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རྒྱ་ཆེར་རོལ་པ།

The Play in Full
Leaving Home

Lalita­vistara
འཕགས་པ་རྒྱ་ཆེར་རོལ་པ་ཞེས་བྱ་བ་ཐེག་པ་ཆེན་པོའི་མདོ།
’phags pa rgya cher rol pa zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo
The Noble Great Vehicle Sūtra “The Play in Full”
Ārya­lalita­vistara­nāma­mahā­yāna­sūtra

Toh 95

Degé Kangyur, vol. 46 (mdo sde, kha), folios 1.b–216.b

ᴛʀᴀɴsʟᴀᴛᴇᴅ ɪɴᴛᴏ ᴛɪʙᴇᴛᴀɴ ʙʏ
  • Jinamitra
  • Dānaśīla
  • Munivarman
  • Yeshé Dé

Imprint

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

First published 2013

Current version v 4.49.4 (2025)

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co.

Table of Contents

ti. Title
im. Imprint
co. Contents
s. Summary
ac. Acknowledgments
i. Introduction
tr. The Translation
+ 27 chapters- 27 chapters
1. The Setting
2. The Inspiration
3. The Purity of the Family
4. The Gateways to the Light of the Dharma
5. Setting Out
6. Entering the Womb
7. The Birth
8. Going to the Temple
9. The Ornaments
10. The Demonstration at the Writing School
11. The Farming Village
12. Demonstrating Skill in the Arts
13. Encouragement
14. Dreams
15. Leaving Home
16. The Visit of King Bimbisāra
17. Practicing Austerities
18. The Nairañjanā River
19. Approaching the Seat of Awakening
20. The Displays at the Seat of Awakening
21. Conquering Māra
22. Perfect and Complete Awakening
23. Exaltation
24. Trapuṣa and Bhallika
25. Exhortation
26. Turning the Wheel of Dharma
27. Epilogue
c. Colophon
+ 2 sections- 2 sections
· Colophon to the Sanskrit Edition
· Colophon to the Tibetan Translation
n. Notes
b. Bibliography
+ 3 sections- 3 sections
· Source Texts
· Secondary Sources
· Further Resources
g. Glossary

s.

Summary

s.­1

The Play in Full tells the story of how the Buddha manifested in this world and attained awakening, as perceived from the perspective of the Great Vehicle. The sūtra, which is structured in twenty-seven chapters, first presents the events surrounding the Buddha’s birth, childhood, and adolescence in the royal palace of his father, king of the Śākya nation. It then recounts his escape from the palace and the years of hardship he faced in his quest for spiritual awakening. Finally the sūtra reveals his complete victory over the demon Māra, his attainment of awakening under the Bodhi tree, his first turning of the wheel of Dharma, and the formation of the very early saṅgha.


ac.

Acknowledgments

ac.­1

This text was translated by the Dharmachakra Translation Committee under the supervision of Chökyi Nyima Rinpoche.

Cortland Dahl, Catherine Dalton, Hilary Herdman, Heidi Koppl, James Gentry, and Andreas Doctor translated the text from Tibetan into English. Andreas Doctor and Wiesiek Mical then compared the translations against the original Tibetan and Sanskrit, respectively. Finally, Andreas Doctor edited the translation and wrote the introduction.

The Dharmachakra Translation Committee would like to thank Chökyi Nyima Rinpoche for blessing this project, and Khenpo Sherap Sangpo for his generous assistance with the resolution of several difficult passages.

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


ac.­2

The generous sponsorship of 簡源震及家人江秀敏,簡暐如,簡暐丞 Chien YuanChen (Dharma Das) and his wife, daughter, and son for work on this sūtra is gratefully acknowledged.


i.

Introduction

i.­1

The Play in Full (Lalitavistara) is without a doubt one of the most important sūtras within Buddhist Mahāyāna literature. With parts of the text dating from the earliest days of the Buddhist tradition, this story of the Buddha’s awakening has captivated the minds of devotees, both ordained and lay, as far back as the beginning of the common era.

i.­2

In brief, The Play in Full tells the story of how the Buddha manifested in this world and attained awakening. The sūtra, which is structured in twenty-seven chapters, begins with the Buddha being requested to teach the sūtra by several gods, as well as the thousands of bodhisattvas and hearers in his retinue. The gods summarize the sūtra in this manner (chap. 1, 1.­14):


Text Body

The Translation
The Noble Great Vehicle Sūtra
The Play in Full

1.
Chapter 1

The Setting

[F.1.b]


1.­1

Homage to all buddhas and bodhisattvas!


1.­2

Thus did I hear at one time. The Blessed One was staying in Śrāvastī, in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍada’s Park, along with a great saṅgha of twelve thousand monks.

Among them were the venerable Ājñāta­kauṇḍinya, the venerable Aśvajit, the venerable Bāṣpa, the venerable Mahānāma, the venerable Bhadrika, the venerable Yaśodeva, the venerable Vimala, the venerable Subāhu, the venerable Pūrṇa, the venerable Gavāṃpati, the venerable Urubilvā Kāśyapa, the venerable Nadīkāśyapa, the venerable Gayākāśyapa, the venerable Śāriputra, the venerable Mahā­maudgalyāyana, the venerable Mahākāśyapa, [F.2.a] the venerable Mahākātyāyana, the venerable Mahākapphiṇa, the venerable Kauṣṭhila,5 the venerable Cunda, the venerable Pūrṇa­maitrāyaṇī­putra, the venerable Aniruddha, the venerable Nandika, the venerable Kampila, the venerable Subhūti, the venerable Revata, [2] the venerable Khadiravaṇika, the venerable Amogharāja, the venerable Mahāpāraṇika, the venerable Vakkula, the venerable Nanda, the venerable Rāhula, the venerable Svāgata, and the venerable Ānanda.


2.
Chapter 2

The Inspiration

2.­1

Now, monks, what is this extensive discourse on the Dharma known as The Play in Full?

Monks, the Bodhisattva dwelt in the supreme realm of the Heaven of Joy, where he was honored by offerings, received consecration, and was praised and revered by one hundred thousand gods. [8] He had achieved his goal and was elevated by his former aspirations. His intelligence was such that he had attained the entire range of the Buddhadharma. Indeed his eye of wisdom was at once both vast and utterly pure. Radiating with mindfulness, intelligence, realization, modesty, and joyfulness, his mind was extremely powerful. He had mastered the perfections of generosity, discipline, patience, diligence, mental stability, knowledge, and skillful means, and was adept in the fourfold path of Brahmā: great love, great compassion, great joy, and great equanimity. With great awareness, he was free of obscurations and had manifested the vision of wisdom free from attachment. Likewise he had perfected each and every quality of awakening: the applications of mindfulness, the thorough relinquishments, the bases of miraculous power, [F.6.a] the faculties, the powers, the branches of awakening, the path, and the factors of awakening.


3.
Chapter 3

The Purity of the Family

3.­1

Monks, in this way the Bodhisattva was exhorted that the time for the Dharma had come. Emerging from that great celestial palace, [F.9.b] the Bodhisattva went to the great Dharmoccaya Palace, where he taught the Dharma to the gods in the Heaven of Joy. In the palace, he seated himself upon a lion throne known as Sublime Dharma. He was joined in the palace by a group of gods whose good fortune equaled that of the Bodhisattva, and who had entered the same vehicle. Bodhisattvas with similar conduct to the Bodhisattva gathered from throughout the ten directions. Retinues with equally pure intentions accompanied the gods, without the assembly of divine maidens and even without ordinary gods. Altogether a retinue of 680 million entered the palace, each sitting on a lion throne according to rank.


4.
Chapter 4

The Gateways to the Light of the Dharma

4.­1

Monks, while the Bodhisattva was seeing the family of his birth, he dwelt in the Heaven of Joy in Uccadhvaja, a great celestial palace measuring sixty-four leagues around, where he taught the Dharma to the gods of the Heaven of Joy. The Bodhisattva had come to this great celestial palace where he now addressed all the gods of the Heaven of Joy. “Come, gather here,” he said. “Come listen to the Bodhisattva’s final teaching on the Dharma, a recollection of the Dharma entitled ‘The Application of Passing.’ ” [30]


5.
Chapter 5

Setting Out

5.­1

Monks, in that way the Bodhisattva taught this Dharma discourse to the large congregation of gods, [F.24.a] instructed them, inspired them, delighted them, and caused them to be receptive. He then said to that assembly of fortunate gods:

“Friends, I will now proceed to Jambudvīpa. In the past when I practiced the conduct of a bodhisattva, I attracted sentient beings through the four activities of giving, pleasant speech, beneficial activity, and demonstrating consistency in speech and aims. But friends, I would be acting without gratitude, and it would be inappropriate, if I were not now to achieve unexcelled, perfect, and complete awakening.”


6.
Chapter 6

Entering the Womb

6.­1

Monks, the cold season had passed and it was the third month of spring. It was the finest season, when the moon enters the constellation Viśākhā. The leaves of trees unfurled and the most exquisite flowers blossomed. It was neither cold nor hot, and there was no fog or dust in the air. Fresh green grass covered the grounds everywhere.

6.­2

The Lord of the Three Worlds, [55] revered by all the worlds, now judged that the time had come. On the fifteenth day, during the full moon, while his future mother was observing the poṣadha precepts during the constellation of Puṣya, the Bodhisattva moved, fully conscious and aware, from the fine realm of the Heaven of Joy to the womb of his mother. [F.32.a]


7.
Chapter 7

The Birth

7.­1

Monks, in this way ten months passed, and the time came for the Bodhisattva to take birth. At that time thirty-two omens occurred in King Śuddhodana’s parks:

All flowers budded and blossomed. In the ponds, all the blue, red, and white lotus flowers also budded and blossomed. New fruit and flower trees sprung from the earth, budded, and came into blossom. Eight trees of precious gems appeared. Twenty thousand great treasures emerged and remained on the grounds. [F.42.b] Inside the women’s quarters, jeweled shoots sprouted forth. Scented water, saturated with fragrant oils, flowed forth. Lion cubs descended from the snow mountains. They joyfully circled the sublime city of Kapilavastu and then rested by the gates without harming anyone. Five hundred young white elephants arrived, stroking King Śuddhodana’s feet with the tips of their trunks, and then settling down next to him. Divine children, wearing sashes, [77] were seen moving back and forth between the laps of the women in the retinue of King Śuddhodana’s queen.


8.
Chapter 8

Going to the Temple

8.­1

Monks, on the very evening of the Bodhisattva’s birth, there were twenty thousand girls born among the ruling class, the priestly class, the merchants, and the householders, such as the landowners. All of them were offered to the Bodhisattva by their parents to serve and honor him. King Śuddhodana also gave twenty thousand girls to the Bodhisattva to serve and honor him. His friends, his ministers, his [118] kinfolk, and his blood relatives also offered twenty thousand girls to serve and honor the Bodhisattva. [F.63.a] Finally the members of ministerial assemblies also offered twenty thousand girls to serve and honor the Bodhisattva.


9.
Chapter 9

The Ornaments

9.­1

Monks, at the time of the constellation of Citrā, after the constellation of Hastā had passed, the chief priest of the king, who was called Udayana, the father of Udāyin, [F.64.b] went before King Śuddhodana surrounded by some five hundred priests and said, “Your Majesty, please know that it is now proper for ornaments to be made for the prince.”

The king replied, “Very well, then do it.”

9.­2

At that time King Śuddhodana had five hundred types of ornaments made by five hundred Śākyas. He commissioned bracelets, anklets, crowns, necklaces, rings, earrings, armbands, golden belts, golden threads, nets of bells, nets of gems, shoes bedecked with jewels, garlands adorned with various gems, jeweled bangles, chokers, and diadems. When the ornaments were completed the Śākyas went before King Śuddhodana at the time of the constellation of Puṣya and said, “King, please ornament the prince.”


10.
Chapter 10

The Demonstration at the Writing School

10.­1

Monks, when the young child had grown a little older, he was taken to school. He went there amid hundreds of thousands of auspicious signs, and he was surrounded and attended by tens of thousands of boys, along with ten thousand carts filled with hard food, soft food, and condiments, and ten thousand carts filled with gold coins and gems. These were distributed in the streets and road junctions, and the entrances to the markets of the city of Kapilavastu. At the same time a symphony of eight hundred thousand cymbals was sounded, and a heavy rain of flowers fell.


11.
Chapter 11

The Farming Village

11.­1

Monks, on another occasion when the prince had grown a little older, he went with the sons of the ministers and some other boys to visit a farming village. After seeing the village, he entered a park at the edge of the fields. The Bodhisattva wandered around there in complete solitude. As he was strolling through the park, he saw a beautiful and pleasant rose apple tree, and he decided to sit down cross-legged under its shade. Seated there, the Bodhisattva attained a one-pointed state of mind. [129]


12.
Chapter 12

Demonstrating Skill in the Arts

12.­1

Monks, one time, when the prince had grown older, King Śuddhodana was sitting in the meeting hall together with the assembly of Śākyas. There some of the Śākya elders spoke to King Śuddhodana:

“Your Majesty, you know that the priests who are skilled in making predictions, as well as the gods who have definite knowledge, have foretold that if Prince Sarvārthasiddha renounces the household, he will become a thus-gone one, a worthy one, a completely perfect buddha. Yet if he does not renounce the household, he will become a universal monarch, a righteous Dharma king who has conquered the four quarters and is equipped with the seven treasures. The seven treasures that will be his are the precious wheel, the precious elephant, the precious horse, the precious wife, the precious jewel, [F.71.b] the precious steward, and the precious minister. He will have one thousand sons, all of them full, fierce warriors with well-built bodies that destroy the armies of the enemy. He will conquer the entire earth without the use of violence or weapons, and then he will rule [137] according to the Dharma. Therefore we must arrange a marriage for the prince. Once he is surrounded by a group of women, he will discover pleasure and not renounce the household. In that way the line of our universal monarchy will not be cut, and we will be irreproachably respected by all the kings of the realm.”


13.
Chapter 13

Encouragement

13.­1

Monks, while the Bodhisattva was staying in the midst of his retinue of consorts, there were numerous gods, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, demigods, garuḍas, kinnaras, and mahoragas, as well as [160] Śakra and Brahmā and the guardians of the world, who were eager to make offerings to the Bodhisattva. They arrived calling out in joyous voices. However, monks, as time went on, many of these gods, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, demigods, garuḍas, kinnaras, and mahoragas, as well as Śakra, Brahmā, and the world protectors, began to think to themselves:


14.
Chapter 14

Dreams

14.­1

Monks, while the god in this way was encouraging the Bodhisattva, a dream occurred to King Śuddhodana. As he was sleeping, King Śuddhodana dreamed that the Bodhisattva was leaving the palace in the quiet of the night, [186] surrounded by a host of gods. As the Bodhisattva left the palace, the king saw that he had become ordained and was wearing the saffron-colored robes.

As soon as the king awoke, he immediately asked the chamberlain, “Is the young prince with the consorts?”


15.
Chapter 15

Leaving Home

15.­1

Monks, in the meantime the Bodhisattva thought to himself, “It would not be right if I did not share my plans with the great king Śuddhodana and simply left home without his permission. It would be very ungrateful of me.”

So that night when everything became quiet, he left his own quarters and entered the quarters of King Śuddhodana. As soon as the Bodhisattva stepped foot on the palace floor, the entire palace became illuminated with light. The king woke up and, when he saw the light, he promptly asked his chamberlain, “Did the sun rise? It is such a beautiful light!”

15.­2

His chamberlain replied, “No, my lord, it is still the middle of the night.” He continued:

“My lord, the light of the sun causes trees and walls to cast shadows;
It torments and overheats the body.
Also swans, peacocks, parrots, cuckoos, and wild ducks
Call out at the time of dawn. [F.99.b]
15.­3
“However, Your Majesty, this light is lovely and pleasant.
It is soothing, auspicious, and does not burn;
It penetrates trees and walls and casts no shadow.
Someone with great qualities must have arrived here.”
15.­4
The king, worried, looked all around,
And saw the pure being with eyes like lotuses. [199]
He tried to get up from his bed, but did not succeed;
The noble one with pure heart then felt respect for his father.
15.­5
Standing in front of the king, he said,
“My lord, now the time is right for me to leave home;
Please do not hinder me and don’t be distraught.
My king, may you, my family, and the people of the kingdom forgive me.”
15.­6
The king replied with tears filling his eyes,
“What will it take for you to change your mind?
Will you ask me for a boon? Tell me, I will give you anything!
I am yours, and you can have the palace, the servants, and this whole kingdom.”
15.­7
Then, in a sweet voice, the Bodhisattva replied,
“My lord, I wish for four boons. Please grant them to me!
If you are able to give them to me, you will have power over me.
You will always see me here at home and I will not depart.
15.­8
“I want, my lord, to be unharmed by old age;
To retain my fine complexion and youth forever;
To be healthy and without disease;
And to have infinite life without death ever coming.”
15.­9
When the king heard these words, he felt extremely sad.
“My son, you are asking for the impossible; I am powerless here. [200]
Even the sages who live for eons are not beyond
Degeneration and the dreads of sickness, old age, and dying.”
15.­10
“My lord, if you cannot give me these four boons‍—
Freedom from misfortune and the terrors of sickness, old age, and dying‍—
Then I request of you another boon. Please listen, Your Majesty:
I wish that, after I die, I will not have to take rebirth again.”
15.­11
When the king heard these words from the best among men,
He diminished his longing, let go of his attachment for his son, and said,
“Then go and benefit and liberate beings. I rejoice in that.
May all your wishes be fulfilled.” [F.100.a]

Monks, then the Bodhisattva left and went to his own residence, where he lay down on his bed. No one had even noticed that he had left.

15.­12

Monks, at daybreak King Śuddhodana gathered the entire Śākya clan and announced, “The prince wants to abandon his home. What shall we do?”

The Śākyas replied, “Your Majesty, let us guard him. There are many of us in the Śākya clan, and he is alone. He will not be able to leave home.”

Thereafter the Śākyas and King Śuddhodana placed five hundred young men by the eastern city gate to guard the Bodhisattva. All the men were armed, trained in combat, skilled in archery and javelin throwing, and were as strong as powerful wrestlers. [201] In order to further guard the Bodhisattva, each of the young Śākya men had five hundred chariots at their disposal, and along with each chariot were five hundred infantrymen.

Likewise they placed five hundred young men by the southern, western, and northern city gates to guard the Bodhisattva. All the men were armed, trained in combat, skilled in archery and javelin throwing, and were as strong as powerful wrestlers. In order to further guard the Bodhisattva, each of the young Śākya men had five hundred chariots at their disposal, and along with each chariot were five hundred infantrymen.

15.­13

The elders of the Śākya clan, both male and female, were also placed everywhere at road intersections, junctions, and many highways in order to guard the Bodhisattva. Even King Śuddhodana kept watch at the palace gate, accompanied by five hundred young Śākyas mounted on elephants and horses.

15.­14

Mahāprajāpatī Gautamī said to her servants:

“Light bright lamps and fasten all jewels to the peak of the banners!
Hang garlands of pearls and illuminate this entire palace!
Play music, sing songs, and stay awake and alert through the night. [F.100.b]
Guard the prince so that he cannot leave without anybody knowing.
15.­15
“Arm yourselves! Carry in your hands weapons‍—
Swords and lances, bows and arrows, and two-pointed spears‍—
To guard our beloved prince.
Everyone must be on high alert!
15.­16
“First shut all doors, then lock them tight
And place door bolts firmly across the door panels.
Unless you must, do not open any door,
Otherwise this noble being might escape.
15.­17
“Adorn yourselves with necklaces of jewels and pearls;
Wear flower ornaments, half-moon ornaments, and chains.
Adorn yourselves with belts, rings, and earrings;
Take care to fasten your anklets well.
15.­18
“Should this benefactor of humans and gods, who acts like a proud elephant,
Try to escape in a hasty manner,
You should confront him in such a way
That no harm is done to him. [202]
15.­19
“You girls with lances in your hands,
Who surround the bed of this pure being,
You must not slip into laziness,
But watch him with eyes like a butterfly.
15.­20
“In order to guard the prince,
Adorn this palace with bejeweled lattices
And take up your flutes and play them to your fullest.
Protect the Stainless Being through the night!
15.­21
“Keep each other awake
And do not take rest.
Otherwise he may certainly leave his home behind,
Abandoning the kingdom and all his subjects.
15.­22
“If he were to leave his home,
Then the royal palace would become a place with no joy.
The continuity of the royal lineage, which has endured so long,
Would become interrupted.”
15.­23

Monks, at that point the twenty-eight great yakṣa generals, such as Pāñcika, met with the five hundred sons of Hārītī and voiced their concern: “Friends, tonight the Bodhisattva will leave his home. [F.101.a] So you should delight in making offerings to him.”

Likewise the Four Great Kings, who had entered the Aḍakavatī Palace, told the great gathering of yakṣas, “Friends, tonight the Bodhisattva will leave his home. You must help him leave by carrying the hooves of his fine horse with your hands.”

15.­24

The gathering of yakṣas responded:

“Hard as vajra, and indestructible with a body as powerful as Nārāyaṇa’s,
Diligent and strong, this perfect man cannot be moved.
Although great Meru, the foremost mountain, may be lifted and held up in the sky,
No one can lift the mountain of a victor’s qualities, founded on merit and wisdom.”
15.­25

Vaiśravaṇa said: [203]

“For people bloated with pride, this teacher will be heavy;
For those who are loving and respectful, he will be light.
If from your heart you devote yourself to him with respect,
You will find him as light as a tuft of cotton is to birds.
15.­26
“I will walk in front, while you will carry his horse.
When the Bodhisattva leaves, we shall gather vast amounts of merit!”
15.­27

Monks, then Śakra, lord of the gods, spoke to the gods in the Heaven of the Thirty-Three: “Friends, tonight the Bodhisattva will leave his home. So you should delight in making offerings to him.”

The god Śāntamati replied, “I will cause all men, women, and children in the city of Kapilavastu to fall asleep.”

The god Lalitavyūha offered, “I will silence all sounds from horses, elephants, donkeys, camels, cows, buffaloes, women, men, boys, and girls.”

Then the god Vyūhamati volunteered, “I will construct in midair a fabulous road seven chariots wide, flanked on both sides by jeweled platforms, blazing with the light of sunstone gems, shaded with raised parasols, flags, and banners, strewn with various flowers, and censed from incense burners of various fragrances. On this road the Bodhisattva will set forth.”

15.­28

Then the king of the elephants named Airāvaṇa spoke: [F.101.b] “Upon my trunk I will erect a mansion thirty-two leagues tall. In that mansion divine maidens [204] can assemble to serve and venerate the Bodhisattva by making music, singing songs, and playing instruments.”

Then Śakra, lord of the gods, himself said, “I will open the gates and show him the path.”

Next the god Dharmacārin said, “I will cause the retinue of consorts to look unappealing.”

Then the god Sañcodaka spoke: “I will help the Bodhisattva to rise from his bed.”

Finally the nāga kings Varuṇa, Manasvin, Sāgara, Anavapta, Nanda, and Upananda spoke: “We, for our part, will produce cloud banks of sandalwood and let a rain of sandalwood powder descend as offerings to the Bodhisattva.”

Monks, then all the gods, nāgas, yakṣas, and gandharvas set out to do what they had promised.


15.­29

In the meanwhile the Bodhisattva’s mind was on the Dharma. He was resting comfortably in the music hall, surrounded by his ladies. As he reflected on the conduct of past buddhas and the way to benefit all sentient beings, he was thinking about four aspiration prayers that he had formed in the past:

15.­30

“Previously I wished to become a self-appearing lord and pursue omniscience. At that time I donned the armor of the following fourfold resolve.

“First, I have seen how sentient beings suffer. So may I free and liberate those who are bound to the world and caught in the prison of cyclic existence. May I liberate sentient beings from the tight shackles and chains of craving.”

15.­31

Such was his first aspiration prayer from the past. [F.102.a] [205] Next he thought of his second aspiration prayer from the past:

“May I shine the light of Dharma for those who are thrown deep into the darkness of great ignorance within the world‍—for the people whose eyes are obscured by the cataract of ignorance, who lack the eye of wisdom, and who are blind with ignorance and delusion. May I raise the lamp of wisdom, which destroys the darkness for those who are blinded by ignorance. May I apply the medicine of the three gateways to liberation‍—the remedy that employs means, wisdom, and knowledge. May I remove the darkness of ignorance and all cataracts and faults of dullness, and in this way purify their wisdom eye.”

15.­32

Then the Bodhisattva thought of his third aspiration prayer from the past:

“Alas, this world has raised the banner of pride and egotism. It is obsessed with clinging to ‘I’ and ‘mine.’ People’s minds grasp at the self, and false notions of a self distort their views. May I bring down this banner of pride that thinks ‘I am’ by showing them the noble path.”

15.­33

Finally the Bodhisattva thought of his fourth aspiration prayer from the past:

“Alas, this world is not at peace because of the self. The world is continually disturbed and is like a tangled mass of cords. Beings come and go. They always move and circle back and forth between this world and the next. Their spinning around knows no end and resembles a firebrand’s circle. May I show them the Dharma of tranquility, which brings fulfillment through knowledge.”

15.­34

Right then the god Dharmacārin and the gods of the pure realms made the retinue of consorts appear unappealing. After the gods had revealed the consorts’ unpleasant and unattractive features, they took position in the sky and uttered the following verses:

15.­35
The gods who have great magical powers
Spoke to the One with Elongated Eyes like a Blooming Lotus: [F.102.b]
“How can you be so delighted
When living amid a cemetery?” [206]
15.­36
Inspired by the lords of gods,
Immediately the Bodhisattva looked around and examined the retinue of consorts.
Seeing that they had become repulsive,
He thought, “It is true, I live amid a cemetery.”
15.­37

When the Bodhisattva looked at the entire retinue of women, he saw that some had garments that had slipped off, some had disheveled hair, and some had their jewelry in disarray. Others had lost their head ornaments, some had ugly shoulders, while some had uncovered arms and legs. Some had repulsive expressions, while the eyes of others were crossed. Some were drooling, and others were snoring.

15.­38

Some were laughing wildly, some were coughing, and others were prattling incoherently. Some others were gnashing their teeth, and the complexion of others had changed. Some of the women had unpleasant features, such as arms that were too long. Some tossed their feet around. Some had their heads uncovered, while the heads of others were covered. The facial features of some had changed. The bodies of some looked awful, and some were even lying naked.

15.­39

Some were hunched over and making gargling sounds. Some, still holding clay kettledrums, were twisting their bodies and heads. Some of the women held their instruments, such as lutes and three-stringed lutes. Others were grinding their flutes with their teeth, making crushing noises. Some were playing kimpalas, nakalus, and sampas whose resonance boxes had been removed. Some had their eyes closed, some had them open, and some were rolling their eyes. Some of the women were also lying with their mouths agape.

The Bodhisattva looked at the retinue of consorts, who were lying there on the floor looking utterly revolting, and he had the impression that he was indeed in a cemetery.


15.­40

On this topic, it is said:

Seeing this, the Protector of the World felt upset.
With an outpouring of compassion he exclaimed,
“Ah! This gathering is so miserable!
How could I find delight in this assembly of demonesses?
15.­41
“Flawed and obscured with delusion is the judgment
Of he who thinks that worthless sense pleasures are meaningful.
Like a bird caught in a cage,
One never regains one’s freedom.” [207] [F.103.a] [B10]
15.­42

Then the Bodhisattva examined his retinue of women by means of this gateway to the light of the Dharma. Next, with words spoken out of great compassion, he lamented sentient beings:

15.­43
“These childish beings are killed, like the condemned at the scaffold.
These childish beings are filled with desire, like fools who are attracted to a ceramic vase filled with vomit.
These childish beings are drowning, like elephants sinking in deep water.
These childish beings are confined, like thieves in a dungeon.
These childish beings are content, like a pig surrounded by filth.
These childish beings are greedy, like a dog with a bone.
These childish beings fall, like moths flying into the candle flame.
These childish beings are trapped, like a monkey tangled in a snare.
15.­44
These childish beings are caught, like fish snarled in a net.
These childish beings are cut up, like sheep on a slaughtering log.
These childish beings are impaled, like a criminal on the tip of a stake.
These childish beings are sinking, like an old elephant in a swamp.
These childish beings perish, like a ship wrecked on the ocean.
These childish beings fall, like a blind person tumbling into a deep abyss.
These childish beings are exhausted, like water running into the surface of the earth.
These childish beings go up in smoke, like this great earth at the end of the eon.
15.­45
These childish beings are spinning, like the revolving of a potter’s wheel.
These childish beings have lost their way, like blind people roaming the mountains.
These childish beings are tied up and run in circles, like dogs kept on a leash. [F.103.b]
These childish beings wither, like grasses and trees in the hot season.
These childish beings diminish, like the waning moon during the dark fortnight.
These childish beings are devoured, like snakes by the garuḍas.
These childish beings are swallowed, like ships by huge sea monsters.
These childish beings are robbed, like a traveler by a horde of thieves.
15.­46
These childish beings are broken, like palm trees in a storm.
These childish beings are killed, like someone bitten by a poisonous snake. [208]
These childish beings are wounded because of seeking a taste, like fools licking a knife smeared with honey.
These childish beings are carried away, like wooden logs taken off by the river.
These childish beings play, like children toying with their own excrement.
These childish beings are controlled, like elephants by the mahout’s hook.
These childish beings are deceived, like a simple-minded person by a charlatan.
These childish beings exhaust their roots of virtue, like a gambler losing his wealth.
These childish beings are devoured, like merchants consumed by demonesses.”
15.­47

The Bodhisattva examined the retinue of consorts by means of these thirty-two similes. He contemplated the impure nature of the body and developed a feeling of repulsion, and then disgust. Next he meditated the fact that his own body was just like theirs, and so he truly saw the shortcomings of the physical body. Then he let go of his attachment toward the body, destroying his perception of it as being attractive and instead seeing it as repulsive. He saw that the body, from the soles of the feet all the way up to the top of the head, is made of filth, produces filth, and emits filth. At that moment he exclaimed the following verses: [F.104.a]

15.­48
“Grown in the fields of karma and born from the water of craving, we call it the transitory body.
This body is moist from tears, sweat, and mucus, and filled with urine and blood.
It is full of all kinds of filth, fat, pus, and brains;
It constantly leaks excrement and it stinks.
15.­49
“It is made of bones, teeth, and hair, and is covered by a hairy skin;
Packed with intestines, liver, spleen, lymph, and saliva, it is weak.
It is like a machine held together by bones and sinew and adorned with flesh;
It is filled with diseases, subject to pain, and always afflicted by hunger and thirst.
15.­50
“The body of beings has many cavities and transforms into old age and death.
Seeing the body, what wise person would not think of it as an enemy?” [209]

In this way the Bodhisattva remained mindful of the body as something that must be left behind.

15.­51

The gods, who were hovering in the sky above, asked the god Dharmacārin, “Dear friend, what is this? Siddhārtha dawdles and keeps looking at the retinue of consorts. He even smiles and does not seem displeased. But perhaps he is like a deep ocean that cannot be fathomed? Because isn’t it true that whoever is unattached does not cling to objects? Or will he perhaps forget the promise he made when he was inspired by the gods?”

The god Dharmacārin replied, “Why say something like that? There is surely evidence that when he practiced awakened conduct in the past, he developed this kind of detachment. Why then would he all of a sudden become attached in this existence, which is his last?”

15.­52

Monks, indeed the Bodhisattva had become certain. He was filled with distaste and had made up his mind. So without any delay, he gracefully rose from his seat in the music hall and turned toward the east. With his right hand he parted the bejeweled lattice and went onto the palace roof. [F.104.b] There he folded his hands and, recalling all the buddhas, he bowed to them. When he looked up into the expanse of space, he saw Indra, the one-thousand-eyed lord of the gods, with a retinue of one hundred thousand gods, holding flowers, incense, garlands, perfumes, scented powder, garments, parasols, victory banners, flags, earrings made of flowers, and garlands made of precious stones. Bowing before him, Indra paid his respect to the Bodhisattva.

15.­53

The Bodhisattva also saw the four guardians of the world together with hordes of yakṣas, demons, gandharvas, and nāgas. They all wore solid armor, corselets, and helmets. In their arms they held swords, bows and arrows, spears, javelins, and tridents. They gracefully took off their bejeweled diadems and crowns and bowed before the Bodhisattva. Then he saw two gods, [210] Sūrya and Candra, standing on his right and left sides. Puṣya, the chief of all constellations, was also seen standing by.

15.­54

Seeing that it was now midnight, the Bodhisattva called upon Chanda:

“All the auspicious signs have come together;
Without a doubt I will accomplish my wishes tonight.
Chanda, don’t vacillate or delay!
Ornament the king of horses and bring it bedecked to me.”
15.­55

When Chanda heard these words, he felt sad and asked:

“Where are you going, you who whose eyebrows are long
And who has eyes as beautiful as blooming lotuses?
A lion among men, with a face like the autumn moon,
The moon that delights the lotuses of the night?
15.­56
“Your face is like a blooming white lotus;
It is as tender as a young blue lotus.
Your splendor is like that of the sun, or well-purified gold;
It is like the newly risen and stainless moon,
15.­57
“Like the fire whose flames are fed by the sacrificial butter.
Your splendor is like a blazing flash of lightning;
Your invincible gait is as graceful as that of a confident elephant;
You walk and place your feet beautifully, with the gait of a bull, a lion, or a swan.”
15.­58

The Bodhisattva replied:

“Chanda, tell me, for what purpose then
Have I in the past forsaken my arms and legs and eyes? [F.105.a]
I have given up my head and my beloved wife and children,
My kingdom, wealth, gold, and clothes,
15.­59
“Elephants and horses laden with jewels,
Swift as the wind and of great power.
For trillions of eons I have trained in discipline and patience,
Delighting in diligence, the powers, concentration, and knowledge.
15.­60
“Therefore, once I attain the auspicious peace of awakening,
The time has come for me to free beings drowning in the ocean of old age and death.” [211]
15.­61

Chanda replied, “I have heard, my Lord, that when you were born, you were brought to the priests who are skilled in making predictions based on examining signs. They prophesied before your father, King Śuddhodana, ‘Your Majesty, your royal line will flourish.’ When King Śuddhodana inquired further, the priests replied:

15.­62
“ ‘Your newborn son possesses a hundred marks of merit
And blazes with the splendor of merit.
He will become a universal monarch, ruling over the four continents,
And he will possess the seven treasures.
15.­63
“ ‘However, if he is confronted with the miseries of this world,
He will abandon his retinue of consorts and leave his home.
Then he will attain awakening, the state free from old age and death.
He will satisfy beings with the water of the Dharma.’
15.­64

“My Lord, there is this prophecy and it cannot be denied. But please listen to what I have to say, for I may be able to help you!”

“How so?” asked the Bodhisattva.

Chanda replied, “My Lord, why is it that some people go through disciplined actions and practice austerities? They wear deerskin and tie their hair in a topknot. They wear garments made of tree bark. They let their nails, hair, and beard grow long. They take pleasure in torturing their bodies and go through various difficult torments. They take up the harshest of austerities because, as they say, they wish to attain the best among gods and humans. But you, Lord, you already possess this good fortune!

