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གསེར་འོད་དམ་པའི་མདོ།

The Sūtra of the Sublime Golden Light (2)
Chapter 2: The Teaching of the Lifespan of the Tathāgata

Suvarṇa­prabhāsottama­sūtra
འཕགས་པ་གསེར་འོད་དམ་པ་མདོ་སྡེའི་དབང་པོའི་རྒྱལ་པོ་ཞེས་བྱ་བ་ཐེག་པ་ཆེན་པོའི་མདོ།
’phags pa gser ’od dam pa mdo sde’i dbang po’i rgyal po zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo
The Noble Mahāyāna Sūtra “The Lord King of Sūtras, The Sublime Golden Light”
Āryasuvarṇa­prabhāsottama­sūtrendra­rāja­nāma­mahāyāna­sūtra

Toh 556

Degé Kangyur, vol. 89 (rgyud ’bum, pa), folios 151.b–273.a

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co.

Table of Contents

ti. Title
im. Imprint
co. Contents
s. Summary
ac. Acknowledgements
i. Introduction
+ 7 sections- 7 sections
· Tantric Rituals
· The Sūtra of the Sublime Golden Light in India
· The Sūtra outside India
· The Sūtra in Tibet
· Comparing the Versions
· Translations into Western Languages
· Detailed Summary of The Sūtra of the Sublime Golden Light
+ 29 sections- 29 sections
· Chapter 1: The Introduction
· Chapter 2: The Teaching of the Lifespan of the Tathāgata
· Chapter 3: The Differentiation of the Three Bodies
· Chapter 4: The Confession in a Dream
· Chapter 5: The End of the Continuum of Creating Karma
· Chapter 6: The Purification of the Bhūmis
· Chapter 7: A Praise of All the Realms of the Past, Future, and Present Samyaksaṃbuddhas
· Chapter 8: The Dhāraṇī Called Golden
· Chapter 9: Emptiness
· Chapter 10: Fulfilling Wishes on the Basis of Emptiness
· Chapter 11: The Four Mahārājas Look Upon Devas and Humans
· Chapter 12: The Four Mahārājas Protecting the Land
· Chapter 13: The Dhāraṇī of Nonattachment
· Chapter 14: The Wish-Fulfilling Jewel Dhāraṇī
· Chapter 15: The Goddess Sarasvatī
· Chapter 16: The Great Goddess Śrī
· Chapter 17: The Increase of Wealth by the Great Goddess Śrī
· Chapter 18: Dṛḍhā, the Goddess of the Earth
· Chapter 19: Saṃjñeya, the Lord of Yakṣas
· Chapter 20: The King’s Treatise: The Commitment of the Lord of Devas
· Chapter 21: Susaṃbhava
· Chapter 22: The Protection Given by Yakṣas
· Chapter 23: The Prophecy to Ten Thousand Devas
· Chapter 24: Ending All Illness
· Chapter 25: The Story of the Fish Guided by Jalavāhana
· Chapter 26: The Gift of the Body to a Tigress
· Chapter 27: Praise by All Bodhisattvas
· Chapter 28: Praise of All Tathāgatas
· Chapter 29: The Conclusion
tr. The Translation
+ 29 chapters- 29 chapters
1. Chapter 1: The Introduction
2. Chapter 2: The Teaching of the Lifespan of the Tathāgata
3. Chapter 3: The Differentiation of the Three Bodies
4. Chapter 4: The Confession in a Dream
5. Chapter 5: The End of the Continuum of Creating Karma
6. Chapter 6: The Purification of the Bhūmis
7. Chapter 7: A Praise of All the Realms of the Past, Future, and Present Samyaksaṃbuddhas
8. Chapter 8: The Dhāraṇī Called Golden
9. Chapter 9: Emptiness
10. Chapter 10: Fulfilling Wishes on the Basis of Emptiness
11. Chapter 11: The Four Mahārājas Look Upon Devas and Humans
12. Chapter 12: The Four Mahārājas Protecting the Land
13. Chapter 13: The Dhāraṇī of Nonattachment
14. Chapter 14: The Wish-fulfilling Jewel Dhāraṇī
15. Chapter 15: The Goddess Sarasvatī
16. Chapter 16: The Great Goddess Śrī
17. Chapter 17: The Increase of Wealth by the Great Goddess Śrī
18. Chapter 18: Dṛḍhā, the Goddess of the Earth
19. Chapter 19: Saṃjñeya, the Lord of Yakṣas
20. Chapter 20: The King’s Treatise: The Commitment of the Lord of Devas
21. Chapter 21: Susaṃbhava
22. Chapter 22: The Protection Given by Yakṣas
23. Chapter 23: The Prophecy to Ten Thousand Devas
24. Chapter 24: Ending All Illness
25. Chapter 25: The Story of the Fish Guided by Jalavāhana
26. Chapter 26: The Gift of the Body to a Tigress
27. Chapter 27: Praise by All Bodhisattvas
28. Chapter 28: The Praise of All Tathāgatas
29. Chapter 29: The Conclusion
c. Colophon
ab. Abbreviations
n. Notes
b. Bibliography
+ 3 sections- 3 sections
· Primary Sources in Tibetan and Chinese
+ 1 section- 1 section
· Secondary References‍—Kangyur
+ 1 section- 1 section
· Secondary References‍—Tengyur
+ 1 section- 1 section
· Other References in Tibetan
· Other References in English and Other Languages
· Translations
g. Glossary

s.

Summary

s.­1

The Sūtra of the Sublime Golden Light has held great importance in Buddhism for its instructions on the purification of karma. In particular, much of the sūtra is specifically addressed to monarchs and thus has been significant for rulers‍—not only in India but also in China, Japan, Mongolia, and elsewhere‍—who wished to ensure the well-being of their nations through such purification. Reciting and internalizing this sūtra is understood to be efficacious for personal purification and also for the welfare of a state and the world.

s.­2

In this sūtra, the bodhisattva Ruciraketu has a dream in which a prayer of confession emanates from a shining golden drum. He relates the prayer to the Buddha, and a number of deities then vow to protect it and its adherents. The ruler’s devotion to the sūtra is emphasized as important if the nation is to benefit. Toward the end of the sūtra are two well-known narratives of the Buddha’s previous lives: the account of the physician Jalavāhana, who saves and blesses numerous fish, and that of Prince Mahāsattva, who gives his body to a hungry tigress and her cubs.

s.­3

This is the second-longest version of The Sūtra of the Sublime Golden Light preserved in the Kangyur. It comprises twenty-nine chapters and was translated into Tibetan primarily from Sanskrit.


ac.

Acknowledgements

ac.­1

This text was translated by Peter Alan Roberts, who translated the text from Tibetan into English and wrote the introduction. Ling Lung Chen and Wang Chipan were consultants for the Chinese versions of the sūtra. Emily Bower was the project manager and editor. Tracy Davis was the initial copyeditor. Thanks to Michael Radich for sharing his research on the sūtra.

ac.­2

The translation was completed under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha. Rory Lindsay edited the translation and the introduction, and Xiaolong Diao, Ting Lee Ling, and H. S. Sum Cheuk Shing checked the translation against the Chinese sources. Ven. Konchog Norbu copyedited the text, and Sameer Dhingra was in charge of the digital publication process.

ac.­3

The translation of this text has been made possible through the generous sponsorship of E E, May-E, Minda, and Chung-Da Ho.


i.

Introduction

i.­1

The Sūtra of the Sublime Golden Light has held great importance in Buddhism for its instructions on the purification of karma. In particular, much of the sūtra is specifically addressed to monarchs, and thus it has been significant for rulers‍—not only in India but also in China, Japan, Mongolia, and elsewhere‍—who wished to ensure the well-being of their nations. It is understood to be efficacious for personal purification and beneficial for the welfare of a state and of the world.

Tantric Rituals

The Sūtra of the Sublime Golden Light in India

The Sūtra outside India

The Sūtra in Tibet

Comparing the Versions

Translations into Western Languages

Detailed Summary of The Sūtra of the Sublime Golden Light

Chapter 1: The Introduction

Chapter 2: The Teaching of the Lifespan of the Tathāgata

Chapter 3: The Differentiation of the Three Bodies

Chapter 4: The Confession in a Dream

Chapter 5: The End of the Continuum of Creating Karma

Chapter 6: The Purification of the Bhūmis

Chapter 7: A Praise of All the Realms of the Past, Future, and Present Samyaksaṃbuddhas

Chapter 8: The Dhāraṇī Called Golden

Chapter 9: Emptiness

Chapter 10: Fulfilling Wishes on the Basis of Emptiness

Chapter 11: The Four Mahārājas Look Upon Devas and Humans

Chapter 12: The Four Mahārājas Protecting the Land

Chapter 13: The Dhāraṇī of Nonattachment

Chapter 14: The Wish-Fulfilling Jewel Dhāraṇī

Chapter 15: The Goddess Sarasvatī

Chapter 16: The Great Goddess Śrī

Chapter 17: The Increase of Wealth by the Great Goddess Śrī

Chapter 18: Dṛḍhā, the Goddess of the Earth

Chapter 19: Saṃjñeya, the Lord of Yakṣas

Chapter 20: The King’s Treatise: The Commitment of the Lord of Devas

Chapter 21: Susaṃbhava

Chapter 22: The Protection Given by Yakṣas

Chapter 23: The Prophecy to Ten Thousand Devas

Chapter 24: Ending All Illness

Chapter 25: The Story of the Fish Guided by Jalavāhana

Chapter 26: The Gift of the Body to a Tigress

Chapter 27: Praise by All Bodhisattvas

Chapter 28: Praise of All Tathāgatas

Chapter 29: The Conclusion


Text Body

The Translation
The Noble Mahāyāna Sūtra
The Lord King of Sūtras, The Sublime Golden Light

1.

Chapter 1: The Introduction

[B1] [F.151.b]


1.­1

I pay homage to all the buddhas, bodhisattvas, pratyekabuddhas, and noble śrāvakas of the past, future, and present.


Thus did I hear at one time.22 The Bhagavat was within the profound, completely pure Dharma realm that is the sublime field of activity of the tathāgatas, dwelling at Vulture Peak Mountain at Rājagṛha, together with a saṅgha of ninety-eight thousand23 great bhikṣus. All of them were great arhats, perfectly tamed like the king of elephants. Their defilements had ceased, they were devoid of kleśas, their minds were completely liberated, their wisdom was completely liberated, they had done what had to be done, they had put down their burdens, they had attained their goals, they had cut through engagement with existence, they had attained supreme and sublime power, they had perfectly maintained pure conduct, they were arrayed with methods and wisdom, they had manifested the eight liberations, and they had reached the farther shore.


2.

Chapter 2: The Teaching of the Lifespan of the Tathāgata

2.­1

Also, at that time, there dwelled in the great city of Rājagṛha a bodhisattva mahāsattva by the name of Ruciraketu. He had served past jinas, had developed roots of merit, and had attended47 upon many hundreds of thousands of quintillions of buddhas. He thought, “Through what causes and what conditions does the Bhagavat Śākyamuni have such a short lifespan of eighty years?”

2.­2

Then he thought, “The Bhagavat has said, ‘There are two causes and two conditions for a long life. [F.155.b] What are those two? Forsaking killing and giving food.’ The Bhagavat Śākyamuni has forsaken killing and has correctly adopted48 the path of the ten good actions for countless hundreds of thousands of quintillions of eons. He has given external and internal substances as food to beings, even to the extent49 of satisfying hungry beings with his own body, blood, bones, and limbs, to say nothing of every other kind of food.”

2.­3

When that sublime being’s mind had thought that, with his attention focused upon the Buddha, his house became immense, vast, and made of blue beryl. It was adorned with many divine jewels, its color transformed by the Tathāgata,50 and it was pervaded by a perfume that transcended the divine.

2.­4

In the four directions of that house there appeared four thrones made of divine jewels. The thrones were overspread with layers51 of precious, divine cloth decorated with divine jewels.52

2.­5

Upon those53 thrones appeared divine lotus flowers, their colors transformed by the Tathāgata,54 and adorned by many jewels. Upon those lotuses there appeared the four buddha bhagavats. To the east appeared the Tathāgata Akṣobhya. To the south appeared the Tathāgata Ratnaketu. To the west appeared the Tathāgata Amitābha. To the north appeared the Tathāgata Dundubhisvara. At the moment when those buddha bhagavats appeared upon those lion thrones, the great city of Rājagṛha was filled by a great illuminating light. That light spread throughout the trichiliocosm world realm, throughout as many world realms in the ten directions as there are grains of sand in the Ganges River. A rain of flowers fell. There came the sound of divine music. [F.156.a] Through the power of the Buddha, all beings in this trichiliocosm world realm gained divine happiness. Those who had incomplete faculties gained all their faculties. The blind saw forms with their eyes; the deaf heard sounds with their ears; the insane gained their sanity; those with distracted55 minds became undistracted; the naked became clothed; the hungry had their stomachs filled; the thirsty found drink;56 beings afflicted by illness were healed; and those with impaired physical faculties became possessed of complete faculties. In those worlds there appeared vast, astonishing, wonderful qualities.

2.­6

The bodhisattva57 Ruciraketu was amazed to see those buddha bhagavats, and, filled with joy, delighted, elated, pleased, and happy, with his palms together in homage, he bowed toward those buddha bhagavats. Mindful of those buddha bhagavats and mindful of the qualities of the Buddha Bhagavat Śākyamuni, he had doubts concerning the lifespan of the Bhagavat Śākyamuni. In his mind was the thought, “Why is it that the Bhagavat Śākyamuni has this short lifespan of eighty years?”

2.­7

Those buddha bhagavats were aware of and understood these thoughts and said to the bodhisattva Ruciraketu, “Noble one, do not think, ‘The Bhagavat Śākyamuni has such a short lifespan.’ Why is that? Noble one, except for the tathāgata arhat samyaksaṃbuddhas, [F.156.b] we do not see anyone within the world with its devas, with its Māra, with its Brahmā, with its many beings who are mendicants and brahmins, and with its devas, humans, and asuras who has the ability to know the Bhagavat Tathāgata Śākyamuni’s lifespan to its future limit.”

2.­8

As soon as those buddha bhagavats described the Tathāgata’s lifespan, at that moment, through the power of the buddhas, the devas in the desire realm, the devas in the form realm, the nāgas, the yakṣas, the gandharvas, the asuras, the garuḍas, the kinnaras, the mahoragas, and the many hundreds of thousands of quintillions of assembled bodhisattvas arrived in the house of the bodhisattva Ruciraketu.

2.­9

Those tathāgatas then recited verses that taught in brief the length of the lifespan of the Bhagavat Śākyamuni to that complete assembly:

2.­10
“The drops of water in all
The oceans can be calculated,
But no one can calculate
The lifespan of Śākyamuni.
2.­11
“If all Sumerus58 were reduced to atoms,
Their number could be calculated,59
But no one can calculate
The lifespan of Śākyamuni.
2.­12
“Someone might calculate
The number of atoms in the earth,
But no one can calculate
The entire lifespan of the Jina.
2.­13
“Someone might calculate
The extent of space,
But no one can calculate
The lifespan of Śākyamuni.
2.­14
“One cannot reach a number
By saying that the perfect Buddha
Will remain for this number of eons,
Or for a hundred million eons,
2.­15
“This is because of two causes
And because of two conditions:60
He has forsaken violence toward others,
And he has given food numerous times. [F.157.a]
2.­16
“Therefore, the length of the great being’s
Lifespan cannot be calculated
By saying it is a certain number of eons,
Or likewise by saying it is countless eons.61
2.­17
“Therefore, do not doubt, do not have any doubt whatsoever.
No one can conceive of the final extent of a jina’s lifespan.”
2.­18

Then the bodhisattva Ruciraketu, having heard that teaching on the lifespan of Bhagavat Śākyamuni, asked those bhagavats, “Why is it that the Bhagavat Śākyamuni, the Tathāgata, manifests such a short lifespan?”

2.­19

The bhagavats said to the bodhisattva Ruciraketu, “The Bhagavat Śākyamuni, the Tathāgata, has been born at a time when beings could live for a hundred years in a world that has the five degenerations. Therefore, the Tathāgata Śākyamuni has manifested a short lifespan in order to benefit beings with inferior aspiration, beings with little roots of merit and faith, and ordinary foolish beings who have the view that there is a being, the view that there is a soul, the view that there is a spirit, the view that there is an individual, erroneous views, the belief in ‘me’ and ‘mine,’ the views of eternalism and nihilism, and so on. It is also to inspire the true view in tīrthikas so that they will quickly attain the highest enlightenment.

2.­20

“Moreover, noble one, the Tathāgata, by manifesting passing into nirvāṇa, causes beings to perceive him as rare and difficult to meet; causes them to perceive misery, suffering, and so on; and inspires them to quickly obtain, possess, read, comprehend, and teach widely to others these sūtras that have been taught by the Buddha Bhagavat, and to not malign them. [F.157.b] That is why the Tathāgata manifests a short lifespan. If the Tathāgata were always present and did not pass into nirvāṇa, beings would have no reverence‍—they would not perceive him as being difficult to meet, and they would not obtain, possess, read, comprehend, and teach widely to others these sūtras that have been taught by the Tathāgata. Why is that? Because they would believe that the Bhagavat would always remain in the world.

2.­21

“As an analogy, noble one, someone who sees that his parents have many precious jewels would not perceive that wealth as being rare or wonderful. Why is that? It is because he perceives that his parents’ wealth will always be present. In the same way, if the Bhagavat never passed into nirvāṇa, he would not be perceived as rare and difficult to meet.

2.­22

“Moreover, noble one, as another analogy, if someone who had poor parents, who had no wealth, went to the dwelling of a king or great minister and saw their vast, numerous treasuries, wealth, jewels and so on, he would perceive them as rare and difficult to obtain, and he would dedicate himself to accomplishing the methods for seeking wealth, because he would wish to leave poverty behind and to accomplish happiness and prosperity.

2.­23

“In the same way, noble one, if the Tathāgata is seen to pass into nirvāṇa, there will be the perception of how rare and difficult he is to meet, and the perception of misery and suffering. The Bhagavat Tathāgata only appears a few times in countless eons, just as a fig tree flower hardly ever appears, just a few times, so that beings will perceive him as rare and difficult to meet, and they will have veneration for him, perceive the sūtras he teaches to be the truth, [F.158.a] and perceive them as something to be possessed and not to be maligned.

2.­24

“Therefore, noble one, because of those causes and conditions, the Tathāgata does not remain long in the world but quickly passes into nirvāṇa. It is through such a perfection of skillful methods that the tathāgatas ripen beings.”

2.­25

Then those four tathāgatas vanished.

2.­26

Then the bodhisattva Ruciraketu, the countless hundreds of thousands of bodhisattvas, and the countless trillions of beings went together to Vulture Peak Mountain. They bowed their heads to the feet of the Bhagavat Śākyamuni, the Tathāgata, and seated themselves.

2.­27

The bodhisattva Ruciraketu described what had occurred, and those four tathāgatas came to where the Bhagavat Śākyamuni was dwelling on Vulture Peak Mountain, sat upon the thrones in their own directions, and addressed their entourages of bodhisattvas: “Noble ones, go and ask the Bhagavat Śākyamuni, ‘Are you unharmed, unafraid, undisturbed, and feeling happy?’ Also make this request to the Bhagavat Tathāgata Śākyamuni: ‘If you were to teach this very profound lord of sūtras, The Sūtra of the Sublime Golden Light, for the benefit of beings, to dispel the distress of famine, and to bring happiness to all, that would be excellent and would bring joy!’ ”

2.­28

The bodhisattvas who were their attendants went toward the Bhagavat Śākyamuni, and, having approached him, bowed their heads down to his feet, and they made the request that the four tathāgatas had instructed. [F.158.b]

2.­29

Then the Bhagavat Śākyamuni, the tathāgata, the arhat samyaksaṃbuddha, said, “Well done!” to those bodhisattvas. “Well done! Well done!”

2.­30

At that time, because the four tathāgatas had invoked him to teach this sublime Dharma in order to bring benefit and happiness to all beings, the Bhagavat recited these verses:

2.­31
“I dwell upon Vulture Peak Mountain
Where I teach this precious sūtra,
But in order to liberate these many beings,
I will also manifest passing into nirvāṇa.
2.­32
“The foolish with incorrect views
Will not aspire to my teachings,
So in order to liberate them all,
I will manifest passing into nirvāṇa.”
2.­33

At that time, in that assembly, there was the Kauṇḍinya brahmin, the Dharma master Vyākaraṇa, who, together with countless thousands of brahmins, had made offerings to the Bhagavat.62 On hearing these words concerning the great nirvāṇa of the Tathāgata, he immediately wept, bowed down to the feet of the Bhagavat, and said to the Bhagavat, “If you have love for all beings, if you have great compassion, if you wish to benefit them, if you are a mother and father for all beings, if you are unequaled, if you are like the moon radiating light, if you are like a risen sun of great wisdom and knowledge, and if you look upon all beings as you do upon Rāhula, then I pray that you grant me something sacred.”

2.­34

The Bhagavat remained silent.

2.­35

Then, through the power of the Buddha, there arose confident eloquence in a Licchavī youth who was in that assembly, whose name was Sarva­sattva­priya­darśana. He asked the Kauṇḍinya brahmin, the Dharma master Vyākaraṇa, “Great brahmin, why do you ask the Bhagavat for something sacred? I will give you something sacred.” [F.159.a]

2.­36

“Licchavī youth,” said the brahmin, “I wish for a relic of the Bhagavat the size of a mustard seed in order to make offerings to the Bhagavat. It is known that if one makes offerings to a relic the size of a mustard seed that one has received as a share of the ashes that are the relics of the Bhagavat, one will become the sole lord of the devas of Trāyastriṃśa.63

2.­37

“O Licchavī youth, it is difficult for śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas to know The Sūtra of the Sublime Golden Light. It is difficult for them to comprehend it. The Sūtra of the Sublime Golden Light, which has those characteristics and qualities, is going to be spoken, so listen!64

2.­38

“O Licchavī youth, The Sūtra of the Sublime Golden Light is thus difficult to know and difficult to understand. Therefore, it is appropriate that we brahmins from an outlying island should keep a relic the size of a mustard seed in a casket, for by possessing it, beings will soon become lords of Trāyastriṃśa.

2.­39

“O Licchavī youth, don’t you want to request a relic the size of a mustard seed from the Tathāgata, place the relic in a casket, and possess it so that beings will become lords of Trāyastriṃśa?

2.­40

“O Licchavī youth, that is the sublime thing that I have requested.”

2.­41

Then Sarva­sattva­priya­darśana, the Licchavī youth, recited these verses to the Kauṇḍinya brahmin, the Dharma master Vyākaraṇa:

2.­42
“When flowers grow
On the Ganges River,
Crows become red,
And cuckoos become conch-colored;
2.­43
“When palm-tree fruit grow on rose-apple trees;
And when bunches of mangoes grown on date trees,
That will be the time when a relic
The size of a mustard seed will appear.
2.­44
“When clothes made from
The hair of turtles are worn,
And they dispel the cold of winter,
Then there will be a relic.
2.­45
“When roofs are made
From the legs of flies [F.159.b]
And are solid and stable,
Then there will be a relic.
2.­46
“When all the leeches
Grow teeth that are
Long, white, and sharp,
Then there will be a relic.
2.­47
“When a ladder is built
From the horns of hares
For climbing to the upper realms,
Then there will be a relic.
2.­48
“When a mouse climbs that ladder
And then eats the moon
And attacks the eclipse,
Then there will be a relic.
2.­49
“When a village-dwelling fly
Drinks a pitcher of beer
And lives in a house,
Then there will be a relic.
2.­50
“When a happy donkey
Has lips as red as a bimba fruit
And is expert in song and dance,
Then there will be a relic.
2.­51
“When owls and crows
Cavort together in private
And live together in harmony,
Then there will be a relic.
2.­52
“When the leaves of the palash tree
Become a parasol of three kinds of jewels
And provide shelter from the falling rain,
Then there will be a relic.
2.­53
“When a great oceangoing ship,
With its instruments and sails,
Comes onto and travels over dry land,
Then there will be a relic.
2.­54
“When an owl picks up
Gandhamādana Mountain
In its beak and flies away,
Then there will be a relic.”
2.­55

On hearing those verses, the Kauṇḍinya brahmin, the Dharma master Vyākaraṇa, replied to the Licchavī youth Sarva­sattva­priya­darśana with these verses:

2.­56
“Good! Good! Best of youths,
Son of the jinas, with great words,
Skilled in methods, heroic,
Who has received the highest prophecy,
2.­57
“Young man, listen to me describe,
In order, the inconceivable [F.160.a]
Greatness of the world’s lord,
The protector, the Tathāgata.
2.­58
“The scope of the buddhas is inconceivable.
The tathāgatas are without any equal.
All buddhas are always in peace.
All buddhas appear perfectly.65
2.­59
“All buddhas have the same color;66
That is the intrinsic nature of the buddhas.
The Bhagavat67 is not fabricated,
And the Tathāgata is not produced.
2.­60
“He has a body like a vajra.
He manifests an illusory body.68
The great Ṛṣi does not have relics,
Not even of the size of a mustard seed.
2.­61
“How could there be relics
From a body without bones or blood?
Relics are left through skillful methods
In order to bring benefit to beings.
2.­62
“The perfect Buddha is a Dharma body.
The Tathāgata is a Dharma realm.
That is what the Bhagavat’s body is like.
That is what teaching the Dharma is like.
2.­63
“I made that request for the sacred object
Having already heard and understood that.
I69 spoke in that way
In order to reveal the truth.”70
2.­64

Then thirty-two thousand devas, having heard that profound teaching on the lifespan of the Tathāgata, all developed the aspiration for the highest, most complete enlightenment. With joyful mental thoughts and with one voice,71 they recited these verses:

2.­65
“The Buddha does not pass away.
The Dharma does not disappear.
Passing into nirvāṇa is manifested
In order to bring beings to maturity.
2.­66
“The Bhagavat is inconceivable;
The Tathāgata’s body is eternal.
He demonstrates a variety of displays
In order to bring benefit to beings.”
2.­67

Then the bodhisattva Ruciraketu, having heard the teaching on the lifespan of the Bhagavat Śākyamuni from both those buddha bhagavats and those excellent individuals, arose from his seat, and with his palms together in homage, bowed [F.160.b] and said, “Bhagavat, if in that way the buddha bhagavats do not pass into nirvāṇa and do not leave relics in the world, why is it that in the sūtras it is taught that the buddhas pass into nirvāṇa and leave their relics in the world so that if devas and humans have veneration and respect toward the relics of past buddhas that have been left in the world, and if the world with its devas and humans makes offerings to them, they will attain immeasurable benefit? And why is it said here that there are no relics, Bhagavat? I pray that with compassion you will explain72 and teach this.”

