The Discourse of the Dhāraṇī of the Buddha’s Essence is a short work in which the Buddha Śākyamuni, addressing an immense gathering of bodhisattvas, teaches two dhāraṇīs to be recited as a complement to the practice of recollecting the Buddha, and then explains the beneficial results of reciting them. The significance of the teaching is marked by miraculous signs, and by the gods offering flowers and ornaments. The text also provides a set of correspondences between the eight ornaments offered by the gods and eight qualities that ornament bodhisattvas.
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 Discourse of the Dhāraṇī of the Buddha’s Essence1 opens with the Buddha and an immense assembly of bodhisattvas gathered in a hermitage in the celestial realm Universal Radiance. The Buddha begins by telling the assembly that The Discourse of the Dhāraṇī of the Buddha’s Essence has been taught by all the buddhas of the past, and then outlines the various benefits that accrue to a person reciting it. He pronounces two dhāraṇīs, causing the whole earth and its oceans to tremble and inciting panic in Māra’s realm. The gods then offer flowers and ornaments.
Before the narrative concludes, the text lists a set of correspondences between the eight ornaments offered by the gods and eight qualities that are the ornaments of bodhisattvas. The eight ornaments and their related qualities are as follows:
1. Short necklace (not forgetting bodhicitta)
2. Long necklace (investigation of all one has studied)
3. Perfumes (dependent origination)
4. Scented powders (knowing those who are of supreme acumen and those who are not)
5. Ointments (correctly discerning and analyzing the teachings as one has heard them and as one has understood them)
6. Clothing (non-apprehension of phenomena in order to bring all beings to ultimate fruition)
7. Jewelry (skill in methods due to the Buddha’s blessing)
8. Armlets (obtaining dhāraṇīs)2
The text then concludes with instructions to recite this dhāraṇī while performing the practice of recollecting the Buddha, and mentions further benefits that will be attained by anyone practicing in that way.
The translators’ colophon notes that this text was translated by the Indian preceptors Jinamitra and Dānaśīla along with the Tibetan translator Bandé Yeshé Dé (c. eighth century). The text appears in the Phangthangma3 royal Tibetan catalogue of translated works among the collection of various dhāraṇī. In the Denkarma inventory’s list of dhāraṇī, there are two texts entitled The Buddha’s Essence (’phags pa sangs rgyas kyi snying po),4 and while neither of them matches the full title of the present work, the first mention is the more likely to correspond to it judging by the recorded length of the text (fifty-five ślokas); the second record (thirty-eight ślokas) probably corresponds to another, slightly shorter text with a similar title, The Dhāraṇī of the Buddha’s Essence (’phags pa sangs rgyas kyi snying po zhes bya ba’i gzungs, Toh 515, 855). The two texts appear alongside each other in the Degé Kangyur both in The Tantra Collection (rgyud ’bum) and in The Compendium of Dhāraṇīs (gzungs ’dus). The two dhāraṇī mantras in this text are included in Butön’s Collection of Dhāraṇī of the Four Classes of Secret Mantra (gsang sngags rgyud sde bzhi’i gzungs ’bum).5
The text was translated into Chinese in 650
This translation is primarily based on the Tibetan translations of the text from the Tantra Collection and the Compendium of Dhāraṇīs88 in the Degé Kangyur9 in conjunction with the text as it appears in the Stok Palace Kangyur and the Comparative Edition (dpe bsdur ma).
Thus did I hear at one time. The Blessed One was residing and teaching the Dharma within the palace called Universal Radiance—a secluded Dharma hermitage11 with a courtyard arrayed with jewels that is the home of the thus-gone ones, a place where gnosis is perfectly analyzed, a place blessed by the buddhas of the past and praised by all beings, an abode of the great bodhisattvas, a place endowed with the best of all aspects and in harmony with the sameness of all phenomena. He was surrounded and venerated by billions of bodhisattvas, all of whom had been prophesied to become buddhas, had assembled from their separate world systems,12 were the heirs of the thus-gone ones who are the kings of the Dharma, and had attained the various dhāraṇīs and absorptions.
