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རྒྱ་ཆེར་རོལ་པ།

The Play in Full
Conquering Māra

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!”


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.”

21.­2

Monks, as soon as the Bodhisattva had this thought, a light known as the light which conquers all demonic congregations was emitted from the hair between his eyebrows. The light illuminated all demonic abodes in the entire great trichiliocosm, making them dark by comparison and causing them to shake. In fact the entire great trichiliocosm was bathed in an immense light.

21.­3

From this light a voice called out to Māra, the evil one:

“Here is a pure being who has acted well for many eons.
As Śuddhodana’s son he abandoned his kingdom;
He appeared as a benefactor seeking immortality.
He has arrived at the Bodhi tree, so you should now make an effort!
21.­4
“Himself having crossed, he causes others to cross;
Himself liberated, he also liberates others.
Having found relief, he gives relief to others;
Having passed beyond suffering, he will cause others to transcend suffering.
21.­5
“He will empty the three lower realms totally,
And fill the city of gods and humans. [301]
He, the Benefactor, will attain immortality,
And bestow absorptions, higher knowledge, immortality, and happiness.
21.­6
“He will empty your city, O evil kinsman;
With your army powerless, you will be without an army and without allies.
When the Self-Arisen One, by his nature, pours down the rain of Dharma,
You will not know what to do or where to go.”
21.­7

Monks, Māra, the evil one, was aroused by these verses and had a dream with thirty-two omens. [F.148.a] What are these thirty-two? They are as follows:

1. He saw his abode being filled with darkness.

2. The abode was filled with dust, and rough with scattered pebbles.

3. Startled with fear and terror, he fled in the ten directions.

4. He lost his diadem and his earrings fell off.

5. His lips, throat, and mouth dried out.

6. His heart was beating fast.

7. The leaves, flowers, and fruits in his parks withered.

8. His lotus ponds were emptied of water and dried out.

9. All birds, such as swans, cranes, peacocks, cuckoos, kunālas, the two-headed pheasants, and so forth, had broken wings.

10. All his musical instruments‍—such as his drum, conch, clay drum, hand drum, tambour, lute, harp, cymbals, and tambourines‍—broke, fell into pieces, then into shreds, and fell on the ground.

11. His beloved kinfolk and retinue abandoned him, their faces cast down, while he stood aside and brooded.

12. His chief queen, Māriṇī, fell from her bed onto the ground and started beating her head with her fists.

13. Those among his sons who were the most diligent, powerful, glorious, and intelligent prostrated to the Bodhisattva, who was sitting at the supremely sacred seat of awakening.

14. His daughters wailed and cried out, “Oh no, father, oh no, father!” [302]

15. He was dressed in stained clothes.

16. With his head covered in dust and his face colorless and pale, he beheld himself as devoid of any vital force.

17. His palace with its corridors, skylights, and porticoes became covered in dust and crumbled down. [F.148.b]

18. All his generals from the realms of the yakṣas, rākṣasas, kumbhāṇḍas, and gandharvas placed their hands on their heads and fled while crying and wailing.

19. Whatever divine regents there are among the gods in the desire realm‍—Dhṛtarāṣṭra, Virūḍhaka, Virūpākṣa, Vaiśravaṇa, Śakra, Suyāma, Santuṣita, Sunirmāṇarati, Vaśavartin, and so forth‍—Māra, the evil one, saw all of them eagerly listening to the Bodhisattva with their faces turned toward him.

20. In the midst of battle, his sword could not be pulled from its sheath, and he himself was unwell and wailing.

21. His retinue abandoned him.

22. His vases full of auspicious items fell into a hole.

23. The priest Nārada pronounced a curse.

24. The gatekeeper Ānandita cried out in distress.

25. The canopy of the sky became covered in darkness.

26. The goddess Śrī, who lives in the desire realm, began to weep.

27. His faculties became ineffectual.

28. He lost his allies.

29. His lattices of jewels and pearls became silent, fell apart, tore, and fell down.

30. His whole dwelling swayed.

31. The trees and the turrets of his buildings tore and fell over.

32. The entire army of Māra was felled in a confrontation.

Monks, such were the thirty-two omens in the dream of Māra, the evil one.

21.­8

When Māra awoke from this dream, he was so terrified that he gathered all his family members. When he saw that they had gathered along with his armies, his retinue, his generals, and his gatekeepers, he addressed them with these verses:

21.­9
When Māra saw these omens, he became worried.
He summoned [303] the demon captain Siṃhahanu
And his sons and his retinue.
The evil kinsman then conferred with all of them: [F.149.a]
21.­10
“Today I heard these verses sung from the sky:
‘A being was born among the Śākyas adorned with perfect marks.
He practiced severe austerities for six years, and now has arrived at the Bodhi tree.’
You must make great effort!
21.­11
“If the Bodhisattva becomes awakened, all by himself
He will awaken billions of beings.
When he attains immortality and reaches the cool state,
He will empty all our abodes.
21.­12
“Come on! Let us advance with a great army!
We shall destroy that monk, alone at the king of trees.
Quick, mobilize the four army divisions!
If you wish to please me, do not delay this.
21.­13
“Although the world may be full of worthy ones and solitary buddhas,
My force will remain unharmed when they pass beyond suffering.
Yet if he alone becomes a victorious one and a Dharma king,
He would never allow the line of uncountable victorious ones to be broken.”
21.­14

Monks, at that point the son of Māra, the evil one, who was named Sārthavāha, addressed his father in these verses:

“Father, why is your face so sad and pale?
Your heart is thumping and your every limb is shaking. [304]
Come now, tell me quick, what did you hear or witness?
Let us discover the truth and devise a plan.”
21.­15

With his pride vanished, Māra said:

“Son, listen to me. I had a bad dream, extremely terrifying.
If I were to tell everything now to the audience here,
You would faint and fall to the ground.”
21.­16

Sārthavāha said:

“When the time for battle has arrived, victory is of no bad consequence;
However, for the one who is killed, there is detriment.
If your dream conveys an omen of this kind,
It may be best to give up and not go to war, which would bring humiliation.”
21.­17

Māra replied:

“One with a determined mind will win in battle;
If we rely on firmness and correct action, victory will be ours.
When he sees me and my retinue,
He will be powerless but to rise and bow to my feet.”
21.­18

Sārthavāha said: [F.149.b]

“An army may be vast, but if it is weak,
A single powerful hero may win the battle.
Even if the universe were filled with fireflies,
They could be destroyed and eclipsed by a single sun. [305]
21.­19
“Moreover:
He who is proud and ignorant does not have much acumen;
If he is opposed to a shrewd person, he will not be able to think effectively.”
21.­20

Monks, Māra, the evil one, did not pay heed to Sārthavāha’s warning. Instead, he gathered all four divisions of his great and powerful army. It was a terrifying army, so brave in battle that it would make anyone’s hair stand on end. Such an army had never been seen before, or even heard of, in the realms of gods and humans. The soldiers were able to transform their faces in a trillion ways. On their arms and legs slithered hundreds of thousands of snakes, and in their hands they brandished swords, bows, arrows, darts, lances, axes, tridents, clubs, staffs, bludgeons, lassos, cudgels, discuses, vajras, and spears. Their bodies were covered in finest cuirasses and armor.

21.­21

Some had their heads, hands, or feet turned backward, or their eyes facing backward. Their heads, eyes, and faces were ablaze. Their bellies, hands, and feet were deformed, and their faces brimmed with vehement ardor. Their mouths, with protruding ugly fangs, appeared contorted in the extreme, and their thick and broad tongues, rough like a turtle’s neck or a straw mat, dangled from their mouths.