2.­68

The Bhagavat then said to the bodhisattva mahāsattva Ruciraketu and the rest of the gathered assembly, “Know that when it is said that the bhagavats pass into nirvāṇa and leave relics in the world that this is a teaching with an implied meaning.

2.­69

“Noble ones, the bodhisattva mahāsattvas know through these ten qualities that the Tathāgata Arhat Samyaksaṃbuddha correctly and truly teaches that there is a great passing into nirvāṇa.

2.­70

“What are these ten?

2.­71

“First, nirvāṇa means that the tathāgatas have completely eliminated the obscuration of the kleśas and the obscuration of knowledge.

2.­72

“Second, nirvāṇa means that the tathāgatas know that there is no self in the individual and no self in phenomena.

2.­73

“Third, nirvāṇa means that there is a transformation of the body and of qualities.

2.­74

“Fourth, nirvāṇa means that there is a spontaneous guidance of beings.

2.­75

“Fifth, nirvāṇa means that there is sameness in the Dharma body because there is no differentiation of characteristics through the truth becoming manifest. [F.161.a]

2.­76

“Sixth, nirvāṇa means that there is no duality between the nature of saṃsāra and nirvāṇa.

2.­77

“Seventh, nirvāṇa means that purity is manifested through the realization of the essence of phenomena.

2.­78

“Eighth, nirvāṇa means that there has been the skillful accomplishment of all phenomena being devoid of birth and devoid of destruction.

2.­79

“Ninth, nirvāṇa means that there is the attainment of the wisdom of the equality of the true nature, the realm of phenomena, and the ultimate conclusion.

2.­80

“Tenth, nirvāṇa means that there is the knowledge that there is no difference between the nature of all phenomena and the nature of nirvāṇa.

2.­81

“Also, noble one, the bodhisattva mahāsattvas know through these ten qualities that the Tathāgata Arhat Samyaksaṃbuddha correctly and truly teaches that there is a great passing into nirvāṇa.

2.­82

“What are these ten?

2.­83

“First, aspiration and desire are the basis of the kleśas; whatever one aspires to creates desire. The buddha bhagavats are free of aspiration and desire, and this is called nirvāṇa.

2.­84

“Second, the tathāgatas are free of all aspiration and desire; they do not acquire any phenomena and therefore have no possessions, no going, no coming, and nothing to be acquired. Therefore, this is called nirvāṇa.

2.­85

“Third, that absence of going and coming and acquisition is the Dharma body, which has no birth and no cessation; this absence of birth and cessation is called nirvāṇa.

2.­86

“Fourth, that absence of birth and cessation is indescribable by words and transcends the scope of words. Therefore, this is called nirvāṇa.

2.­87

“Fifth, there is the attainment of a transference from one state of existence to another merely through the phenomena of birth and cessation, without there being a self or an individual. Therefore, this is called nirvāṇa. [F.161.b]

2.­88

“Sixth, the buddha bhagavats directly see that the kleśas and the proximate kleśas are incidental and that the true nature, which has no coming or going, remains. Therefore, this is called nirvāṇa.

2.­89

“Seventh, that which is valid is true, and everything else is false. That which is true is valid, and that validity is the nature of a tathāgata. Therefore, this is called nirvāṇa.

2.­90

“Eighth, the ultimate conclusion is free of complication; a tathāgata alone manifests that ultimate conclusion, and this ceasing of complication is called nirvāṇa.

2.­91

“Ninth, birthlessness is truth, and birth is falsity; therefore, foolish ordinary beings sink into the swamp of saṃsāra, while the body of a tathāgata is the truth without any invalidity. This is called nirvāṇa.

2.­92

“Tenth, invalid phenomena are born from conditions; the phenomenon that is the valid truth is not created by conditions, and the Dharma body of a tathāgata is valid and is truth. Therefore, this is called nirvāṇa.

2.­93

“Also, noble one, a bodhisattva mahāsattva will realize the way of validity and truth of the tathāgata arhat samyaksaṃbuddhas through ten qualities, and therefore they are called the great nirvāṇa.

2.­94

“What are these ten?

2.­95

“First, the tathāgatas have rejected incorrect concepts of generosity and its results because they know that there is no ‘me’ or ‘mine’ in generosity or the results of generosity; therefore; this is called nirvāṇa.

2.­96

“Second, the tathāgatas have rejected incorrect concepts of correct conduct and its results because they know that there is no ‘me’ or ‘mine’ in correct conduct or the results of correct conduct; therefore, this is called nirvāṇa. [F.162.a]

2.­97

“Third, the tathāgatas have rejected incorrect concepts of patience and its results because they know that there is no ‘me’ or ‘mine’ in patience or the results of patience; therefore, this is called nirvāṇa.

2.­98

“Fourth, the tathāgatas have rejected incorrect concepts of diligence and its results because they know that there is no ‘me’ or ‘mine’ in diligence or the results of diligence; therefore; that is called nirvāṇa.

2.­99

“Fifth, the tathāgatas have rejected incorrect concepts of meditation and its results because they know that there is no ‘me’ or ‘mine’ in meditation or the results of meditation; therefore, this is called nirvāṇa.

2.­100

“Sixth, the tathāgatas have rejected incorrect concepts of wisdom and its results because they know that there is no ‘me’ or ‘mine’ in wisdom or the results of wisdom; therefore, this is called nirvāṇa.

2.­101

“Seventh, the tathāgatas have rejected incorrect concepts concerning beings, the absence of beings, and the absence of an intrinsic nature in all phenomena because they know these; therefore, this is called nirvāṇa.

2.­102

“Eighth, the tathāgatas know that someone whose nature is characterized by craving is engaged in seeking.73 Through the power of being engaged in seeking74 there will be the experience of various sufferings. The tathāgatas have eliminated fixation on ‘me’ and ‘mine’ and have no seeking; therefore, this is called nirvāṇa.

2.­103

“Ninth, all composite phenomena have a number and measure, but noncomposite phenomena are devoid of all number and measure. The buddhas have rejected composite phenomena and manifested noncomposite qualities, and so they have no number or measure; therefore, this is called nirvāṇa. [F.162.b]

2.­104

“Tenth, the tathāgatas know that the nature of all beings and phenomena is empty, and they know there is nothing that exists that is other than that emptiness, and that the nature of that emptiness is the true Dharma body. Therefore, this is called nirvāṇa.

2.­105

“Noble one, it is through those ten qualities that there is what is called nirvāṇa.

2.­106

“Also, noble one, the fact that the tathāgatas do not pass into nirvāṇa is not the only marvel. There are ten other qualities that are called marvelous. They are the conduct of the tathāgatas.

2.­107

“What are these ten?

2.­108

“First, saṃsāra has defects; nirvāṇa is peace and withdrawal. Through knowing that saṃsāra and nirvāṇa are the same, they do not remain in saṃsāra and do not dwell in nirvāṇa. Not wearying of benefiting beings is the conduct of the tathāgatas.

2.­109

“Second, even though the tathāgatas see the incorrect conduct of foolish ordinary beings and that they are overcome by various kleśas, they do not think, ‘I will liberate these beings.’ Instead, through the power of their previous compassion and roots of merit, without thoughts concerning the individual faculties, natures, wishes, or aspirations of beings, they spontaneously benefit and teach them throughout the endless future. That is the conduct of the tathāgatas.

2.­110

“Third, even though the tathāgatas do not think, ‘I will benefit beings by teaching them extensively through the twelve forms of the teaching,’ through the power of their previous compassion and roots of merit they teach them extensively throughout the endless future. That is the conduct of the tathāgatas.

2.­111

“Fourth, even though the tathāgatas do not think, ‘I will go to the villages, towns, and outlying areas of towns [F.163.a] to obtain alms from the homes of the kings, ministers, brahmins, kṣatriyas, vaiśyas, śūdras, and so on,’ through the power of previous habituation to conduct of body, speech, and mind, they spontaneously go to receive alms and accomplish the goal of benefiting others. That is the conduct of the tathāgatas.

2.­112

“Fifth, the bodies of the tathāgatas have no hunger or thirst, no feces or urine, and no physical weakness; and, although they appear to receive alms, they do not consume them, and have no such thought, but in order to benefit beings they appear to consume alms. That is the spontaneous conduct of the tathāgatas.

2.­113

“Sixth, even though the tathāgatas do not think, ‘I will teach the Dharma according to the higher, medium, and lesser capabilities of these beings,’ they teach the Dharma, knowing without thought what the individual capabilities and capacities are. That is the conduct of the tathāgatas.

2.­114

“Seventh, the tathāgatas do not think, ‘These beings have no reverence and always speak badly, using harsh words, and so I will not speak with them.’ And they do not think, ‘These beings are always reverential toward me, praise me, and speak pleasantly to me, and so I will speak with them.’ Instead, they regard them all equally with compassion. That nonduality is the conduct of the tathāgatas.

2.­115

“Eighth, the buddha bhagavats do not have the kleśas of love and hate, pride, desire, avarice, and so on, but instead they always praise delighting in solitude, avoiding all crowds, and having little desire. That is the conduct of the tathāgatas. [F.163.b]

2.­116

“Ninth, the tathāgatas have no knowledge or comprehension of any phenomena whatsoever, but instead they have wisdom that is like a mirror in which everything manifests. Even though the tathāgatas therefore have no thoughts, they nevertheless see the actions and conduct of beings and engage with them in accord with their aspirations, employ methods to lead them, and liberate them from saṃsāra. That is the conduct of the tathāgatas.

2.­117

“Tenth, the tathāgatas do not delight in seeing beings becoming wealthy and prospering, and they do not become distressed when they see beings deteriorating and worsening. Nevertheless, the tathāgatas protect with unimpeded compassion those beings they see accomplishing correct conduct, and although they see beings with incorrect conduct, they protect and care for them with a great compassion that is without attachment. That is the conduct of the tathāgatas.

2.­118

“Noble one, understand the infinite manifestation of the valid conduct of the tathāgata arhat samyaksaṃbuddhas and the quality of valid truth of their nirvāṇas. When, in other times, it is said, ‘They pass into nirvāṇa and leave relics in the world,’ view that as the manifestation of a skillful method. Consider that it is through the power of the compassion and good roots of the tathāgatas that beings are able to make offerings to relics and revere them.

2.­119

“Someone who makes an offering to the relics and reveres them will, in a future time, become free of the eight unfavorable states, will meet the tathāgatas, will have a kalyāṇamitra, will not abandon the enlightenment mind, will increase their merit immeasurably, will quickly transcend saṃsāra, and will not be overcome by the bondage of saṃsāra. That is sublime conduct and therefore you should earnestly accomplish it without distraction.” [F.164.a]

2.­120

The bodhisattva Ruciraketu, having heard from the Bhagavat the meaning of the Bhagavat’s not passing into nirvāṇa and his teaching of profound deeds,75 placed his palms together in homage and bowed down to him. He said, “Having on this day been taught that the Tathāgata, the Great Teacher, does not pass into nirvāṇa and that he creates great benefit for beings through leaving relics in the world, I am joyful, delighted, and amazed in body and mind.”

2.­121

When this teaching on the lifespan of the tathāgatas was given, all those innumerable, countless beings developed the aspiration for the highest, most complete enlightenment. The tathāgatas vanished. The bodhisattva Ruciraketu rose from his seat, bowed down to the Bhagavat’s feet, and returned to sit in his place.

2.­122

This concludes “The Teaching of the Lifespan of the Tathāgata,” the second chapter of “The Lord King of Sūtras, the Sublime Golden Light.”


3.

Chapter 3: The Differentiation of the Three Bodies

3.­1

The bodhisattva mahāsattva Ākāśagarbha rose from his seat among that assembly and, with his upper robe over one shoulder, knelt on his right knee, placed his palms together in homage, and bowed to the Bhagavat’s feet. He made offerings of flowers made of gold and jewels, precious banners, and sublime parasols, and asked the Bhagavat, “How can the bodhisattva mahāsattvas correctly accomplish the very profound intention of the tathāgatas?”


4.

Chapter 4: The Confession in a Dream

4.­1

The bodhisattva Ruciraketu then went to sleep and in a dream saw a golden drum84 that was shining like the disk of the sun. In all directions there were countless, innumerable buddha bhagavats seated upon precious beryl thrones at the foot of precious wish-fulfilling trees, encircled by assemblies of many hundreds of thousands. Looking straight ahead, they were teaching the Dharma.

4.­2

Then he saw a person who appeared to be a brahmin beating that drum, and he heard a teaching in verse come from the drumbeats.


5.

Chapter 5: The End of the Continuum of Creating Karma

5.­1

Then the Bhagavat dwelled in correct analysis, and as soon as he rested in that extremely profound, supreme samādhi, from the pores of his body there came many hundreds of thousands of light rays of various colors and all buddha realms were illuminated within that light. [F.177.a] Their number could not be exemplified or measured even by the number of sand grains in all the Ganges Rivers in the ten directions.


6.

Chapter 6: The Purification of the Bhūmis

6.­2

Then the bodhisattva mahāsattva [F.189.a] Akṣayamati149 rose from his seat and, with his upper robe over one shoulder, knelt on his right knee, placed his palms together in homage, and bowed toward the Bhagavat. He offered the Bhagavat parasols of various jewels and flowers and baskets of flowers, and then he said to the Bhagavat, “Bhagavat, you have said repeatedly ‘the enlightenment mind, the enlightenment mind.’ Bhagavat, to what extent does a bodhisattva have an enlightenment mind? Bhagavat, what is an enlightenment mind? Bhagavat, if a bodhisattva has no aspiration or focus, has not focused, and will not focus on enlightenment because enlightenment is indescribable, and because aspiration has no form, cannot be shown, is immaterial and imperceivable, then how, Bhagavat, should the meaning of those Dharma teachings be understood?”


7.

Chapter 7: A Praise of All the Realms of the Past, Future, and Present Samyaksaṃbuddhas

7.­2

Then the Bhagavat said to the noble goddess Bodhisattvasamuccayā, “Noble goddess, at that time, in that time, there was a king by the name of Suvarṇabhujendra. Through this praise of all the tathāgatas, The Source of Lotus Flowers, he praised the buddha bhagavats of the past, future, and present.

7.­3
“ ‘The jinas who have appeared in the past,
And the jinas present in worlds in the ten directions,
I pay homage to those jinas
And I praise all those jinas.150

8.

Chapter 8: The Dhāraṇī Called Golden

8.­1

Then the Bhagavat said to the bodhisattva mahāsattva Sukhavihāra within that assembly, “Noble one, any noble man or noble woman who wishes to make an offering to all the buddhas of the past, the future, and the present should carry and possess this dhāraṇī that is called golden. Why is that? It is because this dhāraṇī is the mother of the past, future, and present buddha bhagavats. One who possesses this dhāraṇī will greatly increase their accumulation of merit. Those who planted roots of merit with countless bhagavats of the past will possess and hold this dhāraṇī. Those who have pure, faultless conduct without deterioration [F.202.b] will be able to enter this extremely profound Dharma teaching.”


9.

Chapter 9: Emptiness

9.­1

Then the Bhagavat, having taught that dhāraṇī, in order to benefit and bring happiness to that gathered assembly of bodhisattva mahāsattvas, devas, humans, and so on, and in order to teach the characteristics of the ultimate truth, emptiness, recited these verses:

9.­2
“I have taught the Dharmas of emptiness
Very extensively in countless other sūtras.
Therefore, in this supreme sūtra,
I will teach the Dharmas of emptiness briefly.
9.­3
“Unknowing beings with little intelligence
Are not able to know all the Dharmas.
Therefore, in this supreme sūtra
I will teach the Dharmas of emptiness briefly.

10.

Chapter 10: Fulfilling Wishes on the Basis of Emptiness

10.­1

On hearing that very profound Dharma teaching, the goddess Ratnārcī was delighted and overjoyed. She rose from her seat, and, with her upper robe over one shoulder, knelt on her right knee, placed her palms together in homage, bowed toward the Bhagavat, and in order to ask how to practice this profound teaching, spoke these verses to the Bhagavat:

10.­2
“Jina, supreme two-legged being
Who completely illuminates the world,
I pray that with compassion you teach me
The correct way of enlightened conduct.”

11.

Chapter 11: The Four Mahārājas Look Upon Devas and Humans

11.­1

Then Mahārāja Vaiśravaṇa, Mahārāja Dhṛtarāṣṭra, Mahārāja Virūḍhaka, and Mahārāja Virūpākṣa rose from their seats, and with their upper robes over one shoulder, knelt on their right knees and, with palms together in homage, bowed toward the Bhagavat and said, “Venerable211 Bhagavat, this Lord King of Sūtras, the Sublime Golden Light is taught by all tathāgatas; it is viewed by all the tathāgatas; it is thought of212 by all the tathāgatas; it is possessed by all the assemblies of bodhisattvas; it is paid homage to by all the hosts of devas; it is offered to by all the hosts of devas; it is praised by all the hosts of the lords of devas; it is offered to, praised, and honored by all the protectors of the world; it illuminates all the divine mansions; it brings supreme happiness to all beings; it extinguishes all the suffering in the hells, in the lives of animals, and in the realm of Yama; it brings fears to an end; it repels all the armies of enemies; it brings the calamity213 of famines to an end; it brings the calamity214 of disease to an end; it dispels all planetary influences;215 it brings perfect peace; it ends misery and troubles; [F.211.b] and it brings to an end various kinds of calamities‍—it overcomes a hundred thousand calamities.


12.

Chapter 12: The Four Mahārājas Protecting the Land220

12.­2

Then the Bhagavat congratulated the Four Mahārājas, saying, “Excellent, excellent, Mahārājas! Excellent, excellent, you Mahārājas!

12.­3

“It is thus: you have served past jinas, have generated roots of merit, have honored many hundreds of thousands of quintillions of buddhas, have possessed the Dharma, have taught the Dharma, have been kings of the Dharma,221 and have been kings of devas and humans through the Dharma.


13.

Chapter 13: The Dhāraṇī of Nonattachment

13.­2

Then the Bhagavat said to Venerable Śāradvatīputra,277 “Śāradvatīputra, it is thus: this Dharma teaching called The Dhāraṇī of Nonattachment is the mother of the bodhisattvas who meditate on all phenomena. It is the past practice of bodhisattvas and it is held by the bodhisattvas.”

13.­3

Venerable Śāradvatīputra asked the Bhagavat, “Bhagavat, if a dhāraṇī is not located in an object and not located in a direction, then, Bhagavat, what is the meaning of the word dhāraṇī?”


14.

Chapter 14: The Wish-fulfilling Jewel Dhāraṇī

14.­1

Then the Bhagavat, in the midst of the great assembly, said to Venerable Ānanda, “Ānanda, there is that which repels all lightning, which has been taught by the samyaksaṃbuddhas of the past. Following them, I also will now teach it, so you should retain it!

14.­2

“Ānanda, to the east there is the lightning called Āgata, to the south there is the lightning called Hundredth Moment, to the west there is the lightning called Waning Light, and to the north there is the lightning called Satamapati.


15.

Chapter 15: The Goddess Sarasvatī

15.­1

Then the great goddess Sarasvatī, with her robe over one shoulder, kneeling with her right knee on the ground and her palms together in homage, bowed toward the Bhagavat and said to the Bhagavat, “Venerable Bhagavat, I, the great goddess Sarasvatī, will bring eloquence to the words of those dharmabhāṇakas so that their words will be beautified. I will also bestow on them the power of mental retention. I will establish them in giving definitions. I will illuminate those dharmabhāṇakas with the great light of knowledge.297 If any line of verse or syllables of this Lord King of Sūtras, the Sublime Golden Light is left out, or forgotten, [F.232.a] I will bring all definitions, lines of verse, and syllables to those dharmabhāṇaka bhikṣus.


16.

Chapter 16: The Great Goddess Śrī

16.­1

Then the great goddess Śrī said to the Bhagavat, “Venerable Bhagavat, I, the great goddess Śrī, will also, in whatever way, bring a perfection of requisites to those dharmabhāṇaka bhikṣus so that they will gain freedom from deprivation; will have a resolute371 mind; will day and night have happiness of mind; will learn, understand, and correctly recite all the different words and letters in this Lord King of Sūtras, the Sublime Golden Light so that, for the sake of those beings who have planted good roots with hundreds of thousands of buddhas, this Lord King of Sūtras, the Sublime Golden Light [F.239.a] will remain for a long time in Jambudvīpa and will not disappear, and so that beings will experience the happiness of devas and humans for many hundreds of thousands of quintillions of eons, and so that there will be no famine and instead excellent harvests. Beings will become happy through being endowed with every kind of happiness. They will be in the company of tathāgatas, and in some future time they will attain the highest, most complete enlightenment of buddhahood. This will end all the suffering in the hells, in the lives of animals, and in the world of Yama. Robes, food, bedding, medicine while ill, requisites, and other necessities will be brought to those dharmabhāṇaka bhikṣus.


17.

Chapter 17: The Increase of Wealth by the Great Goddess Śrī

17.­1

Then the great goddess Śrī said these words to the Bhagavat, “Bhagavat, not far from here to the north, in the environs of Alakāvati, the palace of Mahārāja Vaiśravaṇa, there is a sublime pleasure grove by the name of Puṇya­kusuma­prabha, in which there is a mansion made of the seven precious materials which is called Padmottara­suvarṇa­dhvaja,378 which is where I live.


18.

Chapter 18: Dṛḍhā, the Goddess of the Earth

18.­1

Then Dṛḍhā, the goddess of the earth, said to the Bhagavat, “Venerable Bhagavat, wherever this Lord King of Sūtras, the Sublime Golden Light is taught, in the present or in future times, whether in a village, town, market town, [F.241.b] region, wilderness, mountain cave,389 or royal residence‍—wherever, venerable Bhagavat, this Lord King of Sūtras, the Sublime Golden Light is taught at length390‍—I, Dṛḍhā, the goddess of the earth, will come to that place.


19.

Chapter 19: Saṃjñeya, the Lord of Yakṣas

19.­1

Then the great yakṣa general Saṃjñeya, accompanied by twenty-eight yakṣa generals, rose from his seat and with his robe over one shoulder, kneeling with his right knee on the ground and with palms together, bowed toward the Bhagavat and said to the Bhagavat, “Venerable Bhagavat, wherever this Lord King of Sūtras, the Sublime Golden Light appears, in the present or in future times, whether in a village, town, market town, region, wilderness, mountain cave,396 or royal residence, Bhagavat, I, the great yakṣa general Saṃjñeya, accompanied by twenty-eight yakṣa generals, will come to that village, town, market town, region, wilderness, mountain cave,397 or royal residence.


20.

Chapter 20: The King’s Treatise: The Commitment of the Lord of Devas

20.­1

Then Dṛḍhā, the goddess of the earth, who was seated within that great assembly, rose from her seat, bowed down her head to the Bhagavat’s feet, and then, with her palms placed together, said to the Bhagavat, “Bhagavat, if in any land there is a human king who does not practice the true Dharma, [F.247.b] he will not remain long ruling that land or bringing happiness to many beings through a prestigious reign.


21.

Chapter 21: Susaṃbhava

21.­2

Then at that time, the Bhagavat recited these verses:

21.­3
“Whenever I was a cakravartin king,
I gave away the earth with its oceans.
I offered the four continents
Filled with jewels to the past jinas.
21.­4
“Because I sought the Dharma body,
There was nothing in the past that was pleasant
And cherished that I did not give away,
And in many eons, I even gave up my cherished life.
21.­5
“Many countless eons ago,
I was King Susaṃbhava
Within the teaching of the sugata Ratnaśikhin,
A sugata who had passed into nirvāṇa.

22.

Chapter 22: The Protection Given by Yakṣas

22.­1

“Great goddess Śrī, any noble man or noble woman who has faith and wishes to make an inconceivably, extremely vast and great offering of requisites to the past, future, and present buddha bhagavats, and wishes to know the profound field of activity of the past, future, and present buddhas, whether in a temple or in a wilderness, in whatever place The Lord King of Sūtras, the Sublime Golden Light is being correctly taught, in that place they should, with an undoubting and undistracted mind, pay attention and listen to this Lord King of Sūtras, the Sublime Golden Light.”


