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གང་པོས་ཞུས་པ།

The Questions of Pūrṇa
The Power of Miraculous Displays

Pūrṇaparipṛcchā
འཕགས་པ་གང་གང་པོས་ཞུས་པ་ཞེས་བྱ་བ་ཐེག་པ་ཆེན་པོའི་མདོ།
’phags pa gang pos zhus pa zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo
The Noble Great Vehicle Sūtra “The Questions of Pūrṇa”
Āryapūrṇaparipṛcchānāmamahāyānasūtra

Toh 61

Degé Kangyur, vol. 42 (dkon brtsegs, nga), folios 168.b–227.a.

Imprint

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Translated by the Dharmachakra Translation Committee
under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.

First published 2020

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co.

Table of Contents

ti. Title
im. Imprint
co. Contents
s. Summary
ac. Acknowledgements
i. Introduction
tr. The Translation
+ 8 chapters- 8 chapters
1. The Conduct of Bodhisattvas
2. Erudition
3. Irreversible Progress
4. The Possession of Roots of Virtue
5. The Power of Miraculous Displays
6. Great Compassion
7. Responding to Controversies
8. Venerable Pūrṇa
n. Notes
b. Bibliography
+ 2 sections- 2 sections
· Source Texts
· Secondary References
g. Glossary

s.

Summary

s.­1

In Veṇuvana, outside Rājagṛha, Pūrṇa Maitrāyaṇīputra asks the Buddha about the conduct of bodhisattvas practicing on the path to awakening. The Buddha replies by describing the attitudes that bodhisattvas must possess as well as their benefits. Then, at the request of Maudgalyāyana, the Buddha recounts several of his past lives in which he himself practiced bodhisattva conduct. At the end of the teaching, the Buddha instructs the assembly about how to deal with specific objections to his teachings that outsiders might raise after he himself has passed into nirvāṇa.


ac.

Acknowledgements

ac.­1

Translated by the Dharmachakra Translation Committee under the supervision of Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche. Benjamin Collet-Cassart and Nika Jovic translated the text from Tibetan into English and wrote the introduction. James Gentry then compared the translation with Kumārajīva’s Chinese translation. Finally, Andreas Doctor compared the draft translation with the original Tibetan and edited the text. Ryan Damron and Thomas Doctor also helped resolve several difficult passages.

This translation has been completed under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.


ac.­2

Work on this text would not have been possible without the generous sponsorship of 王学文 and 马国凤, which is most gratefully acknowledged.


i.

Introduction

i.­1

The Questions of Pūrṇa is the seventeenth sūtra among the forty-nine titles included in The Heap of Jewels collection in the Degé Kangyur. Although traditional scholars have quoted this sūtra in a number of Tibetan writings,1 the text has to our knowledge received very little attention in modern scholarship.2 Only a few of the texts contained in The Heap of Jewels are extant in Sanskrit, and The Questions of Pūrṇa is unfortunately not among them. There is only one Chinese translation (Taishō 310–17), produced by the renowned translator Kumārajīva, (344–413 ᴄᴇ) who completed the translation toward the end of his life in 405 ᴄᴇ, while residing in the then Chinese capital of Chang’an (today’s Xi’an). The Tibetan translation was completed in the early translation period and is listed in both early ninth-century catalogs, the Denkarma (Tib. ldan dkar ma) and the Phangthangma (Tib. ’phang thang ma). This English translation is based on the Degé block print, the Comparative Edition (Tib. dpe bsdur ma), and the Stok Palace manuscript, comparing these line by line with Kumārajīva’s Chinese translation.


Text Body

The Translation
The Noble Great Vehicle Sūtra
The Questions of Pūrṇa

1.
Chapter One

The Conduct of Bodhisattvas

[F.168.b] [B1]


1.­1

Homage to all the buddhas and bodhisattvas!


1.­2

Thus did I hear at one time: The Blessed One was residing at the Veṇuvana in Rājagṛha, together with a great saṅgha of many monks and with countless bodhisattva great beings. At that time, the venerable Pūrṇa Maitrāyaṇīputra arose, draped his shawl over one shoulder, and knelt on his right knee. With his palms joined together in the direction of the Blessed One he said, “Blessed One, I have a few questions to ask you. Thus-Gone One, please consider me with love and grant me this request.”


2.
Chapter Two

Erudition

2.­1

“Pūrṇa,” continued the Blessed One, “if bodhisattvas possess four qualities, they will amass great knowledge, such that it will not be exhausted, like the ocean. Constantly amassing a precious treasure of erudition, they will‍—by comprehending the meaning that is definitive with regard to phenomena‍—correctly penetrate the meaning of words. What are the four?

2.­2

“(1) Since bodhisattvas pursue the Dharma, they pursue the twelve branches of the scriptures. These are the discourses, hymns and praises, prophecies, verses, aphorisms, narratives, former events, former births, extensive teachings, marvels, biographies, and profound doctrines. Upon receiving these teachings, bodhisattvas read them, recite them, and properly recollect them. After that, they practice these teachings in accordance with the way they are taught. Pūrṇa, if bodhisattvas possess this first quality, they will amass great knowledge, such that it will not be exhausted, like the ocean. Constantly amassing a precious treasure of erudition, [F.172.b] they will‍—by comprehending the meaning that is definitive with regard to phenomena‍—correctly penetrate the meaning of words.


3.
Chapter Three

Irreversible Progress

3.­1

“Pūrṇa,” said the Blessed One, “if bodhisattvas possess four qualities, their progress toward unsurpassed and perfect awakening will be irreversible. What are the four?

3.­2

“(1) If bodhisattvas hear a Dharma teaching they have not heard before, rather than saying, ‘This is not the Dharma’ they should reflect on it in terms of its meaning. If bodhisattvas possess this first quality, their progress toward unsurpassed and perfect awakening will be irreversible.”