The Blessed One addressed the great assembly of bodhisattvas, saying, “Sons of the lineage, The Discourse of the Dhāraṇī of the Buddha’s Essence has been taught by as many thus-gone, worthy, perfect complete buddhas as there are sands in the river Ganges in order to benefit many beings, to bring happiness to many beings, to express sincere love for the world, and to benefit, help, and bring happiness to the great multitude of gods and humans.[F.45.a] If sons or daughters of the lineage receive this Discourse of the Dhāraṇī of the Buddha’s Essence, bear it in mind, recite it, master it,[F.73.a] teach it correctly and extensively to others, have faith in it, or generate exceptional devotion toward it, their progress toward unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening will never be reversed. They will never part from holding all the teachings. They will never part company with the blessed buddhas. They will never part from seeing and serving the Thus-Gone One. They will never part from listening to the Dharma. They will never part from honoring the saṅgha. They will demolish the ocean of saṃsāra for a thousand eons. They will remember the successive lives they pass until they become buddhas who have completely manifested unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening. They will quickly become buddhas who have completely manifested unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening. All the hordes of spirit beings will protect them. All human and nonhuman beings such as gods, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kinnaras, and mahoragas will be fond of them. Their bodies will not be afflicted by illness. They will not die because of harm done by others. They will not die because of renouncing violence, spurning weapons, or neutralizing poisons. They will be impregnable to the evil Māra, invulnerable to the deities of Māra’s horde. They will need only to direct their attention to the deities of Māra’s horde for them all to tremble, panic in fear, and scatter in the ten directions.
“These are the Buddha’s words, the Buddha’s great words, the great words that were given by the Buddha,[F.45.b] the words of all buddhas, the words of all the thus-gone ones:
tadyathā buddhe subuddhe mahābuddhe iha buddhe tatra buddhe buddhe[F.73.b] buddhe buddhamati buddhe sarvabuddhānumati sarvabuddhānujñāna13 te buddha buddha buddha buddha buddha buddha buddha buddha buddha buddha
“Although the objects that the Buddha perceives and the Dharma that he has taught are infinite, the simplified instruction is that one should focus the mind on a single thing.14
“The following dhāraṇī has been taught by all the buddhas out of their sincere love for all beings. It is the seal of all qualities:
tadyathā śuddhe suśuddhe suśuddhe śodhani saṁśodhani saṁśodhani nirmale malāpagate gate15 samatikranti16 krame samasare sarāsaraparyāśoke viśoka śokaśamani śānte upaśānte praśānte avabhāse sarvapunye parimaṇḍite17 sarvadharmapratimaṇḍite hara hara mala hara cara cara saṁcara cala cala saṁcala tala tala matala samatala riṇe riṇe suriṇe samariṇe riṇamatilokadhare lokadhariṇe dhara dhara ḍara ḍara rodha rodha mahāvijaya vāhini hana hana sarvabuddhe hriphreṣi trasi sarvajñāpathe sarvajñāpāramite mahāpratibhānasaṃpanne18 samantāloke buddhe viṣaye buddhapratimaṇḍite bhagavate sara sara prasara prasara visara visara prasara sarvaśokāpagate svāhā.”
As soon as the Blessed One had spoken this Discourse of the Dhāraṇī of the Buddha’s Essence, the mountains, the surrounding areas, and the forests shook in the following six ways: the whole trichiliocosm shook, shook violently, and shook all over. The great ocean trembled, trembled violently, and trembled all over. The supreme king of mountains trembled[F.46.a] and quaked. The entire abode of Māra was terrified, and all of the deities of Māra’s horde and the wicked Māras were extremely distressed and[F.74.a] miserable.
The beings who witnessed the great earth quaking prostrated to the thus-gone, arhat, perfect and complete buddha and recited the phrase “I prostrate to the thus-gone, arhat, perfect and complete buddha” three times. The gods that had genuine faith19 in the Buddha showered the Blessed One with divine mandārava flowers and great mandārava flowers, and by showering him with flowers brought joy to all who sought refuge in the Buddha. And thus it was said that:
“These eight offerings became the ornaments of the beneficial advantages of their good qualities. The eight are as follows: (1) the ornament of not forgetting bodhicitta; (2) the ornament of insatiable investigation of all one has studied; (3) the ornament of dependent origination, the definitive understanding of the profound Dharma; (4) the ornament of knowing[F.46.b] those who are of supreme acumen and those who are not; (5) the ornament of correctly discerning and analyzing the teachings as one has heard them and as one has understood them;[F.74.b] (6) the ornament of the non-apprehension of phenomena in order to bring all beings to ultimate fruition; (7) the ornament of skill in methods due to the Buddha’s blessing; and (8) the ornament of obtaining dhāraṇīs. Those eight are the ornaments of the beneficial advantages of his good qualities.21
“All beings should continually contemplate this dhāraṇī and meditate while recollecting the Buddha. If they contemplate the words of the dhāraṇī, all their karmic obscurations will be purified, they will attain the meditative concentration called the lotus array, and they will be able to wash away all illnesses and diseases with their hands. They should perform innumerable recitations of this dhāraṇī.”
