The Twelve Buddhas opens at Rājagṛha with a dialogue between the Buddha Śākyamuni and the bodhisattva Maitreya about the eastern buddhafield of a buddha whose abbreviated name is King of Jewels. This buddha prophesies that when he passes into complete nirvāṇa, the bodhisattva Incomparable will take his place as a buddha whose abbreviated name is Victory Banner King. Śākyamuni then provides the names of the remaining ten tathāgatas, locating them in the ten directions surrounding Victory Banner King’s buddhafield Full of Pearls. After listing the full set of names of these twelve buddhas and their directional relationship to Victory Banner King, the Buddha Śākyamuni provides an accompanying mantra-dhāraṇī and closes with a set of thirty-seven verses outlining the benefits of remembering the names of these buddhas.
Translated by the Dharmachakra Translation Committee under the supervision of Chökyi Nyima Rinpoche. The translation was produced by Adam Krug and then checked against the Tibetan and edited by Ryan Damron.
The translation was completed under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.
The Twelve Buddhas opens in Rājagṛha, where the Buddha Śākyamuni is accompanied by a large gathering of monks and bodhisattvas. The Buddha begins with a description of the eastern buddhafield Full of Pearls, where there resides a buddha whose long name could be abbreviated as King of Jewels. After King of Jewels is identified to Maitreya and the assembly, the Buddha Śākyamuni explains that whoever remembers this buddha’s name will renounce cyclic existence. We are told that King of Jewels has prophesied that once he attains parinirvāṇa and his teachings have faded from the world, the bodhisattva Incomparable will succeed him as a buddha whose name (in abbreviated form) is Victory Banner King. The Buddha Śākyamuni then names the buddhas who will populate the buddhafields surrounding that of Victory Banner King in the ten directions, instructs the audience to remember their names and prostrate to them, and outlines the form of a sixfold service for their worship. He describes the benefits that accrue from reciting the names of these twelve buddhas, and then teaches a verse aspiration and a dhāraṇī to be recited in order to attain the results of the practice. The text ends with a set of thirty-seven verses describing the benefits of bearing the names of the twelve buddhas in mind.
There are no available Sanskrit versions of this text. The first Chinese translation of this text was completed by Jñānagupta in 587
This translation was completed in consultation with the versions of the text from the General Sūtra Section (mdo sde), the Tantra Collection (rgyud ’bum), and the Compendium of Dhāraṇīs (gzungs ’dus)555 of the Degé Kangyur in conjunction with the text as it appears in the Stok Palace Kangyur and the Comparative Edition (dpe bsdur ma). The only notable variant between these versions of the text is that the witnesses in the General Sūtra Section of the Degé and in the Stok Palace Kangyur refer to the bodhisattva prophesied to become the next buddha presiding over the buddhafield Full of Pearls by the name Stainless (dri med) instead of the more common name Incomparable (’dra ba med).6 The dhāraṇī in this text is rendered in Sanskrit transliteration based on the Degé, with significant variants noted.7 A tentative English translation of the dhāraṇī is also provided in a note.
Thus did I hear at one time. The Blessed One was residing on Vulture Peak at Rājagṛha with a great saṅgha of one thousand two hundred and fifty monks and a great saṅgha of twelve thousand bodhisattvas that included the bodhisattva Ajita and others.[F.26.b] The Blessed One addressed the bodhisattva great being Maitreya, saying, “Maitreya, to the east of this buddhafield, past as many buddhafields as there are grains of dust in ten inexpressible billions of buddhafields, there is a world system called Full of Pearls. In that buddhafield there is a tathāgata, arhat, completely perfect buddha named King of Jewels Devoid of Desire Whose Supreme Emanation Has Arisen from the Expanse of Phenomena, Who Is Ornamented by Boundless Sunlight from the Top of His Crown Protuberance and by an Aspiration Like Moonlight, Whose Body Is Bedecked and Elegantly Ornamented with Offerings of Excellent Perfumes,[F.36.a] Who Has a Body Like a Lotus Flower Lovely as a Resplendent Blue Beryl Gemstone, the Light of the Good Qualities of Whom Are as Beautiful as a Glorious Pure Sky Free of Dust. He nurtures and teaches the Dharma to the beings who live there. Whoever remembers the name of that victorious one will renounce cyclic existence for a great eon that consists of eons equal to the number of grains of dust in Jambudvīpa.