Like the eyes of a black snake, which are flush with poison, their eyes were blazing red, as if on fire. Some of them were vomiting poisonous snakes, while others, like garuḍas emerging from the ocean, grasped these poisonous snakes in their hands and ate them. Some ate human flesh and drank blood, chewing on human arms, legs, heads, and livers, and slurping entrails, feces, and vomit. Their terrifying bodies had many colors, such as brown, blue, red, black, and blazing yellow.

21.­22

Some had ugly hollow eyes, like wells. Others had eyes that were gouged out, eyes that were ablaze, or disfigured eye sockets. [F.150.a] Some had ugly eyes, rolling and blazing. Some carried flaming mountains in their hands while playfully riding on other mountains as their mount. Others ran toward the Bodhisattva, carrying trees that had been uprooted.

Some had ears like goats, demons, elephants, or pigs, or hanging ears. Others had no ears at all. Some had swollen bellies and weak bodies, with their bones sticking out. They had broken noses, bellies like barrels, and feet round as balls. [306] Their skin, flesh, and blood had dried out, and their ears, noses, hands, feet, eyes, or heads were cut.

21.­23

Some were so thirsty for blood that they would cut each other’s heads off. They would make snappy, ugly, terrifying, and rough sounds of “Phut phut, picut, phulu phulu!” Others would call, “Let’s get rid of him! Grab that mendicant Gautama along with his tree! Let’s make sure that he is caught, cut, slashed, tied, held, harassed, cut in pieces, gotten rid of, and destroyed!”

They were disfigured and caused terror with their awful faces of foxes, jackals, pigs, donkeys, oxen, elephants, horses, camels, wild asses, buffaloes, rabbits, yaks, rhinos, and the eight-legged lion beast. Some had animal bodies like lions, tigers, wild boars, bears, monkeys, elephants, cats, goats, sheep, snakes, mongooses, fish, crocodiles, alligators, tortoises, ravens, vultures, owls, and garuḍas.

21.­24

Some had misshapen forms. Some had just one head, [F.150.b] but others had two or more, some had even up to one hundred thousand. Some had no head at all. Some had just one arm while others had up to one hundred thousand. Others had no arms. Some had just one leg while others had up to one hundred thousand. Others had no legs at all. Some had poisonous snakes emerging from their bodily apertures‍—ears, mouths, noses, eyes, and belly buttons. They threatened the Bodhisattva as they danced around and brandished their many weapons, such as swords, bows, arrows, darts, tridents, axes, discuses, spears, lances, vajras, javelins, and other sharp weapons.

Some of them wore garlands of human fingers that they had cut off and strung together. Others wore on their heads bones, hands, and skulls, which they had strung into garlands, and some had their bodies covered in poisonous snakes. Some were holding skulls and rode on elephants, horses, camels, donkeys, and buffaloes. Some had their heads pointing down and feet up. Some had needle-like hair on their heads. Others had hair like oxen, donkeys, boars, mongooses, goats, sheep, cats, monkeys, wolves, or jackals.

21.­25

They were vomiting poisonous snakes, spitting out lumps of iron, spewing fire, and producing a rain of flaming iron and copper. They sent rains with thunder, released bolts of lightning, [307] caused a rain of hot iron sands, gathered black clouds, and made storms arise. They sent rains consisting of masses of arrows, bringing darkness and causing swishing sounds as they ran toward the Bodhisattva.

Some of the soldiers swung their lassos, destroyed great mountains, stirred the vast oceans, jumped over tall mountains, and shook Meru, the king of mountains. In this way they came running, throwing their limbs in the air and rocking their bodies. [F.151.a] They cried out loudly in laughter, slapped and beat their chests, and disheveled their hair. Their faces were yellow, their bodies blue, their heads flaming with the hair streaming upward. Running around impetuously, darting here and there with eyes like a fox, they tried to frighten the Bodhisattva.

21.­26

Old women approached the Bodhisattva and called out to him, “Oh no, son! Oh no, my son! Get up! Quick, get up and flee!” Awful forms of demonesses, flesh eaters, and hungry spirits‍—one-eyed, limping, and with hunger in their eyes‍—ran toward the Bodhisattva with outstretched hands, distorted faces, and terrifying cries. They were fearful and horrifying.

Such an army of demons formed a big gathering, stretching eighty leagues on every side. Just like this single army, so too the armies of hundreds of zillions of evil demons, residing in the great trichiliocosm, spread themselves around the Bodhisattva in horizontal and upward directions.


21.­27

On this topic, it is said:

Forms of yakṣas, kumbhāṇḍas, and mahoragas,
As well as rākṣasas, hungry spirits, and flesh eaters,
In any form that the world finds ugly and fierce,
All have been magically manifested there by these rogues.
21.­28
They have one, two, three heads,
Up to a thousand faces.
One, two, three arms,
Up to a thousand arms.
21.­29
There are also many with one, two, three legs,
Even some with a thousand legs. [308]
Some have a blue face and a yellow body;
Others have a yellow face and a blue body.
21.­30
Their heads and bodies do not match;
Such is the army of soldiers approaching.
21.­31
They have faces like tigers, snakes, and hogs,13
Elephants, horses, donkeys, and camels,
Monkeys, lions, or bears.
Such are the faces of the approaching army.
21.­32
Many terrifying malevolent spirits approach,
With wild matted hair, sheep heads, crooked bones, and goiters; [F.151.b]
Their bodies are drenched with human blood.
Such are the malevolent spirits that approach.
21.­33
Their legs are like the legs of an antelope;
Their eyeballs look like those of monkeys;
Their fangs look like elephant tusks.
Such are the faces of the approaching army.
21.­34
The shape of their bodies is that of a crocodile;
Their two eyeballs are ablaze;
Their ears are like those of a goat.
Such are the faces of the approaching army.
21.­35
Some hold up a staff in their hands,
Others brandish hammers, clubs, and tridents,
While some hold Mount Meru in their hands.
These are the terrifying forms of the approaching malevolent spirits.
21.­36
They hold up sickles, brandish discuses, roll their eyes,
Lift great mountaintops in their hands,
And bring down storms and rains of rock and meteor.
These are the terrifying malevolent spirits approaching.
21.­37
They blow hurricanes, bring down rainstorms,
Shoot off billions of lightning bolts,
Roar with thunder, and sway trees.
Yet the leaves on the Bodhi tree remain still.
21.­38
The rain pours down in torrents;
Rivers overflow and flood the land.
So many terrifying things have appeared
That even inanimate trees fall over.
21.­39
As they witness these terrible forms,
All of them ugly and misshapen.
Yet the One Who Has Qualities, Marks, and Splendor
Keeps his mind unshaken, like Mount Meru.
21.­40
He sees all phenomena as illusion,
Like a dream, and like clouds.
Since he sees them in this manner that accords with the Dharma,
He meditates steadfastly, established in the Dharma.
21.­41
Whoever thinks of “me” and “mine”
And clings to objects and the body,
Should be afraid and terrified,
Since they are in the clutches of ignorance.
21.­42
The Son of the Śākyas has realized the essential truth
That all phenomena arise in dependence and lack reality.
With a mind like the sky, he is just fine,
Unperturbed by the spectacle of the army of rogues.
21.­43

Monks, among the one thousand sons of Māra, the evil one, [F.152.a] there were some, such as Sārthavāha, who began to feel devotion toward me, the Bodhisattva. They all assembled on the right side of Māra, the evil one, while those who supported Māra took a stand on his left side.

Now Māra asked his sons, “What type of army should we use to subdue the Bodhisattva?”