15.­65

“The kingdom is prosperous, large, and peaceful, with excellent harvests. It is delightful and filled with many people. [F.105.b] Your parks are the best of the best, full of flowers and fruits and resounding with the singing of birds. There are beautiful ponds with blue, pink, and white lotus flowers, and they resound with the cries of swans, peacocks, cuckoos, wild ducks, storks, and whooper swans. There are many flowering trees growing around the lakes, such as mango, aśoka, campaka, amaranth, and saffron trees. The parks are adorned with groves of jeweled trees that are arranged like chessboards and surrounded by jewel platforms. One sees jeweled lattices hanging everywhere. The parks can be enjoyed during any season, and they are pleasant to visit whether it is the hot season, the rainy season, autumn, or winter.

15.­66

“Your palaces [212] are like the palace of Vaijayanta, wherein one finds the peace of true Dharma, and all one’s worries are gone. Since your palaces are the color of autumn clouds, they resemble Mount Kailāśa. They are adorned with verandas, arches, portals, windows, cooling terraces, and top-floor terraces. They resound with the tinkling of tiny bejeweled bells on latticed draperies.

15.­67

“Your retinue of consorts is well trained. They sing songs while playing melodious music and dancing. They play tuṇas, paṇavas, flutes, lutes, wood kettledrums, reed pipes, wooden pins, cymbals, kimpalas, nakalus, guitars, clay kettledrums with a good sound, and paṭahas. They attend upon you with comedy and dance‍—playful, enjoyable, happy, and sweet.

15.­68

“And you, my Lord, are still young. You are in the prime of your life. You are a fresh and tender boy with black hair and a body like a lotus. You have not yet given yourself to the pleasures of the senses. So now enjoy yourself, like the lord of the Heaven of the Thirty-Three, the lord of the gods, the one endowed with a thousand eyes. We can always leave our homes later, once we are old.” [F.106.a]

15.­69

At that moment Chanda spoke the following verse:

“You know the techniques of enjoyment, so relish them,
Like the powerful lord of gods in the Heaven of the Thirty-Three!
Later, when we are old,
We can practice disciplined conduct and austerities!”
15.­70

But the Bodhisattva replied, “Enough, Chanda! These sense pleasures are impermanent and unstable. They do not endure and are subject to change. Like the rapids of a mountain torrent, they quickly pass and are turbulent. Like dewdrops, they do not last. Like an empty fist that tricks a child, they have no substance. Like the core of a plantain tree, they have no strength. Like a vase of unbaked clay, they naturally break. Like autumn clouds, they appear one moment and vanish the next. Like a flash of lightning in the sky, they last for just the briefest time. Like a vessel filled with poison, they cause pain. Like poison ivy, they bring discomfort.

15.­71

“The objects of desire, which are desperately craved by all those with immature minds, are like water bubbles, always changing. Like a mirage, they are caused by mistaken perception. They are like a hallucination that has come about through false thinking. Just like dreams, they cannot satisfy, since one is grasping at a false appearance. Just as it is difficult to fill the oceans, desires can never be fulfilled. Like salty water, objects of desire only make you thirstier. Like the head of a viper, they are dangerous to touch. [213] Like a deep abyss, they are abandoned entirely by wise people. They produce anxiety, cause strife, and generate distress and faults. Knowing this, the wise ones avoid them, the clever ones deplore them, the noble ones abhor them, and the intelligent ones disparage them. Yet the ignorant embrace them, and the immature rely on them.”

15.­72

At that moment he spoke the following verses:

“Wise people avoid the sense pleasures like the head of a snake;
They drop them like a filthy vessel filled with excrement.
Chanda, since I understand that sense pleasures
Destroy all virtue, I do not enjoy them.” [F.106.b]
15.­73

Then Chanda, wailing as if in sharp pain, with tearful eyes and stricken with agony, exclaimed the following verses:

“Why do some persevere in many austerities?
They wear deerskin and let their hair, beard, and nails grow long;
They cover themselves in tree bark.
Adhering to their practices of austerities, many have emaciated bodies.
15.­74
“Some eat only vegetables, millet, and the gardūla plant.
Others, who have vowed to adopt the behavior of a cow, always keep their heads down.
We, however, should become the best and most distinguished in the world;
We should be supreme universal monarchs and guardians of the world,
15.­75
“Or vajra holders like Śakra, or the chief god in the Heaven Free from Strife,
Aspiring to experience the bliss of meditation in the realm of Brahmā.
Perfect Being, your kingdom is wealthy, flourishing with excellent harvests.
Full of parks and palaces, it equals the Vaijayanta Palace.
15.­76
“These ladies are well trained in offering pleasures,
In combination with song and the melodious sounds of lutes and reed pipes.
Enjoy these pleasures, my Lord!
If you do not leave, you will experience great delights!”
15.­77

The Bodhisattva answered: [214]

“Listen, Chanda! In previous births
I have endured hundreds of sufferings‍—
Imprisonment, slavery, beatings, threats‍—all on account of desire.
While my mind was fixed on conditioned things, I could not gain liberation.
15.­78
“Under the sway of carelessness and overcome by delusion,
I was blind in the past, covered with a veil of wrong views.
Such views made me grasp at the notion of a self
And perpetuate the experience of sensations, all due to not knowing the Dharma.
15.­79
“All things move and change and are impermanent like clouds;
They may be likened to a flash of lightning.
They are like a dewdrop on a blade of grass, and deceptive like an empty fist;
They have no essence and no self, and lack intrinsic existence in every way.
15.­80
“So my mind is not attached to objects anymore.
Chanda, bring me Kaṇṭhaka, well adorned, the supreme king of all horses.
My auspicious aspirations from the past have been fulfilled;
Overcoming everything, I will become a master of all phenomena, a king of Dharma, a sage.” [F.107.a]
15.­81

Chanda replied:

“Don’t you see these women with eyes like blooming lotuses,
Who are adorned with garlands of many precious gems,
Sparkling like a flash of lightning amid cloud banks in the sky,
So beautiful as they rest on their beds?
15.­82
“Or those who play such sweet-sounding flutes and cymbals,
Clay drums and reed pipes, making music and song,
Accompanied by the sounds of partridge, peacocks, and cuckoos?
Are you going to abandon this place, which is like a city of kinnaras?
15.­83
“Here are many flowers, such as jasmine, blue lotuses, coral jasmine, and campakas,
And fragrant garlands with masses of fine blossoms.
We have perfectly scented incense made of black aloeswood,
And sublime scented ointments. Do you not see all of this?
15.­84
“Here you get the finest cuisine and the best dishes,
With exquisite flavors, emitting superb aromas,
Along with the sweetest beverages.
Do you not see them, my Lord? Where will you go? [215]
15.­85
“Here your garments are scented in the cold season with warming oils,
And in the hot season, with sandalwood.
You have beautiful, fine silken clothing;
Do you not see them, my Lord? Where will you go?
15.­86
“Here are the five sense pleasures,
As exquisite as the divine pleasures in the god realms.
Now, enjoy and revel in them with delight and bliss!
Then later, Noble Lord of the Śākyas, you can retreat to the forest!”
15.­87

The Bodhisattva replied:

“Chanda, for countless eons beyond measure
I have enjoyed the many sense pleasures of humans and gods,
In the manner of forms, sounds, smells, tastes, and textures,
Yet I have failed to become satisfied!
15.­88
“I have been a supreme royal son, so rich in power!
I have been a universal monarch, ruling over the four continents.
I possessed the seven treasures,
And I lived in the midst of ladies.
15.­89
“I ruled over the Heaven of the Thirty-Three and the Heaven Free from Strife;
I left those realms and came here.
In the past I enjoyed the most sacred and superb objects
Among the gods of emanations.
15.­90
“I have been the lord of demons, who controls the realms of gods;
I have enjoyed the best and most exquisite sense pleasures, but found no satisfaction.
How then would I find satisfaction now by indulging in inferior pleasures?
This is out of the question! [F.107.b]
15.­91
“Moreover, Chanda, I see that this world is suffering;
It is caught in the midst of cyclic existence.
It is a wilderness of misery, full of afflictions and evil,
Where beings are constantly swept away. [216]
15.­92
“Without refuge or purpose, beings wander in the darkness of ignorance and delusion;
They suffer from the terrors of old age, sickness, and death.
They are assailed by the sufferings attendant upon taking birth,
And they suffer the onslaughts of enemies.
15.­93
“So I will now assemble the ship of Dharma.
It is constructed with the strongest wood‍—
Giving, disciplined conduct, patience, and diligence‍—
And firmly secured by my indestructible, superior motivation.
15.­94
“It is my resolve to board that ship and cross the ocean of cyclic existence.
Then I will ferry innumerable beings across this ocean,
This sea of suffering so hard to cross with its waves of anger,
Monsters of passion, and maelstroms of enmity.
15.­95
“I will cross the ocean of existence,
Infested with the monsters of harmful views and the demons of affliction.
Once I have ferried innumerable beings across,
I will establish them on the auspicious dry land without old age or death.”
15.­96

At that time Chanda, who now cried even harder, exclaimed, “Lord, is your resolve based on conviction?”

The Bodhisattva replied:

“Chanda, listen to this about my resolve:
I will strive to benefit and liberate beings!
My resolve is like a mountain: immutable, unchangeable, and firm.
It is as difficult to move as Meru, the king of mountains.”
15.­97

Chanda then asked, “Lord, how can you be so certain?”

The Bodhisattva replied:

“Even if bolts of lightning, battle-axes, spears, and arrows were to rain upon me,
And if molten iron, blazing like a fork of lightning,
And an erupting volcano were to drop on my head,
I would never want to be a householder again!” [217]
15.­98

At this moment the gods who were watching from the sky uttered cries of joy and rained down flowers, exclaiming: [F.108.a]

“With a mind not attached to any object,
And with compassion and love for sentient beings,
May you, the one with supreme intelligence, be victorious!
You are the protector who grants fearlessness to beings.
15.­99
“Like the sky, which remains unattached to darkness, dust, smoke, or comets,
The mind of the Supreme Being remains unattached.
The Pure Being is unstained by pleasurable objects,
Just like a lotus rising up from the water.”
15.­100

Monks, when the gods Śāntamati and Lalitavyūha understood the Bodhisattva’s determination, they caused all men, women, and children in the city of Kapilavastu to fall asleep. They made everything plunge into deep silence.

Monks, at that moment the Bodhisattva realized that everyone in the city was sound asleep, that the hour of midnight had come, and that the moon was in the constellation of Puṣya, the lord of constellations. He was aware that right then the time had come for him to leave home.

So he told his servant, “Chanda, don’t badger me now. Instead, without any further delay, bring me my horse Kaṇṭhaka, well adorned.”

15.­101

As soon as the Bodhisattva uttered these words, the Four Great Kings left their residences. They had listened to the Bodhisattva’s words and had prepared to make offerings to him. Now they hurried quickly to the city of Kapilavastu.

15.­102

King Dhṛtarāṣṭra, lord of the gandharvas, arrived from the east together with several trillion kinnaras playing various instruments and singing songs. As soon as Dhṛtarāṣṭra arrived, he began to circumambulate the city of Kapilavastu. Stopping in the east, from where he had arrived, he paid homage to the Bodhisattva.

15.­103

The great king Virūḍhaka arrived from the south with several trillion kumbhāṇḍas holding in their hands various pearl necklaces. [218] In addition they carried various precious gems, and vases filled with different types of perfumes. [F.108.b] As soon as Virūḍhaka arrived, he also began to circumambulate the city of Kapilavastu. Stopping in the south, from where he had arrived, he paid homage to the Bodhisattva.

15.­104

The great king Virūpākṣa arrived from the west with several trillion nāgas holding in their hands various necklaces made of pearls and different types of precious gems. They sent forth a gentle breeze from a rain of flowers and perfumed powders that emitted beautiful scents. When Virūpākṣa arrived, he also circumambulated the city of Kapilavastu. Stopping in the west, from where he had arrived, he paid homage to the Bodhisattva.

15.­105

The great king Kubera arrived from the north with several trillion yakṣas holding in their hands precious jewels of the type called starlight. They also carried oil lamps and lighted lanterns. They held in their hands various weapons, such as bows and arrows, swords, spears, lances with two and three points, discuses, one-pointed pikes, and javelins, and they were armed with strong armor and helmets. When Kubera arrived, he also began to circumambulate the city of Kapilavastu. Then he settled in the northern direction, from where he had arrived, and paid homage to the Bodhisattva.

15.­106

Thereafter Śakra, lord of the gods, arrived together with the gods from the Heaven of the Thirty-Three, bringing divine flowers, perfumes, garlands, ointments, scented powders, garments, parasols, victory banners, flags, earrings, and adornments. When he arrived there, he began to circumambulate the city of Kapilavastu.

Then he settled together with his retinue in the space above, in the same direction from which he had come, and began to pay homage to the Bodhisattva. [F.109.a]

15.­107

Monks, when Chanda heard the Bodhisattva’s words, his eyes became filled with tears and he said, “Lord, you know the right time, the right moment, and the right occasion. However, this is not the right time and not the occasion to leave. So why do you give me the order for leaving?”

The Bodhisattva replied, “Chanda, the time has come.” [219]

Then Chanda asked, “The time for what, my Lord?”

15.­108

The Bodhisattva replied:

“A long time ago, while seeking to benefit beings,
I made the wish to liberate the world
Once I attained the state of awakening beyond old age or death.
Now that time has come.”
15.­109

On this topic, it is said:9

At the time when the Supreme Being departed,
All the gods were eager to present offerings.
All protector gods of heaven and earth came,
As did Śakra, lord of the gods, along with his following.
15.­110
The gods of the Heaven Free from Strife, the Heaven of Joy, and the Heaven of Delighting in Emanations,
And the gods of the Heaven of Making Use of Others’ Emanations all came.
So did the nāga kings Varuṇa, Manasvin,
Anavapta, as well as Sāgara.
15.­111
The gods in the form realm also came,
Those who always experience the peace of concentration.
They were in a hurry to make offerings to the Supreme Being,
Who is worthy of honor in all the three realms.
15.­112
Also the bodhisattvas, who were his companions in past actions,
Gathered there from all ten directions, saying,
“Let us see the departure of the Victorious One,
And make offerings to him in an appropriate manner.”
15.­113
The great being who is lord of the guhyakas,
Pradīptavajra, positioned himself in the sky above.
Wearing armor, strong, brave, and energetic,
He held a blazing vajra in his hand.
15.­114
Sūrya and Candra, these two gods,
Came to stand to his right and left.
They joined their palms together
And reflected on the Bodhisattva’s departure.
15.­115
The constellation Puṣya as well, with his retinue,
Transformed his body in a majestic way,
And stood before the noblest of men.
With a delightful voice he spoke: [F.109.b]
15.­116
“Now that Puṣya is present, this is the perfect time to leave.
Tonight all your virtuous and auspicious prayers will be fulfilled;
I will accompany you.
As you make an end to desire, may you encounter no obstacles! [220]
15.­117
“You have been encouraged by the god Sañcodaka.
Now swiftly manifest your strength and courage,
And liberate all beings who are oppressed by misery!
Now is the right time for you to leave!”
15.­118
Billions of gods had gathered
And let a rain of ravishing flowers fall down.
The Bodhisattva, for his part, sat there in the perfect cross-legged posture;
Surrounded by gods, he was so beautiful, blazing with splendor.
15.­119
In the city, all men, women, and children
Became tired and fell asleep, abandoning their chores.
The horses, elephants, oxen, parrots, cranes, peacocks, and mynas
Became tired and quickly slept, not noticing anything.
15.­120
Armed with lances hard as vajra, and mounted on elephants, horses, and chariots,
The Śākya youths who kept guard also fell asleep,
As did the king, the princes, and the royal pages.
The retinue of consorts, completely naked, were asleep and oblivious.
15.­121
As midnight arrived, the Bodhisattva spoke to Chanda
In a voice captivating like Brahmā’s and sweet as a nightingale:
“Chanda, bring Kaṇṭhaka, well adorned and well groomed.
Do not create obstacles and do not hesitate, if you have any affection for me.”
15.­122
Chanda’s eyes filled with tears as he spoke to his master‌:
“Great Charioteer, where will you go? What do you need the horse for?
You know the right time and moment, and this is not the time to practice the Dharma.
The gates are shut and firmly bolted, so who will open them for you?”
15.­123
Right then Śakra opened the gate merely by the power of his mind;
Chanda was thrilled at the sight, yet also sad and on the verge of tears. [221]
“Oh no, what shall I do now? Who can help? To whom should I turn? [F.110.a]
Śakra will only listen to the one with such invincible power.
15.­124
“What use is this powerful army with its four divisions?
The king, the princes, and the royal pages‍—none of them know what the Bodhisattva is doing.
Yaśovatī and the retinue of consorts are in their beds, lulled to sleep by the gods.
Alas! He is leaving. The vow he made in the past is now being fulfilled!”
15.­125
Right then, billions of overjoyed gods spoke to Chanda:
“Chanda, bring him the excellent horse Kaṇṭhaka. Do not disappoint our guide.
The gods and demigods play their millions of drums and instruments,
And still this supreme city that the gods have put to sleep does not awake!
15.­126
“Chanda, look to the pure sky where a divine light shines so beautifully!
Look at the millions of assembled bodhisattvas making offerings.
Look at glorious Śakra, Śacī’s husband, who is at the gates with his army.
Look at the gods, demigods, and kinnaras who are here making offerings!”
15.­127
Chanda heard the gods and told the horse Kaṇṭhaka,
“You must neigh now, because here comes the supreme charioteer of beings!”
Then he adorned the horse’s jasmine-colored hoofs with gold.
Distressed and weeping, he gave the horse to He Who Is an Ocean of Qualities, saying:
15.­128
“You with noble marks who benefits others, here is your horse of virtuous pedigree.
May all your past aspirations become fulfilled! Please proceed!
May all obstacles be pacified and your desired disciplined conduct be accomplished!
May you grant all beings happiness, rebirth in the higher realms, and peace!” [222]
15.­129
When the Bodhisattva rose from his seat, the earth shook in six ways;
He mounted the supreme king of horses that resembled the full moon.
The guardians, with their pure lotus-like hands, then lifted up the supreme horse;
Śakra and Brahmā went in the front, showing the way.
15.­130
The pure and bright light sent forth by the Bodhisattva illumined the earth;
The lower realms were pacified, and all beings were happy and free from afflictions. [F.110.b]
A rain of flowers fell, millions of instruments sounded, and gods and demigods rejoiced;
All of them circumambulated the city and departed filled with delight.
15.­131
Since the Great Being was leaving, the deity of the best of cities came, feeling depressed.
Appearing before the Bodhisattva, the deity spoke to his lotus face, feeling miserable and dejected:
“If you leave, the city will become disturbed and steeped in darkness.
If tonight you abandon your palace, there will be no joy and no happiness for me.
15.­132
“No longer will I hear the singing of the birds,
Or the sweet sound of the flute in the female quarters,
Or the sound of songs with propitious lyrics,
Which you, One of Infinite Fame, used to hear on waking up.
15.­133
“No longer will I behold the assembly of divine siddhas
Who make offerings to you day and night,
Nor will I be able to smell any longer the divine scents,
If you, who conquers emotions, abandons this palace tonight.
15.­134
“This palace, if abandoned by you,
Will be like a withered and used garland;
It will seem like an empty stage.
When you are gone, all magnificence and splendor will disappear.
15.­135
“You will take away the vitality and power from this entire city;
Like a wasteland, it will shine with beauty no more.
Today, disproved are the sages’ prophecies
That you will be a universal monarch on earth.
15.­136
“The might of the Śākyas on this earth will come to nothing,
And the royal family line will be interrupted.
The hopes of the assembly of Śākyas will be dashed entirely
If you, the great tree of merit, depart. [223]
15.­137
“Immaculate One, Faultless One, let me go with you,
Wherever you wish to depart for.
Yet please engender love and compassion,
And take one more look at this palace!”
15.­138
The Intelligent One looked at the palace
And spoke in the sweetest voice:
“Until I have made an end to birth and death,
I will not return to the city of Kapilavastu.
15.­139
“Until I have attained precious awakening,
The supreme level of immortality beyond old age and dying,
I will not turn my face toward Kapilavastu, [F.111.a]
Whether I am standing, sitting, lying down, or walking.”
15.­140
When the Bodhisattva, the Lord of Beings, departed,
The celestial maidens traveling through the sky began to sing his praise:
“He is the marvelous object of offering and a great field of merit,
The field for those wishing for merit, and the giver of the fruit of immortality.
15.­141
“Out of compassion for sentient beings, he has throughout ten million eons
Trained in generosity, self-control, and restraint, and thus attained awakening.
His discipline is pure, his conduct excellent, and his practice undiminished;
He did not pursue pleasures and enjoyments, but observed discipline.
15.­142
“He always spoke patiently to protect others;
Even when his limbs were cut off, he was never angry or hostile.
Constantly diligent for millions of eons, he never felt disheartened;
Thus he has awakened and performed millions of sacrifices.
15.­143
“Always in meditative concentration, his mind has become calm and tranquil;
Since he has burned away all emotions, he will liberate millions of beings.
He possesses unobstructed knowledge and is free from conceptual thinking;
With a mind free from conceptuality, he will become a self-arising victor. [224]
15.­144
“His mind is always suffused with love, and his compassion is complete;
He possesses joy, equanimity, concentration, and knows the four immeasurables.
He is the supreme god of gods, worthy of all gods’ worship;
With his pure, stainless, and sublime mind, he perfected millions of qualities.
15.­145
“He is a refuge for the frightened, and a lamp for the blind;
He is a place of rest for the persecuted, and a physician for those long sick.
He is like a king, a righteous king, like Śakra with a thousand eyes,
Like the self-arisen Brahmā, pure in body and mind.
15.­146
“He is firm with abundant knowledge, diligent and detached; [F.111.b]
He is a hero because he destroyed the afflictions; undefeated, he conquers all enemies.
He is fearless like a lion and gentle like an elephant;
He is the leader of the herd like a perfect bull, always patient and without anger.
15.­147
“He is bright like the moon and illuminating like the sun;
He shines like a torch and glows like a star.
He is unstained like a lotus, and his discipline smells sweet like a flower;
This teacher is immovable like Mount Meru and provides sustenance like the earth;
He is unshakable like an ocean.
15.­148
“He has defeated the demon of the afflictions and the demon of the aggregates;
He has defeated the demon of death and the demon of the god.
He is the great leader who soon will teach the supreme, eightfold path of the noble ones
To those who are established in wrong paths. [225]
15.­149
“Free from the darkness of ignorance, he destroys old age, death, and the afflictions;
He will become the self-arisen victor, famous on earth and in heaven.
In the form of a supreme being, he is praised in infinite ways;
Through the merit of praising you, may we become like you, the lion of speech.”
15.­150

Monks, once the Bodhisattva had left his home, he crossed over the lands of the Śākyas, the Kroḍyas, and the Mallas. When day broke, he had arrived six leagues away from the town of Anumaineya in the country of Maineya. There he dismounted from his horse Kaṇṭhaka and, once he was on the ground, he dismissed the great assembly of gods, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, demigods, garuḍas, kinnaras, and mahoragas. Then he thought to himself, “I should entrust these ornaments and the horse Kaṇṭhaka to Chanda, and then send him back.”

So he summoned Chanda and told him, “Chanda, you should go back now. Take these ornaments and my horse Kaṇṭhaka and return to the palace.”

At the place where Chanda left the Bodhisattva in order to return home, a memorial was later built. [F.112.a] This memorial is still known today as “Chanda’s Return.”

15.­151

The Bodhisattva then thought to himself, “With my hair this long, I cannot be a monk.” So he took his sword, cut off his hair, and then cast it into the air. The gods in the Heaven of the Thirty-Three collected the hair for worship. Even to this day the gods in the Heaven of the Thirty-Three celebrate this event during the Hair Festival. At this very place another memorial was built, which today is still known as “Receipt of the Hair.”

15.­152

Again the Bodhisattva considered, “If I am to be a monk, it would not be right to wear silken garments. So it would be good if I could find some clothes suitable for living in the forest.” [226]

The gods of the pure realms then thought, “The Bodhisattva needs saffron-colored robes.” Immediately a god left and manifested in front of the Bodhisattva in the form of a hunter wearing saffron-colored cloth.

The Bodhisattva asked the god, “My friend, would you give me your saffron-colored robes? Then I will give you my silken garments.”

The god replied, “Your clothes already suit you well, and I am happy with what I wear.”

But the Bodhisattva insisted: “Please, I beg you.”

15.­153

The god, still in the shape of a hunter, then gave his saffron-colored clothes to the Bodhisattva, while he himself took the Bodhisattva’s silken garments. Because the god was overcome with devotion to the Bodhisattva, he touched the garments to his head, holding them with both of his hands. Then he returned to the celestial world in order to render offerings and veneration to the garments there. Chanda had witnessed the exchange of clothes, and later a memorial was erected at the site. This memorial is still known today as the “Memorial of Receiving the Saffron-Colored Cloth.” [F.112.b]

15.­154

When the Bodhisattva cut off his hair and put on the saffron-colored cloth, one hundred thousand gods felt joyous, pleased, and elated. Happy and delighted, they called out cries of joy and exclaimed,

“Friends, Prince Siddhārtha has left his home! Friends, Prince Siddhārtha has become a monk! He will awaken to unexcelled, perfect, and complete buddhahood and will turn the wheel of the Dharma. He will liberate from birth the infinite number of beings who are born. Then he will free them from old age, death, sickness, pain, lamentation, suffering, depression, and distress, and ferry them to the other shore of the ocean of saṃsāra. He will establish them in the realm of phenomena, which is blissful, peaceful, deathless, and free from fear, suffering, [227] harm, and stain.”

These words of amazement, delight, and joy resounded all the way up to the Highest Heaven.


15.­155

When the retinue of consorts did not see the young prince, they began to search for him in the spring, summer, and winter palaces, and in his private rooms and apartments. Unable to find him, they all began to wail like fish hawks. The ladies were overcome by extreme grief, and some cried out, “My son!” Others called out “My brother!” “My husband!” “My lord!” and “My master!” Some mumbled different tender words, while others contorted their bodies in various ways and wept. Some of the ladies plucked their hair, while others faced each other and sobbed.

15.­156

Some cried with rolling eyes, and others shed tears, wiping their faces with their garments. Some slapped their thighs with their hands, and others beat their chests.

Some slapped their arms with their hands, and others beat their heads. [F.113.a] Some covered their head with dust and wept, crying out loud. Some ladies were seen disheveling their hair, others pulling it out. Some raised their arms and lamented loudly. Some ran headlong, like gazelles pierced by poisonous arrows, all the while crying. Some among them staggered about like a plantain tree shaken by the wind and sobbed. Others tossed their bodies around on the floor, as if they were just about to die, while some writhed on the ground, as if they were fish pulled from water, and cried. Others collapsed suddenly on the ground, like a tree that has been cut from its root, and wept.

15.­157

When the king heard these noises, he asked his fellow Śākyas, “What is this loud noise coming from the ladies’ apartments?”

The Śākyas looked into the matter and replied, “Your Majesty, the young prince [228] is not in the ladies’ apartments.”

The king then ordered, “Quickly close the city gates! Let us search for the prince within the gates!” But the prince was nowhere to be found, whether inside or outside the gates.

Mahāprajāpatī Gautamī collapsed on the ground lamenting and said to King Śuddhodana, “Your Majesty, get my son back quickly.”

The king then sent messengers on horseback into the four directions with the order: “Go, and do not come back until you have found the prince!”

15.­158

Since those who can read signs and the future had prophesied that the Bodhisattva would leave through the Gate of Auspiciousness, the messengers proceeded to this gate. There they saw that a rain of flowers had fallen on the road, and they thought, “He must have left this way.”

When they had traveled a little farther, they met the god who was carrying the Bodhisattva’s silken garments on his head. Again they thought, “These are the silken garments of the prince. Can it be that he has been killed for their sake? Get hold of this man!”

However, right then they saw Chanda trailing behind the god, leading the horse Kaṇṭhaka and carrying the Bodhisattva’s ornaments. [F.113.b] So they said, “Here comes Chanda with Kaṇṭhaka. Let us not act rashly but instead question him first.”

15.­159

So they asked him, “Chanda, did this man kill the prince for the sake of his silken garments?” [229]

Chanda replied, “No, not at all. This person offered the prince his own saffron-colored clothes, and the prince in return gave him these silken garments. That god then placed the garments on top of his head and returned right then to his celestial realm in order to venerate them.”

15.­160

The men questioned Chanda further: “What do you think, Chanda? Should we go after the prince? Will we be able to make him return?”

Chanda replied, “No, you will not be able to do so. The young prince is so diligent, disciplined, and steadfast. He said that unless he awakens to perfect and complete buddhahood, he will never again enter the city of Kapilavastu. So he will not return with you. What the prince said will happen is in fact what will happen. And why will the prince not return? Because of his enthusiasm, discipline, and steadfastness.”

15.­161

Then Chanda took the horse Kaṇṭhaka and the ornaments and went to the inner quarters. Three young Śākyas called Bhadrika, Mahānāma, and Aniruddha tried for a long time to lift the ornaments, but they were unable to. These ornaments were made for someone with a body as strong as Nārāyaṇa, and so other people were not able to wear them.

When Mahāprajāpatī Gautamī saw that nobody could move the ornaments, she thought, “When I see his ornaments lying there, my heart is pierced with pain. I think it is better therefore to throw the ornaments into the pond.” So she let the ornaments be thrown into the pond, and even to this day that lake is called the Lake of the Ornaments.


15.­162

On this topic, it is said:

When the wise and courageous Bodhisattva departed from his home,
The entire city of Kapilavastu awoke from its sleep. [230]
Everyone thought that the young prince was still asleep in his bed; [F.114.a]
Seeing one another, they felt content.
15.­163
When Gopā and the assembly of consorts awoke,
They looked at his bed but did not find the Bodhisattva there.
They let out cries that reached the king’s quarters:
“Alas, we have been deceived! Where did the Bodhisattva go?”
15.­164
When the king heard that, he collapsed on the ground.
He wept and cried, “Oh no, my only son!”
Many hundreds of Śākyas tried to revive him,
Sprinkling water from vases on him as he lay motionless.
15.­165
Gopā had also fallen off her bed and onto the ground;
She cut her hair and took off her jewelry.
She exclaimed, “Before long we must separate from those we love!
The Guide of Beings told me that; he made me so perfectly aware of this.
15.­166
“Your form is so beautiful; your faultless limbs are perfect.
So brilliant and pure; all beings cherish you.
Praised as he who brings good fortune, you are honored in heaven and on earth.
When you left my bed, where did you go?
15.­167
“Until I see the Bodhisattva with all his good qualities again,
I will not drink water, nor mead or liquor.
I shall sleep on the ground and wear my matted hair in a topknot;
Without bathing, I shall practice disciplined conduct and austerities. [231]
15.­168
“In all the parks, the leaves, flowers, and fruits are gone;
The brilliant white necklaces of pearl have faded and collected dust.
Since the most noble being has left this fine city,
The palace has lost its beauty and the city has become like a desert!
15.­169
“Alas, the delightful singing voices!
Alas, the assembly of consorts with fine jewelry!
Alas, the spaces covered with golden nets!
All this I shall see no more without him, who is so full of qualities.”
15.­170
The maternal aunt, who also felt miserable,
Tried to console her, saying, “Daughter of the Śākyas, do not cry.
The supreme noble one among men has said in the past:
‘I will liberate this world from birth and old age.’ ”
15.­171
The Great Sage, who is well trained in thousands of virtues,
Traveled six leagues during the remainder of the night.
He gave his fine horse and his ornaments to Chanda and said, [F.114.b]
“Chanda, take these and return to the city of Kapilavastu!
15.­172
“Repeat the following to my parents:
‘The young prince has left. Please do not be saddened!
When he attains awakening, he will return.
Then you will listen to the Dharma and find peace.’ ”
15.­173
Chanda began to weep and spoke again to the Guide: [232]
“Your kinfolk, the best of people, may beat me and ask,
‘Chanda, where have you taken the virtuous Bodhisattva?’
But I have no ability, fortitude, and strength.”
15.­174
The Bodhisattva replied, “Chanda, do not be afraid.
My kinfolk will be happy to see you again.
They will always regard you as their teacher
And love you in the same way as they loved me.”
15.­175
Bringing the finest of horses and the ornaments,
Chanda returned to the park of the noble one among men.
The guard at the park, overjoyed upon seeing them,
Speedily conveyed the happy news to the Śākyas:
15.­176
“The prince, the noble horse, as well as Chanda,
Have returned to the park, so don’t worry anymore.”
When the king, who was surrounded by the retinue of Śākyas, heard this,
He became exhilarated and quickly went to the park.
15.­177
But Gopā, knowing the intelligence and steadfastness of the Bodhisattva,
Was not thrilled, and did not trust these words. She thought,
“It is wrong to assume that the prince returned here
Before having attained awakening.”
15.­178
When the king saw only the horse Kaṇṭhaka and Chanda,
He cried out and collapsed on the ground.
“Alas, my son, so talented in playing music and singing songs,
Where have you gone, abandoning this kingdom? [233]
15.­179
“Chanda, now explain to me truly, right here,
Where did the Bodhisattva go, and what are his plans?
Who opened the gate for him, who led him away?
How did the gods make offerings to him?”
15.­180
Chanda replied, “Powerful king, listen to me.
At night, when the old and young in this city were deeply asleep,
The Bodhisattva told me in a soft and gentle voice, [F.115.a]
‘Chanda, quickly bring me the king of horses.’
15.­181
“I tried to wake up the assembly of men and ladies,
But they were so sound asleep that they did not hear my words.
With tears I had to bring him the king of all horses.
I then told him, ‘Benefactor of Beings, go wherever you please.’
15.­182
“Śakra opened the gates that were fitted with a lock;
The guardians of the world tightly held the horse’s hoofs.
When the hero mounted the horse, the trichiliocosm shook;
The road on which he traveled through the sky was very broad indeed.
15.­183
“A bright light appeared, which dispelled the pitch-black darkness;
Flowers fell, and the sound of hundreds of musical instruments was heard.
The gods and goddesses offered him praises
As he moved through the sky surrounded by a celestial retinue.”
15.­184
Then Chanda took the noble horse and the ornaments with him
And went into the ladies’ quarters, weeping. [234]
When Gopā saw Chanda and the noble horse,
She fainted and collapsed on the ground.
15.­185
Startled, the large gathering of women
Brought water, washed her, and called out,
“May our Śākya princess not die now!
It would be too much to bear if we lost two loved ones!”
15.­186
The dejected princess of the Śākyas gathered her strength
And embraced the neck of the noble king of horses.
Recalling the games of love from the past,
She was overcome by sorrow and cried out,
15.­187
“Alas, you gave me joy!
Alas, noble man whose face is like the spotless moon!
Alas, my most noble of men!
Alas, you with excellent marks, so stainless and splendid!
15.­188
“Alas, my wellborn man with a perfect body,
Well formed and tapering, you are unequaled.
Alas, my lord full of supreme qualities,
Venerated by humans and gods alike and full of great compassion.
15.­189
“Alas, my powerful man, who is as strong as Nārāyaṇa,
You conquer the hordes of demons.
Alas, my gentle love with a voice as sweet as Brahmā’s
And as soft as the sound of a nightingale. [F.115.b]
15.­190
“Alas, my man of limitless renown,
You have emerged from hundreds of virtues and have stainless merit!
Alas, you are my love with glory beyond limits!
Adorned with good qualities, you delight the sages!
15.­191
“Alas, my handsome love, who was born in the sublime forest of Lumbini,
Which resounds with the buzzing of bees.
Alas, my dear one, renowned in heaven and on earth,
You who are a revered tree of wisdom.
15.­192
“Alas, my sweet-tasting man, with lips like the bimba fruit,
With eyes like a lotus and skin of golden hue.
Alas, my dear one with spotless teeth,
As white as cow’s milk or snow. [235]
15.­193
“Alas, my dear one with a beautiful nose, beautiful eyebrows,
And the stainless circling hair between your brows.
Alas, my dear one with shoulders so well formed,
With a waist like a bow, legs like a deer, and rounded hips.
15.­194
“Alas, my man with thighs like the trunk of an elephant,
With fair hands and feet, and with copper-colored nails.
All these beautiful attributes were formed by your merit
And delighted the king.
15.­195
“Alas, you were my melodious song and music,
And a balm obtained from exquisite flowers in the best of seasons.
Alas, you were to me the scent of flowers;
You brought delight to the retinue of consorts with song and music.
15.­196
“Alas, fine Kaṇṭhaka, my husband’s companion!
Where did you carry him?
Alas, Chanda, don’t you have any compassion?
Why did you not wake us when the best of men was leaving?
15.­197
“Today the compassionate guide
Of those who need guidance has left this noble city.
Why did you not tell us
That our benefactor was leaving?
15.­198
“How did our benefactor leave?
And who helped him escape from the capital?
In which direction has he gone?
Fortunate are the deities of the forest groves who are now his companions.
15.­199
“Chanda, I am miserable, for I had been showed a treasure.
Yet now, since it is like my eyes have been gouged, restore my sight!
Chanda, the victorious ones always teach
That one’s parents are to be honored.
15.­200
“If he abandoned them, needless to mention
That he would leave the pleasures of love with a woman!
Alas, to separate from those we love
Is like watching a play‍—nothing endures! [F.116.a]
15.­201
“Because of grasping at concepts, childish beings hold mistaken views;
This is why they have to take birth and die.
In the past he taught that all who are conditioned by birth and death
Have no friends whatsoever.
15.­202
“So may his wishes be fulfilled and may he,
Under the best of trees, attain supreme and noble awakening.
When he has attained stainless awakening,
May he return to this noble city!”
15.­203
When Chanda heard Gopā’s words,
He felt deeply unhappy.
He said in a voice choked with tears,
“Gopā, listen to my words. [236]
15.­204
“Around midnight, when the gathering of ladies
Were deeply asleep, secretly
The One Elevated with Hundreds of Merits
Told me to bring his horse Kaṇṭhaka.
15.­205
“When I heard his words,
I immediately looked at you, asleep on your bed,
And I shouted aloud to you, Gopā,
‘Your beloved is about to leave, get up!’
15.­206
“But the gods blocked my words,
And so not even one lady awoke.
Weeping, I adorned that king of horses
And gave it to the most exalted among men.
15.­207
“Kaṇṭhaka then neighed with his fierce energy,
And although the sound could be heard for a mile,
Nobody in our fine city heard it,
Having been lulled to sleep by the gods.
15.­208
“As the hooves of Kaṇṭhaka‍—
Covered with gold, silver, and precious gems‍—struck the earth,
The earth gave off a terrible and beautiful sound,
And yet nobody could hear it.
15.­209
“At that time the constellation of Puṣya had arisen,
And the moon and the stars were shining in the sky.
From the sky tens of millions of gods folded their hands,
Bowed to him, and offered prostrations.
15.­210
“With the assembly of yakṣas and rākṣasas in attendance,
The four guardians of the world, who possess great magical power,
Lifted the hooves of Kaṇṭhaka with their hands
That were as spotless and pure as the anthers of a lotus flower.
15.­211
“The Lord elevated with hundreds of merits
Mounted the horse and resembled a red lotus and a jasmine flower. [F.116.b]
At that time the earth shook in six different ways,
And the buddha realms were pervaded with stainless light.
15.­212
“Then the god Śakra, the husband of Śacī,
And the principal of all gods, opened the gates.
A hundred million gods preceded the Bodhisattva,
And the nāgas and gods offered him their veneration as he left.
15.­213
“The noble Kaṇṭhaka, at a mere sign,
Carried the protector of this world across the sky.
Gatherings of gods and demigods, along with Śakra,
Escorted the Well-Gone One as he was leaving.
15.­214
“The goddesses, so skilled in playing music,
Praised the qualities of the Bodhisattva.
They all gave Kaṇṭhaka strength
As they sang to him in the most delightful and touching way: [237]
15.­215
“ ‘Kaṇṭhaka, carry the guide of this world!
Be swift and don’t feel sad!
When you assist the protector of this world,
You are free from the dangers of the lower realms and difficult rebirths.’
15.­216
“Each of the gods also expressed this desire, saying,
‘I also want to carry the guide of this world.’
There was not a place to be found
Not walked upon by the millions of gods, who said:
15.­217
“ ‘Kaṇṭhaka, look at the path prepared for you in the sky!
It is so bright and beautiful.
Its bejeweled ledges are ornamented in various ways,
And it is censed with divine incense based on supreme essences.
15.­218
“ ‘Kaṇṭhaka, because of your meritorious deed,
You will be magically reborn in the Heaven of the Thirty-Three.
As divine maidens surround you and attend to you,
You will delight in divine sense pleasures.’
15.­219
“Gopā, do not shed any more tears!
Be happy and rejoice!
Before long you will witness the best among men attaining awakening.
You will see him honored and served by the immortals.
15.­220
“Gopā, one should never shed tears over people
Who do such excellent deeds!
Instead, rejoice in He Who Is Elevated by Hundreds of Splendors and Merits,
And do not weep anymore!
15.­221
“Gopā, even if I were to speak for seven days
About the offerings that humans and gods arranged
At the time of our King’s departure from home,
I would not be able to cover it all. [F.117.a]
15.­222
“You have served and paid respect
To the One Who Benefits Beings;
Thus you will find supreme and inconceivable attainment.
I believe that you shall become just like him, the most noble being!”
15.­223

