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འཇམ་དཔལ་གྱི་མཚན་བརྒྱ་རྩ་བརྒྱད་པ།

One Hundred and Eight Names of Mañjuśrī

Mañjuśrīnāmāṣṭaśataka
འཕགས་པ་འཇམ་དཔལ་གྱི་མཚན་བརྒྱ་རྩ་བརྒྱད་པ་ཞེས་བྱ་བ།
’phags pa ’jam dpal gyi mtshan brgya rtsa brgyad pa zhes bya ba
The Noble One Hundred and Eight Names of Mañjuśrī
Āryamañjuśrīnāmāṣṭaśataka

Toh 642

Degé Kangyur, vol. 91 (rgyud, ba), folios 126.a–127.b

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co.

Table of Contents

ti. Title
im. Imprint
co. Contents
s. Summary
ac. Acknowledgements
i. Introduction
tr. The Translation
+ 1 section- 1 section
1. One Hundred and Eight Names of Mañjuśrī
ab. Abbreviations
n. Notes
b. Bibliography
g. Glossary

s.

Summary

s.­1

One Hundred and Eight Names of Mañjuśrī belongs to a class of texts praising a select deity through a series of one hundred and eight names, each conveying a distinctive feature of the deity’s appearance, realization, or activity as supreme teacher. The present text includes a brief mantra and concludes with a brief description of the benefits of retaining, reciting, and recollecting the names throughout one’s life, especially at the time of death.


ac.

Acknowledgements

ac.­1

Translated and introduced by David Mellins and Kaia Fischer under the auspices of the Tibetan Classics Translators Guild of New York. The translators would like to extend their special gratitude to Lama Lozang Jamspal of Ladakh, without whose instruction and guidance this translation would not have been possible.

ac.­2

The translation was completed under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha. Nathaniel Rich edited the translation and introduction, and Laura Goetz copyedited the text. Martina Cotter was in charge of the digital publication process.



i.

Introduction

i.­1

One Hundred and Eight Names of Mañjuśrī belongs to a class of texts praising a select deity through a series of one hundred and eight names, or epithets, each conveying a distinctive feature of the deity’s appearance, realization, or activity as supreme teacher. This class is also closely related to a number of texts, each likewise focused on a specific deity, that combine dhāraṇī with a praise of one hundred and eight names.1

i.­2

The text begins with an homage to Mañjuśrī and then immediately commences the praise, which consists of one hundred and eight epithets that are very diverse in style and substance. Mañjuśrī is variously identified with the five elements, the king of nāgas, the gods of water and wealth, the gods of Vedic origin, and with a range of heavenly bodies. The text describes Mañjuśrī’s agency in terms of his ascetic activities (“practicing the ascetic discipline of wearing dreadlocks and muñja”), his prowess in debate (“defeater of opponents”), his sublimity as a teacher of the path to liberation (“ardent in devotion to emptiness”), and more.

i.­3

The names having been enumerated, Mañjuśrī speaks the mantra oṃ vākyedaṃ namaḥ svāhā, and the text concludes with a brief description of the benefits of retaining, reciting, and recollecting the names throughout one’s life, especially at the time of death.

i.­4

The Tibetan translation lacks a colophon with information about the history of its transmission or translation into Tibetan, and a Sanskrit manuscript does not appear to be extant. The text’s inclusion in the Phangthangma2 and Denkarma3 imperial catalogs indicates that it was translated into Tibetan no later than the early ninth century.4

i.­5

The text’s transliteration in Chinese, appearing in the Taishō,5 is attributed to Fatian (d. ca. 1001 ce).6 Whereas the Tibetan translators chose to translate the names into Tibetan, it seems that here, as in the case of dhāraṇī texts such as One Hundred and Eight Names of Youthful Mañjuśrī Accompanied by His Dhāraṇī-Mantra (Toh 639),7 the Chinese translators preferred to preserve the phonetics of Sanskrit names through transliteration, rather than to translate them into Chinese.