23.

Chapter 23: The Prophecy to Ten Thousand Devas

23.­1

When the Bhagavat had said that, the noble goddess Bodhisattvasamuccayā469 asked him, “Venerable Bhagavat, [F.255.b] through what cause and what condition, and through what accomplishment and accumulation of planting good roots, have Jvalanāntara­tejo­rāja and these other ten thousand devas now come from the Trāyastriṃśa paradise, having heard the prophecy to these three sublime beings?

23.­2

“It was thus: this excellent being, the bodhisattva Ruciraketu, in a future time, after many hundreds of thousands of quintillions of asaṃkhyeyas of eons have passed, will attain the highest, most complete enlightenment of buddhahood in the world realm Suvarṇaprabhā. He will appear in that world as the tathāgata arhat samyaksaṃbuddha, the one with wisdom and virtuous conduct,470 the sugata, the one who knows the world’s beings, the unsurpassable guide who tames beings, the teacher of devas and humans, the buddha, the bhagavat by the name of Suvarṇa­ratnākaracchatra­kūṭa.


24.

Chapter 24: Ending All Illness

24.­1

“Noble goddess, what were those past prayers? In the past, in a time gone by‍—an inconceivable, vast number, more innumerable than an asaṃkhyeya of eons ago‍—at that time, in that time, the tathāgata arhat samyaksaṃbuddha, the one with wisdom and virtuous conduct, the sugata, the one who knows the world’s beings, the unsurpassable guide who tames beings, the teacher of devas and humans, the buddha, the bhagavat by the name of Ratnaśikhin appeared in the world.


25.

Chapter 25: The Story of the Fish Guided by Jalavāhana

25.­1

“And so, noble goddess, Jalavāhana, the head merchant’s son, had cured the illnesses in the kingdom of King Sureśvaraprabha, so that there were few illnesses and people had the enthusiasm and physical strength they had previously possessed. All the beings in the kingdom of King Sureśvaraprabha were happy, enjoyed amusements, performed acts of generosity, and created merit. They praised Jalavāhana, the head merchant’s son, saying, ‘May Jalavāhana, the head merchant’s son, be victorious! May he be victorious! He is the king of healing,483 who heals the illnesses of all beings. He is the visible presence of a bodhisattva, and he knows all the eight branches of the Āyurveda.’


26.

Chapter 26: The Gift of the Body to a Tigress

26.­2

“Moreover, noble goddess, bodhisattvas give away their bodies in order to benefit others. What is that like?

26.­3

“The Bhagavat,499 with the light rays of a hundred various, stainless, and vast qualities shining on the earth500 and in the paradises, with the vision of unimpeded wisdom, and the power to suppress adversaries,501 accompanied by a thousand bhikṣus, was traveling and passing through the Pañcāla502 land and came to a forest.


27.

Chapter 27: Praise by All Bodhisattvas

27.­1

Then those hundreds of thousands of bodhisattvas went to where the Tathāgata Suvarṇa­ratnākaracchatra­kūṭa was. When they arrived, they bowed down their heads to the feet of the Bhagavat Tathāgata Suvarṇa­ratnākaracchatra­kūṭa and arranged themselves to one side. Having arranged themselves to one side, those hundreds of thousands of bodhisattvas placed their palms together and praised the Tathāgata Suvarṇa­ratnākaracchatra­kūṭa with these verses:


28.

Chapter 28: The Praise of All Tathāgatas

28.­1

Then the bodhisattva Ruciraketu rose from his seat, and, with his upper robe over one shoulder, [F.272.a] knelt on his right knee with palms together, bowed toward the Bhagavat, and then praised the Bhagavat with these verses:

28.­2
“Lord of munis, you have the signs of a hundred merits;
You are adorned by the qualities of a thousand beautiful splendors.
You have an exalted541 color, you manifest supreme peace,
And you shine with light like a thousand suns.

29.

Chapter 29: The Conclusion

29.­1

Then the noble goddess Bodhisattvasamuccayā praised the Bhagavat with these verses:

29.­2
“I pay homage to the Buddha who has pure knowledge,
Who has the knowledge with eloquence in the pure Dharma,
Who has the knowledge that is free from the path of bad actions,
And has the pure knowledge of existence and nonexistence.
29.­3
“Oh! Oh! The Buddha’s magnificence is infinite!
Oh! Oh! He is like the ocean and Mount Sumeru!
Oh! Oh! The Buddha’s activity is infinite!
He is extremely rare like a fig tree flower!

c.

Colophon

c.­1

Translated and revised by the Paṇḍitas Jinamitra and Nelendrabodhi, and by the Lotsawa Yeshe Dé, the chief editor, and definitively revised according to the new language reform.550


ab.

Abbreviations

BG Translation by Bao Gui 寶貴, titled 合部金光明經 (Taishō 664).
TWC Translation by Dharmakṣema, a.k.a. Tan Wuchen 曇無讖, titled 金光明經 (Taishō 663).
YJ Translation by Yijing 義淨, titled 金光明最勝王經 (Taishō 665).

n.

Notes

n.­1
The Sūtra of the Sublime Golden Light (3) (Suvarṇa­prabhāsottama­sūtra, Toh 557).
n.­2
The Sūtra of the Sublime Golden Light (1) (Suvarṇa­prabhāsottamasūtra, Toh 555).
n.­3
dbu ma rin po che’i sgron ma (Madhyamaka­ratna­pradīpa), Toh 3854.
n.­4
(1) The Root Manual of the Rites of Mañjuśrī (Mañjuśrī­mūla­kalpa, Toh 543), 2.­129; (2) ral pa gyen brdzes kyi rtog pa chen po byang chub sems dpa’ chen po’i rnam par ’phrul pa le’u rab ’byams las bcom ldan ’das ma ’phags ma sgrol ma’i rtsa ba’i rtog pa (Ūrdhvajaṭā-mahā­kalpa­mahā­bodhi­sattva­vikurvaṇapaṭalavisarā bhagavatī āryatārā­mūla­kalpa), Toh 724, folio 238.a; (3) dkyil ’khor thams cad kyi spyi’i cho ga gsang ba’i rgyud (Sarva­maṇḍala­sāmānyavidhi­guhya­tantra), Toh 806, folio 152.b.
n.­5
(1) Vinayadatta, sgyu ’phrul chen mo’i dkyil ’khor gyi cho ga bla ma’i zhal snga’i man ngag (Gurūpadeśa­nāma­mahā­māyā­maṇḍalopāyikā), Toh 1645, folio 209.a; (2) Bhavyakīrti, sgron ma gsal bar byed pa dgongs pa rab gsal zhes bya ba bshad pa’i ti ka (Pradīpoddyotanābhisaṃdhi­prakāśikā­nāma­vyākhyā­ṭīkā), Toh 1793, folio 201.a; (3) Pramuditākaravarman, gsang ba ’dus pa rgyud kyi rgyal po’i bshad pa zla ba’i ’od zer (Guhya­samāja­tantra­rāja­ṭīkā­candra­prabhā), Toh 1852, folio 169.b; (4) Vitapāda, gsang ba ’dus pa’i dkyil ’khor gyi sgrub pa’i thabs rnam par bshad pa (Guhya­samāja­maṇḍalopāyikā­ṭīkā), Toh 1873, folio 209.a; (5) Ānandagarbha, rdo rje dbyings kyi dkyil ’khor chen po’i cho ga rdo rje thams cad ’byung ba (Vajra­dhātu­mahā­maṇḍalopāyikā­sarva­vajrodaya), Toh 2516, folio 50.a; (6) Anonymous,’jam pa’i rdo rje ’byung ba’i dkyil ’khor gyi cho ga sems can thams cad kyi bde ba bskyed pa (Mañju­vajrodaya­maṇḍalopāyikā­sarva­sattva­hitāvahā). Toh 2590; (7) Kāmadhenu, ngan song thams cad yongs su sbyong ba gzi brjid kyi rgyal po zhes bya ba cho ga zhib mo’i rgyal po chen po’i rgya cher ’grel pa (Sarva­durgati­pariśodhana­tejorāja­nāma­mahā­kalpa­rāja­ṭīkā), Toh 2625; (8) Ānandagarbha, de bzhin gshegs pa dgra bcom pa yang dag par rdzogs pa’i sangs rgyas ngan song thams cad yongs su sbyong ba gzi brjid kyi rgyal po zhes bya ba’i bshad pa (Sarva­durgati­pariśodhana­tejorāja­tathāgatārhat­samyak­saṃbuddha­nāma­kalpa­ṭīkā), Toh 2628, folio 73.a; (9) Sthiramati, rgyan dam pa sna tshogs rim par phye ba bkod pa (Paramālaṃkāra­viśva­paṭala­vyūha), Toh 2661, folio 322.b; (10) Sahajalalita, kun nas sgor ’jug pa’i ’od zer gtsug tor dri ma med par snang ba de bzhin gshegs pa thams cad kyi snying po dang dam tshig la rnam par blta ba zhes bya ba’i gzungs kyi rnam par bshad pa (Samanta­mukha­praveśa­raśmi­vimaloṣṇīṣa­prabhāsa­sarva­tathāgata­hṛdaya­samayavilokita­nāma­dhāraṇī­vṛtti), Toh 2688, folio 292.b.
n.­6
(1) Bodhisattva, kun nas sgor ’jug pa’i ’od zer gtsug tor dri ma med par snang ba’i gzungs bklag cing chod rten brgya rtsa brgyad dam mchod rten lnga gdab pa’i cho ga mdo sde las btus pa (Samanta­mukha­praveśa­raśmi­vimaloṣṇīṣa­prabhāsa­dhāraṇī­vacana­sūtrāntoddhṛtāṣṭottara­śata­caityāntara­pañca­caitya­nirvapaṇa­vidhi), Toh 3068, folios 145.a, 151.b, 153.b; (2) Dīpaṁkaraśrījñāna, dbu ma’i man ngag rin po che’i za ma tog kha phye ba zhes bya ba (Ratna­karaṇḍodghāṭa­nāma­madhyamakopadeśa), Toh 3930, folios 99.a, 115.a; (3) Śāntideva, bslab pa kun las btus pa (Śikṣāsamuccaya), Toh 3940, folios 3.a–194.b, 90.a–91.b, 122.a–123.b; (4) Vairocanarakṣita, bslab pa me tog snye ma (Śikṣā­kusuma­mañjarī), Toh 3943, folio 200.a; (5) Dīpaṁkaraśrījñāna, byang chub lam gyi sgron ma’i dka’ ’grel (Bodhi­mārga­pradīpa­pañjikā), Toh 3948, folio 20.b.
n.­7
(1) Anonymous, gser ’od dam pa mdo sde dbang po’i smon lam (Suvarṇa­prabhāsottama­sūtrendra­praṇidhāna), Toh 4379; (2) Anonymous, rgyal po gser gyi lag pa’i smon lam (Rāja­suvarṇa­bhuja­praṇidhāna), Toh 4380.
n.­8
(1) Dīpaṁkaraśrījñāna, mngon par rtogs pa rnam par ’byed pa (Abhisamaya­vibhaṅga­nāma), Toh 1490, folio 201.a; (2) Āryadeva, spyod pa bsdud pa’i sgron ma (Caryāmelāpaka­pradīpa), Toh 1803, folio 106.a; (3) Mañjuśrīkīrti,’jam dpal gyi mtshan yang dag par brjod pa’i rgya cher bshad pa (Mañjuśri­nāma­saṃgīti­ṭīkā), Toh 2534, folio 217.b; (4) Haribhadra, shes rab kyi pha tol tu phyin pa brgyad stong pa’i bshad pa mngon par rtogs pa’i rgyan gyi snang ba (Aṣṭa­sāhasrikā­prajñā­pāramitā­vyākhyānābhisamayālaṃkārāloka), Toh 3791, folio 84.b; (5) Dharmakīrtiśrī, shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa’i man ngag gi bstan bcos mngon par rtogs pa’i rgyan zhes bya ba’i ’grel pa rtogs par dka’ ba’i snang ba zhes bya ba’i ’grel bshad (Abhisamayālaṃkāra­nāma­prajñā­pāramitopadeśa­śāstra­vṛtti­durbodhāloka­nāma­ṭīkā), Toh 3794, folio 152.b; (6) Dharmamitra, shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa’i man ngag gi bstan bcos mngon par rtogs pa’i rgyan gyi tshig le’ur byas pa’i ’grel bshad tshig rab tu gsal ba (Abhisamayālaṃkāra­kārikā­prajñā­pāramitopadeśa­śāstra­ṭīkāprasphuṭapadā), Toh 3796, folio 104.a.
n.­22
There have been two ways to interpret this traditional beginning of a sūtra, with such Indian masters as Kamalaśīla claiming that both are equally correct. The alternative interpretation is “Thus did I hear: at one time the Bhagavān …” and so on. The various arguments, both traditional and modern, for either side are given by Brian Galloway in “Thus Have I Heard: At one time…” Indo-Iranian Journal 34, Issue 2 (April 1991): 87–104.
n.­23
Toh 555 has “ten million times ninety-eight thousand.”
n.­47
lhag par bya bar byas pa. Toh 557 has bsnyen bkur byas pa.
n.­48
yang dag par blangs te gnas par gyur. Toh 557 has yang dag par blangs par gyur.
n.­49
cher na. Toh 557 has tha na.
n.­50
This obscure compound, in Sanskrit tathāgatavigrahaṃ (“tathāgata form” or “tathāgata beauty”), with no indication as to whether tathāgata is singular or plural, was translated into Tibetan here with interpolation as de bzhin gshegs pas kha dog bsgyur ba (“color transformed by the Tathāgata”). In Sanskrit, it is evident that this is an adjective for the house. The Tibetan does at times use kha dog to translate varṇa when it does not mean color specifically but form and shape. In Toh 555, it has been interpreted to mean that the house has the appearance of a buddha realm through the blessing of the Buddha.
n.­51
From the Tibetan phrugs. The Sanskrit paryaṅgka could mean a “seat” or “cushion.”
n.­52
From the Sanskrit divyaratna­puṣpa­patraiḥ. The Tibetan has the less specific bcos bu’i rin po che’i phrugs.
n.­53
According to the Sanskrit teṣu. The Tibetan has las (“from”), apparently in error for la.
n.­54
This obscure compound‍—in Sanskrit tathāgatavigraha (“tathāgata form” or “tathāgata beauty”)‍—was translated into Tibetan with interpolation as de bzhin gshegs pas kha dog [bsgyur ba] (“colors [transformed by] the Tathāgata”). Toh 555 interprets this to mean “their sizes were in proportion to those of the tathāgatas.”
n.­55
rnam par g.yengs pa. Toh 557 has g.yengs ba.
n.­56
skom pa rnams ni skom dang phrad par gyur. Toh 557 has skom pa dag ni skom ngoms par gyur (“the thirsty had their thirst quenched”).
n.­57
The Sanskrit here has “bodhisattva mahāsattva.”
n.­58
The plural is according to the Tibetan. It is singular in the available Sanskrit.
n.­59
Toh 557 has “The number of atoms in all / Sumerus can be calculated…”
n.­60
According to Toh 557 and the Sanskrit. Here “cause” is repeated.
n.­61
According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has saṃkhya (“numbers”) instead of asaṃkhya (“countless”).
n.­62
This line shows significant variation across sources and is difficult to interpret precisely. Toh 556 and 557 render this figure’s name as slob dpon lung ston pa bram ze kauN+Di n+ya, which can be interpreted to mean “the Kauṇḍinya brahmin, the Dharma master Vyākaraṇa.” The extant Sanskrit reads ācāryavyākaraṇaprāptaḥ kauṇḍinyo nāma brāhmaṇaḥ, which could be taken to mean “the brahmin named Kauṇḍinya who had obtained a prophecy from a/the Dharma master.” The Sanskrit line includes the term “obtained” (prāpta), which is not attested in the Chinese or Tibetan sources. The translation here follows the Chinese text that is the basis of Toh 555 in regarding kauṇḍinya as the brahmin’s family name (姓). This brahmin is then “named (名曰) the Dharma master Vyākaraṇa (法師授記).” The Tibetan sources for Toh 555 appear to take kauṇḍinya as the brahmin’s proper name and treat the rest of the phrase as descriptive, reading “The brahmin named Kauṇḍinya who was prophesied by a/the Dharma master (bram ze kauN+Di n+ya chos kyi slob dpon gyis lung bstan pa). To further complicate matters, the Degé version of Toh 555 also declines kauṇḍinya in the instrumental, which would result in the reading “the brahmin prophesied by the Dharma master Kauṇḍinya.” The Kangxi, Lhasa, Narthang, Stok Palace, and Yongle versions of Toh 555 lack this instrumental declension.
n.­63
In this instance, the Sanskrit version of that paradise’s name is tridaśa (“thirty” instead of “thirty-three”).
n.­64
This paragraph may be a remnant of the Licchavī youth’s response to the brahmin, which is here assigned to the brahmin instead. Although missing in both Toh 556 and Toh 557, the Licchavī’s response was evidently once present as can be seen from the brahmin’s response to it, where he refers to “such characteristics and qualities.” This paragraph is present in Toh 555: “The youth then said to the brahmin, ‘If you wish to be reborn in the Trāyastriṃśa paradise and enjoy the perfect ripening of karma, then you should listen, with single-pointed mind, to The Supremely Victorious King of Sūtras, the Sublime Golden Light. This sūtra is supreme among all sūtras, and therefore it is difficult to know and to penetrate. Therefore, the śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas are unable to comprehend it. This sūtra gives rise to the limitless ripening of the results of merit and accomplishes that until the attainment of the highest enlightenment. Today I have taught you just a little portion of that subject.’ ”
n.­65
According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has samācāra (“perfect conduct”).
n.­66
Vaidya’s Sanskrit has vaṇa, apparently in error for varṇa.
n.­67
According to the Sanskrit and bcom ldan ’das in Toh 557.
n.­68
The Sanskrit has nirmitakāya, which is synonymous with nirmāṇakāya. Both are translated in Tibetan as sprul pa’i sku.
n.­69
According to the Tibetan bdag gis, presumably from the Sanskrit mayā. The available Sanskrit has mune (“from the Muni” or “of the Muni”).
n.­70
This verse is absent in Toh 555.
n.­71
Toh 556 has sgra skad mthun par. Toh 557 has sgra dbyangs gcig tu.
n.­72
From the meaning of the BHS vibhajati, translated into Tibetan literally as rnam par dbye ba (“divide,” “differentiate”).
n.­73
According to tshol ba in the Yongle, Narthang, and Choné versions of Toh 556, and in Toh 555. The Degé version of Toh 556 has tshor ba (“sensation”).
n.­74
According to tshol ba in Toh 555. The Degé version of Toh 556 has tshor ba (“sensation”).
n.­75
According to Toh 555, which has mdzad pa. Toh 556 has bzod pa (“patience”).
n.­84
The Sanskrit translates as “he saw a bherī drum made of gold.”
n.­149
In Toh 555 instead of Akṣayamati, this is the bodhisattva Blazing Light Rays of Unhindered Traits of Lions (seng ge’i mtshan thogs pa med pa’i ’od zer ’bar ba).
n.­150
The Sanskrit translates as “the saṅgha of those jinas.”
n.­211
“Venerable” is here absent in the Sanskrit.
n.­212
According to the Tibetan dgongs pa. The Sanskrit has samanvāgataḥ (“provided by”).
n.­213
From the Sanskrit kāntāra. The Tibetan translates as its other meaning dgon pa (“wilderness”). Toh 555 has dus ngan (“bad times”).
n.­214
From the Sanskrit kāntāra. The Tibetan translates as its other meaning dgon pa (“wilderness”). Toh 555 has sdug bsngal (“suffering”).
n.­215
According to the Tibetan, presumably translating from graha or possibly pramathana. The Sanskrit has jñānaprakāśakaḥ (“it manifests wisdom”). Toh 555 has ltas ngan (“bad omens”).
n.­220
The preceding chapter, this chapter, and the following chapter form one chapter in Toh 557.
n.­221
This phrase is absent in Toh 557 and in the Sanskrit.
n.­277
According to the Yongle, Lithang, Kangxi, Choné, and Lhasa (śā ra dwa ti’i bu). The Degé omits the long vowel: Śaradvatiputra (śa ra dwa ti’i bu). The Narthang has both śā ra dra ti’i bu and śa ra drā ti’i bu.
n.­297
Toh 556 has shes pa, Toh 557 has ye shes, and the Sanskrit has jñāna.
n.­371
According to the Sanskrit svastha and to the Narthang of Toh 557, which reads brtan. The Yongle and Kangxi versions of Toh 557 have rtag (“permanent”). The Degé version has brtas (“increased”).
n.­378
This translates as “Sublime Lotus Golden Banner.” In the Sanskrit and Toh 557, there is only Suvarṇadhvaja (“Golden Banner”). Toh 555 does not mention her residence.
n.­389
According to the Sanskrit girikandara. Toh 557 has ri’i sman ljongs (“land of mountain herbs”)
n.­390
According to the Sanskrit. This is made into the subsequent sentence in the Tibetan.
n.­396
According to the Sanskrit girikandara. Toh 557 has ri’i sman ljongs (“land of mountain herbs”).
n.­397
According to the Sanskrit girikandara. Toh 557 has ri’i sman ljongs (“land of mountain herbs”).
n.­469
The Sanskrit has bodhisattva­samuccayā.
n.­470
This refers to the eightfold path, with wisdom being the right view and conduct being the other seven aspects of the path.
n.­483
Absent in the Sanskrit.
n.­499
Although this is presented as a narration by the Buddha, he is described in the third person.
n.­500
According to the Sanskrit, the Yongle, Lithang, Kangxi, and Choné versions of Toh 556, and Toh 557. The Degé version of Toh 556 has ba instead of sa.
n.­501
The Sanskrit also has “having attained the five kinds of vision.”
n.­502
According to the Tibetan lnga lan pa and in Toh 555 the transliterated pañcala. The Bhagji edition has prañcala.
n.­541
From the Sanskrit udāra, which the Tibetan has translated as rgya che (“vast”).
n.­550
This reform of the spelling of written Tibetan‍—which included, for example, eliminating the secondary suffix da‍—was made in 816, during the reign of King Ralpachen (born ca. 806, r. 815–38).

b.

Bibliography

Primary Sources in Tibetan and Chinese

gser ’od dam pa’i mdo. Toh 555, Degé Kangyur vol. 89 (rgyud ’bum, pa), folios 19.a–151a. English translation The Sūtra of the Sublime Golden Light (1) 2023.

gser ’od dam pa mdo sde’i dbang po’i rgyal po zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo (Suvarṇa­prabhāsottama­sūtrendra­rājanāma­mahāyāna­sūtra). Toh 556, Degé Kangyur vol. 89 (rgyud ’bum, pa), folios 151.b–273.a.

gser ’od dam pa mdo sde’i dbang po’i rgyal po zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo (Suvarṇa­prabhāsottama­sūtrendra­rāja­nāma­mahāyāna­sūtra). Toh 557, Degé Kangyur vol. 90 (rgyud ’bum, pha), folios 1.a–62.a. English translation The Sūtra of the Sublime Golden Light (3) 2024.

Hebu jin guangming 合部金光明經. Taishō 664 (CBETA, SAT). (Translation of Suvarṇa­prabhāsottama­sūtra by Bao Gui 寶貴).

Jin guangming jin 金光明經. Taishō 663 (CBETA, SAT). (Translation of Suvarṇa­prabhāsottama­sūtra by Dharmakṣema, a.k.a. Tan Wuchen 曇無讖).

Jin guangming zuisheng wang jin 金光明最勝王經. Taishō 665 (CBETA, SAT). (Translation of Suvarṇa­prabhāsottama­sūtra by Yijing 義淨).

Secondary References‍—Kangyur

dkyil ’khor thams cad kyi spyi’i cho ga gsang ba’i rgyud (Sarva­maṇḍala­sāmānyavidhi­guhya­tantra). Toh 806, Degé Kangyur vol. 96 (rgyud, wa), folios 141.a–167.b.

’jam dpal gyi rtsa ba’i rgyud (Mañjuśrīmūlakalpa). Toh 543, Degé Kangyur vol.88 (rgyud, na), folios 105.a–351.a. English translation The Root Manual of the Rites of Mañjuśrī 2020.

’od srung kyi le’u zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo (Kāśyapa­parivarta­nāma­mahāyāna­sūtra). Toh 87, Degé Kangyur vol. 44 (dkon brtsegs, cha), folios 119.b–151.b.

ral pa gyen brdzes kyi rtog pa chen po byang chub sems dpa’ chen po’i rnam par ’phrul pa le’u rab ’byams las bcom ldan ’das ma ’phags ma sgrol ma’i rtsa ba’i rtog pa zhes bya ba (Ūrdhvajaṭā­mahā­kalpa­mahā­bodhi­sattva­vikurvaṇa­paṭalavisarā bhagavatī ārya­tārā­mūla­kalpa­nāma). Toh 724, Degé Kangyur vol. 93 (rgyud, tsa), folios 205.b–311.a, and vol. 94 (rgyud, tsha), folios 1.a–200.a.

blo gros mi zad pas zhus pa zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo (Akṣaya­mati­paripṛcchā­nāma­mahāyāna­sūtra). Toh 89, Degé Kangyur vol. 44 (dkon brtsegs, cha), folios 175.b–182.b.

lang kar gshegs pa’i theg pa chen po’i mdo (Laṅkāvatāra­mahāyāna­sūtra). Toh 107, Degé Kangyur vol. 49 (mdo sde, ca), folios 56.a–191.b.

las kyi sgrib pa gcod pa zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo (Karmā­varaṇa­prati­praśrabdhi­nāma­mahāyāna­sūtra). Toh 219, Degé Kangyur vol. 62 (mdo sde, tsha), folios 297.b–307.a. English translation Putting an End to Karmic Obscurations 2024.