4.
Chapter Four

The Possession of Roots of Virtue

4.­1

“Pūrṇa,” continued the Blessed One, “if bodhisattva great beings who are genuinely following the Great Vehicle constantly rely on and familiarize themselves with four qualities, they will gather all virtues in the most perfect manner, and they will possess all the roots of virtue. What are the four?

4.­2

“Pūrṇa, (1) noble sons and daughters who have given rise to the mind set on awakening within the Great Vehicle should rely on and cultivate the practice of patience. As they cultivate patience, if their minds are in a state of equanimity, they will attain the perfections of that profound sameness, as well as the perfection of the sameness of all beings. When such bodhisattvas are endowed with the perfection of the sameness of the mind and the perfection of the sameness of wisdom‍—whether they are walking, standing, sitting, lying down, sleeping, or awake‍—if someone comes along carrying a vessel filled with urine, poison, hot liquid, garbage, fire, ashes, excrement, or embers and pours the content of the vessel on their heads, or strikes their limbs with full force, these bodhisattvas should avoid becoming angry or resentful, thus becoming distracted and aggressive. They should not even ask, ‘What did I do wrong?’ They should also not regard the other person with hostility. Instead, they should tame their minds by one-pointedly pursuing their Dharma practice, without losing a clear focus on the aim of their practice. Such bodhisattvas will think, ‘When that person comes to me carrying a vase filled with urine, poison, ashes, or embers and tries to harm my body, my body is not hurt or injured by those substances.’ [F.191.b] Thus analyzing things in terms of their multiple causes and conditions, bodhisattvas will then contemplate this matter in accordance with the way things really are, asking themselves, ‘Who is pouring these substances on me?’ ‘On whom are these substances poured?’ ‘What are the substances poured?’ At that time, they will not find anyone who is the pourer, anyone who is the recipient of this act, or anything that is poured. Contemplating and investigating in this way with proper mindfulness, they will not find any of these things, and they will therefore not apprehend or behold any phenomenon. Because they do not apprehend or behold any phenomenon, they will also not give rise to anger or resentment.


5.
Chapter Five

The Power of Miraculous Displays

5.­1

Then, through the power of the Blessed One’s miraculous abilities, many trillions of light rays radiated from the pores of his skin. Masses of blazing fire as huge as Mount Sumeru also emerged from each of his pores; and thus-gone ones teaching the Dharma, as numerous as all the grains of sand in the Ganges river, also emerged from each pore. The entire assembly present witnessed these miraculous displays. After the Blessed One had manifested them, he asked the venerable Pūrṇa, “Pūrṇa, did you see the power of the miraculous displays coming from the pore of each body hair of the Thus-Gone One?”

“Blessed One, I saw it,” replied Pūrṇa. [F.205.a]

5.­2

“Pūrṇa,” continued the Blessed One, “the Thus-Gone One always possesses, uninterruptedly, the power of such miraculous displays. Nevertheless, the hearers perceive only the Thus-Gone One sitting here and explaining the Dharma. But right now, he is genuinely performing the deeds of a buddha uninterruptedly, within all the universes of the ten directions, as numerous as the grains of sand in the Ganges river. Similarly, he is teaching the Dharma within all the universes of the ten directions. Pūrṇa, someone may say, correctly, ‘That peerless and matchless being, that supreme human, that extremely profound and immeasurable field of merit, whose conduct is measureless, and of whom, even as he takes but a single step, no other being is able to fathom the motive and conduct involved in that act of lifting his foot and placing it down‍—who is that?’ If someone were to ask that question, I would have to answer, ‘I am.’ Pūrṇa, no sentient being is able to assess the intent, motive, or conduct involved in the Thus-Gone One’s act of lifting and setting down a single foot.”

At that moment, the Blessed One uttered these verses to explain this clearly:

5.­3
“Sentient beings, whether moving or unmoving,34
Can never know such matters
as the intentions or behavior involved
In a single step of the Blessed One’s feet.35
5.­4
“His miracles are boundless,
And so is his conduct.
Since his qualities are also boundless,
He is supremely exalted, the chief among beings.
5.­5
“Since his great wisdom is immeasurable,
No one can understand its full scope.
Even if all beings possessed
The powers of insight and miracles,
5.­6
“Like Śāriputra
And Maudgalyāyana,
They could not understand
My act of lifting and placing down my foot.
5.­7
“Even if all sentient beings
Attained the awakening of the solitary buddhas,
They would know nothing of even a single step of mine,
Let alone of my other profound qualities.
5.­8
“Even if all the limitless suns and moons
Combined into a single sun-disk,
Its light could not match the light of a single light ray
Radiating from a pore of a hair of the Thus-Gone One.
5.­9
“Take as an illustration [F.205.b]
All the suns in seven quadrillion universes,
Which illuminate countless realms
In a limitless manner.
5.­10
“Imagine that all those great suns in the ten directions,
As numerous as all the grains of sand in the Ganges,
Were joined to form a single sun,
From which a single light ray was as large as Mount Sumeru.
5.­11
“If the light of such a great sun,
Which constantly illuminates the ten directions,
Were compared to the light of the Buddha,
The sun would barely be visible, like a burning tree.
5.­12
“The light of that great sun
Would not shine through trees and leaves;
It would be obstructed
By all the mountains, rivers, and rocks.
5.­13
“On the other hand, the light rays emanated by the Thus-Gone One
Shine unobstructedly
Through Mount Sumeru,
As well as through all the iron and vajra mountains.
5.­14
“Since his light, emanated by his miraculous power,
Along with his majestic presence, is immeasurable,
Except for those who lack trust,
Who would not arouse the mind set on awakening upon seeing it?
5.­15
“When sentient beings see these light rays
And the great power of these magical displays,
Most of them give rise to the unsurpassed mind set on awakening
With the thought, ‘We must also reach that state!’ ”
5.­16
At that moment, the Blessed One smiled,
And Ānanda asked,
“Blessed One, why are you smiling?
You who possess unimpeded wisdom, please tell us!”
5.­17
The Blessed One answered:
“Since sentient beings have now witnessed the power of my miraculous displays,
They have given rise to the mind set on awakening
And aspire to achieve buddhahood.
5.­18
“Within this retinue, thirty thousand beings
Have made a commitment to preserve this Dharma teaching,
Thinking, ‘After the Buddha passes away,
We shall recite this discourse.’
5.­19
“After I pass away,
They will hear this discourse,
And, during the intermediate and final periods,36
They will practice it in accordance with the way it is taught.
5.­20
“It is extremely difficult to give rise to the mind set on awakening.
It is extremely difficult to be inspired by the Dharma of the Buddha;
But it will be even more difficult
To uphold and recite this discourse during the final period.
5.­21
“It is extremely rare for a buddha to appear,
Even in ten trillion eons;
But it will be even rarer for this discourse
To be expounded in the future, during the final period.”
5.­22

