སེང་གེས་ཞུས་པ།

Siṃha’s Questions

Siṃhaparipṛcchā

འཕགས་པ་སེང་གེས་ཞུས་པ་ཞེས་བྱ་བ་ཐེག་པ་ཆེན་པོའི་མདོ།

’phags pa seng ges zhus pa zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo

The Noble Great Vehicle Sūtra “Siṃha’s Questions”

Āryasiṃhaparipṛcchānāmamahāyānasūtra

Toh 81

Degé Kangyur, vol. 44 (dkon brtsegs, cha), folios 27.a–29.b

ᴛʀᴀɴsʟᴀᴛᴇᴅ ɪɴᴛᴏ ᴛɪʙᴇᴛᴀɴ ʙʏ

Dānaśīla
Munivarman
Yeshé Dé

Translated by the Kīrtimukha Translation Group
under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha

First published 2022

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Summary

s.1

At the opening of this sūtra, King Ajātaśatru’s son Siṃha and his five hundred attendants approach the Buddha, who is on Vulture Peak. After paying homage and offering golden parasols, Siṃha asks the Buddha a series of questions about the conduct of bodhisattvas. The Buddha answers each of Siṃha’s questions with a series of verses describing the various karmic causes that result in the qualities and attributes of bodhisattvas. Afterward, when Siṃha and his attendants promise to train in this teaching, the Buddha smiles, causing the three-thousandfold world system to quake. When the bodhisattva Ajita asks the Buddha why he smiled, the Buddha explains that Siṃha and all of his companions will become buddhas and establish buddhafields similar to that of Amitābha.

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Acknowledgements

ac.1

This sūtra was translated by the Kīrtimukha Translation Group in Boulder, Colorado. Celso Wilkinson, Laura Goetz, and L. S. Summer translated the text from the Tibetan and Sanskrit. Thank you to William Giddings for serving as consultant for inquiries related to the Chinese versions of the text. Also, thank you to Tsultrim Delek for answering some of our questions regarding the Tibetan.

ac.2

The translation was completed under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.

Introduction

i.1

Siṃha’s Questions is listed as the thirty-seventh chapter of the Ratnakūṭa (Heap of Jewels) section of the Kangyur and was translated into Tibetan from an unknown Sanskrit source in the early ninth century by the Indian scholars Dānaśīla and Munivarman and the Tibetan translator and chief editor Yeshé Dé. It is listed in both ninth-century imperial catalogs, the Denkarma and Phangthangma.1

i.2

There are three versions of the text found in the Chinese Tripiṭaka. The translator of Taishō 344, the first and likely earliest version of the sūtra, is unknown.2 Taishō 343 was translated by Dharmarakṣa (zhu fa hu 竺法護) during the Jing Dynasty, around 200–300 ᴄᴇ. The text was again revised in China by the Indian translator Bodhiruci (pu ti liu zhi 菩提流志) sometime between 706 and 713, when he undertook a project to translate the Ratnakūṭa collection as a whole (Taishō 310) into Chinese. At that time, Siṃha’s Questions was included among fifteen sūtras that Bodhiruci chose to retranslate while accepting into his collection the Chinese of twenty-two other sūtras that had been translated previously.3

i.3

Any Sanskrit original was thought to be lost until recently, when a Sanskrit manuscript of Siṃha’s Questions, along with nineteen other sūtras, was found in the Potala Palace in Lhasa. Bhikṣuṇī Vinītā published a critical edition of this collection in the series Sanskrit Texts from the Autonomous Region (2010) along with an emended edition of the Sanskrit, parallel editions of the Tibetan and Chinese, an English translation based on the Sanskrit, and reference to other Tibetan and Chinese recensions in the notes. Unfortunately, due to the manuscript’s inaccessibility and the collection missing a final colophon, its origin and date are currently unknown.4

i.4

The sūtra is not particularly well known, but verses of it are quoted in a few Indian commentaries, including Śāntideva’s training anthology, the Śikṣāsamuccaya. It is also quoted in some Tibetan commentaries, usually in the context of using the Buddha’s words to verify that a certain virtuous practice is the concordant cause for developing a particular positive result or quality.5

i.5

Siṃha’s Questions presents the practices of bodhisattvas through a question-and-answer dialogue between the Buddha and Prince Siṃha, the son of King Ajātaśatru of Magadha. At the beginning of the sūtra, Siṃha and five hundred of his attendants approach the Buddha and supplicate him, each offering a golden parasol. Feeling confident, Siṃha asks the Buddha a series of questions about the conduct of bodhisattvas concerning how one attains the various sublime qualities and attributes possessed by bodhisattvas and by the Buddha himself. The Buddha then directly answers each question, listing the practice or virtuous conduct that acts as the concordant cause for acquiring each particular quality. The dialogue thereby becomes an elementary teaching on virtuous causes and results, encompassing a broad range of attainments and how they are accomplished through the proper virtuous activity.

i.6

The dialogue between Siṃha and the Buddha seems to keep a wide audience in mind, discussing matters that could potentially appeal to a layperson’s worldly interests, such as acquiring wealth, beauty, power, and loyal servants. However, the primary focus of Siṃha’s series of questions remains how to correctly follow the practices of bodhisattvas and attain the final goal of becoming a buddha. Even when his questions are concerned with how to attain wealth and power, they can be understood to be relevant to a bodhisattva’s career (to attract followers, etc.), and we can surmise that Siṃha’s interest in them is for the benefit of others.

i.7

At the conclusion of the sūtra, Siṃha and his attendants promise to follow this teaching. The Buddha is pleased and gives them an extraordinary prophecy: Siṃha and all five hundred attendants will become buddhas and will, three hundred eons after the emanation of Maitreya, in an eon called Great Illumination, establish buddhafields “like that of Amitābha.”

i.8

Prince Siṃha himself is an elusive figure in Buddhist literature. While his father, King Ajātaśatru, is quite famous in the sūtras, any mention of this particular Siṃha seems to be unique to this sūtra. King Ajātaśatru’s other son and eventual successor, Udayabhadra, is much better known in the histories and literature, but from our research there does not seem to be any connection between these two princes, nor mention of Siṃha, outside of this sūtra.6

i.9

Our translation is based primarily on the Tibetan found in the Degé Kangyur, with reference to all the recensions found in the Comparative Edition (dpe bsdur ma) and Stok Palace Kangyurs. Any significant differences in meaning between these versions have been documented in the notes. We also consulted fragments of the text found in the collection from Dunhuang, but these did not show any notable differences.7

i.10

The Sanskrit manuscript from the Potala was closely consulted, as were the Sanskrit verses quoted in the Śikṣāsamuccaya. The Sanskrit witnesses have been favored in some instances where they present a clearer reading than the Tibetan, particularly when these differences were verified by the Chinese translations. In this regard, Vinītā’s critical edition was an invaluable source, as we consulted it for the Sanskrit as well as for its comparative editions of the Tibetan and Chinese. In cases where we have referred to the Chinese, we have given preference to Bodhiruci’s translation, as it was a revision made with knowledge of the previous Chinese versions, and it also corresponds most closely with the Sanskrit manuscript. Any significant differences in meaning found in the Sanskrit and Chinese have been documented in the notes.