Secondary References‍—Tengyur

Ajitaśrībhadra. dga’ ba’i bshes gnyen gyi rtogs pa (Nandamitrāvadāna). Toh 4146, Degé Tengyur vol. 269 (’dul ba, su), folios 240.a–244.b.

Ānandagarbha. rdo rje dbyings kyi dkyil ’khor chen po’i cho ga rdo rje thams cad ’byungs ba (Vajra­dhātu­mahā­maṇḍalopāyikā­sarva­vajrodaya). Toh 2516, Degé Tengyur vol. 62 (rgyud, ku), folios 1.a–50.a.

Anonymous. rgyal po gser gyi lag pa’i smon lam (Rāja­suvarṇa­bhuja­praṇidhāna). Toh 4380, Degé Tengyur vol. 309 (sna tshogs, nyo), folios 309b–310a.

Anonymous. ’jam pa’i rdo rje ’byung ba’i dkyil ’khor gyi cho ga sems can thams cad kyi bde ba bskyed pa (Mañju­vajrodaya­maṇḍalopāyikā­sarva­sattva­hitāvahā). Toh 2590, Degé Tengyur vol. 65 (rgyud, ngu), folios 225.a–274.a.

Anonymous. gser ’od dam pa mdo sde dbang po’i smon lam (Suvarṇa­prabhāsottama­sūtrendra­praṇidhāna). Toh 4379, Degé Tengyur vol. 309 (sna tshogs, nyo), folios 304.b–309.b.

Āryadeva. spyod pa bsdud pa’i sgron ma (Caryāmelāpaka­pradīpa). Toh 1803, Degé Tengyur vol. 65 (rgyud, ngi), folios 57.a–106.b.

Bhavya. dbu ma rin po che’i sgron ma (Madhyamaka­ratna­pradīpa). Toh 3854, Degé Tengyur vol. 199 (dbu ma, tsha), folios 259.b–289.a.

Bhavyakīrti. sgron ma gsal bar byed pa dgongs pa rab gsal zhes bya ba bshad pa’i ti ka (Pradīpoddyotanābhisaṁdhi­prakāśikā­nāma­vyākhyā­ṭīkā). Toh 1793, Degé Tengyur vols. 32–33 (rgyud, ki), folios 1.b–292.a, and (rgyud, khi), folios 1.b–155.a.

Bodhisattva. kun nas sgor ’jug pa’i ’od zer gtsug tor dri ma med par snang ba’i gzungs bklag cing chod rten brgya rtsa brgyad dam mchod rten lnga gdab pa’i cho ga mdo sde las btus pa (Samanta­mukha­praveśa­raśmi­vimaloṣṇīṣa­prabhāsa­dhāraṇī­vacana­sūtrāntoddhṛtāṣṭottara­śata­caityāntara­pañca­caitya­nirvapaṇa­vidhi). Toh 3068, Degé Tengyur vol. 74 (rgyud, pu), folios 140.a–153.a.

Buddhānandagarbha. de bzhin gshegs pa dgra bcom pa yang dag par rdzogs pa’i sangs rgyas ngan song thams cad yongs su sbyong ba gzi brjid kyi rgyal po zhes bya ba’i bshad pa (Sarva­durgati­pariśodhana­tejorāja­tathāgatārhat­samyaksaṃbuddha­nāma­kalpa­ṭīkā). Toh 2628, Degé Tengyur vol. 68 (rgyud, ju), folios 1.a–97.a.

Dharmakīrtiśrī. shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa’i man ngag gi bstan bcos mngon par rtogs pa’i rgyan zhes bya ba’i ’grel pa rtogs par dka’ ba’i snang ba zhes bya ba’i ’grel bshad (Abhisamayālaṃkāra­nāma­prajñā­pāramitopadeśa­śāstra­vṛtti­durbodhāloka­nāma­ṭīkā). Toh 3794, Degé Tengyur vol. 86 (sher phyin, ja), folios 140.b–254.a.

Dharmamitra. shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa’i man ngag gi bstan bcos mngon par rtogs pa’i rgyan gyi tshig le’ur byas pa’i ’grel bshad tshig rab tu gsal ba (Abhisamayālaṃkāra­kārikā­prajñā­pāramitopadeśa­śāstra­ṭīkāprasphuṭapadā). Toh 3796, Degé Tengyur vol. 87 (sher phyin, nya), folios 1.a–110.a.

Dīpaṁkaraśrījñāna. dbu ma’i man ngag rin po che’i za ma tog kha phye ba zhes bya ba (Ratna­karaṇḍodghāṭa­nāma­madhyamakopadeśa). Toh 3930, Degé Tengyur vol. 212 (dbu ma, ki), folios 96.b–116.b.

Dīpaṁkaraśrījñāna. byang chub lam gyi sgron ma’i dka’ ’grel (Bodhi­mārga­pradīpa­pañjikā). Toh 3948, Degé Tengyur vol. 213 (mdo ’grel, khi), folios 241.a–293.a.

Dīpaṁkaraśrījñāna. mngon par rtogs pa rnam par ’byed pa zhes bya ba (Abhisamaya­vibhaṅga­nāma). Toh 1490, Degé Tengyur vol. 22 (rgyud, zha), folios 186.a–202.b.

Ekādaśanirghoṣa. rdo rje ’chang chen po’i lam gyi rim pa’i man ngag bdud rtsi gsang ba (Mahā­vajra­dhara­patha­kramopadeśāmṛta­guhya). Toh 1823, Degé Tengyur vol. 35 (rgyud, ngi), folios 267.b–278.a.

Haribhadra. shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa brgyad stong pa’i bshad pa mngon par rtogs pa’i rgyan gyi snang ba (Aṣṭa­sāhasrikā­prajñā­pāramitā­vyākhyānābhi­samayālaṃkārāloka). Toh 3791, Degé Tengyur vol. 85 (sher phyin, cha), folios 1.a–341.a.

Kāmadhenu. ngan song thams cad yongs su sbyong ba gzi brjid kyi rgyal po zhes bya ba cho ga zhib mo’i rgyal po chen po’i rgya cher ’grel pa (Sarva­durgati­pariśodhana­tejorāja­nāma­mahā­kalpa­rāja­ṭīkā). Toh 2625, Degé Tengyur vol. 666 (rgyud, cu), folios 231.a–341.a.

Mañjuśrīkīrti. ’jam dpal gyi mtshan yang dag par brjod pa’i rgya cher bshad pa (Mañjuśrī­nāma­saṃgīti­ṭīkā). Toh 2534, Degé Tengyur vol. 63 (gyud, khu), folios 115.b–301.a.

Paltsek (dpal brtsegs). gsung rab rin po che’i gtam rgyud dang shA kya’i rabs rgyud. Toh 4357, Degé Tengyur vol. 306 (sna tshogs, co), folios 239.a–377.a.

Paltsek (dpal brtsegs). pho brang stod thang lhan dkar gyi chos ’gyur ro cog gi dkar chag. Toh 4364, Degé Tengyur vol. 308 (sna tshogs, jo), folios 294.b–310.a.

Pramuditākaravarman. gsang ba ’dus pa rgyud kyi rgyal po’i bshad pa zla ba’i ’od zer (Guhya­samāja­tantra­rāja­ṭīkā­candra­prabhā). Toh 1852, Degé Tengyur vol. 41 (rgyud, thi), folios 120.a–313.a.

Sahajalalita. kun nas sgor ’jug pa’i ’od zer gtsug tor dri ma med par snang ba de bzhin gshegs pa thams cad kyi snying po dang dam tshig la rnam par blta ba zhes bya ba’i gzungs kyi rnam par bshad pa (Samanta­mukha­praveśa­raśmi­vimaloṣṇīṣa­prabhāsa­sarva­tathāgata­hṛdaya­samayavilokita­nāma­dhāraṇī­vṛtti). Toh 2688, Degé Tengyur vol. 71 (rgyud, thu), folios 269.a–320.b.

Śāntideva. bslab pa kun las btus pa (Śikṣāsamuccaya). Toh 3940, Degé Tengyur vol. 111 (dbu ma, khi), folios 3.a–194.b.

Sthiramati. rgyan dam pa sna tshogs rim par phye ba bkod pa (Paramālaṃkāra­viśva­paṭala­vyūha). Toh 2661, Degé Tengyur vol. 68 (rgyud, ju), folios 317.a–339.a.

Vairocanarakṣita. bslab pa me tog snye ma (Śikṣā­kusuma­mañjarī). Toh 3943, Degé Tengyur vol. 213 (dbu ma, khi), folios 196.a–217.a.

Various authors. bye brag tu rtogs par byed pa [chen po] (Mahāvyutpatti*). Toh 4346, Degé Tengyur vol. 306 (sna tshogs, co), folios 1.a–131.a.

Various authors. sgra sbyor bam po gnyis pa. Toh 4347, Degé Tengyur vol. 306 (sna tshogs, co), folios 131.b–160.a.

Vinayadatta. sgyu ’phrul chen mo’i dkyil ’khor gyi cho ga bla ma’i zhal snga’i man ngag (Gurūpadeśa­nāma­mahā­māyā­maṇḍalopāyikā). Toh 1645, Degé Tengyur vol. 25 (rgyud, ya), folios 290.a–309.a.

Vitapāda. gsang ba ’dus pa’i dkyil ’khor gyi sgrub pa’i thabs rnam par bshad pa (Guhya­samāja­maṇḍalopāyikā­ṭīkā). Toh 1873, Degé Tengyur vol. 43 (rgyud, ni), folios 178.b–219.a.

Wönch’ük (Wen tsheg). dgongs pa zab mo nges par ’grel pa’i mdo rgya cher ’grel pa (Gambhīra­saṁdhi­nirmocana­sūtra­ṭīkā). Toh 4016, Degé Tengyur vol. 220 (mdo ’grel, ti), folios 1.b–291.a; vol. 221 (mdo ’grel, thi), folios 1.b–272.a; and vol. 222 (mdo ’grel, di), folios 1.b–175.a.

Yeshe Dé (ye shes sde). lang kar gshegs pa zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo’i ’grel pa de bzhin gshegs pa’i snying po’i rgyan (Laṅkāvatāra­nāma­mahā­yāna­sūtra­vṛtti­tathāgata­hṛdayālaṃkāra), Toh 4019, Degé Tengyur vol. 224 (mdo ’grel, pi), folios 1.a–310.a.

Other References in Tibetan

Kalzang Dolma (skal bzang sgrol ma). lo tsA ba ’gos chos grub dang khong gi ’gyur rtsom mdo mdzangs blun gyi lo tsA’i thabs rtsal skor la dpyad pa. In krung go’i bod kyi shes rig, vol. 77, pp. 31–53. Beijing: krung go’i bod kyi shes rig dus deb khang, 2007.

Lotsawa Gö Chödrup (lo tsā ba ’gos chos grub). In gangs ljongs skad gnyis smra ba du ma’i ’gyur byang blo gsal dga’ skyed, pp. 17–18. Xining: kan lho bod rigs rang skyong khul rtsom sgyur cu’u, 1983.

Ngawang Lobsang Choden (nga dbang blo bzang chos ldan). ’phags pa gser ’od dam pa mdo sde’i dbang po’i rgyal po’i ’don thabs cho ga (A Rite That Is a Method for Reciting the Noble Sūtra of the Sublime Golden Light), s.n. s.l. n.d.

Pema Karpo (pad ma dkar po). gser ’od dam pa nas gsungs pa’i bshags pa. In The Collected Works of Kun-mkhyen padma dkar po, vol. 9 (ta), pp. 519–24. Darjeeling: kargyu sungrab nyamso khang, 1973–74.

Other References in English and Other Languages

Bagchi, S., ed. Suvarṇa­prabhāsa­sūtram. Darbhanga: The Mithila Institute, 1967. Digital Sanskrit Buddhist Canon.

Banerjee, Radha. Suvarṇa­prabhāsottama­sūtra. London: British Library, 2006. http://idp.bl.uk/downloads/GoldenLight.pdf.

Buswell Jr., Robert E., and Donald Lopez Jr. The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism. Princeton University Press, 2014.

Di, Guan. “The Sanskrit Fragments Preserved in Arthur M. Sackler Museum of Peking University.” Annual Report of the Research Institute for Advanced Buddhology at Soka University for the Academic Year 2013, vol. XVII (Tokyo Soka University, 2014): 109–18.

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.

Nanjio Bunyiu, Idzumi Hokei. The Suvarṇaprabhāsa Sūtra: A Mahāyāna Text Called “The Golden Splendour.” Kyoto: The Eastern Buddhist Society, 1931.

Nobel, Johannes (1937). Suvarṇabhāsottama­sūtra. Das Goldglanz-Sūtra: ein Sanskrit text des Mahāyāna-Buddhismus. Nach den Handschriften und mit Hilfe der tibetischen und chinesischen Übertragungen. Leipzig: Harrassowitz.

Nobel, Johannes (1944). Suvarṇa­bhāsottama­sūtra. Das Goldglanz-Sūtra: ein Sanskrit text des Mahāyāna-Buddhismus. Die Tibetischen Überstzungen mit einem Wörterbuch. Leiden: E. J. Brill.

Nobel, Johannes (1944, 1950). Suvarṇabhāsottamasūtra. Das Goldglanz-Sūtra: ein Sanskrit text des Mahāyāna-Buddhismus. Die Tibetishcen Überstzungen mit einem Wörterbuch. 2 vols. Leiden: E. J. Brill.

Radich, Michael (2014). “On the Sources, Style and Authorship of Chapters of the Synoptic Suvarṇaprabhasa-sūtra T644 Ascribed to Paramārtha (Part 1).” Annual Report of the Research Institute for Advanced Buddhology at Soka University for the Academic Year 2013, vol. XVII (Tokyo Soka University, 2014): 207–44.

Radich, Michael (2016). “Tibetan Evidence for the Sources of Chapters of the Synoptic Suvarṇa-prabhāsottama-sūtra T 664 A Ascribed to Paramārtha.” Buddhist Studies Review 32.2 (2015): 245–70. Sheffield, UK: Equinox Publishing.

Tanaka, Kimiaki. An Illustrated History of the Mandala From Its Genesis to the Kālacakratantra. Somerville, MA: Wisdom Publications, 2018.

Tyomkin, E. N. “Unique Sanskrit Fragments of ‘The Sūtra of Golden Light’ in the Manuscript Collection of the St. Petersburg Branch of the Institute of Oriental Studies.” In Manuscripta Orientalia vol. 1, no. 1 (July 1995): 29–38. St. Petersburg: Russian Academy of Sciences.

Yuama, Akira. “The Golden Light in Central Asia.” In Annual Report of the International Research Institute for Advanced Buddhology at Soka University for the Academic Year 2003 (Tokyo: Soka University, 2004): 3–32.

Translations

Emmerick, R. E. The Sūtra of Golden Light. Oxford: The Pali Text Society, 2004.

Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition (FPMT). Sutra of Golden Light, 21-Chapter.

Nobel, Johannes. Suvarṇa­prabhāsottama­sūtra, Das Goldglanz-Sutra, ein Sanskrittext des Mahayana Buddhismus. I-Tsing’s chinesische Version und ihre Übersetzung. Leiden: E. J. Brill, 1958.


g.

Glossary

Types of attestation for names and terms of the corresponding source language

AS

Attested in source text

This term is attested in a manuscript used as a source for this translation.

AO

Attested in other text

This term is attested in other manuscripts with a parallel or similar context.

AD

Attested in dictionary

This term is attested in dictionaries matching Tibetan to the corresponding language.

AA

Approximate attestation

The attestation of this name is approximate. It is based on other names where the relationship between the Tibetan and source language is attested in dictionaries or other manuscripts.

RP

Reconstruction from Tibetan phonetic rendering

This term is a reconstruction based on the Tibetan phonetic rendering of the term.

RS

Reconstruction from Tibetan semantic rendering

This term is a reconstruction based on the semantics of the Tibetan translation.

SU

Source unspecified

This term has been supplied from an unspecified source, which most often is a widely trusted dictionary.

g.­1

Ābhāsvara

Wylie:
  • ’od gsal
Tibetan:
  • འོད་གསལ།
Sanskrit:
  • ābhāsvara AD

“Clear Light.” The highest of the three paradises that correspond to the second dhyāna in the form realm.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 5.­20
g.­2

Abhayakīrti

Wylie:
  • ’jigs med grags pa
Tibetan:
  • འཇིགས་མེད་གྲགས་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • abhayakīrti AD

A buddha.

(Toh 555: bsnyengs pa mi mnga’ ba’i grags pa)

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 8.­28
g.­3

acacia

Wylie:
  • shI ri shA
Tibetan:
  • ཤཱི་རི་ཤཱ།
Sanskrit:
  • śirīṣa AS

Albizia lebbeck. A tall tree that can grow to 100 feet. Other common names include Indian walnut, lebbeck, lebbeck tree, flea tree, frywood, koko, and “woman’s tongue tree.” The bark is used medicinally.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 15.­5
g.­6

affliction

Wylie:
  • nyon mongs
Tibetan:
  • ཉོན་མོངས།
Sanskrit:
  • kleśa AD

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

The essentially pure nature of mind is obscured and afflicted by various psychological defilements, which destroy the mind’s peace and composure and lead to unwholesome deeds of body, speech, and mind, acting as causes for continued existence in saṃsāra. Included among them are the primary afflictions of desire (rāga), anger (dveṣa), and ignorance (avidyā). It is said that there are eighty-four thousand of these negative mental qualities, for which the eighty-four thousand categories of the Buddha’s teachings serve as the antidote.

Kleśa is also commonly translated as “negative emotions,” “disturbing emotions,” and so on. The Pāli kilesa, Middle Indic kileśa, and Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit kleśa all primarily mean “stain” or “defilement.” The translation “affliction” is a secondary development that derives from the more general (non-Buddhist) classical understanding of √kliś (“to harm,“ “to afflict”). Both meanings are noted by Buddhist commentators.

Located in 5 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­3
  • 15.­21
  • 15.­97
  • 24.­6
  • g.­150
g.­8

Āgata

Wylie:
  • ’ong ba
Tibetan:
  • འོང་བ།
Sanskrit:
  • āgata RP

A god who is the king of lightning in the eastern direction.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 14.­2
g.­10

Ākāśagarbha

Wylie:
  • nam mkha’i snying po
Tibetan:
  • ནམ་མཁའི་སྙིང་པོ།
Sanskrit:
  • ākāśagarbha AD

A bodhisattva.

Located in 6 passages in the translation:

  • i.­40-41
  • 1.­4
  • 3.­1
  • 3.­64
  • 8.­32
g.­15

Akṣayamati

Wylie:
  • blo gros mi zad
Tibetan:
  • བློ་གྲོས་མི་ཟད།
Sanskrit:
  • akṣayamati AD

A bodhisattva.

(Toh 555: seng ge’i mtshan thogs pa med pa’i ’od zer ’bar ba)

Located in 4 passages in the translation:

  • i.­50
  • 6.­2
  • 8.­36
  • n.­149
g.­16

Akṣobhya

Wylie:
  • mi ’khrugs pa
Tibetan:
  • མི་འཁྲུགས་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • akṣobhya AS

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

Lit. “Not Disturbed” or “Immovable One.” The buddha in the eastern realm of Abhirati. A well-known buddha in Mahāyāna, regarded in the higher tantras as the head of one of the five buddha families, the vajra family in the east.

Located in 9 passages in the translation:

  • i.­10
  • i.­84
  • 1.­16
  • 2.­5
  • 5.­69
  • 8.­7
  • 17.­15
  • 21.­29
  • g.­372
g.­17

Alakāvati

Wylie:
  • lcang lo can
Tibetan:
  • ལྕང་ལོ་ཅན།
Sanskrit:
  • alakāvati AS

The kingdom of yakṣas located on Mount Sumeru and ruled over by Kubera, also known as Vaiśravaṇa.

(Toh 555: nor ldan)

Located in 4 passages in the translation:

  • i.­78
  • 17.­1
  • g.­168
  • g.­345
g.­20

Amitābha

Wylie:
  • ’od dpag med
Tibetan:
  • འོད་དཔག་མེད།
Sanskrit:
  • amitābha AS

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

The buddha of the western buddhafield of Sukhāvatī, where fortunate beings are reborn to make further progress toward spiritual maturity. Amitābha made his great vows to create such a realm when he was a bodhisattva called Dharmākara. In the Pure Land Buddhist tradition, popular in East Asia, aspiring to be reborn in his buddha realm is the main emphasis; in other Mahāyāna traditions, too, it is a widespread practice. For a detailed description of the realm, see The Display of the Pure Land of Sukhāvatī, Toh 115. In some tantras that make reference to the five families he is the tathāgata associated with the lotus family.

Amitābha, “Infinite Light,” is also known in many Indian Buddhist works as Amitāyus, “Infinite Life.” In both East Asian and Tibetan Buddhist traditions he is often conflated with another buddha named “Infinite Life,” Aparimitāyus, or “Infinite Life and Wisdom,”Aparimitāyurjñāna, the shorter version of whose name has also been back-translated from Tibetan into Sanskrit as Amitāyus but who presides over a realm in the zenith. For details on the relation between these buddhas and their names, see The Aparimitāyurjñāna Sūtra (1) Toh 674, i.9.

Located in 7 passages in the translation:

  • i.­10
  • 1.­16
  • 2.­5
  • 5.­69
  • 8.­9
  • 17.­17
  • g.­46
g.­26

Ānanda

Wylie:
  • kun dga’ bo
Tibetan:
  • ཀུན་དགའ་བོ།
Sanskrit:
  • ānanda AS

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

A major śrāvaka disciple and personal attendant of the Buddha Śākyamuni during the last twenty-five years of his life. He was a cousin of the Buddha (according to the Mahāvastu, he was a son of Śuklodana, one of the brothers of King Śuddhodana, which means he was a brother of Devadatta; other sources say he was a son of Amṛtodana, another brother of King Śuddhodana, which means he would have been a brother of Aniruddha).

Ānanda, having always been in the Buddha’s presence, is said to have memorized all the teachings he heard and is celebrated for having recited all the Buddha’s teachings by memory at the first council of the Buddhist saṅgha, thus preserving the teachings after the Buddha’s parinirvāṇa. The phrase “Thus did I hear at one time,” found at the beginning of the sūtras, usually stands for his recitation of the teachings. He became a patriarch after the passing of Mahākāśyapa.

Located in 18 passages in the translation:

  • i.­74
  • i.­89-90
  • 1.­2
  • 14.­1-3
  • 25.­49
  • 26.­4
  • 26.­11-12
  • 26.­15-16
  • 26.­20-21
  • 26.­83-84
  • n.­507
g.­34

arhat

Wylie:
  • dgra bcom pa
Tibetan:
  • དགྲ་བཅོམ་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • arhat AS

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

According to Buddhist tradition, one who is worthy of worship (pūjām arhati), or one who has conquered the enemies, the mental afflictions (kleśa-ari-hata-vat), and reached liberation from the cycle of rebirth and suffering. It is the fourth and highest of the four fruits attainable by śrāvakas. Also used as an epithet of the Buddha.

Located in 38 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­1
  • 2.­7
  • 2.­29
  • 2.­69
  • 2.­81
  • 2.­93
  • 2.­118
  • 5.­8
  • 5.­36-38
  • 5.­40
  • 5.­69
  • 5.­79-81
  • 5.­84
  • 10.­40
  • 12.­21
  • 12.­28
  • 12.­63-64
  • 15.­116
  • 16.­2
  • 17.­2
  • 23.­2-4
  • 23.­13
  • 24.­1-2
  • 25.­22
  • 25.­24
  • 25.­28
  • 25.­50
  • g.­149
  • g.­265
  • g.­430
g.­41

asura

Wylie:
  • lha ma yin
Tibetan:
  • ལྷ་མ་ཡིན།
Sanskrit:
  • asura AS

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

A type of nonhuman being whose precise status is subject to different views, but is included as one of the six classes of beings in the sixfold classification of realms of rebirth. In the Buddhist context, asuras are powerful beings said to be dominated by envy, ambition, and hostility. They are also known in the pre-Buddhist and pre-Vedic mythologies of India and Iran, and feature prominently in Vedic and post-Vedic Brahmanical mythology, as well as in the Buddhist tradition. In these traditions, asuras are often described as being engaged in interminable conflict with the devas (gods).