Then the Blessed One said to the venerable Ānanda, “Ānanda, I entrust this discourse to you. Why? Because, as long as this discourse of the Bodhisattva Collection remains within the world, [F.206.a] the entire Dharma of the Buddha will also remain. Ānanda, if such a profound discourse were to vanish, all the Dharma teachings that must be practiced as they are taught would also vanish. Because the Dharma teachings that must be practiced as they are taught would vanish, the teachings of the buddhas would also vanish. Ānanda, you should now worship me with the most sublime offerings. In what manner should the hearers worship me with the most sublime offerings? You should not think that the most sublime flowers, perfumes, fragrant powders, ointments, parasols, banners, standards, garments, and music, as well as the proclamation of the Thus-Gone One’s praises, are the most sublime types of offerings. Ānanda, they are not what is meant by the most sublime offerings. Rather, hearing such a profound discourse and adopting, memorizing, reading, reciting, and practicing it as it is taught‍—this is what is meant by ‘worshiping, venerating, respecting, honoring, and praising the Thus-Gone One with the most sublime offerings.’ Why is that? Because all the thus-gone ones also worship, venerate, and revere the Dharma, but they do not hold worldly offerings in high esteem.

5.­23

“Therefore, Ānanda, I now insist on entrusting this discourse to you. Why? Because, Ānanda, by training in this discourse genuinely, I have awakened to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood, and I am now turning the unsurpassed Dharma wheel. When the buddhas of the past practiced bodhisattva conduct, they also trained in this discourse genuinely, and thus awoke to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood and turned the unsurpassed Dharma wheel. Likewise, the buddhas of the future will also train in this discourse genuinely, and thus will awaken to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood [F.206.b] and turn the unsurpassed Dharma wheel. Also, all the buddhas who presently reside within the universes of the ten directions have also trained in this discourse genuinely, and thus they have awoken to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood and are now turning the Dharma wheel.

5.­24

“Therefore, Ānanda, you should remember this discourse of the Bodhisattva Collection as The Sūtra of Turning the Wheel of Dharma.37 It is with this teaching that I turned the wheel of Dharma for the hearers in the Deer Park38 in Vārāṇasī. Ānanda, today, within Veṇuvana, I have also turned this irreversible Dharma wheel, this discourse of the Bodhisattva Collection, and the doubts of all sentient beings have been eliminated. Ānanda, here, at the edge of space,39 the thus-gone ones of the past also taught this discourse of the Bodhisattva Collection. The future thus-gone ones will also teach this discourse of the Bodhisattva Collection here, at the edge of space. After awakening to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood, I have also expounded this discourse of the Bodhisattva Collection here, at the edge of space. For those reasons, you should know that this place has become a great reliquary of the thus-gone ones, which is to be worshiped by all the worlds with their gods and humans. Ānanda, this is so because this is the only place that has the unique quality of being the location where the thus-gone ones of the past have taught this profound discourse. Ānanda, any sentient being afflicted by desire, anger, and ignorance who enters Veṇuvana, will, without exception, no longer give rise to desire, anger, and ignorance.

5.­25

“Ānanda, [F.207.a] thus-gone ones have certainly resided in other temples, but those places do not have the same qualities as this one. Why is it so? Because, Ānanda, when animals enter Kalandaka Forest and Veṇuvana, desire no longer arises in them; and when flocks of birds enter this forest, they no longer sing at inappropriate times. Why is it so? Because when Bimbisāra, the king of Magadha, visited his kingdom for the first time after being enthroned, he came to this forest, together with his retinue of queens, to frolic with them. However, as soon as he entered here, he felt that his desire for passionate frolicking had disappeared. Everyone in the retinue of queens also felt that any desire for passionate frolicking had disappeared. At that moment, the king became utterly delighted and thought, ‘If a buddha appears in the world and comes to my country, may I meet him face to face. Upon meeting him, may I develop sincere trust in him. Having developed sincere trust, may I worship him. I will offer this forest to that thus-gone one. May he reside in this place, and may I hear the Dharma from him. Why? Because this forest is a place for those who are to be worshiped, not for those who are bound by the five sense desires.’