“That tathāgata issued the following prophecy about the bodhisattva great being Incomparable:9
“ ‘As soon as the tathāgata, arhat, perfect and complete buddha King of Jewels Devoid of Desire Whose Supreme Emanation Has Arisen from the Expanse of Phenomena, Who Is Ornamented by Boundless Sunlight from the Top of His Crown Protuberance and by an Aspiration Like Moonlight, Whose Body Is Bedecked and Elegantly Ornamented with Offerings of Excellent Perfumes, Who Has a Body Like a Lotus Flower Lovely as a Resplendent Blue Beryl Gemstone, the Light of the Good Qualities of Whom Are as Beautiful as a Glorious Pure Sky Free of Dust[F.69.b] passes into parinirvāṇa and his teachings fade away, the bodhisattva Incomparable will attain unsurpassed, perfect, completely manifest awakening. He will appear in the world as a tathāgata, arhat, perfect and complete buddha endowed with perfect knowledge and conduct, a sugata,[F.27.a] a knower of the world, an unsurpassed guide who tames beings, a teacher of gods and humans known as the blessed buddha Victory Banner King Whose Light Rays Illuminate All the World Realms in the Ten-Directional Unimpeded Circular Maṇḍala, Adorned with Completely Illuminating Sunlight, Endowed with a Space-Like Body Resembling Youthful Varuṇa,10 the Light of the Sun, a Moon Flower,11 and a Beautiful Golden Lotus.’
“You should also remember the name of the tathāgata, arhat, perfect and complete buddha of the quarter to the east from there[F.36.b] called Stainless Light of the Entire Array,12 and you should recite it and prostrate to him. You should also remember the name of the tathāgata, arhat, perfect and complete buddha of the southern quarter called Thought Adorned with Eloquence,13 and you should direct your attention toward him.14 You should also remember the name of the tathāgata of the western quarter called Renowned Victor Crowned with a Clear Moon, and you should prostrate to him. You should also remember the name of the tathāgata of the northern quarter Manifesting an Array of Flowers, and you should prostrate to him. You should also remember the name of the tathāgata of the southeastern quarter called Light Maker, and you should prostrate to him. You should also remember the name of the tathāgata of the southwestern quarter called[F.70.a] Renowned Supreme Jewel Crown, and you should prostrate to him. You should also remember the name of the tathāgata of the northwestern quarter called Fearless and All-Seeing, and you should prostrate to him. You should also remember the name of the tathāgata of the northeast quarter called Bristling with Fearless Confidence,15 and you should prostrate to him. You should also remember the name of the tathāgata of the nadir called Throat of the Yawning Lion, and you should prostrate to him. You should also remember the name of the tathāgata of the zenith called Fearless King Majestic Golden Radiance, and you should prostrate to him.[F.27.b]
“Maitreya, sons or daughters of the lineage with sincere faith should recite the names of these twelve tathāgata, arhat, perfect and complete buddhas, and over the course of ten days as they confess all their misdeeds, they should rejoice in all roots of virtue. They should make requests to all the buddhas, supplicate all the buddhas, and dedicate all these roots of virtue by dedication to the expanse of phenomena.
“All their misdeeds will be exhausted and all their karmic obscurations[F.37.a] will be purified.
“Later, they will obtain the excellent conditions of a buddhafield with a vast array of good qualities, the excellent conditions of the fearlessnesses, the excellent conditions of the marks of an awakened being, the excellent conditions of a saṅgha of bodhisattvas, the excellent conditions of the dhāraṇīs, and the excellent conditions of meditative concentrations.