i.­6

This English translation is based on the Degé Kangyur version of One Hundred and Eight Names of Mañjuśrī, in consultation with the variant readings recorded in the Comparative Edition (Tib. dpe bsdur ma) and the Phukdrak (phug brag) Kangyur version of the text. All major divergences are recorded in the notes. We also consulted Ryūjō Kambayashi’s restoration of the Sanskrit text,8 which is indicated in our notes by the abbreviation Ko.

i.­7

There is no indication in the source texts as to how the individual names are to be numbered or counted. The names appear in close sequence within each verse, and it is often unclear how they are to be separated. We have therefore not attempted to number them, but rather endeavored to represent in the translation each individual line in the Tibetan. We have also treated the individual names as epithets rather than proper names and therefore not attempted to capitalize them.


Text Body

The Noble
One Hundred and Eight Names of Mañjuśrī

1.

The Translation

[F.126.a]


1.­1

Homage to the youthful Mañjuśrī!


With a pure heart,
Bowing my head to the Sage,
Here I will recite the names
The buddhas have praised.
1.­2
Beautiful in form, physically handsome,
Yours unexcelled among all bodies,
All attributes complete,
Mañjuśrī, gloriously excellent,9 [F.126.b]
1.­3
Inconceivable, free from thought,
Heroic, beyond thought, wondrous,
Inconceivable in body, speech, and deed,
And inconceivable in mind, too,
1.­4
Meditation10-on-emptiness in essence,
Endowed with empty qualities,
Ardent in devotion to emptiness,
Teaching the emptiness of all three existences,
1.­5
All knowing and all seeing,
Powerful lord over all lands,11
12Supreme among all sentient beings,
The one to whom all sentient beings have paid homage,
1.­6
Vanquisher of all states of misery
And all who propound misleading views,
Defeater of opponents,
Lion of speech, supreme among humans,
1.­7
Free from defiling passions13 and afflictions,
One without obscuration or taint,
Rescuer of all sentient beings,
Liberated and world liberator,14
Practicing the ascetic discipline of wearing dreadlocks and muñja,15
Brahmā, dwelling in the abode of Brahmā,16
Holding a rosary17 and bearing a staff,
Pure and endowed with the purities,18
1.­8
19Gentle voiced,20 exercising dominion,
Lotus born and lotus eyed,
1.­9
Your color lotus-anther-like,
Lotus throned,21
Immaculate, bearing a blue lotus,
Your intention pure, your mind at peace,22
1.­10
You are a buddha and a pratyekabuddha.
You are the Ādibuddha,
Endowed with miraculous power, possessing dominion,
The teacher of the four truths,
1.­11
The protector of the world, thousand eyed.
You are Īśvara, you are the lord of all beings,23
And you are Śiva the tamer of sentient beings.24
Sovereign of all who is foremost in virtue,25
1.­12
You are the dominant bull, the foremost being,26
The preeminent, the one who remembers past lives,
The leader, the tamer,
The victor’s child, the one born from the Victor himself.
1.­13
You are the thousand-rayed sun,
You are the moon and Jupiter,27
You are Vaiśravaṇa and Varuṇa,
You are Maheśvara, you are Viṣṇu,
1.­14
You are Ananta king28 of nāgas, [F.127.a]
And, similarly, you are Skanda29 the commander,
Vemacitra the lord of asuras,
Mars, Mercury,30 Venus,31
1.­15
Saturn, all the heroic deities,32
The one to whom all gods paid homage,
Untainted by worldly things.
You are the person supreme in the worlds,
1.­16
Knower of worlds, realizer of worlds,
Holiest of the wise,33
Bestower of boons, abode, and refuge,
Beyond the reach of Māra’s works,
1.­17
Devoid of misdeed, profound,
The renowned spiritual friend.34
You are the physician who removes thorns,
The supreme charioteer of humans to be tamed,
1.­18
Astute and realized,35
Intelligent and adept,36
You are possessed of merit, the wish-fulfilling tree,
Adorned with the blossoms of the factors of awakening,37
1.­19
Replete with liberation’s fruit,
The supreme embodied being,38
Lovely and captivating,
Faultless and chaste.
1.­20
You are the comet and the greatest of heavenly bodies.
You are the seer foremost among sages.
You have been consecrated as crown prince.
Foremost sovereign of the ten bhūmis,
1.­21
Caravan leader, best of beings,
Revealing supreme nirvāṇa,
You are like the sky, earth, and water.
You are like fire and wind.
1.­22
You are like a wish-fulfilling jewel,
Fulfilling the hopes of sentient beings.39
O you to whom all living beings40 pay homage‍—
Precious one, we bow to you.41
1.­23
Mañjuśrī spoke, saying oṃ vākyedaṃ namaḥ svāhā.
If one retains the names thus spoken
Together with the vidyāmantra,
One accomplishes the purification of one’s sins.
1.­24
A person who recites, three times a day,
These eight-more-than-a-hundred names
Is certain to attain their many wishes
In just the way they want them.
1.­25
If they recollect the felicitous names,
Any terrible acts that have been performed
That equal those of immediate retribution
Will be swiftly purified. [F.127.b]
1.­26
Remembering thus when great frights arise
In transition to the world beyond,
Those purified sentient beings
Will directly encounter Mañjughoṣa.42
1.­27
The intelligent who, upon remembering,
Compose themselves and recite
Will attain buddhahood if they so desire.
Of this there is no doubt.
1.­28