5.­26

“Ānanda, when King Bimbisāra entered this forest, he had such virtuous thoughts. In the past, thus-gone ones resided in this forest and taught this discourse of the Bodhisattva Collection. Therefore, none of the qualities associated with this forest are found in other places, and all the worlds with their gods, humans, and demigods are respectfully paying homage to it. Ānanda, in this forest, there are no poisonous snakes, lizards, horseflies, mosquitos, or the like. Beings who reside here do not entertain any evil thoughts: [F.207.b] this is also an extraordinary quality of Veṇuvana. Even if I attempted to express the qualities of this grove for one hundred years, this task would never come to an end. Why is it so? Because, Ānanda, this perfumed chamber of Veṇuvana possesses all those immeasurable qualities, while other places do not.”

5.­27

“Blessed One,” said the venerable Ānanda, “I did not know that Veṇuvana possessed such qualities! Blessed One, I want to confess today my previous negative attitude of not wanting to serve the Blessed One as his attendant.”

5.­28

“Ānanda,” replied the Blessed One, “that negative attitude was purified the very moment you attained the pure eye of Dharma with respect to phenomena.”

5.­29

This was the fifth chapter, The Power of Miraculous Displays. [B5]


6.
Chapter Six

Great Compassion

6.­1

Then the venerable Mahāmaudgalyāyana thought, “The Blessed One has perfectly taught the conduct of bodhisattvas through his great compassion. The Blessed One is therefore quite astonishing! Why? Because bodhisattvas will practice the Dharma of the Buddha in the most excellent manner and will cause sentient beings to comprehend the meaning of the absence of arising and ceasing.”


7.
Chapter Seven

Responding to Controversies

7.­1

At that time, a monk called Elephant Trunk who was present in the assembly arose, draped his shawl over one shoulder, and knelt on his right knee. With his palms joined together, he said to the Blessed One, “Blessed One, to hear about those hardships undergone by the Thus-Gone One gave me goosebumps and made me shed tears. I would now like to ask a question. The Blessed One himself has said, ‘In the past, when I was a bodhisattva, my actions always accorded with my words, and my words always accorded with my actions.’ [F.220.a] When he first gave rise to the mind set on awakening, the Blessed One made the commitment to liberate all sentient beings. Given that he made such a commitment but may pass into nirvāṇa without having yet liberated all sentient beings, what should be answered, after the Blessed One has passed away, when some people argue with the monks saying, ‘In the past, your great teacher made the commitment to liberate all sentient beings, so why is it that sentient beings have not yet transcended suffering?’ ”


8.
Chapter Eight

Venerable Pūrṇa

8.­1

Then venerable Pūrṇa Maitrāyaṇīputra said to the Blessed One, “Blessed One, it is a great wonder that in the past, when the Blessed One was practicing bodhisattva conduct, he observed those various types of virtuous qualities so resolutely!”

“Thus it is, Pūrṇa, thus it is,” answered the Blessed One. “For a long time, while I practiced bodhisattva conduct, I observed those virtuous principles very resolutely.” At that point, the Blessed One uttered these verses to explain this clearly:


n.

Notes

n.­1
See for example Deshung Rinpoche 2003 and Kilty 2010. Four verses taken directly from Kumārajīva’s translation have also been incorporated into a Chan text dating from the fifth century (Greene 2012, 582).
n.­2
In his article on the Vyākhyāyukti, Peter Verhagen cites Vasubandhu to the effect that a “Pūrṇasūtra” was lost or at least incompletely transmitted by his time (Verhagen 2005, 590). Peter Skilling lists The Questions of Pūrṇa in a series of discourses mentioning tathāgata caityas (Skilling 2016, p.31). Ulrich Pagel mentions the sūtra in a few lists in two articles, once in a list of texts that include mention of dhāraṇī (Pagel 2007, 164, 167) and another time in a list of texts that give a sixfold typology of “skill” (Pagel 2012, 337).
n.­3
The few minor differences between them can be easily explained by the separate transmission histories of each text. Less likely, the similarity could theoretically also be due to both translations having relied on a nearly identical Sanskrit source text.
n.­4
For instance, lha ’dre (“gods and spirits”) and byams sdang (“love/attachment and aversion”).
n.­5
The Denkarma and Phangthangma catalogs both have separate sections for texts translated from Chinese, but that potential distinguishing feature seems to have been overridden as a classification for this text by its belonging to the section of works included in the The Heap of Jewels collection.
n.­6
Those mentioned in the Kangyur include: (1) Pūrṇa Maitrāyaṇīputra, the interlocutor in the present text; he is mentioned in many sūtras including The Teaching of Vimalakīrti (Toh 176); (2) the Pūrṇa who was one of the second group of five monks ordained by the Buddha, the “five friends” (nye lnga sde), all Vārāṇasī merchants’ sons, headed by Yaśas; (3) the Pūrṇa of The Exemplary Tale of Pūrṇa (Pūrṇāvadāna, found in Tibetan in The Chapter on Medicines, ch. 6 of the Vinayavastu, Toh 1), son of a wealthy Aparāntaka merchant and his slave girl, a successful maritime expedition leader before going forth as a monk, and almost certainly also the protagonist in The Precious Discourse on the Blessed One’s Extensive Wisdom That Leads to Infinite Certainty (Toh 99); (4) an older Pūrṇa, the “Elder Pūrṇa from Kuṇḍopadāna,” who is also mentioned in The Exemplary Tale of Pūrṇa as one of the monks in the Buddha’s airborne entourage; (5) a very rich and generous brahmin called Pūrṇa from the Mountains of the South who invites the Buddha and receives a prediction of enlightenment, but is not ordained; he is the subject of the first story in The Hundred Exemplary Tales, Beginning with That of Pūrṇa (Pūrṇapramukhāvadānaśataka, Toh 343); and (6) the sickly and short-lived Pūrṇa of Śrāvasti, attendant of Aniruddha, who became an arhat just before he died and is the subject of one of the stories in the first chapter of The Hundred Deeds (Karmaśataka, Toh 340).
n.­7
Here we have emended the Tibetan ’jigs pa (“fear”) to ’jig pa (“perish,” “decay”) to reflect the Chinese translation: 具足不壞信 (“Filled with incorruptible faith”).
n.­8
Stok Palace reads: ye shes dang mthong ba (“wisdom and vision”).
n.­34
Tibetan: g.yo dang mi g.yo sems can; Chinese: 動不動衆生. This most likely refers to beings in the desire realm (Skt. kāmadhātu) constantly “moving/shifting” throughout saṃsāra, and beings in the two higher realms of form (Skt. rūpadhātu) and formlessness (Skt. arūpadhātu) “unmoving/unshifting” throughout saṃsāra in the same manner, respectively. Cf. Soothill’s entry for the similar 動不動法: “The mutable and the immutable, the changing and the unchanging, the kāmadhātu or realms of metempsychosis and the two higher realms, rūpadhātu and arūpadhātu.”
n.­35
The Chinese translation, as it appears in the Taishō, has this as a rhetorical question: (世尊以何思 何行擧下足: “With what intent or behavior/ Does the Blessed One lift and place down his feet?”).
n.­36
These refer to the three divisions of time pertaining to the longevity of the Dharma on earth after the passing of the Buddha. During the first period, the Dharma is upheld properly; during the intermediate period, only a semblance of the Dharma remains; and during the final period, the Dharma declines until it vanishes.
n.­37
This follows the Chinese 轉法輪經. The Tibetan Stok Palace version has chos kyi ’khor lo’i mdo sde, whereas the Degé version has the rather redundant chos kyi ’khor lo yongs su bskor ba’i ’khor lo. This title is probably a reference to the Dharmacakrapravartanasūtra (Toh 31) and/or the Dharmacakrasūtra (Toh 337), each of which contains what is considered the first teaching delivered by the Buddha.
n.­38
The Tibetan only very partially reflects the Chinese here: 梨師山鹿園; literally: ṛṣi (梨師) mountain (山) deer (鹿) park (園).
n.­39
The term nam mkha’i sa mtshams, the “edge of space” or “boundary of space,” is only found elsewhere in the Kangyur as an impossibility describing the tenth kind of acceptance (in chapter 35 of the Buddhavataṃsaka, Toh 44, Degé Kangyur vol. 36, F.383.b), and could conceivably be a reference to the ineffability of the Bodhisattva Collection, although that does not fit the syntax. It is also possible that “the edge of space” here is a reference to the sacred geography of Vārāṇasī, which is said to consist of an environment of five concentric rings associated with the elements (fire, water, wind, earth, and space). Since the Deer Park in Sarnath would be at the outer edge of that geographic map, it would hence be “at the edge of space.” The subsequent reference to Veṇuvana (near Rājagṛha) would then seem to imply that the term applies to everything outside of Vārāṇasī. Thanks to Paul Hackett for making this suggestion to us.