This concludes the fifteenth chapter, on leaving home. [B11]


16.
Chapter 16

The Visit of King Bimbisāra

16.­1

Monks, through the blessing of the Bodhisattva, Chanda told King Śuddhodana, the Śākya princess Gopā, the retinue of consorts, and everyone else among the Śākyas what had happened in order to alleviate their suffering. [238]

Monks, the Bodhisattva first gave his silken robes to a god in the form of a hunter, and then he donned the hunter’s saffron-colored robes. He adopted the lifestyle of a renunciant in order to act in agreement with the perception of worldly people, and also because he felt compassion for others and wished to mature them.


17.
Chapter 17

Practicing Austerities

17.­1

Monks, at that time a son of Rāma by the name of Rudraka arrived in Rājagṛha, where he stayed with a large group of seven hundred of his students. He was teaching his students the principles of the disciplined conduct necessary for attaining the state where there is neither perception nor nonperception. [F.120.a]

Monks, the Bodhisattva saw that Rudraka, the son of Rāma, was in charge of a group, indeed a large group, and that as the head of the congregation, he was well-known, popular, venerated by the masses, and recognized by all scholars. Witnessing this, the Bodhisattva thought to himself:


18.
Chapter 18

The Nairañjanā River

18.­1

Monks, during the six years that the Bodhisattva practiced austerities, he was continually followed by Māra, the evil one. Yet, although Māra tried his best to harm the Bodhisattva, he never found an opportunity. As it became apparent that it would be impossible to harm the Bodhisattva, Māra, sad and dejected, finally left. [261]

18.­2

It is also expressed in this way:

There is a pleasant wilderness
With forest thickets full of herbs
To the east of Urubilvā,
Where the Nairañjanā River flows.

19.
Chapter 19

Approaching the Seat of Awakening

19.­1

Monks, when the Bodhisattva bathed in the Nairañjanā River and enjoyed a meal, his physical strength came back to him. With a triumphant gait, he now began the walk toward the great Bodhi tree. This tree was the king of trees and was found at a place characterized by sixteen unique features.

19.­2

He walked with the gait of a great being. It was an undisturbed gait, a gait of the nāga Indrayaṣṭi, a steadfast gait, a gait as stable as Mount Meru, the king of mountains. He walked in a straight line without stumbling, not too fast and not too slow, without stomping heavily or dragging his feet. It was a graceful stride, a stainless stride, a beautiful stride, a stride free from anger, a stride free from delusion, and a stride free from attachment. It was the stride of a lion, the stride of the king of swans, the stride of the king of elephants, the stride of Nārāyaṇa, the stride that floats above the surface, the stride that leaves an impression of a thousand-spoked wheel on the ground, the stride of he whose fingers are connected through a web and who has copper-colored nails, the stride that makes the earth resound, and the stride that crushes the king of the mountains.


20.
Chapter 20

The Displays at the Seat of Awakening

20.­1

Monks, as the Bodhisattva sat down at the seat of awakening, the gods of the six classes within the desire realm decided to protect the Bodhisattva from obstacles. These gods therefore took position in the eastern direction. Likewise the southern, western, and northern directions were taken over by other classes of gods.

Monks, when the Bodhisattva sat down at the seat of awakening, he began to emit a light known as inspiring the bodhisattvas. The light shone in all the ten directions, illuminating all the boundless and immeasurable buddha realms‍—the realms that filled the entire field of phenomena.


21.
Chapter 21

Conquering Māra

21.­1

Monks, in order to venerate the Bodhisattva, the other bodhisattvas manifested many such displays at the seat of awakening. The Bodhisattva himself, however, caused all the displays that ornamented all the seats of awakening of the past, present, and future buddhas in all the buddha realms in the ten directions to become visible right there at the seat of awakening.

Monks, as the Bodhisattva now sat at the seat of awakening, he thought to himself, “Māra is the supreme lord who holds sway over the desire realm, the most powerful and evil demon. [F.147.b] [300] There is no way that I could attain unsurpassed and complete awakening without his knowledge. So I will now arouse that evil Māra. Once I have conquered him, all the gods in the desire realm will also be restrained. Moreover, there are some gods in Māra’s retinue who have previously created some basic goodness. When they witness my lion-like display, they will direct their minds toward unsurpassed and complete awakening.”


22.
Chapter 22

Perfect and Complete Awakening

22.­1

Monks, once the Bodhisattva had destroyed his demonic opponents, vanquished his enemies, triumphed in the face of battle, and raised high the parasols, standards, and banners of conquest, he settled into the first meditative concentration. That state is free from desires, free of factors connected with evil deeds and nonvirtues, accompanied by thought and analysis, and imbued with the joy and pleasure born of discernment.


23.
Chapter 23

Exaltation

23.­1

Then the gods from the pure realms circumambulated the Thus-Gone One, who sat at the seat of awakening. They showered him with a rain of divine sandalwood powder and praised him with these fitting verses: [358]

23.­2
“You are a light that has dawned upon this world!
Illuminating Lord of the World,
You have given eyes for abandoning afflictions
To this world gone blind!
23.­3
“You are victorious in battle!
Through merit you have fulfilled your aim!
Replete with virtuous qualities,
You will satisfy beings!

24.
Chapter 24

Trapuṣa and Bhallika

24.­1

Monks, while the Thus-Gone One was being praised by the gods after he had reached perfect and complete awakening, he stared at the king of trees without blinking and without getting out of his cross-legged position. Seven days passed in this way while he was at the foot of the Bodhi tree experiencing bliss from the sustenance of concentration and joy.

24.­2

Then, once the seven days had passed, the gods from the desire realm approached the Thus-Gone One, carrying tens of thousands of vases containing scented water. The gods from the form realm also approached the Thus-Gone One, carrying tens of thousands of vases containing scented water. When they arrived, they bathed the Bodhi tree and the Thus-Gone One with the scented water. Innumerable gods, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, demigods, garuḍas, kinnaras, and mahoragas anointed their own bodies with the scented water that had come into contact with the body of the Thus-Gone One. This engendered among them the intention set on unexcelled, perfect, and complete awakening. Even after the gods and the others had returned to their respective realms, they did not part from the scented water and desired no other scent. [370] Through the joy and the supreme joy that are born from respectfully taking to heart the Thus-Gone One, they became irreversible from unexcelled, perfect, and complete awakening.


25.
Chapter 25

Exhortation

25.­1

Monks, while the Thus-Gone One was seated at the foot of the Bodhi tree, in the privacy of solitude after he had first attained perfect and complete awakening, he had the following thought about the conventions of the world: [F.187.b]

25.­2

“Alas! This truth that I realized and awakened to is profound, peaceful, tranquil, calm, complete, hard to see, hard to comprehend, and impossible to conceptualize since it is inaccessible to the intellect. Only wise noble ones and adepts can understand it. It is the complete and definitive apprehension of the abandonment of all aggregates, the end of all sensations, the absolute truth, and freedom from a foundation. It is a state of complete peace, free of clinging, free of grasping, unobserved, undemonstrable, uncompounded, beyond the six sense fields, inconceivable, unimaginable, and ineffable. It is indescribable, inexpressible, and incapable of being illustrated. It is unobstructed, beyond all references, a state of interruption through the path of tranquility, and imperceptible like emptiness. It is the exhaustion of craving and it is cessation free of desire. It is nirvāṇa. If I were to teach this truth to others, they would not understand it. Teaching the truth would tire me out and be wrongly contested, and it would be futile. Thus I will remain silent and keep this truth in my heart.”


26.
Chapter 26

Turning the Wheel of Dharma

26.­1

Monks, at that point the Thus-Gone One had accomplished everything he had to do. [F.193.a] With nothing more to achieve, all his fetters had been cut. All negative emotions had been cleared away, along with his mental stains. He had conquered Māra and all hostile forces, and [403] now he joined the Dharma-way of all awakened ones. He had become omniscient and perceived everything. He possessed the ten powers and had discovered the fourfold fearlessness. All the eighteen unique qualities of a buddha had unfolded within him. Equipped with the fivefold vision, he surveyed the entire world with the unobscured eye of an awakened one and began to reflect:


27.
Chapter 27

Epilogue

27.­1

The gods, who had requested this Dharma teaching from the Thus-Gone One, were now gathered for the turning of the wheel of Dharma. In total there were more than 18,000 divine beings from the Pure Realms, led by such beings as Maheśvara, Nanda, Sunanda, Candana, Mahita, Śānta, Praśānta, and Vinīteśvara. At that point the Thus-Gone One addressed the divine beings, headed by Maheśvara, who had come from the pure realms, in the following way: [F.213.b]


c.

Colophon

Colophon to the Sanskrit Edition

c.­1
The Thus-Gone One explained the causes
Of those dharmas that have a cause
And also their cessation.
This is the teaching of the Great Ascetic.
May there be good goodness! May there be goodness in every way!

Colophon to the Tibetan Translation

c.­2

This was taught and translated by the Indian preceptors Jinamitra, Dānaśīla, and Munivarman, and the translator-editor Bandé Yeshé Dé, who proofed and finalized the translation.


n.

Notes

n.­1
See Miller (forthcoming).
n.­2
We are grateful to Jonathan Silk (Silk 2022, p. 273, n. 15) for pointing out a number of significant errors and omissions in an earlier version of this paragraph.
n.­3
Hokazono 1994, 2019a, 2019b.
n.­4
At the time this translation was made, the edition of Hokazono (Hokazono 1994, 2019a, 2019b) mentioned above was unavailable to us. Since it appears to be a considerable improvement on Lefman’s (as pointed out by Silk 2022, pp. 273, 281–2), we expect to benefit from a close reading of it in a planned future update of this translation. Silk’s appendix (Silk 2022, pp. 288–296) correlating our milestone numbers to both Hokazono’s and Lefmann’s editions will no doubt prove a helpful resource in that task.
n.­5
The Sanskrit here has Kauṇḍinya, who (with his title Ajñāta-) has already been mentioned. However, Negi cites this and one another instance to suggest the possibility that the Tibetan gsus po che is sometimes used to refer to Kauṇḍinya.
n.­6
The four rivers is a technical term for the streams (ogha) that are identical to the four “outflows” (āśrava), namely, sensual desires, desire for cyclic existence, wrong views, and ignorance.
n.­7
We are grateful to Jonathan Silk (Silk 2022 p. 276 n19) for pointing out that these two stanzas are indeed verses, not prose as an earlier version of this translation had formatted them.
n.­8
The translation is based on the Sanskrit.
n.­9
The translation of the verses in the following section is primarily based on the Sanskrit.

b.

Bibliography

Source Texts

’phags pa rgya cher rol pa zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo (Ārya­lalita­vistara­nāma­mahā­yān­asūtra). Toh 95, Degé Kangyur vol. 46 (mdo sde, kha), folios 1b–216b.

’phags pa rgya cher rol pa zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo. bka’ ’gyur (dpe bsdur ma) [Comparative Edition of the Kangyur], krung go’i bod rig pa zhib ’jug ste gnas kyi bka’ bstan dpe sdur khang (The Tibetan Tripitaka Collation Bureau of the China Tibetology Research Center). 108 volumes. Beijing: krung go’i bod rig pa dpe skrun khang (China Tibetology Publishing House), 2006–2009, vol 46, pp. 3–434.

Foucaux, Phillipe Édouard. Rgya Tch’er Rol Pa ou Développement des Jeux, Contenant l’Histoire du Bouddha Çakya-mouni. Première Partie‍—Texte Tibétain. Paris: Imprimerie Royale, 1847.

Hokazono, Kōichi (1994). Raritavisutara no Kenkyu. Volume 1 [study of Lalitavistara, chs. 1–14]. Tokyo: Daitō Shuppansha, 1994.

Hokazono, Kōichi (2019a). Raritavisutara no Kenkyu. Volume 2 [study of Lalitavistara, chs. 15–21]. Tokyo: Daitō Shuppansha, 2019.

Hokazono, Kōichi (2019b). Raritavisutara no Kenkyu. Volume 3 [study of Lalitavistara, chs. 22–27]. Tokyo: Daitō Shuppansha, 2019.

Lefmann, Salomon. Lalita Vistara. Halle: Verlag der Buchhandlung des Waisenhauses, 1882.

Mitra, R. L. (1853–1877). The Lalita Vistara or Memoirs of the Early Life of S’a’kya Siñha. Bibliotheca Indica: A Collection of Oriental Works, Old Series, nos. 51, 73, 143, 144, 145, 237. Calcutta: Asiatic Society of Bengal, 1853–1877.

Secondary Sources

Bays, Gwendolyn. The Voice of the Buddha, The Beauty of Compassion: The Lalitavistara Sutra. Tibetan Translation Series, vol. 2. Berkeley, CA: Dharma Publishing, 1983.

Foucaux, Phillipe Édouard (1848). Rgya Tch’er Rol Pa ou Développement des Jeux, Contenant l’Histoire du Bouddha Çakya-mouni: Traduit sur la version Tibétaine du Bkahhgyour, et revu sur l’original Sanscrit (Lalitavistara). Paris: Imprimerie Nationale, 1848.

Foucaux, Phillipe Édouard (1870). Étude sur le Lalita Vistara pour une édition critique du texte sanskrit, précédée d’ un coup d’oeil sur la publication des livres bouddhiques en Europe et dans l’Inde. Paris: Maisonneuve, 1870.

Foucaux, Phillipe Édouard (1884). Le Lalitavistara, Développement des Jeux: l’histoire traditionnelle de la vie du Bouddha Çakyamuni. Première partie. Annales du Musée Guimet, vol. 6 Paris: Ernest Leroux, 1884.

Foucaux, Phillipe Édouard (1892). Le Lalitavistara, Développement des Jeux: l’histoire traditionnelle de la vie du Bouddha Çakyamuni. Seconde partie: notes, variantes, et index. Annales du Musée Guimet, vol. 19. Paris: Ernest Leroux, 1892.

Lefmann, Salomon (1874). Lalitavistara: Erzählung von dem Leben und der Lehre des Çâkya Simha. Berlin: Dümmler, 1874.

Lenz, Robert. “Analyse du Lalita-Vistara-Pourana, l’un des principaux ouvrages sacrés des Bouddhistes de l’Asie centrale, contenant la vie de leur prophète, et écrit en Sanscrit.” Bulletin Scientifique publié par l’Académie impériale des Sciences de Saint-Pétersbourg I.7: 49–51; I.8: 57–63; I.9: 71–72; I.10: 75–78; I.11: 87–88; I.12: 92–96; I.13: 97–99. St. Petersburg: Académie impériale des sciences, 1836.

Miller, Robert. The Chapter on Schisms in the Saṅgha (Saṅgha­bheda­vastu, Toh 1-17). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, forthcoming.

Mitra, R. L. (1881–1886). The Lalita Vistara or Memoirs of the Early Life of S’a’kya Siñha, Translated from the Original Sanskrit. Bibliotheca Indica: A Collection of Oriental Works, New Series, nos. 455, 473, 575. Calcutta: Asiatic Society of Bengal, 1881–1886. Republished, Delhi: Sri Satguru Publications, 1998.

Silk, Jonathan A. “Serious Play: Recent Scholarship on the Lalitavistara.” Indo-Iranian Journal 65: 267–301. Leiden: Brill, 2022.

Vaidya, P. L. Lalitavistara. Buddhist Sanskrit Texts, vol. 1. Darbhanga: The Mithila Institute, 1958.

Winternitz, Maurice (1927). “The Lalita-Vistara.” In A History of Indian Literature, Vol. 2, 249–56. 3rd ed. Delhi: Munshiram Manoharlal, 1991.

Further Resources

Goswami, Bijoya. Lalitavistara. Bibliotheca Indica Series, vol. 320. Calcutta: The Asiatic Society, 2001.

Khosla, Sarla. Lalitavistara and the Evolution of Buddha Legend. New Delhi: Galaxy Publications, 1991.

Thomas, E. J. “The Lalitavistara and Sarvastivada.” Indian Historical Quarterly 16:2 (1940): 239–45.


g.

Glossary

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

AS

Attested in source text

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

AO

Attested in other text

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

AD

Attested in dictionary

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

AA

Approximate attestation

The attestation of this name is approximate. It is based on other names where the relationship between the Tibetan and source language is attested in dictionaries or other manuscripts.

RP

Reconstruction from Tibetan phonetic rendering

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

RS

Reconstruction from Tibetan semantic rendering

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

SU

Source unspecified

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

g.­1

Ābhāsvara

Wylie:
  • ’od gsal
Tibetan:
  • འོད་གསལ།
Sanskrit:
  • ābhāsvara

One of the gods gathered at King Śuddhodana’s residence before Prince Siddhārtha’s birth, said to be head god of the Ābhāsvara heaven.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 5.­30
g.­2

Able One

Wylie:
  • thub pa
Tibetan:
  • ཐུབ་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • muni

An ancient title given to ascetics, monks, hermits, and saints, namely, those who have attained the realization of truth through their own contemplation and not by divine revelation. It is also used as an epithet of the Buddha Śākyamuni, and has also been rendered here as “Sage.”

Located in 4 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­26
  • 5.­93
  • 7.­124
  • g.­529
g.­3

absorption

Wylie:
  • ting nge ’dzin
Tibetan:
  • ཏིང་ངེ་འཛིན།
Sanskrit:
  • 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.

Located in 49 passages in the translation:

  • i.­3
  • 1.­3
  • 1.­6
  • 1.­12
  • 2.­6
  • 4.­23-26
  • 4.­30
  • 5.­50
  • 6.­30
  • 6.­32
  • 7.­30
  • 11.­2
  • 11.­36
  • 12.­4
  • 13.­163
  • 16.­4
  • 17.­2-4
  • 17.­22
  • 17.­25-26
  • 17.­44
  • 17.­76
  • 18.­13
  • 19.­12
  • 19.­82
  • 20.­4
  • 21.­5
  • 22.­1
  • 23.­47
  • 23.­54
  • 24.­3
  • 24.­31-32
  • 24.­41
  • 24.­43-46
  • 26.­184
  • 26.­198
  • 26.­200-201
  • 27.­13
  • g.­186
g.­5

Aḍakavatī

Wylie:
  • lcang lo can
Tibetan:
  • ལྕང་ལོ་ཅན།
Sanskrit:
  • aḍakavatī

The main palace of the abode of the yakṣas on Mount Sumeru. It is ruled by the great king Vaiśravaṇa, also known as Kubera.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 15.­23
g.­8

Airāvaṇa

Wylie:
  • sa srung gi bu
Tibetan:
  • ས་སྲུང་གི་བུ།
Sanskrit:
  • airāvaṇa

The king of elephants and Śakra’s mount, who makes offerings to Prince Siddhārtha upon learning of his intent to leave home.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 15.­28
g.­10

Ājñāta­kauṇḍinya

Wylie:
  • kun shes kau N+Di nya
Tibetan:
  • ཀུན་ཤེས་ཀཽ་ཎྜི་ཉ།
Sanskrit:
  • ājñāta­kauṇḍinya

One of the monks attending this teaching in Śrāvastī, at Jeta’s Grove. He was one of the five companions who joined Prince Siddhārtha while practicing austerities and attended his first turning of the wheel of Dharma at the Deer Park, after the Buddha’s awakening. As he was the first to understand the teachings on the four truths, he received the name Ājñāta­kauṇḍinya, meaning “Kauṇḍinya who understood.” Also known simply as Kauṇḍinya.

Located in 4 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­2
  • 26.­20
  • g.­183
  • g.­296
g.­15

aloeswood

Wylie:
  • a ga ru
Tibetan:
  • ཨ་ག་རུ།
Sanskrit:
  • agaru

The resinous heartwood of the Aquilaria and Gyirnops evergreen trees in India and southeast Asia, also known as aloeswood (Agallochum).

Located in 5 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­17
  • 15.­83
  • 19.­6
  • 20.­15
  • 25.­22
g.­17

Amogharāja

Wylie:
  • don yod rgyal po
Tibetan:
  • དོན་ཡོད་རྒྱལ་པོ།
Sanskrit:
  • amogharāja

One of the monks attending this teaching in Śrāvastī, at Jeta’s Grove.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­2
g.­19

Ānanda

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

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

A major śrāvaka disciple and personal attendant of the Buddha Śākyamuni during the last twenty-five years of his life. He was a cousin of the Buddha (according to the Mahāvastu, he was a son of Śuklodana, one of the brothers of King Śuddhodana, which means he was a brother of Devadatta; other sources say he was a son of Amṛtodana, another brother of King Śuddhodana, which means he would have been a brother of Aniruddha).

Ānanda, having always been in the Buddha’s presence, is said to have memorized all the teachings he heard and is celebrated for having recited all the Buddha’s teachings by memory at the first council of the Buddhist saṅgha, thus preserving the teachings after the Buddha’s parinirvāṇa. The phrase “Thus did I hear at one time,” found at the beginning of the sūtras, usually stands for his recitation of the teachings. He became a patriarch after the passing of Mahākāśyapa.

In this text:

One of the monks attending this teaching in Śrāvastī, at Jeta’s Grove.

Located in 21 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­2
  • 6.­34-35
  • 6.­61
  • 7.­38-49
  • 12.­52
  • 12.­58-59
  • 12.­63
  • 27.­14
g.­21

Anāthapiṇḍada

Wylie:
  • mgon med zas sbyin
Tibetan:
  • མགོན་མེད་ཟས་སྦྱིན།
Sanskrit:
  • anathapiṇḍada

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

A wealthy merchant in the town of Śrāvastī, famous for his generosity to the poor, who became a patron of the Buddha Śākyamuni. He bought Prince Jeta’s Grove (Skt. Jetavana), to be the Buddha’s first monastery, a place where the monks could stay during the monsoon.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • g.­598
g.­22

Anavapta

Wylie:
  • ma dros pa
Tibetan:
  • མ་དྲོས་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • anavapta

A nāga king.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 15.­28
  • 15.­110
g.­25

Aniruddha

Wylie:
  • ma ’gags pa
Tibetan:
  • མ་འགགས་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • aniruddha

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

Lit. “Unobstructed.” One of the ten great śrāvaka disciples, famed for his meditative prowess and superknowledges. He was the Buddha's cousin‍—a son of Amṛtodana, one of the brothers of King Śuddhodana‍—and is often mentioned along with his two brothers Bhadrika and Mahānāma. Some sources also include Ānanda among his brothers.

In this text:

One of the monks attending this teaching in Śrāvastī, at Jeta’s Grove.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­2
  • 15.­161
g.­29

Anumaineya

Wylie:
  • rjes su dpag pa
Tibetan:
  • རྗེས་སུ་དཔག་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • anumaineya

A town in the country of Maineya. Located six leagues away is the place where Chanda, Prince Siddhārtha’s servant, parted with him after his escape from home. It is said a memorial was later built here, known as “Chanda’s Return.”

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 15.­150
g.­34

applications of mindfulness

Wylie:
  • dran pa nye bar bzhag pa
Tibetan:
  • དྲན་པ་ཉེ་བར་བཞག་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • smṛtyupasthāna

The four applications of mindfulness are mindfulness (1) of the body, (2) of feelings, (3) of the mind, and (4) of phenomena. These four are part of the thirty-seven factors of awakening.

Located in 5 passages in the translation:

  • 2.­1
  • 2.­4
  • 13.­153
  • 13.­165
  • g.­665
g.­48

aśoka

Wylie:
  • mya ngan med pa
Tibetan:
  • མྱ་ངན་མེད་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • aśoka
  • aśoka

Saraca asoca. A tree with aromatic blossoms, clustered together as orange, yellow, and red bunches of petals.

Located in 5 passages in the translation:

  • 2.­13
  • 6.­6-7
  • 13.­68
  • 15.­65
g.­49

aspiration

Wylie:
  • smon lam
Tibetan:
  • སྨོན་ལམ།
Sanskrit:
  • praṇidhāna

Located in 38 passages in the translation:

  • i.­3
  • 1.­3
  • 2.­1
  • 2.­11
  • 4.­10
  • 6.­44
  • 6.­46
  • 13.­8
  • 13.­45
  • 13.­101
  • 13.­145-146
  • 13.­157
  • 13.­161
  • 13.­168
  • 15.­29
  • 15.­31-33
  • 15.­80
  • 15.­128
  • 17.­48
  • 17.­75
  • 18.­33
  • 19.­9
  • 19.­12
  • 19.­53
  • 23.­28
  • 23.­44
  • 24.­9
  • 24.­13
  • 24.­118-119
  • 26.­44
  • 26.­54-55
  • 26.­127
  • g.­663
g.­51

asura

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

See “demigod.”

Located in 4 passages in the translation:

  • 5.­102
  • 10.­9
  • g.­235
  • g.­489
g.­52

Aśvajit

Wylie:
  • rta thul
Tibetan:
  • རྟ་ཐུལ།
Sanskrit:
  • aśvajit

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

The son of one of the seven brahmins who predicted that Śākyamuni would become a great king. He was one of the five companions with Śākyamuni in the beginning of his spiritual path, abandoning him when he gave up asceticism, but then becoming one of his first five pupils after his buddhahood. He was the last of the five to attain the realization of a “stream entrant” and became an arhat on hearing the Sūtra on the Characteristics of Selflessness (An­ātma­lakṣaṇa­sūtra), which was not translated into Tibetan. Aśvajit was the one who went to meet Śāriputra and Maudgalyāyana so they would become followers of the Buddha.

In this text:

One of the monks attending this teaching in Śrāvastī, at Jeta’s Grove.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­2
  • g.­183
g.­59

awakened one

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

Also rendered “buddha.”

Located in 12 passages in the translation:

  • i.­8
  • 1.­5
  • 12.­64
  • 19.­81
  • 23.­64
  • 26.­1
  • 26.­8
  • 26.­23
  • 26.­90
  • 26.­227
  • 27.­9
  • g.­95
g.­63

bases of miraculous power

Wylie:
  • rdzu ’phrul gyi rkang pa
Tibetan:
  • རྫུ་འཕྲུལ་གྱི་རྐང་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • ṛddhipāda
  • ṛddhipada

Determination, discernment, diligence, and meditative concentration.

Located in 9 passages in the translation:

  • 2.­1
  • 2.­4
  • 2.­6
  • 4.­22
  • 5.­94
  • 13.­153
  • 13.­165
  • 26.­130
  • g.­665
g.­64

Bāṣpa

Wylie:
  • rlangs pa
Tibetan:
  • རླངས་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • bāṣpa

One of the monks attending this teaching in Śrāvastī, at Jeta’s Grove. He was one of the five companions who joined Prince Siddhārtha while practicing austerities and attended his first turning of the wheel of Dharma at the Deer Park, after the Buddha’s awakening.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­2
  • g.­183
g.­66

beneficial activity

Wylie:
  • don spyad pa
Tibetan:
  • དོན་སྤྱད་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • arthakriyā

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 5.­1
g.­68

bhadraṃkara gem

Wylie:
  • rin po che bzang byed
Tibetan:
  • རིན་པོ་ཆེ་བཟང་བྱེད།
Sanskrit:
  • ratna­bhadraṃkara

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 10.­1
g.­70

Bhadrika

Wylie:
  • bzang po
Tibetan:
  • བཟང་པོ།
Sanskrit:
  • bhadrika

One of the monks attending this teaching in Śrāvastī, at Jeta’s Grove. He was one of the five companions who joined Prince Siddhārtha while practicing austerities and attended his first turning of the wheel of Dharma at the Deer Park, after the Buddha’s awakening.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­2
  • g.­183
g.­71

Bhadrika

Wylie:
  • bzang po
Tibetan:
  • བཟང་པོ།
Sanskrit:
  • bhadrika

A young Śākya.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 15.­161
g.­79

bimba

Wylie:
  • bim pa
Tibetan:
  • བིམ་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • bimba

Momordica monadelpha. A perennial climbing plant, the fruit of which is a bright red gourd. Because of its color it is frequently used in poetry as a simile for lips.

Located in 6 passages in the translation:

  • 3.­36
  • 7.­100
  • 15.­192
  • 20.­37
  • 21.­120
  • 21.­127
g.­81

blessed one

Wylie:
  • bcom ldan ’das
Tibetan:
  • བཅོམ་ལྡན་འདས།
Sanskrit:
  • bhagavān

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

In Buddhist literature, this 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”).

Located in 49 passages in the translation:

  • i.­2
  • 1.­2
  • 1.­4-6
  • 1.­13-14
  • 1.­16-20
  • 6.­34-37
  • 6.­39
  • 6.­61
  • 7.­36
  • 7.­38-40
  • 7.­42-44
  • 7.­146
  • 13.­6
  • 13.­17
  • 18.­42
  • 18.­47
  • 22.­33
  • 23.­55
  • 24.­3
  • 24.­77
  • 24.­86
  • 24.­89
  • 24.­91
  • 25.­11
  • 25.­13
  • 25.­54
  • 26.­43-44
  • 26.­102-103
  • 26.­134
  • 26.­218
  • 27.­15
  • 27.­25
  • g.­208
g.­83

Bodhi tree

Wylie:
  • byang chub kyi shing
  • byang chub shing
Tibetan:
  • བྱང་ཆུབ་ཀྱི་ཤིང་།
  • བྱང་ཆུབ་ཤིང་།
Sanskrit:
  • bodhivṛkṣa

Lit. “tree of awakening.” Name of the tree under which the Buddha Śākyamuni attained awakening in Bodhgayā. It is a kind of fig tree, the Ficus religiosa, known in Sanskrit as aśvattha or pippala. It is also mentioned as the tree beneath which every buddha will manifest the attainment of buddhahood.