“In the immediate, they will have the support of the excellent conditions of a pure buddhafield in accordance with their aspirations, and the excellent conditions of a spiritual teacher. Their progress toward unsurpassed complete and perfect awakening will not fall back[F.70.b] and will never be lost. As they take rebirth in cyclic existence, they will have the support of the excellent conditions of good looks and wealth, the excellent conditions of family line, the excellent conditions of social standing, the excellent conditions of family traits,16 the excellent conditions of appearance, and the excellent conditions of having a retinue of people around them who are of similar disposition.
“On this topic, it is said:
“They should recite the mantra words of this dhāraṇī:
tadyathā akhe makhe[F.28.a] samantamukhe sautiyukte nirukte prabhe samayoge citavivarte17 ame khame madane vivarte samantaguṇe18 satyārame yukte prayukte hili mili masale ānale came aciṭi aciṭi19 coce arahe bahudche20 māyugrahe hemavati jyotivati dharmaciti21 cyutapaṅke22 avikṣepe radhikṣa23 me skandhavibhakte24
Homage to all buddhas and bodhisattvas. With the blessing of the Buddha, may these mantra words be accomplished.
“On this topic, it is said:
After the Blessed One had spoken, the bodhisattva great being Maitreya, the entire retinue of monks and bodhisattvas, and the whole world with its gods, humans, asuras, and gandharvas were delighted and praised his words.
This concludes the noble Mahāyāna sūtra “The Twelve Buddhas.”
The Twelve Buddhas opens at Rājagṛha with a dialogue between the Buddha Śākyamuni and the bodhisattva Maitreya about the eastern buddhafield of a buddha whose abbreviated name is King of Jewels. This buddha prophesies that when he passes into complete nirvāṇa, the bodhisattva Incomparable will take his place as a buddha whose abbreviated name is Victory Banner King. Śākyamuni then provides the names of the remaining ten tathāgatas, locating them in the ten directions surrounding Victory Banner King’s buddhafield Full of Pearls. After listing the full set of names of these twelve buddhas and their directional relationship to Victory Banner King, the Buddha Śākyamuni provides an accompanying mantra-dhāraṇī and closes with a set of thirty-seven verses outlining the benefits of remembering the names of these buddhas.
Translated by the Dharmachakra Translation Committee under the supervision of Chökyi Nyima Rinpoche. The translation was produced by Adam Krug and then checked against the Tibetan and edited by Ryan Damron.
The translation was completed under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.
The Twelve Buddhas opens in Rājagṛha, where the Buddha Śākyamuni is accompanied by a large gathering of monks and bodhisattvas. The Buddha begins with a description of the eastern buddhafield Full of Pearls, where there resides a buddha whose long name could be abbreviated as King of Jewels. After King of Jewels is identified to Maitreya and the assembly, the Buddha Śākyamuni explains that whoever remembers this buddha’s name will renounce cyclic existence. We are told that King of Jewels has prophesied that once he attains parinirvāṇa and his teachings have faded from the world, the bodhisattva Incomparable will succeed him as a buddha whose name (in abbreviated form) is Victory Banner King. The Buddha Śākyamuni then names the buddhas who will populate the buddhafields surrounding that of Victory Banner King in the ten directions, instructs the audience to remember their names and prostrate to them, and outlines the form of a sixfold service for their worship. He describes the benefits that accrue from reciting the names of these twelve buddhas, and then teaches a verse aspiration and a dhāraṇī to be recited in order to attain the results of the practice. The text ends with a set of thirty-seven verses describing the benefits of bearing the names of the twelve buddhas in mind.