The Noble Great Vehicle Sūtra
Siṃha’s Questions

The Translation

[F.27.a]

1.1

Homage to all buddhas and bodhisattvas!

Thus did I hear at one time. The Blessed One was dwelling in Rājagṛha on Vulture Peak, together with a great saṅgha of 1,250 monks and a great saṅgha of bodhisattvas.8

1.2

Knowing all and seeing all,

The Victorious One is a peerless being.9

The son10 of King Ajātaśatru

Was known as Siṃha.11 {1}

1.3

Accompanied and attended

By five hundred wealthy noblemen,12 [F.27.b]

He departed from Rājagṛha

With great royal grandeur.13 {2}

1.4

Carrying golden parasols,14

They went before the perfect Buddha.

Bowing their heads to the feet of the Buddha,

They offered the five hundred parasols. {3}

1.5

Offering these to the Great Sage,

All of them set out for awakening.

By the power of the perfect Buddha,

They became fearless.15 {4}

1.6

Siṃha joined his palms in reverence

And asked the perfect Buddha,

“Will the Guide 16 please explain to me

The conduct of bodhisattvas? {5}

1.7

“How does one become beautiful?

How does one take miraculous birth?17

How does one remember previous births?

Great Sage, please give your instruction.” {6}

1.8

Knowing their pure intentions with his wisdom,

The Buddha gave his instruction:

“I will give a teaching on what you have asked:

The conduct of bodhisattvas.18 {7}

1.9

“One becomes beautiful through patience.

One takes miraculous birth by pure conduct.19

One recalls past lives by giving the Dharma.

Youth, know it to be thus!”20 {8}

1.10

“How does one manifest

The thirty-two marks, the eighty excellent signs,

And a body radiant like gold21

That delights beings upon seeing?” {9}

1.11

“The marks manifest through complete generosity.

Likewise, the excellent signs come to be through love.

The golden radiance of the victorious ones

Manifests by having an attitude of equality toward all beings.”22 {10}

1.12

“How is retention attained?

How does absorption arise?

How do statements become acceptable?

Great Sage, please give your teaching!”23 {11}

1.13

“Retention is attained through receptivity to the Dharma.

Absorption arises by training the mind.

Statements become acceptable

When one abandons senseless talk.”24 {12}

1.14

“How does one become mindful?

O Sage,25 how does one become intelligent?

How does one come to act according to the Dharma?26 [F.28.a]

O Holy Being,27 how does one become wise?”28 {13}

1.15

“One comes to possess mindfulness by being undeceiving.29

One becomes intelligent by contemplating meaning.

One comes to act according to the Dharma30 by having reverence.

One becomes wise by knowing the characteristics of phenomena.”31 {14}

1.16

“By what action is a bodhisattva32 born

In the presence of the guardians of the world?33

How do they come to ask questions

Directly34 before the guardians of the world?”35 {15}

1.17

“The one who never obstructs

The giving of Dharma

Will with great swiftness36

Come to meet the guardians of the world.”37 {16}

1.18

“How does one relinquish rebirth in inopportune states?

How does one go forth to favorable states?

How does one become heedful

Wherever one takes birth throughout all of one’s lives?” {17}

1.19

“Inopportune births are relinquished through faith.38

One goes forth to favorable states through moral discipline.

One becomes always heedful

By becoming familiar with emptiness.”39 {18}

1.20

“O Sage,40 how do bodhisattvas41

Purify their karma?

How do they dodge the snares of Māra?

How do they avoid becoming bereft of Dharma?”42 {19}

1.21

“Karma is purified through firm resolution.43

Māra is subdued through perseverance.

They avoid becoming bereft of the Dharma44

By acting according to their words.” {20}

1.22

“How does one’s voice become like the pleasing song

Of the kalaviṅka bird and like the voice of Brahmā?

O Sage,45 how does one please beings

With their diverse inclinations?”46 {21}

1.23

“The voice of Brahmā is obtained by speaking truthfully.

The voice becomes pleasing by abandoning harsh words.47

One pleases beings48

By relinquishing senseless talk and slander.”49 {22}

1.24

“How does one come to have a long life?

How does one come to have fewer illnesses?

How, O Supreme Guide,50

Does a retinue51 come to be undivided?” {23}

1.25

“One comes to have a long life by not killing.

One will have fewer illnesses by causing no harm.52

A retinue comes to be undivided

When one reconciles disputes.” {24}

1.26

“How does one obtain wealth?53 [F.28.b]

How do possessions cease to diminish?

How does one become distinguished

Wherever one is born?” {25}

1.27

“Wealth is obtained through nonattachment.54

Possessions increase by being without stinginess.

One will be distinguished wherever one is born

By being without jealousy.”55 {26}

1.28

“How does one obtain divine sight?

How does one obtain divine hearing?

And how, O Guide, does one know

The dying, transmigration, and rebirth of beings?”56 {27}

1.29

“Divine sight is obtained by giving lamps.

The ear is purified57 by giving music.

The dying, transmigration, and rebirth of beings are known through wisdom.58

Thus do these accomplishments arise.” {28}

1.30

“O Guide, how do the defilements of bodhisattvas59

Come to be exhausted?

How do they recollect previous lives?

How do they obtain miraculous powers?”60 {29}

1.31

“The miraculous powers are obtained by offering vehicles.

The recollections are gained by cultivating61 mindfulness.

They reach the cessation of defilements

By fully abandoning the two extremes.” {30}

1.32

“How is the buddhafield perfected?

How is its saṅgha perfected?

How does its light shine perfectly

Such that the ten directions are illuminated?”62 {31}63

1.33

“The buddhafield is perfected through aspiration.

The saṅgha is perfected by magnetizing disciples.64

The ten directions are illuminated brightly

By offering jeweled canopies.” {32}

1.34

“By what quality65 does one attain

The embodiment66 of all qualities,

So that a bodhisattva67 will be dear to beings

Wherever they are born?”68 {33}

1.35

“By surrendering the mind to the purpose of awakening

In order to liberate all beings,69

They attain the embodiment of all qualities

And will thus be held dear.” {34}

1.36

“In what instruction should one train,

And how should one cultivate the mind,

To become an omniscient teacher

Like you, Great Sage?” {35}70

1.37

“If one trains in being impartial

To all beings without exception,

And if the mind is cultivated in that impartiality,

One will become an all-surpassing victorious one.” {36}

1.38

“Throughout all one’s lives,

How will the mind of awakening

Never be abandoned even in a dream, [F.29.a]

Let alone while awake?”71 {37}72

1.39

“In whatever region one dwells,

Whether a village or a city,

By correctly guiding others toward awakening,

The mind of awakening is not abandoned.” {38}

1.40

“Wherever one is born,73

How can one acquire great strength

And always be elevated with power

So that even ten million māras can do no harm?”74 {39}

1.41

“In this life, if one offers the five essences 75

And gives courage to those who are afraid,

Then wherever one is born76

One will also have great strength,

Always be elevated with power,

And be unharmed even by ten million māras.”77 {40}78

1.42

Having heard this teaching

On the conduct of bodhisattvas79

Directly from the Guardian of the World,

Siṃha 80 was overjoyed.81 {41}82

1.43

He and his companions

Spoke the following words:83

“We will train

In this teaching on conduct.”84 {42}

1.44

Then the Buddha smiled,

And the trichiliocosm quaked.85

Ajita then asked the Buddha

The following question:

“Why did you smile?