21.­44

Standing to his right, Māra’s son Sārthavāha spoke this verse to his father:

“Would you want to wake up the leader of the nāgas?
Would you want to wake up the leader of the elephants? [309]
Would you want to wake up the king of the animals?
That is like wanting to disturb the leader of men from his ease.”
21.­45

Standing to his left, Māra’s son Durmati replied:

“Even at the mere sight of us, people’s hearts burst,
And so does the solid core of great trees.
Struck by my stare, what power would this monk have?
Or struck by death, what power would he have to live in this world?”
21.­46

From the right side, Madhura­nirghoṣa spoke:

“What solid core do trees have for that matter?
You say ‘I will break him by staring,’ but can you do that, people?
Even if you could destroy Mount Meru with your stare,
You could not even open your eyes in his presence.
21.­47
“Moreover:
To cross the ocean using one’s hands
And to drink its water is impossible for people.
Yet looking directly at the Bodhisattva’s stainless face
Would be even harder than that.”
21.­48

From the left side, Śatabāhu said:

“My body has one hundred arms,
And with just one of them I can shoot off one hundred arrows.
O father, I will break the body of this monk!
Be happy and go now without delay.”
21.­49

From the right side, Subuddhi said: [310]

“If it is advantageous to have one hundred arms,
Why do bodily hairs not become arms?
You may hold a spear in each of your hands
And use them all, yet that will bring you nothing.
21.­50
“Why is that?
Because of his love, the body of this sage [F.152.b]
Is inaccessible to poison, weapons, and fire.
Since the love that he feels transcends the world,
When you shoot your weapons, they turn into flowers.
21.­51
“And moreover:
All the powerful ones in the sky, the earth, and the waters,
Whether humans or guhyakas, may hold up their swords and axes.
But when they go to the leader of men, who has the power of forbearance,
They all change from very strong, to strong, to weak.”
21.­52

On the left side, someone named Ugratejas called out:

“Invisible, I will enter his beautiful body
And then I will burn it,
Just like a low forest fire
Would burn a dry, hollow tree.”
21.­53

On the right side, Sunetra replied:

“You may burn the entire Mount Meru
And enter, invisible, into the earth,
But his vajra mind cannot possibly be burned
By the likes of you, even if you were equal in number to the grains of sand in the Ganges.
21.­54
“Moreover:
It can happen that all mountains quake,
And it may be that the oceans dry up.
It is also possible that the sun and moon will fall from the sky,
And it may be that the earth will one day melt away.
21.­55
“Yet it is impossible that the one who has set out
To benefit the world with a firm resolve
Should rise from the foot of the great tree
Before he attains awakening.”
21.­56

From the left side, Dīrgha­bāhu­garvita said:

“Right here before you,
I could use my bare hands
To grind to dust
The sun, the moon, and the stars. [311]
21.­57
“I could, with playful ease,
Get hold of all the water in the four oceans.
Father, I will get hold of this monk
And throw him to the end of the oceans.
21.­58
“Father, may this army stand firm!
Do not be aggrieved!
I will uproot the Bodhi tree
And scatter it everywhere with my hands.”
21.­59

From the right side, Prasāda­pratilabdha said:

“You may proudly assume
That you can crush with your hands
All gods, demigods, and gandharvas,
Along with the earth, the mountains, and the oceans.
21.­60
“Yet even thousands of beings like you,
As many as there are grains of sand in the Ganges,
Would be unable to move a single hair
On that wise Bodhisattva.”
21.­61

From the left side, Bhayaṃkara said:

“Father, for one who is set in the midst of a great army,
What is the use of excessive fear? [F.153.a]
He does not have an army. Where are his allies?
Why do you fear him?”
21.­62

From the right side, Ekāgramati said:

“In the universe, the sun and the moon have no army,
And the universal monarch and the lion have no army.
Likewise this Bodhisattva has no army,
Yet he is capable of destroying Namuci single-handedly.”
21.­63

From the left side, Avatāraprekṣin said:

“He has no lances or spears, no clubs or swords,
No horses, elephants, chariots, or foot soldiers.
That single arrogant monk, sitting there‍—
Father, I will kill him today, please have no worries.”
21.­64

From the right side, Puṅyālaṃkāra said:

“His body is unshakable and indestructible like Nārāyaṇa’s;
He wears an armor of forbearance and wields the sword of unbendable diligence;
The threefold liberation is his steed, and knowledge is his bow.
Father, through the force of his merit, the Bodhisattva will conquer Māra’s army.” [312]
21.­65

From the left side, Anivartin said:

“The fire burning on the plains does not shy away from burning the grass;
The arrow shot skillfully cannot be stopped by a learned one;
The bolt of lightning shooting across the sky does not return.
I will not rest until I have conquered the son of the Śākyas.”
21.­66

From the right side, Dharmakāma said:

“When meeting wet grass, the fire retreats;
When the arrow hits a mountain peak, it rebounds;
The bolt of lightning, having hit the ground, sinks down.
Until the Bodhisattva obtains peaceful immortality, he will not retreat.”
21.­67
“And why?
Father, even if one could draw pictures in the empty sky,
Or gather the minds of all sentient beings, as many as there are, into one,
Or, my father, bind the sun, the moon, and the wind with a noose,
One could still not move the Bodhisattva from the seat of awakening.”
21.­68

From the left side, Anupaśānta said:

“With the great poison of my gaze, I can burn Mount Meru
And turn the waters in the great oceans to ashes.
So, father, look at the seat of awakening and that monk
As I now turn both of them to ashes with my gaze.”
21.­69

From the right side, Siddhārtha said: [313]

“You may be able to fill the world with poison
And put ablaze the great trichiliocosm,
Yet by a mere glance from the One Who Is the Source of All Good Qualities, [F.153.b]
Your poison will lose its toxicity.
21.­70
“In the three realms, there are fierce poisons
In the form of attachment, anger, and delusion.
Yet none of them can be found in his body, nor in his mind,
Just as mud and dust cannot be found in the heavens.
21.­71
“His body, speech, and mind are pristine,14
And he is filled with love for sentient beings.
No weapon or poison will be able to harm him,
So, father, please, let us all turn back.”
21.­72

From the left side, Ratilola said:

“I will play thousands of instruments
And send forth billions of well-adorned divine girls
Who will get him excited and lead him to our exquisite harem.
I will provide sexual pleasure and bring him under your control.”
21.­73

From the right side, Dharmarati said:

“He only delights in the pleasures of the Dharma,
The bliss of concentration and the significance of immortality,
And the joy of liberating sentient beings and the happiness of a loving mind.
He does not delight in the pleasures of passion.”
21.­74

From the left side, Vātajava said:

“I can at once swallow the sun and the moon
And the wind blowing through the sky.
Father, I will catch that mendicant this very day
And blow him away like a handful of husk.”
21.­75

From the right side, Māra’s son named Acalamati said:

“Even if all gods and humans became
As swift and strong as you are
And gathered in a single place,
They would be unable to harm this peerless being.”
21.­76

From the left side, Brahmamati said:

“If there was such a fierce crowd of our men,
He could do nothing to wound your pride.
Since all tasks are accomplished by teams,
How could he harm you just on his own?”
21.­77

From the right side, Siṃhamati said: [314]

“Lions have never been seen sitting on the ground in a row;
Those with a poisonous gaze do not team up.
Those splendorous beings that have courage because of being true,
Those supreme leaders of beings also do not congregate together.”
21.­78

From the left side, Sarvacaṇḍāla said:

“Father, you have not heard such heated voices before
As those your sons are calling out with now. [F.154.a]
Mustering diligence, speed, and power,
Let’s quickly go and destroy that monk!”
21.­79

From the right side, Siṃhanādin said:

“In the midst of the jungle, when the lion is not there,
Many jackals bark.
Yet when they hear the lion’s frightening roar,
They flee in panic in all directions.
21.­80
“In the same way, these ignorant sons of Māra,
As long as they have not heard the voice of the perfect man,
Raise their voices, opinionated and impudent,
While the lion of men remains silent.”
21.­81