There are no available Sanskrit versions of this text. The first Chinese translation of this text was completed by Jñānagupta in 587
This translation was completed in consultation with the versions of the text from the General Sūtra Section (mdo sde), the Tantra Collection (rgyud ’bum), and the Compendium of Dhāraṇīs (gzungs ’dus)555 of the Degé Kangyur in conjunction with the text as it appears in the Stok Palace Kangyur and the Comparative Edition (dpe bsdur ma). The only notable variant between these versions of the text is that the witnesses in the General Sūtra Section of the Degé and in the Stok Palace Kangyur refer to the bodhisattva prophesied to become the next buddha presiding over the buddhafield Full of Pearls by the name Stainless (dri med) instead of the more common name Incomparable (’dra ba med).6 The dhāraṇī in this text is rendered in Sanskrit transliteration based on the Degé, with significant variants noted.7 A tentative English translation of the dhāraṇī is also provided in a note.
Thus did I hear at one time. The Blessed One was residing on Vulture Peak at Rājagṛha with a great saṅgha of one thousand two hundred and fifty monks and a great saṅgha of twelve thousand bodhisattvas that included the bodhisattva Ajita and others.[F.26.b] The Blessed One addressed the bodhisattva great being Maitreya, saying, “Maitreya, to the east of this buddhafield, past as many buddhafields as there are grains of dust in ten inexpressible billions of buddhafields, there is a world system called Full of Pearls. In that buddhafield there is a tathāgata, arhat, completely perfect buddha named King of Jewels Devoid of Desire Whose Supreme Emanation Has Arisen from the Expanse of Phenomena, Who Is Ornamented by Boundless Sunlight from the Top of His Crown Protuberance and by an Aspiration Like Moonlight, Whose Body Is Bedecked and Elegantly Ornamented with Offerings of Excellent Perfumes,[F.36.a] Who Has a Body Like a Lotus Flower Lovely as a Resplendent Blue Beryl Gemstone, the Light of the Good Qualities of Whom Are as Beautiful as a Glorious Pure Sky Free of Dust. He nurtures and teaches the Dharma to the beings who live there. Whoever remembers the name of that victorious one will renounce cyclic existence for a great eon that consists of eons equal to the number of grains of dust in Jambudvīpa.
“That tathāgata issued the following prophecy about the bodhisattva great being Incomparable:9
“ ‘As soon as the tathāgata, arhat, perfect and complete buddha King of Jewels Devoid of Desire Whose Supreme Emanation Has Arisen from the Expanse of Phenomena, Who Is Ornamented by Boundless Sunlight from the Top of His Crown Protuberance and by an Aspiration Like Moonlight, Whose Body Is Bedecked and Elegantly Ornamented with Offerings of Excellent Perfumes, Who Has a Body Like a Lotus Flower Lovely as a Resplendent Blue Beryl Gemstone, the Light of the Good Qualities of Whom Are as Beautiful as a Glorious Pure Sky Free of Dust[F.69.b] passes into parinirvāṇa and his teachings fade away, the bodhisattva Incomparable will attain unsurpassed, perfect, completely manifest awakening. He will appear in the world as a tathāgata, arhat, perfect and complete buddha endowed with perfect knowledge and conduct, a sugata,[F.27.a] a knower of the world, an unsurpassed guide who tames beings, a teacher of gods and humans known as the blessed buddha Victory Banner King Whose Light Rays Illuminate All the World Realms in the Ten-Directional Unimpeded Circular Maṇḍala, Adorned with Completely Illuminating Sunlight, Endowed with a Space-Like Body Resembling Youthful Varuṇa,10 the Light of the Sun, a Moon Flower,11 and a Beautiful Golden Lotus.’