Located in 34 passages in the translation:

  • i.­85
  • 1.­10-11
  • 1.­27
  • 1.­31
  • 2.­7-8
  • 3.­61
  • 5.­10
  • 11.­4
  • 12.­7
  • 12.­27
  • 12.­33
  • 12.­67
  • 14.­26
  • 15.­74
  • 15.­88
  • 15.­127
  • 21.­17
  • 22.­27
  • 22.­51-52
  • 29.­13
  • n.­152
  • n.­166
  • n.­393
  • g.­52
  • g.­234
  • g.­305
  • g.­334
  • g.­354
  • g.­402
  • g.­443
  • g.­505
g.­50

Āyurveda

Wylie:
  • tshe’i rig byed
Tibetan:
  • ཚེའི་རིག་བྱེད།
Sanskrit:
  • āyurveda AS

The classical system of Indian medicine.

(Toh 555: shes pa)

Located in 9 passages in the translation:

  • 24.­3
  • 24.­6
  • 24.­22
  • 25.­1
  • n.­306
  • g.­55
  • g.­67
  • g.­90
  • g.­314
g.­57

Bhagavat

Wylie:
  • bcom ldan ’das
Tibetan:
  • བཅོམ་ལྡན་འདས།
Sanskrit:
  • bhagavat AD

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

In Buddhist literature, this is an epithet applied to buddhas, most often to Śākyamuni. The Sanskrit term generally means “possessing fortune,” but in specifically Buddhist contexts it implies that a buddha is in possession of six auspicious qualities (bhaga) associated with complete awakening. The Tibetan term‍—where bcom is said to refer to “subduing” the four māras, ldan to “possessing” the great qualities of buddhahood, and ’das to “going beyond” saṃsāra and nirvāṇa‍—possibly reflects the commentarial tradition where the Sanskrit bhagavat is interpreted, in addition, as “one who destroys the four māras.” This is achieved either by reading bhagavat as bhagnavat (“one who broke”), or by tracing the word bhaga to the root √bhañj (“to break”).

Located in 299 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­1-2
  • 1.­4-8
  • 1.­10-12
  • 2.­1-2
  • 2.­5-9
  • 2.­18-21
  • 2.­23
  • 2.­26-30
  • 2.­33-36
  • 2.­59
  • 2.­62
  • 2.­66-68
  • 2.­83
  • 2.­88
  • 2.­115
  • 2.­120-121
  • 3.­1-2
  • 3.­16
  • 3.­20
  • 3.­44
  • 3.­58
  • 3.­60-61
  • 3.­64
  • 3.­69-70
  • 4.­1
  • 4.­3-4
  • 4.­106-107
  • 5.­1
  • 5.­3-6
  • 5.­8-10
  • 5.­27-28
  • 5.­42-45
  • 5.­47-48
  • 5.­53
  • 5.­55-56
  • 5.­58
  • 5.­68-69
  • 5.­73-75
  • 5.­77-79
  • 5.­86-90
  • 5.­93-95
  • 6.­2-3
  • 6.­91
  • 6.­95
  • 6.­99
  • 6.­103
  • 6.­107
  • 6.­111
  • 6.­115
  • 6.­119
  • 6.­123
  • 6.­127
  • 6.­129-130
  • 6.­134-136
  • 6.­140-141
  • 6.­147
  • 6.­149-150
  • 7.­2
  • 8.­1-2
  • 8.­42
  • 9.­1
  • 10.­1
  • 10.­5
  • 10.­7
  • 10.­9-10
  • 10.­16
  • 10.­18
  • 10.­37-38
  • 10.­40
  • 10.­43-44
  • 10.­51-53
  • 11.­1-13
  • 12.­2
  • 12.­6
  • 12.­8-9
  • 12.­12-15
  • 12.­22
  • 12.­26
  • 12.­28
  • 12.­30-33
  • 12.­52-66
  • 12.­70
  • 12.­72
  • 12.­76
  • 12.­85
  • 12.­89
  • 12.­93-94
  • 12.­97-98
  • 12.­100
  • 12.­106
  • 12.­122-123
  • 12.­125
  • 13.­2-4
  • 13.­6-7
  • 13.­13
  • 14.­1
  • 14.­4
  • 14.­6
  • 14.­8
  • 14.­10-11
  • 14.­13-14
  • 14.­16-17
  • 14.­19-21
  • 14.­23-26
  • 15.­1-2
  • 15.­15
  • 15.­22-23
  • 15.­42-45
  • 15.­91
  • 15.­96-97
  • 15.­99
  • 15.­117
  • 15.­128
  • 15.­133
  • 16.­1
  • 16.­5
  • 17.­1
  • 17.­6-7
  • 18.­1-2
  • 18.­5
  • 18.­7-13
  • 18.­15-16
  • 18.­19-20
  • 18.­22
  • 18.­25-26
  • 19.­1
  • 19.­4-9
  • 19.­16
  • 20.­1-3
  • 21.­2
  • 22.­1-2
  • 23.­1-2
  • 23.­4-6
  • 23.­12-14
  • 24.­1
  • 25.­45
  • 26.­3-8
  • 26.­10-16
  • 26.­18
  • 26.­20-21
  • 26.­86
  • 27.­1
  • 28.­1
  • 29.­1
  • 29.­12-13
g.­60

bherī drum

Wylie:
  • rnga
Tibetan:
  • རྔ།
Sanskrit:
  • bherī AS

As specified in the Sanskrit, a conical or bowl-shaped kettledrum, with an upper surface that is beaten with sticks. The Tibetan and Chinese are not specific about the kind of drum it is.

Located in 3 passages in the translation:

  • n.­84
  • n.­174
  • n.­195
g.­61

bhikṣu

Wylie:
  • dge slong
Tibetan:
  • དགེ་སློང་།
Sanskrit:
  • bhikṣu AS

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

The term bhikṣu, often translated as “monk,” refers to the highest among the eight types of prātimokṣa vows that make one part of the Buddhist assembly. The Sanskrit term literally means “beggar” or “mendicant,” referring to the fact that Buddhist monks and nuns‍—like other ascetics of the time‍—subsisted on alms (bhikṣā) begged from the laity.

In the Tibetan tradition, which follows the Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya, a monk follows 253 rules as part of his moral discipline. A nun (bhikṣuṇī; dge slong ma) follows 364 rules. A novice monk (śrāmaṇera; dge tshul) or nun (śrāmaṇerikā; dge tshul ma) follows thirty-six rules of moral discipline (although in other vinaya traditions novices typically follow only ten).

Located in 59 passages in the translation:

  • i.­35
  • i.­65
  • i.­72
  • i.­90
  • 1.­1
  • 5.­8
  • 5.­85
  • 6.­146
  • 10.­42-44
  • 11.­7-10
  • 11.­12-13
  • 12.­7-8
  • 12.­20
  • 12.­24
  • 12.­29-30
  • 12.­36
  • 12.­54
  • 12.­59
  • 12.­67-69
  • 12.­89
  • 12.­123
  • 14.­26
  • 15.­1
  • 15.­3
  • 15.­19
  • 15.­21
  • 16.­1
  • 18.­2
  • 18.­6
  • 18.­15
  • 19.­2
  • 19.­8
  • 21.­9
  • 21.­21
  • 21.­29
  • 25.­22
  • 26.­3
  • 26.­7-8
  • 26.­18-19
  • 26.­144
  • n.­232
  • n.­495
  • g.­167
  • g.­235
  • g.­300
  • g.­487
  • g.­512
g.­66

bimba

Wylie:
  • bim pa
Tibetan:
  • བིམ་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • bimbā AS
  • bimba AS

Momordica monadelpha. A perennial climbing plant, the fruit of which is a bright red gourd. Because of its color it is frequently used in poetry as a simile for lips.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 2.­50
g.­70

Bodhisattvasamuccayā

Wylie:
  • byang chub yang dag par bsdus pa
Tibetan:
  • བྱང་ཆུབ་ཡང་དག་པར་བསྡུས་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • bodhi­sattva­samuccayā AS

A goddess. In Toh 555 called “goddess of the Bodhi tree.”

Located in 11 passages in the translation:

  • i.­86-89
  • i.­93
  • 7.­2
  • 23.­1
  • 23.­6
  • 25.­45
  • 29.­1
  • 29.­13
g.­71

Brahmā

Wylie:
  • tshangs pa
Tibetan:
  • ཚངས་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • brahmā AS

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

A high-ranking deity presiding over a divine world; he is also considered to be the lord of the Sahā world (our universe). Though not considered a creator god in Buddhism, Brahmā occupies an important place as one of two gods (the other being Indra/Śakra) said to have first exhorted the Buddha Śākyamuni to teach the Dharma. The particular heavens found in the form realm over which Brahmā rules are often some of the most sought-after realms of higher rebirth in Buddhist literature. Since there are many universes or world systems, there are also multiple Brahmās presiding over them. His most frequent epithets are “Lord of the Sahā World” (sahāṃpati) and Great Brahmā (mahābrahman).

Located in 46 passages in the translation:

  • i.­49
  • i.­63-64
  • i.­66
  • i.­75
  • 2.­7
  • 3.­64
  • 4.­12
  • 5.­53
  • 5.­81
  • 5.­85
  • 5.­87
  • 5.­89
  • 5.­93
  • 6.­46
  • 7.­4
  • 10.­20
  • 10.­39
  • 10.­51-52
  • 12.­32
  • 12.­52
  • 12.­61-63
  • 14.­13
  • 14.­24
  • 14.­26
  • 15.­39
  • 15.­100
  • 20.­7-8
  • 20.­11
  • 21.­33
  • 22.­26
  • 27.­4
  • 29.­12
  • n.­38
  • n.­131
  • g.­72
  • g.­73
  • g.­74
  • g.­75
  • g.­76
  • g.­256
  • g.­257
g.­77

brahmin

Wylie:
  • bram ze
Tibetan:
  • བྲམ་ཟེ།
Sanskrit:
  • brāhmaṇa AD

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

A member of the highest of the four castes in Indian society, which is closely associated with religious vocations.

Located in 35 passages in the translation:

  • i.­3
  • i.­37
  • i.­43
  • i.­47
  • i.­77
  • 2.­7
  • 2.­33
  • 2.­35-36
  • 2.­38
  • 2.­41
  • 2.­55
  • 2.­111
  • 3.­67
  • 4.­2
  • 4.­8
  • 4.­103
  • 5.­2
  • 5.­17
  • 5.­81
  • 5.­90-91
  • 15.­24
  • 15.­36
  • 15.­58
  • 15.­70
  • 15.­82
  • 15.­91
  • 15.­93
  • 15.­131-132
  • n.­62
  • n.­64
  • g.­232
  • g.­522
g.­83

cakravartin

Wylie:
  • khor los sgyur ba
Tibetan:
  • ཁོར་ལོས་སྒྱུར་བ།
Sanskrit:
  • cakravartin AS

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

An ideal monarch or emperor who, as the result of the merit accumulated in previous lifetimes, rules over a vast realm in accordance with the Dharma. Such a monarch is called a cakravartin because he bears a wheel (cakra) that rolls (vartate) across the earth, bringing all lands and kingdoms under his power. The cakravartin conquers his territory without causing harm, and his activity causes beings to enter the path of wholesome actions. According to Vasubandhu’s Abhidharmakośa, just as with the buddhas, only one cakravartin appears in a world system at any given time. They are likewise endowed with the thirty-two major marks of a great being (mahāpuruṣalakṣaṇa), but a cakravartin’s marks are outshined by those of a buddha. They possess seven precious objects: the wheel, the elephant, the horse, the wish-fulfilling gem, the queen, the general, and the minister. An illustrative passage about the cakravartin and his possessions can be found in The Play in Full (Toh 95), 3.3–3.13.

Vasubandhu lists four types of cakravartins: (1) the cakravartin with a golden wheel (suvarṇacakravartin) rules over four continents and is invited by lesser kings to be their ruler; (2) the cakravartin with a silver wheel (rūpyacakravartin) rules over three continents and his opponents submit to him as he approaches; (3) the cakravartin with a copper wheel (tāmracakravartin) rules over two continents and his opponents submit themselves after preparing for battle; and (4) the cakravartin with an iron wheel (ayaścakravartin) rules over one continent and his opponents submit themselves after brandishing weapons.

Located in 13 passages in the translation:

  • i.­84
  • 5.­82
  • 6.­14
  • 6.­45
  • 10.­49
  • 12.­27-28
  • 21.­3
  • 21.­6
  • 21.­32
  • g.­164
  • g.­413
  • g.­452
g.­108

defilements

Wylie:
  • zag pa
Tibetan:
  • ཟག་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • āśrava AD
  • āsrava AD

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

Literally, “to flow” or “to ooze.” Mental defilements or contaminations that “flow out” toward the objects of cyclic existence, binding us to them. Vasubandhu offers two alternative explanations of this term: “They cause beings to remain (āsayanti) within saṃsāra” and “They flow from the Summit of Existence down to the Avīci hell, out of the six wounds that are the sense fields” (Abhidharma­kośa­bhāṣya 5.40; Pradhan 1967, p. 308). The Summit of Existence (bhavāgra, srid pa’i rtse mo) is the highest point within saṃsāra, while the hell called Avīci (mnar med) is the lowest; the six sense fields (āyatana, skye mched) here refer to the five sense faculties plus the mind, i.e., the six internal sense fields.

Located in 8 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­1
  • 5.­40
  • 5.­80
  • 12.­125
  • 15.­97
  • g.­154
  • g.­464
  • g.­469
g.­111

deva

Wylie:
  • lha
Tibetan:
  • ལྷ།
Sanskrit:
  • deva AS

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

In the most general sense the devas‍—the term is cognate with the English divine‍—are a class of celestial beings who frequently appear in Buddhist texts, often at the head of the assemblies of nonhuman beings who attend and celebrate the teachings of the Buddha Śākyamuni and other buddhas and bodhisattvas. In Buddhist cosmology the devas occupy the highest of the five or six “destinies” (gati) of saṃsāra among which beings take rebirth. The devas reside in the devalokas, “heavens” that traditionally number between twenty-six and twenty-eight and are divided between the desire realm (kāmadhātu), form realm (rūpadhātu), and formless realm (ārūpyadhātu). A being attains rebirth among the devas either through meritorious deeds (in the desire realm) or the attainment of subtle meditative states (in the form and formless realms). While rebirth among the devas is considered favorable, it is ultimately a transitory state from which beings will fall when the conditions that lead to rebirth there are exhausted. Thus, rebirth in the god realms is regarded as a diversion from the spiritual path.

Located in 181 passages in the translation:

  • i.­7
  • i.­67
  • i.­83-87
  • i.­89
  • 1.­3
  • 1.­6
  • 1.­10-11
  • 1.­19
  • 1.­27
  • 1.­31
  • 2.­7-8
  • 2.­36
  • 2.­64
  • 2.­67
  • 3.­61
  • 3.­64
  • 3.­68
  • 4.­17
  • 5.­3
  • 5.­6
  • 5.­18-21
  • 5.­36-38
  • 5.­45
  • 5.­48
  • 5.­53
  • 5.­69
  • 5.­78-82
  • 5.­86
  • 6.­145
  • 7.­11
  • 9.­1
  • 9.­15
  • 10.­39-41
  • 10.­51-52
  • 11.­1
  • 11.­4
  • 11.­14
  • 12.­3
  • 12.­7-8
  • 12.­19
  • 12.­27
  • 12.­29-30
  • 12.­32-33
  • 12.­52
  • 12.­56-58
  • 12.­61
  • 12.­63
  • 12.­67
  • 12.­76
  • 12.­82
  • 12.­117
  • 12.­120
  • 14.­14
  • 14.­26
  • 15.­20
  • 15.­27
  • 15.­41
  • 15.­59
  • 15.­69-70
  • 15.­74
  • 15.­83
  • 15.­88
  • 15.­102
  • 15.­122-127
  • 15.­129
  • 16.­1
  • 16.­3
  • 18.­11
  • 18.­13-16
  • 19.­8
  • 20.­6-10
  • 20.­14-16
  • 20.­19-20
  • 20.­23
  • 20.­29-31
  • 20.­33
  • 20.­53
  • 20.­56-57
  • 20.­60
  • 20.­64
  • 20.­68
  • 20.­70-71
  • 20.­73
  • 20.­79
  • 21.­14
  • 21.­17-18
  • 21.­20
  • 21.­31
  • 22.­10
  • 22.­20
  • 22.­28-29
  • 22.­35
  • 22.­64
  • 22.­66
  • 22.­74
  • 23.­1-2
  • 23.­4
  • 23.­6
  • 23.­13-14
  • 23.­16-18
  • 24.­1
  • 25.­24
  • 25.­28-30
  • 25.­43
  • 25.­50
  • 26.­45
  • 26.­147
  • 27.­10
  • 29.­10
  • 29.­13
  • n.­38
  • n.­324
  • n.­411-412
  • n.­426
  • g.­14
  • g.­23
  • g.­52
  • g.­54
  • g.­72
  • g.­96
  • g.­112
  • g.­208
  • g.­286
  • g.­295
  • g.­322
  • g.­334
  • g.­336
  • g.­374
  • g.­451
g.­113

dhāraṇī

Wylie:
  • gzungs
  • gzungs sngags
Tibetan:
  • གཟུངས།
  • གཟུངས་སྔགས།
Sanskrit:
  • dhāraṇī AS

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

The term dhāraṇī has the sense of something that “holds” or “retains,” and so it can refer to the special capacity of practitioners to memorize and recall detailed teachings. It can also refer to a verbal expression of the teachings‍—an incantation, spell, or mnemonic formula‍—that distills and “holds” essential points of the Dharma and is used by practitioners to attain mundane and supramundane goals. The same term is also used to denote texts that contain such formulas.

Located in 72 passages in the translation:

  • i.­9
  • i.­49
  • i.­53
  • i.­55
  • i.­58
  • i.­72
  • i.­75
  • 6.­89
  • 6.­91-93
  • 6.­95-97
  • 6.­99-101
  • 6.­103-105
  • 6.­107-109
  • 6.­111-113
  • 6.­115-117
  • 6.­119-121
  • 6.­123-125
  • 6.­127-129
  • 6.­144-145
  • 8.­1-2
  • 8.­40
  • 8.­42-43
  • 8.­45
  • 8.­47
  • 9.­1
  • 12.­70
  • 13.­3-4
  • 13.­6-9
  • 13.­11-15
  • 14.­8
  • 14.­14
  • 14.­25
  • 14.­27
  • 15.­38
  • 15.­41
  • 15.­44
  • 18.­16
  • 18.­25
  • 19.­9
  • n.­282
  • g.­376
g.­115

Dharma body

Wylie:
  • chos kyi sku
Tibetan:
  • ཆོས་ཀྱི་སྐུ།
Sanskrit:
  • dharmakāya AS

In its earliest use it generally meant that though the corporeal body of the Buddha had perished, his “body of the Dharma” continued. It also referred to the Buddha’s realization of reality, to his qualities as a whole, or to his teachings as embodying him. It later came to be synonymous with enlightenment or buddhahood, a “body” that can only be “seen” by a buddha.

Located in 35 passages in the translation:

  • i.­25
  • i.­40
  • 2.­62
  • 2.­75
  • 2.­85
  • 2.­92
  • 2.­104
  • 3.­2
  • 3.­5-6
  • 3.­15-17
  • 3.­19
  • 3.­21-24
  • 3.­28-29
  • 3.­34-35
  • 3.­37-38
  • 3.­42
  • 3.­48-49
  • 3.­52-53
  • 6.­57
  • 9.­27
  • 21.­4
  • 21.­34
  • 26.­39
  • g.­468
g.­116

Dharma realm

Wylie:
  • chos kyi dbyings
Tibetan:
  • ཆོས་ཀྱི་དབྱིངས།
Sanskrit:
  • dharmadhātu AS

A synonym for the ultimate nature of reality. The term is interpreted variously and can be translated according to context as “Dharma realm,” “Dharma element,” “the realm of phenomena,” or “the element of phenomena.”

Located in 18 passages in the translation:

  • i.­62
  • 1.­1
  • 2.­62
  • 3.­51
  • 3.­57
  • 6.­139
  • 10.­8-15
  • 10.­26
  • 10.­36
  • 22.­8
  • 22.­33
g.­117

dharmabhāṇaka

Wylie:
  • chos smra ba
Tibetan:
  • ཆོས་སྨྲ་བ།
Sanskrit:
  • dharmabhāṇaka AS

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

Speaker or reciter of scriptures. In early Buddhism a section of the saṅgha would consist of bhāṇakas, who, particularly before the teachings were written down and were only transmitted orally, were a key factor in the preservation of the teachings. Various groups of dharmabhāṇakas specialized in memorizing and reciting a certain set of sūtras or vinaya.

Located in 34 passages in the translation:

  • i.­80
  • i.­84
  • 11.­8-9
  • 12.­24-26
  • 12.­28
  • 12.­30
  • 12.­35-36
  • 12.­52
  • 12.­123
  • 15.­1
  • 15.­3
  • 15.­19
  • 16.­1
  • 18.­2
  • 18.­6
  • 18.­11
  • 18.­15
  • 18.­26
  • 19.­2
  • 19.­8
  • 21.­7
  • 21.­9
  • 21.­11-12
  • 21.­19
  • 21.­21
  • 21.­29
  • 22.­15
  • 22.­18
  • g.­372
g.­123

Dhṛtarāṣṭra

Wylie:
  • yul ’khor srung
Tibetan:
  • ཡུལ་འཁོར་སྲུང་།
Sanskrit:
  • dhṛtarāṣṭra AS

One of the Four Mahārājas, he is the guardian deity for the east and lord of the gandharvas.

Located in 4 passages in the translation:

  • 11.­1
  • 12.­8
  • 12.­22
  • 14.­17
g.­127

Dṛḍhā

Wylie:
  • brtan ma
Tibetan:
  • བརྟན་མ།
Sanskrit:
  • dṛḍhā AD

The goddess of the earth.

(Toh 555: sra ba)

Located in 16 passages in the translation:

  • i.­4
  • i.­80
  • i.­82
  • 1.­26
  • 12.­32
  • 12.­52
  • 18.­1-2
  • 18.­7-8
  • 18.­13
  • 18.­15-16
  • 18.­26-27
  • 20.­1
g.­128

Dundubhisvara

Wylie:
  • rnga sgra
Tibetan:
  • རྔ་སྒྲ།
Sanskrit:
  • dundubhisvara AD

The principal buddha of the northern direction.

(Toh 555: rnga sgra skyabs)

Located in 5 passages in the translation:

  • i.­10
  • 1.­16
  • 2.­5
  • 8.­10
  • 17.­18
g.­129

eight liberations

Wylie:
  • rnam par grol ba brgyad
Tibetan:
  • རྣམ་པར་གྲོལ་བ་བརྒྱད།
Sanskrit:
  • aṣṭavimokṣa AD

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

A series of progressively more subtle states of meditative realization or attainment. There are several presentations of these found in the canonical literature. One of the most common is as follows: (1) One observes form while the mind dwells at the level of the form realm. (2) One observes forms externally while discerning formlessness internally. (3) One dwells in the direct experience of the body’s pleasant aspect. (4) One dwells in the realization of the sphere of infinite space by transcending all conceptions of matter, resistance, and diversity. (5) Transcending the sphere of infinite space, one dwells in the realization of the sphere of infinite consciousness. (6) Transcending the sphere of infinite consciousness, one dwells in the realization of the sphere of nothingness. (7) Transcending the sphere of nothingness, one dwells in the realization of the sphere of neither perception nor nonperception. (8) Transcending the sphere of neither perception nor nonperception, one dwells in the realization of the cessation of conception and feeling.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­1
g.­130

eight unfavorable states

Wylie:
  • mi khom pa brgyad
Tibetan:
  • མི་ཁོམ་པ་བརྒྱད།
Sanskrit:
  • aṣṭākṣaṇa AD

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

A set of circumstances that do not provide the freedom to practice the Buddhist path: being born in the realms of (1) the hells, (2) hungry ghosts (pretas), (3) animals, or (4) long-lived gods, or in the human realm among (5) barbarians or (6) extremists, (7) in places where the Buddhist teachings do not exist, or (8) without adequate faculties to understand the teachings where they do exist.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 2.­119
g.­135

emanation body

Wylie:
  • sprul pa’i sku
Tibetan:
  • སྤྲུལ་པའི་སྐུ།
Sanskrit:
  • nirmāṇakāya AS
  • nirmitakāya AS

Manifestations of the Buddha, particularly as the principal buddha of an age, that are perceivable by ordinary beings.

Located in 15 passages in the translation:

  • i.­40
  • 2.­60
  • 3.­2-3
  • 3.­21
  • 3.­23-24
  • 3.­26
  • 3.­30-34
  • 3.­52
  • g.­468
g.­137

eon

Wylie:
  • bskal pa
Tibetan:
  • བསྐལ་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • kalpa AS

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

A cosmic period of time, sometimes equivalent to the time when a world system appears, exists, and disappears. According to the traditional Abhidharma understanding of cyclical time, a great eon (mahākalpa) is divided into eighty lesser eons. In the course of one great eon, the universe takes form and later disappears. During the first twenty of the lesser eons, the universe is in the process of creation and expansion; during the next twenty it remains; during the third twenty, it is in the process of destruction; and during the last quarter of the cycle, it remains in a state of empty stasis. A fortunate, or good, eon (bhadrakalpa) refers to any eon in which more than one buddha appears.