From the left side, Duścintita­cintin said:

“Whatever I wish for is quickly accomplished,
So why does he not look at us with circumspection?
He must be either deluded or ignorant
Since he does not rise up quickly and flee.”
21.­82

From the right side, Sucintitārtha said:

“He is neither a fool nor a weakling;
You yourselves are the fools, so extremely careless.
You have no idea about his valor;
The power of his insight will conquer you all.
21.­83
“Even with the strength of demonic sons
Equal in number to the grains of sand in the river Ganges,
You would not be able to bend a single hair on his head,
So how much less could you kill him?
21.­84
“Do not corrupt your minds;
Instead you should respect him with devotion.
He is about to become king of the three realms;
Turn back and do not make war.”
21.­85

In this way a thousand of Māra’s sons, both good and bad, each further addressed Māra, the evil one, in verses. [315] At the end, Bhadrasena, the general of Māra, spoke these verses to him:

21.­86
“All those who normally follow you, such as Śakra,
The guardians, the hordes of half kinnaras,
The leaders of the demigods, and the leaders of the garuḍas,
Now they all join their palms and bow to the Bodhisattva.
21.­87
“So what need is there to mention those who do not follow you,
Brahmā and the luminous gods,
And the gods of the pure realms‍— [F.154.b]
They, too, all bow to him.
21.­88
“Even those of your sons who are wise,
Who are powerful and smart,
Venerate the Bodhisattva
In accord with his essence.
21.­89
“This army of yakṣas and other beings,
Which extends for eighty leagues,
Is seen in full by the All-Seeing One,
With a clear mind and without hatred.
21.­90
“Since he is neither taken aback nor stirred
When seeing this wild and fierce army,
So hideous and frightening,
His victory is certain now.
21.­91
“Wherever this army is found,
The cries of the jackal and the owl are heard.
When the calls of the crow and the donkey ring out,
It is wise to quickly retreat.
21.­92
“Please look toward the seat of awakening!
Clever curlews, swans, cuckoos, and peacocks
Are circumambulating the Bodhisattva.
It is certain that today the victory will be his.
21.­93
“Wherever this army is found,
Dust and soot rain from the sky.
Yet at the seat of awakening, a rain of flowers falls,
So heed my words and turn back!
21.­94
“Wherever this army is found,
The ground is uneven and filled with thorns and prickles.
Yet at the seat of awakening, the ground is stainless like gold,
So it is better for the wise to retreat.
21.­95
“The past nightmares
Will now come true. If you do not retreat,
He will reduce this army to dust,
Just as countries are destroyed by the sages. [316]
21.­96
“When the supreme, masterful sage
Became angry with King Brahmadatta,
He burned the Daṇḍaka Forest
So that for many years no grass would grow.
21.­97
“Whatever sages there are who practice disciplined conduct
And practice austerities,
He is supreme among them,
For he does not harm any living being.
21.­98
“Have you not heard before
That the one whose body blazes with all the marks
And who walks away from his home
Will conquer disturbing emotions and attain awakening?
21.­99
“The sons of the victors manifest such great powers
As an act of worship,
For isn’t the Supreme Being
A worthy recipient of the best of offering rites?
21.­100
“Since the immaculate hair between his eyebrows
Beautifies a trillion realms
And outshines all of us,
He will surely conquer Māra’s army.
21.­101
“Since the gods at the peak of existence
Are unable to see the crown of his head, [F.155.a]
So, surely, without being taught by others,
He will attain omniscience.
21.­102
“Since Mount Meru and the surrounding ranges,
The sun, the moon, Śakra, Brahmā,
All the trees, and the best of mountains
All prostrate to the seat of awakening,
21.­103
“It is certain that the one with the power of merit,
The powers of knowledge and wisdom,
And the powers of forbearance and diligence,
Will render Māra’s factions powerless.
21.­104
“Like an elephant stepping on a fresh clay pot,
Or a lion fighting a fox,
Or the sun effacing a firefly,
The Well-Gone One will obliterate our army.”
21.­105

Upon hearing these words, another son of Māra became enraged and, with bloodshot eyes, he said:

“Your praise for this lone person
Is without any bounds.
What could that single man be capable of?
Can’t you see this great and terrifying army?”
21.­106

Then from the right side, the son of Māra called Māra­pramardaka said: [317]

“It is not necessary to help the sun in this world,
Nor the lion or the universal monarch.
The Bodhisattva sitting with resolve for awakening
Surely does not need any helpers.”
21.­107

At that point, in order to weaken the strength of the demons, the Bodhisattva turned his face, which resembled a blooming lotus with one hundred petals, toward them. Upon seeing the Bodhisattva’s face, Māra took flight. But while fleeing, he had the thought that his army could withstand the sight of the Bodhisattva’s face, and he once again turned back.

Assisted by his followers, he now began to hurl various weapons upon the Bodhisattva. However, even when they threw mountains as big as the central mountain at the Bodhisattva, the mountains all turned into flower canopies and celestial palaces. Those with poisonous gazes, those with poisonous snakes, and those with poisonous breath shot flames of fire at the Bodhisattva. Yet this circle of fire just turned into what seemed to be the Bodhisattva’s halo of light.

21.­108

The Bodhisattva now touched his right hand to his head. Māra perceived that the Bodhisattva was brandishing a sword in his hand, and so he fled toward the south. However, thinking that it could not be true after all, he again returned. [F.155.b] When he came back, the demons began to hurl all sorts of terrifying weapons at the Bodhisattva. They threw swords, arrows, darts, lances, axes, clubs, javelins, bludgeons, discuses, vajras, hammers, uprooted trees, rocks, lassos, and iron balls. However, as soon as the demons released the weapons, the weapons turned into garlands and canopies of flowers, and a cooling rain of flower petals fell on the ground. The flower garlands hung as adornments on the Bodhi tree.

21.­109

When Māra, the evil one, witnessed the Bodhisattva’s power and the displays that he performed, his mind was disturbed with jealousy and avarice. He called out to the Bodhisattva, “Listen, young prince, get up! Get up and relish your kingship‍—your virtue lies precisely in doing that! On what grounds could you ever attain liberation?” [318]

21.­110

The Bodhisattva answered Māra, the evil one, with words that were firm, profound, vast, gentle, and sweet:

“You, evil one! Through just a single unstinting act of giving, you have become lord of the desire realm. I, on the other hand, have performed trillions of unstinting acts of giving. I have cut off my hands, legs, eyes, and my head, and given them to beggars. With the intention to liberate sentient beings, I have often given beggars my house, wealth, grains, beds, clothes, and parks.”

21.­111

Māra, the evil one, replied with this verse:

“Previously I made a wholesome act of giving;
It was an unstinting act, and you are my witness.
But you have no witness to your acts,
So there is no point in speaking of them, and instead you will be conquered.”
21.­112

The Bodhisattva replied, “Evil one, the earth here is my witness.”