Located in 53 passages in the translation:

  • s.­1
  • i.­8
  • 7.­72
  • 13.­186
  • 18.­49
  • 19.­1
  • 19.­12-13
  • 19.­23
  • 19.­48
  • 19.­54
  • 19.­58
  • 19.­81-83
  • 20.­6
  • 20.­12
  • 20.­31
  • 21.­3
  • 21.­10
  • 21.­37
  • 21.­58
  • 21.­108
  • 21.­183
  • 23.­26
  • 23.­44
  • 23.­53
  • 24.­1-2
  • 24.­95
  • 25.­1
  • 25.­54
  • g.­73
  • g.­134
  • g.­137
  • g.­141
  • g.­143
  • g.­181
  • g.­427
  • g.­428
  • g.­541
  • g.­567
  • g.­570
  • g.­599
  • g.­600
  • g.­624
  • g.­662
  • g.­677
  • g.­678
  • g.­716
  • g.­732
  • g.­736
  • g.­755
g.­84

bodhisattva

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

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

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

In this text:

Here, “Bodhisattva” is also used to refer specifically to the Buddha prior to his awakening, both during this life, as Prince Siddhārtha, and during his previous life, as Śvetaketu, in the Heaven of Joy.

Located in 589 passages in the translation:

  • i.­2-10
  • i.­12-14
  • i.­16
  • i.­19-20
  • 1.­1
  • 1.­3
  • 1.­14-16
  • 1.­18-20
  • 1.­26
  • 2.­1-4
  • 2.­6
  • 2.­9
  • 2.­11
  • 2.­14
  • 2.­32
  • 3.­1-2
  • 3.­14
  • 3.­16-33
  • 3.­36-38
  • 3.­49
  • 3.­56
  • 4.­1-7
  • 4.­34-36
  • 5.­1-3
  • 5.­5
  • 5.­8
  • 5.­31
  • 5.­63
  • 5.­65
  • 5.­81-83
  • 6.­2
  • 6.­9
  • 6.­21-23
  • 6.­25-26
  • 6.­28
  • 6.­30-61
  • 6.­65-67
  • 6.­71
  • 7.­1
  • 7.­4
  • 7.­27-32
  • 7.­34
  • 7.­36-41
  • 7.­47
  • 7.­49
  • 7.­71-74
  • 7.­85-90
  • 7.­94-95
  • 7.­99
  • 7.­104
  • 7.­126-128
  • 7.­150
  • 8.­1
  • 8.­7-8
  • 8.­11
  • 9.­3-4
  • 9.­10
  • 10.­1-2
  • 10.­7-8
  • 10.­15
  • 10.­24
  • 11.­1
  • 11.­9
  • 11.­14-15
  • 11.­18-19
  • 11.­25
  • 11.­28
  • 11.­36
  • 12.­6-7
  • 12.­22-24
  • 12.­26-29
  • 12.­31-32
  • 12.­34-35
  • 12.­38-42
  • 12.­44
  • 12.­47-48
  • 12.­52-54
  • 12.­58
  • 12.­60-61
  • 12.­63-66
  • 13.­1-4
  • 13.­6
  • 13.­15-17
  • 13.­141-142
  • 13.­144-145
  • 13.­147
  • 13.­154-155
  • 13.­160
  • 13.­168-170
  • 13.­189
  • 14.­1
  • 14.­4-9
  • 14.­11
  • 14.­13-14
  • 14.­17-19
  • 14.­21-24
  • 14.­26-27
  • 14.­59
  • 15.­1
  • 15.­7
  • 15.­11-13
  • 15.­23
  • 15.­26-29
  • 15.­32-33
  • 15.­36-37
  • 15.­39
  • 15.­42
  • 15.­47
  • 15.­50
  • 15.­52-54
  • 15.­58
  • 15.­64
  • 15.­70
  • 15.­77
  • 15.­87
  • 15.­96-97
  • 15.­100-108
  • 15.­112
  • 15.­114
  • 15.­118
  • 15.­121
  • 15.­124
  • 15.­126
  • 15.­129-131
  • 15.­140
  • 15.­150-154
  • 15.­158
  • 15.­162-163
  • 15.­167
  • 15.­173-174
  • 15.­177
  • 15.­179-180
  • 15.­212
  • 15.­214
  • 16.­1-3
  • 16.­7-8
  • 16.­16-17
  • 16.­19-22
  • 16.­25
  • 16.­35
  • 16.­38
  • 17.­1
  • 17.­3-13
  • 17.­22-23
  • 17.­26
  • 17.­29
  • 17.­33
  • 17.­35
  • 17.­37
  • 17.­44-49
  • 18.­1
  • 18.­3
  • 18.­8-9
  • 18.­24
  • 18.­26-28
  • 18.­31-39
  • 18.­41
  • 18.­45-46
  • 19.­1
  • 19.­4-5
  • 19.­7-9
  • 19.­11
  • 19.­19-21
  • 19.­23-24
  • 19.­27
  • 19.­34
  • 19.­36
  • 19.­38
  • 19.­41
  • 19.­45
  • 19.­50
  • 19.­61
  • 19.­67-68
  • 19.­71
  • 19.­76
  • 19.­78
  • 19.­81-83
  • 20.­1-3
  • 20.­5
  • 20.­7
  • 20.­9
  • 20.­11
  • 20.­13
  • 20.­15
  • 20.­17
  • 20.­19
  • 20.­21-22
  • 20.­27
  • 20.­29
  • 20.­34
  • 21.­1-2
  • 21.­7
  • 21.­11
  • 21.­22
  • 21.­24-26
  • 21.­43
  • 21.­47
  • 21.­60
  • 21.­62
  • 21.­64
  • 21.­66-67
  • 21.­86
  • 21.­88
  • 21.­92
  • 21.­106-110
  • 21.­112
  • 21.­114-115
  • 21.­118-123
  • 21.­133
  • 21.­145
  • 21.­151
  • 21.­153
  • 21.­155
  • 21.­157
  • 21.­159
  • 21.­172
  • 21.­175
  • 21.­183
  • 21.­191-200
  • 21.­202
  • 21.­204
  • 21.­206
  • 21.­210
  • 21.­216
  • 21.­241
  • 22.­1
  • 22.­3
  • 22.­5-6
  • 22.­9
  • 22.­11-25
  • 22.­32
  • 22.­36-37
  • 22.­40
  • 22.­67
  • 23.­66
  • 23.­72
  • 24.­77
  • 24.­82
  • 24.­172
  • 26.­44
  • 26.­53-55
  • 26.­100
  • 26.­102
  • 26.­113
  • 26.­135
  • 26.­175
  • 26.­216
  • 27.­2
  • 27.­5
  • 27.­14
  • 27.­25
  • g.­11
  • g.­16
  • g.­38
  • g.­72
  • g.­96
  • g.­131
  • g.­136
  • g.­139
  • g.­145
  • g.­149
  • g.­160
  • g.­161
  • g.­200
  • g.­225
  • g.­228
  • g.­241
  • g.­250
  • g.­264
  • g.­265
  • g.­281
  • g.­282
  • g.­283
  • g.­318
  • g.­326
  • g.­340
  • g.­347
  • g.­350
  • g.­353
  • g.­359
  • g.­372
  • g.­402
  • g.­403
  • g.­422
  • g.­424
  • g.­431
  • g.­434
  • g.­435
  • g.­448
  • g.­465
  • g.­468
  • g.­487
  • g.­497
  • g.­502
  • g.­504
  • g.­507
  • g.­509
  • g.­515
  • g.­528
  • g.­537
  • g.­539
  • g.­542
  • g.­555
  • g.­564
  • g.­575
  • g.­578
  • g.­582
  • g.­585
  • g.­586
  • g.­592
  • g.­627
  • g.­647
  • g.­657
  • g.­661
  • g.­672
  • g.­675
  • g.­684
  • g.­687
  • g.­709
  • g.­757
g.­85

Brahmā

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

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

A high-ranking deity presiding over a divine world; he is also considered to be the lord of the Sahā world (our universe). Though not considered a creator god in Buddhism, Brahmā occupies an important place as one of two gods (the other being Indra/Śakra) said to have first exhorted the Buddha Śākyamuni to teach the Dharma. The particular heavens found in the form realm over which Brahmā rules are often some of the most sought-after realms of higher rebirth in Buddhist literature. Since there are many universes or world systems, there are also multiple Brahmās presiding over them. His most frequent epithets are “Lord of the Sahā World” (sahāṃpati) and Great Brahmā (mahābrahman).

Located in 126 passages in the translation:

  • i.­9
  • 1.­5
  • 2.­1
  • 2.­3
  • 2.­31
  • 3.­31
  • 4.­4
  • 5.­4-5
  • 5.­30
  • 5.­39
  • 5.­42
  • 5.­52
  • 5.­59
  • 5.­61
  • 5.­83
  • 6.­36-37
  • 6.­39
  • 6.­41
  • 6.­43-44
  • 6.­54-55
  • 6.­61
  • 6.­64
  • 6.­66
  • 7.­22-24
  • 7.­28-29
  • 7.­34
  • 7.­54-57
  • 7.­61
  • 7.­74
  • 7.­78
  • 7.­94
  • 7.­99
  • 7.­146
  • 8.­4
  • 8.­8
  • 9.­7
  • 11.­8
  • 11.­16
  • 11.­36
  • 13.­1
  • 13.­5
  • 13.­55
  • 13.­187
  • 14.­39
  • 15.­75
  • 15.­121
  • 15.­129
  • 15.­145
  • 15.­189
  • 16.­6
  • 16.­13
  • 17.­18
  • 19.­4
  • 19.­8
  • 19.­11-16
  • 19.­18-19
  • 19.­47
  • 19.­50
  • 19.­56
  • 19.­69
  • 20.­5
  • 20.­18
  • 20.­21
  • 20.­30
  • 21.­87
  • 21.­102
  • 21.­133
  • 21.­170
  • 21.­213
  • 21.­227
  • 21.­238
  • 22.­46
  • 22.­64
  • 22.­71
  • 23.­14
  • 23.­39
  • 24.­97
  • 24.­170
  • 25.­9-14
  • 25.­20
  • 25.­22-28
  • 25.­31
  • 25.­33
  • 25.­48-49
  • 25.­51
  • 26.­30
  • 26.­32
  • 26.­35
  • 26.­41
  • 26.­44-45
  • 26.­81
  • 26.­140
  • 26.­170
  • 26.­213
  • 27.­5-6
  • 27.­9
g.­94

branches of awakening

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

See “seven branches of awakening” and also 4.­25 for an explanation of each.

Located in 10 passages in the translation:

  • 2.­1
  • 2.­4-5
  • 2.­8
  • 4.­25
  • 13.­153
  • 13.­165
  • 21.­227
  • 24.­22
  • 26.­130
g.­95

buddha

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

The Indic term buddha is used in Buddhism as an epithet for fully awakened beings in general and, more specifically, often refers to the historical buddha, Siddhārtha Gautama, also known as the Buddha Śākyamuni. The term buddha is the past participle of the Sanskrit root budh, meaning “to awaken,” “to understand,” or “to become aware.”

Sometimes also translated here as “awakened one.”

Located in 300 passages in the translation:

  • s.­1
  • i.­1-3
  • i.­8-13
  • i.­16-17
  • i.­19-21
  • i.­23
  • 1.­1
  • 1.­5-6
  • 1.­12
  • 1.­16
  • 2.­3-4
  • 2.­11-12
  • 2.­18
  • 2.­23
  • 2.­29
  • 3.­13-14
  • 4.­4
  • 4.­10
  • 4.­28-29
  • 4.­31-32
  • 4.­45
  • 6.­18
  • 6.­34
  • 7.­23
  • 7.­36
  • 7.­38
  • 7.­40-41
  • 7.­43
  • 7.­48-49
  • 7.­90-91
  • 7.­95
  • 7.­97
  • 7.­105-107
  • 7.­120-124
  • 7.­126
  • 7.­146
  • 7.­150
  • 11.­7
  • 12.­1
  • 12.­74
  • 13.­6
  • 13.­10
  • 13.­17
  • 13.­73-75
  • 13.­146
  • 13.­155
  • 15.­29
  • 15.­52
  • 15.­211
  • 17.­31
  • 17.­36
  • 19.­3
  • 19.­19
  • 19.­55
  • 19.­70
  • 19.­77
  • 20.­1-2
  • 20.­5
  • 20.­7
  • 20.­9
  • 20.­11
  • 20.­13
  • 20.­15
  • 20.­17-21
  • 20.­33
  • 21.­1
  • 21.­227
  • 21.­240-241
  • 22.­33
  • 22.­35-36
  • 22.­39
  • 22.­41
  • 23.­16
  • 23.­28-29
  • 23.­53
  • 24.­7
  • 24.­14
  • 24.­26
  • 24.­77
  • 24.­85
  • 24.­114
  • 24.­173
  • 25.­8
  • 25.­11
  • 25.­24
  • 25.­56-57
  • 26.­11
  • 26.­27
  • 26.­38
  • 26.­47
  • 26.­51
  • 26.­54-55
  • 26.­90-91
  • 26.­93
  • 26.­99-102
  • 26.­113-114
  • 26.­175
  • 26.­195
  • 26.­220
  • 26.­241
  • 27.­2
  • 27.­5-6
  • 27.­8
  • 27.­10
  • 27.­15
  • 27.­19
  • g.­2
  • g.­10
  • g.­18
  • g.­39
  • g.­46
  • g.­56
  • g.­59
  • g.­60
  • g.­64
  • g.­70
  • g.­73
  • g.­83
  • g.­84
  • g.­87
  • g.­92
  • g.­98
  • g.­101
  • g.­122
  • g.­126
  • g.­135
  • g.­139
  • g.­149
  • g.­150
  • g.­157
  • g.­171
  • g.­181
  • g.­188
  • g.­198
  • g.­200
  • g.­208
  • g.­210
  • g.­217
  • g.­226
  • g.­227
  • g.­228
  • g.­230
  • g.­231
  • g.­241
  • g.­250
  • g.­251
  • g.­252
  • g.­254
  • g.­264
  • g.­279
  • g.­280
  • g.­289
  • g.­290
  • g.­294
  • g.­299
  • g.­306
  • g.­307
  • g.­310
  • g.­318
  • g.­325
  • g.­327
  • g.­330
  • g.­334
  • g.­339
  • g.­344
  • g.­348
  • g.­351
  • g.­360
  • g.­362
  • g.­371
  • g.­372
  • g.­374
  • g.­375
  • g.­392
  • g.­394
  • g.­399
  • g.­407
  • g.­420
  • g.­421
  • g.­435
  • g.­440
  • g.­447
  • g.­456
  • g.­476
  • g.­482
  • g.­483
  • g.­485
  • g.­502
  • g.­504
  • g.­505
  • g.­507
  • g.­508
  • g.­510
  • g.­514
  • g.­519
  • g.­521
  • g.­522
  • g.­524
  • g.­532
  • g.­535
  • g.­538
  • g.­540
  • g.­543
  • g.­544
  • g.­546
  • g.­554
  • g.­558
  • g.­560
  • g.­561
  • g.­565
  • g.­566
  • g.­568
  • g.­570
  • g.­580
  • g.­598
  • g.­601
  • g.­606
  • g.­611
  • g.­617
  • g.­618
  • g.­620
  • g.­623
  • g.­625
  • g.­626
  • g.­631
  • g.­637
  • g.­642
  • g.­645
  • g.­648
  • g.­649
  • g.­657
  • g.­658
  • g.­663
  • g.­666
  • g.­675
  • g.­677
  • g.­686
  • g.­688
  • g.­695
  • g.­698
  • g.­699
  • g.­701
  • g.­711
  • g.­714
  • g.­721
  • g.­723
  • g.­733
  • g.­734
  • g.­740
  • g.­745
  • g.­746
  • g.­750
  • g.­751
  • g.­752
  • g.­753
  • g.­757
  • g.­769
g.­97

campaka

Wylie:
  • tsam pa ka
Tibetan:
  • ཙམ་པ་ཀ
Sanskrit:
  • campaka

A tree, Magnolia champaca, with attractive cream or yellow-orange flowers used in India for offerings, decoration, and perfume.

Located in 8 passages in the translation:

  • 2.­13
  • 15.­65
  • 15.­83
  • 20.­27
  • 21.­164
  • 21.­212
  • 23.­58
  • 23.­68
g.­99

Candana

Wylie:
  • tsan dan
Tibetan:
  • ཙན་དན།
Sanskrit:
  • candana

One of the gods of the pure realms.

Located in 5 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­13
  • 1.­18
  • 1.­23
  • 13.­66
  • 27.­1
g.­100

Candra

Wylie:
  • zla ba
Tibetan:
  • ཟླ་བ།
Sanskrit:
  • candra

The god of the moon; the moon personified.

Located in 7 passages in the translation:

  • 8.­4
  • 8.­8
  • 15.­53
  • 15.­114
  • 16.­15
  • 17.­18
  • 19.­14
g.­104

celestial maiden

Wylie:
  • lha’i bu mo
  • lha yi bu mo
  • lha mo
Tibetan:
  • ལྷའི་བུ་མོ།
  • ལྷ་ཡི་བུ་མོ།
  • ལྷ་མོ།
Sanskrit:
  • devakanyā
  • apsaras

Sometimes also translated “goddess.”

Located in 12 passages in the translation:

  • 2.­13
  • 3.­35-36
  • 3.­44
  • 7.­2
  • 7.­20
  • 7.­25
  • 7.­73
  • 7.­87
  • 15.­140
  • 23.­58
  • g.­215
g.­105

celestial palace

Wylie:
  • gzhal med khang
Tibetan:
  • གཞལ་མེད་ཁང་།
Sanskrit:
  • vimāna

The Sanskrit term vimāna can refer to a multistoried mansion or palace, or even an estate, but is more often used in the sense of a celestial chariot of the gods, sometimes taking the form of a multistoried palace.

Located in 9 passages in the translation:

  • 2.­13-14
  • 3.­1
  • 4.­1-2
  • 5.­34
  • 5.­63
  • 19.­39
  • 21.­107
g.­106

Chanda

Wylie:
  • dun pa
Tibetan:
  • དུན་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • chanda

Prince Siddhārtha’s charioteer.

Located in 48 passages in the translation:

  • 7.­67
  • 7.­71
  • 9.­9
  • 11.­22
  • 15.­54-55
  • 15.­58
  • 15.­61
  • 15.­64
  • 15.­69-70
  • 15.­72-73
  • 15.­77
  • 15.­80-81
  • 15.­87
  • 15.­91
  • 15.­96-97
  • 15.­100
  • 15.­107
  • 15.­121-123
  • 15.­125-127
  • 15.­150
  • 15.­153
  • 15.­158-161
  • 15.­171
  • 15.­173-176
  • 15.­178-180
  • 15.­184
  • 15.­196
  • 15.­199
  • 15.­203
  • 16.­1
  • g.­29
g.­107

Citrā

Wylie:
  • ga pa
Tibetan:
  • ག་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • citrā

A constellation in the south, personified as a semidivine being. Here also called upon for protection.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 9.­1
  • 24.­140
g.­108

clay kettledrum

Wylie:
  • rdza rnga
Tibetan:
  • རྫ་རྔ།
Sanskrit:
  • mṛdaṃga

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 15.­39
  • 15.­67
g.­113

craving

Wylie:
  • sred pa
Tibetan:
  • སྲེད་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • tṛṣṇā

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

Eighth of the twelve links of dependent origination. Craving is often listed as threefold: craving for the desirable, craving for existence, and craving for nonexistence.

Located in 29 passages in the translation:

  • 13.­80
  • 13.­83
  • 13.­119
  • 15.­30
  • 15.­48
  • 16.­31
  • 18.­18
  • 20.­36
  • 22.­14-15
  • 22.­22
  • 22.­26
  • 22.­29
  • 22.­35
  • 24.­28
  • 24.­38
  • 24.­51
  • 24.­55
  • 24.­71
  • 24.­94
  • 25.­2
  • 25.­23
  • 25.­28
  • 26.­64-65
  • 26.­84
  • 26.­87
  • 26.­144
  • g.­682
g.­117

Cunda

Wylie:
  • skul byed
Tibetan:
  • སྐུལ་བྱེད།
Sanskrit:
  • cunda

One of the monks attending this teaching in Śrāvastī, at Jeta’s Grove.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­2
g.­118

Dānaśīla

Wylie:
  • dA na shI la
Tibetan:
  • དཱ་ན་ཤཱི་ལ།
Sanskrit:
  • dānaśīla

An Indian preceptor from Kashmir who was resident in Tibet during the late eighth and early ninth centuries. He translated many texts in the Kangyur in collaboration with Yeshé Dé.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • c.­2
g.­120

Daṇḍapāṇi

Wylie:
  • lag na be con can
Tibetan:
  • ལག་ན་བེ་ཅོན་ཅན།
Sanskrit:
  • daṇḍapāṇi

A Śākya clan member and father of Gopā.

Located in 11 passages in the translation:

  • 12.­18
  • 12.­21
  • 12.­24-25
  • 12.­27
  • 12.­58-59
  • 12.­61
  • 12.­63
  • 12.­66
  • g.­217
g.­122

Deer Park

Wylie:
  • ri dags kyi nags
Tibetan:
  • རི་དགས་ཀྱི་ནགས།
Sanskrit:
  • mṛgadāva

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

Located in 14 passages in the translation:

  • i.­10
  • 3.­15
  • 18.­27
  • 25.­54
  • 26.­8
  • 26.­19
  • 26.­36
  • 26.­43
  • g.­10
  • g.­64
  • g.­70
  • g.­254
  • g.­344
  • g.­392
g.­123

demigod

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

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

A type of nonhuman being whose precise status is subject to different views, but is included as one of the six classes of beings in the sixfold classification of realms of rebirth. In the Buddhist context, asuras are powerful beings said to be dominated by envy, ambition, and hostility. They are also known in the pre-Buddhist and pre-Vedic mythologies of India and Iran, and feature prominently in Vedic and post-Vedic Brahmanical mythology, as well as in the Buddhist tradition. In these traditions, asuras are often described as being engaged in interminable conflict with the devas (gods).

Located in 51 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­20
  • 2.­3
  • 2.­19
  • 3.­52
  • 5.­76
  • 6.­58
  • 7.­25
  • 7.­107
  • 7.­128
  • 8.­4
  • 10.­1
  • 11.­8
  • 12.­32
  • 12.­65
  • 13.­1
  • 13.­3
  • 13.­5
  • 13.­184
  • 15.­125-126
  • 15.­130
  • 15.­150
  • 15.­213
  • 17.­18
  • 17.­48
  • 17.­74
  • 19.­22
  • 19.­47
  • 19.­50
  • 19.­69
  • 20.­12
  • 20.­21
  • 21.­59
  • 21.­86
  • 21.­153
  • 21.­203
  • 21.­212
  • 21.­238
  • 24.­2
  • 24.­34
  • 25.­36
  • 25.­50
  • 25.­52-53
  • 26.­12
  • 26.­58
  • 26.­212
  • 26.­215
  • 27.­25
  • g.­51
  • g.­730
g.­124

demon

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

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

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

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

Located in 47 passages in the translation:

  • s.­1
  • i.­8
  • 1.­26
  • 3.­31
  • 5.­31
  • 5.­38
  • 5.­61
  • 7.­96
  • 7.­127
  • 13.­52
  • 15.­53
  • 15.­90
  • 15.­95
  • 15.­148
  • 15.­189
  • 17.­46
  • 17.­70
  • 19.­3
  • 19.­58
  • 19.­69
  • 19.­80
  • 19.­84
  • 21.­1
  • 21.­9
  • 21.­22
  • 21.­26
  • 21.­107-108
  • 21.­211
  • 21.­216
  • 21.­222
  • 21.­234
  • 21.­240
  • 22.­44
  • 22.­51
  • 23.­29
  • 23.­53
  • 24.­42
  • 24.­70
  • 26.­145
  • 26.­176
  • 26.­215
  • 26.­218
  • 27.­3
  • 27.­5
  • g.­164
  • g.­584
g.­133

Dharmacārin

Wylie:
  • chos spyod
Tibetan:
  • ཆོས་སྤྱོད།
Sanskrit:
  • dharmacārin

A god.

Located in 3 passages in the translation:

  • 15.­28
  • 15.­34
  • 15.­51
g.­145

Dharmoccaya

Wylie:
  • chos kyis mtho ba
Tibetan:
  • ཆོས་ཀྱིས་མཐོ་བ།
Sanskrit:
  • dharmoccaya

A palace in the Heaven of Joy, where the Bodhisattva taught the Dharma to gods.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 3.­1
  • 3.­37
g.­146

Dhṛtarāṣṭra

Wylie:
  • yul ’khor srung
Tibetan:
  • ཡུལ་འཁོར་སྲུང་།
Sanskrit:
  • dhṛtarāṣṭra

One of the Four Great Kings, he is the guardian deity for the east and lord of the gandharvas. See also Four Great Kings.

Located in 6 passages in the translation:

  • 15.­102
  • 21.­7
  • 24.­105-106
  • 24.­133
  • g.­223
g.­148

diligence

Wylie:
  • brtson ’grus
Tibetan:
  • བརྩོན་འགྲུས།
Sanskrit:
  • vīrya

Located in 46 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­16
  • 2.­1
  • 2.­5
  • 2.­7
  • 2.­30
  • 4.­23-25
  • 4.­28
  • 5.­89
  • 7.­36
  • 7.­126
  • 13.­11
  • 13.­24
  • 13.­52-53
  • 13.­93
  • 13.­135-136
  • 13.­151
  • 13.­153
  • 13.­163
  • 15.­59
  • 15.­93
  • 16.­4
  • 17.­5
  • 18.­13
  • 18.­15
  • 19.­73
  • 20.­8
  • 21.­64
  • 21.­78
  • 21.­103
  • 21.­228
  • 22.­40
  • 23.­23
  • 26.­52
  • 26.­101
  • 26.­127
  • 26.­180
  • 26.­201
  • 27.­3
  • g.­63
  • g.­186
  • g.­187
  • g.­592
g.­152

discipline

Wylie:
  • tshul khrims
Tibetan:
  • ཚུལ་ཁྲིམས།
Sanskrit:
  • śīla

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

Morally virtuous or disciplined conduct and the abandonment of morally undisciplined conduct of body, speech, and mind. In a general sense, moral discipline is the cause for rebirth in higher, more favorable states, but it is also foundational to Buddhist practice as one of the three trainings (triśikṣā) and one of the six perfections of a bodhisattva. Often rendered as “ethics,” “discipline,” and “morality.”

Located in 68 passages in the translation:

  • 2.­1
  • 2.­5-6
  • 2.­10
  • 2.­17
  • 3.­32
  • 4.­10
  • 4.­28
  • 4.­45
  • 4.­47-48
  • 5.­19
  • 5.­50
  • 5.­87
  • 6.­9
  • 7.­30
  • 7.­39
  • 7.­126
  • 10.­20
  • 12.­49
  • 12.­78
  • 13.­11
  • 13.­22
  • 13.­37
  • 13.­48-49
  • 13.­54
  • 13.­56
  • 13.­131-132
  • 13.­136
  • 13.­150
  • 13.­152
  • 13.­163
  • 14.­49
  • 15.­59
  • 15.­141
  • 15.­147
  • 15.­160
  • 17.­61
  • 17.­63
  • 18.­26
  • 18.­28
  • 18.­33
  • 18.­44-45
  • 19.­53
  • 21.­141
  • 21.­148
  • 21.­224
  • 21.­227-229
  • 22.­45-46
  • 23.­22
  • 23.­47
  • 23.­54
  • 24.­29
  • 24.­107
  • 26.­52
  • 26.­127
  • 26.­135
  • 26.­140
  • 26.­147
  • 27.­8
  • 27.­13
  • g.­592
g.­153

disciplined conduct

Wylie:
  • brtul zhugs
Tibetan:
  • བརྟུལ་ཞུགས།
Sanskrit:
  • vrata

Located in 19 passages in the translation:

  • 5.­19
  • 5.­51
  • 7.­54
  • 12.­49
  • 13.­25
  • 13.­31
  • 13.­43
  • 13.­185
  • 15.­69
  • 15.­93
  • 15.­128
  • 15.­167
  • 17.­1-2
  • 19.­72
  • 19.­78
  • 21.­97
  • 21.­170
  • 26.­3
g.­156

divine siddha

Wylie:
  • lha dang grub
Tibetan:
  • ལྷ་དང་གྲུབ།
Sanskrit:
  • surasiddha

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 15.­133
g.­159

dullness

Wylie:
  • gti mug
Tibetan:
  • གཏི་མུག
Sanskrit:
  • moha

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

One of the three poisons (dug gsum) along with aversion, or hatred, and attachment, or desire, which perpetuate the sufferings of cyclic existence. It is the obfuscating mental state which obstructs an individual from generating knowledge or insight, and it is said to be the dominant characteristic of the animal world in general. Commonly rendered as confusion, delusion, and ignorance, or bewilderment.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 15.­31
  • 18.­19
g.­169

eighteen unique qualities of a buddha

Wylie:
  • sangs rgyas kyi chos ma ’dres pa bco brgyad
Tibetan:
  • སངས་རྒྱས་ཀྱི་ཆོས་མ་འདྲེས་པ་བཅོ་བརྒྱད།
Sanskrit:
  • aṣṭādaśāveṇika­buddha­dharma

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

Eighteen special features of a buddha’s behavior, realization, activity, and wisdom that are not shared by other beings. They are generally listed as: (1) he never makes a mistake, (2) he is never boisterous, (3) he never forgets, (4) his concentration never falters, (5) he has no notion of distinctness, (6) his equanimity is not due to lack of consideration, (7) his motivation never falters, (8) his endeavor never fails, (9) his mindfulness never falters, (10) he never abandons his concentration, (11) his insight (prajñā) never decreases, (12) his liberation never fails, (13) all his physical actions are preceded and followed by wisdom (jñāna), (14) all his verbal actions are preceded and followed by wisdom, (15) all his mental actions are preceded and followed by wisdom, (16) his wisdom and vision perceive the past without attachment or hindrance, (17) his wisdom and vision perceive the future without attachment or hindrance, and (18) his wisdom and vision perceive the present without attachment or hindrance.

Located in 5 passages in the translation:

  • 13.­3
  • 19.­11
  • 26.­1
  • 26.­141
  • n.­28
g.­170

eightfold path of the noble ones

Wylie:
  • ’phags pa’i lam yan lag brgyad
Tibetan:
  • འཕགས་པའི་ལམ་ཡན་ལག་བརྒྱད།
Sanskrit:
  • āryāṣṭāṅgamārga

Right view, intention, speech, actions, livelihood, effort, mindfulness, and concentration. See also 4.­26.

Located in 3 passages in the translation:

  • 13.­166
  • 15.­148
  • 26.­66
g.­176

eon

Wylie:
  • bskal pa
Tibetan:
  • བསྐལ་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • kalpa

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

A cosmic period of time, sometimes equivalent to the time when a world system appears, exists, and disappears. According to the traditional Abhidharma understanding of cyclical time, a great eon (mahākalpa) is divided into eighty lesser eons. In the course of one great eon, the universe takes form and later disappears. During the first twenty of the lesser eons, the universe is in the process of creation and expansion; during the next twenty it remains; during the third twenty, it is in the process of destruction; and during the last quarter of the cycle, it remains in a state of empty stasis. A fortunate, or good, eon (bhadrakalpa) refers to any eon in which more than one buddha appears.

Located in 82 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­12
  • 2.­11
  • 2.­17
  • 2.­20
  • 4.­4
  • 4.­40
  • 5.­85
  • 5.­87-91
  • 6.­65
  • 7.­36
  • 7.­126
  • 7.­129
  • 10.­3
  • 10.­6
  • 12.­49
  • 13.­4
  • 13.­45
  • 13.­48
  • 13.­60
  • 13.­74-76
  • 13.­129
  • 14.­50
  • 15.­9
  • 15.­44
  • 15.­59
  • 15.­87
  • 15.­141-142
  • 17.­78
  • 18.­45
  • 19.­12
  • 19.­48
  • 19.­66
  • 19.­72
  • 19.­78
  • 19.­85
  • 20.­4
  • 20.­36
  • 21.­3
  • 21.­112
  • 21.­143
  • 21.­148
  • 21.­170
  • 21.­200
  • 22.­7
  • 22.­45-50
  • 22.­69
  • 23.­9
  • 23.­21
  • 23.­51
  • 24.­53
  • 24.­57
  • 24.­61
  • 24.­66
  • 25.­7
  • 26.­37
  • 26.­40
  • 26.­46
  • 26.­48-49
  • 26.­52
  • 26.­81
  • 26.­217
  • 26.­241
  • 27.­12
  • 27.­14-15
  • 27.­17
  • 27.­19
  • 27.­23
  • g.­149
g.­177

equanimity

Wylie:
  • btang snyoms
Tibetan:
  • བཏང་སྙོམས།
Sanskrit:
  • upekṣā

The antidote to attachment and aversion; a mental state free from bias toward sentient beings.

Located in 21 passages in the translation:

  • 2.­1
  • 4.­11
  • 4.­25
  • 5.­92
  • 6.­22
  • 7.­126
  • 8.­11
  • 11.­2
  • 13.­5
  • 13.­28
  • 13.­164
  • 15.­144
  • 17.­22
  • 19.­12
  • 20.­30
  • 26.­35
  • 26.­124
  • 26.­128
  • 26.­199
  • 27.­10
  • g.­195
g.­179

factors of awakening

Wylie:
  • byang chub kyi phyogs kyi chos
Tibetan:
  • བྱང་ཆུབ་ཀྱི་ཕྱོགས་ཀྱི་ཆོས།
Sanskrit:
  • bodhi­pakṣa­dharma

See “thirty-seven factors of awakening.”

Located in 3 passages in the translation:

  • 2.­1
  • 13.­153
  • 13.­159
g.­180

faculty

Wylie:
  • dbang po lnga
Tibetan:
  • དབང་པོ་ལྔ།
Sanskrit:
  • pañcendriya

See “five faculties.”

Located in 6 passages in the translation:

  • 2.­1
  • 2.­4
  • 4.­23
  • 13.­153
  • 22.­35
  • 26.­130
g.­186

five faculties

Wylie:
  • dbang po lnga
Tibetan:
  • དབང་པོ་ལྔ།
Sanskrit:
  • pañcendriya

Faith, diligence, mindfulness, absorption, and knowledge. See also 4.­23

Located in 4 passages in the translation:

  • 13.­165
  • g.­180
  • g.­187
  • g.­665
g.­187

five powers

Wylie:
  • stobs lnga
Tibetan:
  • སྟོབས་ལྔ།
Sanskrit:
  • pañcabala

Faith, mindfulness, diligence, concentration, and insight. Similar to the five faculties but differing in that they cannot be shaken by adverse conditions. See also 4.­24.