Great Sage,86 please explain this!”87 {43}88

1.45

And so to Ajita

The Buddha replied,

“Ajita, please listen to the reason

That I smiled.89 {44}

1.46

“Previously,90 these boys91 assembled before

Eight hundred million buddhas and a quadrillion more.92

For the purpose of awakening,

They made offerings to those guides of humans.93 {45}

1.47

“Since the time of94 Dīpaṅkara‍—

The perfect buddha,95 supreme among people96‍—

I have been ripening

These brahmin boys.97 {46}

1.48

“When the splendid98 eon called

Great Illumination 99 arises,

In that single eon

They will all become guides.100 {47}101

1.49

“They will become guides for the world

Named Jñānaketudhvaja,102

And their array will be

Just like that of Amitābha. {48}

1.50

“From the time of Maitreya

Through three hundred full eons, [F.29.b]

They will always

Meet with buddhas.103 {49}

1.51

“Moreover, whoever hears but the name

Under which they attain awakening

Shall, without exception, become incomparable

And omniscient beings in the world.104 {50}

1.52

“Whoever, on hearing this prophecy,105

Becomes inspired

Will have merit unparalleled

Throughout these three worlds. {51}

1.53

“Consider someone who for six thousand eons

Filled up all the buddhafields 106

With jewels and offered them

For the purpose of awakening.107 {52}

1.54

“The tally of that person’s merit

Could never match or compare to

Hearing this Dharma presentation108

And setting out for the sake of awakening.”109 {53}

1.55

When this Dharma had been expounded,

By the power of the Protector of the World,110

The gods brought down a rain of flowers,

And the trichiliocosm quaked. {54}

1.56

Siṃha, along with his companions,111

Obtained the five superknowledges and,

Having made offerings for one week,

Took ordination in the teaching.112 {55}

1.57

All of them obtained absorption

And inexhaustible113 retention.

Wishing to accomplish114 the welfare of beings,

They brought them to115 the Dharma of the buddhas.116 {56}

1.58

When this Dharma presentation was taught, eight hundred million beings set out for supreme awakening.117 When the Blessed One had spoken, Siṃha, along with his companions and the world with its gods, humans, asuras, and gandharvas, rejoiced and praised the words of the Blessed One.118

1.59

This concludes the thirty-seventh chapter, “Siṃha’s Questions,” from the eleven hundred chapters of the Dharma presentation of The Noble Great Heap of Jewels.

Colophon

c.1

The Indian preceptors Dānaśīla and Munivarman and the chief editor-translator Bandé Yeshé Dé translated, edited, and finalized this according to the new lexical register.

ab.

Abbreviations

D	Degé (sde dge) Kangyur
H	Lhasa (zhol) Kangyur
K	Kangxi (Peking late 17th century) Kangyur
N	Narthang (snar thang) Kangyur
S	Stok Palace (stog pho brang bris ma) Kangyur
Sanskrit	Sanskrit manuscript found in the Potala Palace (see introduction and bibliography)
Taishō 310	8th century Chinese translation by Bodhiruci (菩提流志), Taishō 310 (37)
Taishō 343	3rd century Chinese translation by Dharmarakṣa (竺法護)
Taishō 344	An early Chinese translation by unknown translators
Y	Yongle (g.yung lo) Kangyur
Śikṣ	Sanskrit text of Śikṣāsamuccaya by Śāntideva

Notes

n.1

In both catalogs it is listed as being sixty ślokas in length, although the Phangthangma notably does not list it under the Ratnakūṭa collection but instead includes it among a general list of short sūtras less than one bampo in length.

n.2

Vinītā 2010, vol. I,2, p. 456.

n.3

Pederson 1980, p. 60.

n.4

Currently the manuscript is kept in the Potala Palace in Lhasa. Vinītā’s critical edition is based on a copy of the manuscript kept in the China Tibetology Research Center. For further details on the state of this manuscript see Vinītā 2010, vol. I,1, pp. xv–xvii.

n.5

Our research has revealed two Sakya texts that quote a text called seng ges zhus pa (Siṃha’s Questions), saying that it decries the negative effects of giving someone alcohol: “If one gives alcohol to another, one will be born five hundred times with crippled limbs” (gzhan la chang sbyin na skye ba lnga brgyar lag rdum du skye). See Könchok Lhündrup and Sangyé Phuntsok, sa skya’i chos ’byung gces bsdus volume 4, p. 55; the same quote is found in Künga Sangpo, kun dga’ bzang po’i bka’ ’bum, volume 4, folio 314.a (p. 627). However, this passage is not found in any version of the text known to us. In fact, the sūtra seems to only discuss virtuous causes for positive qualities and does not discuss the inverse negative ones.

n.6

Our research included a thorough survey of Sanskrit, Pali, and Tibetan resources for any mention of Siṃha. There is a Licchavi general named Sīha (the Pali equivalent of Siṃha), who questions the Buddha about generosity, found in the Anguttara Nikāya of the Pali canon (A.iii.38f; iv.79f), but he is unrelated to the Prince Siṃha of this sūtra. Further research on Siṃha’s identity might consider untranslated Chinese sources, which falls outside the scope of this project.

n.7

The first of the two fragments, IOL Tib J 201, is not currently available. The second fragment, IOL Tib J 202, did not show any significant difference from the passages found in the Kangyur witnesses.

n.8

The opening in the Sanskrit manuscript is somewhat unclear, as the traditional opening itself immediately enters into verse, and the description of the Buddha’s retinue is omitted. Vinītā suggests it is likely that this opening became corrupted through the processes of versification. See Vinītā 2010, vol. I,2, p. 456. Vinītā’s conjectural reconstruction for this opening is as follows: “Thus have I heard. At one time the Blessed One left Rājagṛha, / the victor, the unparalleled one, would roam about at the Vulture’s Peak” (evaṃ mayā śrutam ekasmin samaye bhagavān rājagṛhāt samuddhitaḥ | vyavahared gṛdhrakūṭe jino hy apratipudgalaḥ ||). “And together with a great saṅgha of bodhisattvas” is missing in Taishō 310.

n.9

These two lines are included in the first verse of the Potala Sanskrit manuscript, where Vinītā has conjecturally reconstructed the phrase jino hy apratipudgalaḥ (“the victor, the unparalleled one”). Because of this, verses 1–4 of the Tibetan are out of line with the Sanskrit but realign with verse 5 in both editions due to the omission in the Sanskrit of the second half of verse 4 (see n.15). These two lines are absent in Taishō 310.

n.10

Taishō 310 reads “the beloved son” (所愛之子).