This concludes the noble “One Hundred and Eight Names of Mañjuśrī.”


ab.

Abbreviations

C Choné Kangyur
D Degé Kangyur
F Phukdrak Kangyur
H Lhasa (Zhol) Kangyur
J Lithang Kangyur
K Kangxi Kangyur
Ko Reconstructed Sanskrit text in Kambayashi 1930.
N Narthang Kangyur
Y Yongle Kangyur

n.

Notes

n.­1
In the Tantra section, for example, these include Toh 532, Toh 634–641, and Toh 728 (The Hundred and Eight Names of the Goddess Tārā). There are also Toh 705 and Toh 706, which focus on Avalokiteśvara, and Toh 727 (The Hundred and Eight Names of Tārā).
n.­2
Phangthangma 2003, p. 31.
n.­3
Denkarma folio 303.b; see also Herrmann-Pfandt 2008, p. 255.
n.­4
Herrmann-Pfandt dates the Phangthangma catalog to the year 806 and the Denkarma catalog to 812. See Herrmann-Pfandt 2008, p. xviii–xxvi.
n.­5
Wenshushili yibai ba ming fan zan 文殊師利一百八名梵讚 (Mañjuśrīnāmāṣṭaśatakanāma), Taishō 1197 (CBETA; SAT).
n.­6
That attribution notwithstanding, we note that in the preface to his 1930 article “Laudatory Verses of Mañjuśrī” Ryūjō Kambayashi writes, “The laudatory verses of the hundred-and-eight names of Mañjuśrī seem to have begun with the Chinese transcription of Amogha (Fukū 705–744 A.D.),” a reference to Amoghavajra (705–74), the famous translator of Indian Buddhist tantric works into Chinese.
n.­7
One Hundred and Eight Names of Youthful Mañjuśrī Accompanied by His Dhāraṇī-Mantra (Mañjuśrī­kumāra­bhūtāṣṭottara­śataka­nāma­dhāraṇī­mantra­sahita, Toh 639).
n.­8
Kambayashi (1930) acknowledges that he consulted an earlier, partial restoration of the Sanskrit by Alexander von Staël-Holstein from Chinese transliteration in comparison with the Tibetan.
n.­9
In this line, “gloriously” renders the Tib. dpal gyi, and if Mañjuśrī (Tib. ’jam dpal) were rendered literally, this line might read “Gentle glory, gloriously excellent.”
n.­10
Following H, N sgom. D reads bsgoms.
n.­11
D reads sa rnams kun gyi bdag dang ldan, and the reading in F is sa rnams kun gyi bdag dang bla. We also take into account Ko sarvabhūmipatir vibhuḥ.
n.­12
From here the text corresponding to the Tibetan does not appear in Kambayashi’s restored version of the Sanskrit.
n.­13
Here, “defiling passions” renders the Tib. dul, which we have emended to rdul (Skt. rajas). The Tib. dul means “to be tamed” or “to be disciplined,” and it is difficult to see how that makes sense in context. It should be noted, however, that there are no variants recorded in the Comparative Edition and no variant reading in the Phukdrak Kangyur version. And as noted above, unfortunately there is no Sanskrit reconstruction for this portion of the text.
n.­14
Reading D grol zhing ’jig rten grol mdzad pa. F reads grol zhing skye dgu sgrol bar mdzad (“liberated and liberating all beings”).
n.­15
Tib. mun dza. This is a type of grass, and the reference here is likely to the practice of wearing clothing made from muñja grass. For a critical reference to this sort of practice among non-Buddhist ascetics, see The Play in Full (Lalitavistara), 17.15.
n.­16