When the Blessed One had spoken, the bodhisattva great beings, great śrāvakas, and the entire world with its gods, humans, asuras, and gandharvas praised the Blessed One’s words.
This concludes the noble discourse of the dhāraṇī “The Buddha’s Essence.”
Translated and edited by the Indian preceptors Jinamitra and Dānaśīla along with the chief editor and translator Bandé Yeshé Dé; later revised according to the new language reform and then finalized.22
The Discourse of the Dhāraṇī of the Buddha’s Essence is a short work in which the Buddha Śākyamuni, addressing an immense gathering of bodhisattvas, teaches two dhāraṇīs to be recited as a complement to the practice of recollecting the Buddha, and then explains the beneficial results of reciting them. The significance of the teaching is marked by miraculous signs, and by the gods offering flowers and ornaments. The text also provides a set of correspondences between the eight ornaments offered by the gods and eight qualities that ornament bodhisattvas.
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 Discourse of the Dhāraṇī of the Buddha’s Essence1 opens with the Buddha and an immense assembly of bodhisattvas gathered in a hermitage in the celestial realm Universal Radiance. The Buddha begins by telling the assembly that The Discourse of the Dhāraṇī of the Buddha’s Essence has been taught by all the buddhas of the past, and then outlines the various benefits that accrue to a person reciting it. He pronounces two dhāraṇīs, causing the whole earth and its oceans to tremble and inciting panic in Māra’s realm. The gods then offer flowers and ornaments.
Before the narrative concludes, the text lists a set of correspondences between the eight ornaments offered by the gods and eight qualities that are the ornaments of bodhisattvas. The eight ornaments and their related qualities are as follows:
1. Short necklace (not forgetting bodhicitta)
2. Long necklace (investigation of all one has studied)
3. Perfumes (dependent origination)
4. Scented powders (knowing those who are of supreme acumen and those who are not)
5. Ointments (correctly discerning and analyzing the teachings as one has heard them and as one has understood them)
6. Clothing (non-apprehension of phenomena in order to bring all beings to ultimate fruition)
7. Jewelry (skill in methods due to the Buddha’s blessing)
8. Armlets (obtaining dhāraṇīs)2
The text then concludes with instructions to recite this dhāraṇī while performing the practice of recollecting the Buddha, and mentions further benefits that will be attained by anyone practicing in that way.
The translators’ colophon notes that this text was translated by the Indian preceptors Jinamitra and Dānaśīla along with the Tibetan translator Bandé Yeshé Dé (c. eighth century). The text appears in the Phangthangma3 royal Tibetan catalogue of translated works among the collection of various dhāraṇī. In the Denkarma inventory’s list of dhāraṇī, there are two texts entitled The Buddha’s Essence (’phags pa sangs rgyas kyi snying po),4 and while neither of them matches the full title of the present work, the first mention is the more likely to correspond to it judging by the recorded length of the text (fifty-five ślokas); the second record (thirty-eight ślokas) probably corresponds to another, slightly shorter text with a similar title, The Dhāraṇī of the Buddha’s Essence (’phags pa sangs rgyas kyi snying po zhes bya ba’i gzungs, Toh 515, 855). The two texts appear alongside each other in the Degé Kangyur both in The Tantra Collection (rgyud ’bum) and in The Compendium of Dhāraṇīs (gzungs ’dus). The two dhāraṇī mantras in this text are included in Butön’s Collection of Dhāraṇī of the Four Classes of Secret Mantra (gsang sngags rgyud sde bzhi’i gzungs ’bum).5
The text was translated into Chinese in 650
This translation is primarily based on the Tibetan translations of the text from the Tantra Collection and the Compendium of Dhāraṇīs88 in the Degé Kangyur9 in conjunction with the text as it appears in the Stok Palace Kangyur and the Comparative Edition (dpe bsdur ma).
Thus did I hear at one time. The Blessed One was residing and teaching the Dharma within the palace called Universal Radiance—a secluded Dharma hermitage11 with a courtyard arrayed with jewels that is the home of the thus-gone ones, a place where gnosis is perfectly analyzed, a place blessed by the buddhas of the past and praised by all beings, an abode of the great bodhisattvas, a place endowed with the best of all aspects and in harmony with the sameness of all phenomena. He was surrounded and venerated by billions of bodhisattvas, all of whom had been prophesied to become buddhas, had assembled from their separate world systems,12 were the heirs of the thus-gone ones who are the kings of the Dharma, and had attained the various dhāraṇīs and absorptions.