“You should also remember the name of the tathāgata, arhat, perfect and complete buddha of the quarter to the east from there[F.36.b] called Stainless Light of the Entire Array,12 and you should recite it and prostrate to him. You should also remember the name of the tathāgata, arhat, perfect and complete buddha of the southern quarter called Thought Adorned with Eloquence,13 and you should direct your attention toward him.14 You should also remember the name of the tathāgata of the western quarter called Renowned Victor Crowned with a Clear Moon, and you should prostrate to him. You should also remember the name of the tathāgata of the northern quarter Manifesting an Array of Flowers, and you should prostrate to him. You should also remember the name of the tathāgata of the southeastern quarter called Light Maker, and you should prostrate to him. You should also remember the name of the tathāgata of the southwestern quarter called[F.70.a] Renowned Supreme Jewel Crown, and you should prostrate to him. You should also remember the name of the tathāgata of the northwestern quarter called Fearless and All-Seeing, and you should prostrate to him. You should also remember the name of the tathāgata of the northeast quarter called Bristling with Fearless Confidence,15 and you should prostrate to him. You should also remember the name of the tathāgata of the nadir called Throat of the Yawning Lion, and you should prostrate to him. You should also remember the name of the tathāgata of the zenith called Fearless King Majestic Golden Radiance, and you should prostrate to him.[F.27.b]
“Maitreya, sons or daughters of the lineage with sincere faith should recite the names of these twelve tathāgata, arhat, perfect and complete buddhas, and over the course of ten days as they confess all their misdeeds, they should rejoice in all roots of virtue. They should make requests to all the buddhas, supplicate all the buddhas, and dedicate all these roots of virtue by dedication to the expanse of phenomena.
“All their misdeeds will be exhausted and all their karmic obscurations[F.37.a] will be purified.
“Later, they will obtain the excellent conditions of a buddhafield with a vast array of good qualities, the excellent conditions of the fearlessnesses, the excellent conditions of the marks of an awakened being, the excellent conditions of a saṅgha of bodhisattvas, the excellent conditions of the dhāraṇīs, and the excellent conditions of meditative concentrations.
“In the immediate, they will have the support of the excellent conditions of a pure buddhafield in accordance with their aspirations, and the excellent conditions of a spiritual teacher. Their progress toward unsurpassed complete and perfect awakening will not fall back[F.70.b] and will never be lost. As they take rebirth in cyclic existence, they will have the support of the excellent conditions of good looks and wealth, the excellent conditions of family line, the excellent conditions of social standing, the excellent conditions of family traits,16 the excellent conditions of appearance, and the excellent conditions of having a retinue of people around them who are of similar disposition.
“On this topic, it is said:
“They should recite the mantra words of this dhāraṇī:
tadyathā akhe makhe[F.28.a] samantamukhe sautiyukte nirukte prabhe samayoge citavivarte17 ame khame madane vivarte samantaguṇe18 satyārame yukte prayukte hili mili masale ānale came aciṭi aciṭi19 coce arahe bahudche20 māyugrahe hemavati jyotivati dharmaciti21 cyutapaṅke22 avikṣepe radhikṣa23 me skandhavibhakte24
Homage to all buddhas and bodhisattvas. With the blessing of the Buddha, may these mantra words be accomplished.
“On this topic, it is said:
After the Blessed One had spoken, the bodhisattva great being Maitreya, the entire retinue of monks and bodhisattvas, and the whole world with its gods, humans, asuras, and gandharvas were delighted and praised his words.
This concludes the noble Mahāyāna sūtra “The Twelve Buddhas.”
This text, Toh 853, and all those contained in this same volume (gzungs ’dus, e), are listed as being located in volume 100 of the Degé Kangyur by the Buddhist Digital Resource Center (BDRC). However, several other Kangyur databases—including the eKangyur that supplies the digital input version displayed by the 84000 Reading Room—list this work as being located in volume 101. This discrepancy is partly due to the fact that the two volumes of the gzungs ’dus section are an added supplement not mentioned in the original catalog, and also hinges on the fact that the compilers of the Tōhoku catalog placed another text—which forms a whole, very large volume—the Vimalaprabhānāmakālacakratantraṭīkā (dus ’khor ’grel bshad dri med ’od, Toh 845), before the volume 100 of the Degé Kangyur, numbering it as vol. 100, although it is almost certainly intended to come right at the end of the Degé Kangyur texts as volume 102; indeed its final fifth chapter is often carried over and wrapped in the same volume as the Kangyur dkar chags (catalog). Please note this discrepancy when using the eKangyur viewer in this translation.