Located in 57 passages in the translation:

  • i.­80-81
  • 1.­3
  • 1.­29
  • 1.­31
  • 2.­2
  • 2.­14
  • 2.­16
  • 2.­23
  • 3.­58
  • 4.­13
  • 4.­40
  • 4.­42
  • 4.­48
  • 4.­72-73
  • 4.­76
  • 4.­95
  • 4.­102
  • 5.­32
  • 5.­79
  • 7.­20
  • 7.­24
  • 7.­26
  • 7.­31
  • 7.­36
  • 9.­27
  • 9.­34
  • 10.­43-44
  • 10.­46
  • 12.­27-28
  • 12.­63
  • 13.­11
  • 15.­96
  • 16.­1
  • 18.­15
  • 19.­8
  • 21.­4-5
  • 21.­32-33
  • 22.­10
  • 23.­2
  • 23.­12
  • 24.­1
  • 26.­85
  • 26.­87
  • 26.­146
  • 27.­10
  • n.­210
  • n.­238
  • n.­281
  • g.­38
  • g.­125
  • g.­235
g.­147

fig tree flower

Wylie:
  • u dum bA ra
Tibetan:
  • ཨུ་དུམ་བཱ་ར།
Sanskrit:
  • udumbara AD

The mythological flower of the fig tree, said to appear on rare occasions, such as the birth of a buddha. The actual fig tree flower is contained within the fruit.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 2.­23
  • 29.­3
g.­150

five degenerations

Wylie:
  • snyigs ma rnam pa lnga
Tibetan:
  • སྙིགས་མ་རྣམ་པ་ལྔ།
Sanskrit:
  • pañcakaṣāya AD

The five degenerations are (1) the degeneration of life span, (2) the degeneration of views, (3) the degeneration of the afflictions, (4) the degeneration of beings, and (5) the degeneration of the era.

Located in 4 passages in the translation:

  • 2.­19
  • 5.­2
  • 10.­18-19
g.­152

five skandhas

Wylie:
  • phung po lnga
Tibetan:
  • ཕུང་པོ་ལྔ།
Sanskrit:
  • pañcaskandha

The five skandhas, or aggregates, are form, feeling, perception, formation, and consciousness. On the individual level the five aggregates refer to the basis upon which the mistaken idea of a self is projected.

Located in 9 passages in the translation:

  • i.­62
  • 6.­26
  • 9.­22
  • 10.­10-12
  • 10.­14
  • g.­153
  • g.­412
g.­153

formation

Wylie:
  • ’du byed
Tibetan:
  • འདུ་བྱེད།
Sanskrit:
  • saṃskāra AS

The meaning of this term varies according to context. As one of the skandhas it refers to various mental activities. In terms of the twelve phases of dependent origination it is the second, “formation” or “creation,” referring to activities with karmic results.

Located in 4 passages in the translation:

  • 9.­20
  • 25.­25-26
  • g.­152
g.­157

Four Mahārājas

Wylie:
  • rgyal po chen po bzhi
Tibetan:
  • རྒྱལ་པོ་ཆེན་པོ་བཞི།
Sanskrit:
  • caturmahārāja AS

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

Four gods who live on the lower slopes (fourth level) of Mount Meru in the eponymous Heaven of the Four Great Kings (Cāturmahā­rājika, rgyal chen bzhi’i ris) and guard the four cardinal directions. Each is the leader of a nonhuman class of beings living in his realm. They are Dhṛtarāṣṭra, ruling the gandharvas in the east; Virūḍhaka, ruling over the kumbhāṇḍas in the south; Virūpākṣa, ruling the nāgas in the west; and Vaiśravaṇa (also known as Kubera) ruling the yakṣas in the north. Also referred to as Guardians of the World or World Protectors (lokapāla, ’jig rten skyong ba).

Located in 59 passages in the translation:

  • i.­4
  • i.­69-70
  • i.­75
  • 3.­64
  • 5.­93
  • 10.­51-52
  • 11.­2-3
  • 11.­5-8
  • 11.­11-14
  • 12.­2
  • 12.­5-9
  • 12.­14-15
  • 12.­18-20
  • 12.­26
  • 12.­29-31
  • 12.­33
  • 12.­52-55
  • 12.­58-59
  • 12.­63
  • 12.­66
  • 12.­68
  • 12.­99
  • 12.­106
  • 12.­122-123
  • 12.­126
  • 14.­19
  • 15.­39
  • 15.­97
  • 15.­101
  • 15.­123
  • 22.­35
  • n.­251
  • g.­123
  • g.­489
  • g.­517
  • g.­518
g.­160

Gandhamādana

Wylie:
  • spos kyi ngad ldang ba
Tibetan:
  • སྤོས་ཀྱི་ངད་ལྡང་བ།
Sanskrit:
  • gandhamādana AS

A mountain north of the Himalayas, said to be fifty yojanas from Mount Kailash. In other sūtras, it is translated as spos ngad can, spos ngad ldang, or spos nad ldan. Mount Gandhamardan in Orissa, India, was at one time a center for Buddhist study and practice.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 2.­54
  • g.­322
g.­161

gandharva

Wylie:
  • dri za
Tibetan:
  • དྲི་ཟ།
Sanskrit:
  • gandharva AS

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

A class of generally benevolent nonhuman beings who inhabit the skies, sometimes said to inhabit fantastic cities in the clouds, and more specifically to dwell on the eastern slopes of Mount Meru, where they are ruled by the Great King Dhṛtarāṣṭra. They are most renowned as celestial musicians who serve the gods. In the Abhidharma, the term is also used to refer to the mental body assumed by sentient beings during the intermediate state between death and rebirth. Gandharvas are said to live on fragrances (gandha) in the desire realm, hence the Tibetan translation dri za, meaning “scent eater.”

Located in 12 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­10
  • 2.­8
  • 11.­4
  • 12.­33
  • 14.­26
  • 15.­83
  • 15.­127
  • 20.­18
  • 29.­13
  • n.­39
  • g.­123
  • g.­322
g.­165

Ganges

Wylie:
  • gang gA
Tibetan:
  • གང་གཱ།
Sanskrit:
  • gaṅgā

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

The Gaṅgā, or Ganges in English, is considered to be the most sacred river of India, particularly within the Hindu tradition. It starts in the Himalayas, flows through the northern plains of India, bathing the holy city of Vārāṇasī, and meets the sea at the Bay of Bengal, in Bangladesh. In the sūtras, however, this river is mostly mentioned not for its sacredness but for its abundant sands‍—noticeable still today on its many sandy banks and at its delta‍—which serve as a common metaphor for infinitely large numbers.

According to Buddhist cosmology, as explained in the Abhidharmakośa, it is one of the four rivers that flow from Lake Anavatapta and cross the southern continent of Jambudvīpa‍—the known human world or more specifically the Indian subcontinent.

Located in 23 passages in the translation:

  • 2.­5
  • 2.­42
  • 5.­1
  • 5.­3
  • 5.­40
  • 5.­52
  • 6.­91
  • 6.­95
  • 6.­99
  • 6.­103
  • 6.­107
  • 6.­111
  • 6.­115
  • 6.­119
  • 6.­123
  • 6.­127
  • 12.­34-36
  • 22.­7
  • g.­248
  • g.­321
  • g.­322
g.­166

garuḍa

Wylie:
  • nam mkha’ lding
Tibetan:
  • ནམ་མཁའ་ལྡིང་།
Sanskrit:
  • garuḍa AS

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

In Indian mythology, the garuḍa is an eagle-like bird that is regarded as the king of all birds, normally depicted with a sharp, owl-like beak, often holding a snake, and with large and powerful wings. They are traditionally enemies of the nāgas. In the Vedas, they are said to have brought nectar from the heavens to earth. Garuḍa can also be used as a proper name for a king of such creatures.

Located in 9 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­9
  • 1.­11
  • 1.­27
  • 2.­8
  • 11.­4
  • 12.­33
  • 22.­27
  • n.­39
  • g.­331
g.­168

Goddess Śrī

Wylie:
  • dpal gyi lha mo
  • lha mo dpal
  • dpal
Tibetan:
  • དཔལ་གྱི་ལྷ་མོ།
  • ལྷ་མོ་དཔལ།
  • དཔལ།
Sanskrit:
  • śrī

The great goddess Śrī, better known as Lakṣmī, who promises to aid those who recite this sūtra and to ensure its preservation so that beings will have good fortune. She dwells in a palace in the paradise of Alakāvati.

Located in 30 passages in the translation:

  • i.­4
  • i.­78-79
  • i.­85
  • 12.­32
  • 12.­52
  • 12.­85
  • 12.­88
  • 15.­103
  • 16.­1-2
  • 16.­4-6
  • 17.­1-3
  • 17.­32-34
  • 22.­1
  • 22.­35
  • 22.­56
  • 29.­13
  • n.­373
  • n.­375
  • n.­379
  • g.­318
  • g.­319
  • g.­345
g.­205

Hundredth Moment

Wylie:
  • skad brgya pa
Tibetan:
  • སྐད་བརྒྱ་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • kṣaṇaśatara AD

A god who is the king of lightning in the southern direction.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 14.­2
g.­208

Indra

Wylie:
  • dbang po
Tibetan:
  • དབང་པོ།
Sanskrit:
  • indra AD

The deity that is also called Mahendra, “lord of the devas,” who dwells on the summit of Mount Sumeru and wields a thunderbolt. He is also known as Śakra (Tib. brgya byin, “hundred offerings”). The Buddhist tradition sometimes interprets this name as an abbreviation of śata-kratu, “one who has performed a hundred sacrifices.” The highest Vedic sacrifice was the horse sacrifice, and there is a tradition that Indra became the lord of the gods through performing them.

Located in 11 passages in the translation:

  • 15.­34
  • 22.­37
  • n.­38
  • g.­52
  • g.­71
  • g.­233
  • g.­305
  • g.­316
  • g.­390
  • g.­473
  • g.­526
g.­214

Jalavāhana

Wylie:
  • chu ’bebs
Tibetan:
  • ཆུ་འབེབས།
Sanskrit:
  • jalavāhana AS

A learned physician in the distant past and son of Jaṭiṃdhara who, as a result of performing Dharma recitations while standing in a lake, ensured the rebirth of ten thousand fish into the paradise of Trāyastriṃśa. He was the Buddha in a previous life.

Located in 49 passages in the translation:

  • s.­2
  • i.­7
  • i.­88-89
  • 24.­4
  • 24.­6-7
  • 24.­12
  • 24.­22-24
  • 24.­26-27
  • 25.­1-2
  • 25.­4-7
  • 25.­9
  • 25.­11-14
  • 25.­17-19
  • 25.­21
  • 25.­24-25
  • 25.­27-30
  • 25.­32-39
  • 25.­41
  • 25.­43
  • 25.­47
  • 25.­53
  • g.­211
  • g.­212
  • g.­213
g.­217

Jambudvīpa

Wylie:
  • ’dzam bu gling
Tibetan:
  • འཛམ་བུ་གླིང་།
Sanskrit:
  • jambudvīpa

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

The name of the southern continent in Buddhist cosmology, which can signify either the known human world, or more specifically the Indian subcontinent, literally “the jambu island/continent.” Jambu is the name used for a range of plum-like fruits from trees belonging to the genus Szygium, particularly Szygium jambos and Szygium cumini, and it has commonly been rendered “rose apple,” although “black plum” may be a less misleading term. Among various explanations given for the continent being so named, one (in the Abhidharmakośa) is that a jambu tree grows in its northern mountains beside Lake Anavatapta, mythically considered the source of the four great rivers of India, and that the continent is therefore named from the tree or the fruit. Jambudvīpa has the Vajrāsana at its center and is the only continent upon which buddhas attain awakening.

Located in 39 passages in the translation:

  • 4.­58
  • 4.­100
  • 11.­5
  • 11.­7
  • 12.­17-19
  • 12.­63-64
  • 12.­108
  • 12.­110-111
  • 12.­120
  • 15.­2
  • 15.­97
  • 16.­1
  • 18.­3
  • 18.­5
  • 18.­8
  • 18.­15
  • 19.­8
  • 20.­69
  • 21.­25
  • 21.­27
  • 22.­24
  • 22.­65
  • 22.­70
  • 22.­75
  • 22.­77
  • 22.­79
  • 25.­23
  • 25.­28
  • 25.­30-31
  • n.­272
  • n.­467
  • g.­82
  • g.­216
  • g.­443
g.­218

Jaṭiṃdhara

Wylie:
  • ral pa ’dzin
Tibetan:
  • རལ་པ་འཛིན།
Sanskrit:
  • jaṭiṃdhara AD

A head merchant and physician in the distant past.

(Toh 555: Jaladhara; chu ’dzin)

Located in 9 passages in the translation:

  • i.­88-89
  • 24.­3-4
  • 24.­6-7
  • 24.­12
  • 25.­46
  • g.­214
g.­219

jina

Wylie:
  • rgyal ba
Tibetan:
  • རྒྱལ་བ།
Sanskrit:
  • jina AS

An epithet for a buddha meaning “victorious one.”

Located in 43 passages in the translation:

  • 2.­1
  • 2.­12
  • 2.­17
  • 2.­56
  • 4.­62
  • 4.­64
  • 4.­77
  • 4.­103
  • 7.­3
  • 7.­8
  • 7.­17
  • 7.­19-21
  • 7.­23
  • 7.­37
  • 9.­33
  • 10.­2
  • 12.­3
  • 12.­42
  • 12.­101-105
  • 15.­104
  • 21.­3
  • 21.­6
  • 21.­9
  • 21.­12
  • 22.­8
  • 27.­2
  • 27.­4-8
  • 29.­5
  • 29.­7-8
  • n.­108
  • n.­124
  • n.­150
g.­220

Jinamitra

Wylie:
  • dzi na mi tra
Tibetan:
  • ཛི་ན་མི་ཏྲ།
Sanskrit:
  • jinamitra AD

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

Jinamitra was invited to Tibet during the reign of King Tri Songdetsen (khri srong lde btsan, r. 742–98 ᴄᴇ) and was involved with the translation of nearly two hundred texts, continuing into the reign of King Ralpachen (ral pa can, r. 815–38 ᴄᴇ). He was one of the small group of paṇḍitas responsible for the Mahāvyutpatti Sanskrit–Tibetan dictionary.

Located in 3 passages in the translation:

  • i.­23
  • i.­30
  • c.­1
g.­224

Jvalanāntara­tejo­rāja

Wylie:
  • 'bar ba’i khyad par gyi gzi brjid kyi rgyal po
Tibetan:
  • བར་བའི་ཁྱད་པར་གྱི་གཟི་བརྗིད་ཀྱི་རྒྱལ་པོ།
Sanskrit:
  • jvalanāntara­tejo­rāja AS

A deity in the Trāyastriṃśa paradise.

(Toh 557: ’bar ba’i khyad par gyi gzi brjid rgyal po. Toh 555: mchog tu rgyal ba’i ’od)

Located in 8 passages in the translation:

  • i.­87
  • 23.­1
  • 23.­6
  • 23.­13-14
  • 23.­16-17
  • 25.­50
g.­226

kalyāṇamitra

Wylie:
  • dge ba’i bshes gnyen
Tibetan:
  • དགེ་བའི་བཤེས་གཉེན།
Sanskrit:
  • kalyāṇamitra AS

A spiritual teacher who can contribute to an individual’s progress on the spiritual path to awakening and act wholeheartedly for the welfare of students.

Located in 3 passages in the translation:

  • 2.­119
  • 12.­27
  • 12.­53
g.­232

Kauṇḍinya

Wylie:
  • kauN+Di n+ya
Tibetan:
  • ཀཽཎྜི་ནྱ།
Sanskrit:
  • kauṇḍinya AS

According to the Chinese translation, this is the family name (姓) of the brahmin master Vyākaraṇa, an interlocutor in The Sūtra of the Sublime Golden Light.

Located in 15 passages in the translation:

  • i.­37
  • i.­77
  • 1.­2
  • 2.­33
  • 2.­35
  • 2.­41
  • 2.­55
  • 15.­24
  • 15.­36
  • 15.­58
  • 15.­82
  • 15.­91
  • 15.­93
  • 15.­131
  • n.­62
g.­233

Kauśika

Wylie:
  • kau shi ka
Tibetan:
  • ཀཽ་ཤི་ཀ
Sanskrit:
  • kauśika AS

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

“One who belongs to the Kuśika lineage.” An epithet of the god Śakra, also known as Indra, the king of the gods in the Trāyastriṃśa heaven. In the Ṛgveda, Indra is addressed by the epithet Kauśika, with the implication that he is associated with the descendants of the Kuśika lineage (gotra) as their aiding deity. In later epic and Purāṇic texts, we find the story that Indra took birth as Gādhi Kauśika, the son of Kuśika and one of the Vedic poet-seers, after the Puru king Kuśika had performed austerities for one thousand years to obtain a son equal to Indra who could not be killed by others. In the Pāli Kusajātaka (Jāt V 141–45), the Buddha, in one of his former bodhisattva lives as a Trāyastriṃśa god, takes birth as the future king Kusa upon the request of Indra, who wishes to help the childless king of the Mallas, Okkaka, and his chief queen Sīlavatī. This story is also referred to by Nāgasena in the Milindapañha.

Located in 4 passages in the translation:

  • 5.­79
  • 5.­83-84
  • g.­390
g.­239

kinnara

Wylie:
  • mi ’am ci
  • mi’am ci
Tibetan:
  • མི་འམ་ཅི།
  • མིའམ་ཅི།
Sanskrit:
  • kinnara AS
  • kiṃnara

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

A class of nonhuman beings that resemble humans to the degree that their very name‍—which means “is that human?”‍—suggests some confusion as to their divine status. Kinnaras are mythological beings found in both Buddhist and Brahmanical literature, where they are portrayed as creatures half human, half animal. They are often depicted as highly skilled celestial musicians.

Located in 10 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­10
  • 1.­27
  • 1.­31
  • 2.­8
  • 11.­4
  • 12.­33
  • 15.­127
  • 21.­17
  • 22.­27
  • n.­39
g.­240

kleśa

Wylie:
  • nyon mongs
Tibetan:
  • ཉོན་མོངས།
Sanskrit:
  • kleśa AS

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

The essentially pure nature of mind is obscured and afflicted by various psychological defilements, which destroy the mind’s peace and composure and lead to unwholesome deeds of body, speech, and mind, acting as causes for continued existence in saṃsāra. Included among them are the primary afflictions of desire (rāga), anger (dveṣa), and ignorance (avidyā). It is said that there are eighty-four thousand of these negative mental qualities, for which the eighty-four thousand categories of the Buddha’s teachings serve as the antidote.

Kleśa is also commonly translated as “negative emotions,” “disturbing emotions,” and so on. The Pāli kilesa, Middle Indic kileśa, and Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit kleśa all primarily mean “stain” or “defilement.” The translation “affliction” is a secondary development that derives from the more general (non-Buddhist) classical understanding of √kliś (“to harm,“ “to afflict”). Both meanings are noted by Buddhist commentators.

Located in 40 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­1
  • 1.­3
  • 2.­71
  • 2.­83
  • 2.­88
  • 2.­109
  • 2.­115
  • 3.­5-6
  • 3.­8
  • 3.­46-49
  • 3.­52
  • 4.­13
  • 4.­27
  • 4.­31
  • 4.­51
  • 4.­62
  • 4.­66
  • 4.­77
  • 6.­22
  • 6.­24
  • 6.­30
  • 6.­34
  • 6.­51-52
  • 6.­55
  • 6.­68
  • 6.­92
  • 6.­96
  • 6.­136
  • 7.­32
  • 9.­22
  • 9.­25-26
  • 10.­13
  • 12.­48
  • 19.­15
g.­242

kṣatriya

Wylie:
  • rgyal rigs
Tibetan:
  • རྒྱལ་རིགས།
Sanskrit:
  • kṣatriya AS

The warrior or aristocratic class of the four social classes of India. Rulers were often from this class.

Located in 3 passages in the translation:

  • 2.­111
  • 4.­103
  • 5.­16
g.­245

kumbhāṇḍa

Wylie:
  • grul bum
Tibetan:
  • གྲུལ་བུམ།
Sanskrit:
  • kumbhāṇḍa AD

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

A class of dwarf beings subordinate to Virūḍhaka, one of the Four Great Kings, associated with the southern direction. The name uses a play on the word aṇḍa, which means “egg” but is also a euphemism for a testicle. Thus, they are often depicted as having testicles as big as pots (from kumbha, or “pot”).

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­10
  • g.­517
g.­248

Licchavī

Wylie:
  • lits+tsha bI
Tibetan:
  • ལིཙྪ་བཱི།
Sanskrit:
  • licchavī AS

A clan with its capital Vaiśalī, in present-day Bihar, north of the Ganges. Their capital was a place where the Buddha had many followers when they were an independent republic.

Located in 25 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­5
  • 2.­35-41
  • 2.­55
  • n.­64
  • g.­11
  • g.­12
  • g.­80
  • g.­118
  • g.­120
  • g.­195
  • g.­251
  • g.­268
  • g.­330
  • g.­361
  • g.­408
  • g.­418
  • g.­445
  • g.­453
  • g.­491
g.­257

Mahābrahmā

Wylie:
  • tshangs chen
  • tshangs pa chen
Tibetan:
  • ཚངས་ཆེན།
  • ཚངས་པ་ཆེན།
Sanskrit:
  • mahābrahmā AD

See “Brahmā.”

Located in 19 passages in the translation:

  • 10.­17-18
  • 10.­23
  • 10.­30
  • 10.­32-34
  • 10.­37-39
  • 10.­43
  • 10.­45
  • 10.­47
  • 10.­49-50
  • 10.­52
  • 14.­11
  • g.­71
  • g.­72
g.­275

mahāsattva

Wylie:
  • sems can chen po
Tibetan:
  • སེམས་ཅན་ཆེན་པོ།
Sanskrit:
  • mahāsattva AS

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

The term can be understood to mean “great courageous one” or "great hero,” or (from the Sanskrit) simply “great being,” and is almost always found as an epithet of “bodhisattva.” The qualification “great” in this term, according to the majority of canonical definitions, focuses on the generic greatness common to all bodhisattvas, i.e., the greatness implicit in the bodhisattva vow itself in terms of outlook, aspiration, number of beings to be benefited, potential or eventual accomplishments, and so forth. In this sense the mahā- (“great”) is close in its connotations to the mahā- in “Mahāyāna.” While individual bodhisattvas described as mahāsattva may in many cases also be “great” in terms of their level of realization, this is largely coincidental, and in the canonical texts the epithet is not restricted to bodhisattvas at any particular point in their career. Indeed, in a few cases even bodhisattvas whose path has taken a wrong direction are still described as bodhisattva mahāsattva.

Later commentarial writings do nevertheless define the term‍—variably‍—in terms of bodhisattvas having attained a particular level (bhūmi) or realization. The most common qualifying criteria mentioned are attaining the path of seeing, attaining irreversibility (according to its various definitions), or attaining the seventh bhūmi.

Located in 63 passages in the translation:

  • s.­2
  • i.­90
  • 1.­3-4
  • 2.­1
  • 2.­68-69
  • 2.­81
  • 2.­93
  • 3.­1
  • 3.­5
  • 3.­12
  • 5.­11-14
  • 5.­33-35
  • 5.­42
  • 5.­62
  • 5.­64
  • 5.­66
  • 6.­2
  • 6.­4
  • 6.­37-47
  • 6.­79
  • 6.­89
  • 6.­93
  • 6.­97
  • 6.­101
  • 6.­105
  • 6.­109
  • 6.­113
  • 6.­117
  • 6.­121
  • 6.­125
  • 6.­129
  • 8.­1
  • 8.­4
  • 8.­30-39
  • 9.­1
  • 14.­6
  • n.­57
g.­280

mahoraga

Wylie:
  • lto ’phye chen po
Tibetan:
  • ལྟོ་འཕྱེ་ཆེན་པོ།
Sanskrit:
  • mahoraga AS

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

Literally “great serpents,” mahoragas are supernatural beings depicted as large, subterranean beings with human torsos and heads and the lower bodies of serpents. Their movements are said to cause earthquakes, and they make up a class of subterranean geomantic spirits whose movement through the seasons and months of the year is deemed significant for construction projects.

Located in 6 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­10
  • 2.­8
  • 11.­4
  • 12.­33
  • 15.­127
  • 21.­17
g.­299

mustard seed

Wylie:
  • yung kar
  • yungs ’bru
Tibetan:
  • ཡུང་ཀར།
  • ཡུངས་འབྲུ།
Sanskrit:
  • sarṣapa AS

Variant spelling: yung dkar; “white mustard.”

Located in 7 passages in the translation:

  • 2.­36
  • 2.­38-39
  • 2.­43
  • 2.­60
  • 15.­7
  • 19.­15
g.­301

nāga

Wylie:
  • klu
Tibetan:
  • ཀླུ།
Sanskrit:
  • nāga AS

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

A class of nonhuman beings who live in subterranean aquatic environments, where they guard wealth and sometimes also teachings. Nāgas are associated with serpents and have a snakelike appearance. In Buddhist art and in written accounts, they are regularly portrayed as half human and half snake, and they are also said to have the ability to change into human form. Some nāgas are Dharma protectors, but they can also bring retribution if they are disturbed. They may likewise fight one another, wage war, and destroy the lands of others by causing lightning, hail, and flooding.