Tib. tshangs pa’i gnas na bzhugs. This may be a reference to the four brahmavihāra (love, compassion, joy, and equanimity), in which case this would be rendered “abodes of Brahmā.”
n.­17
Following F bgrang phreng. D reads bgrang nor.
n.­18
Following C, H, and F dag pa rnams. D reads dag cing dag la rnams dang ldan.
n.­19
From here the corresponding Sanskrit in Kambayashi’s restored version resumes.
n.­20
Tib. ’jam pa’i dbyangs can. Note that ’jam pa’i dbyangs is the Tibetan translation of the Skt. mañjughoṣa.
n.­21
This line is missing in F.
n.­22
D bsam dag zhi ba’i thugs dang ldan. F reads yang dag zhi ba’i thugs dang ldan, which might be rendered “your mind perfectly at peace.”
n.­23
Ko prajāpati.
n.­24
Following F khyod ni zhi ba sems can ’dul. D reads khyod ni zhi ba’i sems can rnams. Cf. Ko śivas tvaṃ sarvabhūtānāṃ / tvaṃ vibhur guṇasāgaraḥ.
n.­25
Tib. kun gyi mnga’ bdag yon tan gtso, Ko tvaṃ vibhur guṇasāgaraḥ (“you are the lord who is an ocean of virtue”).
n.­26
However, cf. Ko ṛsis tvaṃ puṇyaḥ śreṣṭhaś ca.
n.­27
Tib. phur bu. Generally, this renders the Skt. bṛhaspati, which is also the name of the chief priest (Skt. purohita) of the gods in Vedic traditions.
n.­28
D rgyal po. F bdag po (“lord”).
n.­29
D reads skems byed. C, H, J, K, Y, and N read skem byed, which accords with Ko skandaḥ, Skanda being the son of Śiva and commander of his hosts.
n.­30
Following F gza’ lhag pa and Ko budhaḥ. D reads gza’ lag pa.
n.­31
D and the versions in the Comparative Edition read ba sangs, and F reads wa sangs. We take these, per context, as spelling variants for the more familiar Tibetan pa sangs.
n.­32
Tib. spen pa dpa’ bo lha kun lags. Here Ko, lacking reference to Saturn, reads sarvadevamayo vīraḥ.
n.­33
D ye shes can gyi dam mchog pa. F ye shes rig can dam pa mchog. It seems Ko jātīnāṃ pravaro varaḥ is perhaps better emended to jñātṝṇām-.
n.­34
D reads dge ba’i bshes gnyen kun tu grags, and F reads dge ba’i bshes su kun tu grags, which might be rendered “famed as a spiritual friend.”
n.­35
D blo gros ldan zhing rtogs dang ldan. This line is missing in F.
n.­36
Tib. mkhas pa, corresponding to Ko vicakṣaṇaḥ, has a range of meaning that includes cleverness, discernment, clear sightedness, and exceptional ability.
n.­37
The Tibetan witnesses read byang chub yan lag, presumably a reference to the seven factors of awakening (Skt. saptabodhyaṅga, Tib. byang chub kyi yan lag bdun).
n.­38
Reading D lus can kun gyi mchog tu gyur. F reads lus can kun gyi gnas su gyur, corresponding to Ko āśrayaḥ sarvadehinām.
n.­39
Taking our cue from Ko, we read this point as marking the end of the names, as there is a clear shift to the vocative case hereafter, which otherwise does not occur in the litany of the names. Alternative readings might be possible.
n.­40
Tib. ’byung po, which generally renders the Skt. bhūta, might alternatively be glossed as, e.g., “spirits” or “ghosts.” As this instance appears near the closing of the list of names, here the broadest gloss seems appropriate.
n.­41
Kambayashi’s restored Sanskrit ends here.
n.­42
“Directly encounter” renders Tib. thob par ’gyur.