Located in 3 passages in the translation:

  • 13.­165
  • g.­455
  • g.­665
g.­188

fivefold vision

Wylie:
  • spyan lnga
Tibetan:
  • སྤྱན་ལྔ།
Sanskrit:
  • pañcacakṣuḥ

These comprise (1) the eye of flesh, (2) the eye of divine clairvoyance, (3) the eye of wisdom, (4) the eye of Dharma, and (5) the eye of the buddhas.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­5
  • 26.­1
g.­189

flag

Wylie:
  • ba dan
Tibetan:
  • བ་དན།
Sanskrit:
  • patākā

Located in 19 passages in the translation:

  • 2.­13
  • 7.­2
  • 7.­20
  • 7.­87
  • 8.­7
  • 13.­15
  • 14.­7
  • 15.­27
  • 15.­52
  • 15.­106
  • 19.­6
  • 21.­239
  • 22.­35
  • 22.­43
  • 23.­13
  • 23.­52
  • 26.­43
  • 26.­116
  • 26.­158
g.­191

flute

Wylie:
  • rgyud gcig pa
Tibetan:
  • རྒྱུད་གཅིག་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • tūṇava

Located in 9 passages in the translation:

  • 5.­13
  • 7.­16
  • 13.­17
  • 13.­77
  • 15.­20
  • 15.­39
  • 15.­67
  • 15.­82
  • 15.­132
g.­192

fortunate

Wylie:
  • bkra shis dang ldan pa
Tibetan:
  • བཀྲ་ཤིས་དང་ལྡན་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • maṅgalya

Located in 5 passages in the translation:

  • 5.­1
  • 12.­38
  • 15.­198
  • 16.­13
  • 26.­91
g.­194

Four Great Kings

Wylie:
  • rgyal po chen po bzhi
Tibetan:
  • རྒྱལ་པོ་ཆེན་པོ་བཞི།
Sanskrit:
  • caturmahārāja

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

Four gods who live on the lower slopes (fourth level) of Mount Meru in the eponymous Heaven of the Four Great Kings (Cāturmahā­rājika, rgyal chen bzhi’i ris) and guard the four cardinal directions. Each is the leader of a nonhuman class of beings living in his realm. They are Dhṛtarāṣṭra, ruling the gandharvas in the east; Virūḍhaka, ruling over the kumbhāṇḍas in the south; Virūpākṣa, ruling the nāgas in the west; and Vaiśravaṇa (also known as Kubera) ruling the yakṣas in the north. Also referred to as Guardians of the World or World Protectors (lokapāla, ’jig rten skyong ba).

In this text:

See also “guardians of the world.”

Located in 18 passages in the translation:

  • 5.­30
  • 6.­22
  • 6.­39
  • 6.­47
  • 6.­50-51
  • 12.­42
  • 15.­23
  • 15.­101
  • 23.­58
  • 23.­63
  • 24.­98
  • g.­146
  • g.­223
  • g.­312
  • g.­712
  • g.­747
  • g.­748
g.­195

four immeasurables

Wylie:
  • tshad med bzhi
Tibetan:
  • ཚད་མེད་བཞི།
Sanskrit:
  • caturpramāṇa

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

The meditations on love (maitrī), compassion (karuṇā), joy (muditā), and equanimity (upekṣā), as well as the states of mind and qualities of being that result from their cultivation. They are also called the four abodes of Brahmā (caturbrahmavihāra).

In the Abhidharmakośa, Vasubandhu explains that they are called apramāṇa‍—meaning “infinite” or “limitless”‍—because they take limitless sentient beings as their object, and they generate limitless merit and results. Love is described as the wish that beings be happy, and it acts as an antidote to malice (vyāpāda). Compassion is described as the wish for beings to be free of suffering, and acts as an antidote to harmfulness (vihiṃsā). Joy refers to rejoicing in the happiness beings already have, and it acts as an antidote to dislike or aversion (arati) toward others’ success. Equanimity is considering all beings impartially, without distinctions, and it is the antidote to both attachment to pleasure and to malice (kāmarāgavyāpāda).

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 5.­39
  • 15.­144
g.­199

fourfold fearlessness

Wylie:
  • mi ’jigs pa bzhi
Tibetan:
  • མི་འཇིགས་པ་བཞི།
Sanskrit:
  • caturabhaya

Fearlessness in declaring that one has (1) awakened, (2) ceased all illusions, (3) taught the obstacles to awakening, and (4) shown the way to liberation.

Located in 4 passages in the translation:

  • i.­2
  • 2.­6
  • 19.­11
  • 26.­1
g.­202

gandharva

Wylie:
  • dri za
Tibetan:
  • དྲི་ཟ།
Sanskrit:
  • gandharva

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

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.”

Located in 35 passages in the translation:

  • 2.­3
  • 2.­19
  • 3.­48
  • 5.­4
  • 6.­58
  • 7.­25
  • 10.­1
  • 10.­9
  • 11.­4-5
  • 12.­32
  • 13.­1
  • 13.­5
  • 13.­184
  • 15.­28
  • 15.­53
  • 15.­102
  • 15.­150
  • 17.­18
  • 17.­48
  • 17.­74
  • 19.­22
  • 20.­7
  • 20.­21
  • 20.­32
  • 21.­7
  • 21.­59
  • 24.­2
  • 24.­59
  • 24.­133
  • 25.­20
  • 26.­212
  • 26.­215
  • 27.­25
  • g.­146
g.­204

Ganges

Wylie:
  • gang gA
Tibetan:
  • གང་གཱ།
Sanskrit:
  • gaṅgā

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

The Gaṅgā, or Ganges in English, is considered to be the most sacred river of India, particularly within the Hindu tradition. It starts in the Himalayas, flows through the northern plains of India, bathing the holy city of Vārāṇasī, and meets the sea at the Bay of Bengal, in Bangladesh. In the sūtras, however, this river is mostly mentioned not for its sacredness but for its abundant sands‍—noticeable still today on its many sandy banks and at its delta‍—which serve as a common metaphor for infinitely large numbers.

According to Buddhist cosmology, as explained in the Abhidharmakośa, it is one of the four rivers that flow from Lake Anavatapta and cross the southern continent of Jambudvīpa‍—the known human world or more specifically the Indian subcontinent.

Located in 13 passages in the translation:

  • 12.­40
  • 13.­65
  • 19.­34
  • 19.­58
  • 21.­53
  • 21.­60
  • 21.­83
  • 23.­26
  • 24.­67
  • 26.­17
  • 27.­15
  • g.­210
  • g.­293
g.­205

garuḍa

Wylie:
  • nam mkha’ lding
Tibetan:
  • ནམ་མཁའ་ལྡིང་།
Sanskrit:
  • garuḍa

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

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.

Located in 24 passages in the translation:

  • 2.­3
  • 5.­4
  • 6.­58
  • 7.­107
  • 10.­1
  • 10.­9
  • 13.­1
  • 13.­5
  • 13.­100
  • 15.­45
  • 15.­150
  • 17.­18
  • 17.­48
  • 18.­40
  • 20.­21
  • 21.­21
  • 21.­23
  • 21.­86
  • 21.­173
  • 21.­219
  • 21.­238
  • 24.­2
  • 26.­212
  • 26.­215
g.­206

Gate of Auspiciousness

Wylie:
  • bkra shis kyi sgo
Tibetan:
  • བཀྲ་ཤིས་ཀྱི་སྒོ།
Sanskrit:
  • maṅgaladvāra

The gate of King Śuddhodana’s palace, in Kapilavastu, through which Prince Siddhārtha leaves, both for one of his trips outside and when he finally forsakes palace life.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 14.­4
  • 15.­158
g.­208

Gautama

Wylie:
  • gau ta ma
Tibetan:
  • གཽ་ཏ་མ།
Sanskrit:
  • gautama

The family name of Prince Siddhārtha. Gautama means “descendant of Gotama,” while his clan name, Gotama, means “Excellent Cow.” When the Buddha is addressed as Gautama in the sūtras, it typically implies that the speaker does not share the respect of his disciples, who would rather refer to him as the “Blessed One” (Bhagavān) or another such epithet.

Located in 27 passages in the translation:

  • 16.­4-5
  • 17.­6
  • 17.­40-41
  • 17.­43
  • 18.­26-27
  • 21.­23
  • 21.­209
  • 23.­4
  • 23.­75
  • 24.­84
  • 24.­91
  • 26.­10
  • 26.­12-14
  • 26.­16
  • 26.­18
  • 26.­20-22
  • 26.­25
  • g.­95
  • g.­348
  • g.­407
g.­209

Gavāṃpati

Wylie:
  • ba lang bdag
Tibetan:
  • བ་ལང་བདག
Sanskrit:
  • gavāṃpati

One of the monks attending this teaching in Śrāvastī, at Jeta’s Grove.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­2
g.­210

Gayā

Wylie:
  • ga yA
Tibetan:
  • ག་ཡཱ།
Sanskrit:
  • gayā

One of the sacred towns of ancient India, south of the Ganges in present-day Bihar. In the Buddha’s lifetime, this was in the kingdom of Magadha. Uruvilvā, the area including Bodhgayā where the Buddha attained enlightenment, is nearby to the south, upriver from Gayā.

Located in 10 passages in the translation:

  • 17.­7
  • 17.­12
  • 26.­9
  • 26.­17
  • g.­18
  • g.­389
  • g.­404
  • g.­519
  • g.­618
  • g.­699
g.­211

Gayākāśyapa

Wylie:
  • ga y’a ’od srung
Tibetan:
  • ག་ཡའ་འོད་སྲུང་།
Sanskrit:
  • gayākāśyapa

One of the monks attending this teaching in Śrāvastī, at Jeta’s Grove.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­2
g.­212

generosity

Wylie:
  • sbyin pa
Tibetan:
  • སྦྱིན་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • dāna

Located in 30 passages in the translation:

  • 2.­1
  • 2.­10-11
  • 4.­28
  • 4.­45
  • 4.­48
  • 5.­85
  • 7.­45
  • 7.­71
  • 7.­74
  • 7.­126
  • 10.­20
  • 13.­2
  • 13.­47
  • 13.­143
  • 13.­151
  • 13.­156
  • 13.­163
  • 15.­141
  • 19.­53
  • 19.­72
  • 21.­228
  • 22.­45
  • 23.­12
  • 24.­107
  • 26.­127
  • 26.­151
  • 27.­8
  • g.­196
  • g.­592
g.­213

god

Wylie:
  • lha
  • lha’i bu
Tibetan:
  • ལྷ།
  • ལྷའི་བུ།
Sanskrit:
  • kauṇḍinyadeva
  • devaputra

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

In the most general sense the devas‍—the term is cognate with the English divine‍—are a class of celestial beings who frequently appear in Buddhist texts, often at the head of the assemblies of nonhuman beings who attend and celebrate the teachings of the Buddha Śākyamuni and other buddhas and bodhisattvas. In Buddhist cosmology the devas occupy the highest of the five or six “destinies” (gati) of saṃsāra among which beings take rebirth. The devas reside in the devalokas, “heavens” that traditionally number between twenty-six and twenty-eight and are divided between the desire realm (kāmadhātu), form realm (rūpadhātu), and formless realm (ārūpyadhātu). A being attains rebirth among the devas either through meritorious deeds (in the desire realm) or the attainment of subtle meditative states (in the form and formless realms). While rebirth among the devas is considered favorable, it is ultimately a transitory state from which beings will fall when the conditions that lead to rebirth there are exhausted. Thus, rebirth in the god realms is regarded as a diversion from the spiritual path.

Located in 544 passages in the translation:

  • i.­2-3
  • i.­5
  • i.­7
  • i.­9-10
  • 1.­5-6
  • 1.­8
  • 1.­12-13
  • 1.­16-21
  • 1.­23
  • 1.­27
  • 2.­1
  • 2.­3
  • 2.­7-8
  • 2.­12
  • 2.­14
  • 2.­19
  • 2.­21-22
  • 2.­25
  • 2.­27
  • 3.­1-2
  • 3.­13-15
  • 3.­21
  • 3.­28-31
  • 3.­33
  • 3.­37
  • 3.­44
  • 3.­52
  • 3.­56
  • 4.­1-2
  • 4.­5-7
  • 4.­13
  • 4.­34-36
  • 5.­1-5
  • 5.­23
  • 5.­30
  • 5.­34
  • 5.­52
  • 5.­55-56
  • 5.­59
  • 5.­61
  • 5.­64
  • 5.­69
  • 5.­76
  • 5.­79
  • 5.­81
  • 5.­83
  • 5.­88
  • 5.­102
  • 6.­9
  • 6.­12
  • 6.­22
  • 6.­24-27
  • 6.­30-33
  • 6.­36-40
  • 6.­42
  • 6.­47
  • 6.­52-56
  • 6.­58-59
  • 6.­61-62
  • 6.­73
  • 7.­3
  • 7.­12
  • 7.­16
  • 7.­19
  • 7.­21-26
  • 7.­28-31
  • 7.­33
  • 7.­40
  • 7.­52-55
  • 7.­57
  • 7.­59
  • 7.­64
  • 7.­69-70
  • 7.­76
  • 7.­82-83
  • 7.­85
  • 7.­87-88
  • 7.­90
  • 7.­96
  • 7.­104
  • 7.­106-107
  • 7.­109-110
  • 7.­118
  • 7.­123
  • 7.­125-130
  • 7.­134-135
  • 7.­137-139
  • 7.­141-142
  • 7.­144
  • 7.­149-150
  • 8.­5-11
  • 10.­1-2
  • 10.­6-7
  • 10.­13
  • 10.­18
  • 11.­4-5
  • 11.­30
  • 11.­35
  • 12.­1
  • 12.­29
  • 12.­32
  • 12.­42
  • 12.­47-48
  • 12.­54
  • 12.­61
  • 12.­63-65
  • 12.­78
  • 13.­1
  • 13.­3
  • 13.­5
  • 13.­10
  • 13.­14
  • 13.­30
  • 13.­32
  • 13.­42
  • 13.­80
  • 13.­127
  • 13.­144
  • 13.­169-170
  • 13.­172
  • 13.­175-176
  • 13.­178
  • 13.­183-184
  • 13.­188
  • 14.­1
  • 14.­8
  • 14.­23
  • 14.­40
  • 14.­58-59
  • 15.­18
  • 15.­27-28
  • 15.­34-36
  • 15.­51-53
  • 15.­64
  • 15.­68-69
  • 15.­75
  • 15.­86-87
  • 15.­89-90
  • 15.­98
  • 15.­100
  • 15.­106
  • 15.­109-111
  • 15.­114
  • 15.­117-118
  • 15.­124-127
  • 15.­130
  • 15.­144
  • 15.­148
  • 15.­150-154
  • 15.­158-159
  • 15.­179
  • 15.­183
  • 15.­188
  • 15.­206-207
  • 15.­209
  • 15.­212-213
  • 15.­216
  • 15.­221
  • 16.­1
  • 16.­6
  • 16.­14
  • 16.­29
  • 16.­39
  • 17.­21
  • 17.­23
  • 17.­26
  • 17.­29
  • 17.­44
  • 17.­48
  • 17.­61
  • 17.­63
  • 17.­74
  • 17.­79
  • 18.­22
  • 18.­26
  • 18.­29-35
  • 18.­38
  • 18.­40
  • 18.­43-49
  • 19.­5-6
  • 19.­13
  • 19.­19-22
  • 19.­37
  • 19.­39-40
  • 19.­50
  • 19.­56-57
  • 19.­61
  • 19.­64
  • 19.­67
  • 19.­69
  • 19.­80-82
  • 20.­1
  • 20.­7
  • 20.­12
  • 20.­21
  • 20.­31
  • 20.­37
  • 21.­1
  • 21.­5
  • 21.­7
  • 21.­20
  • 21.­59
  • 21.­75
  • 21.­87
  • 21.­101
  • 21.­115
  • 21.­124
  • 21.­144
  • 21.­151
  • 21.­153
  • 21.­155
  • 21.­158
  • 21.­164
  • 21.­168
  • 21.­170
  • 21.­173
  • 21.­184
  • 21.­192
  • 21.­200
  • 21.­203
  • 21.­209
  • 21.­212
  • 21.­238
  • 22.­4
  • 22.­33-34
  • 22.­37
  • 22.­51-52
  • 22.­57
  • 22.­59
  • 22.­62
  • 22.­70
  • 22.­73
  • 23.­1
  • 23.­8
  • 23.­12-13
  • 23.­16-18
  • 23.­23
  • 23.­30
  • 23.­32-36
  • 23.­40-43
  • 23.­45-46
  • 23.­48
  • 23.­51-52
  • 23.­56-58
  • 23.­60
  • 23.­63-64
  • 23.­68-70
  • 23.­73
  • 23.­75
  • 24.­1-6
  • 24.­10
  • 24.­46
  • 24.­62
  • 24.­73-74
  • 24.­97
  • 24.­99
  • 24.­108
  • 24.­132
  • 24.­167
  • 25.­12
  • 25.­20-22
  • 25.­24-26
  • 25.­31
  • 25.­38-39
  • 25.­50-54
  • 25.­56
  • 26.­4
  • 26.­6
  • 26.­12
  • 26.­30
  • 26.­35
  • 26.­41-44
  • 26.­57-58
  • 26.­95
  • 26.­188-191
  • 26.­212
  • 26.­215
  • 27.­1
  • 27.­9
  • 27.­11
  • 27.­25
  • g.­1
  • g.­6
  • g.­28
  • g.­35
  • g.­57
  • g.­86
  • g.­91
  • g.­99
  • g.­100
  • g.­105
  • g.­109
  • g.­128
  • g.­132
  • g.­133
  • g.­134
  • g.­137
  • g.­140
  • g.­141
  • g.­143
  • g.­144
  • g.­145
  • g.­218
  • g.­220
  • g.­223
  • g.­235
  • g.­236
  • g.­238
  • g.­239
  • g.­240
  • g.­241
  • g.­242
  • g.­243
  • g.­244
  • g.­245
  • g.­246
  • g.­248
  • g.­257
  • g.­269
  • g.­282
  • g.­286
  • g.­295
  • g.­301
  • g.­308
  • g.­313
  • g.­319
  • g.­322
  • g.­323
  • g.­331
  • g.­337
  • g.­352
  • g.­354
  • g.­355
  • g.­356
  • g.­369
  • g.­408
  • g.­432
  • g.­440
  • g.­441
  • g.­458
  • g.­462
  • g.­464
  • g.­466
  • g.­467
  • g.­512
  • g.­543
  • g.­548
  • g.­550
  • g.­552
  • g.­574
  • g.­581
  • g.­593
  • g.­610
  • g.­613
  • g.­629
  • g.­640
  • g.­643
  • g.­646
  • g.­650
  • g.­653
  • g.­684
  • g.­687
  • g.­694
  • g.­703
  • g.­708
  • g.­710
  • g.­722
  • g.­724
  • g.­725
  • g.­726
  • g.­729
  • g.­741
  • g.­742
  • g.­744
  • g.­751
  • g.­756
  • g.­774
g.­215

goddess

Wylie:
  • lha’i bu mo
  • lha mo
Tibetan:
  • ལྷའི་བུ་མོ།
  • ལྷ་མོ།
Sanskrit:
  • devakanyā
  • apsaras

Sometimes also translated as “celestial maiden.”

Located in 94 passages in the translation:

  • 3.­43
  • 4.­2
  • 4.­4
  • 4.­42
  • 5.­28-29
  • 5.­33
  • 5.­35
  • 5.­63-65
  • 5.­68
  • 5.­74
  • 5.­81
  • 5.­83
  • 6.­47
  • 7.­16
  • 7.­27
  • 7.­49-50
  • 9.­5
  • 9.­10
  • 10.­1
  • 11.­5
  • 11.­8-9
  • 13.­16
  • 15.­183
  • 15.­214
  • 17.­29
  • 18.­32
  • 21.­7
  • 21.­115
  • 21.­144
  • 21.­175
  • 21.­183
  • 21.­235
  • 21.­237
  • 22.­43-44
  • 23.­63
  • 24.­74
  • 24.­95-96
  • 24.­135
  • 24.­144
  • 24.­153
  • 24.­162
  • 24.­166
  • g.­12
  • g.­33
  • g.­43
  • g.­44
  • g.­104
  • g.­147
  • g.­172
  • g.­261
  • g.­274
  • g.­309
  • g.­349
  • g.­385
  • g.­410
  • g.­413
  • g.­414
  • g.­415
  • g.­419
  • g.­427
  • g.­433
  • g.­457
  • g.­472
  • g.­474
  • g.­541
  • g.­547
  • g.­567
  • g.­577
  • g.­589
  • g.­590
  • g.­596
  • g.­599
  • g.­600
  • g.­602
  • g.­605
  • g.­638
  • g.­639
  • g.­644
  • g.­651
  • g.­662
  • g.­702
  • g.­736
  • g.­737
  • g.­755
  • g.­767
  • g.­768
  • g.­771
g.­217

Gopā

Wylie:
  • sa ’tsho ma
Tibetan:
  • ས་འཚོ་མ།
Sanskrit:
  • gopā

Wife of Prince Siddhārtha prior to his leaving the kingdom and attaining awakening as the Buddha. She was the daughter of the Śākya nobleman Daṇḍapāṇi.

Located in 30 passages in the translation:

  • i.­4
  • 7.­69
  • 12.­24-25
  • 12.­27
  • 12.­66-67
  • 12.­79
  • 14.­34
  • 14.­39
  • 14.­41-48
  • 14.­51
  • 15.­163
  • 15.­165
  • 15.­177
  • 15.­184
  • 15.­203
  • 15.­205
  • 15.­219-221
  • 16.­1
  • g.­120
g.­219

great being

Wylie:
  • sems dpa’ chen po
Tibetan:
  • སེམས་དཔའ་ཆེན་པོ།
Sanskrit:
  • mahāsattva

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

The term can be understood to mean “great courageous one” or "great hero,” or (from the Sanskrit) simply “great being,” and is almost always found as an epithet of “bodhisattva.” The qualification “great” in this term, according to the majority of canonical definitions, focuses on the generic greatness common to all bodhisattvas, i.e., the greatness implicit in the bodhisattva vow itself in terms of outlook, aspiration, number of beings to be benefited, potential or eventual accomplishments, and so forth. In this sense the mahā- (“great”) is close in its connotations to the mahā- in “Mahāyāna.” While individual bodhisattvas described as mahāsattva may in many cases also be “great” in terms of their level of realization, this is largely coincidental, and in the canonical texts the epithet is not restricted to bodhisattvas at any particular point in their career. Indeed, in a few cases even bodhisattvas whose path has taken a wrong direction are still described as bodhisattva mahāsattva.

Later commentarial writings do nevertheless define the term‍—variably‍—in terms of bodhisattvas having attained a particular level (bhūmi) or realization. The most common qualifying criteria mentioned are attaining the path of seeing, attaining irreversibility (according to its various definitions), or attaining the seventh bhūmi.

Located in 42 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­3
  • 1.­19
  • 2.­5
  • 2.­7
  • 3.­2
  • 5.­35
  • 5.­39
  • 5.­54
  • 5.­92
  • 6.­9
  • 6.­62
  • 7.­30
  • 7.­93-94
  • 7.­99
  • 7.­126
  • 7.­128
  • 15.­113
  • 15.­131
  • 18.­41
  • 19.­2
  • 19.­9
  • 20.­2
  • 20.­5
  • 20.­7
  • 20.­9
  • 20.­11
  • 20.­13
  • 20.­15
  • 20.­17
  • 20.­19
  • 20.­21
  • 21.­115
  • 22.­32
  • 22.­41
  • 25.­31
  • 26.­53
  • 26.­102
  • 26.­123
  • 26.­135
  • 27.­14
  • 27.­25
g.­222

Great Vehicle

Wylie:
  • theg pa chen po
Tibetan:
  • ཐེག་པ་ཆེན་པོ།
Sanskrit:
  • mahāyāna

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

When the Buddhist teachings are classified according to their power to lead beings to an awakened state, a distinction is made between the teachings of the Lesser Vehicle (Hīnayāna), which emphasizes the individual’s own freedom from cyclic existence as the primary motivation and goal, and those of the Great Vehicle (Mahāyāna), which emphasizes altruism and has the liberation of all sentient beings as the principal objective. As the term “Great Vehicle” implies, the path followed by bodhisattvas is analogous to a large carriage that can transport a vast number of people to liberation, as compared to a smaller vehicle for the individual practitioner.

Located in 8 passages in the translation:

  • s.­1
  • 1.­16
  • 1.­26
  • 3.­29
  • 6.­56
  • 26.­178
  • 27.­27
  • g.­321
g.­223

guardians of the world

Wylie:
  • ’jig rten skyong ba
Tibetan:
  • འཇིག་རྟེན་སྐྱོང་བ།
Sanskrit:
  • lokapāla

They are the same as the Four Great Kings of the four directions, namely, Vaiśravaṇa, Dhṛtarāṣṭra, Virūḍhaka, and Virūpākṣa, whose mission is to report on the activities of mankind to the gods of the Trāyastriṃśa heaven and who have pledged to protect the practitioners of the Dharma. Each universe has its own set of four.

Located in 22 passages in the translation:

  • 2.­3
  • 2.­31
  • 4.­4
  • 6.­50
  • 6.­61
  • 6.­66
  • 7.­22
  • 7.­24
  • 7.­29
  • 7.­34
  • 7.­54
  • 7.­58
  • 7.­94
  • 8.­8
  • 11.­8
  • 13.­1
  • 13.­186
  • 15.­53
  • 15.­74
  • 15.­182
  • 15.­210
  • g.­194
g.­224

guhyaka

Wylie:
  • gsang ba pa
Tibetan:
  • གསང་བ་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • guhyaka

A class of devas that, like the yakṣas, are ruled over by Kubera.

Located in 5 passages in the translation:

  • 5.­102
  • 6.­47
  • 15.­113
  • 21.­51
  • g.­460
g.­231

Hārītī

Wylie:
  • ’phrog ma
Tibetan:
  • འཕྲོག་མ།
Sanskrit:
  • hārītī

A child-eating yakṣiṇī who was tamed by the Buddha and became a protectress of children, women, the saṅgha, and all beings.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 15.­23
  • g.­437
g.­232

Hastā

Wylie:
  • dbo
Tibetan:
  • དབོ།
Sanskrit:
  • hastā

A constellation.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 9.­1
g.­234

hearer

Wylie:
  • nyan thos
Tibetan:
  • ཉན་ཐོས།
Sanskrit:
  • śrāvaka

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

The Sanskrit term śrāvaka, and the Tibetan nyan thos, both derived from the verb “to hear,” are usually defined as “those who hear the teaching from the Buddha and make it heard to others.” Primarily this refers to those disciples of the Buddha who aspire to attain the state of an arhat seeking their own liberation and nirvāṇa. They are the practitioners of the first turning of the wheel of the Dharma on the four noble truths, who realize the suffering inherent in saṃsāra and focus on understanding that there is no independent self. By conquering afflicted mental states (kleśa), they liberate themselves, attaining first the stage of stream enterers at the path of seeing, followed by the stage of once-returners who will be reborn only one more time, and then the stage of non-returners who will no longer be reborn into the desire realm. The final goal is to become an arhat. These four stages are also known as the “four results of spiritual practice.”

In this text:

Also translated here as “listener.”

Located in 6 passages in the translation:

  • i.­2
  • 6.­44
  • 20.­20
  • 23.­75
  • g.­321
  • g.­672
g.­235

Heaven Free from Strife

Wylie:
  • ’thab bral
Tibetan:
  • འཐབ་བྲལ།
Sanskrit:
  • yāma

The third of the six heavens of the realm of desire; also the name of the gods living there. The Tibetan translation ’thab bral, “free from strife or combat,” derives from the idea that these devas, because they live in an aerial abode above Sumeru, do not have to engage in combat with the asuras who dwell on the slopes of the mountain.

Located in 18 passages in the translation:

  • 5.­36
  • 5.­52
  • 5.­81
  • 6.­24
  • 6.­33
  • 6.­38
  • 15.­75
  • 15.­89
  • 15.­110
  • 16.­14
  • 18.­30
  • 21.­154-155
  • 23.­46
  • 23.­51
  • 25.­25
  • 25.­51
  • g.­653
g.­238

Heaven of Delighting in Emanations

Wylie:
  • ’phrul dga’
Tibetan:
  • འཕྲུལ་དགའ།
Sanskrit:
  • nirmāṇarati

The fifth of the six heavens of the desire realm; also the name of the gods living there. Its inhabitants magically create the objects of their own enjoyment.

Located in 11 passages in the translation:

  • 5.­37
  • 5.­52
  • 5.­81
  • 6.­26
  • 6.­38
  • 15.­110
  • 16.­14
  • 18.­30
  • 23.­36
  • 25.­25
  • 25.­51
g.­241

Heaven of Joy

Wylie:
  • dga’ ldan
Tibetan:
  • དགའ་ལྡན།
Sanskrit:
  • tuṣita

The fourth of the six heavens of the desire realm; also the name of the gods living there. It is the paradise in which the Buddha Śākyamuni lived as the tenth-level bodhisattva and regent Śvetaketu, prior to his birth in this world, and is also where all future buddhas dwell prior to their awakening. At present the regent of the Heaven of Joy is the bodhisattva Maitreya, the future buddha.

Located in 47 passages in the translation:

  • i.­2
  • 1.­14
  • 2.­1
  • 2.­12
  • 2.­24
  • 3.­1
  • 3.­16
  • 3.­20
  • 4.­1-2
  • 4.­5
  • 4.­35-36
  • 5.­2-3
  • 5.­8
  • 5.­36
  • 5.­52
  • 5.­81
  • 5.­97
  • 6.­2
  • 6.­9
  • 6.­25
  • 6.­33-34
  • 6.­38
  • 6.­46
  • 10.­2
  • 13.­170
  • 15.­110
  • 16.­14
  • 17.­28
  • 18.­30
  • 21.­154-155
  • 21.­238
  • 23.­42-44
  • 25.­25
  • 25.­51
  • 26.­31
  • g.­84
  • g.­145
  • g.­282
  • g.­657
  • g.­684
g.­244

Heaven of Making Use of Others’ Emanations

Wylie:
  • gzhan ’phrul dbang byed pa
Tibetan:
  • གཞན་འཕྲུལ་དབང་བྱེད་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • para­nirmita­vaśa­vartin

The sixth and highest heaven in the desire realm; also the name of the gods living there. It is so named because the inhabitants have power over the emanations of others.

Located in 13 passages in the translation:

  • 5.­52
  • 5.­81
  • 6.­27
  • 6.­38
  • 15.­110
  • 16.­14
  • 18.­30
  • 21.­238
  • 23.­30
  • 23.­35
  • 25.­25
  • 25.­51
  • g.­725
g.­248

Heaven of the Thirty-Three

Wylie:
  • sum cu rtsa gsum
Tibetan:
  • སུམ་ཅུ་རྩ་གསུམ།
Sanskrit:
  • trāyastriṃśa

The second of the six heavens in the desire realm; also the name of the gods living there. The paradise of Śakra on the summit of Sumeru where there are thirty-three leading deities, hence the name.

Located in 24 passages in the translation:

  • 5.­52
  • 5.­81
  • 6.­23
  • 6.­33
  • 6.­37-38
  • 6.­53
  • 7.­22
  • 7.­85
  • 15.­27
  • 15.­68-69
  • 15.­89
  • 15.­106
  • 15.­151
  • 15.­218
  • 17.­29
  • 18.­30
  • 18.­40
  • 23.­52
  • 23.­57
  • 25.­25
  • 25.­51
  • g.­708
g.­253

Highest Heaven

Wylie:
  • ’og min
Tibetan:
  • འོག་མིན།
Sanskrit:
  • akaniṣṭha

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

The eighth and highest level of the Realm of Form (rūpadhātu), the last of the five pure abodes (śuddhāvāsa); it is only accessible as the result of specific states of dhyāna. According to some texts this is where non-returners (anāgāmin) dwell in their last lives. In other texts it is the realm of the enjoyment body (saṃbhoga­kāya) and is a buddhafield associated with the Buddha Vairocana; it is accessible only to bodhisattvas on the tenth level.

Located in 5 passages in the translation:

  • 5.­30
  • 5.­52
  • 15.­154
  • 18.­30
  • g.­216
g.­256

householder

Wylie:
  • khyim bdag
Tibetan:
  • ཁྱིམ་བདག
Sanskrit:
  • gṛhapati

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

The term is usually used for wealthy lay patrons of the Buddhist community. It also refers to a subdivision of the vaiśya (mercantile) class of traditional Indian society, comprising businessmen, merchants, landowners, and so on.

Located in 9 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­4
  • 3.­2
  • 3.­34
  • 8.­1-2
  • 8.­7
  • 13.­5
  • 15.­97
  • 27.­5
g.­259

ignorance

Wylie:
  • ma rig pa
Tibetan:
  • མ་རིག་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • avidyā

Located in 44 passages in the translation:

  • 2.­7
  • 3.­30
  • 3.­32
  • 3.­36
  • 4.­17
  • 4.­28
  • 4.­54
  • 7.­97
  • 7.­148
  • 10.­17
  • 11.­11
  • 13.­80
  • 13.­112
  • 13.­119
  • 13.­139-140
  • 14.­46
  • 15.­31
  • 15.­92
  • 15.­149
  • 17.­13
  • 17.­53
  • 19.­24
  • 21.­41
  • 22.­21-22
  • 22.­25-27
  • 22.­43
  • 23.­37-38
  • 24.­17
  • 24.­69
  • 25.­24
  • 26.­85
  • 26.­89
  • 26.­133
  • 26.­139
  • 26.­144
  • 26.­236
  • n.­6
  • g.­125
  • g.­682
g.­263

Indra

Wylie:
  • dbang po
Tibetan:
  • དབང་པོ།
Sanskrit:
  • indra

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

The lord of the Trāyastriṃśa heaven on the summit of Mount Sumeru. As one of the eight guardians of the directions, Indra guards the eastern quarter. In Buddhist sūtras, he is a disciple of the Buddha and protector of the Dharma and its practitioners. He is often referred to by the epithets Śatakratu, Śakra, and Kauśika.

Located in 21 passages in the translation:

  • 3.­27
  • 3.­36
  • 15.­52
  • 17.­18
  • 18.­40
  • 19.­14
  • 19.­16
  • 19.­19
  • 19.­47
  • 19.­50
  • 20.­5
  • 20.­21
  • 20.­31
  • 21.­183
  • 21.­238
  • 24.­134
  • 24.­143
  • 24.­152
  • 24.­161
  • g.­42
  • g.­708
g.­266

Indrayaṣṭi

Wylie:
  • dbang po’i mchod sdong
Tibetan:
  • དབང་པོའི་མཆོད་སྡོང་།
Sanskrit:
  • indrayaṣṭi

A nāga king.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 19.­2
g.­268

intelligence

Wylie:
  • blo gros
Tibetan:
  • བློ་གྲོས།
Sanskrit:
  • mati

Located in 28 passages in the translation:

  • 2.­1
  • 2.­15
  • 4.­25
  • 6.­68
  • 13.­121
  • 15.­98
  • 15.­177
  • 20.­40
  • 21.­133
  • 22.­22
  • 22.­25
  • 23.­28
  • 23.­31
  • 23.­41
  • 24.­104
  • 26.­67-78
  • 27.­7
g.­269

Īśvara

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

One of the gods of the pure realms. This is a frequently used name for Śiva and often synonymous with Maheśvara, though sometimes they are presented as separate deities.

Located in 4 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­13
  • 1.­18
  • 1.­23
  • g.­354
g.­271

Jambudvīpa

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

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

The name of the southern continent in Buddhist cosmology, which can signify either the known human world, or more specifically the Indian subcontinent, literally “the jambu island/continent.” Jambu is the name used for a range of plum-like fruits from trees belonging to the genus Szygium, particularly Szygium jambos and Szygium cumini, and it has commonly been rendered “rose apple,” although “black plum” may be a less misleading term. Among various explanations given for the continent being so named, one (in the Abhidharmakośa) is that a jambu tree grows in its northern mountains beside Lake Anavatapta, mythically considered the source of the four great rivers of India, and that the continent is therefore named from the tree or the fruit. Jambudvīpa has the Vajrāsana at its center and is the only continent upon which buddhas attain awakening.