Located in 46 passages in the translation:

  • i.­75
  • i.­85
  • 1.­3
  • 1.­7
  • 1.­27
  • 1.­31
  • 2.­8
  • 11.­4
  • 12.­32-33
  • 12.­52
  • 12.­58
  • 14.­20-21
  • 14.­24
  • 14.­26
  • 15.­41
  • 15.­71
  • 15.­101
  • 15.­127
  • 21.­17
  • 22.­15
  • 22.­27
  • 22.­49-50
  • 22.­70
  • n.­39
  • n.­235
  • g.­18
  • g.­28
  • g.­171
  • g.­249
  • g.­254
  • g.­260
  • g.­283
  • g.­284
  • g.­296
  • g.­306
  • g.­317
  • g.­377
  • g.­378
  • g.­386
  • g.­483
  • g.­503
  • g.­511
  • g.­518
g.­311

nirvāṇa

Wylie:
  • mya ngan las ’das pa
Tibetan:
  • མྱ་ངན་ལས་འདས་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • nirvāṇa AS

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

In Sanskrit, the term nirvāṇa literally means “extinguishment” and the Tibetan mya ngan las ’das pa literally means “gone beyond sorrow.” As a general term, it refers to the cessation of all suffering, afflicted mental states (kleśa), and causal processes (karman) that lead to rebirth and suffering in cyclic existence, as well as to the state in which all such rebirth and suffering has permanently ceased.

More specifically, three main types of nirvāṇa are identified. (1) The first type of nirvāṇa, called nirvāṇa with remainder (sopadhiśeṣanirvāṇa), is the state in which arhats or buddhas have attained awakening but are still dependent on the conditioned aggregates until their lifespan is exhausted. (2) At the end of life, given that there are no more causes for rebirth, these aggregates cease and no new aggregates arise. What occurs then is called nirvāṇa without remainder ( anupadhiśeṣanirvāṇa), which refers to the unconditioned element (dhātu) of nirvāṇa in which there is no remainder of the aggregates. (3) The Mahāyāna teachings distinguish the final nirvāṇa of buddhas from that of arhats, the nirvāṇa of arhats not being considered ultimate. The buddhas attain what is called nonabiding nirvāṇa (apratiṣṭhitanirvāṇa), which transcends the extremes of saṃsāra and nirvāṇa, i.e., existence and peace. This is the nirvāṇa that is the goal of the Mahāyāna path.

Located in 75 passages in the translation:

  • i.­6
  • i.­36
  • i.­38
  • 1.­3
  • 2.­20-21
  • 2.­23-24
  • 2.­31-33
  • 2.­65
  • 2.­67-69
  • 2.­71-81
  • 2.­83-93
  • 2.­95-106
  • 2.­108
  • 2.­118
  • 2.­120
  • 3.­4
  • 3.­11
  • 3.­16-17
  • 3.­19
  • 3.­31
  • 3.­33
  • 3.­60
  • 5.­54
  • 5.­72
  • 5.­84
  • 6.­36
  • 6.­62
  • 6.­133
  • 10.­6
  • 10.­12
  • 21.­5
  • 23.­3-4
  • 24.­2
  • 27.­6
  • n.­79
  • g.­401
g.­319

Padmottara­suvarṇa­dhvaja

Wylie:
  • pad+ma dam pa gser gyi rgyal mtshan
Tibetan:
  • པདྨ་དམ་པ་གསེར་གྱི་རྒྱལ་མཚན།
Sanskrit:
  • padmottara­suvarṇa­dhvaja RS

“Sublime Lotus Golden Banner.” The palace of the goddess Śrī, also known as Lakṣmī.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 17.­1
g.­320

palash

Wylie:
  • pa la sha
Tibetan:
  • པ་ལ་ཤ།
Sanskrit:
  • palāśa AS

Butea frondosa or Butea monosperma. A tree that grows up to 15 meters tall and has bright red flowers. Other names include flame of the forest, riddle tree, Judas tree, parrot tree, bastard teak, dhak (in Hindi), palas (in Hindi), porasum (in Tamil), and khakda (in Gujarati). There is a tradition of combining its leaves together to make a plate for food.

This is also known as kiṃśuka, which is translated in other sūtras as ne tso ci las grub pa.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 2.­52
g.­321

Pañcāla

Wylie:
  • lnga len
Tibetan:
  • ལྔ་ལེན།
Sanskrit:
  • pañcāla AD

One of the fifteen lands in ancient India at the time of the Buddha. This was at the western end of the Ganges basin, corresponding in the present time to an area in the western part of Uttar Pradesh.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • i.­90
  • 26.­3
g.­339

pratyekabuddha

Wylie:
  • rang sangs rgyas
Tibetan:
  • རང་སངས་རྒྱས།
Sanskrit:
  • pratyekabuddha AS

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

Literally, “buddha for oneself” or “solitary realizer.” Someone who, in his or her last life, attains awakening entirely through their own contemplation, without relying on a teacher. Unlike the awakening of a fully realized buddha (samyaksambuddha), the accomplishment of a pratyeka­buddha is not regarded as final or ultimate. They attain realization of the nature of dependent origination, the selflessness of the person, and a partial realization of the selflessness of phenomena, by observing the suchness of all that arises through interdependence. This is the result of progress in previous lives but, unlike a buddha, they do not have the necessary merit, compassion or motivation to teach others. They are named as “rhinoceros-like” (khaḍgaviṣāṇakalpa) for their preference for staying in solitude or as “congregators” (vargacārin) when their preference is to stay among peers.

Located in 17 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­1
  • 1.­3
  • 2.­37
  • 3.­8
  • 3.­57
  • 4.­34
  • 5.­23
  • 6.­4
  • 6.­18
  • 8.­5
  • 15.­39
  • 15.­95
  • 15.­99
  • n.­64
  • g.­39
  • g.­340
  • g.­403
g.­344

proximate kleśa

Wylie:
  • nye ba’i nyon mongs pa
Tibetan:
  • ཉེ་བའི་ཉོན་མོངས་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • upakleśa AD

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

The subsidiary afflictive emotions that arise in dependence upon the six root afflictive emotions (attachment, hatred, pride, ignorance, doubt, and wrong view); they are (1) anger (krodha, khro ba), (2) enmity/malice (upanāha, ’khon ’dzin), (3) concealment (mrakśa, ’chab pa), (4) outrage (pradāsa, ’tshig pa), (5) jealousy (īrśya, phrag dog), (6) miserliness (matsarya, ser sna), (7) deceit (māyā, sgyu), (8) dishonesty (śāṭhya, g.yo), (9) haughtiness (mada, rgyags pa), (10) harmfulness (vihiṃsa, rnam par ’tshe ba), (11) shamelessness (āhrīkya, ngo tsha med pa), (12) non-consideration (anapatrāpya, khril med pa), (13) lack of faith (aśraddhya, ma dad pa), (14) laziness (kausīdya, le lo), (15) non-conscientiousness (pramāda, bag med pa), (16) forgetfulness (muśitasmṛtitā, brjed nges), (17) non-introspection (asaṃprajanya, shes bzhin ma yin pa), (18) dullness (nigmagṇa, bying ba), (19) agitation (auddhatya, rgod pa), and (20) distraction (vikṣepa, rnam g.yeng) (Rigzin 329, 129).

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 2.­88
g.­345

Puṇya­kusuma­prabha

Wylie:
  • bsod nams kyi me tog ’od
Tibetan:
  • བསོད་ནམས་ཀྱི་མེ་ཏོག་འོད།
Sanskrit:
  • puṇya­kusuma­prabha AD

Name of the park where the goddess Śrī dwells, not far from Alakāvati, the kingdom of the great king Vaiśravaṇa.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 17.­1
g.­355

Rāhula

Wylie:
  • sgra gcan
  • sgra gcan zin
Tibetan:
  • སྒྲ་གཅན།
  • སྒྲ་གཅན་ཟིན།
Sanskrit:
  • rāhula AS

Śākyamuni Buddha’s son who became the first novice monk and a prominent member of his monastic saṅgha.

Located in 3 passages in the translation:

  • i.­89
  • 2.­33
  • 25.­49
g.­356

Rājagṛha

Wylie:
  • rgyal po’i khab
Tibetan:
  • རྒྱལ་པོའི་ཁབ།
Sanskrit:
  • rājagṛha AS

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

The ancient capital of Magadha prior to its relocation to Pāṭaliputra during the Mauryan dynasty, Rājagṛha is one of the most important locations in Buddhist history. The literature tells us that the Buddha and his saṅgha spent a considerable amount of time in residence in and around Rājagṛha‍—in nearby places, such as the Vulture Peak Mountain (Gṛdhrakūṭaparvata), a major site of the Mahāyāna sūtras, and the Bamboo Grove (Veṇuvana)‍—enjoying the patronage of King Bimbisāra and then of his son King Ajātaśatru. Rājagṛha is also remembered as the location where the first Buddhist monastic council was held after the Buddha Śākyamuni passed into parinirvāṇa. Now known as Rajgir and located in the modern Indian state of Bihar.

Located in 8 passages in the translation:

  • i.­35-36
  • i.­43
  • 1.­1
  • 2.­1
  • 2.­5
  • 4.­3
  • g.­521
g.­358

Ralpachen

Wylie:
  • ral pa can
Tibetan:
  • རལ་པ་ཅན།
Sanskrit:
  • —

A king of Tibet, born ca. 806. His formal name was Tritsuk Detsen (khri gtsug lde btsan), and he reigned from 815 to 838.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • n.­550
  • g.­220
g.­364

Ratnaketu

Wylie:
  • rin chen tog
Tibetan:
  • རིན་ཆེན་ཏོག
Sanskrit:
  • ratnaketu AS

The principal buddha of the southern direction.

See also Toh 555, g.­376 .

Located in 7 passages in the translation:

  • i.­10
  • 1.­16
  • 2.­5
  • 5.­69
  • 8.­8
  • 17.­14
  • 17.­16
g.­368

Ratnārcī

Wylie:
  • rin chen ’od ’phro
Tibetan:
  • རིན་ཆེན་འོད་འཕྲོ།
Sanskrit:
  • ratnārcī AD

A goddess who later becomes the bodhisattva Cittaratnārcī.

Located in 17 passages in the translation:

  • i.­62-64
  • 10.­1
  • 10.­17
  • 10.­20-22
  • 10.­33-34
  • 10.­36-40
  • 10.­42
  • g.­139
g.­371

Ratnaśikhin

Wylie:
  • rin chen gtsug tor can
Tibetan:
  • རིན་ཆེན་གཙུག་ཏོར་ཅན།
Sanskrit:
  • ratnaśikhin AS

A buddha in the distant past.

(Toh 555: rin chen gtsug phud)

Located in 14 passages in the translation:

  • i.­84
  • i.­88-89
  • 8.­19
  • 17.­6
  • 21.­5
  • 21.­27
  • 24.­1-2
  • 25.­22
  • 25.­24
  • 25.­28
  • 25.­50
  • g.­471
g.­376

retention

Wylie:
  • gzungs
Tibetan:
  • གཟུངས།
Sanskrit:
  • dhāraṇī AS

An exceptional power of mental retention. The term dhāraṇī has the sense of something that “holds” or “retains,” and it can also refer to a verbal expression of the teachings‍—an incantation, spell, or mnemonic formula that distills and “holds” essential points of the Dharma and is used by practitioners to attain mundane and supramundane goals.

Located in 8 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­3
  • 3.­39
  • 4.­46
  • 6.­50
  • 6.­60
  • 12.­124
  • 15.­1-2
g.­379

ṛṣi

Wylie:
  • drang srong
Tibetan:
  • དྲང་སྲོང་།
Sanskrit:
  • ṛṣi AS

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

An ancient Indian spiritual title, often translated as “sage” or “seer.” The title is particularly used for divinely inspired individuals credited with creating the foundations of Indian culture. The term is also applied to Śākyamuni and other realized Buddhist figures.

Located in 11 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­10
  • 2.­60
  • 12.­61-63
  • 15.­60
  • 15.­70
  • 15.­77
  • 15.­100
  • 19.­15
  • 26.­9
g.­380

Ruciraketu

Wylie:
  • mdzes pa’i tog
Tibetan:
  • མཛེས་པའི་ཏོག
Sanskrit:
  • ruciraketu AD

The name of a bodhisattva.

Located in 35 passages in the translation:

  • s.­2
  • i.­3
  • i.­36
  • i.­38-39
  • i.­43
  • i.­82
  • i.­87
  • i.­92
  • 2.­1
  • 2.­6-8
  • 2.­18-19
  • 2.­26-27
  • 2.­67-68
  • 2.­120-121
  • 4.­1
  • 4.­3-4
  • 4.­106
  • 7.­38
  • 17.­20
  • 23.­2
  • 28.­1
  • n.­471
  • g.­141
  • g.­382
  • g.­383
  • g.­455
  • g.­460
g.­388

sage

Wylie:
  • thub pa
Tibetan:
  • ཐུབ་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • muni AS

A title that, like “buddha,” is given to those who have attained realization through their own contemplation and not by divine revelation.

Located in 5 passages in the translation:

  • 4.­10-11
  • 26.­26
  • g.­297
  • g.­379
g.­389

Sahā

Wylie:
  • mi mjed
Tibetan:
  • མི་མཇེད།
Sanskrit:
  • sahā AS

Indian Buddhist name for either the four-continent world in which the Buddha Śākyamuni appeared, or a universe of a thousand million such worlds. The name Sahā possibly derives from the Sanskrit √sah, “to bear, endure, or withstand.” It is often interpreted as alluding to the inhabitants of this world having to endure suffering. The Tibetan translation, mi mjed, follows along the same lines. It literally means “not unbearable,” in the sense that beings here are able to bear the suffering they experience.

Located in 8 passages in the translation:

  • 5.­53
  • 10.­17
  • 12.­32
  • 12.­52
  • 14.­11
  • 15.­77
  • 15.­120
  • g.­71
g.­390

Śakra

Wylie:
  • brgya byin
Tibetan:
  • བརྒྱ་བྱིན།
Sanskrit:
  • śakra AS

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

The lord of the gods in the Heaven of the Thirty-Three (trāyastriṃśa). Alternatively known as Indra, the deity that is called “lord of the gods” dwells on the summit of Mount Sumeru and wields the thunderbolt. The Tibetan translation brgya byin (meaning “one hundred sacrifices”) is based on an etymology that śakra is an abbreviation of śata-kratu, one who has performed a hundred sacrifices. Each world with a central Sumeru has a Śakra. Also known by other names such as Kauśika, Devendra, and Śacipati.

Located in 31 passages in the translation:

  • i.­45-46
  • i.­48
  • i.­75
  • 3.­64
  • 5.­3
  • 5.­53
  • 5.­78
  • 5.­85
  • 5.­87
  • 5.­89
  • 5.­93
  • 10.­51
  • 12.­28
  • 12.­32
  • 12.­52
  • 12.­61-63
  • 14.­14
  • 14.­24
  • 14.­26
  • 15.­39
  • 15.­74
  • 21.­33
  • g.­71
  • g.­208
  • g.­233
  • g.­443
  • g.­473
  • g.­526
g.­391

Śākyamuni

Wylie:
  • shAkya thub pa
Tibetan:
  • ཤཱཀྱ་ཐུབ་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • śākyamuni AD

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

An epithet for the historical Buddha, Siddhārtha Gautama: he was a muni (“sage”) from the Śākya clan. He is counted as the fourth of the first four buddhas of the present Good Eon, the other three being Krakucchanda, Kanakamuni, and Kāśyapa. He will be followed by Maitreya, the next buddha in this eon.

Located in 38 passages in the translation:

  • i.­10
  • i.­84
  • i.­92-93
  • 2.­1-2
  • 2.­6-7
  • 2.­9-11
  • 2.­13
  • 2.­18-19
  • 2.­26-29
  • 2.­67
  • 5.­68
  • 8.­6
  • 12.­21
  • 12.­28
  • 21.­28
  • 22.­8
  • 26.­142
  • 29.­5
  • n.­537
  • g.­71
  • g.­141
  • g.­172
  • g.­355
  • g.­379
  • g.­389
  • g.­437
  • g.­455
  • g.­460
  • g.­501
g.­394

samādhi

Wylie:
  • ting nge ’dzin
Tibetan:
  • ཏིང་ངེ་འཛིན།
Sanskrit:
  • samādhi AS

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

In a general sense, samādhi can describe a number of different meditative states. In the Mahāyāna literature, in particular in the Prajñāpāramitā sūtras, we find extensive lists of different samādhis, numbering over one hundred.

In a more restricted sense, and when understood as a mental state, samādhi is defined as the one-pointedness of the mind (cittaikāgratā), the ability to remain on the same object over long periods of time. The Drajor Bamponyipa (sgra sbyor bam po gnyis pa) commentary on the Mahāvyutpatti explains the term samādhi as referring to the instrument through which mind and mental states “get collected,” i.e., it is by the force of samādhi that the continuum of mind and mental states becomes collected on a single point of reference without getting distracted.

Located in 33 passages in the translation:

  • i.­52
  • 1.­12
  • 3.­12
  • 3.­38-39
  • 3.­41-42
  • 3.­52
  • 3.­59
  • 4.­46
  • 5.­1
  • 5.­68
  • 6.­24
  • 6.­50
  • 6.­54
  • 6.­79-88
  • 12.­102
  • 15.­44
  • 28.­6
  • 29.­5
  • g.­39
  • g.­78
  • g.­332
  • g.­431
g.­400

Saṃjñeya

Wylie:
  • yang dag shes
Tibetan:
  • ཡང་དག་ཤེས།
Sanskrit:
  • saṃjñeya AS

A yakṣa general.

Located in 13 passages in the translation:

  • i.­4
  • i.­81
  • 12.­32
  • 19.­1
  • 19.­4
  • 19.­7
  • 19.­9
  • 19.­15-17
  • 22.­26
  • 22.­39
  • n.­457
g.­401

saṃsāra

Wylie:
  • ’khor ba
Tibetan:
  • འཁོར་བ།
Sanskrit:
  • saṃsāra AS

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

A state of involuntary existence conditioned by afflicted mental states and the imprint of past actions, characterized by suffering in a cycle of life, death, and rebirth. On its reversal, the contrasting state of nirvāṇa is attained, free from suffering and the processes of rebirth.

Located in 33 passages in the translation:

  • 2.­76
  • 2.­91
  • 2.­108
  • 2.­116
  • 2.­119
  • 3.­2
  • 3.­4
  • 3.­42
  • 3.­51
  • 3.­60
  • 4.­11
  • 4.­63
  • 4.­69
  • 4.­99
  • 5.­8
  • 5.­57
  • 6.­11
  • 6.­36
  • 6.­58
  • 6.­62
  • 6.­133
  • 6.­148
  • 9.­21
  • 10.­6
  • 10.­43
  • 12.­27-28
  • 12.­50
  • 12.­125
  • 15.­21
  • 25.­52
  • 26.­85
  • g.­327
g.­403

samyaksaṃbuddha

Wylie:
  • yang dag par rdzogs pa’i sangs rgyas
Tibetan:
  • ཡང་དག་པར་རྫོགས་པའི་སངས་རྒྱས།
Sanskrit:
  • samyaksaṃbuddha AD

“Perfectly realized one.” A buddha who teaches the Dharma, as opposed to a pratyekabuddha, who does not teach.

Located in 34 passages in the translation:

  • 2.­7
  • 2.­29
  • 2.­69
  • 2.­81
  • 2.­93
  • 2.­118
  • 5.­36-38
  • 5.­69
  • 5.­79-81
  • 5.­84
  • 7.­41
  • 10.­40
  • 12.­21
  • 12.­28
  • 12.­63-64
  • 14.­1
  • 16.­2
  • 17.­2
  • 23.­2-4
  • 23.­13
  • 24.­1-2
  • 25.­22
  • 25.­24
  • 25.­28
  • 25.­50
  • 26.­84
g.­405

saṅgha

Wylie:
  • dge ’dun
Tibetan:
  • དགེ་འདུན།
Sanskrit:
  • saṅgha AS

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

Though often specifically reserved for the monastic community, this term can be applied to any of the four Buddhist communities‍—monks, nuns, laymen, and laywomen‍—as well as to identify the different groups of practitioners, like the community of bodhisattvas or the community of śrāvakas. It is also the third of the Three Jewels (triratna) of Buddhism: the Buddha, the Teaching, and the Community.

Located in 17 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­1
  • 5.­8
  • 5.­10
  • 5.­57
  • 6.­144
  • 15.­34
  • 15.­94
  • 18.­25
  • 21.­8-9
  • 26.­16
  • n.­102
  • n.­150
  • g.­117
  • g.­263
  • g.­355
  • g.­512
g.­406

Sarasvatī

Wylie:
  • dbyangs can
Tibetan:
  • དབྱངས་ཅན།
Sanskrit:
  • sarasvatī AD

The goddess of wisdom, learning, and music.

(Toh 555: spobs pa’i lha mo)

Located in 33 passages in the translation:

  • i.­4
  • i.­76-77
  • i.­85
  • 1.­26
  • 12.­32
  • 12.­52
  • 15.­1
  • 15.­22-25
  • 15.­28
  • 15.­32
  • 15.­35-36
  • 15.­48
  • 15.­53-54
  • 15.­59
  • 15.­82
  • 15.­84
  • 15.­91
  • 15.­93
  • 15.­108
  • 15.­111
  • 15.­131
  • 15.­133-134
  • 22.­35
  • 22.­37
  • 22.­56
  • 29.­13
g.­407

Śāriputra

Wylie:
  • shA ri’i bu
Tibetan:
  • ཤཱ་རིའི་བུ།
Sanskrit:
  • śāriputra AD

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

One of the principal śrāvaka disciples of the Buddha, he was renowned for his discipline and for having been praised by the Buddha as foremost of the wise (often paired with Maudgalyā­yana, who was praised as foremost in the capacity for miraculous powers). His father, Tiṣya, to honor Śāriputra’s mother, Śārikā, named him Śāradvatīputra, or, in its contracted form, Śāriputra, meaning “Śārikā’s Son.”

Located in 46 passages in the translation:

  • i.­45
  • i.­72
  • 1.­2
  • 5.­4-5
  • 5.­15
  • 5.­25-28
  • 5.­39-43
  • 5.­46
  • 5.­50-56
  • 5.­70-76
  • 13.­2-4
  • 13.­6-9
  • 13.­11-14
  • 15.­117
  • n.­282
  • n.­537
  • g.­42
  • g.­264
g.­408

Sarva­sattva­priya­darśana

Wylie:
  • sems can thams cad kyis mthong na dga’ ba
Tibetan:
  • སེམས་ཅན་ཐམས་ཅད་ཀྱིས་མཐོང་ན་དགའ་བ།
Sanskrit:
  • sarva­sattva­priya­darśana AD

A Licchavī youth.

Located in 3 passages in the translation:

  • 2.­35
  • 2.­41
  • 2.­55
g.­411

Satamapati

Wylie:
  • rgyun gyi bdag po
Tibetan:
  • རྒྱུན་གྱི་བདག་པོ།
Sanskrit:
  • satamapati

A god who is the king of lightning in the northern direction.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 14.­2
g.­412

sensation

Wylie:
  • tshor ba
Tibetan:
  • ཚོར་བ།
Sanskrit:
  • vedanā AS

The seventh of the twelve phases of dependent origination and the second of the five skandhas. It refers to pleasant, unpleasant, or neutral sensations as a result of sensory experiences.

Located in 7 passages in the translation:

  • 9.­20
  • 24.­5-6
  • 25.­25
  • n.­73-74
  • g.­39
g.­414

seven precious materials

Wylie:
  • rin po che sna bdun
Tibetan:
  • རིན་པོ་ཆེ་སྣ་བདུན།
Sanskrit:
  • saptaratna AS
Chinese:
  • 七寶

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

The set of seven precious materials or substances includes a range of precious metals and gems, but their exact list varies. The set often consists of gold, silver, beryl, crystal, red pearls, emeralds, and white coral, but may also contain lapis lazuli, ruby, sapphire, chrysoberyl, diamonds, etc. The term is frequently used in the sūtras to exemplify preciousness, wealth, and beauty, and can describe treasures, offering materials, or the features of architectural structures such as stūpas, palaces, thrones, etc. The set is also used to describe the beauty and prosperity of buddha realms and the realms of the gods.

In other contexts, the term saptaratna can also refer to the seven precious possessions of a cakravartin or to a set of seven precious moral qualities.

Located in 6 passages in the translation:

  • 5.­72
  • 10.­19
  • 10.­27
  • 12.­27
  • 17.­1
  • 26.­145
g.­423

śrāvaka

Wylie:
  • nyan thos
Tibetan:
  • ཉན་ཐོས།
Sanskrit:
  • śrāvaka AS

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

The Sanskrit term śrāvaka, and the Tibetan nyan thos, both derived from the verb “to hear,” are usually defined as “those who hear the teaching from the Buddha and make it heard to others.” Primarily this refers to those disciples of the Buddha who aspire to attain the state of an arhat seeking their own liberation and nirvāṇa. They are the practitioners of the first turning of the wheel of the Dharma on the four noble truths, who realize the suffering inherent in saṃsāra and focus on understanding that there is no independent self. By conquering afflicted mental states (kleśa), they liberate themselves, attaining first the stage of stream enterers at the path of seeing, followed by the stage of once-returners who will be reborn only one more time, and then the stage of non-returners who will no longer be reborn into the desire realm. The final goal is to become an arhat. These four stages are also known as the “four results of spiritual practice.”