b.

Bibliography

’phags pa ’jam dpal gyi mtshan brgya rtsa brgyad pa (Āryamañjuśrīnāmāṣṭaśataka). Toh 642, Degé Kangyur vol. 91 (rgyud, ba), folios 126.a–127.b.

’phags pa ’jam dpal gyi mtshan brgya rtsa brgyad pa. 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), 2006–9, vol. 91, pp. 457–460.

’phags pa ’jam dpal gyi mtshan brgya rtsa brgyad pa. Phukdrak Kangyur vol. 116 (rgyud, tsha), folios 131.a–133.a.

rgya cher rol pa (Lalitavistara) [The Play in Full]. Toh 95, Degé Kangyur vol. 45 (mdo sde, kha), folios 1.b–216.b. English translation in Dharmachakra Translation Committee 2013.

lha mo sgrol ma’i mtshan brgya rtsa brgyad (Tārādevīnāmāṣṭaśataka) [The Hundred and Eight Names of the Goddess Tārā]. Toh 728, Degé Kangyur vol. 94 (rgyud, tsha), folios 219.a–222.a. English translation in Samye Translations 2022.

sgrol ma’i mtshan brgya rtsa brgyad pa (Tārābhaṭṭārikānāmāṣṭaśatakam) [The Hundred and Eight Names of Tārā]. Toh 727, Degé Kangyur vol. 94 (rgyud, tsha), folios 217.a–219.a. English translation in Lhasey Lotsawa Translations and Publications, forthcoming.

Denkarma (pho brang stod thang ldan dkar gyi chos kyi ’gyur ro cog gi dkar chag). Toh 4364, Degé Tengyur vol. 206 (sna tshogs, jo), folios 294.b–310.a.

Phangthangma (dkar chag ʼphang thang ma). Beijing: mi rigs dpe skrun khang, 2003.

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

Dharmachakra Translation Committee, trans. The Play in Full (Lalitavistara, Toh 95). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2013.

Herrmann-Pfandt, Adelheid. Die lHan kar ma: ein früher Katalog der ins Tibetische übersetzten buddhistischen Texte. Vienna: Verlag der österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, 2008.

Kambayashi, Ryūjō. “Laudatory Verses of Mañjuśrī.” Journal of the Taishō University 6–7, no. 2 (1930): 243–97.

Lhasey Lotsawa Translations and Publications, trans. The Hundred and Eight Names of Tārā (Tārābhaṭṭārikānāmāṣṭaśatakam, Toh 727). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, forthcoming.

Samye Translations, trans. The Hundred and Eight Names of the Goddess Tārā (Tārādevīnāmāṣṭaśataka, Toh 728). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2022.

von Staël-Holstein, Alexander. “Āryamañjuçrīnāmāṣṭaçataka.” Bibliotheca Buddhica 15, no. 2020 (1913): 85–104.