The Blessed One addressed the great assembly of bodhisattvas, saying, “Sons of the lineage, The Discourse of the Dhāraṇī of the Buddha’s Essence has been taught by as many thus-gone, worthy, perfect complete buddhas as there are sands in the river Ganges in order to benefit many beings, to bring happiness to many beings, to express sincere love for the world, and to benefit, help, and bring happiness to the great multitude of gods and humans.[F.45.a] If sons or daughters of the lineage receive this Discourse of the Dhāraṇī of the Buddha’s Essence, bear it in mind, recite it, master it,[F.73.a] teach it correctly and extensively to others, have faith in it, or generate exceptional devotion toward it, their progress toward unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening will never be reversed. They will never part from holding all the teachings. They will never part company with the blessed buddhas. They will never part from seeing and serving the Thus-Gone One. They will never part from listening to the Dharma. They will never part from honoring the saṅgha. They will demolish the ocean of saṃsāra for a thousand eons. They will remember the successive lives they pass until they become buddhas who have completely manifested unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening. They will quickly become buddhas who have completely manifested unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening. All the hordes of spirit beings will protect them. All human and nonhuman beings such as gods, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kinnaras, and mahoragas will be fond of them. Their bodies will not be afflicted by illness. They will not die because of harm done by others. They will not die because of renouncing violence, spurning weapons, or neutralizing poisons. They will be impregnable to the evil Māra, invulnerable to the deities of Māra’s horde. They will need only to direct their attention to the deities of Māra’s horde for them all to tremble, panic in fear, and scatter in the ten directions.
“These are the Buddha’s words, the Buddha’s great words, the great words that were given by the Buddha,[F.45.b] the words of all buddhas, the words of all the thus-gone ones:
tadyathā buddhe subuddhe mahābuddhe iha buddhe tatra buddhe buddhe[F.73.b] buddhe buddhamati buddhe sarvabuddhānumati sarvabuddhānujñāna13 te buddha buddha buddha buddha buddha buddha buddha buddha buddha buddha
“Although the objects that the Buddha perceives and the Dharma that he has taught are infinite, the simplified instruction is that one should focus the mind on a single thing.14
“The following dhāraṇī has been taught by all the buddhas out of their sincere love for all beings. It is the seal of all qualities:
tadyathā śuddhe suśuddhe suśuddhe śodhani saṁśodhani saṁśodhani nirmale malāpagate gate15 samatikranti16 krame samasare sarāsaraparyāśoke viśoka śokaśamani śānte upaśānte praśānte avabhāse sarvapunye parimaṇḍite17 sarvadharmapratimaṇḍite hara hara mala hara cara cara saṁcara cala cala saṁcala tala tala matala samatala riṇe riṇe suriṇe samariṇe riṇamatilokadhare lokadhariṇe dhara dhara ḍara ḍara rodha rodha mahāvijaya vāhini hana hana sarvabuddhe hriphreṣi trasi sarvajñāpathe sarvajñāpāramite mahāpratibhānasaṃpanne18 samantāloke buddhe viṣaye buddhapratimaṇḍite bhagavate sara sara prasara prasara visara visara prasara sarvaśokāpagate svāhā.”
As soon as the Blessed One had spoken this Discourse of the Dhāraṇī of the Buddha’s Essence, the mountains, the surrounding areas, and the forests shook in the following six ways: the whole trichiliocosm shook, shook violently, and shook all over. The great ocean trembled, trembled violently, and trembled all over. The supreme king of mountains trembled[F.46.a] and quaked. The entire abode of Māra was terrified, and all of the deities of Māra’s horde and the wicked Māras were extremely distressed and[F.74.a] miserable.