Located in 21 passages in the translation:

  • i.­3
  • 2.­24
  • 2.­33
  • 3.­2
  • 3.­14
  • 3.­18
  • 3.­28
  • 3.­39
  • 3.­55
  • 5.­1
  • 5.­97
  • 6.­37
  • 6.­39
  • 7.­65
  • 7.­74
  • 7.­90
  • 7.­109
  • 7.­111
  • 9.­6
  • 12.­42
  • 14.­20
g.­272

jasmine

Wylie:
  • sna ma
Tibetan:
  • སྣ་མ།
Sanskrit:
  • mālatī

Located in 8 passages in the translation:

  • 3.­36
  • 5.­57
  • 15.­83
  • 15.­211
  • 21.­127
  • 23.­58
  • 24.­95-96
g.­276

Jeta’s Grove

Wylie:
  • rgyal bu rgyal byed
Tibetan:
  • རྒྱལ་བུ་རྒྱལ་བྱེད།
Sanskrit:
  • jetavana

See “Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍada’s Park.”

Located in 44 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­13
  • 1.­22
  • g.­10
  • g.­17
  • g.­19
  • g.­25
  • g.­52
  • g.­64
  • g.­70
  • g.­117
  • g.­131
  • g.­209
  • g.­211
  • g.­289
  • g.­298
  • g.­302
  • g.­338
  • g.­340
  • g.­341
  • g.­342
  • g.­343
  • g.­344
  • g.­346
  • g.­359
  • g.­400
  • g.­407
  • g.­411
  • g.­424
  • g.­465
  • g.­468
  • g.­478
  • g.­479
  • g.­490
  • g.­516
  • g.­578
  • g.­585
  • g.­598
  • g.­608
  • g.­612
  • g.­654
  • g.­700
  • g.­715
  • g.­739
  • g.­770
g.­277

Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍada’s Park

Wylie:
  • rgyal bu rgyal byed kyi tshal mgon med zas sbyin gyi kun dga’ ra ba
Tibetan:
  • རྒྱལ་བུ་རྒྱལ་བྱེད་ཀྱི་ཚལ་མགོན་མེད་ཟས་སྦྱིན་གྱི་ཀུན་དགའ་ར་བ།
Sanskrit:
  • jetavanam anāthapiṇḍadasyārāmaḥ AO

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

One of the first Buddhist monasteries, located in a park outside Śrāvastī, the capital of the ancient kingdom of Kośala in northern India. This park was originally owned by Prince Jeta, hence the name Jetavana, meaning Jeta’s grove. The wealthy merchant Anāthapiṇḍada, wishing to offer it to the Buddha, sought to buy it from him, but the prince, not wishing to sell, said he would only do so if Anāthapiṇḍada covered the entire property with gold coins. Anāthapiṇḍada agreed, and managed to cover all of the park except the entrance, hence the name Anāthapiṇḍadasyārāmaḥ, meaning Anāthapiṇḍada’s park. The place is usually referred to in the sūtras as “Jetavana, Anāthapiṇḍada’s park,” and according to the Saṃghabhedavastu the Buddha used Prince Jeta’s name in first place because that was Prince Jeta’s own unspoken wish while Anāthapiṇḍada was offering the park. Inspired by the occasion and the Buddha’s use of his name, Prince Jeta then offered the rest of the property and had an entrance gate built. The Buddha specifically instructed those who recite the sūtras to use Prince Jeta’s name in first place to commemorate the mutual effort of both benefactors.

Anāthapiṇḍada built residences for the monks, to house them during the monsoon season, thus creating the first Buddhist monastery. It was one of the Buddha’s main residences, where he spent around nineteen rainy season retreats, and it was therefore the setting for many of the Buddha’s discourses and events. According to the travel accounts of Chinese monks, it was still in use as a Buddhist monastery in the early fifth century ᴄᴇ, but by the sixth century it had been reduced to ruins.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­2
  • g.­276
g.­278

Jinamitra

Wylie:
  • dzi na mi tra
Tibetan:
  • ཛི་ན་མི་ཏྲ།
Sanskrit:
  • jinamitra

Jinamitra was invited to Tibet during the reign of King Trisong Detsen (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 and also author of the Nyāya­bindu­piṇḍārtha (Toh 4233), which is contained in the Tengyur (bstan ’gyur) collection.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • c.­2
g.­284

joy

Wylie:
  • dga’ ba
Tibetan:
  • དགའ་བ།
Sanskrit:
  • muditā
  • tuṣṭi
  • nandana
  • rati

Located in 75 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­27
  • 2.­1
  • 2.­14
  • 3.­56
  • 4.­8
  • 4.­11
  • 4.­25
  • 4.­36
  • 4.­39
  • 5.­96
  • 6.­50
  • 6.­67
  • 6.­74
  • 7.­14
  • 7.­37
  • 7.­45
  • 7.­50
  • 7.­75
  • 7.­88
  • 7.­106-107
  • 7.­110
  • 7.­126
  • 7.­141
  • 11.­2
  • 11.­15
  • 12.­42
  • 12.­44
  • 12.­47
  • 12.­54
  • 12.­61
  • 12.­63
  • 13.­16
  • 13.­28
  • 13.­164
  • 15.­22
  • 15.­98
  • 15.­131
  • 15.­144
  • 15.­154
  • 15.­187
  • 16.­23
  • 16.­33
  • 17.­31
  • 18.­25
  • 19.­12-13
  • 19.­22
  • 19.­45
  • 19.­48
  • 19.­76
  • 20.­21
  • 20.­30
  • 21.­73
  • 21.­141-142
  • 21.­147
  • 21.­162
  • 22.­1-2
  • 22.­37
  • 23.­21
  • 23.­32
  • 23.­61
  • 24.­1-3
  • 24.­6
  • 24.­10
  • 24.­65
  • 26.­56
  • 26.­170
  • 27.­10
  • g.­195
  • g.­241
g.­286

Kailāśa

Wylie:
  • ti se
Tibetan:
  • ཏི་སེ།
Sanskrit:
  • kailāśa

Mount Kailash, often considered the earthly representation of Mount Meru, the central world-axis in numerous South Asian cosmographies. In its role as the center of the cosmos, Mount Kailash is considered to be the dwelling place of numerous Buddhist and non-Buddhist deities including the Hindu god Śiva, the tantric Buddhist god Cakrasaṃvara, Kubera, and others. The mountain is considered sacred to Hindus, Buddhists, and Bönpos.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 15.­66
g.­289

Kampila

Wylie:
  • ’ug pa
Tibetan:
  • འུག་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • kampila

One of the monks attending this teaching in Śrāvastī, at Jeta’s Grove. He was one of the Buddha’s arhat disciples, a former king, renowned as foremost among those who teach monks. This spelling is attested in the present text but in other texts his name is spelled Mahākapphiṇa, Kapphiṇa, Kapphina, Kaphiṇa, Kasphiṇa, Kaṃphina, Kaphilla, or Kaphiṇḍa.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­2
g.­291

Kaṇṭhaka

Wylie:
  • bsngags ldan
Tibetan:
  • བསྔགས་ལྡན།
Sanskrit:
  • kaṇṭhaka

Prince Siddhārtha’s horse.

Located in 21 passages in the translation:

  • 7.­67
  • 7.­71
  • 15.­80
  • 15.­100
  • 15.­121
  • 15.­125
  • 15.­127
  • 15.­150
  • 15.­158
  • 15.­161
  • 15.­178
  • 15.­196
  • 15.­204
  • 15.­207-208
  • 15.­210
  • 15.­213-215
  • 15.­217-218
g.­292

Kapilavastu

Wylie:
  • ser skya
Tibetan:
  • སེར་སྐྱ།
Sanskrit:
  • kapilavastu

The capital city of the Śākya kingdom, where Prince Siddhārtha grew up, located in the foothills of the Himalayas. At present, there are two archeological sites, one on either side of the present border between Nepal and India, that have been identified as its remains.

Located in 51 passages in the translation:

  • 3.­35
  • 3.­41
  • 5.­57
  • 5.­64
  • 5.­101
  • 6.­21
  • 6.­30
  • 6.­58
  • 6.­60
  • 7.­1-2
  • 7.­69
  • 7.­86
  • 7.­88
  • 7.­90-92
  • 7.­111-112
  • 7.­125
  • 7.­128
  • 7.­130
  • 7.­150
  • 8.­8
  • 10.­1
  • 12.­16
  • 12.­18
  • 12.­22-23
  • 12.­26
  • 12.­61
  • 15.­27
  • 15.­100-106
  • 15.­138-139
  • 15.­160
  • 15.­162
  • 15.­171
  • 16.­35
  • g.­206
  • g.­371
  • g.­417
  • g.­535
  • g.­603
  • g.­686
g.­293

Kāśi

Wylie:
  • gsal ldan
  • ka shi
Tibetan:
  • གསལ་ལྡན།
  • ཀ་ཤི།
Sanskrit:
  • kāśi

Ancient name for Vārāṇasī, the holy city on the banks of the Ganges in modern-day Uttar Pradesh, India.

Located in 6 passages in the translation:

  • 13.­64
  • 26.­9
  • 26.­14-16
  • g.­306
g.­296

Kauṇḍinya

Wylie:
  • kau N+Di n+ya
Tibetan:
  • ཀཽ་ཎྜི་ནྱ།
Sanskrit:
  • kauṇḍinya

See Ājñāta­kauṇḍinya.

Located in 5 passages in the translation:

  • 26.­81
  • 26.­92
  • 26.­95
  • n.­5
  • g.­10
g.­298

Kauṣṭhila

Wylie:
  • gsus po che
Tibetan:
  • གསུས་པོ་ཆེ།
Sanskrit:
  • kauṣṭhila

One of the monks attending this teaching in Śrāvastī, at Jeta’s Grove.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­2
g.­302

Khadiravaṇika

Wylie:
  • seng ldeng nags pa
Tibetan:
  • སེང་ལྡེང་ནགས་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • khadiravaṇika

One of the monks attending this teaching in Śrāvastī, at Jeta’s Grove.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­2
g.­303

kimpala

Wylie:
  • kim pa la
Tibetan:
  • ཀིམ་པ་ལ།
Sanskrit:
  • kimpala

A musical instrument of an unidentified kind, though sometimes translated as “cymbals.”

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 15.­39
  • 15.­67
g.­304

kinnara

Wylie:
  • mi’am ci
Tibetan:
  • མིའམ་ཅི།
Sanskrit:
  • kinnara
  • kiṃnara

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

A class of nonhuman beings that resemble humans to the degree that their very name‍—which means “is that human?”‍—suggests some confusion as to their divine status. Kinnaras are mythological beings found in both Buddhist and Brahmanical literature, where they are portrayed as creatures half human, half animal. They are often depicted as highly skilled celestial musicians.

Located in 26 passages in the translation:

  • 2.­3
  • 5.­4
  • 5.­76
  • 7.­25
  • 7.­107
  • 10.­1
  • 10.­9
  • 13.­1
  • 13.­5
  • 15.­82
  • 15.­102
  • 15.­126
  • 15.­150
  • 17.­18
  • 17.­48
  • 19.­39
  • 20.­21
  • 20.­32
  • 20.­37
  • 21.­86
  • 21.­238
  • 24.­2
  • 26.­58
  • 26.­81
  • 26.­212
  • 26.­215
g.­306

Kośala

Wylie:
  • ko sa la
Tibetan:
  • ཀོ་ས་ལ།
Sanskrit:
  • kośala

An ancient kingdom, northwest of Magadha, abutting Kāśi, whose capital was Śrāvastī. During the Buddha’s time it was ruled by Prasenajit. It presently corresponds to an area within Uttar Pradesh.

Located in 3 passages in the translation:

  • 3.­22
  • g.­535
  • g.­598
g.­312

Kubera

Wylie:
  • lus ngan
Tibetan:
  • ལུས་ངན།
Sanskrit:
  • kubera

The king of yakṣas and an important wealth deity, he is also one of the Four Great Kings in Buddhist cosmology. In this capacity he is commonly known as Vaiśravaṇa.

Located in 9 passages in the translation:

  • 8.­8
  • 15.­105
  • 24.­160
  • g.­5
  • g.­224
  • g.­286
  • g.­363
  • g.­604
  • g.­712
g.­315

kumbhāṇḍa

Wylie:
  • grul bum
Tibetan:
  • གྲུལ་བུམ།
Sanskrit:
  • kumbhāṇḍa

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

A class of dwarf beings subordinate to Virūḍhaka, one of the Four Great Kings, associated with the southern direction. The name uses a play on the word aṇḍa, which means “egg” but is also a euphemism for a testicle. Thus, they are often depicted as having testicles as big as pots (from kumbha, or “pot”).

Located in 10 passages in the translation:

  • 5.­76
  • 5.­102
  • 11.­6
  • 15.­103
  • 17.­18
  • 21.­7
  • 21.­27
  • 21.­232
  • 24.­142
  • g.­747
g.­319

Lalitavyūha

Wylie:
  • rtse ba bkod pa
Tibetan:
  • རྩེ་བ་བཀོད་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • lalitavyūha

A god.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 15.­27
  • 15.­100
g.­320

league

Wylie:
  • dpag tshad
Tibetan:
  • དཔག་ཚད།
Sanskrit:
  • yojana

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

A measure of distance sometimes translated as “league,” but with varying definitions. The Sanskrit term denotes the distance yoked oxen can travel in a day or before needing to be unyoked. From different canonical sources the distance represented varies between four and ten miles.

Located in 20 passages in the translation:

  • 3.­9
  • 3.­11
  • 4.­1
  • 6.­37
  • 6.­43
  • 6.­48
  • 12.­41-42
  • 12.­44
  • 14.­3-4
  • 15.­28
  • 15.­150
  • 15.­171
  • 19.­20
  • 19.­37
  • 19.­81
  • 21.­26
  • 21.­89
  • g.­29
g.­324

listener

Wylie:
  • nyan thos
Tibetan:
  • ཉན་ཐོས།
Sanskrit:
  • śrāvaka

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

The Sanskrit term śrāvaka, and the Tibetan nyan thos, both derived from the verb “to hear,” are usually defined as “those who hear the teaching from the Buddha and make it heard to others.” Primarily this refers to those disciples of the Buddha who aspire to attain the state of an arhat seeking their own liberation and nirvāṇa. They are the practitioners of the first turning of the wheel of the Dharma on the four noble truths, who realize the suffering inherent in saṃsāra and focus on understanding that there is no independent self. By conquering afflicted mental states (kleśa), they liberate themselves, attaining first the stage of stream enterers at the path of seeing, followed by the stage of once-returners who will be reborn only one more time, and then the stage of non-returners who will no longer be reborn into the desire realm. The final goal is to become an arhat. These four stages are also known as the “four results of spiritual practice.”

Located in 11 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­18-20
  • 16.­3
  • 26.­135
  • 26.­173
  • 26.­175
  • 27.­21
  • 27.­25
  • g.­234
  • g.­694
g.­329

lower realms

Wylie:
  • ngan song
Tibetan:
  • ངན་སོང་།
Sanskrit:
  • apāya
  • durgati

A collective name for the realms of animals, hungry ghosts, and denizens of the hells.

Located in 20 passages in the translation:

  • 2.­22
  • 5.­46
  • 5.­87
  • 6.­62
  • 7.­58
  • 7.­75
  • 7.­110
  • 7.­149
  • 14.­48
  • 15.­130
  • 15.­215
  • 17.­60
  • 19.­3
  • 19.­13
  • 19.­24
  • 19.­28
  • 19.­55
  • 21.­204
  • 23.­9
  • 24.­30
g.­332

lute

Wylie:
  • pi bang
Tibetan:
  • པི་བང་།
Sanskrit:
  • vīṇā

A traditional Indian stringed instrument, much like a sitar.

Located in 11 passages in the translation:

  • 5.­13
  • 7.­16
  • 12.­65
  • 13.­17
  • 13.­77
  • 13.­123
  • 14.­32
  • 15.­39
  • 15.­67
  • 15.­76
  • 21.­7
g.­335

Magadha

Wylie:
  • ma ga dhA
Tibetan:
  • མ་ག་དྷཱ།
Sanskrit:
  • magadha

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

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

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

Located in 20 passages in the translation:

  • i.­6
  • 3.­21
  • 10.­9
  • 12.­41
  • 16.­6
  • 16.­22
  • 16.­34
  • 16.­36
  • 16.­39
  • 17.­7
  • 25.­32-34
  • 25.­49
  • 26.­9
  • g.­210
  • g.­306
  • g.­438
  • g.­554
  • g.­707
g.­338

Mahākapphiṇa

Wylie:
  • ka pi la na chen po
Tibetan:
  • ཀ་པི་ལ་ན་ཆེན་པོ།
Sanskrit:
  • mahākapphiṇa

One of the monks attending this teaching in Śrāvastī, at Jeta’s Grove.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­2
  • g.­289
g.­341

Mahākāśyapa

Wylie:
  • ’od srung chen po
Tibetan:
  • འོད་སྲུང་ཆེན་པོ།
Sanskrit:
  • mahākāśyapa

One of the monks attending this teaching in Śrāvastī, at Jeta’s Grove.

Located in 3 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­2
  • 27.­14
  • 27.­25
g.­342

Mahākātyāyana

Wylie:
  • ka tya ya na’i bu chen po
Tibetan:
  • ཀ་ཏྱ་ཡ་ནའི་བུ་ཆེན་པོ།
Sanskrit:
  • mahākātyāyana

One of the monks attending this teaching in Śrāvastī, at Jeta’s Grove.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­2
g.­343

Mahā­maudgalyāyana

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

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

One of the principal śrāvaka disciples of the Buddha, paired with Śāriputra. He was renowned for his miraculous powers. His family clan was descended from Mudgala, hence his name Maudgalyā­yana, “the son of Mudgala’s descendants.” Respectfully referred to as Mahā­maudgalyā­yana, “Great Maudgalyāyana.”

In this text:

One of the monks attending this teaching in Śrāvastī, at Jeta’s Grove.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­2
g.­344

Mahānāma

Wylie:
  • ming chen
Tibetan:
  • མིང་ཆེན།
Sanskrit:
  • mahānāma

One of the monks attending this teaching in Śrāvastī, at Jeta’s Grove. He was one of the five companions who joined Prince Siddhārtha while practicing austerities and attended his first turning of the wheel of Dharma at the Deer Park, after the Buddha’s awakening.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­2
  • g.­183
g.­345

Mahānāma

Wylie:
  • ming chen
Tibetan:
  • མིང་ཆེན།
Sanskrit:
  • mahānāma

A young Śākya.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 15.­161
g.­346

Mahāpāraṇika

Wylie:
  • pha rol tu ’gro ba chen po
Tibetan:
  • ཕ་རོལ་ཏུ་འགྲོ་བ་ཆེན་པོ།
Sanskrit:
  • mahāpāraṇika

One of the monks attending this teaching in Śrāvastī, at Jeta’s Grove.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­2
g.­348

Mahāprajāpatī Gautamī

Wylie:
  • skye dgu’i bdag mo chen mo gau ta mI
Tibetan:
  • སྐྱེ་དགུའི་བདག་མོ་ཆེན་མོ་གཽ་ཏ་མཱི།
Sanskrit:
  • mahāprajāpatī gautamī

Siddhārtha Gautama’s aunt, who raised him following his mother’s death and who later became the first woman to go forth as a member of the Buddha Śākyamuni’s monastic saṅgha.

Located in 7 passages in the translation:

  • 7.­89
  • 8.­3
  • 9.­3
  • 15.­14
  • 15.­157
  • 15.­161
  • g.­407
g.­354

Maheśvara

Wylie:
  • dbang phyug chen po
Tibetan:
  • དབང་ཕྱུག་ཆེན་པོ།
Sanskrit:
  • maheśvara

One of the gods of the pure realms. This is a frequently used name for Śiva and often synonymous with Īśvara, though sometimes they are presented as separate deities.

Located in 14 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­6
  • 1.­13
  • 1.­18
  • 1.­23
  • 2.­3
  • 5.­4
  • 5.­30
  • 7.­126
  • 7.­128-129
  • 19.­4
  • 27.­1
  • 27.­25
  • g.­269
g.­356

Mahita

Wylie:
  • mchod byas
Tibetan:
  • མཆོད་བྱས།
Sanskrit:
  • mahita

One of the gods of the pure realms.

Located in 4 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­13
  • 1.­18
  • 1.­23
  • 27.­1
g.­357

mahoraga

Wylie:
  • lto ’phye chen po
Tibetan:
  • ལྟོ་འཕྱེ་ཆེན་པོ།
Sanskrit:
  • mahoraga

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

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.

Located in 18 passages in the translation:

  • 5.­4
  • 5.­76
  • 8.­4
  • 10.­1
  • 10.­9
  • 11.­6
  • 13.­1
  • 13.­5
  • 15.­150
  • 17.­18
  • 17.­48
  • 19.­39
  • 20.­12
  • 20.­21
  • 21.­27
  • 24.­2
  • 26.­212
  • 26.­215
g.­358

Maineya

Wylie:
  • me ne ya
Tibetan:
  • མེ་ནེ་ཡ།
Sanskrit:
  • maineya

A country Prince Siddhārtha traveled through.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 15.­150
  • g.­29
g.­359

Maitreya

Wylie:
  • byams pa
Tibetan:
  • བྱམས་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • 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).

In this text:

One of the bodhisattvas attending this teaching in Śrāvastī, at Jeta’s Grove.

Located in 13 passages in the translation:

  • i.­3
  • 1.­3
  • 5.­2-3
  • 26.­102-103
  • 26.­106
  • 26.­114
  • 26.­217
  • 27.­14
  • 27.­25
  • g.­149
  • g.­241
g.­360

Manasvin

Wylie:
  • gzi can
Tibetan:
  • གཟི་ཅན།
Sanskrit:
  • manasvin

A nāga king; a member of the Buddha’s retinue.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 15.­28
  • 15.­110
g.­364

Māra

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

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

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

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

Located in 157 passages in the translation:

  • s.­1
  • i.­2
  • i.­8-9
  • 1.­5
  • 1.­9
  • 1.­15
  • 2.­4
  • 2.­26
  • 2.­30
  • 4.­24
  • 4.­34
  • 5.­30
  • 5.­52
  • 7.­31
  • 7.­45
  • 7.­143
  • 11.­6
  • 12.­57
  • 12.­62
  • 13.­3
  • 13.­24
  • 13.­146-147
  • 18.­1
  • 18.­4
  • 18.­8-10
  • 18.­17
  • 18.­21
  • 18.­24
  • 18.­32
  • 19.­9
  • 19.­11
  • 19.­14
  • 19.­52
  • 19.­65
  • 19.­71
  • 20.­26
  • 21.­1
  • 21.­3
  • 21.­7-9
  • 21.­14-15
  • 21.­17
  • 21.­20
  • 21.­43-45
  • 21.­64
  • 21.­75
  • 21.­80
  • 21.­85
  • 21.­100
  • 21.­103
  • 21.­105-112
  • 21.­115
  • 21.­117
  • 21.­119
  • 21.­123
  • 21.­133
  • 21.­145-146
  • 21.­149
  • 21.­154-155
  • 21.­158
  • 21.­166-167
  • 21.­171
  • 21.­184
  • 21.­192
  • 21.­200
  • 21.­203
  • 21.­205
  • 21.­208-209
  • 21.­211-212
  • 21.­215
  • 21.­222
  • 21.­230-231
  • 21.­236
  • 21.­238
  • 21.­241-242
  • 22.­39
  • 22.­48
  • 22.­59-60
  • 22.­64-65
  • 22.­68
  • 22.­74
  • 23.­23-25
  • 23.­29
  • 23.­44
  • 23.­56
  • 24.­68
  • 24.­77-79
  • 24.­81
  • 24.­85
  • 26.­1
  • 26.­34
  • 26.­46
  • 26.­125
  • g.­4
  • g.­26
  • g.­27
  • g.­30
  • g.­37
  • g.­58
  • g.­69
  • g.­75
  • g.­89
  • g.­138
  • g.­142
  • g.­151
  • g.­162
  • g.­163
  • g.­173
  • g.­333
  • g.­365
  • g.­366
  • g.­406
  • g.­463
  • g.­475
  • g.­499
  • g.­500
  • g.­557
  • g.­559
  • g.­562
  • g.­576
  • g.­584
  • g.­587
  • g.­588
  • g.­615
  • g.­616
  • g.­633
  • g.­681
  • g.­689
  • g.­727
g.­376

memorial

Wylie:
  • mchod rten
Tibetan:
  • མཆོད་རྟེན།
Sanskrit:
  • caitya

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

The Tibetan translates both stūpa and caitya with the same word, mchod rten, meaning “basis” or “recipient” of “offerings” or “veneration.” Pali: cetiya.

A caitya, although often synonymous with stūpa, can also refer to any site, sanctuary or shrine that is made for veneration, and may or may not contain relics.

A stūpa, literally “heap” or “mound,” is a mounded or circular structure usually containing relics of the Buddha or the masters of the past. It is considered to be a sacred object representing the awakened mind of a buddha, but the symbolism of the stūpa is complex, and its design varies throughout the Buddhist world. Stūpas continue to be erected today as objects of veneration and merit making.

Located in 17 passages in the translation:

  • 6.­44
  • 7.­28
  • 15.­150-151
  • 15.­153
  • 18.­38
  • 18.­40
  • 24.­137
  • 24.­146
  • 26.­153
  • 26.­157-160
  • 26.­167
  • 26.­171
  • g.­29
g.­377

mental stability

Wylie:
  • bsam gtan
Tibetan:
  • བསམ་གཏན།
Sanskrit:
  • dhyāna

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

Dhyāna is defined as one-pointed abiding in an undistracted state of mind, free from afflicted mental states. Four states of dhyāna are identified as being conducive to birth within the form realm. In the context of the Mahāyāna, it is the fifth of the six perfections. It is commonly translated as “concentration,” “meditative concentration,” and so on.

Located in 3 passages in the translation:

  • 2.­1
  • 2.­5-6
g.­378

merchants

Wylie:
  • tshong dpon
Tibetan:
  • ཚོང་དཔོན།
Sanskrit:
  • śreṣṭhin

Located in 17 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­4
  • 3.­34
  • 8.­1-2
  • 8.­7
  • 15.­46
  • 24.­95-97
  • 24.­111
  • 24.­117
  • 24.­121
  • 24.­127
  • 24.­129
  • g.­73
  • g.­334
  • g.­677
g.­379

merit

Wylie:
  • bsod nams
Tibetan:
  • བསོད་ནམས།
Sanskrit:
  • puṇya

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

In Buddhism more generally, merit refers to the wholesome karmic potential accumulated by someone as a result of positive and altruistic thoughts, words, and actions, which will ripen in the current or future lifetimes as the experience of happiness and well-being. According to the Mahāyāna, it is important to dedicate the merit of one’s wholesome actions to the awakening of oneself and to the ultimate and temporary benefit of all sentient beings. Doing so ensures that others also experience the results of the positive actions generated and that the merit is not wasted by ripening in temporary happiness for oneself alone.

Located in 100 passages in the translation:

  • 2.­2
  • 2.­4-5
  • 2.­7
  • 2.­11
  • 2.­15
  • 2.­24
  • 3.­21
  • 3.­34
  • 4.­3-5
  • 4.­11
  • 4.­30
  • 4.­38
  • 5.­32
  • 5.­40
  • 5.­54
  • 5.­63-64
  • 5.­81
  • 5.­99
  • 5.­103
  • 6.­9
  • 6.­60
  • 6.­64-65
  • 7.­70
  • 7.­74
  • 7.­76
  • 7.­90-91
  • 7.­111
  • 7.­127
  • 7.­132
  • 7.­139
  • 7.­143
  • 8.­2
  • 8.­9
  • 11.­5
  • 12.­7
  • 13.­13
  • 13.­62
  • 13.­144
  • 13.­150
  • 14.­39
  • 14.­52
  • 15.­24
  • 15.­26
  • 15.­62
  • 15.­136
  • 15.­140
  • 15.­149
  • 15.­190
  • 15.­194
  • 15.­204
  • 15.­211
  • 15.­220
  • 17.­4
  • 17.­23
  • 17.­44
  • 18.­7
  • 18.­10
  • 18.­41
  • 18.­43
  • 19.­9
  • 19.­12
  • 19.­21
  • 19.­40
  • 19.­73
  • 19.­75
  • 19.­78
  • 20.­4
  • 20.­10
  • 20.­26
  • 21.­64
  • 21.­103
  • 21.­190
  • 21.­225
  • 21.­229
  • 22.­40
  • 22.­52
  • 22.­63
  • 22.­65-66
  • 23.­3
  • 23.­29
  • 23.­53
  • 23.­55
  • 23.­57
  • 24.­107
  • 25.­21
  • 26.­123
  • 26.­129
  • 27.­8-9
  • 27.­13
  • 27.­16
  • 27.­18
  • 27.­20
g.­380

Meru

Wylie:
  • ri rab
Tibetan:
  • རི་རབ།
Sanskrit:
  • meru

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

According to ancient Buddhist cosmology, this is the great mountain forming the axis of the universe. At its summit is Sudarśana, home of Śakra and his thirty-two gods, and on its flanks live the asuras. The mount has four sides facing the cardinal directions, each of which is made of a different precious stone. Surrounding it are several mountain ranges and the great ocean where the four principal island continents lie: in the south, Jambudvīpa (our world); in the west, Godānīya; in the north, Uttarakuru; and in the east, Pūrvavideha. Above it are the abodes of the desire realm gods. It is variously referred to as Meru, Mount Meru, Sumeru, and Mount Sumeru.

Located in 35 passages in the translation:

  • 2.­10
  • 5.­89
  • 6.­75
  • 8.­9-10
  • 11.­4
  • 11.­27
  • 12.­40
  • 12.­42
  • 12.­56
  • 14.­37
  • 15.­24
  • 15.­96
  • 15.­147
  • 17.­36
  • 19.­2
  • 19.­5
  • 21.­25
  • 21.­35
  • 21.­39
  • 21.­46
  • 21.­53
  • 21.­68
  • 21.­102
  • 21.­165
  • 21.­202
  • 21.­216
  • 21.­220
  • 22.­44
  • 22.­71
  • 23.­17
  • 23.­53
  • 24.­89
  • 24.­110
  • g.­286
g.­381

mindfulness

Wylie:
  • dran pa
Tibetan:
  • དྲན་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • smṛti

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

This is the faculty that enables the mind to maintain its attention on a referent object, counteracting the arising of forgetfulness, which is a great obstacle to meditative stability. The root smṛ may mean “to recollect” but also simply “to think of.” Broadly speaking, smṛti, commonly translated as “mindfulness,” means to bring something to mind, not necessarily something experienced in a distant past but also something that is experienced in the present, such as the position of one’s body or the breath.

Together with alertness (samprajāna, shes bzhin), it is one of the two indispensable factors for the development of calm abiding (śamatha, zhi gnas).

Located in 32 passages in the translation:

  • 2.­1
  • 2.­4
  • 2.­14
  • 4.­21
  • 4.­23-26
  • 6.­51
  • 6.­55
  • 6.­68
  • 11.­2
  • 11.­36
  • 12.­37
  • 13.­162
  • 17.­5
  • 18.­23
  • 19.­4
  • 22.­2
  • 24.­33
  • 24.­38
  • 24.­41
  • 24.­104-105
  • 26.­61
  • 26.­129-130
  • 26.­202
  • g.­34
  • g.­170
  • g.­186
  • g.­187
g.­382

minister

Wylie:
  • blon po
Tibetan:
  • བློན་པོ།
Sanskrit:
  • amātya

Located in 17 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­4
  • 3.­2
  • 3.­12
  • 3.­30
  • 3.­34
  • 6.­7
  • 7.­91
  • 7.­95
  • 8.­1-2
  • 8.­7
  • 11.­1
  • 11.­15
  • 11.­20
  • 12.­1
  • 26.­135
  • 26.­164
g.­387

modesty

Wylie:
  • khrel yod
Tibetan:
  • ཁྲེལ་ཡོད།
Sanskrit:
  • hrī
  • lajjā

A mental state that induces one to avoid immoral behavior out of concern for what others will think or say about oneself if one misbehaves.

Located in 6 passages in the translation:

  • 2.­1
  • 3.­32
  • 3.­46
  • 4.­13
  • 12.­13
  • 12.­76
g.­388

monk

Wylie:
  • dge slong
Tibetan:
  • དགེ་སློང་།
Sanskrit:
  • bhikṣu

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

The term bhikṣu, often translated as “monk,” refers to the highest among the eight types of prātimokṣa vows that make one part of the Buddhist assembly. The Sanskrit term literally means “beggar” or “mendicant,” referring to the fact that Buddhist monks and nuns‍—like other ascetics of the time‍—subsisted on alms (bhikṣā) begged from the laity.

In the Tibetan tradition, which follows the Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya, a monk follows 253 rules as part of his moral discipline. A nun (bhikṣuṇī; dge slong ma) follows 364 rules. A novice monk (śrāmaṇera; dge tshul) or nun (śrāmaṇerikā; dge tshul ma) follows thirty-six rules of moral discipline (although in other vinaya traditions novices typically follow only ten).