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

ādibuddha

Wylie:
  • dang po’i sangs rgyas
Tibetan:
  • དང་པོའི་སངས་རྒྱས།
Sanskrit:
  • ādibuddha

“Original” or “primordial” buddha, the personification of innate enlightenment. See Buswell and Lopez 2014, p. 17.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­10
g.­2

affliction

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

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 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­7
g.­3

Amoghavajra

Wylie:
  • —
Tibetan:
  • —
Sanskrit:
  • amoghavajra

705–74. A famous and prolific translator, he is particularly renowned for his Chinese translations of Indian Buddhist esoteric works. He is known to have sailed from South India to China via Sri Lanka between 741 and 746. Not to be confused with the eleventh century paṇḍita of the same name who translated texts into Tibetan. Disciple of the translator and missionary Vajrabodhi.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • n.­6
g.­4

Ananta

Wylie:
  • klu yi rgyal po
Tibetan:
  • ཀླུ་ཡི་རྒྱལ་པོ།
Sanskrit:
  • ananta

One of the kings of the nāgas.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­14
g.­5

asura

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

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 2 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­14
  • g.­31
g.­6

Avalokiteśvara

Wylie:
  • spyan ras gzigs
Tibetan:
  • སྤྱན་རས་གཟིགས།
Sanskrit:
  • avalokiteśvara

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

One of the “eight close sons of the Buddha,” he is also known as the bodhisattva who embodies compassion. In certain tantras, he is also the lord of the three families, where he embodies the compassion of the buddhas. In Tibet, he attained great significance as a special protector of Tibet, and in China, in female form, as Guanyin, the most important bodhisattva in all of East Asia.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • n.­1
g.­7

bodhisattva

Wylie:
  • byang chub sems dpa’
Tibetan:
  • བྱང་ཆུབ་སེམས་དཔའ།
Sanskrit:
  • bodhisattva

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

A being who is dedicated to the cultivation and fulfilment of the altruistic intention to attain perfect buddhahood, traversing the ten bodhisattva levels (daśabhūmi, sa bcu). Bodhisattvas purposely opt to remain within cyclic existence in order to liberate all sentient beings, instead of simply seeking personal freedom from suffering. In terms of the view, they realize both the selflessness of persons and the selflessness of phenomena.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • g.­27
g.­8

Brahmā

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

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 2 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­7
  • n.­16
g.­9

buddha

Wylie:
  • sangs rgyas
Tibetan:
  • སངས་རྒྱས།
Sanskrit:
  • buddha

The Indic term buddha means “awakened one” and is used in Buddhism as an epithet for the historical Buddha Siddhārtha Gautama and other fully awakened beings in general. Buddha is a past participle from the Sanskrit root budh, meaning “to awaken,” “to understand,” or “to become aware.”

Located in 3 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­1
  • 1.­10
  • g.­1
g.­10

dhāraṇī

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

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 3 passages in the translation:

  • i.­1
  • i.­5
  • g.­32
g.­11

factors of awakening

Wylie:
  • byang chub yan lag
Tibetan:
  • བྱང་ཆུབ་ཡན་ལག
Sanskrit:
  • bodhyaṅga

A list of factors conducive to and forming the components of awakening, including the following: mindfulness (smṛti), analytic observation of things (dharma­pravicaya), heroic effort (vīrya), joy (prīti), tranquility (praśrabdhi), concentration (samādhi), and equanimity (upekṣā).

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­18
  • n.­37
g.­12

four truths

Wylie:
  • bden pa bzhi
Tibetan:
  • བདེན་པ་བཞི།
Sanskrit:
  • catuḥsatya

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

The four truths that the Buddha transmitted in his first teaching: (1) suffering, (2) the origin of suffering, (3) the cessation of suffering, and (4) the path to the cessation of suffering.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­10
g.­13

god

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

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 6 passages in the translation:

  • i.­2
  • 1.­15
  • n.­27
  • g.­15
  • g.­28
  • g.­30
g.­14

immediate retribution

Wylie:
  • mtshams med
Tibetan:
  • མཚམས་མེད།
Sanskrit:
  • —

Refers to the five acts of immediate retribution (pañcānantarya), for which one will be reborn in hell immediately after death, without any intervening stages: killing an arhat, killing one’s father, killing one’s mother, causing a schism in the monastic community, and maliciously drawing blood from a tathāgata.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­25
g.­15