The beings who witnessed the great earth quaking prostrated to the thus-gone, arhat, perfect and complete buddha and recited the phrase “I prostrate to the thus-gone, arhat, perfect and complete buddha” three times. The gods that had genuine faith19 in the Buddha showered the Blessed One with divine mandārava flowers and great mandārava flowers, and by showering him with flowers brought joy to all who sought refuge in the Buddha. And thus it was said that:
“These eight offerings became the ornaments of the beneficial advantages of their good qualities. The eight are as follows: (1) the ornament of not forgetting bodhicitta; (2) the ornament of insatiable investigation of all one has studied; (3) the ornament of dependent origination, the definitive understanding of the profound Dharma; (4) the ornament of knowing[F.46.b] those who are of supreme acumen and those who are not; (5) the ornament of correctly discerning and analyzing the teachings as one has heard them and as one has understood them;[F.74.b] (6) the ornament of the non-apprehension of phenomena in order to bring all beings to ultimate fruition; (7) the ornament of skill in methods due to the Buddha’s blessing; and (8) the ornament of obtaining dhāraṇīs. Those eight are the ornaments of the beneficial advantages of his good qualities.21
“All beings should continually contemplate this dhāraṇī and meditate while recollecting the Buddha. If they contemplate the words of the dhāraṇī, all their karmic obscurations will be purified, they will attain the meditative concentration called the lotus array, and they will be able to wash away all illnesses and diseases with their hands. They should perform innumerable recitations of this dhāraṇī.”
When the Blessed One had spoken, the bodhisattva great beings, great śrāvakas, and the entire world with its gods, humans, asuras, and gandharvas praised the Blessed One’s words.
This concludes the noble discourse of the dhāraṇī “The Buddha’s Essence.”
Translated and edited by the Indian preceptors Jinamitra and Dānaśīla along with the chief editor and translator Bandé Yeshé Dé; later revised according to the new language reform and then finalized.22
Skt. Āryabuddhahṛdayanāmadhāraṇīdharmaparyāya. D (Toh 514): viparyaya; D (Toh 854): viparyāya; S: paryāya. The Sanskrit transliteration viparyāya in the Degé for the Tibetan term rnam grangs contains the perhaps misleading prefix vi-. The usual Sanskrit for the Tibetan rnam grangs is simply paryāya, which is preserved in the Stok Palace Kangyur.
This set of eight aspects that “ornament” the practice and accomplishment of the bodhisattva path is almost identical to a set of eight “ornaments of bodhisattvas” listed in The Sūtra of the Prophecy Concerning Strīvivarta (Strīvivartavyākaraṇa, Toh 190). Two of the items in the two sets are different, but the almost identical phrasing of most of the list leaves little doubt that they share a common origin. See also n.21.
This latter text, Toh 854, and all those contained in the 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.
As there are significant variants mentioned in the notes, it should be noted that the correlating section from the eKangyur (based on the Degé) may be viewed by clicking on the folio references, which will be displayed according to the Toh number selected from the 84000 reading room: D 514 or D 854.
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.
In the Toh 514 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.10 of the Toh 514 version of this text.
D (Toh 854): chos kyi g.ye dgon pa; D (Toh 514): chos kyi dbye/ dgon pa; S: chos kyi dbye dgon pa.
D (Toh 854): thams cad kyang lun bstan pa/ thams cad kyang ’jig rten gyi khams tha dad pa nas ’dus pa; D (Toh 514), S: ’jig rten gyi khams tha dad pa nas lung stan pa/ thams cad kyang ’jig rten gyi khams tha dad pa nas ’dus pa. D (Toh 514) and S appear to unnecessarily repeat the phrase ’jig rten gyi khams tha dad pa nas. This translation follows D (Toh 854).
D (Toh 854): gcig tu yid la bya ba ni mdor na sgom pa’o; D (Toh 514): gcig tu yid la bya ba ni mdor na chos sgom pa’o; S: gcig tu yid la bya ba ni mdor na chos bsgom pa’o.
D (Toh 514): mahāpratibhānasaṃpanne; D (Toh 854): mahāpratibhānasaṃphanne; S: mahāpratibhanasaṃpanne.
This set of eight ornaments is almost identical and also of very similar phrasing, but with the exception of two items, to a set of eight “ornaments of bodhisattvas” listed in The Sūtra of the Prophecy Concerning Strīvivarta (Strīvivartavyākaraṇa, Toh 190), F.222.b–223.a.
A type of nonhuman being whose precise status is subject to different views, but is included as one of the six classes of beings in the sixfold classification of realms of rebirth. In the Buddhist context, asuras are powerful beings said to be dominated by envy, ambition, and hostility. They are also known in the pre-Buddhist and pre-Vedic mythologies of India and Iran, and feature prominently in Vedic and post-Vedic Brahmanical mythology, as well as in the Buddhist tradition. In these traditions, asuras are often described as being engaged in interminable conflict with the devas (gods).