n.11

It is curious that the anonymously translated Chinese version (Taishō 344) names the prince 和休 (he xiu). Old Chinese phonology (Karlgren 1957) give this as g’ăb χia̯b or similar, whereas Tang dynasty reconstructions (Stimson 1976) would suggest *huɑ*xiou, which approximates the Indic siṃha only if the sequence of syllables is reversed. Assuming the possibility that 和休 is metathesis, 休和 may denote an attempt to transcribe the Prakrit form sīha (Woolner 1912, p. 213), which also means “Lion.”

n.12

The N, H, and S editions of the Kangyur differ from D and the Sanskrit, as they all have “noblewomen,” or literally “daughters of merchants” (tshong dpon bu mo); however, all the Kangyur editions later on in verse 47 refer to Siṃha’s attendants as “these brahmin boys” (bram ze’i khye’u). Usually, the term khye’u refers to boys, so we have translated it accordingly. Taishō 310 reads “five hundred friends” (與其同友五百人俱。).

n.13

This line is absent in Taishō 310.

n.14

Taishō 310 has “various types of parasols” (種種幢幡寶蓋) rather than “golden parasols.”

n.15

These last two lines in verse 4 are not found in the Sanskrit edition or any of the Chinese translations.

n.16

Taishō 310 has “Tathāgata” (如來).

n.17

Taishō 310 reads “How can one be lotus-born?” (蓮花中化生).

n.18

This verse is rendered in prose in Taishō 310 as “At that time, the Tathāgata, who had reached the shore of perfection in all conduct, replied to the question and spoke the following verses” (爾時如來了達諸行究竟彼岸, 隨問而答即說頌曰).

n.19

Taishō 310 reads that the cause for miraculous birth is generosity (Ch. 施, correlating to Skt. dāna). The line in Taishō 310 reads, “One becomes lotus-born through giving” (施蓮花化生).

n.20

Śikṣ places the last two lines of verse 8 after verse 16, which also refers to the giving of Dharma.

n.21

This third line of the verse is absent in Taishō 310.

n.22

The last two lines of this verse read differently in Taishō 310: “Through having an attitude of equality toward all beings, one has the form that delights beings upon seeing” (等心於眾生，觀者無厭足).

n.23

This fourth line of this verse is absent in Taishō 310.

n.24

The fourth line of this verse in Taishō 310 reads, “when one respects all beings” (敬重於眾生).

n.25

Omitted in the Sanskrit, which gives “O Great Sage” (mahāmune) in the fourth line.

n.26

Tib. chos spyod ’gyur; Sanskrit: gatimān (“imbued with practices”).

n.27

The Sanskrit has “O Great Sage” (mahāmune).

n.28

The last two lines of Taishō 310 read, “[How can they achieve] practicing as taught in Dharma; [How can they be] solid […] and indestructible?” (如法而修行，堅固不可壞). Vinītā 2010, vol. I,2, p. 471, note c.

n.29

Tib. g.yo med pa (“undeceiving”) can also be read as “unwavering”; however, the Sanskrit aśaṭhaḥ (“not being false”) and the Chinese 不諂 (“not flattering”) support the former connotation used here. The Tibetan g.yo ba med pa (=aśaṭhaḥ) is attested in Negi 1993, p. 6088.

n.30

See n.26.

n.31

The Sanskrit manuscript reads paṇḍito dharmarakṣayā (“One becomes wise by safeguarding the Dharma”). Taishō 310 reads, “by protecting Dharma his mind becomes solid” (尊重所修行，護法心堅固). Vinītā 2010, vol. I,2, p. 473, note a.

n.32

Reading the Sanskrit. In the Tibetan the subject is omitted.

n.33

We are here following the Sanskrit manuscript and Chinese by placing this epithet for buddhas in the plural, since the Tibetan is ambiguous as to whether it is singular or plural. Although here in Siṃha’s question this might seem a bit odd, due to the cosmology that is referenced later on in the sūtra, it makes sense for Siṃha to speak about meeting with many buddhas throughout the multi-lifetime career of a bodhisattva.

n.34

D: mngon sum du; Sanskrit: viśāradaḥ (“with confidence”).

n.35

The last two lines of this verse read differently in Taishō 310: “As [we] come to ask for the subtle truth, may the Tathāgata tell [us about it]” (能請微妙義, 唯願如來說).

n.36

This third line in Taishō 310 reads, “By doing that, he will always be able to…” (因此故恆得).

n.37

Taishō 310 reads “tathāgatas” (諸如來) rather than “guardians of the world.”

n.38

Sanskrit: śrāddho ’kṣaṇaṃ varjayati. Śikṣ quotes as śrāddhayā kṣaṇam akṣaṇaṃ varjayati (“Opportune and inopportune births are relinquished through faith”).

n.39

Here the Sanskrit applies the adverb “always” to “becoming familiar,” which are both in the same pāda in the Sanskrit manuscript: śūnyatāṃ bhāvayen nityam.

n.40

Omitted in the Sanskrit and Taishō 310.

n.41

The Sanskrit has the singular bodhisattvaḥ.

n.42

The last two lines of this verse in Taishō 310 read “How can he be loved by all in every lifespan?” (而於世世中，為眾之所愛). Vinītā 2010, vol. I,2, p. 477, note c.

n.43

Here we are following the Sanskrit adhimokṣa (“firm resolution”), which is confirmed by Taishō 310, 勝解. The Tibetan has rnam par grol ba (“complete liberation”), which in this case would suggest the Sanskrit back-translation vimokṣa.

n.44

Taishō 310 reads “he will be loved wherever he is born” (如說而修行，所生令眾愛). Vinītā (2010), vol. I,2, 473, note e.

n.45

“O Sage” is absent in Taishō 310.

n.46

The last two lines of this verse in Taishō 310 read, “How does one make beings / feel delighted upon seeing them?” (云何令世間，見者皆歡喜).

n.47

This line in Taishō 310 reads, “The voice becomes like the song of the kalaviṅka bird through speaking gentle words” (迦陵由軟語).

n.48

For this line, Taishō 310 has “One makes those who see them feel delighted” (見者皆歡喜).

n.49

Here an equivalent of the Tibetan term phra ma (“slander”) is not found in the Sanskrit manuscript (which would have read as piśuna or paiśunya), though it is found in Taishō 310. See also Silk’s analysis of this section, where he offers a very different reading of the unemended manuscript: “Who separates the united pleases one of multiple inclinations.” Silk 2013, p. 78.

n.50

The Sanskrit has “O Great Sage” (mahāmune).

n.51

Following the Sanskrit, which gives the singular pārivara. The Tibetan has g.yog ’khor rnams (“attendants”).

n.52

Rather than “by causing no harm,” Taishō 310 has “by reducing the sorrow of others” (除他憂).

n.53

Here term don (Skt. arthāḥ) is translated as “wealth.”

n.54

D: chags pa med pas; Sanskrit: alobhena. Taishō 310 has “being without jealousy” (Ch. 不嫉) to be the cause of obtaining wealth, although it may be implied that this is jealousy for other’s wealth, which would correlate to alobha in the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has “being without jealousy” (phrag dog med pas) as the cause for the third quality in the Buddha’s reply, for being “distinguished wherever one is born.”