D (Toh 273) and S refer to this bodhisattva by the name Stainless (dri med) instead of Incomparable (’dra ba med). This translation uses the name Incomparable (’dra ba med) because this is also the name for this bodhisattva as it appears in versions of this text from the Yongle, Lithang, Kangxi, Narthang, and Choné Kangyurs.
In the Toh 511 version of the text there is a slight discrepancy in the folio numbering between the 1737 par phud printings and the late (post par phud) printings of the Degé Kangyur. Although the discrepancy is irrelevant here, further details concerning this may be found in n.8 of the Toh 511 version of this text.
In the Toh 511 version of the text there is a slight discrepancy in the folio numbering between the 1737 par phud printings and the late (post par phud) printings of the Degé Kangyur. Although the discrepancy is irrelevant here, further details concerning this may be found in n.8 of the Toh 511 version of this text.
Two sets of folio references have been included in this translation due to a discrepancy in volume 88 (rgyud ’bum, na) of the Degé Kangyur between the 1737 par phud printings and the late (post par phud) printings. In the latter case, an extra work, Bodhimaṇḍasyālaṃkāralakṣadhāraṇī (Toh 508, byang chub snying po’i rgyan ’bum gyi gzungs), was added as the second text in the volume, thereby displacing the pagination of all the following texts in the same volume by 17 folios. Since the eKangyur follows the later printing, both references have been provided, with the highlighted one linking to the eKangyur viewer.
D (Toh 511, Toh 853): zla ba’i me tog; D (Toh 273): zla ba’i me tog rin chen. This translation follows D (Toh 511, Toh 853). The variant in D (Toh 273) might translate as “a moon flower or gem” or perhaps “a precious moon flower.”
D (Toh 273, Toh 511, Toh 853): bkod pa thams cad dri med ’od; S: bkod pa dri med ’od; J, K, N, Y: bgrod pa thams cad dri med ’od.
D (Toh 273, Toh 511, Toh 853), S: yid la bya. The phrase “direct your attention toward him” (yid la bya, manaskāryaḥ) is suspect since it breaks with the pattern that is repeated for all the other tathāgatas in this sequence. The Tibetan may possibly preserve a scribal error in the Sanskrit here that read some form of manas + kṛ (yid la bya) instead of the namas + kṛ (phyag bya’o) that appears in all other phrasings of the sequence of the twelve buddhas in this text. Nevertheless, we have translated this instance as yid la bya to accurately reflect the Tibetan.
D (Toh 273): ’jigs bral bag tsha ba mi mnga’ spu zing mi byed; D (Toh 511, Toh 853): ’jig bral bag tsha mi mnga’ spu zing mi byed.
D (Toh 273, Toh 511, Toh 853), S: rigs phun sum tshogs pa dang / skye ba phun sun tshogs pa dang / rus phun sum tshogs pa dang. The translation combines these three “excellent conditions” (phun sum tshogs pa) into a single clause that takes rigs (kula) to indicate the actual family line, skyes ba (jāti) to indicate that family line’s social standing, and rus (gotra) to indicate the inherited family traits.
Tentative English translation: tadyathā akhe makhe, radiant one whose panoptic gaze is said to be fused with sunlight, whose thought is devoid of illusion, ame khame, for whom intoxicating illusion fused and performed while delighting in truth is entirely virtuous, hili mili masala ānale came aciṭi aciṭi coce, worthy one, bahudche, golden one bathed in light who bears māyu, who knows the Dharma, who is without impurity, unwavering, and furnished with a great host—deliver this to me!
D (Toh 511, Toh 853): thos pa thams cad ’dzin mi nyams; thos pa rnams ni yongs mi nyams D 273.