Yeshé Dé (late eighth to early ninth century) was the most prolific translator of sūtras into Tibetan. Altogether he is credited with the translation of more than one hundred sixty sūtra translations and more than one hundred additional translations, mostly on tantric topics. In spite of Yeshé Dé’s great importance for the propagation of Buddhism in Tibet during the imperial era, only a few biographical details about this figure are known. Later sources describe him as a student of the Indian teacher Padmasambhava, and he is also credited with teaching both sūtra and tantra widely to students of his own. He was also known as Nanam Yeshé Dé, from the Nanam (sna nam) clan.
Eighth-century Indian teacher and translator.
A class of generally benevolent nonhuman beings who inhabit the skies, sometimes said to inhabit fantastic cities in the clouds, and more specifically to dwell on the eastern slopes of Mount Meru, where they are ruled by the Great King Dhṛtarāṣṭra. They are most renowned as celestial musicians who serve the gods. In the Abhidharma, the term is also used to refer to the mental body assumed by sentient beings during the intermediate state between death and rebirth. Gandharvas are said to live on fragrances (gandha) in the desire realm, hence the Tibetan translation dri za, meaning “scent eater.”
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.
In the most general sense the devas—the term is cognate with the English divine—are a class of celestial beings who frequently appear in Buddhist texts, often at the head of the assemblies of nonhuman beings who attend and celebrate the teachings of the Buddha Śākyamuni and other buddhas and bodhisattvas. In Buddhist cosmology the devas occupy the highest of the five or six “destinies” (gati) of saṃsāra among which beings take rebirth. The devas reside in the devalokas, “heavens” that traditionally number between twenty-six and twenty-eight and are divided between the desire realm (kāmadhātu), form realm (rūpadhātu), and formless realm (ārūpyadhātu). A being attains rebirth among the devas either through meritorious deeds (in the desire realm) or the attainment of subtle meditative states (in the form and formless realms). While rebirth among the devas is considered favorable, it is ultimately a transitory state from which beings will fall when the conditions that lead to rebirth there are exhausted. Thus, rebirth in the god realms is regarded as a diversion from the spiritual path.
Jinamitra was invited to Tibet during the reign of King Tri Songdetsen (khri srong lde btsan, r. 742–98 ᴄᴇ) and was involved with the translation of nearly two hundred texts, continuing into the reign of King Ralpachen (ral pa can, r. 815–38 ᴄᴇ). He was one of the small group of paṇḍitas responsible for the Mahāvyutpatti Sanskrit–Tibetan dictionary.
A class of terrestrial beings.
The name of a samādhi.
Literally “great serpents,” mahoragas are supernatural beings depicted as large, subterranean beings with human torsos and heads and the lower bodies of serpents. Their movements are said to cause earthquakes, and they make up a class of subterranean geomantic spirits whose movement through the seasons and months of the year is deemed significant for construction projects.
The class of beings known as the māras is led by Māra, who is best known in Buddhist traditions as the demonic force that perpetuates the illusion of saṃsāra.
The leader of the class of beings known as the māras, Māra is best known in Buddhist traditions as the demonic force that perpetuates the illusion of saṃsāra.
A class of nonhuman beings who live in subterranean aquatic environments, where they guard wealth and sometimes also teachings. Nāgas are associated with serpents and have a snakelike appearance. In Buddhist art and in written accounts, they are regularly portrayed as half human and half snake, and they are also said to have the ability to change into human form. Some nāgas are Dharma protectors, but they can also bring retribution if they are disturbed. They may likewise fight one another, wage war, and destroy the lands of others by causing lightning, hail, and flooding.
This term in its broadest sense can refer to any being, whether human, animal, or nonhuman. However, it is often used to refer to a specific class of nonhuman beings, especially when bhūtas are mentioned alongside rākṣasas, piśācas, or pretas. In common with these other kinds of nonhumans, bhūtas are usually depicted with unattractive and misshapen bodies. Like several other classes of nonhuman beings, bhūtas take spontaneous birth. As their leader is traditionally regarded to be Rudra-Śiva (also known by the name Bhūta), with whom they haunt dangerous and wild places, bhūtas are especially prominent in Śaivism, where large sections of certain tantras concentrate on them.
The name of a celestial realm.
A class of nonhuman beings who inhabit forests, mountainous areas, and other natural spaces, or serve as guardians of villages and towns, and may be propitiated for health, wealth, protection, and other boons, or controlled through magic. According to tradition, their homeland is in the north, where they live under the rule of the Great King Vaiśravaṇa.
Several members of this class have been deified as gods of wealth (these include the just-mentioned Vaiśravaṇa) or as bodhisattva generals of yakṣa armies, and have entered the Buddhist pantheon in a variety of forms, including, in tantric Buddhism, those of wrathful deities.
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