n.55

For the last two lines of this verse the Sanskrit reads, “Without envy, one is distinguished. Being humble, one always becomes the best” (anīrṣayā maheśatvaṃ nirmānāgragataḥ sadā ||). Taishō 310 is closer to the Sanskrit reading here: “Be humble to accomplish honor, / And one will possess might, power, and ease” (謙下成尊貴，有威德自在).

n.56

Verses 27 through 30 constitute the six superknowledges (ṣaḍabhijñā), although for the third among these, which is represented in the last two lines of this verse, the Sanskrit reads differently: “How, O Guide, does one come to know / The arising thoughts of beings?” (cittotpattiṃ ca sattvānāṃ jānīte kena nāyaka). Taishō 310’s parallel verse supports the Sanskrit, although the two sets of questions appear in separate locations in the text and in the opposite order. The two older Chinese translations support the Tibetan, representing the third superknowledge as knowing the death and transmigration of beings, rather than their thoughts.

n.57

Rather than “the ear is purified,” Taishō 310 reads “divine hearing is obtained” (成天耳).

n.58

Here the Sanskrit reads cittotpattijñatā jñānād (“The arising thoughts of beings are known through wisdom”). Taishō 310 says this is acquired through “avoiding the two extremes” ( 捨離於二邊).

n.59

This translation follows the reading in the Sanskrit witness, which gives the plural bodhisattvānām.

n.60

In Taishō 310 the order of these lines is different: miraculous powers come first, followed by previous lives and then defilements.

n.61

Tib. bsgom pa. While Vinītā gives the emended Sanskrit abhyāsād (“constancy”), Silk prefers the unemended manuscript reading of anāśād (“nondestruction”). Silk 2013, p. 78.

n.62

The third and fourth lines of this verse read differently in Taishō 310: “How does one obtain perfect light that follows the body? The ocean of merits is to be explained” (獲隨體圓光，功德海當说).

n.63

Verses 31 and 32 here appear later in the Sanskrit manuscript as Siṃha’s last question in the series, right after verse 40. The sequence of verses here follows the Tibetan translation.

n.64

For this line, Taishō 310 has “The saṅgha is perfected through the power of patience” (忍力眾成就).

n.65

Tib. chos; Sanskrit and Śikṣ have karman (“deed”).

n.66

Tib. bsdu ba; Sanskrit: saṃgraha. Vinītā interprets this to mean one “attracts” all qualities. Vinītā 2010, vol. I,2, p. 489.

n.67

The Sanskrit omits “bodhisattva.”

n.68

This verse is somewhat different in the Potala Sanskrit manuscript: “Through what act / Are all the dharmas included? / O Leader, how does one become / Dear to all beings?” (saṃgrahaḥ sarvadharmāṇāṃ karmaṇā kena jāyate | priyaś ca sarvasattvānāṃ kathaṃ bhavati nāyaka ||). Note that the Sanskrit gives two questions here, while in the Tibetan there is only one. This verse is cited in Śikṣ; while the first two lines are identical to the Potala Sanskrit manuscript, the second two lines support the Tibetan: priyaś ca bhoti sattvānāṃ yatra yatropapadyate.

n.69

Taishō 310 reads differently: “By having sufficient great aspiration / And by not retreating from the mind of awakening” (勝志樂具足，不退菩提心). “In order to liberate all beings” is absent.

n.70

There is no parallel for verses 35 and 36 in any of the Chinese translations.

n.71

This last line of the verse is absent in Taishō 310.

n.72

The following two verses, 37 and 38, are quoted in Śīkṣ. The content is quite similar to the Sanskrit manuscript. However, Siṃha’s question has been changed to a statement by exchanging the interrogative (kena) for a demonstrative pronoun (tena).

n.73

The first line of this verse is absent in Taishō 310.

n.74

Given the omission of the first line in Taishō 310 of this verse, the fourth line differs as well: “Hopefully the Honored One will explain it” (唯願人尊說).

n.75

There is a parallel of this phrase found in the Divyāvadāna, where the Buddha describes thirty-seven ways that a wise person offers gifts: “He gives a gift of the five essences, which results in his having great strength in all his lives to come.” Rotman 2017, p. 265.

n.76

This line is absent in Taishō 310.

n.77

This final line of the verse is absent in Taishō 310.

n.78

This verse is extended by half a verse’s length in both the Tibetan and Sanskrit.

n.79

Reading the Sanskrit, which gives the plural bodhisattvānām.

n.80

Sanskrit has nṛpātmaja (“son of the king”), rather than siṃha.

n.81

The last three lines of this verse are absent in Taishō 310.

n.82

From here onward, Taishō 310 is in prose rather than verse.

n.83

Sanskrit adds prāñjalir (“with hands folded in respect”).

n.84

The N and H editions of the Kangyur have “steadfast conduct” (spyod pa brtan pa). The Sanskrit adds “O Sage” (mune).

n.85

For the last two lines of verse 43, the Sanskrit reads “The Buddha revealed a smile illuminating numerous fields” (smitaṃ prāviṣkarod buddho ’nekakṣetrāvabhāsakam |). Taishō 310 matches the Sanskrit.

n.86

Tib. thub chen; Sanskrit has the vocative “Lord” (vibho).

n.87

In Taishō 310, “please explain this” is followed by “to rid us of doubts” (斷除疑惑).

n.88

This verse is expanded by the two lines of verse in the Tibetan. It is of regular meter length in the Sanskrit.

n.89

“Please listen to the reason / That I smiled” is absent in Taishō 310.

n.90

“Previously” (purā) is taken from the Sanskrit. Taishō 310 also reflects this with 於往昔.

n.91

In the Chinese version, the subject is “the prince and his five hundred friends” (此王子等五百同友).

n.92

Here the Sanskrit reads this number as eighty koṭis and twelve niyutas. Taishō 310 has ten niyutas and eighty koṭis (十那由他八十億).

n.93

“They made offerings to the guides of humans” is absent in Taishō 310.

n.94

Tib. tshun chad du; Sanskrit has upāharya, “after having offered…” (according to Vinītā’s emendation, upahāya is found in the Sanskrit manuscript). Vinītā 2010, p. 498, n. 4.

n.95

Sanskrit has mahārṣim (“great sage”).

n.96

The phrase “supreme among people” is absent in the Chinese.

n.97

For the last two pādas of this verse the Sanskrit reads, “I have ripened them when they showed promise of accomplishment” (paripācitā mayā caite yadā siddhipradāyakāḥ ||). Taishō 310 also includes “When I came before the Buddha Dīpaṅkara as a young brahmin I brought them to ripen” (而我往在然燈佛時。作婆羅門子成熟於彼). This addition, implying that the Buddha was there with the five hundred brahmin boys, relates to the narrative of the brahmin Megha, a previous incarnation of the Buddha Śākyamuni who made an offering to the Buddha Dīpaṅkara and received from him the prophecy that he would someday attain buddhahood as Śākyamuni. The Mahāvastu recounts this narrative while also mentioning five hundred brahmins who were fellow students of Megha, although it does not mention them going before Dīpaṅkara. See Conze 1973, pp. 20–24.