b.

Bibliography

Source Texts

’phags pa gang pos zhus pa zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo (Pūrṇaparipṛcchāsūtra). Toh 61, Degé Kangyur vol. 42 (dkon brtsegs, nga), folios 168b.1–227a.6.

’phags pa gang pos zhus pa zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo. bka’ ’gyur (dpe bsdur ma) [Comparative Edition of the Kangyur], krung go’i bod rig pa zhib ’jug ste gnas kyi bka’ bstan dpe sdur khang (The Tibetan Tripitaka Collation Bureau of the China Tibetology Research Center). 108 volumes. Beijing: krung go’i bod rig pa dpe skrun khang (China Tibetology Publishing House), 2006–2009, vol. 42, pp. 168b.1–227a.6.

’phags pa gang pos zhus pa zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo. Stok Palace Kangyur (stog pho brang bris ma bka’ ’gyur). Vol. 38 (dkon brtsegs, nga), folios 319v–411v.

富樓那會 (Fu lou na hui). Taishō shinshū daizōkyō (大正新脩大藏經). Vol. 11, 310 (大寶積經), scrolls 77–79.

Secondary References

Conze, Edward. The Large Sutra on Perfect Wisdom. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1975.

Greene, Eric Matthew. “Meditation, Repentance, and Visionary Experience in Early Medieval Chinese Buddhism.” Unpublished Ph.D. diss., University of California, Berkley, 2012.

Kilty, Gavin. The Mirror of Beryl: A Historical Introduction to Tibetan Medicine. Boston: Wisdom Publications, 2010.

Muller, A. Charles, ed. Digital Dictionary of Buddhism. buddhism-dict.net. Edition of 12/26/2007.

Pagel, Ulrich. “The Dhāraṇī of Mahāvyutpatti #748: Origin and Formation.” Buddhist Studies Review, vol. 24, no. 2 (2007): 151–91.

Pagel, Ulrich. “The Bodhisattvapiṭaka and Akṣayamatinirdeśa: Continuity and Change in Buddhist Discourses.” The Buddhist Forum, vol. 3 (2012): 333–73.

Deshung Rinpoche. The Three Levels of Spiritual Perception: A Commentary on the Three Visions. Translated by Jared Rhoton. Boston: Wisdom Publications, 2003.

Skilling, Peter. “Caitya, Mahācaitya, Tathāgatacaitya: Questions of Terminology in the Age of Amaravati.” In Amaravati: The Art of an Early Buddhist Monument in Context, edited by Akira Shimada and Michael Willis, 23–26. London: British Museum, 2016.

Soothill, William Edward and Lewis Hodous. A Dictionary of Chinese Buddhist Terms. Digital version: buddhistinformatics.ddbc.edu. Taipei: Dharma Drum Buddhist College, 2010.

Verhagen Peter C. “Studies in Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Hermeneutics (4): The Vyākhyāyukti by Vasubandhu.” Journal Asiatique 293.2 (2005): 559–602.