Located in 333 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­2-3
  • 1.­5
  • 1.­18
  • 1.­21
  • 1.­28
  • 2.­1
  • 3.­1-2
  • 3.­13-21
  • 4.­1
  • 4.­5
  • 4.­35-36
  • 5.­1
  • 5.­8
  • 5.­30
  • 5.­63
  • 5.­81-82
  • 6.­1
  • 6.­18
  • 6.­20
  • 6.­22
  • 6.­30
  • 6.­50
  • 6.­52-57
  • 6.­59-61
  • 7.­1
  • 7.­25
  • 7.­28
  • 7.­33
  • 7.­36
  • 7.­39-40
  • 7.­42
  • 7.­44
  • 7.­49
  • 7.­71
  • 7.­73-74
  • 7.­85-86
  • 7.­88
  • 7.­92
  • 7.­94
  • 7.­105
  • 7.­126
  • 7.­128
  • 8.­1-3
  • 8.­7-8
  • 8.­11
  • 9.­1
  • 10.­1
  • 10.­15
  • 11.­1
  • 12.­1
  • 12.­16
  • 12.­18
  • 12.­22-23
  • 12.­48
  • 12.­63
  • 12.­79
  • 13.­1
  • 13.­4-6
  • 13.­15
  • 13.­142
  • 13.­144
  • 13.­147
  • 13.­154
  • 13.­169
  • 14.­1
  • 14.­5
  • 14.­14
  • 14.­17-18
  • 14.­22-27
  • 15.­1
  • 15.­11-12
  • 15.­23
  • 15.­27-28
  • 15.­52
  • 15.­100
  • 15.­107
  • 15.­150-152
  • 15.­154
  • 16.­1-6
  • 16.­21
  • 16.­34
  • 17.­1
  • 17.­3
  • 17.­5
  • 17.­7-13
  • 17.­22-26
  • 17.­38-39
  • 17.­41-44
  • 18.­1
  • 18.­24-30
  • 18.­32
  • 18.­34
  • 18.­36-38
  • 18.­41
  • 19.­1
  • 19.­5
  • 19.­7
  • 19.­18
  • 19.­24
  • 19.­45
  • 19.­61
  • 19.­67-68
  • 19.­81
  • 20.­1
  • 21.­1-2
  • 21.­7
  • 21.­12
  • 21.­14
  • 21.­20
  • 21.­43
  • 21.­45
  • 21.­48
  • 21.­57
  • 21.­63
  • 21.­68
  • 21.­78
  • 21.­133
  • 21.­175
  • 21.­183-184
  • 21.­192
  • 21.­200
  • 21.­205
  • 21.­215
  • 22.­1
  • 22.­5
  • 22.­22
  • 22.­25-26
  • 22.­32-33
  • 22.­35-36
  • 22.­69
  • 23.­12-13
  • 23.­17
  • 23.­23
  • 23.­29
  • 23.­35
  • 23.­41
  • 23.­45
  • 23.­57
  • 24.­1
  • 24.­3-4
  • 24.­76-77
  • 24.­89
  • 24.­92
  • 24.­94
  • 24.­98-99
  • 24.­103-108
  • 24.­117
  • 25.­1
  • 25.­11
  • 25.­13
  • 25.­22-24
  • 25.­28
  • 25.­31-33
  • 25.­47-48
  • 25.­50
  • 25.­53-54
  • 26.­1
  • 26.­3
  • 26.­5-11
  • 26.­17-19
  • 26.­21-28
  • 26.­43-44
  • 26.­53
  • 26.­59-62
  • 26.­66-80
  • 26.­95
  • 26.­133
  • 26.­148
  • 26.­150
  • 26.­153
  • 26.­155
  • 26.­158
  • 26.­161-162
  • 26.­164
  • 26.­174
  • g.­2
  • g.­10
  • g.­17
  • g.­19
  • g.­25
  • g.­52
  • g.­64
  • g.­70
  • g.­117
  • g.­209
  • g.­211
  • g.­289
  • g.­298
  • g.­302
  • g.­338
  • g.­341
  • g.­342
  • g.­343
  • g.­344
  • g.­346
  • g.­400
  • g.­407
  • g.­411
  • g.­478
  • g.­479
  • g.­490
  • g.­516
  • g.­556
  • g.­608
  • g.­612
  • g.­654
  • g.­686
  • g.­699
  • g.­700
  • g.­715
  • g.­731
  • g.­739
  • g.­770
g.­391

Mount Sumeru

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

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

According to ancient Buddhist cosmology, this is the great mountain forming the axis of the universe. At its summit is Sudarśana, home of Śakra and his thirty-two gods, and on its flanks live the asuras. The mount has four sides facing the cardinal directions, each of which is made of a different precious stone. Surrounding it are several mountain ranges and the great ocean where the four principal island continents lie: in the south, Jambudvīpa (our world); in the west, Godānīya; in the north, Uttarakuru; and in the east, Pūrvavideha. Above it are the abodes of the desire realm gods. It is variously referred to as Meru, Mount Meru, Sumeru, and Mount Sumeru.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 6.­38
  • g.­5
g.­396

Munivarman

Wylie:
  • mu ni bar ma
Tibetan:
  • མུ་ནི་བར་མ།
Sanskrit:
  • munivarman

An Indian preceptor who was resident in Tibet during the late eighth and early ninth centuries.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • c.­2
g.­400

Nadīkāśyapa

Wylie:
  • chu klung ’od srung
Tibetan:
  • ཆུ་ཀླུང་འོད་སྲུང་།
Sanskrit:
  • nadīkāśyapa

One of the monks attending this teaching in Śrāvastī, at Jeta’s Grove.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­2
g.­401

nāga

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

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

A class of nonhuman beings who live in subterranean aquatic environments, where they guard wealth and sometimes also teachings. Nāgas are associated with serpents and have a snakelike appearance. In Buddhist art and in written accounts, they are regularly portrayed as half human and half snake, and they are also said to have the ability to change into human form. Some nāgas are Dharma protectors, but they can also bring retribution if they are disturbed. They may likewise fight one another, wage war, and destroy the lands of others by causing lightning, hail, and flooding.

Located in 75 passages in the translation:

  • 2.­3
  • 2.­19
  • 5.­81
  • 6.­52
  • 6.­58
  • 7.­2
  • 7.­24-25
  • 7.­29
  • 7.­57
  • 7.­63
  • 7.­109
  • 8.­9
  • 10.­1
  • 10.­9
  • 11.­5
  • 13.­1
  • 13.­5
  • 13.­100
  • 13.­184-185
  • 14.­40
  • 15.­28
  • 15.­53
  • 15.­104
  • 15.­110
  • 15.­150
  • 15.­212
  • 17.­18
  • 17.­48
  • 17.­74
  • 18.­38-40
  • 18.­45
  • 18.­47
  • 19.­2
  • 19.­22
  • 19.­39
  • 19.­45
  • 19.­49-52
  • 19.­60-61
  • 19.­70
  • 19.­80
  • 20.­7
  • 20.­21
  • 21.­44
  • 21.­155
  • 24.­2
  • 24.­89-91
  • 24.­151
  • 24.­170
  • 25.­56
  • 26.­17
  • 26.­212-213
  • 26.­215
  • 27.­11
  • g.­22
  • g.­205
  • g.­266
  • g.­288
  • g.­360
  • g.­394
  • g.­409
  • g.­526
  • g.­618
  • g.­652
  • g.­748
g.­404

Nairañjanā

Wylie:
  • nai ran dzan na
Tibetan:
  • ནཻ་རན་ཛན་ན།
Sanskrit:
  • nairañjanā

A river near Gayā. It was on the banks of this river that Prince Siddhārtha practiced asceticism, and where he bathed at the end of this period.

Located in 13 passages in the translation:

  • 16.­39
  • 17.­12
  • 17.­29
  • 18.­2
  • 18.­38-39
  • 18.­44-45
  • 18.­50
  • 19.­1
  • 19.­5-6
  • 24.­91
g.­407

Nanda

Wylie:
  • dga’ bo
Tibetan:
  • དགའ་བོ།
Sanskrit:
  • nanda

One of the monks attending this teaching in Śrāvastī, at Jeta’s Grove. Nanda was the younger half-brother of Prince Siddhārtha (the Buddha Śākyamuni); his mother was Mahāprajāpatī Gautamī, Siddhārtha Gautama’s maternal aunt. He became an important monastic disciple of the Buddha.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­2
  • 12.­52
g.­408

Nanda

Wylie:
  • dga’ bo
Tibetan:
  • དགའ་བོ།
Sanskrit:
  • nanda

One of the gods of the pure realms.

Located in 4 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­13
  • 1.­18
  • 1.­23
  • 27.­1
g.­409

Nanda

Wylie:
  • dga’ bo
Tibetan:
  • དགའ་བོ།
Sanskrit:
  • nanda

One of eight mythological nāga kings.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 7.­29
  • 15.­28
g.­411

Nandika

Wylie:
  • dga’ byed
Tibetan:
  • དགའ་བྱེད།
Sanskrit:
  • nandika

One of the monks attending this teaching in Śrāvastī, at Jeta’s Grove.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­2
g.­418

Nārāyaṇa

Wylie:
  • sred med kyi bu
  • sred med kyi bu phyed
Tibetan:
  • སྲེད་མེད་ཀྱི་བུ།
  • སྲེད་མེད་ཀྱི་བུ་ཕྱེད།
Sanskrit:
  • nārāyaṇa

Major deity in the pantheon of the classical Indian religious traditions, he is famous for his strength.

Located in 12 passages in the translation:

  • 7.­111
  • 7.­116
  • 7.­119
  • 8.­8
  • 15.­24
  • 15.­161
  • 15.­189
  • 19.­2
  • 20.­6
  • 21.­64
  • 21.­182
  • 26.­176
g.­425

no self

Wylie:
  • bdag med
Tibetan:
  • བདག་མེད།
Sanskrit:
  • nairātmya

The absence of any enduring, singular, or independent essence in individuals or phenomena.

Located in 8 passages in the translation:

  • 2.­6
  • 15.­79
  • 21.­222-223
  • 25.­7
  • 26.­82
  • 26.­88
  • 26.­224
g.­429

omen

Wylie:
  • snga ltas
Tibetan:
  • སྔ་ལྟས།
Sanskrit:
  • pūrvanimitta

Prognostication, foreshadowing.

Located in 16 passages in the translation:

  • 5.­8-13
  • 7.­1
  • 7.­3
  • 14.­2
  • 14.­31
  • 14.­51
  • 18.­34
  • 19.­52
  • 21.­7
  • 21.­9
  • 21.­16
g.­437

Pāñcika

Wylie:
  • lnga rtsen
Tibetan:
  • ལྔ་རྩེན།
Sanskrit:
  • pāñcika

Traditionally the head of the yakṣa army serving Vaiśravaṇa, and the consort of Hārītī.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 15.­23
g.­442

park

Wylie:
  • kun dga’ ra ba
Tibetan:
  • ཀུན་དགའ་ར་བ།
Sanskrit:
  • ārāma

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

Generally found within the limits of a town or city, an ārāma was a private citizen’s park, a pleasure grove, a pleasant garden‍—ārāma, in its etymology, is somewhat akin to what in English is expressed by the term “pleasance.” The Buddha and his disciples were offered several such ārāmas in which to dwell, which evolved into monasteries or vihāras. The term is still found in contemporary usage in names of Thai monasteries.

Located in 23 passages in the translation:

  • 5.­11
  • 7.­1
  • 7.­72
  • 9.­3
  • 11.­1
  • 11.­5
  • 14.­5
  • 14.­7-8
  • 14.­14
  • 14.­18
  • 14.­23
  • 15.­65
  • 15.­75
  • 15.­168
  • 15.­175-176
  • 18.­25
  • 19.­17
  • 20.­14
  • 21.­7
  • 21.­110
  • g.­603
g.­443

parrot

Wylie:
  • bya ne tso
Tibetan:
  • བྱ་ནེ་ཙོ།
Sanskrit:
  • śuka

Located in 10 passages in the translation:

  • 2.­13
  • 5.­10
  • 11.­21
  • 13.­15
  • 13.­42
  • 14.­31
  • 15.­2
  • 15.­119
  • 19.­7
  • 21.­120
g.­445

patience

Wylie:
  • bzod pa
Tibetan:
  • བཟོད་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • kṣamā
  • kṣānti

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

A term meaning acceptance, forbearance, or patience. As the third of the six perfections, patience is classified into three kinds: the capacity to tolerate abuse from sentient beings, to tolerate the hardships of the path to buddhahood, and to tolerate the profound nature of reality. As a term referring to a bodhisattva’s realization, dharmakṣānti (chos la bzod pa) can refer to the ways one becomes “receptive” to the nature of Dharma, and it can be an abbreviation of anutpattikadharmakṣānti, “forbearance for the unborn nature, or nonproduction, of dharmas.”

Located in 18 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­3
  • 2.­1
  • 2.­17
  • 4.­28
  • 4.­45
  • 5.­88
  • 7.­126
  • 13.­11
  • 13.­23
  • 13.­50
  • 15.­59
  • 15.­93
  • 19.­20
  • 21.­228
  • 26.­52
  • 26.­127
  • 26.­159
  • g.­592
g.­448

perfection

Wylie:
  • pha rol tu phyin pa
Tibetan:
  • ཕ་རོལ་ཏུ་ཕྱིན་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • pāramitā

To have transcended or crossed to the other side; typically refers to the practices of the bodhisattvas, which are embraced with knowledge.

Located in 13 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­3
  • 2.­1
  • 2.­4
  • 4.­4
  • 4.­16
  • 4.­27-28
  • 4.­34
  • 12.­32
  • 13.­143
  • 19.­9
  • 25.­35
  • 26.­139
g.­454

poṣadha

Wylie:
  • gso sbyong
Tibetan:
  • གསོ་སྦྱོང་།
Sanskrit:
  • poṣadha

A group of eight vows taken for one day on certain days of the month to emphasize purity.

Located in 3 passages in the translation:

  • 3.­3
  • 3.­33
  • 6.­2
g.­455

powers

Wylie:
  • stobs
Tibetan:
  • སྟོབས།
Sanskrit:
  • bala

See “five powers.”

Located in 5 passages in the translation:

  • 2.­1
  • 2.­4
  • 13.­153
  • 15.­59
  • 26.­130
g.­460

Pradīptavajra

Wylie:
  • rdo rje ’bar thogs
Tibetan:
  • རྡོ་རྗེ་འབར་ཐོགས།
Sanskrit:
  • pradīptavajra

The lord of the guhyakas.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 15.­113
g.­464

Praśānta

Wylie:
  • rab zhi
Tibetan:
  • རབ་ཞི།
Sanskrit:
  • praśānta

One of the gods of the pure realms.

Located in 3 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­13
  • 1.­18
  • 27.­1
g.­470

pride

Wylie:
  • nga rgyal
Tibetan:
  • ང་རྒྱལ།
Sanskrit:
  • māna

Literally “I king.” Arrogance or egocentrism.

Located in 41 passages in the translation:

  • 2.­2
  • 2.­5
  • 2.­14
  • 3.­36
  • 3.­46
  • 4.­16
  • 4.­28
  • 4.­53
  • 5.­68
  • 5.­83
  • 6.­10
  • 7.­34
  • 7.­47
  • 7.­127
  • 7.­139
  • 8.­10
  • 10.­10
  • 10.­21
  • 11.­26
  • 12.­11-12
  • 12.­14
  • 12.­27
  • 12.­30
  • 12.­53
  • 13.­150
  • 13.­162
  • 15.­25
  • 15.­32
  • 20.­20
  • 21.­15
  • 21.­76
  • 21.­117
  • 21.­145
  • 21.­188
  • 22.­35
  • 24.­16
  • 24.­93
  • 24.­114
  • 26.­30
  • 26.­145
g.­471

priest

Wylie:
  • bram ze
Tibetan:
  • བྲམ་ཟེ།
Sanskrit:
  • brāhmaṇa

A member of the Indian priestly caste, a brahmin.

Located in 71 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­4-5
  • 3.­2
  • 3.­13
  • 3.­31
  • 5.­5
  • 5.­7
  • 6.­13-14
  • 6.­17
  • 6.­19-20
  • 7.­74
  • 7.­86
  • 7.­90-91
  • 7.­96
  • 7.­105
  • 7.­120
  • 8.­2
  • 8.­7
  • 9.­1
  • 9.­3
  • 11.­22
  • 12.­1
  • 12.­10
  • 12.­16
  • 12.­18-20
  • 12.­25
  • 13.­5
  • 13.­35
  • 13.­39-40
  • 15.­61
  • 16.­2
  • 16.­34
  • 17.­5
  • 17.­8-10
  • 17.­35
  • 17.­38
  • 17.­43
  • 18.­21
  • 18.­24
  • 18.­28
  • 18.­35-36
  • 21.­7
  • 22.­43
  • 24.­117
  • 24.­167
  • 25.­38
  • 26.­133
  • 26.­148
  • 26.­150
  • 26.­153
  • 26.­155
  • 26.­158
  • 26.­161-162
  • 26.­164
  • 26.­174
  • g.­155
  • g.­416
  • g.­491
  • g.­579
  • g.­685
  • g.­686
g.­477

pure realm

Wylie:
  • gnas gtsang ma’i ris
Tibetan:
  • གནས་གཙང་མའི་རིས།
Sanskrit:
  • śuddhāvāsa
  • śuddhāvāsa­kāyika

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

The five Pure Abodes are the highest heavens of the Form Realm (rūpadhātu). They are called “pure abodes” because ordinary beings (pṛthagjana; so so’i skye bo) cannot be born there; only those who have achieved the fruit of a non-returner (anāgāmin; phyir mi ’ong) can be born there. A summary presentation of them is found in the third chapter of Vasubandhu's Abhidharmakośa, although they are repeatedly mentioned as a set in numerous sūtras, tantras, and vinaya texts.

The five Pure Abodes are the last five of the seventeen levels of the Form Realm. Specifically, they are the last five of the eight levels of the upper Form Realm‍—which corresponds to the fourth meditative concentration (dhyāna; bsam gtan)‍—all of which are described as “immovable” (akopya; mi g.yo ba) since they are never destroyed during the cycles of the destruction and reformation of a world system. In particular, the five are Abṛha (mi che ba), the inferior heaven; Atapa (mi gdung ba), the heaven of no torment; Sudṛśa (gya nom snang), the heaven of sublime appearances; Sudarśana (shin tu mthong), the heaven of the most beautiful to behold; and Akaniṣṭha (’og min), the highest heaven.

Yaśomitra explains their names, stating: (1) because those who abide there can only remain for a fixed amount of time, before they are plucked out (√bṛh, bṛṃhanti) of that heaven, or because it is not as extensive (abṛṃhita) as the others in the pure realms, that heaven is called the inferior heaven (abṛha; mi che ba); (2) since the afflictions can no longer torment (√tap, tapanti) those who reside there because of their having attained a particular samādhi, or because their state of mind is virtuous, they no longer torment (√tap, tāpayanti) others, this heaven, consequently, is called the heaven of no torment (atapa; mi gdung ba); (3) since those who reside there have exceptional (suṣṭhu) vision because what they see (√dṛś, darśana) is utterly pure, that heaven is called the heaven of sublime appearances (sudṛśa; gya nom snang); (4) because those who reside there are beautiful gods, that heaven is called the heaven of the most beautiful to behold (sudarśana; shin tu mthong); and (5) since it is not lower (na kaniṣṭhā) than any other heaven because there is no other place superior to it, this heaven is called the highest heaven (akaniṣṭha; ’og min) since it is the uppermost.

Located in 49 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­6
  • 1.­12-13
  • 1.­18
  • 3.­2
  • 5.­30
  • 6.­9
  • 6.­54-55
  • 7.­26
  • 7.­128
  • 14.­8
  • 15.­34
  • 15.­152
  • 18.­32
  • 18.­35
  • 19.­67
  • 21.­87
  • 21.­184
  • 21.­192
  • 23.­1
  • 23.­12
  • 25.­25
  • 26.­6
  • 27.­1
  • 27.­25
  • g.­99
  • g.­109
  • g.­218
  • g.­220
  • g.­237
  • g.­239
  • g.­240
  • g.­242
  • g.­243
  • g.­245
  • g.­246
  • g.­269
  • g.­331
  • g.­337
  • g.­354
  • g.­356
  • g.­408
  • g.­423
  • g.­464
  • g.­467
  • g.­613
  • g.­629
  • g.­694
g.­478

Pūrṇa

Wylie:
  • gang po
Tibetan:
  • གང་པོ།
Sanskrit:
  • pūrṇa

One of the monks attending this teaching in Śrāvastī, at Jeta’s Grove.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­2
g.­479

Pūrṇa­maitrāyaṇī­putra

Wylie:
  • byams ma’i bu gang po
Tibetan:
  • བྱམས་མའི་བུ་གང་པོ།
Sanskrit:
  • pūrṇa­maitrāyaṇī­putra

One of the monks attending this teaching in Śrāvastī, at Jeta’s Grove.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­2
g.­486

Puṣya

Wylie:
  • rgyal
  • rgyal skar ma
Tibetan:
  • རྒྱལ།
  • རྒྱལ་སྐར་མ།
Sanskrit:
  • puṣya

A constellation in a section of the east.

Located in 10 passages in the translation:

  • 3.­33
  • 6.­2
  • 7.­3
  • 9.­2
  • 15.­53
  • 15.­100
  • 15.­115-116
  • 15.­209
  • 24.­131
g.­490

Rāhula

Wylie:
  • sgra bcan zin
Tibetan:
  • སྒྲ་བཅན་ཟིན།
Sanskrit:
  • rāhula

One of the monks attending this teaching in Śrāvastī, at Jeta’s Grove.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­2
g.­492

Rājagṛha

Wylie:
  • rgyal po’i khab
Tibetan:
  • རྒྱལ་པོའི་ཁབ།
Sanskrit:
  • 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.

Located in 8 passages in the translation:

  • 3.­14
  • 16.­6
  • 16.­8
  • 17.­1
  • 17.­7
  • g.­207
  • g.­367
  • g.­390
g.­495

rākṣasa

Wylie:
  • srin po
Tibetan:
  • སྲིན་པོ།
Sanskrit:
  • rākṣasa

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

A class of nonhuman beings that are often, but certainly not always, considered demonic in the Buddhist tradition. They are often depicted as flesh-eating monsters who haunt frightening places and are ugly and evil-natured with a yearning for human flesh, and who additionally have miraculous powers, such as being able to change their appearance.

Located in 10 passages in the translation:

  • 5.­76
  • 5.­102
  • 14.­40
  • 15.­210
  • 17.­18
  • 20.­32
  • 21.­7
  • 21.­27
  • 21.­213
  • 21.­238
g.­496

Rāma

Wylie:
  • rangs byed
Tibetan:
  • རངས་བྱེད།
Sanskrit:
  • rāma

Father to Rudraka (Udraka).

Located in 10 passages in the translation:

  • 17.­1-6
  • 26.­3-5
  • g.­524
g.­513

reed pipes

Wylie:
  • gling bu
Tibetan:
  • གླིང་བུ།
Sanskrit:
  • veṇu

Located in 4 passages in the translation:

  • 5.­13
  • 15.­67
  • 15.­76
  • 15.­82
g.­516

Revata

Wylie:
  • nam gru
Tibetan:
  • ནམ་གྲུ།
Sanskrit:
  • revata

One of the monks attending this teaching in Śrāvastī, at Jeta’s Grove.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­2
g.­520

roots of virtue

Wylie:
  • dge ba’i rtsa ba
Tibetan:
  • དགེ་བའི་རྩ་བ།
Sanskrit:
  • kuśalamūla

Wholesome actions that are conducive to happiness.

Located in 13 passages in the translation:

  • 7.­30
  • 7.­46
  • 7.­48
  • 7.­126
  • 13.­4
  • 13.­144-145
  • 13.­153
  • 15.­46
  • 22.­38
  • 23.­75
  • 24.­21
  • 26.­152
g.­524

Rudraka

Wylie:
  • lhag spyod
Tibetan:
  • ལྷག་སྤྱོད།
Sanskrit:
  • rudraka

A meditation teacher who was one of the Buddha’s teachers before he attained awakening. Although the spelling Rudraka is attested in the Sanskrit of this sūtra, in most other texts his name is Udraka, or Udraka Rāmaputra (“Udraka the son of Rāma”).

Located in 11 passages in the translation:

  • i.­6
  • 17.­1-6
  • 26.­3-5
  • g.­496
g.­525

Śacī

Wylie:
  • sogs pa
Tibetan:
  • སོགས་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • śacī

The name of Śakra’s highest consort.

Located in 3 passages in the translation:

  • 15.­126
  • 15.­212
  • 26.­31
g.­526

Sāgara

Wylie:
  • rgya mtsho
Tibetan:
  • རྒྱ་མཚོ།
Sanskrit:
  • sāgara

A nāga king.

Located in 5 passages in the translation:

  • 15.­28
  • 15.­110
  • 18.­39-40
  • 26.­213
g.­529

sage

Wylie:
  • drang srong
Tibetan:
  • དྲང་སྲོང་།
Sanskrit:
  • ṛṣi

Indian sage, wise man (often a wandering ascetic or hermit). This term was also used to render muni (thub pa); see “Able One.”

Located in 112 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­7-8
  • 1.­25
  • 3.­14
  • 3.­30
  • 3.­37
  • 3.­48
  • 5.­5
  • 5.­54
  • 5.­62
  • 7.­55
  • 7.­74
  • 7.­90
  • 7.­92-96
  • 7.­101
  • 7.­104-106
  • 7.­111-115
  • 7.­118-121
  • 7.­123-125
  • 11.­3
  • 11.­5-6
  • 11.­8-9
  • 11.­11-14
  • 11.­26
  • 11.­34
  • 12.­62
  • 12.­78
  • 13.­9
  • 13.­20-22
  • 13.­36-37
  • 13.­40-41
  • 13.­55
  • 13.­63
  • 13.­92
  • 13.­102
  • 15.­9
  • 15.­80
  • 15.­135
  • 15.­171
  • 15.­190
  • 18.­45
  • 19.­12
  • 19.­51-52
  • 19.­54
  • 19.­62
  • 19.­78
  • 20.­4
  • 21.­50
  • 21.­95-97
  • 21.­150
  • 21.­162
  • 21.­206
  • 22.­49
  • 23.­14
  • 23.­21
  • 23.­25
  • 23.­40-41
  • 23.­53-54
  • 23.­59
  • 23.­65
  • 24.­85
  • 24.­110
  • 24.­112
  • 24.­120
  • 25.­27
  • 25.­34
  • 25.­36
  • 25.­41
  • 25.­44
  • 25.­46
  • 25.­56-57
  • 26.­35
  • 26.­45-46
  • 26.­52
  • 26.­98
  • 26.­101
  • 26.­239
  • g.­2
  • g.­46
  • g.­417
  • g.­659
g.­534

Śakra

Wylie:
  • brgya byin
Tibetan:
  • བརྒྱ་བྱིན།
Sanskrit:
  • śakra

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

The lord of the gods in the Heaven of the Thirty-Three (trāyastriṃśa). Alternatively known as Indra, the deity that is called “lord of the gods” dwells on the summit of Mount Sumeru and wields the thunderbolt. The Tibetan translation brgya byin (meaning “one hundred sacrifices”) is based on an etymology that śakra is an abbreviation of śata-kratu, one who has performed a hundred sacrifices. Each world with a central Sumeru has a Śakra. Also known by other names such as Kauśika, Devendra, and Śacipati.

Located in 81 passages in the translation:

  • i.­9
  • 2.­3
  • 2.­31
  • 4.­4
  • 5.­4
  • 5.­30
  • 5.­59
  • 5.­76
  • 5.­83
  • 6.­22
  • 6.­24
  • 6.­38-39
  • 6.­47
  • 6.­53
  • 6.­61
  • 6.­66
  • 7.­22-24
  • 7.­28-29
  • 7.­34
  • 7.­54-55
  • 7.­57
  • 7.­63
  • 7.­74
  • 7.­94
  • 8.­4
  • 8.­8
  • 9.­7
  • 11.­6
  • 11.­16
  • 13.­1
  • 13.­5
  • 15.­27-28
  • 15.­75
  • 15.­106
  • 15.­109
  • 15.­123
  • 15.­126
  • 15.­129
  • 15.­145
  • 15.­182
  • 15.­212-213
  • 16.­6
  • 16.­14
  • 18.­31
  • 19.­4
  • 21.­7
  • 21.­86
  • 21.­102
  • 21.­154-155
  • 22.­46
  • 22.­71
  • 23.­39
  • 23.­52
  • 23.­57
  • 24.­34
  • 24.­97
  • 24.­167
  • 24.­169
  • 25.­24-26
  • 25.­31
  • 26.­30
  • 26.­44-45
  • 26.­137
  • 27.­5
  • 27.­9
  • g.­8
  • g.­248
  • g.­384
  • g.­525
  • g.­708
g.­535

Śākya

Wylie:
  • shAkya
Tibetan:
  • ཤཱཀྱ།
Sanskrit:
  • śākya

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

Name of the ancient tribe in which the Buddha was born as a prince; their kingdom was based to the east of Kośala, in the foothills near the present-day border of India and Nepal, with Kapilavastu as its capital.

Located in 90 passages in the translation:

  • s.­1
  • i.­4-5
  • 1.­7
  • 3.­34-36
  • 3.­39
  • 3.­56
  • 6.­60
  • 6.­76
  • 7.­25
  • 7.­66
  • 7.­74
  • 7.­88-90
  • 8.­2
  • 9.­2-3
  • 9.­5
  • 9.­9
  • 10.­1
  • 10.­8
  • 11.­5
  • 11.­8
  • 11.­21
  • 11.­28
  • 11.­35
  • 12.­1-2
  • 12.­18
  • 12.­21
  • 12.­24-25
  • 12.­27
  • 12.­31
  • 12.­34-36
  • 12.­38
  • 12.­44
  • 12.­46
  • 12.­48
  • 12.­52-53
  • 12.­58
  • 12.­61
  • 12.­63
  • 12.­66-67
  • 12.­79
  • 14.­29
  • 14.­33
  • 14.­38
  • 15.­12-13
  • 15.­86
  • 15.­120
  • 15.­136
  • 15.­150
  • 15.­157
  • 15.­161
  • 15.­164
  • 15.­170
  • 15.­175-176
  • 15.­185-186
  • 16.­1
  • 16.­35
  • 17.­27
  • 18.­4
  • 20.­10
  • 21.­10
  • 21.­42
  • 21.­65
  • 23.­40
  • 23.­54
  • 24.­6
  • 26.­56
  • 26.­98
  • g.­41
  • g.­71
  • g.­120
  • g.­217
  • g.­292
  • g.­345
  • g.­371
  • g.­619
g.­536

Śākyamuni

Wylie:
  • shAkya thub pa
Tibetan:
  • ཤཱཀྱ་ཐུབ་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • śākyamuni

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

An epithet for the historical Buddha, Siddhārtha Gautama: he was a muni (“sage”) from the Śākya clan. He is counted as the fourth of the first four buddhas of the present Good Eon, the other three being Krakucchanda, Kanakamuni, and Kāśyapa. He will be followed by Maitreya, the next buddha in this eon.

Located in 14 passages in the translation:

  • i.­13
  • 20.­4
  • 24.­100-101
  • 26.­81
  • g.­2
  • g.­83
  • g.­95
  • g.­126
  • g.­149
  • g.­241
  • g.­348
  • g.­371
  • g.­407
g.­548

Sañcodaka

Wylie:
  • yang dag skul pa
Tibetan:
  • ཡང་དག་སྐུལ་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • sañcodaka

A god.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 15.­28
  • 15.­117
g.­549

saṅgha

Wylie:
  • dge ’dun
Tibetan:
  • དགེ་འདུན།
Sanskrit:
  • saṅgha

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

Though often specifically reserved for the monastic community, this term can be applied to any of the four Buddhist communities‍—monks, nuns, laymen, and laywomen‍—as well as to identify the different groups of practitioners, like the community of bodhisattvas or the community of śrāvakas. It is also the third of the Three Jewels (triratna) of Buddhism: the Buddha, the Teaching, and the Community.

Located in 12 passages in the translation:

  • s.­1
  • i.­10
  • 1.­2
  • 1.­18
  • 4.­10
  • 4.­45
  • 5.­47
  • 6.­44
  • 16.­3
  • 26.­93
  • g.­231
  • g.­348
g.­550

Śānta

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

A god.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­23
  • 27.­1
g.­552

Śāntamati

Wylie:
  • zhi ba’i blo gros
Tibetan:
  • ཞི་བའི་བློ་གྲོས།
Sanskrit:
  • śāntamati

A god.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 15.­27
  • 15.­100
g.­556

Śāriputra

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

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

One of the principal śrāvaka disciples of the Buddha, he was renowned for his discipline and for having been praised by the Buddha as foremost of the wise (often paired with Maudgalyā­yana, who was praised as foremost in the capacity for miraculous powers). His father, Tiṣya, to honor Śāriputra’s mother, Śārikā, named him Śāradvatīputra, or, in its contracted form, Śāriputra, meaning “Śārikā’s Son.”

In this text:

One of the monks attending this teaching.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­2
  • 27.­15
g.­560

Sarvārthasiddha

Wylie:
  • don thams cad grub pa
Tibetan:
  • དོན་ཐམས་ཅད་གྲུབ་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • sarvārthasiddha

The personal name of the Buddha, meaning “one who accomplishes all aims.” Siddhārtha is a shorter form of this name.

Located in 17 passages in the translation:

  • 7.­72
  • 7.­88
  • 7.­94
  • 7.­96
  • 7.­98-103
  • 7.­116
  • 7.­120-121
  • 12.­1
  • 12.­38
  • 12.­61
  • g.­575
g.­570

seat of awakening

Wylie:
  • byang chub snying po
  • byang chub kyi snying po
Tibetan:
  • བྱང་ཆུབ་སྙིང་པོ།
  • བྱང་ཆུབ་ཀྱི་སྙིང་པོ།
Sanskrit:
  • bodhimaṇḍa

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

The place where the Buddha Śākyamuni achieved awakening and where every buddha will manifest the attainment of buddhahood. In our world this is understood to be located under the Bodhi tree, the Vajrāsana, in present-day Bodhgaya, India. It can also refer to the state of awakening itself.

Located in 86 passages in the translation:

  • i.­7
  • 4.­34
  • 5.­31
  • 5.­61
  • 12.­40
  • 13.­188
  • 18.­25
  • 19.­4-7
  • 19.­11
  • 19.­17
  • 19.­20-22
  • 19.­24
  • 19.­37
  • 19.­43-44
  • 19.­86
  • 20.­1-3
  • 20.­5
  • 20.­7
  • 20.­9
  • 20.­11
  • 20.­13-15
  • 20.­17-19
  • 20.­21
  • 20.­26
  • 20.­42
  • 21.­1
  • 21.­7
  • 21.­67-68
  • 21.­92-94
  • 21.­102
  • 21.­119-120
  • 21.­166
  • 21.­182
  • 22.­36
  • 22.­43-44
  • 22.­70-71
  • 23.­1
  • 23.­13
  • 23.­18
  • 23.­42
  • 23.­46
  • 23.­48
  • 23.­55-56
  • 23.­63
  • 23.­69
  • 23.­71
  • 23.­75
  • 24.­14
  • 24.­76
  • 26.­9
  • 26.­57
  • g.­35
  • g.­57
  • g.­140
  • g.­144
  • g.­301
  • g.­352
  • g.­355
  • g.­432
  • g.­462
  • g.­574
  • g.­581
  • g.­640
  • g.­643
  • g.­650
  • g.­703
  • g.­741
g.­572

sense fields

Wylie:
  • skye mched
Tibetan:
  • སྐྱེ་མཆེད།
Sanskrit:
  • āyatana

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

These can be listed as twelve or as six sense sources (sometimes also called sense fields, bases of cognition, or simply āyatanas).

In the context of epistemology, it is one way of describing experience and the world in terms of twelve sense sources, which can be divided into inner and outer sense sources, namely: (1–2) eye and form, (3–4) ear and sound, (5–6) nose and odor, (7–8) tongue and taste, (9–10) body and touch, (11–12) mind and mental phenomena.

In the context of the twelve links of dependent origination, only six sense sources are mentioned, and they are the inner sense sources (identical to the six faculties) of eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind.

Located in 10 passages in the translation:

  • 13.­119
  • 13.­126
  • 22.­17-18
  • 22.­22
  • 22.­28
  • 24.­43
  • 24.­49
  • 25.­2
  • 26.­86
g.­573

seven branches of awakening

Wylie:
  • byang chub kyi yan lag bdun
  • byang chub yan lag bdun
Tibetan:
  • བྱང་ཆུབ་ཀྱི་ཡན་ལག་བདུན།
  • བྱང་ཆུབ་ཡན་ལག་བདུན།
Sanskrit:
  • saptabodhyaṅga

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

The set of seven factors or aspects that characteristically manifest on the path of seeing: (1) mindfulness (smṛti, dran pa), (2) discrimination between dharmas (dharmapravicaya, chos rab tu rnam ’byed/shes rab), (3) diligence (vīrya, brtson ’grus), (4) joy (prīti, dga’ ba), (5) mental and physical ease (praśrabdhi, shin sbyangs), (6) meditative absorption (samādhi, ting nge ’dzin), and (7) equanimity (upekṣā, btang snyoms).

In this text:

For an explanation of each branch, see 4.­25.

Located in 4 passages in the translation:

  • 2.­9
  • 26.­135
  • g.­94
  • g.­665
g.­575

Siddhārtha

Wylie:
  • don grub
Tibetan:
  • དོན་གྲུབ།
Sanskrit:
  • siddhārtha

Lit. “One Who Accomplished His Aim.” The birth name given to the Bodhisattva by his father, King Śuddhodana. Siddhārtha is a short form of the name Sarvārthasiddha.