n.98

This reading follows D: mdzes pa, which comes close to reflecting the Sanskrit suśobhana; K has mdzes po; Y, H, N, and S have “great” (chen po).

n.99

The name of this eon varies significantly among the Chinese versions: Taishō 310 has 安樂光嚴 (“Adorned with Radiant Peace and Happiness,” Skt. Sukhaprabhāśubha), although 光嚴 may just be a description of the eon as being “splendid” (śobha), in which case the proper name would just be 安樂 “Peace and Happiness”; Taishō 343 has 摩訶波羅會, which is possibly a transliteration for “Mahābala”; and Taishō 344 has 摩訶波羅蜜, a transliteration for “Mahāpāramitā.”

n.100

The Sanskrit has “the most excellent among humans” (dvipadottamāḥ). “In that single eon / They will all become guides” is absent in the Chinese.

n.101

The Sanskrit places here what is verse 49 in the Tibetan, thus reading the verses in the alternate order: 49, 47, 48; and then syncing up again with the Tibetan at verse 50.

n.102

The Chinese affirms that this implies they will all have the same name. This name predicted for the five hundred varies significantly among the Chinese versions: Taishō 310 has 智慧幢相 (“Wisdom Banner,” Skt. Jñānadhvaja); Taishō 343 has an unclear transliteration, 若那伎頭陀耶; and Taishō 344 has 若那頸頭陀那, possibly as transliteration for Jñānagadhutana.

n.103

In Taishō 310 this passage reads differently: “All of them will always be miraculously born in the presence of Maitreya and other blessed ones in the future and sincerely make offerings to them. And thus, they will serve one billion blessed ones for three hundred eons” (彼諸人於未來世彌勒佛等諸世尊前，恆受化生親承供養，如是奉事十億如來滿三百劫). Taishō 310 then includes an additional unique passage here: “The lattermost of these buddhas will be named Boundless Wisdom, well trained in all dharmas. At that time, the Buddha Boundless Wisdom will know the hearts of all those people as desiring happiness, and so, appropriately for each, he will grant an account of their achievements of unsurpassable, truly perfect awakening” (其最後佛號無邊智善學諸法。時無邊智佛。知彼諸人心之欲樂。各隨所應。為授阿耨多羅三藐三菩提記). This is the only mention of the Buddha Boundless Wisdom (無邊智) in the Taishō Tripiṭaka. Boundless Wisdom is predicted to be the last buddha of the far distant future that Siṃha and his five hundred companions will meet during their long careers as bodhisattvas. For this verse the Sanskrit reads, “Now and in the future, after honoring sixty koṭis of great sages, they will become guides [i.e., buddhas]” (adhunānāgate ’py ete ṣaṣṭi koṭī maharṣiṇām | maitreyādīn samabhyarcya bhaviṣyanti vināyakāḥ ||). The Tibetan gives a translation for vināyaka (rnam par dren pa) in verse 47, where the Sanskrit gives dvipadottama. See n.100.

n.104

For this verse the Sanskrit reads, “Moreover, whoever shall hear but the name of those bodhisattvas / Will have no doubts in awakening or fear of the path toward it” (ye caiṣāṃ bodhisattvānāṃ nāmaṃ śroṣyanti kevalam | na teṣāṃ saṃśayo bodher nāpi tadgatito bhayam ||). These lines are absent in Taishō 310.

n.105

The Tibetan and Sanskrit here (lung bstan, vyākaraṇa) could arguably refer to either the prophecy or the teaching given previous to it. Taishō 310 describes the term as an “explanation” (所説).

n.106

Here the Sanskrit describes filling one thousand buddhafields for one hundred koṭi eons.

n.107

“For the purpose of awakening” is absent in the Chinese.

n.108

The Sanskrit has “hearing this true Dharma one will/shall (optative) have confidence in it” (saṃśrutya saddharmaṃ śraddadhyād). Taishō 310 has “the roots of virtue that are born by hearing this Dharma presentation” (聞是經典所生善根).

n.109

“And setting out for the sake of awakening” is absent in Taishō 310.

n.110

For these first two lines the Sanskrit has “Eighty koṭis of beings advanced toward the highest awakening” (koṭiyāśīti sattvānām agrabodhau pratasthire). Taishō 310 matches the Sanskrit.

n.111

The Sanskrit has “most excellent youths” (śreṣṭhisutaiḥ).

n.112

The Sanskrit omits “in the teaching.”

n.113

The Sanskrit omits “inexhaustible.”

n.114

Reading the Sanskrit: sattvārthaṃ sampupūrṣanto. See Vinītā 2010, vol. I,2, p. 509, note c.

n.115

Sanskrit has “through the exhibition of the Dharma of the buddhas” (buddhadharmanidarśanāt).

n.116

There is no parallel for this last verse in the Chinese. Taishō 310 includes a unique concluding passage here that describes the rejoicing assembly and affirms that the Buddha had eliminated any of Siṃha’s doubts: “At that time the bodhisattvas, all the gods, and all those who were inspired toward the great awakening rejoiced as they saw the prince and his companions demonstrate their superpowers in accordance with the wishes of all. They said, ‘The doubts of Prince Siṃha are all expelled by the Tathāgata, the Dharma King. Thus is the inconceivability of the Blessed One. His true Dharma, his pure faith, and their fruits are inconceivable. There is no limit or end to the Tathāgata’s merits; there is no Dharma that he has not attained. He causes those who are not awakened to become awakened; his capability pervades all realms, as he has attained the complete Dharma of the three times. After hearing such a collection of merits that results in pleasure and peace, who among the wise would not have their faith and satisfaction arise and be inspired toward awakening?’ ” (爾時諸菩薩摩訶薩及諸天人，所有趣向大菩提者，見彼王子與諸同友隨眾所樂示現神變，皆大歡喜. 咸作是言：「師子王子所問疑惑，如來法王悉為除斷。如是世尊不可思議，如來正法及能信受，乃至果報不可思議。如來功德無量無邊，於一切法靡不明達。為世導師度未度者，普能遍於十方世界，悉已了知三世諸法。誰有智者得聞如是生安樂處功德之聚，而不發起猛利信樂, 趣求菩提？」).

n.117

The beginning of this paragraph is omitted in the Sanskrit. There, the line “eight hundred million beings set out for supreme awakening” is found in verse 54 (koṭiyāśīti sattvānām agrabodhau pratasthire).

n.118

The Sanskrit continues in verse up to this point. Verse 57 in the Sanskrit corresponds to this paragraph, which is much briefer in the Sanskrit, as much of the audience is omitted: “Thus the Blessed One having spoken, Prince Siṃha was pleased. The entire world with its gods was delighted by the words of the Sage” (idaṃ hy avocad bhagavāṃs tuṣṭaḥ siṃho nṛpātmajaḥ | sarve sadevalokā hi abhyanandan muner vacaḥ ||).