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

affliction

Wylie:
  • kun nas nyon mongs pa
Tibetan:
  • ཀུན་ནས་ཉོན་མོངས་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • saṃkleśa
Chinese:
  • 煩惱

Saṃsāra, in being nothing but afflicted; its opposite is “purification” (vyavadāna).

Located in 4 passages in the translation:

  • 4.­33
  • 4.­87
  • g.­77
  • g.­100
g.­2

aggregates

Wylie:
  • phung po
Tibetan:
  • ཕུང་པོ།
Sanskrit:
  • skandha
Chinese:
  • 陰

The fivefold basic grouping of the components out of which the world and the personal self are formed.

Located in 12 passages in the translation:

  • 2.­5
  • 3.­64-66
  • 3.­111-113
  • 3.­116
  • 4.­63
  • 7.­3-5
g.­3

Ānanda

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

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 11 passages in the translation:

  • i.­3
  • i.­5
  • 2.­25
  • 5.­16
  • 5.­22-28
g.­4

aphorisms

Wylie:
  • ched du brjod pa’i sde
Tibetan:
  • ཆེད་དུ་བརྗོད་པའི་སྡེ།
Sanskrit:
  • udāna
Chinese:
  • 憂陀那

One of the twelve branches of Buddhist scriptures.

Located in 4 passages in the translation:

  • 2.­2
  • 3.­16-17
  • 3.­36
g.­6

Bimbisāra

Wylie:
  • gzugs can snying po
Tibetan:
  • གཟུགས་ཅན་སྙིང་པོ།
Sanskrit:
  • bimbisāra
Chinese:
  • 洴沙

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

The king of Magadha and a great patron of the Buddha. His birth coincided with the Buddha’s, and his father, King Mahāpadma, named him “Essence of Gold” after mistakenly attributing the brilliant light that marked the Buddha’s birth to the birth of his son by Queen Bimbī (“Goldie”). Accounts of Bimbisāra’s youth and life can be found in The Chapter on Going Forth (Toh 1-1, Pravrajyāvastu).

King Śreṇya Bimbisāra first met with the Buddha early on, when the latter was the wandering mendicant known as Gautama. Impressed by his conduct, Bimbisāra offered to take Gautama into his court, but Gautama refused, and Bimbisāra wished him success in his quest for awakening and asked him to visit his palace after he had achieved his goal. One account of this episode can be found in the sixteenth chapter of The Play in Full (Toh 95, Lalitavistara). There are other accounts where the two meet earlier on in childhood; several episodes can be found, for example, in The Hundred Deeds (Toh 340, Karmaśataka). Later, after the Buddha’s awakening, Bimbisāra became one of his most famous patrons and donated to the saṅgha the Bamboo Grove, Veṇuvana, at the outskirts of the capital of Magadha, Rājagṛha, where he built residences for the monks. Bimbisāra was imprisoned and killed by his own son, the prince Ajātaśatru, who, influenced by Devadatta, sought to usurp his father’s throne.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 5.­25-26
g.­7

biographies

Wylie:
  • rtogs pa brjod pa’i sde
Tibetan:
  • རྟོགས་པ་བརྗོད་པའི་སྡེ།
Sanskrit:
  • avadāna
Chinese:
  • 阿波陀那

One of the twelve branches of Buddhist scriptures.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 2.­2
  • 4.­105
g.­13

Deer Park

Wylie:
  • ri dwags rgyu ba’i tshal
Tibetan:
  • རི་དྭགས་རྒྱུ་བའི་ཚལ།
Sanskrit:
  • mṛgadāva
Chinese:
  • 梨師山鹿園

The forest, located outside of Vārāṇasī where the Buddha first taught the Dharma.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 5.­24
  • n.­39
g.­15

dhāraṇī

Wylie:
  • gzungs
Tibetan:
  • གཟུངས།
Sanskrit:
  • dhāraṇī
Chinese:
  • 陀羅尼

A formula invoking a particular deity for a particular purpose; dhāraṇīs are longer than most mantras, and their applications are more specialized.

Located in 5 passages in the translation:

  • 3.­36
  • 4.­89
  • 4.­91
  • 4.­95
  • n.­2
g.­16

discourses

Wylie:
  • mdo’i sde
Tibetan:
  • མདོའི་སྡེ།
Sanskrit:
  • sūtravarga
Chinese:
  • 修多羅

One of the twelve branches of Buddhist scriptures.

Located in 34 passages in the translation:

  • i.­2-3
  • 2.­2
  • 3.­16-17
  • 3.­29-30
  • 3.­36
  • 3.­45-46
  • 3.­55
  • 3.­59
  • 3.­76
  • 3.­85-87
  • 3.­95
  • 3.­128
  • 4.­61
  • 4.­73
  • 4.­89-93
  • 4.­95-96
  • 4.­98
  • 4.­100
  • 4.­110
  • 7.­6
  • 7.­13
  • n.­2
  • n.­32
g.­20

Elephant Trunk

Wylie:
  • glang po che’i lag
Tibetan:
  • གླང་པོ་ཆེའི་ལག
Sanskrit:
  • —
Chinese:
  • 象手

A monk. Interlocutor of the Buddha in the Questions of Pūrṇa sūtra.

