that is not based on the world, who have the conduct that is never lost, who have the conduct that never deteriorates, who have the conduct that is never impaired, who have the conduct that is never destroyed, who have the conduct that is never adulterated, who have the conduct that is never polluted, who have the conduct that is without regret, who have pure conduct, and who have bodhisattva conduct that is stainless? [F.337.b]
“Depart, noble one. In this southern region, in the land of Draviḍa, there is a town called Vajrapura. There dwells a Dravidian by the name of Megha. Go to him and ask him, ‘How does a bodhisattva train in bodhisattva conduct? How does a bodhisattva practice it?’ ”
Then Sudhana, the head merchant’s son, bowed his head to the feet of the bhikṣu Supratiṣṭhita, circumambulated the bhikṣu Supratiṣṭhita to his right a hundred thousand times, and, looking back a hundred thousand times, departed from the bhikṣu Supratiṣṭhita.
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 knock