Bibliography

Tibetan Primary Source Texts

seng ges zhus pa (Siṃhaparipṛcchā). Toh 81, Degé Kangyur vol. 44 (dkon brtsegs, cha), folios 27.a–29.b.

seng ges zhus 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. 44, pp. 72–81.

seng ges zhus pa. Stok Palace Kangyur vol. 40 (dkon brtsegs, cha), folios 71.a–74.b.

IOL Tib J 201. British Library, London. Accessed through The International Dunhuang Project: The Silk Road Online.

IOL Tib J 202. British Library, London. Accessed through The International Dunhuang Project: The Silk Road Online.

Śāntideva. bslab pa kun las btus pa (Śikṣāsamuccaya). Toh 3940, Degé Tengyur vol. 213 (dbu ma, khi), folios 3.a–194.b.

Other Tibetan Sources

Könchok Lhündrup (dkon mchog lhun grub) and Sangyé Phuntsok (sangs rgyas phun tshogs). “dam pa’i chos kyi byung tshul bstan pa’i rgya mtshor ’jug pa’i gru chen dang de’i rtsom ’phro kha skong legs bshad nor bu’i bang mdzod.” In sa skya’i chos ’byung gces bsdus, 4:1–253. Beijing: krung go’i bod rig pa dpe skrun khang (China Tibetology Publishing House), 2009. BDRC W1PD90704.

Künga Sangpo (kun dga’ bzang po). “spring yig slob ma la phan pa.” In ngor chen kun dga’ bzang po’i bka’ ’bum (The Complete Works of Ngor-chen Kun-dga’-bzang-po), 4:619–60 (folios 310.a–330.b). Dehradun: Sakya Center, 199?. BDRC W11577.

Sanskrit and Chinese Primary Source Texts

“Siṃhaparipṛcchāmahāyānasūtra.” In A Unique Collection of Twenty Sūtras in a Sanskrit Manuscript from the Potala. Sanskrit Texts from the Tibetan Autonomous Region 7/1, vol. I,2, pp. 453–520. A critical edition of the Sanskrit, Chinese, and Tibetan with an English translation edited and translated by Bhikṣuṇī Vinītā. Beijing: China Tibetology Publishing House Austrian Academy of Sciences Press, 2010.

Siṃhaparipṛcchāmahāyānasūtra (大寶積經, 阿闍世王子會, “Ratnakūṭa-sūtra, the Meeting with the Son of King Ajātaśatru”). Taishō 310. Accessed May 31, 2018.

Siṃhaparipṛcchānāmamahāyānasūtra (佛説太子刷護經). Taishō 343. Accessed May 31, 2018.

Siṃhaparipṛcchānāmamahāyānasūtra (佛説太子和休經). Taishō 344. Accessed May 31, 2018.

Śāntideva. Śikṣāsamuccaya. In Śikṣāsamuccaya of Śāntideva, edited by P. L. Vaidya. Buddhist Sanskrit Texts 11. Darbhanga: Mithila Institute of Post-Graduate Studies and Research in Sanskrit Learning, 1960. English translation in Goodman, Charles. The Training Anthology of Śāntideva: A Translation of the Śikṣā-samuccaya. New York: Oxford University Press, 2016.

Secondary Literature

Chakravarti, Uma. Social Dimensions of Early Buddhism. Delhi: Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers, 1996.

Conze, Edward. Buddhist Scriptures. Middlesex: Penguin Books, 1959.

Dungkar Losang Trinlé (dung dkar blo bzang phrin las). dung dkar bod rig pa’i tshig mdzod chen mo (Dungkar’s complete Tibetological dictionary). Beijing: krung go’i bod rig pa dpe skrun khang (China Tibetology Publishing House), 2002.

Karlgren, B. Grammata Serica Recensa. Stockholm: Museum of Far Eastern Antiques, 1957.

Negi, J. S., ed. Tibetan-Sanskrit Dictionary (bod skad dang legs sbyar gyi tshig mdzod chen mo). 16 volumes. Sarnath: Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies, 1993.

Pedersen, K. Priscilla. “Notes on the Ratnakūṭa Collection.” Journal of the International Association of Buddhist Studies 3, no. 2 (1980): 60–66.

Rotman, Andy, trans. Divine Stories: Divyavadana, Part 2. Classics of Indian Buddhism. Boston: Wisdom Publications, 2017.

Silk, Jonathan A. “Review Article: Buddhist Sūtras in Sanskrit from the Potala.” Indo-Iranian Journal 56 (2013): 61–87.

Stimson, H. M. T’ang Poetic Vocabulary. New Haven: Far Eastern Publications, 1976.

Vinītā, Bhikṣuṇī, ed. and trans. A unique collection of twenty Sūtras in a Sanskrit manuscript from the Potala. Sanskrit Texts from the Tibetan Autonomous Region 7/1, vol. I,2, Beijing: China Tibetology Publishing House; Vienna: Austrian Academy of Sciences Press, 2010.

Woolner, A. C. Introduction to Prakrit. Calcutta: University of the Panjab, Lahore, 1917.

Glossary

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

Attested in source text

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

Attested in other text

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

Attested in dictionary

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

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.

Reconstruction from Tibetan phonetic rendering

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

Reconstruction from Tibetan semantic rendering

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

Source unspecified

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

g.1

absorption

ting nge ’dzin

ཏིང་ངེ་འཛིན།

samādhi

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.

g.2

Ajātaśatru

ma skyes dgra

མ་སྐྱེས་དགྲ།

ajātaśatru

g.3

Ajita

ma pham pa

མ་ཕམ་པ།

ajita

g.4

Amitābha

’od dpag med

འོད་དཔག་མེད།

amitābha

g.5

attitude of equality

sems mnyam pa

སེམས་མཉམ་པ།

samacitta

g.6

blessed one

bcom ldan ’das

བཅོམ་ལྡན་འདས།

bhagavat

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

In Buddhist literature, 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”).

g.7

buddhafield

sangs rgyas zhing

སངས་རྒྱས་ཞིང་།

buddhakṣetra

g.8

characteristics of phenomena

chos kyi mtshan nyid

ཆོས་ཀྱི་མཚན་ཉིད།

dharmalakṣaṇa

g.9

Dānaśīla

dA na shI la

དཱ་ན་ཤཱི་ལ།

dānaśīla

g.10

Dīpaṅkara

mar me mdzad pa

མར་མེ་མཛད་པ།

dīpaṅkara

g.11

divine hearing

lha’i rna ba

ལྷའི་རྣ་བ།

divyaśrotra

g.12

divine sight

lha’i mig

ལྷའི་མིག

divyacakṣus

g.13

eighty excellent signs

dpe byad bzang po brgyad cu

དཔེ་བྱད་བཟང་པོ་བརྒྱད་ཅུ།

aśītyanuvyañjana

g.14

favorable states

bzang ’gro

བཟང་འགྲོ།

sadgati

g.15

firm resolution

mos pa

མོས་པ།

adhimokṣa

g.16

five essences

snying po lnga

སྙིང་པོ་ལྔ།

pañcasāra

The identity of the five essences is uncertain; they are only a few mentions of the term in Kangyur, none of which identify what they are. According to most Tibetan dictionaries, such as the dung dkar tshig mdzod chen mo, they are honey (sbrang rtsi), raw sugar (bu ram), salt (tshwa), ghee (zhun mar), and sesame oil (til mar). Rotman notes that Ayurveda sources also list the five essences as “milk, sugar, honey, ghee, and long pepper (Piper longum).” See Rotman (2017), p. 543, n. 571.