Located in 20 passages in the translation:

  • i.­3
  • 7.­1-2
  • 7.­8-12
  • 7.­17-18
  • 7.­21-28
  • 7.­30-31
g.­22

erudition

Wylie:
  • mang du thos pa
Tibetan:
  • མང་དུ་ཐོས་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • bahuśrutya
  • bāhuśrutya
Chinese:
  • 多聞

Located in 33 passages in the translation:

  • i.­4
  • 1.­7-8
  • 1.­10
  • 1.­27
  • 2.­1-4
  • 2.­16-17
  • 2.­22
  • 2.­30-32
  • 3.­11
  • 3.­16
  • 3.­39
  • 3.­49-50
  • 3.­52
  • 3.­63
  • 3.­96-97
  • 3.­99-100
  • 3.­102-103
  • 3.­107
  • 4.­7
  • 4.­140
  • 6.­5
  • n.­10
g.­25

extensive teachings

Wylie:
  • shin tu rgyas pa’i sde
Tibetan:
  • ཤིན་ཏུ་རྒྱས་པའི་སྡེ།
Sanskrit:
  • vaipulya
Chinese:
  • 方廣經

One of the twelve branches of Buddhist scriptures.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 2.­2
g.­30

former births

Wylie:
  • skyes pa’i rabs kyi sde
Tibetan:
  • སྐྱེས་པའི་རབས་ཀྱི་སྡེ།
Sanskrit:
  • jātaka
Chinese:
  • 本生經

One of the twelve branches of Buddhist scriptures.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 2.­2
g.­31

former events

Wylie:
  • de lta bu byung ba’i sde
Tibetan:
  • དེ་ལྟ་བུ་བྱུང་བའི་སྡེ།
Sanskrit:
  • itivṛttaka
Chinese:
  • 如是諸經

One of the twelve branches of Buddhist scriptures.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 2.­2
g.­46

hymns and praises

Wylie:
  • dbyangs kyis bsnyad pa’i sde
Tibetan:
  • དབྱངས་ཀྱིས་བསྙད་པའི་སྡེ།
Sanskrit:
  • geya
Chinese:
  • 祇夜

One of the twelve branches of Buddhist scriptures.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 2.­2
g.­47

irreversible

Wylie:
  • phyir mi ldog pa
Tibetan:
  • ཕྱིར་མི་ལྡོག་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • avaivartika
Chinese:
  • 不退轉

Located in 9 passages in the translation:

  • i.­4
  • 1.­11
  • 3.­1-2
  • 3.­54-55
  • 3.­64
  • 5.­24
  • 7.­12
g.­49

Kalandaka Forest

Wylie:
  • ka lan da ka
Tibetan:
  • ཀ་ལན་ད་ཀ
Sanskrit:
  • kalandaka
Chinese:
  • 迦蘭陀

A grove or forest within the Veṇuvana near Rājagṛha, where Buddha Śākyamuni spent several monsoon retreats and delivered many Great Vehicle teachings. In other texts it is known as the Kalandakanivāsa or °nivāpa, the dwelling place or feeding ground of kalandaka‍—crows or other birds according to Tibetan renderings, but some Sanskrit and Pali sources suggest flying squirrels.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 5.­25
g.­57

Magadha

Wylie:
  • ma ga dha
Tibetan:
  • མ་ག་དྷ།
Sanskrit:
  • magadha
Chinese:
  • 摩竭

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

An ancient Indian kingdom that lay to the south of the Ganges River in what today is the state of Bihar. Magadha was the largest of the sixteen “great states” (mahājanapada) that flourished between the sixth and third centuries ʙᴄᴇ in northern India. During the life of the Buddha Śākyamuni, it was ruled by King Bimbisāra and later by Bimbisāra's son, Ajātaśatru. Its capital was initially Rājagṛha (modern-day Rajgir) but was later moved to Pāṭaliputra (modern-day Patna). Over the centuries, with the expansion of the Magadha’s might, it became the capital of the vast Mauryan empire and seat of the great King Aśoka.

This region is home to many of the most important Buddhist sites, including Bodh Gayā, where the Buddha attained awakening; Vulture Peak (Gṛdhra­kūṭa), where the Buddha bestowed many well-known Mahāyāna sūtras; and the Buddhist university of Nālandā that flourished between the fifth and twelfth centuries ᴄᴇ, among many others.

Located in 3 passages in the translation:

  • 5.­25
  • g.­6
  • g.­79
g.­60

Mahāmaudgalyāyana

Wylie:
  • maud gal gyi bu chen po
Tibetan:
  • མཽད་གལ་གྱི་བུ་ཆེན་པོ།
Sanskrit:
  • mahāmaudgalyāyana
Chinese:
  • 大目揵連

Alternate name for Maudgalyāyana, one of the closest disciples of the Buddha Śākyamuni, known for his miraculous abilities.

Located in 4 passages in the translation:

  • i.­3
  • i.­5
  • 6.­1-2
g.­65

marvels

Wylie:
  • rmad du byung ba’i chos kyi sde
Tibetan:
  • རྨད་དུ་བྱུང་བའི་ཆོས་ཀྱི་སྡེ།
Sanskrit:
  • adbhutadharma
Chinese:
  • 未曾有經

One of the twelve branches of Buddhist scriptures.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 2.­2
g.­66

Maudgalyāyana

Wylie:
  • maud gal
Tibetan:
  • མཽད་གལ།
Sanskrit:
  • maudgalyāyana
Chinese:
  • 目揵連

One of the closest disciples of the Buddha Śākyamuni, known for his miraculous abilities.