D (Toh 273, Toh 511): ’dod pa ji bzhin mya ngan ’da’; D (Toh 853): ’dod pa zhi bzhin mya ngan ’da’. This translation follows the reading in D (Toh 273, Toh 511). The Negi dictionary (p. 2620.1) notes that ’dod pa ji bzhin is a translation of the Sanskrit abhipriya, and Edgerton (p. 54.2) provides an example where the term is used as an adjective meaning “quite agreeable.” This translation opts instead to read ’dod pa ji bzhin as a Tibetan translation of the Sanskrit yathākāma. The variant in D (Toh 853) translates “pacify all desire, and attain nirvāṇa,” which does not make sense given the fact that the subject of the verse has already attained awakening.
“Unconquered,” an alternate name for the bodhisattva Maitreya; the name of a bodhisattva; also an epithet of the deity Viṣṇu.
A class of celestial beings.
The name of a tathāgata presiding over a buddhafield to the northeast of the buddhafield Full of Pearls.
A common epithet for a buddha.
The name of a tathāgata presiding over a buddhafield to the northwest of the buddhafield Full of Pearls.
The name of a tathāgata presiding over a buddhafield to at the zenith above the buddhafield Full of Pearls.
The name of a buddhafield.
A class of celestial beings.
In Indian mythology, the garuḍa is an eagle-like bird that is regarded as the king of all birds, normally depicted with a sharp, owl-like beak, often holding a snake, and with large and powerful wings. They are traditionally enemies of the nāgas. In the Vedas, they are said to have brought nectar from the heavens to earth. Garuḍa can also be used as a proper name for a king of such creatures.
A class of celestial beings.
The name of a bodhisattva prophesied to become the tathāgata presiding over the buddhafield Full of Pearls after the tathāgata King of Jewels passes into parinirvāṇa.
The name of the southern continent in Buddhist cosmology, which can signify either the known human world, or more specifically the Indian subcontinent, literally “the jambu island/continent.” Jambu is the name used for a range of plum-like fruits from trees belonging to the genus Szygium, particularly Szygium jambos and Szygium cumini, and it has commonly been rendered “rose apple,” although “black plum” may be a less misleading term. Among various explanations given for the continent being so named, one (in the Abhidharmakośa) is that a jambu tree grows in its northern mountains beside Lake Anavatapta, mythically considered the source of the four great rivers of India, and that the continent is therefore named from the tree or the fruit. Jambudvīpa has the Vajrāsana at its center and is the only continent upon which buddhas attain awakening.
The abbreviated name of a tathāgata who presides over the buddhafield Full of Pearls. The name of a bodhisattva. The full name of this tathagata in this work is King of Jewels Devoid of Desire Whose Supreme Emanation Has Arisen from the Expanse of Phenomena, Who Is Ornamented by Boundless Sunlight from the Top of His Crown Protuberance and by an Aspiration Like Moonlight, Whose Body Is Bedecked and Elegantly Ornamented with Offerings of Excellent Perfumes, Who Has a Body Like a Lotus Flower Lovely as a Resplendent Blue Beryl Gemstone, the Light of the Good Qualities of Whom Are as Beautiful as a Glorious Pure Sky Free of Dust.
The name of a tathāgata presiding over a buddhafield to the east of the buddhafield Full of Pearls.
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).
The name of a tathāgata presiding over a buddhafield to the north of the buddhafield Full of Pearls.
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.
A class of celestial beings.
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.
The name of a tathāgata presiding over a buddhafield to the southwest of the buddhafield Full of Pearls.
The name of a tathāgata presiding over a buddhafield to the west of the buddhafield Full of Pearls.
An alternate name of a bodhisattva prophesied to become the tathāgata presiding over the buddhafield Full of Pearls after the tathāgata King of Jewels passes into parinirvāṇa.
The name of a tathāgata presiding over a buddhafield to the east of the buddhafield Full of Pearls.