g.17

five superknowledges

mngon par shes pa lnga

མངོན་པར་ཤེས་པ་ལྔ།

pañcābhijñā

g.18

giving

sbyin pa

སྦྱིན་པ།

dāna

g.19

Great Illumination

snang ba che

སྣང་བ་ཆེ།

mahāprabhāsa

g.20

great sage

thub pa chen po

ཐུབ་པ་ཆེན་པོ།

mahāmuni

g.21

guardians of the world

’jig rten mgon

འཇིག་རྟེན་མགོན།

lokanātha

g.22

guide

’dren pa

འདྲེན་པ།

nāyaka

g.23

inopportune states

mi khom pa

མི་ཁོམ་པ།

akṣaṇa

The Sanskrit literally means “without leisure”; this refers to being born in a state in which one will not have the opportunity to meet with a buddha or their teachings. Eight situations are typically listed: (1) being born in a hell realm, (2) as an animal, (3) as a hungry ghost, (4) as a long-life god, (5) in a borderland or non-Buddhist country, (6) having wrong views, (7) as someone with impaired faculties who is unable to understand the teachings, or (8) in a time or place where no buddha has come.

g.24

instruction

bslab pa

བསླབ་པ།

śikṣita

g.25

jealousy

phrag dog

ཕྲག་དོག

īrṣyā

g.26

Jñānaketudhvaja

ye shes tog gi rgyal mtshan

ཡེ་ཤེས་ཏོག་གི་རྒྱལ་མཚན།

jñānaketudhvaja

g.27

kalaviṅka bird

ka la ping ka

ཀ་ལ་པིང་ཀ

kalaviṅka

g.28

love

byams pa

བྱམས་པ།

maitrī

g.29

Maitreya

byams pa

བྱམས་པ།

maitreya

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

The bodhisattva Maitreya is an important figure in many Buddhist traditions, where he is unanimously regarded as the buddha of the future era. He is said to currently reside in the heaven of Tuṣita, as Śākyamuni’s regent, where he awaits the proper time to take his final rebirth and become the fifth buddha in the Fortunate Eon, reestablishing the Dharma in this world after the teachings of the current buddha have disappeared. Within the Mahāyāna sūtras, Maitreya is elevated to the same status as other central bodhisattvas such as Mañjuśrī and Avalokiteśvara, and his name appears frequently in sūtras, either as the Buddha’s interlocutor or as a teacher of the Dharma. Maitreya literally means “Loving One.” He is also known as Ajita, meaning “Invincible.”

For more information on Maitreya, see, for example, the introduction to Maitreya’s Setting Out (Toh 198).

g.30

Māra

bdud

བདུད།

māra

g.31

mindfulness

dran pa

དྲན་པ།

smṛti

g.32

miraculous birth

rdzus te skye ba

རྫུས་ཏེ་སྐྱེ་བ།

upapāduka

g.33

moral discipline

tshul khrims

ཚུལ་ཁྲིམས།

śīla

g.34

Munivarman

mu ni bar ma

མུ་ནི་བར་མ།

munivarman

g.35

patience

bzod pa

བཟོད་པ།

kṣānti

g.36

perseverance

brtson ’grus

བརྩོན་འགྲུས།

vīrya

g.37

pure intention

lhag bsam

ལྷག་བསམ།

adhyāśaya

g.38

Rājagṛha

rgyal po’i khab

རྒྱལ་པོའི་ཁབ།

rājagṛha

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.

g.39

receptivity

bzod pa

བཟོད་པ།

kṣānti

g.40

retention

gzungs

གཟུངས།

dhāraṇī

g.41

saṅgha

dge ’dun

དགེ་འདུན།

saṅgha

g.42

senseless talk

kyal ba

ཀྱལ་བ།

pralāpa

g.43

Siṃha

seng ge

སེང་གེ

siṃha

g.44

six superknowledges

mngon shes drug

མངོན་ཤེས་དྲུག

ṣaḍabhijñā

The six superknowledges in Siṃha’s Question are discussed in verses 27–30 in the following order: (1) divine sight, a form of clairvoyance; (2) divine hearing, a form of clairaudience; (3) knowing the dying, transmigration, and rebirth of sentient beings; (4) knowing how to extinguish the defilements; (5) the recollection of former lives; and (6) knowing how to perform miraculous transformations. In Buddhist literature, the six are not always given in this order, and sometimes the superknowledges are listed as five, excluding knowing how to extinguish the defilements.

g.45

slander

phra ma

ཕྲ་མ།

paiśunya

g.46

stinginess

ser sna

སེར་སྣ།

matsara

g.47

thirty-two marks

sum cu rtsa gnyis mtshan

སུམ་ཅུ་རྩ་གཉིས་མཚན།

dvātriṃśallakṣaṇa

g.48

two extremes

mtha’ gnyis

མཐའ་གཉིས།

antadvaya
śāśvatocchedāntadvaya

g.49

voice of Brahmā

tshangs pa’i dbyangs

ཚངས་པའི་དབྱངས།

brahmasvara

g.50

Vulture Peak

bya rgod kyi phung po’i ri

བྱ་རྒོད་ཀྱི་ཕུང་པོའི་རི།

gṛdhrakūṭaparvata

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.

g.51

wealthy noblemen

tshong dpon bu

ཚོང་དཔོན་བུ།

śreṣṭiputra

The term śreṣṭhin and its Pāli equivalent seṭṭi have undergone a particular development in Buddhism. The Tibetan translation “merchant” or “owner of merchandise” (tshong dpon) reflects that śreṣṭhin later came to be associated with traders, merchants, and also moneylenders. However, in Sanskrit the term literally means “distinguished,” and an older survey of the term shows that it implies a kind of nobleman of influential social standing who has both access to wealth and a close association with the king. For a more detailed history on the development of this term, see Chakravarti (1996), chapter 3, particularly pp. 73–79.

g.52

Yeshé Dé

ye shes sde

ཡེ་ཤེས་སྡེ།

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Siṃha’s Questions

Toh 81

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absorption

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

Ajātaśatru

Ajita

Amitābha

attitude of equality

blessed one

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

buddhafield

characteristics of phenomena

Dānaśīla

Dīpaṅkara

divine hearing

divine sight

eighty excellent signs

favorable states

firm resolution

five essences

five superknowledges

giving

Great Illumination

great sage

guardians of the world

guide

inopportune states

instruction

jealousy

Jñānaketudhvaja

kalaviṅka bird

love

Maitreya

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

Māra

mindfulness

miraculous birth

moral discipline

Munivarman

patience

perseverance

pure intention

Rājagṛha

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

receptivity

retention

saṅgha

senseless talk

Siṃha

six superknowledges

slander

stinginess

thirty-two marks

two extremes

voice of Brahmā

Vulture Peak

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

wealthy noblemen

Yeshé Dé

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