Located in 25 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­1-3
  • 1.­11
  • 2.­37
  • 3.­8
  • 3.­57
  • 4.­33
  • 4.­93
  • 5.­23
  • 5.­80
  • 6.­4
  • 6.­18
  • 8.­5
  • 15.­39
  • 15.­95
  • 21.­8-9
  • n.­64
  • g.­39
  • g.­264
  • g.­315
  • g.­405
  • g.­424
  • g.­430
g.­435

Sudarśana

Wylie:
  • shin tu mthong ba
Tibetan:
  • ཤིན་ཏུ་མཐོང་བ།
Sanskrit:
  • sudarśana AD

In the Sarvāstivāda tradition, this is the second highest of the Śuddhāvāsa paradises, the highest paradises in the form realm. In this sūtra it is the fourth highest.

Located in 3 passages in the translation:

  • 5.­20
  • n.­133
  • g.­443
g.­436

Śuddhāvāsa

Wylie:
  • gtsang ma’i gnas
Tibetan:
  • གཙང་མའི་གནས།
Sanskrit:
  • śuddhāvāsa AD

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

The five Pure Abodes are the highest heavens of the Form Realm (rūpadhātu). They are called “pure abodes” because ordinary beings (pṛthagjana; so so’i skye bo) cannot be born there; only those who have achieved the fruit of a non-returner (anāgāmin; phyir mi ’ong) can be born there. A summary presentation of them is found in the third chapter of Vasubandhu's Abhidharmakośa, although they are repeatedly mentioned as a set in numerous sūtras, tantras, and vinaya texts.

The five Pure Abodes are the last five of the seventeen levels of the Form Realm. Specifically, they are the last five of the eight levels of the upper Form Realm‍—which corresponds to the fourth meditative concentration (dhyāna; bsam gtan)‍—all of which are described as “immovable” (akopya; mi g.yo ba) since they are never destroyed during the cycles of the destruction and reformation of a world system. In particular, the five are Abṛha (mi che ba), the inferior heaven; Atapa (mi gdung ba), the heaven of no torment; Sudṛśa (gya nom snang), the heaven of sublime appearances; Sudarśana (shin tu mthong), the heaven of the most beautiful to behold; and Akaniṣṭha (’og min), the highest heaven.

Yaśomitra explains their names, stating: (1) because those who abide there can only remain for a fixed amount of time, before they are plucked out (√bṛh, bṛṃhanti) of that heaven, or because it is not as extensive (abṛṃhita) as the others in the pure realms, that heaven is called the inferior heaven (abṛha; mi che ba); (2) since the afflictions can no longer torment (√tap, tapanti) those who reside there because of their having attained a particular samādhi, or because their state of mind is virtuous, they no longer torment (√tap, tāpayanti) others, this heaven, consequently, is called the heaven of no torment (atapa; mi gdung ba); (3) since those who reside there have exceptional (suṣṭhu) vision because what they see (√dṛś, darśana) is utterly pure, that heaven is called the heaven of sublime appearances (sudṛśa; gya nom snang); (4) because those who reside there are beautiful gods, that heaven is called the heaven of the most beautiful to behold (sudarśana; shin tu mthong); and (5) since it is not lower (na kaniṣṭhā) than any other heaven because there is no other place superior to it, this heaven is called the highest heaven (akaniṣṭha; ’og min) since it is the uppermost.

Located in 6 passages in the translation:

  • 15.­119
  • g.­37
  • g.­43
  • g.­48
  • g.­435
  • g.­439
g.­438

śūdra

Wylie:
  • dmangs rigs
Tibetan:
  • དམངས་རིགས།
Sanskrit:
  • śūdra AD

The fourth and lowest of the classes in the caste system of India. It generally covers the laboring class.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 2.­111
g.­440

sugata

Wylie:
  • bde bar gshegs pa
Tibetan:
  • བདེ་བར་གཤེགས་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • sugata AS

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

One of the standard epithets of the buddhas. A recurrent explanation offers three different meanings for su- that are meant to show the special qualities of “accomplishment of one’s own purpose” (svārthasampad) for a complete buddha. Thus, the Sugata is “well” gone, as in the expression su-rūpa (“having a good form”); he is gone “in a way that he shall not come back,” as in the expression su-naṣṭa-jvara (“a fever that has utterly gone”); and he has gone “without any remainder” as in the expression su-pūrṇa-ghaṭa (“a pot that is completely full”). According to Buddhaghoṣa, the term means that the way the Buddha went (Skt. gata) is good (Skt. su) and where he went (Skt. gata) is good (Skt. su).

Located in 12 passages in the translation:

  • 4.­69
  • 5.­73
  • 5.­79
  • 7.­12
  • 7.­22
  • 10.­40
  • 13.­6
  • 21.­5
  • 23.­2
  • 23.­4
  • 23.­13
  • 24.­1
g.­441

Sukhavihāra

Wylie:
  • bde bar gnas pa
Tibetan:
  • བདེ་བར་གནས་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • sukhavihāra AD

A bodhisattva.

(Toh 555: Saṃtiṣṭha; rab gnas)

Located in 6 passages in the translation:

  • i.­58
  • 8.­1
  • 8.­42-45
g.­443

Sumeru

Wylie:
  • ri rab
Tibetan:
  • རི་རབ།
Sanskrit:
  • sumeru AS

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

According to ancient Buddhist cosmology, this is the great mountain forming the axis of the universe. At its summit is Sudarśana, home of Śakra and his thirty-two gods, and on its flanks live the asuras. The mount has four sides facing the cardinal directions, each of which is made of a different precious stone. Surrounding it are several mountain ranges and the great ocean where the four principal island continents lie: in the south, Jambudvīpa (our world); in the west, Godānīya; in the north, Uttarakuru; and in the east, Pūrvavideha. Above it are the abodes of the desire realm gods. It is variously referred to as Meru, Mount Meru, Sumeru, and Mount Sumeru.

Located in 21 passages in the translation:

  • 2.­11
  • 4.­64
  • 4.­71
  • 5.­72
  • 6.­5
  • 12.­33
  • 12.­104
  • 15.­124
  • 27.­5
  • 28.­4
  • 28.­8
  • 29.­3
  • n.­38
  • n.­59
  • g.­17
  • g.­82
  • g.­112
  • g.­208
  • g.­390
  • g.­473
  • g.­503
g.­448

Sureśvaraprabha

Wylie:
  • lha’i dbang phyug ’od
Tibetan:
  • ལྷའི་དབང་ཕྱུག་འོད།
Sanskrit:
  • sureśvaraprabha AS

A king in the distant past.

(Toh 555: lha’i dbang phyug gi ’od)

Located in 19 passages in the translation:

  • i.­88-89
  • 24.­2-3
  • 24.­5
  • 24.­23
  • 24.­27
  • 25.­1
  • 25.­14-15
  • 25.­30-31
  • 25.­33-37
  • 25.­43
  • 25.­45
g.­452

Susaṃbhava

Wylie:
  • legs par byung ba
Tibetan:
  • ལེགས་པར་བྱུང་བ།
Sanskrit:
  • susaṃbhava AS

The Buddha’s previous life as a cakravartin in the distant past.

Located in 10 passages in the translation:

  • i.­84
  • 21.­5
  • 21.­13-14
  • 21.­22
  • 21.­24
  • 21.­27-29
  • 21.­35
g.­454

Suvarṇabhujendra

Wylie:
  • gser gyi lag pa’i dbang po
Tibetan:
  • གསེར་གྱི་ལག་པའི་དབང་པོ།
Sanskrit:
  • suvarṇabhujendra AD

A king in the distant past.

Located in 4 passages in the translation:

  • 7.­2
  • 7.­38
  • g.­228
  • g.­229
g.­456

Suvarṇaprabhā

Wylie:
  • gser du snang ba
Tibetan:
  • གསེར་དུ་སྣང་བ།
Sanskrit:
  • suvarṇaprabhā AS

A world realm in the distant future.

(Toh 555: gser ’od)

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 23.­2
g.­460

Suvarṇa­ratnākaracchatra­kūṭa

Wylie:
  • gser dang rin po che’i ’byung gnas gdugs brtsegs
  • gser ri rin chen ’byung gnas gdugs brtsegs
Tibetan:
  • གསེར་དང་རིན་པོ་ཆེའི་འབྱུང་གནས་གདུགས་བརྩེགས།
  • གསེར་རི་རིན་ཆེན་འབྱུང་གནས་གདུགས་བརྩེགས།
Sanskrit:
  • suvarṇa­ratnākaracchatra­kūṭa AS

A buddha in the distant future who is the bodhisattva Ruciraketu in the time of Śākyamuni.

(Toh 555: gser gdugs rin po che brtsegs pa)

Located in 7 passages in the translation:

  • i.­87
  • i.­91
  • 17.­11
  • 23.­2-3
  • 27.­1
  • g.­455
g.­463

tathāgata

Wylie:
  • de bzhin gshegs pa
Tibetan:
  • དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • tathāgata AS

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

A frequently used synonym for buddha. According to different explanations, it can be read as tathā-gata, literally meaning “one who has thus gone,” or as tathā-āgata, “one who has thus come.” Gata, though literally meaning “gone,” is a past passive participle used to describe a state or condition of existence. Tatha­(tā), often rendered as “suchness” or “thusness,” is the quality or condition of things as they really are, which cannot be conveyed in conceptual, dualistic terms. Therefore, this epithet is interpreted in different ways, but in general it implies one who has departed in the wake of the buddhas of the past, or one who has manifested the supreme awakening dependent on the reality that does not abide in the two extremes of existence and quiescence. It is also often used as a specific epithet of the Buddha Śākyamuni.

Located in 177 passages in the translation:

  • i.­72
  • 1.­1
  • 1.­8
  • 2.­3
  • 2.­5
  • 2.­7-9
  • 2.­18-20
  • 2.­23-30
  • 2.­33
  • 2.­39
  • 2.­57-59
  • 2.­62
  • 2.­64
  • 2.­66
  • 2.­69
  • 2.­71-72
  • 2.­81
  • 2.­84
  • 2.­89-93
  • 2.­95-102
  • 2.­104
  • 2.­106
  • 2.­108-122
  • 3.­1-4
  • 3.­6
  • 3.­11
  • 3.­21
  • 3.­31
  • 3.­37-38
  • 3.­44
  • 3.­46-47
  • 3.­54
  • 3.­57-60
  • 3.­62-63
  • 4.­39
  • 4.­51
  • 4.­93
  • 4.­106
  • 5.­2
  • 5.­8
  • 5.­25
  • 5.­36-38
  • 5.­51-54
  • 5.­68-69
  • 5.­79-82
  • 5.­84
  • 6.­34
  • 6.­46
  • 6.­131
  • 7.­2
  • 7.­16
  • 10.­40
  • 11.­1
  • 12.­21
  • 12.­27-28
  • 12.­34-36
  • 12.­62-64
  • 12.­105
  • 13.­14
  • 15.­113
  • 16.­1-2
  • 16.­5
  • 17.­2
  • 17.­6-18
  • 18.­11-12
  • 18.­15
  • 19.­3
  • 19.­8
  • 21.­28-29
  • 23.­2-4
  • 23.­12-13
  • 24.­1-2
  • 25.­22
  • 25.­24
  • 25.­28
  • 25.­50
  • 26.­4
  • 26.­20
  • 26.­142
  • 27.­1
  • 28.­11
  • 29.­4-5
  • 29.­8
  • n.­50
  • n.­54
  • n.­236
  • n.­241
  • n.­374
  • g.­164
  • g.­215
  • g.­269
  • g.­352
  • g.­457
  • g.­459
  • g.­471
g.­472

tīrthika

Wylie:
  • mu stegs can
Tibetan:
  • མུ་སྟེགས་ཅན།
Sanskrit:
  • tīrthika AD

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

Those of other religious or philosophical orders, contemporary with the early Buddhist order, including Jains, Jaṭilas, Ājīvikas, and Cārvākas. Tīrthika (“forder”) literally translates as “one belonging to or associated with (possessive suffix –ika) stairs for landing or for descent into a river,” or “a bathing place,” or “a place of pilgrimage on the banks of sacred streams” (Monier-Williams). The term may have originally referred to temple priests at river crossings or fords where travelers propitiated a deity before crossing. The Sanskrit term seems to have undergone metonymic transfer in referring to those able to ford the turbulent river of saṃsāra (as in the Jain tīrthaṅkaras, “ford makers”), and it came to be used in Buddhist sources to refer to teachers of rival religious traditions. The Sanskrit term is closely rendered by the Tibetan mu stegs pa: “those on the steps (stegs pa) at the edge (mu).”

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­3
  • 2.­19
g.­473

Trāyastriṃśa

Wylie:
  • sum cu rtsa gsum pa
Tibetan:
  • སུམ་ཅུ་རྩ་གསུམ་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • trāyastriṃśa AS

The paradise of Śakra, also known as Indra, on the summit of Sumeru. The name means “Thirty-Three,” from the thirty-three principal deities that dwell there. The fifth highest of the six paradises in the desire realm.

Located in 28 passages in the translation:

  • i.­7
  • i.­86-87
  • i.­89
  • 2.­36
  • 2.­38-39
  • 5.­19
  • 12.­33
  • 15.­123
  • 18.­13
  • 20.­16
  • 20.­23
  • 20.­55
  • 20.­68
  • 22.­26
  • 23.­1
  • 23.­14
  • 25.­24
  • 25.­28-29
  • 25.­43
  • n.­38
  • n.­64
  • n.­392
  • g.­214
  • g.­224
  • g.­390
g.­474

trichiliocosm

Wylie:
  • stong gsum
  • stong gsum gyi stong chen po’i rjig rten gyi khams
Tibetan:
  • སྟོང་གསུམ།
  • སྟོང་གསུམ་གྱི་སྟོང་ཆེན་པོའི་རྗིག་རྟེན་གྱི་ཁམས།
Sanskrit:
  • tri­sāhasra­mahā­sāhasra­loka­dhātu AS

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

The largest universe described in Buddhist cosmology. This term, in Abhidharma cosmology, refers to 1,000³ world systems, i.e., 1,000 “dichiliocosms” or “two thousand great thousand world realms” (dvi­sāhasra­mahā­sāhasra­lokadhātu), which are in turn made up of 1,000 first-order world systems, each with its own Mount Sumeru, continents, sun and moon, etc.

Located in 19 passages in the translation:

  • i.­10
  • 2.­5
  • 4.­9
  • 5.­40
  • 5.­51-52
  • 5.­72
  • 6.­37-38
  • 9.­29
  • 9.­31
  • 12.­33-34
  • 12.­109
  • 13.­13
  • 15.­45
  • 15.­97
  • 15.­120
  • 21.­14
g.­475

Trisong Detsen

Wylie:
  • ’khri srong lde btsan
Tibetan:
  • འཁྲི་སྲོང་ལྡེ་བཙན།
Sanskrit:
  • —

King of Tibet who reigned ca. 742/55–798/804 ᴄᴇ.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • g.­220
g.­477

twelve forms of the teaching

Wylie:
  • gsung rab yan lag bcu gnyis
Tibetan:
  • གསུང་རབ་ཡན་ལག་བཅུ་གཉིས།
Sanskrit:
  • —

The classification of all aspects of the Buddha’s teachings into twelve types: sūtra, geya, vyākaraṇa, gāthā, udāna, nidāna, avadāna, itivṛttaka, jātaka, vaipulya, adbhutadharma, and upadeśa.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 2.­110
g.­478

twelve phases of dependent origination

Wylie:
  • rten cing ’brel bar ’byung ba yan lag bcu gnyis
Tibetan:
  • རྟེན་ཅིང་འབྲེལ་བར་འབྱུང་བ་ཡན་ལག་བཅུ་གཉིས།
Sanskrit:
  • dvādaśāṅga­pratītya­samutpāda AD

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

The principle of dependent origination asserts that nothing exists independently of other factors, the reason for this being that things and events come into existence only by dependence on the aggregation of multiple causes and conditions. In general, the processes of cyclic existence, through which the external world and the sentient beings within it revolve in a continuous cycle of suffering, propelled by the propensities of past actions and their interaction with afflicted mental states, originate dependent on the sequential unfolding of twelve links: (1) fundamental ignorance, (2) formative predispositions, (3) consciousness, (4) name and form, (5) sense field, (6) sensory contact, (7) sensation, (8) craving, (9) grasping, (10) rebirth process, (11) actual birth, (12) aging and death. It is through deliberate reversal of these twelve links that one can succeed in bringing the whole cycle to an end.

Located in 4 passages in the translation:

  • n.­495
  • g.­110
  • g.­153
  • g.­412
g.­489

Vaiśravaṇa

Wylie:
  • rnam thos kyi bu
Tibetan:
  • རྣམ་ཐོས་ཀྱི་བུ།
Sanskrit:
  • vaiśravaṇa AD

As one of the Four Mahārājas he is the lord of the northern region of the world and the northern continent, though in early Buddhism he is the lord of the far north of India and beyond. Also known as Kubera, he is the lord of the yakṣas and a lord of wealth.

Located in 24 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­8
  • 11.­1
  • 12.­8
  • 12.­22
  • 12.­70
  • 12.­73
  • 12.­75-76
  • 12.­79
  • 12.­82
  • 12.­85
  • 12.­87-88
  • 12.­98
  • 14.­17
  • 17.­1
  • 22.­35
  • n.­251
  • n.­253
  • n.­259
  • n.­261
  • g.­17
  • g.­222
  • g.­345
g.­490

vaiśya

Wylie:
  • rje’u rigs
Tibetan:
  • རྗེའུ་རིགས།
Sanskrit:
  • vaiśya AD

The third of the four classes in the Indian caste system. It generally includes merchants and farmers.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 2.­111
g.­506

Venerable

Wylie:
  • tshe dang ldan pa
Tibetan:
  • ཚེ་དང་ལྡན་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • āyuṣmat AS

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

A respectful form of address between monks, and also between lay companions of equal standing. It literally means “one who has a [long] life.”

Located in 82 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­2
  • 5.­4-5
  • 5.­27-28
  • 5.­42-43
  • 5.­55-56
  • 10.­21
  • 10.­23
  • 11.­1-13
  • 12.­8-9
  • 12.­12-14
  • 12.­22
  • 12.­30-32
  • 12.­52-62
  • 12.­65
  • 12.­123
  • 13.­2-4
  • 13.­6
  • 14.­1
  • 14.­16
  • 14.­19
  • 14.­23
  • 15.­1
  • 16.­1
  • 18.­1-2
  • 18.­5
  • 18.­7-12
  • 18.­15
  • 19.­1
  • 19.­4-8
  • 23.­1
  • 23.­6
  • 23.­13
  • 26.­4
  • 26.­11-12
  • 26.­16
  • 26.­20-21
  • n.­211
g.­513

vinaya

Wylie:
  • ’dul ba
Tibetan:
  • འདུལ་བ།
Sanskrit:
  • vinaya

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 5.­8
  • g.­117
g.­517

Virūḍhaka

Wylie:
  • ’phags skyes po
Tibetan:
  • འཕགས་སྐྱེས་པོ།
Sanskrit:
  • virūḍhaka AS

One of the Four Mahārājas, he is the guardian of the southern direction and the lord of the kumbhāṇḍas.

Located in 4 passages in the translation:

  • 11.­1
  • 12.­8
  • 12.­22
  • 14.­17
g.­518

Virūpākṣa

Wylie:
  • mig mi bzang
Tibetan:
  • མིག་མི་བཟང་།
Sanskrit:
  • virūpākṣa AS

One of the Four Mahārājas, he is the guardian of the western direction and the lord of the nāgas.

Located in 4 passages in the translation:

  • 11.­1
  • 12.­8
  • 12.­22
  • 14.­17
g.­521

Vulture Peak

Wylie:
  • bya rgod kyi phung po’i ri
  • bya rgod phung po
Tibetan:
  • བྱ་རྒོད་ཀྱི་ཕུང་པོའི་རི།
  • བྱ་རྒོད་ཕུང་པོ།
Sanskrit:
  • gṛdhrakūṭa AS
  • gṛdhra­kūṭa­parvata AS

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

The Gṛdhra­kūṭa, literally Vulture Peak, was a hill located in the kingdom of Magadha, in the vicinity of the ancient city of Rājagṛha (modern-day Rajgir, in the state of Bihar, India), where the Buddha bestowed many sūtras, especially the Great Vehicle teachings, such as the Prajñāpāramitā sūtras. It continues to be a sacred pilgrimage site for Buddhists to this day.

Located in 9 passages in the translation:

  • i.­35-36
  • i.­43
  • 1.­1
  • 2.­26-27
  • 2.­31
  • 4.­3
  • g.­365
g.­522

Vyākaraṇa

Wylie:
  • lung ston pa
Tibetan:
  • ལུང་སྟོན་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • vyākaraṇa AS

The brahmin master, interlocutor in The Sūtra of the Sublime Golden Light. See also n.­62.

Located in 11 passages in the translation:

  • i.­37
  • 2.­33
  • 2.­35
  • 2.­41
  • 2.­55
  • 15.­24
  • 15.­82
  • 15.­93
  • n.­62
  • n.­498
  • g.­232
g.­523

Waning Light

Wylie:
  • ’od nyams pa
Tibetan:
  • འོད་ཉམས་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • —

A god who is the king of lightning in the western direction.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 14.­2
g.­527

yakṣa

Wylie:
  • gnod sbyin
Tibetan:
  • གནོད་སྦྱིན།
Sanskrit:
  • yakṣa AS

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

A class of nonhuman beings who inhabit forests, mountainous areas, and other natural spaces, or serve as guardians of villages and towns, and may be propitiated for health, wealth, protection, and other boons, or controlled through magic. According to tradition, their homeland is in the north, where they live under the rule of the Great King Vaiśravaṇa.

Several members of this class have been deified as gods of wealth (these include the just-mentioned Vaiśravaṇa) or as bodhisattva generals of yakṣa armies, and have entered the Buddhist pantheon in a variety of forms, including, in tantric Buddhism, those of wrathful deities.

Located in 99 passages in the translation:

  • i.­4
  • i.­81
  • i.­85
  • 1.­8
  • 1.­25
  • 1.­31
  • 2.­8
  • 5.­85
  • 10.­51-52
  • 11.­5
  • 12.­6-9
  • 12.­14
  • 12.­20
  • 12.­29
  • 12.­32-33
  • 12.­52-55
  • 12.­58
  • 12.­63
  • 12.­96
  • 12.­119
  • 12.­123
  • 15.­71
  • 15.­104
  • 15.­127
  • 19.­1
  • 19.­4
  • 19.­7
  • 19.­9
  • 19.­15-17
  • 21.­17
  • 22.­26
  • 22.­36
  • 22.­39-43
  • 22.­80
  • n.­39
  • n.­324
  • n.­456-457
  • g.­17
  • g.­21
  • g.­22
  • g.­31
  • g.­44
  • g.­63
  • g.­65
  • g.­88
  • g.­92
  • g.­95
  • g.­140
  • g.­162
  • g.­199
  • g.­221
  • g.­222
  • g.­227
  • g.­230
  • g.­246
  • g.­253
  • g.­255
  • g.­261
  • g.­262
  • g.­266
  • g.­272
  • g.­287
  • g.­288
  • g.­289
  • g.­290
  • g.­292
  • g.­302
  • g.­304
  • g.­309
  • g.­316
  • g.­323
  • g.­328
  • g.­337
  • g.­349
  • g.­363
  • g.­400
  • g.­409
  • g.­434
  • g.­450
  • g.­461
  • g.­489
  • g.­496
  • g.­499
  • g.­528
g.­529

Yama

Wylie:
  • gshin rje
Tibetan:
  • གཤིན་རྗེ།
Sanskrit:
  • yama AS

The lord of death.

Located in 11 passages in the translation:

  • 3.­42
  • 4.­9
  • 11.­1
  • 12.­28
  • 15.­62
  • 16.­1
  • 18.­11
  • 18.­15
  • 19.­8
  • 22.­37
  • g.­526
g.­531

yojana

Wylie:
  • dpag tshad
Tibetan:
  • དཔག་ཚད།
Sanskrit:
  • yojana AS

The longest unit of distance in classical India. The lack of a uniform standard for the smaller units means that there is no precise equivalent, especially as its theoretical length tended to increase over time. Therefore, it can indicate a distance of between four and ten miles.

Located in 8 passages in the translation:

  • 5.­72
  • 12.­28
  • 18.­3
  • 18.­8
  • 22.­12
  • 22.­62-63
  • g.­160
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    84000. The Sūtra of the Sublime Golden Light (2) (Suvarṇa­prabhāsottama­sūtra, gser ’od dam pa’i mdo, Toh 556). Translated by Peter Alan Roberts and team. Online publication. 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2025. https://84000.co/translation/toh556/UT22084-089-013-chapter-2.Copy
    84000. The Sūtra of the Sublime Golden Light (2) (Suvarṇa­prabhāsottama­sūtra, gser ’od dam pa’i mdo, Toh 556). Translated by Peter Alan Roberts and team, online publication, 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2025, 84000.co/translation/toh556/UT22084-089-013-chapter-2.Copy
    84000. (2025) The Sūtra of the Sublime Golden Light (2) (Suvarṇa­prabhāsottama­sūtra, gser ’od dam pa’i mdo, Toh 556). (Peter Alan Roberts and team, Trans.). Online publication. 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha. https://84000.co/translation/toh556/UT22084-089-013-chapter-2.Copy

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