He then embraced Māra, the evil one, and his demonic retinue with thoughts of love and compassion. Like a lion, he was without fear, fright, anxiety, timidity, [F.156.a] disturbance, and perturbation. He had no goose bumps, which indicate fear. He now let his right hand slide over his entire body and then gracefully tapped on the earth‍—the hand that had the contours of a conch, a victory banner, a fish, a vase, a swastika, an iron hook, and a wheel. The hand’s fingers were connected by a web. Its nails were exquisite and copper colored. Soft and supple, it looked perfectly youthful. All this was the result of limitless eons of gathering the accumulations of basic goodness. He then spoke this verse:

21.­113
“This earth supports all beings;
She is impartial and unbiased toward all, whether moving or still.
She is my witness that I speak no lies;
So may she bear my witness.”
21.­114

As soon as the Bodhisattva touched this great earth, it shook in six different ways. It quivered, trembled, and quaked, and it boomed, thundered, and roared. Just as a Magadhan brass cauldron, when struck with a wooden log, chimes and reverberates, [319] so did this great earth sound and reverberate when struck by the Bodhisattva with his hand. [B14]

21.­115

Then the earth goddess in this great trichiliocosm who is called Sthāvarā, along with her retinue of one billion earth goddesses, began to shake the entire great earth. Not far from where the Bodhisattva was sitting, she broke through the earth’s surface and revealed her upper body, adorned with all sorts of jewels. She bowed toward the Bodhisattva, joined her palms, and said to him, “You are right. Great Being, you are right. It is just as you say. We bear witness to this. But still, my Lord, you alone are the supreme witness in the worlds of gods and humans and the supreme authority.” [F.156.b]

Having spoken thus, the earth goddess Sthāvarā rebuked Māra, the evil one, in many ways, and praised the Bodhisattva again and again. She made a great display of her myriad powers and then disappeared together with her following there and then.

21.­116
When the wicked one and his army heard that sound from the earth,
Frightened and disheartened, they all fled,
Just like jackals in the forest hearing the lion’s roar,
Or crows taking flight when a rock is thrown.
21.­117

Now Māra, the evil one, felt unhappy and full of suffering. Still, even though he was miserable and ashamed of himself, he was overpowered by pride to such an extent that he could not leave; he could not turn back and flee. Therefore, he turned to his men and spoke:

21.­118

“All of you! Wait a while until we find out whether it is possible to arouse the Bodhisattva by polite persuasion. Such a jewel of a being should not be killed outright.” [320]

21.­119

Then Māra, the evil one, spoke to his daughters: “Girls, you must go now to the seat of awakening and examine the Bodhisattva. Does he have desires or not? Is he deluded or intelligent? Is he like a blind man, or does he know the country and seek advantage? And is he weak or strong?”

21.­120

When they heard these words, these divine maidens went to the seat of awakening where the Bodhisattva was. They assembled in front of the Bodhisattva and began displaying the thirty-two ways of female trickery. What are these thirty-two ways? They are as follows:

1. Some of the girls partially covered their faces.

2. Some showed off their firm and voluptuous breasts.

3. Some smiled at him and flashed their teeth.

4. Some lifted their arms, waving them in the air to reveal their armpits.

5. Some flaunted their lips, red like bimba fruit.

6. Some looked at the Bodhisattva through half-closed eyes and then quickly closed their eyes.

7. Some showed off their half-covered breasts. [F.157.a]

8. Some loosened their clothes to reveal their hips adorned with girdles.

9. Some wore fine, transparent clothes that revealed their hips and their girdles.

10. Some made clinking sounds with their anklets.

11. Some showed their breasts adorned with strings of pearls.

12. Some showed off their half-naked thighs.

13. Some displayed jays, parrots, and myna birds sitting on their heads and shoulders.

14. Some cast sidelong glances at the Bodhisattva.

15. Some wore good clothes, yet let them hang improperly.

16. Some made the chains on their hips shake and twinkle.

17. Some mischievously moved back and forth in a flirtatious manner.

18. Some danced.

19. Some sang.

20. Some flirted and acted shy.

21. Some shook their thighs like a palm tree moved by the wind.

22. Some let out deep moans. [321]

23. Some dressed in transparent cloth with bells hanging from the string at their waist and walked around giggling.

24. Some stripped off all their clothes and jewelry.

25. Some showed off all their jewelry, both the secret and the apparent.

26. Some showed their arms, which had been rubbed with perfume.

27. Some displayed their earrings anointed with perfume.

28. Some covered their face with a veil and then suddenly revealed it.

29. Some laughed, played, and had fun, trying to attract each other’s attention. But then they again pretended to be shy.

30. Some of them showed off their virgin bodies that had never given birth.

31. Some tried to lure the Bodhisattva with offers of love.

32. Some scattered flower petals on the Bodhisattva.

21.­121

Standing before the Bodhisattva, they pondered what his thoughts might be as they looked at his face. Did he look at them with his senses aroused? [F.157.b] Or did he look into the distance? They looked to see if he was excited or not.

21.­122

The face of the Bodhisattva, however, remained as pure and stainless as the orb of the full moon when it escapes the mouth of Rāhu, or the sun rising in the early dawn, or a golden pillar, or a blooming thousand-petaled lotus, or a sacrificial fire sprinkled with oil. Like the central mountain, it remained unmoving. Like the surrounding mountains, it was truly elevated. He guarded his senses well and, like the elephant, his look was that of someone with a mind well tamed.

21.­123

Now the daughters of Māra, in a further attempt to arouse the Bodhisattva’s desires, spoke these verses to him:

“Springtime is here, the best of seasons;
Let us frolic, dear, while the trees are in bloom.
Your body is so beautiful and attractive;
It is enticing, has auspicious marks, and is well adorned. [322]
21.­124
“We were born beautiful and with perfect curves;
We are here to please gods and humans and grant complete satisfaction.
Awakening is hard to gain, so change your mind;
Quick, stand up and enjoy the prime of youth!
21.­125
“It is for your sake that we have come here, all dressed up and adorned;
Come now, take a look at these divine girls so beautifully adorned.
Who would not be thrilled when enjoying the passion of love?
Even a decayed tree would be brought back to life!
21.­126
“Our voices are soft and our scent is delicious;
Our faces look their best with diadems, earrings, and makeup.
Our faces have beautiful brows and are well anointed;
Our beautiful eyes are as pure and large as lotuses.
21.­127
“Our faces resemble the full moon;
Our lips are like ripe bimba fruit;
Our teeth are white like conch shells, jasmine flowers, or snow.
So, O Beloved, look at us who ardently desire pleasure.
21.­128
“Look at our firm and voluptuous breasts,
The beautiful three folds on our bellies,
And our broad and beautiful hips.
Lord, look at us, such beautiful maidens.
21.­129
“Our thighs resemble the trunk of an elephant; [F.158.a]
Our arms are bedecked with abutting bracelets; [323]
Our hips are adorned with beautiful chains.
Lord, look at us, your servants.
21.­130
“With the gait of a swan, we gently approach you;
Soft and beautiful, we talk of amorous love.
Beautifully adorned as we are,
We are experts in divine pleasures.
21.­131
“We are well trained in singing, playing instruments, and theatrical performance;
We are born with perfect bodies for the sake of pleasure.
If you don’t accept us now, as we crave pleasure,
You will quickly become a loser in this world.
21.­132
“What man would run away when he sees a treasure?
You will be exactly like that, ignorant of the treasure, which is love,
If you remain ignorant of amorous passion
And fail to enjoy these young girls, who have come of their own will.”
21.­133

Monks, the Bodhisattva just smiled with unblinking eyes. He sat there smiling, with calm senses, physically at ease, resplendent, without attachment, free from anger, and without delusion. Like the king of mountains he was immutable, confident, unconfused, and untroubled. Since he had totally abandoned, all by himself, all disturbing emotions through his well-established intelligence and wisdom, he now spoke with soft and pleasant words in a tone that exceeded even the voice of Brahmā. His voice was like that of a cuckoo, pleasant and sweet sounding, as he addressed Māra’s daughters with these verses:

21.­134
“Desire results in a great deal of suffering; it is the root of suffering.
For the unwise, desire ruins their concentration, magical ability, and austerities;
The wise say that chasing women brings no satisfaction. [324]
I will satisfy the unskillful ones with wisdom.
21.­135
“The thirst of someone who pursues desires increases evermore,
Just like one feels after drinking salty water.
If I were to engage in that, there would be no benefit to me or to others,
And I delight in being useful to both myself and to others.
21.­136
“Your beauty is like water bubbles or foam; [F.158.b]
Like magical colors, it is merely mentally created.
Like a play or a dream, it is unstable and impermanent;
It deludes the minds of childish beings.
21.­137
“The eyes are like water bubbles‍—they are enclosed in a membrane,
Like clotted blood is enclosed in a suppurating ulcer.
The belly is one big load of urine and excrement, excreting filth;
This mechanism of suffering has emerged from karma and disturbing emotions.
21.­138
“It is the deluded people with childish minds, not the wise ones,
Who mistakenly perceive the body as beautiful.
This makes them spin for a long time in cyclic existence, the source of suffering;
Their suffering, experienced in hell, is extremely painful.
21.­139
“From the crotch, awful smells are leaked;
The thighs, the calves, and the feet are joined together like a mechanical contraption.
When I examine you, I see that you are like an illusion,
Which has deceptively emerged from causes and conditions. [325]
21.­140
“When seeing that sensual enjoyments are without good qualities,
And that they lead away from the noble path of wisdom,
And that they are the same as poisonous plants or fires, or like angry vipers,
Only fools would call them ‘happiness.’
21.­141
“Whoever becomes a slave of women through desire
Will stray from discipline, from concentration, and lose common sense.
Wallowing in pleasure, he will be far removed from wisdom
If he discards his joy in the Dharma and delights in desire.
21.­142
“I have neither attachment nor anger;
I do not perceive anything permanent, attractive, or with a self.
I do not feel dislike or joy;
My mind is free, like the wind in the sky.
21.­143
“Even if the whole world were filled with the likes of you
Who besieged me here, for eons on end,
I would not feel anger, attachment, or delusion,
Because the mind of the victorious ones is like the sky. [F.159.a]
21.­144
“Although the gods and goddesses in their purity and splendor
Have no blood or bones,
They all live in great fear
Since they lack permanence and cannot endure.”
21.­145

At that point Māra’s daughters, skilled as they were in female deception, felt even greater lust, haughtiness, and pride. They displayed love gestures, showed off their adorned bodies, and tried even further female trickery in their attempts to seduce the Bodhisattva. [326]


21.­146

On this topic, it is said:

The most seductive and sweet girls, Tṛṣṇā, Rati, and Arati,
These three graceful ones hastily arrived, sent by Māra.
They danced like the shoots of young creepers on a tree blowing in the breeze
To stir lust in the prince sitting under the tree branches.
21.­147
Among all seasons, springtime is the best;
At this time men and women frolic, and darkness and dust disappear.
Cuckoos, swans, and peacocks call out, and flocks of birds fill the air;
The time to experience the joys of pleasure has arrived.
21.­148
For thousands of eons he delighted in discipline, austerities, and hardships;
He is immutable like the king of mountains, with a body like the rising sun.
Like roaring thunder, his beautiful voice resounds like that of the king of beasts;
This person, who benefits others, utters only meaningful words.
21.­149
Desire, disputes, hostility, and strife bring the fear of death;
Ignorant fools engage in them continually, yet the skilled ones renounce them.
This is the time when the Well-Gone One attains immortality,
So today he will conquer Māra and become a worthy one with the ten powers.
21.­150
After many magical displays, they said, “You, with your lotus-like face, listen to us.
You will become a king, a supreme ruler, a powerful master of the earth;
Flocks of beautiful women will play thousands of instruments for you.
Of what use is the dress of a sage to you? Give that up and enjoy pleasures instead.”
21.­151

The Bodhisattva replied: [327]

“I will be the master of the three realms, venerated by gods and humans; [F.159.b]
I will be a king who travels by the wheel of Dharma, endowed with ten powers.
A million seekers‌, and those with no more need for learning, will always bow to me;
Because I enjoy the Dharma, I no longer seek joyful objects.”
21.­152

The daughters said:

“For as long as your youth has not passed and you are in your prime,
For as long as disease has not struck you and you are not old and gray haired,
For as long as you have your beauty and youth, and we, too, are happy,
For so long you should enjoy the pleasures of love with a smile on your face.”
21.­153

The Bodhisattva replied:

“Until I attain perfect freedom and immortality, so difficult to attain,
Until I am rid of the suffering and bondage in the realms of gods and demigods,
Until old age, disease, and death show their angry faces,
For so long I will train on the auspicious path that leads to the city of fearlessness.”
21.­154

The daughters said:

“In the divine realm you, like Śakra, will be surrounded by divine maidens;
In the Heaven Free from Strife, the Heaven Fully Free from Strife, and the Heaven of Joy, you will be praised by the best of immortals.
In the realm of Māra, enthralled by amorous women, you will find the pleasures of love;
Relish playing with us‍—it will bring great pleasure!”
21.­155

The Bodhisattva replied: [328]

“Desire is ephemeral like dew on the tip of grass, or like autumn clouds;
Desire is terrifying like the wrath of the nāga girls.
Śakra, the gods in the Heaven Free from Strife, and the gods in the Heaven of Joy, all fall under the sway of Māra;
Desire plagues all ignoble ones, so how could anyone rejoice in that?”
21.­156

The daughters said:

“Look at these beautiful trees with fresh leaves and blooming flowers;
They resound with the cries of pheasants, cuckoo birds, and the humming of bees.
On the ground grows fresh green grass, so soft and thick;
Will you, the lion of men, enjoy yourself with us young girls in a pleasure grove?”
21.­157

The Bodhisattva replied:

“All of these trees produce shoots and flowers according to seasons,
And bees also seek out flowers because of suffering from hunger and thirst.
Since everything that grows from the ground will wither under the sun, [F.160.a]
I have resolved to actualize the nectar that all victorious ones have enjoyed.”
21.­158

Māra’s daughters insisted:

“Look at us! Our faces are like the moon and like fresh lotus flowers;
Our speech is soft and pleasant, and our teeth as white as snow or silver.
Such beauties are rare among the gods, so how about among humans?
These women that you have here are even desired by the highest of gods.”
21.­159

The Bodhisattva replied:

“I see the body as impure, filled with masses of worms;
It easily breaks and perishes, and is thoroughly without pleasure. [329]
Yet I will attain that imperishable state, venerated by the wise,
The state that brings ultimate happiness to the animate and inanimate worlds.”
21.­160
The daughters now put on sixty-four displays of amorous behavior;
They rang their anklets and girdles and let their clothes slip off.
Struck with the arrow of desire, infatuated, with smiles on their faces, they said,
“Lord, do we appear so ugly to you that you don’t share our love?”
21.­161
Knowing the faults in all of saṃsāra, the Stainless One replied,
“Desire is like a sword, a spear, a trident, or a razor blade smeared with honey;
It is like the head of a viper or a fire pit‍—that much I have realized.
So, since women steal one’s virtues, I have abandoned their company.”
21.­162
With all the billions of skills that induce amorous infatuation,
The girls were unable to seduce the Well-Gone One who has the gait of a young elephant.
So with shame and embarrassment, they now bowed to the feet of the Sage;
Giving rise to respect, joy, and love, they praised the Benefactor:
21.­163
“Your face is like the spotless center of a lotus, or the harvest moon;
Your luster is like the flames of a sacrificial fire, or the shine of the golden mountain.
May your wishes and vows, which you have made in hundreds of lives, be fulfilled;
Now that you yourself have crossed, please liberate all suffering beings.”
21.­164
They praised the one who is like the bayur tree, or the campaka; [F.160.b]
They circumambulated the Supreme Being, who was immutable like a majestic mountain.
Returning, they bowed their heads to their father and told him,
“Father, this master of gods and humans has no fear or anger. [330]
21.­165
“With a smiling face he looks on with eyes like lotus petals;
Never does he look at others with attachment or a frown.
Mount Meru may tremble, the oceans dry up, and the sun and moon fall,
But never will He Who Sees the Faults of the Three Existences come under the sway of amorous women.”
21.­166

When Māra, the evil one, heard these words, he felt even more miserable and unhappy. Angry and disappointed, he told his daughters, “Oh my, that stupid fool, so ignorant that he doesn’t see your beauty and good looks! How can it be that we are unable to get him away from the seat of awakening?”