Located in 53 passages in the translation:

  • s.­1
  • 5.­6
  • 6.­2-14
  • 6.­16-17
  • 6.­19-27
  • 6.­30-33
  • 6.­35-36
  • 6.­38-40
  • 6.­42-51
  • 6.­55-59
  • 6.­61-62
  • g.­60
g.­69

Mount Sumeru

Wylie:
  • ri rab
Tibetan:
  • རི་རབ།
Sanskrit:
  • sumeru
Chinese:
  • 須彌山

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 4 passages in the translation:

  • 5.­1
  • 5.­10
  • 5.­13
  • g.­43
g.­71

narratives

Wylie:
  • gleng gzhi’i sde
Tibetan:
  • གླེང་གཞིའི་སྡེ།
Sanskrit:
  • nidāna
Chinese:
  • 尼陀那

One of the twelve branches of Buddhist scriptures.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 2.­2
  • 4.­105
g.­73

perfumed chamber

Wylie:
  • dri gtsang khang
Tibetan:
  • དྲི་གཙང་ཁང་།
Sanskrit:
  • gandhakuṭī
Chinese:
  • 精舍

Term that was first used in reference to the Buddha’s personal residence. Later, after the Buddha’s passing, the term came to denote the inner chamber of Buddhist monasteries in India, where a Buddha statue was housed to represent the Buddha’s residence at the monastery.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 4.­89
  • 5.­26
g.­75

profound doctrines

Wylie:
  • gtan la phab par bstan pa’i sde
Tibetan:
  • གཏན་ལ་ཕབ་པར་བསྟན་པའི་སྡེ།
Sanskrit:
  • upadeśa
Chinese:
  • 論議經

One of the twelve branches of Buddhist scriptures.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 2.­2
g.­76

prophecies

Wylie:
  • lung du bstan pa’i sde
Tibetan:
  • ལུང་དུ་བསྟན་པའི་སྡེ།
Sanskrit:
  • vyākaraṇa
Chinese:
  • 受記經

One of the twelve branches of Buddhist scriptures.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 2.­2
g.­78

Pūrṇa Maitrāyaṇīputra

Wylie:
  • byams ma’i bu gang po
Tibetan:
  • བྱམས་མའི་བུ་གང་པོ།
Sanskrit:
  • pūrṇa maitrāyaṇīputra
Chinese:
  • 富樓那彌多羅尼子

Main interlocutor of the buddha in the Questions of Pūrṇa sūtra.

Located in 114 passages in the translation:

  • s.­1
  • i.­3
  • i.­5
  • 1.­2-4
  • 1.­7
  • 1.­11
  • 1.­15
  • 1.­22
  • 1.­36-37
  • 1.­44
  • 1.­51
  • 2.­1-9
  • 2.­16
  • 3.­1
  • 3.­14-16
  • 3.­18-19
  • 3.­21
  • 3.­26
  • 3.­29
  • 3.­31-33
  • 3.­37
  • 3.­39-42
  • 3.­45-46
  • 3.­52-55
  • 3.­64
  • 3.­68-70
  • 3.­72-87
  • 3.­96
  • 3.­102
  • 3.­109-113
  • 3.­115
  • 3.­122
  • 3.­128
  • 3.­131
  • 4.­1-3
  • 4.­5-6
  • 4.­45
  • 4.­52
  • 4.­59-61
  • 4.­65
  • 4.­76
  • 4.­82
  • 4.­88-102
  • 4.­110
  • 5.­1-2
  • 8.­1
  • 8.­8
  • 8.­11-12
  • n.­6
g.­79

Rājagṛha

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

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 5 passages in the translation:

  • s.­1
  • 1.­2
  • n.­39
  • g.­49
  • g.­107
g.­85

Śāriputra

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

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 1 passage in the translation:

  • 5.­6
g.­106

Vārāṇasī

Wylie:
  • bA ra NA si
Tibetan:
  • བཱ་ར་ཎཱ་སི།
Sanskrit:
  • vārāṇasī
Chinese:
  • 波羅奈

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

Also known as Benares, one of the oldest cities of northeast India on the banks of the Ganges, in modern-day Uttar Pradesh. It was once the capital of the ancient kingdom of Kāśi, and in the Buddha’s time it had been absorbed into the kingdom of Kośala. It was an important religious center, as well as a major city, even during the time of the Buddha. The name may derive from being where the Varuna and Assi rivers flow into the Ganges. It was on the outskirts of Vārāṇasī that the Buddha first taught the Dharma, in the location known as Deer Park (Mṛgadāva). For numerous episodes set in Vārāṇasī, including its kings, see The Hundred Deeds, Toh 340.

Located in 6 passages in the translation:

  • 4.­43
  • 5.­24
  • n.­6
  • n.­20
  • n.­39
  • g.­13
g.­107

Veṇuvana

Wylie:
  • ’od ma’i tshal
Tibetan:
  • འོད་མའི་ཚལ།
Sanskrit:
  • veṇuvana
Chinese:
  • 竹园

A bamboo grove or forest containing a monastery, north of Rājagṛha, where Buddha Śākyamuni spent several monsoon retreats and delivered many Great Vehicle teachings.

Located in 8 passages in the translation:

  • s.­1
  • 1.­2
  • 5.­24-27
  • n.­39
  • g.­49
g.­108

verses

Wylie:
  • tshigs su bcad pa’i sde
Tibetan:
  • ཚིགས་སུ་བཅད་པའི་སྡེ།
Sanskrit:
  • gāthā
Chinese:
  • 伽陀

One of the twelve branches of Buddhist scriptures.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 2.­2
  • 3.­16
g.­113

world

Wylie:
  • ’dzam bu’i gling
Tibetan:
  • འཛམ་བུའི་གླིང་།
Sanskrit:
  • jambudvīpa
Chinese:
  • 閻浮提

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 13 passages in the translation:

  • 3.­16
  • 3.­19
  • 3.­21
  • 3.­36
  • 4.­91
  • 4.­95
  • 4.­98
  • 5.­22
  • 6.­17-19
  • g.­69
  • g.­101
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    The Questions of Pūrṇa

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    84000. The Questions of Pūrṇa (Pūrṇaparipṛcchā, gang pos zhus pa, Toh 61). Translated by Dharmachakra Translation Committee, online publication, 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2025, 84000.co/translation/toh61/UT22084-042-002-chapter-5.Copy
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