Īśvara

Wylie:
  • dbang phyug
Tibetan:
  • དབང་ཕྱུག
Sanskrit:
  • īśvara

The name applied to the supreme worldly god, whatever his identity. Literally “lord,” this term is often an epithet for the god Śiva.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­11
g.­16

Maheśvara

Wylie:
  • dbang phyug che
Tibetan:
  • དབང་ཕྱུག་ཆེ།
Sanskrit:
  • maheśvara

‟Great Lord,” an epithet of Śiva.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­13
g.­17

Mañjughoṣa

Wylie:
  • ’jam pa’i dbyangs
Tibetan:
  • འཇམ་པའི་དབྱངས།
Sanskrit:
  • mañjughoṣa

Common epithet of Mañjuśrī, meaning “one with a gentle voice.”

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­26
  • n.­20
g.­18

Mañjuśrī

Wylie:
  • ’jam dpal
Tibetan:
  • འཇམ་དཔལ།
Sanskrit:
  • mañjuśrī

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

Mañjuśrī is one of the “eight close sons of the Buddha” and a bodhisattva who embodies wisdom. He is a major figure in the Mahāyāna sūtras, appearing often as an interlocutor of the Buddha. In his most well-known iconographic form, he is portrayed bearing the sword of wisdom in his right hand and a volume of the Prajñā­pāramitā­sūtra in his left. To his name, Mañjuśrī, meaning “Gentle and Glorious One,” is often added the epithet Kumārabhūta, “having a youthful form.” He is also called Mañjughoṣa, Mañjusvara, and Pañcaśikha.

Located in 8 passages in the translation:

  • i.­2-3
  • 1.­2
  • 1.­23
  • n.­6
  • n.­9
  • g.­17
  • g.­35
g.­19

Māra

Wylie:
  • bdud
Tibetan:
  • བདུད།
Sanskrit:
  • māra

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

Māra, literally “death” or “maker of death,” is the name of the deva who tried to prevent the Buddha from achieving awakening, the name given to the class of beings he leads, and also an impersonal term for the destructive forces that keep beings imprisoned in saṃsāra:

(1) As a deva, Māra is said to be the principal deity in the Heaven of Making Use of Others’ Emanations (paranirmitavaśavartin), the highest paradise in the desire realm. He famously attempted to prevent the Buddha’s awakening under the Bodhi tree‍—see The Play in Full (Toh 95), 21.1‍—and later sought many times to thwart the Buddha’s activity. In the sūtras, he often also creates obstacles to the progress of śrāvakas and bodhisattvas. (2) The devas ruled over by Māra are collectively called mārakāyika or mārakāyikadevatā, the “deities of Māra’s family or class.” In general, these māras too do not wish any being to escape from saṃsāra, but can also change their ways and even end up developing faith in the Buddha, as exemplified by Sārthavāha; see The Play in Full (Toh 95), 21.14 and 21.43. (3) The term māra can also be understood as personifying four defects that prevent awakening, called (i) the divine māra (devaputra­māra), which is the distraction of pleasures; (ii) the māra of Death (mṛtyumāra), which is having one’s life interrupted; (iii) the māra of the aggregates (skandhamāra), which is identifying with the five aggregates; and (iv) the māra of the afflictions (kleśamāra), which is being under the sway of the negative emotions of desire, hatred, and ignorance.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­16
g.­20

muñja

Wylie:
  • mun dza
Tibetan:
  • མུན་ཛ།
Sanskrit:
  • muñja

Tripidium bengalense, a plant species indigenous to Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, northern India, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Myanmar. Its fiber was commonly sourced for the manufacture of ropes.

Located in 3 passages in the translation:

  • i.­2
  • 1.­7
  • n.­15
g.­21

nāga

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

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 4 passages in the translation:

  • i.­2
  • 1.­14
  • g.­4
  • g.­28
g.­22

nirvāṇa

Wylie:
  • mya ngan ’das
Tibetan:
  • མྱ་ངན་འདས།
Sanskrit:
  • nirvāṇa

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 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­21
g.­23

pratyekabuddha

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

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 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­10
g.­24

Śiva

Wylie:
  • zhi ba
Tibetan:
  • ཞི་བ།
Sanskrit:
  • śiva

Major deity in the pantheon of the classical Indian religious traditions.