Located in 96 passages in the translation:

  • 11.­20
  • 15.­51
  • 15.­154
  • 17.­26
  • g.­1
  • g.­4
  • g.­8
  • g.­10
  • g.­26
  • g.­28
  • g.­29
  • g.­30
  • g.­36
  • g.­37
  • g.­41
  • g.­46
  • g.­55
  • g.­58
  • g.­61
  • g.­64
  • g.­70
  • g.­75
  • g.­84
  • g.­89
  • g.­95
  • g.­106
  • g.­121
  • g.­138
  • g.­142
  • g.­147
  • g.­151
  • g.­154
  • g.­162
  • g.­163
  • g.­173
  • g.­183
  • g.­206
  • g.­208
  • g.­217
  • g.­257
  • g.­273
  • g.­291
  • g.­292
  • g.­314
  • g.­333
  • g.­344
  • g.­348
  • g.­358
  • g.­365
  • g.­404
  • g.­407
  • g.­412
  • g.­417
  • g.­430
  • g.­438
  • g.­457
  • g.­463
  • g.­475
  • g.­491
  • g.­493
  • g.­499
  • g.­500
  • g.­527
  • g.­533
  • g.­547
  • g.­551
  • g.­557
  • g.­559
  • g.­560
  • g.­562
  • g.­576
  • g.­583
  • g.­587
  • g.­588
  • g.­605
  • g.­609
  • g.­610
  • g.­615
  • g.­616
  • g.­619
  • g.­622
  • g.­630
  • g.­632
  • g.­633
  • g.­641
  • g.­655
  • g.­657
  • g.­681
  • g.­689
  • g.­691
  • g.­702
  • g.­727
  • g.­738
  • g.­742
  • g.­754
  • g.­772
g.­591

Śiva

Wylie:
  • gu lang
Tibetan:
  • གུ་ལང་།
Sanskrit:
  • śiva

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

Located in 5 passages in the translation:

  • 8.­8
  • g.­269
  • g.­286
  • g.­354
  • g.­523
g.­594

skillful means

Wylie:
  • thabs
Tibetan:
  • ཐབས།
Sanskrit:
  • upāya

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

The concept of skillful or expedient means is central to the understanding of the Buddha’s enlightened deeds and the many scriptures that are revealed contingent on the needs, interests, and mental dispositions of specific types of individuals. It is, therefore, equated with compassion and the form body of the buddhas, the rūpakāya.

According to the Great Vehicle, training in skillful means collectively denotes the first five of the six perfections when integrated with wisdom, the sixth perfection. It is therefore paired with wisdom (prajñā), forming the two indispensable aspects of the path. It is also the seventh of the ten perfections. (Provisional 84000 definition. New definition forthcoming.)

Located in 8 passages in the translation:

  • 2.­1
  • 2.­4-5
  • 4.­29
  • 12.­5
  • 13.­143-144
  • 23.­55
g.­598

Śrāvastī

Wylie:
  • mnyan yod
Tibetan:
  • མཉན་ཡོད།
Sanskrit:
  • śrāvastī

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

During the life of the Buddha, Śrāvastī was the capital city of the powerful kingdom of Kośala, ruled by King Prasenajit, who became a follower and patron of the Buddha. It was also the hometown of Anāthapiṇḍada, the wealthy patron who first invited the Buddha there, and then offered him a park known as Jetavana, Prince Jeta’s Grove, which became one of the first Buddhist monasteries. The Buddha is said to have spent about twenty-five rainy seasons with his disciples in Śrāvastī, thus it is named as the setting of numerous events and teachings. It is located in present-day Uttar Pradesh in northern India.

Located in 44 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­2
  • 1.­4
  • g.­10
  • g.­17
  • g.­19
  • g.­25
  • g.­52
  • g.­64
  • g.­70
  • g.­117
  • g.­131
  • g.­209
  • g.­211
  • g.­289
  • g.­298
  • g.­302
  • g.­306
  • g.­338
  • g.­340
  • g.­341
  • g.­342
  • g.­343
  • g.­344
  • g.­346
  • g.­359
  • g.­400
  • g.­407
  • g.­411
  • g.­424
  • g.­465
  • g.­468
  • g.­478
  • g.­479
  • g.­490
  • g.­516
  • g.­578
  • g.­585
  • g.­608
  • g.­612
  • g.­654
  • g.­700
  • g.­715
  • g.­739
  • g.­770
g.­604

starlight

Wylie:
  • skar ma’i ’od zer
Tibetan:
  • སྐར་མའི་འོད་ཟེར།
Sanskrit:
  • nakṣatrajyotis

A type of precious jewels offered by the great king Kubera.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 15.­105
g.­608

Subāhu

Wylie:
  • lag bzangs
Tibetan:
  • ལག་བཟངས།
Sanskrit:
  • subāhu

One of the monks attending this teaching in Śrāvastī, at Jeta’s Grove.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­2
g.­612

Subhūti

Wylie:
  • rab ’byor
Tibetan:
  • རབ་འབྱོར།
Sanskrit:
  • subhūti

One of the monks attending this teaching in Śrāvastī, at Jeta’s Grove.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­2
g.­619

Śuddhodana

Wylie:
  • zas gtsang ma
Tibetan:
  • ཟས་གཙང་མ།
Sanskrit:
  • śuddhodana

The king of the Śākyas, father of Prince Siddhārtha.

Located in 95 passages in the translation:

  • 3.­34-36
  • 3.­40
  • 3.­43
  • 3.­49
  • 5.­8
  • 5.­10-14
  • 5.­64
  • 6.­6-7
  • 6.­9
  • 6.­20
  • 6.­22
  • 6.­24-27
  • 6.­30
  • 6.­60
  • 7.­1
  • 7.­3-4
  • 7.­25
  • 7.­65-66
  • 7.­71-72
  • 7.­74
  • 7.­88-94
  • 7.­104-105
  • 7.­111
  • 7.­127-128
  • 8.­1-3
  • 8.­7-8
  • 9.­1-2
  • 10.­1-2
  • 10.­8
  • 11.­15
  • 11.­18
  • 11.­31-32
  • 12.­1-2
  • 12.­16
  • 12.­19
  • 12.­21-22
  • 12.­25-26
  • 12.­31
  • 12.­38
  • 12.­61
  • 12.­64
  • 12.­66
  • 12.­79
  • 13.­180
  • 14.­1-3
  • 14.­5-6
  • 14.­27
  • 15.­1
  • 15.­12-13
  • 15.­61
  • 15.­157
  • 16.­1
  • 16.­35
  • 17.­44
  • 21.­3
  • g.­1
  • g.­206
  • g.­371
  • g.­575
  • g.­685
  • g.­686
g.­629

Sunanda

Wylie:
  • shin tu dga’ bo
Tibetan:
  • ཤིན་ཏུ་དགའ་བོ།
Sanskrit:
  • sunanda

One of the gods of the pure realms.

Located in 4 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­13
  • 1.­18
  • 1.­23
  • 27.­1
g.­636

sunstone gem

Wylie:
  • nor bu rin po che me shel
Tibetan:
  • ནོར་བུ་རིན་པོ་ཆེ་མེ་ཤེལ།
Sanskrit:
  • sūryakānta

The sunstone is supposed to give out heat when exposed to the sun.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 15.­27
g.­646

Sūrya

Wylie:
  • nyi ma
Tibetan:
  • ཉི་མ།
Sanskrit:
  • sūrya

The god of the sun; the sun personified.

Located in 7 passages in the translation:

  • 8.­4
  • 8.­8
  • 15.­53
  • 15.­114
  • 16.­15
  • 19.­14
  • g.­6
g.­654

Svāgata

Wylie:
  • legs ’ongs
Tibetan:
  • ལེགས་འོངས།
Sanskrit:
  • svāgata

One of the monks attending this teaching in Śrāvastī, at Jeta’s Grove.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­2
g.­657

Śvetaketu

Wylie:
  • tog dkar po
Tibetan:
  • ཏོག་དཀར་པོ།
Sanskrit:
  • śvetaketu

The name of the Bodhisattva during his life in the heaven of Heaven of Joy. This was the last rebirth of the Buddha before taking birth as Prince Siddhārtha.

Located in 3 passages in the translation:

  • 2.­12
  • g.­84
  • g.­241
g.­663

ten powers

Wylie:
  • stobs bcu
Tibetan:
  • སྟོབས་བཅུ།
Sanskrit:
  • daśabala

One set among the different qualities of a buddha. The ten strengths are (1) the knowledge of what is possible and not possible; (2) the knowledge of the ripening of karma; (3) the knowledge of the variety of aspirations; (4) the knowledge of the variety of natures; (5) the knowledge of the different levels of capabilities; (6) the knowledge of the destinations of all paths; (7) the knowledge of various states of meditation; (8) the knowledge of remembering previous lives; (9) the knowledge of deaths and rebirths; and (10) the knowledge of the cessation of defilements.

Located in 35 passages in the translation:

  • i.­2
  • 1.­15
  • 2.­6
  • 4.­30
  • 5.­45
  • 13.­3
  • 13.­32
  • 19.­11
  • 21.­149
  • 21.­151
  • 21.­172
  • 21.­183
  • 21.­240
  • 22.­43
  • 22.­71
  • 23.­33
  • 23.­55
  • 24.­7
  • 24.­10
  • 24.­13
  • 24.­63-67
  • 24.­69
  • 24.­73
  • 26.­1
  • 26.­98-99
  • 26.­134
  • 26.­141
  • 26.­177
  • 26.­239
  • n.­26
g.­665

thirty-seven factors of awakening

Wylie:
  • byang chub kyi phyogs kyi chos sum cu rtsa bdun
Tibetan:
  • བྱང་ཆུབ་ཀྱི་ཕྱོགས་ཀྱི་ཆོས་སུམ་ཅུ་རྩ་བདུན།
Sanskrit:
  • sapta­triṃśad­bodhi­pakṣa­dharma

Thirty-seven practices that lead the practitioner to the awakened state: the four applications of mindfulness, the four thorough relinquishments, the four bases of miraculous power, the five faculties, the five powers, the eightfold path, and the seven branches of awakening.

Located in 3 passages in the translation:

  • 2.­6
  • g.­34
  • g.­179
g.­667

thorough relinquishments

Wylie:
  • yang dag par spong ba
Tibetan:
  • ཡང་དག་པར་སྤོང་བ།
Sanskrit:
  • samyakprahāṇa

Relinquishing negative acts in the present and the future, and enhancing positive acts in the present and the future.

Located in 6 passages in the translation:

  • 2.­1
  • 2.­4
  • 4.­22
  • 13.­153
  • 13.­165
  • g.­665
g.­668

three gateways to liberation

Wylie:
  • rnam thar sgo gsum
Tibetan:
  • རྣམ་ཐར་སྒོ་གསུམ།
Sanskrit:
  • trivimokṣadvāra

Emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness.

Located in 3 passages in the translation:

  • 2.­6
  • 13.­154
  • 15.­31
g.­673

three-stringed lute

Wylie:
  • rgyud gsum pa
Tibetan:
  • རྒྱུད་གསུམ་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • vallakī

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 5.­13
  • 15.­39
g.­674

thus-gone one

Wylie:
  • de bzhin gshegs pa
Tibetan:
  • དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • tathāgata

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

A frequently used synonym for buddha. According to different explanations, it can be read as tathā-gata, literally meaning “one who has thus gone,” or as tathā-āgata, “one who has thus come.” Gata, though literally meaning “gone,” is a past passive participle used to describe a state or condition of existence. Tatha­(tā), often rendered as “suchness” or “thusness,” is the quality or condition of things as they really are, which cannot be conveyed in conceptual, dualistic terms. Therefore, this epithet is interpreted in different ways, but in general it implies one who has departed in the wake of the buddhas of the past, or one who has manifested the supreme awakening dependent on the reality that does not abide in the two extremes of existence and quiescence. It is also often used as a specific epithet of the Buddha Śākyamuni.

Located in 256 passages in the translation:

  • i.­2
  • i.­8
  • i.­13
  • 1.­6
  • 1.­15
  • 1.­28
  • 4.­30
  • 5.­47
  • 6.­34-35
  • 6.­39-40
  • 6.­44
  • 7.­38
  • 7.­40
  • 7.­44-49
  • 7.­91
  • 7.­95
  • 12.­1
  • 12.­40
  • 13.­3
  • 13.­12
  • 13.­48
  • 13.­102
  • 13.­147
  • 19.­9
  • 19.­67
  • 20.­2
  • 20.­5
  • 20.­7
  • 20.­9
  • 20.­11
  • 20.­13
  • 20.­15
  • 20.­17
  • 20.­19
  • 20.­21
  • 22.­33-36
  • 22.­43-44
  • 22.­67
  • 22.­69
  • 23.­1
  • 23.­12-13
  • 23.­17-18
  • 23.­23-24
  • 23.­29-30
  • 23.­35-36
  • 23.­41-42
  • 23.­45-47
  • 23.­51-52
  • 23.­57-58
  • 23.­63-64
  • 23.­69-70
  • 23.­75
  • 24.­1-4
  • 24.­76-77
  • 24.­82
  • 24.­86-87
  • 24.­89-92
  • 24.­94-95
  • 24.­97-99
  • 24.­103-108
  • 24.­118-119
  • 24.­127
  • 25.­1
  • 25.­11-13
  • 25.­22-28
  • 25.­31
  • 25.­33
  • 25.­46-50
  • 25.­52-55
  • 26.­1
  • 26.­3-4
  • 26.­6-14
  • 26.­16-19
  • 26.­21-23
  • 26.­26-28
  • 26.­39
  • 26.­42-44
  • 26.­47
  • 26.­53-56
  • 26.­59
  • 26.­61
  • 26.­90
  • 26.­98
  • 26.­102
  • 26.­107
  • 26.­109
  • 26.­113-114
  • 26.­153
  • 26.­157-160
  • 26.­164
  • 26.­167
  • 26.­171
  • 26.­173
  • 26.­175
  • 26.­177
  • 26.­217
  • 26.­240
  • 27.­1-2
  • 27.­9
  • 27.­12-14
  • 27.­18
  • 27.­22
  • c.­1
  • n.­26-27
  • g.­11
  • g.­16
  • g.­38
  • g.­72
  • g.­96
  • g.­98
  • g.­102
  • g.­136
  • g.­139
  • g.­160
  • g.­161
  • g.­200
  • g.­203
  • g.­225
  • g.­226
  • g.­228
  • g.­229
  • g.­250
  • g.­251
  • g.­264
  • g.­265
  • g.­281
  • g.­283
  • g.­318
  • g.­326
  • g.­347
  • g.­350
  • g.­353
  • g.­372
  • g.­373
  • g.­375
  • g.­402
  • g.­403
  • g.­422
  • g.­431
  • g.­434
  • g.­435
  • g.­484
  • g.­487
  • g.­497
  • g.­501
  • g.­502
  • g.­504
  • g.­506
  • g.­507
  • g.­508
  • g.­509
  • g.­510
  • g.­511
  • g.­515
  • g.­528
  • g.­537
  • g.­539
  • g.­542
  • g.­544
  • g.­555
  • g.­564
  • g.­582
  • g.­586
  • g.­627
  • g.­647
  • g.­648
  • g.­661
  • g.­675
  • g.­709
  • g.­740
  • g.­743
  • g.­757
g.­676

tranquility

Wylie:
  • zhi gnas
Tibetan:
  • ཞི་གནས།
Sanskrit:
  • śamatha

One of the basic forms of Buddhist meditation, which focuses on calming the mind. Often presented as part of a pair of meditation techniques, with the other technique being “insight” (vipaśyanā). Also rendered here as “calm abiding.”

Located in 13 passages in the translation:

  • 2.­6
  • 2.­17
  • 13.­154
  • 13.­166
  • 15.­33
  • 24.­38
  • 25.­2
  • 25.­23
  • 25.­28
  • 25.­57
  • 26.­130
  • 26.­140
  • g.­267
g.­679

trillion

Wylie:
  • bye ba khrag khrig brgya stong
Tibetan:
  • བྱེ་བ་ཁྲག་ཁྲིག་བརྒྱ་སྟོང་།
Sanskrit:
  • koṭi­niyuta­śata­sahasra

Located in 36 passages in the translation:

  • 5.­11
  • 5.­62
  • 5.­83
  • 5.­97-98
  • 6.­37
  • 6.­39
  • 7.­36
  • 7.­49
  • 7.­86
  • 7.­112
  • 7.­126
  • 11.­33
  • 12.­6
  • 15.­59
  • 15.­102-105
  • 16.­6
  • 18.­38
  • 18.­46
  • 19.­7
  • 19.­14
  • 19.­58
  • 19.­81
  • 20.­6
  • 21.­20
  • 21.­100
  • 21.­110
  • 22.­7
  • 23.­18
  • 23.­26
  • 23.­28
  • 25.­56
  • 26.­81
g.­684

Uccadhvaja

Wylie:
  • rgyal mtshan mthon po
Tibetan:
  • རྒྱལ་མཚན་མཐོན་པོ།
Sanskrit:
  • uccadhvaja

A palace in the Heaven of Joy, where the Bodhisattva taught the Dharma to gods of that heaven.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 4.­1
g.­685

Udayana

Wylie:
  • ’char po
Tibetan:
  • འཆར་པོ།
Sanskrit:
  • udayana

The chief priest of King Śuddhodana.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 9.­1
  • g.­686
g.­686

Udāyin

Wylie:
  • ’char ’gro
Tibetan:
  • འཆར་འགྲོ།
Sanskrit:
  • udāyin

Son of Udayana, the chief priest of King Śuddhodana in Kapilavastu, the Buddha’s home town. Also called Kālodāyin (Black Udāyin) because of his dark skin. He and his wife Guptā became monk and nun. He became an arhat who was a skilled teacher. However, he also figures prominently in accounts of inappropriate sexual behavior that instigated vinaya rules. He and Guptā are also said to have conceived a son after their ordination.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 9.­1
g.­693

universal monarch

Wylie:
  • khor los sgyur ba’i rgyal po
Tibetan:
  • ཁོར་ལོས་སྒྱུར་བའི་རྒྱལ་པོ།
Sanskrit:
  • cakravartin

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

An ideal monarch or emperor who, as the result of the merit accumulated in previous lifetimes, rules over a vast realm in accordance with the Dharma. Such a monarch is called a cakravartin because he bears a wheel (cakra) that rolls (vartate) across the earth, bringing all lands and kingdoms under his power. The cakravartin conquers his territory without causing harm, and his activity causes beings to enter the path of wholesome actions. According to Vasubandhu’s Abhidharmakośa, just as with the buddhas, only one cakravartin appears in a world system at any given time. They are likewise endowed with the thirty-two major marks of a great being (mahāpuruṣalakṣaṇa), but a cakravartin’s marks are outshined by those of a buddha. They possess seven precious objects: the wheel, the elephant, the horse, the wish-fulfilling gem, the queen, the general, and the minister. An illustrative passage about the cakravartin and his possessions can be found in The Play in Full (Toh 95), 3.3–3.13.

Vasubandhu lists four types of cakravartins: (1) the cakravartin with a golden wheel (suvarṇacakravartin) rules over four continents and is invited by lesser kings to be their ruler; (2) the cakravartin with a silver wheel (rūpyacakravartin) rules over three continents and his opponents submit to him as he approaches; (3) the cakravartin with a copper wheel (tāmracakravartin) rules over two continents and his opponents submit themselves after preparing for battle; and (4) the cakravartin with an iron wheel (ayaścakravartin) rules over one continent and his opponents submit themselves after brandishing weapons.

Located in 40 passages in the translation:

  • 2.­9
  • 3.­2-4
  • 3.­6-13
  • 3.­31
  • 3.­34
  • 5.­40
  • 5.­101
  • 6.­17
  • 7.­65
  • 7.­90-91
  • 7.­95
  • 7.­99
  • 7.­120
  • 7.­122
  • 11.­6
  • 12.­1
  • 15.­62
  • 15.­74
  • 15.­88
  • 15.­135
  • 17.­31
  • 18.­29-30
  • 21.­62
  • 21.­106
  • 27.­5
  • 27.­9
  • g.­62
  • g.­171
  • g.­666
g.­696

Upananda

Wylie:
  • nye dga’ bu
Tibetan:
  • ཉེ་དགའ་བུ།
Sanskrit:
  • upananda

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

One of eight mythological nāga kings. The story of the two nāga kings Upananda and Nanda and their taming by the Buddha and Maudgalyāyana is told in the Vinayavibhaṅga (Toh 3, Degé vol. 6, ’dul ba, ja, F.221.a–224.a).

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 7.­29
  • 15.­28
g.­699

Urubilvā

Wylie:
  • lteng rgyas
Tibetan:
  • ལྟེང་རྒྱས།
Sanskrit:
  • urubilvā

Known in Pali as Uruvela, Urubilvā is another name for Gayā. The Buddha inspired a group of one thousand dreadlocked ascetics to join his order of monks and ordained them there. Also spelled Uruvilvā.

Located in 6 passages in the translation:

  • 17.­12
  • 18.­2
  • 18.­33
  • 18.­38
  • g.­412
  • g.­571
g.­700

Urubilvā Kāśyapa

Wylie:
  • lteng rgyas ’od srung
Tibetan:
  • ལྟེང་རྒྱས་འོད་སྲུང་།
Sanskrit:
  • urubilvā kāśyapa

One of the monks attending this teaching in Śrāvastī, at Jeta’s Grove.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­2
g.­708

Vaijayanta

Wylie:
  • rnam par rgyal ba
Tibetan:
  • རྣམ་པར་རྒྱལ་བ།
Sanskrit:
  • vaijayanta

The palace of Śakra, an epithet for the god Indra, in the Heaven of the Thirty-Three.

Located in 3 passages in the translation:

  • 6.­23
  • 15.­66
  • 15.­75
g.­712

Vaiśravaṇa

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

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

Located in 19 passages in the translation:

  • 5.­4
  • 8.­4
  • 8.­8
  • 11.­6-8
  • 15.­25
  • 16.­6
  • 17.­18
  • 21.­7
  • 24.­97
  • 24.­99
  • 24.­104-105
  • 26.­136
  • g.­5
  • g.­223
  • g.­312
  • g.­437
g.­715

Vakkula

Wylie:
  • ba ku la
Tibetan:
  • བ་ཀུ་ལ།
Sanskrit:
  • vakkula

One of the monks attending this teaching in Śrāvastī, at Jeta’s Grove.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­2
g.­720

Vārāṇasī

Wylie:
  • bA rA Na sI
Tibetan:
  • བཱ་རཱ་ཎ་སཱི།
Sanskrit:
  • vārāṇasī

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

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

Located in 18 passages in the translation:

  • i.­10
  • 3.­15
  • 18.­27
  • 25.­54
  • 25.­56
  • 26.­8
  • 26.­14-16
  • 26.­19
  • 26.­34
  • 26.­36
  • 26.­43
  • 26.­98
  • g.­122
  • g.­254
  • g.­293
  • g.­392
g.­722

Varuṇa

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

The name of the deity of water, whose weapon is a noose. In the Vedas, Varuṇa is an important deity and in particular the deity of the sky, but in later Indian tradition he is the deity of water and the underworld. The Tibetan does not attempt to translate his name but instead has “god of water.” The Sanskrit name has ancient pre-Sanskrit origins, and, as he was originally the god of the sky, is related to the root vṛ, meaning “enveloping” or “covering.” He has the same ancient origins as the ancient Greek sky deity Uranus and the Zoroastrian supreme deity Mazda.

Located in 3 passages in the translation:

  • 15.­28
  • 15.­110
  • 17.­18
g.­731

venerable

Wylie:
  • tshe dang ldan pa
Tibetan:
  • ཚེ་དང་ལྡན་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • āyuṣmat

Literally “long-lived.” A title referring to an ordained monk.

Located in 22 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­2
  • 6.­34
  • 6.­61
  • 7.­38
  • 7.­43
  • 13.­40
  • 24.­124
  • 25.­24
  • 25.­26
  • 25.­50
  • 25.­52-53
  • 26.­10
  • 26.­14
  • 26.­18
  • 26.­20-23
  • 26.­25
  • 26.­216
  • 27.­14
g.­733

Victorious One

Wylie:
  • rgyal ba
Tibetan:
  • རྒྱལ་བ།
Sanskrit:
  • jina

An epithet of the Buddha.

Located in 52 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­25
  • 5.­75
  • 7.­26
  • 12.­50
  • 13.­14
  • 13.­18
  • 13.­20
  • 13.­29-33
  • 13.­43-44
  • 13.­58-59
  • 13.­190
  • 15.­112
  • 15.­199
  • 18.­49
  • 19.­78
  • 20.­22
  • 20.­35
  • 21.­13
  • 21.­143
  • 21.­157
  • 21.­171
  • 22.­57
  • 22.­63
  • 22.­72
  • 23.­38
  • 24.­7
  • 24.­13
  • 24.­58
  • 24.­75
  • 24.­100
  • 24.­113
  • 24.­116
  • 24.­137
  • 24.­171-173
  • 25.­5
  • 25.­7
  • 25.­39
  • 26.­13
  • 26.­45
  • 26.­51
  • 26.­57-58
  • 26.­99
  • 26.­233
g.­734

victory banner

Wylie:
  • rgyal mtshan
Tibetan:
  • རྒྱལ་མཚན།
Sanskrit:
  • dhvaja

One of the eight auspicious symbols, often in the form of a roof-top ornament, representing the Buddha’s victory over malign forces.

Located in 11 passages in the translation:

  • 2.­33
  • 3.­7-9
  • 7.­65
  • 7.­87
  • 8.­7
  • 15.­52
  • 15.­106
  • 21.­112
  • 26.­44
g.­739

Vimala

Wylie:
  • dri ma med pa
Tibetan:
  • དྲི་མ་མེད་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • vimala

One of the monks attending this teaching in Śrāvastī, at Jeta’s Grove.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­2
g.­744

Vinīteśvara

Wylie:
  • dul ba’i dbang phyug
Tibetan:
  • དུལ་བའི་དབང་ཕྱུག
Sanskrit:
  • vinīteśvara

A god.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­18
  • 27.­1
g.­747

Virūḍhaka

Wylie:
  • ’phags skyes po
Tibetan:
  • འཕགས་སྐྱེས་པོ།
Sanskrit:
  • virūḍhaka

One of the Four Great Kings, he is the guardian of the southern direction and the lord of the kumbhāṇḍas.

Located in 6 passages in the translation:

  • 15.­103
  • 21.­7
  • 24.­106-107
  • 24.­142
  • g.­223
g.­748

Virūpākṣa

Wylie:
  • mig mi bzang
Tibetan:
  • མིག་མི་བཟང་།
Sanskrit:
  • virūpākṣa

One of the Four Great Kings, he is the guardian of the western direction and traditionally the lord of the nāgas.

Located in 6 passages in the translation:

  • 15.­104
  • 21.­7
  • 24.­107-108
  • 24.­151
  • g.­223
g.­749

Viśākhā

Wylie:
  • skar ma sa ga
Tibetan:
  • སྐར་མ་ས་ག
Sanskrit:
  • viśākhā

The southwestern constellation symbolizing earth.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 6.­1
  • 24.­140
g.­756

Vyūhamati

Wylie:
  • bkod pa’i blo gros
Tibetan:
  • བཀོད་པའི་བློ་གྲོས།
Sanskrit:
  • vyūhamati

A god.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 15.­27
g.­759

well-gone one

Wylie:
  • bde bar gshegs pa
Tibetan:
  • བདེ་བར་གཤེགས་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • sugata

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

One of the standard epithets of the buddhas. A recurrent explanation offers three different meanings for su- that are meant to show the special qualities of “accomplishment of one’s own purpose” (svārthasampad) for a complete buddha. Thus, the Sugata is “well” gone, as in the expression su-rūpa (“having a good form”); he is gone “in a way that he shall not come back,” as in the expression su-naṣṭa-jvara (“a fever that has utterly gone”); and he has gone “without any remainder” as in the expression su-pūrṇa-ghaṭa (“a pot that is completely full”). According to Buddhaghoṣa, the term means that the way the Buddha went (Skt. gata) is good (Skt. su) and where he went (Skt. gata) is good (Skt. su).

Located in 27 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­5
  • 5.­61
  • 5.­92
  • 5.­94
  • 6.­35-36
  • 6.­61
  • 11.­30
  • 11.­35
  • 13.­24
  • 15.­213
  • 20.­25
  • 21.­104
  • 21.­149
  • 21.­162
  • 21.­213
  • 22.­68
  • 24.­5
  • 24.­77
  • 24.­81
  • 24.­86
  • 24.­104
  • 25.­13
  • 26.­4
  • 26.­6
  • 26.­44
  • 26.­47
g.­760

whooper swan

Wylie:
  • ngang skya
Tibetan:
  • ངང་སྐྱ།
Sanskrit:
  • dhārtarāṣṭra

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 15.­65
g.­762

wisdom

Wylie:
  • ye shes
Tibetan:
  • ཡེ་ཤེས།
Sanskrit:
  • jñāna

Located in 133 passages in the translation:

  • i.­14
  • 1.­6-8
  • 1.­12
  • 2.­1-2
  • 2.­4-6
  • 2.­8
  • 2.­10
  • 2.­32
  • 4.­16
  • 4.­21
  • 4.­23
  • 4.­30
  • 4.­34
  • 4.­47
  • 4.­54
  • 5.­45
  • 6.­9
  • 7.­127
  • 7.­148
  • 8.­9
  • 10.­23
  • 12.­37
  • 13.­4
  • 13.­13
  • 13.­20
  • 13.­27
  • 13.­52
  • 13.­151
  • 13.­154
  • 13.­159
  • 13.­183
  • 15.­24
  • 15.­31
  • 15.­191
  • 17.­4-5
  • 17.­8-11
  • 17.­23
  • 17.­44
  • 18.­27
  • 18.­43
  • 19.­4
  • 19.­21
  • 19.­46
  • 20.­4
  • 20.­10
  • 21.­103
  • 21.­133-134
  • 21.­140-141
  • 21.­229
  • 22.­3
  • 22.­6
  • 22.­22
  • 22.­25
  • 22.­32
  • 22.­38
  • 22.­49
  • 23.­19
  • 23.­39
  • 23.­41
  • 23.­53-54
  • 24.­16-19
  • 24.­27-28
  • 24.­30-31
  • 24.­33-35
  • 24.­37
  • 24.­50
  • 24.­69
  • 25.­14
  • 25.­48
  • 26.­20
  • 26.­25
  • 26.­48
  • 26.­52
  • 26.­67-80
  • 26.­103-104
  • 26.­117
  • 26.­120-121
  • 26.­126
  • 26.­129
  • 26.­134-135
  • 26.­137
  • 26.­139
  • 26.­142-143
  • 26.­145-146
  • 26.­203
  • 26.­205-207
  • 26.­228
  • 26.­236-237
  • 26.­241
  • 27.­8
  • 27.­13
  • g.­188
  • g.­592
g.­763

womb

Wylie:
  • rum
Tibetan:
  • རུམ།
Sanskrit:
  • garbha
  • yoni

Located in 52 passages in the translation:

  • i.­2
  • 1.­14
  • 3.­2
  • 3.­14
  • 3.­17
  • 3.­21
  • 3.­32-33
  • 4.­34
  • 5.­3
  • 5.­5
  • 5.­31
  • 5.­54
  • 5.­58
  • 6.­2-4
  • 6.­9
  • 6.­11
  • 6.­16
  • 6.­31
  • 6.­33-36
  • 6.­43
  • 6.­46-50
  • 6.­52-53
  • 6.­57
  • 6.­59-62
  • 6.­70-71
  • 6.­77
  • 7.­27-28
  • 7.­39-40
  • 17.­34
  • 26.­31
  • g.­147
  • g.­457
  • g.­547
  • g.­687
  • g.­702
g.­764

wood kettledrum

Wylie:
  • khar rnga
Tibetan:
  • ཁར་རྔ།
Sanskrit:
  • mṛdaṅga

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 15.­67
g.­765

worthy one

Wylie:
  • dgra bcom pa
Tibetan:
  • དགྲ་བཅོམ་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • arhat

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

According to Buddhist tradition, one who is worthy of worship (pūjām arhati), or one who has conquered the enemies, the mental afflictions (kleśa-ari-hata-vat), and reached liberation from the cycle of rebirth and suffering. It is the fourth and highest of the four fruits attainable by śrāvakas. Also used as an epithet of the Buddha.

Located in 31 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­5
  • 1.­15
  • 7.­40
  • 7.­48-49
  • 7.­91
  • 12.­1
  • 17.­26
  • 19.­54
  • 19.­57
  • 21.­13
  • 21.­149
  • 24.­70
  • 24.­81
  • 24.­137
  • 24.­169
  • 25.­12
  • 25.­24
  • 26.­12
  • 26.­27
  • 26.­54
  • 26.­102
  • 26.­158
  • 26.­162
  • 26.­164
  • 26.­174-175
  • 26.­216
  • 27.­9
  • 27.­15
  • 27.­18
g.­766

yakṣa

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

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

A class of nonhuman beings who inhabit forests, mountainous areas, and other natural spaces, or serve as guardians of villages and towns, and may be propitiated for health, wealth, protection, and other boons, or controlled through magic. According to tradition, their homeland is in the north, where they live under the rule of the Great King Vaiśravaṇa.

Several members of this class have been deified as gods of wealth (these include the just-mentioned Vaiśravaṇa) or as bodhisattva generals of yakṣa armies, and have entered the Buddhist pantheon in a variety of forms, including, in tantric Buddhism, those of wrathful deities.

Located in 53 passages in the translation:

  • 2.­3
  • 2.­19
  • 5.­81
  • 5.­102
  • 6.­47
  • 6.­50
  • 6.­52
  • 6.­58
  • 10.­1
  • 10.­9
  • 11.­4-5
  • 13.­1
  • 13.­5
  • 13.­184
  • 15.­23-24
  • 15.­28
  • 15.­53
  • 15.­105
  • 15.­150
  • 15.­210
  • 17.­18
  • 17.­48
  • 17.­74
  • 19.­22
  • 19.­39
  • 19.­50
  • 20.­7
  • 20.­12
  • 20.­21
  • 21.­7
  • 21.­27
  • 21.­89
  • 21.­173
  • 21.­213
  • 21.­224
  • 21.­232
  • 24.­2
  • 24.­160
  • 24.­164
  • 24.­169-170
  • 25.­20
  • 26.­212
  • 26.­215
  • 27.­11
  • g.­5
  • g.­224
  • g.­312
  • g.­363
  • g.­437
  • g.­712
g.­770

Yaśodeva

Wylie:
  • grags sbyin
Tibetan:
  • གྲགས་སྦྱིན།
Sanskrit:
  • yaśodeva

One of the monks attending this teaching in Śrāvastī, at Jeta’s Grove.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­2
g.­772

Yaśovatī

Wylie:
  • grags ldan
Tibetan:
  • གྲགས་ལྡན།
Sanskrit:
  • yaśovatī

One of the ten thousand girls who were born at the time of Prince Siddhārtha’s birth.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 7.­71
  • 15.­124
g.­773

Yeshé Dé

Wylie:
  • ye shes sde
Tibetan:
  • ཡེ་ཤེས་སྡེ།
Sanskrit:
  • —

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

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.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • c.­2
  • g.­118
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    84000. (2025) The Play in Full (Lalita­vistara, rgya cher rol pa, Toh 95). (Dharmachakra Translation Committee, Trans.). Online publication. 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha. https://84000.co/translation/toh95/UT22084-046-001-chapter-15.Copy

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