21.­167

Then once again, the daughters of Māra spoke to their father in verse:

“Although we speak to him softly and lovingly, he does not get aroused;
Even though we show him the most secret of things, he does not get hostile.
No matter what acts he witnesses, he remains without delusion;
Although he sees the entire body, his thoughts remain profound.
21.­168
“He clearly realizes the faults of women;
He is far removed from lust and has no desire.
Neither in divine abodes, nor here on earth, is there a human or a god
Capable of gauging his mind and actions.
21.­169
“Father, we tried every female trick on him!
With all our lust, surely his heart should have melted!
Yet, although he saw it all, his mind wasn’t distracted even once;
Like the foremost king of mountains, he was immutable. [331]
21.­170
“He accumulated the splendors of hundreds of virtues and qualities;
For many millions of eons he has practiced ethics and disciplined conduct.
The gods and Brahmā, pure beings possessing the splendor of virtue,
Pay homage to him and touch their heads to his feet.
21.­171
“Once he conquers Māra’s army,
He will surely attain sacred awakening, just as the victorious ones did in the past. [F.161.a]
Father, he does not seek fights or quarrels with us;
Even though our forces are powerful, our task would be a difficult one.
21.­172
“Father, look at the sky, where millions of perfect Bodhisattvas,
With jewels on the top of their heads, respectfully wait.
On their limbs these sources of wealth are adorned with flower garlands;
They possess the ten powers and have come here to venerate him.
21.­173
“Everything animate, and even the inanimate, too,
Trees, mountains, gods, yakṣas, and garuḍas,
All bow down to that mountain of qualities.
Father, it would be better to leave him alone today.”
21.­174
“Moreover:
One will not cross where one cannot reach the end;
One will not dig where one cannot pull out the root.
One cannot make him angry, or even make him suffer with forbearance;
One can do nothing that would make him unhappy.”
21.­175

Monks, at that point the eight goddesses dwelling in the tree of awakening‍—Śrī, Vṛddhi, Tapā, Śreyasī, Vidu, Ojobalā, Satyavādinī, and Samaṅginī‍—[332] honored the Bodhisattva, glorified him evoking the sixteen types of splendor, and praised him:

21.­176
“Sacred One, you are beautiful,
Like the moon during the bright fortnight.
With your pure mind, you are radiant,
Like the sun at dawn.
21.­177
“Pure Being, you have bloomed,
Like a lotus in a pond.
Pure Being, you roar,
Like a lion with a mane, moving in the jungle.
21.­178
“Supreme Being, you shine forth,
Like the king of mountains in the middle of the ocean.
Pure Being, you are elevated,
Like the ring of surrounding mountains.
21.­179
“Supreme Being, you are hard to fathom,
Like the ocean rich in jewels.
Protector of the World, your mind is vast,
Like the unlimited sky.
21.­180
“Pure Being, your mind is firm;
Like the earth, you sustain all beings. [F.161.b]
Supreme Being, your mind is never turbid;
Like the lake Anavapta, it is always calm.
21.­181
“Supreme Being, your mind is without a fixed abode;
Like wind, it never lingers anywhere in the world.
Supreme Being, you are hard to meet with;
Like the king of brightness, you are free from all conceit.
21.­182
“Sacred One, you are very powerful;
Like Nārāyaṇa, you are hard to tame.
Protector of the World, your resolve is firm;
You will not move from the seat of awakening.
21.­183
“Like a lightning bolt released from the hand of Indra,
Supreme Being, you cannot be turned back.
Supreme Being, you will attain your aim in full;
Soon you will be endowed with the complete ten powers.”

Monks, in this way the goddesses in the Bodhi tree glorified the Bodhisattva evoking the sixteen types of magnificence.

21.­184

Monks, at that moment the gods of the pure realms tried to discourage Māra in sixteen different ways. What were these sixteen? They were: [333]

“Evil one, you are lost;
You are brooding like an old crane.
Evil one, you are powerless,
Like an old elephant sinking in a swamp.
21.­185
“Evil one, you are on your own,
Like a loser pretending to be a hero.
Evil one, you have no one with you,
Like someone suffering from a contagious disease, abandoned in a forest.
21.­186
“Evil one, you are weak,
Like a young bull pained by a heavy load.
Evil one, you are thrown on your back,
Like a tree tossed about by the wind.
21.­187
“Evil one, you are on the wrong path,
Like a traveler who has lost his way.
Evil one, you are the lowest of the low,
Like a poor man who gets envious.
21.­188
“Evil one, you are garrulous,
Like an impudent crow.
Evil one, you are overcome with pride,
Like an ungrateful ruffian.
21.­189
“Evil one, today you will flee,
Like a jackal at the sound of a lion’s roar. [F.162.a]
Evil one, today you will be scattered about,
Like a bird tossed around by the roaring wind.
21.­190
“Evil one, not knowing when the time is right,
You are like a beggar whose merit has run out.
Evil one, today you will be abandoned,
Like a broken pot full of dust.
21.­191
“Evil one, today you will be restrained by the Bodhisattva,
Like a snake by a spell.
Evil one, you are completely powerless,
Like Uruṇḍa, who lost his arms and legs.”
21.­192

Monks, in these sixteen ways the gods from the pure realms tried to discourage Māra. And, monks, the gods who attended upon the Bodhisattva now also tried to break Māra’s resolve in sixteen ways. What were these sixteen? They were:

21.­193
“Evil one, today you will be defeated by the Bodhisattva,
Like an enemy soldier by a hero. [334]
Evil one, today you will be held down by the Bodhisattva,
Like a weak wrestler by a powerful one.
21.­194
“Evil one, today you will be outmatched by the Bodhisattva,
Like a firefly by the sun.
Evil one, today you will be scattered by the Bodhisattva,
Like a handful of chaff by a strong wind.
21.­195
“Evil one, today you will be terrified by the Bodhisattva,
Like a jackal by a lion.
Evil one, today you will be felled by the Bodhisattva,
Like a great sāl tree whose roots have been cut.
21.­196
“Evil one, today you will be destroyed by the Bodhisattva,
Like a hostile city by a great king.
Evil one, today you will be dried up by the Bodhisattva,
Like the water-filled footprint of a cow.
21.­197
“Evil one, today you will flee from the Bodhisattva,
Like a criminal escaping execution.
Evil one, today you will be sent swirling by the Bodhisattva,
Like a swarm of bees by the heat of fire.
21.­198
“Evil one, today you will be hurt by the Bodhisattva,
Like a lawful king who has lost his kingdom.
Evil one, today you will brood because of the Bodhisattva,
Like an old crane with clipped wings. [F.162.b] [335]
21.­199
“Evil one, today you will be deprived of livelihood by the Bodhisattva,
Like a weary traveler without provisions in a wilderness.
Evil one, today you will be weeping because of the Bodhisattva,
Like someone shipwrecked at sea.
21.­200
“Evil one, today you will be depleted of life force by the Bodhisattva,
Like grass and trees by the fire at the end of an eon.
Evil one, today you will be crushed by the Bodhisattva,
Like a mountaintop by a mighty thunderbolt.”

Monks, although the gods who attended upon the Bodhisattva tried to discourage Māra, the evil one, in these sixteen ways, Māra would not be deterred.