The name of a tathāgata presiding over a buddhafield to the south of the buddhafield Full of Pearls.
The name of a tathāgata presiding over a buddhafield at the nadir below the buddhafield Full of Pearls.
The name of one of the oldest of the Vedic gods, associated with the waters.
The abbreviated name that the bodhisattva Incomparable/Stainless is prophesied to adopt when he takes his place as the tathāgata presiding over the buddhafield Full of Pearls after the tathāgata King of Jewels passes into parinirvāṇa. The full name of this tathagata in this work is Victory Banner King Whose Light Rays Illuminate All the World Realms in the Ten-Directional Unimpeded Circular Maṇḍala, Adorned with Completely Illuminating Sunlight, Endowed with a Space-Like Body Resembling Youthful Varuṇa, the Light of the Sun, a Moon Flower, and a Beautiful Golden Lotus.
A hill located outside of Rājagṛha where Śākyamuni and others are said to have taught many of the Mahāyāna sūtras, most notably the Prājñāpāramitāsūtras.
’phags pa sangs rgyas bcu gnyis pa zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo (Āryadvādaśabuddhakanāmamahāyānasūtra). Toh 273, Degé Kangyur vol. 68 (mdo sde, ya), folios 26.a–29.b.
’phags pa sangs rgyas bcu gnyis pa zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo (Āryadvādaśabuddhakanāmamahāyānasūtra). Toh 511, Degé Kangyur vol. 88 (rgyud ’bum, na), folios 35.b–39.a.
’phags pa sangs rgyas bcu gnyis pa zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo (Āryadvādaśabuddhakanāmamahāyānasūtra). Toh 853, Degé Kangyur vol. 100 (gzungs ’dus, e), folios 69.a–72.b.
’phags pa sangs rgyas bcu gnyis pa zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo (Āryadvādaśabuddhakanāmamahāyānasūtra). bka’ ’gyur (dpe bsdur ma) [Comparative Edition of the Kangyur], krung go’i bod rig pa zhib ’jug ste gnas kyi bka’ bstan dpe sdur khang (The Tibetan Tripitaka Collation Bureau of the China Tibetology Research Center). 108 volumes. Beijing: krung go’i bod rig pa dpe skrun khang (China Tibetology Publishing House), 2006–2009, vol. 68, pp. 74–84.
’phags pa sangs rgyas bcu gnyis pa zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo (Āryadvādaśabuddhakanāmamahāyānasūtra). bka’ ’gyur (dpe bsdur ma) [Comparative Edition of the Kangyur], krung go’i bod rig pa zhib ’jug ste gnas kyi bka’ bstan dpe sdur khang (The Tibetan Tripitaka Collation Bureau of the China Tibetology Research Center). 108 volumes. Beijing: krung go’i bod rig pa dpe skrun khang (China Tibetology Publishing House), 2006–2009, vol 88, pp. 101–11.
’phags pa sangs rgyas bcu gnyis pa zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo (Āryadvādaśabuddhakanāmamahāyānasūtra). bka’ ’gyur (dpe bsdur ma) [Comparative Edition of the Kangyur], krung go’i bod rig pa zhib ’jug ste gnas kyi bka’ bstan dpe sdur khang (The Tibetan Tripitaka Collation Bureau of the China Tibetology Research Center). 108 volumes. Beijing: krung go’i bod rig pa dpe skrun khang (China Tibetology Publishing House), 2006–2009, vol. 97, pp. 177–86.
’phags pa sangs rgyas bcu gnyis pa zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo (Āryadvādaśabuddhakanāmamahāyānasūtra). Stok Palace Kangyur vol. 102 (rgyud ’bum, da), folios 15.b–21.b.
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D Degé Kangyur
J Lithang Kangyur
K Kangxi Kangyur
N Narthang Kangyur
S Stok Palace Kangyur
Y Yongle Kangyur