Located in 6 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­11
  • n.­24
  • n.­29
  • g.­15
  • g.­16
  • g.­25
g.­25

Skanda

Wylie:
  • skems byed
Tibetan:
  • སྐེམས་བྱེད།
Sanskrit:
  • skanda

Son of Śiva and commander of his hosts.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­14
  • n.­29
g.­26

states of misery

Wylie:
  • ngan ’gro
Tibetan:
  • ངན་འགྲོ།
Sanskrit:
  • durgati

A collective name for the realms of animals, anguished spirits (pretas), and hell beings.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­6
g.­27

ten bhūmis

Wylie:
  • sa bcu
Tibetan:
  • ས་བཅུ།
Sanskrit:
  • daśabhūmi

The ten stations of spiritual realization to be attained by those on the bodhisattva path, prior to their attainment of buddhahood. These are also presented as seven, thirteen, or fifty-two.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­20
g.­28

three existences

Wylie:
  • srid pa gsum
Tibetan:
  • སྲིད་པ་གསུམ།
Sanskrit:
  • tribhava

Usually synonymous with the three realms of desire, form, and formlessness. Sometimes it means the realm of gods above, humans on the ground, and nāgas below ground.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­4
g.­29

Vaiśravaṇa

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

One of the Four Great Kings, he presides over the northern quarter and rules over the yakṣas. He is also known as Kubera and is regarded as a wealth deity.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­13
g.­30

Varuṇa

Wylie:
  • chu lha
Tibetan:
  • ཆུ་ལྷ།
Sanskrit:
  • varuṇa

The name of one of the oldest of the Vedic gods, associated with the waters.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­13
g.­31

Vemacitra

Wylie:
  • thags zangs ris
Tibetan:
  • ཐགས་ཟངས་རིས།
Sanskrit:
  • vemacitra

King of the asuras.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­14
g.­32

vidyāmantra

Wylie:
  • rig sngags
Tibetan:
  • རིག་སྔགས།
Sanskrit:
  • vidyāmantra

A sacred utterance or spell made for the purpose of attaining either worldly or transcendent benefits. Although a technical term in its own right, vidyāmantra is often used interchangeably with terms such as dhāraṇī, dhāraṇīmantra, and guhyamantra.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­23
g.­33

Viṣṇu

Wylie:
  • khyab ’jug
Tibetan:
  • ཁྱབ་འཇུག
Sanskrit:
  • viṣṇu

One of the principal deities in the Brahmanical pantheon.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­13
g.­34

yakṣa

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

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 1 passage in the translation:

  • g.­29
g.­35

Youthful Mañjuśrī

Wylie:
  • ’jam dpal gzhon nur gyur pa
Tibetan:
  • འཇམ་དཔལ་གཞོན་ནུར་གྱུར་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • mañjuśrī­kumāra­bhūta

A specific epithet of Mañjuśrī.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­1
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    84000. One Hundred and Eight Names of Mañjuśrī (Mañjuśrīnāmāṣṭaśataka, ’jam dpal gyi mtshan brgya rtsa brgyad pa, Toh 642). Translated by Tibetan Classics Translators Guild of New York. Online publication. 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2024. https://84000.co/translation/toh642.Copy
    84000. One Hundred and Eight Names of Mañjuśrī (Mañjuśrīnāmāṣṭaśataka, ’jam dpal gyi mtshan brgya rtsa brgyad pa, Toh 642). Translated by Tibetan Classics Translators Guild of New York, online publication, 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2024, 84000.co/translation/toh642.Copy
    84000. (2024) One Hundred and Eight Names of Mañjuśrī (Mañjuśrīnāmāṣṭaśataka, ’jam dpal gyi mtshan brgya rtsa brgyad pa, Toh 642). (Tibetan Classics Translators Guild of New York, Trans.). Online publication. 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha. https://84000.co/translation/toh642.Copy

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