21.­201

On this topic, it is said:

Although hosts of deities ask him to turn back, Antaka does not pay heed;
Instead he says, “Tear him up! Beat him! Destroy him! Don’t let him escape alive!
If he is liberated, he will liberate my realm and other realms as well;
But the only liberation in store for this mendicant is to get up and flee.”
21.­202

The Bodhisattva said:

“The king of mountains, Mount Meru, may move and all beings may cease to be;
All the stars, the planets, and the moon may fall from the sky to the earth;
It is possible that all beings may think and act in unison and the great oceans may dry out;
But it is impossible that someone like me would ever move from the king of trees.”
21.­203

Māra replied: [336]

“I am lord of desires and master of the universe.
I rule over gods, demigods, humans, and animals;
All of them fall under my control.
So get up! Since you are in my realm, follow my orders!”
21.­204

The Bodhisattva said:

“If you are master of sense pleasures, you are clearly not a master at all;
Look who I am in reality‍—I am master of the Dharma.
If you are the master of sense pleasures, you should not go to the lower realms;
While you watch powerlessly, I shall attain awakening.”
21.­205

Māra replied:

“Monk, what are you doing here in the wilderness on your own?
It is not an easy task to find that which you seek.
Bhṛgu, Aṅgiras, and others who exerted themselves in austerities [F.163.a]
Did not attain that supreme state, so forget about you, an ordinary man.”
21.­206

The Bodhisattva said:

“With a mind possessed by anger and full of desire for the divine realms,
And a belief that the self is either permanent or impermanent,
And the thought that liberation is a place you can go to,
With such mistaken preconceptions, past sages practiced austerities.
21.­207
“Not knowing the truth, they preached the existence of a soul,
Variously claiming that this soul is all-pervasive, confined to locations, eternal,
With form, without form, with qualities, without qualities, [337]
An agent, and not an agent. This is what they claimed.
21.­208
“But today, sitting here on this seat, I will attain stainless awakening;
I will defeat you, Māra, and repel your army and soldiers.
I will explain to the world about the origin and arising of things,
And also about nirvāṇa, the cool state where suffering is pacified.”
21.­209

Māra, upset, angry, and furious, shouted harsh words:

“Catch that Gautama, who sits alone in the wilderness, and bring him quickly to me!
Take him to my palace, shackle, fetter, and yoke him, and make him my gatekeeper!
I will watch him suffer and cry out uncontrollably in many different ways, a slave of the gods.”
21.­210

The Bodhisattva replied:

“It is possible that someone can make drawings in the empty sky,
Or catch the blowing wind with a lasso,
Or make the bright sun and moon fall from the sky to the earth,
Yet you, or countless beings like you, will never force me away from this tree.”
21.­211
The powerful army of demons came forth.
With wild cries, playing conches and various drums, they asked,
“When you see this terrifying army of Māra,
Oh, our son, our dear child, are you not annihilated already?
21.­212
“You are as bright as gold from the Jambū River, or the pericarp of the campaka flower;
You are youthful, praised and honored by gods and humans. [338]
But today you will meet your doom in this great battle;
You will come under the control of Māra, like the moon seized by the demigod.”
21.­213
With the voice of Brahmā and the call of the cuckoo bird, [F.163.b]
The Well-Gone One spoke to the hordes of yakṣas and rākṣasas:
“He who hopes to remove someone like me from this perfect tree
Is a fool who tries to frighten space itself.
21.­214
“No one can harm me here beneath this tree,
Not even someone who can destroy the trichiliocosm and count its motes of dust,
Not even someone who can draw all the water in the oceans through a single straw,
Not even someone who can split the supreme diamond mountain in a single instant.”
21.­215
Māra, being thus restrained, became angry;
He held aloft his unsheathed, sharp sword.
“Monk, quick, get up and do as I tell you,
Or I will cut you right away like a bamboo twig or dūrvā grass.”
21.­216

The Bodhisattva replied:

“Even if this trichiliocosm were filled with demons,
And each of them brandished a sword as large as Mount Meru,
They could not bend a hair on my body, let alone kill me.
Do not disbelieve me; I am reminding you of my firm resolve.” [339]
21.­217
With faces of camels, oxen, and elephants, and terrifying eyes,
With venomous snakes for arms, with horrible poisonous eyes,
They hurled erupting volcanoes at him,
As well as trees with their roots, and copper and iron.
21.­218
They gathered like clouds from the four directions,
Roaring and raining down bolts of lightning, iron balls,
Swords, spears, sharp axes, and poisoned arrows.
They shattered the earth’s surface and pulverized trees.
21.­219
Some had one hundred hands and shot one hundred arrows.
From their mouths they shot out poisonous snakes and fire,
While seizing crocodiles and other aquatic creatures from the ocean.
Some transformed into garuḍas and pounced at snakes.
21.­220
Infuriated, some hurled iron balls the size of Mount Meru,
As well as blazing mountain peaks.
Hitting the ground, they made the earth quake
And stirred up the underground masses of water.
21.­221
Some jumped in front of him and some attacked him from behind;
Yelling out, “You child!” they attacked from the left and from the right.
Their hands and feet were turned the wrong way, and their heads were afire;
Blazing lightning bolts sprang forth from their eyes.
21.­222
As he witnessed this army of demons, ugly with unnatural forms,
This pure being understood that they were like an illusion. [F.164.a]
“There is no Māra here, no army, no being, and also no self;
Like the moon reflected in a pond, so does this threefold universe revolve. [340]
21.­223
“There is no eye, no man, no woman, and no self;
There is no ear, no nose, no tongue, and no body.
No one created these phenomena and no one experiences them;
They arise in dependency and are empty both from within and without.”
21.­224
As he proclaimed the truth that phenomena are empty,
The yakṣas who are agreeable to discipline
Perceived the weapons in their hands to be flower garlands.
Such was the result of the words spoken by the One Who Always Speaks the Truth.
21.­225
He gracefully ran his right hand over his body from head to toe‍—
The hand, which was adorned with a fine web,
Which had beautiful copper-colored nails, sparkling like gold from the Jambū River,
And was marked with a thousand-spoked wheel, and was auspicious with the merit of virtue.
21.­226
He stretched out his hand, like a lightning bolt striking from the sky,
And said, “This earth is my witness.
In the past I have made millions of elaborate sacrifices
And never denied those who petitioned me.
21.­227
“Water and fire and wind are my witnesses,
And so are Brahmā, the lord of beings, the moon, the sun, and the stars.
The buddhas in the ten directions are my witnesses;
My discipline, practice, and the superior branches of awakening are all my witnesses.
21.­228
“Generosity, discipline, and patience are my witnesses;
Diligence, concentration, and knowledge, [341]
The four limitless contemplations, and the five higher knowledges are my witnesses.
In fact all the gradual practices of awakening are my witnesses.
21.­229
“However many beings there are in the ten directions,
With all their strength of merit, discipline, and wisdom,
And all their many unrestricted sacrifices,
They do not equal even a hundredth of the qualities in a single hair of mine.”
21.­230
He gracefully touched his hand to the earth
So that the earth resounded like a copper vase.
As Māra heard this, he fell to the ground,
And then heard the words, “Strike! Catch this friend of darkness.”
21.­231
As Māra’s body started to sweat, his splendor disappeared and his face grew pale;
Māra now saw himself overcome by old age.
He beat his chest and cried out in fear, with no protector in sight;
Māra’s mind was confused and his thoughts befuddled.
21.­232
His elephants, horses, conveyances, and chariots all fell to the ground;
The yakṣas, kumbhāṇḍas, and flesh eaters were terrified and ran.
Disoriented, they could not find their way, and without resting place or protection, [F.164.b]
They fled like birds seeing a forest fire.
21.­233
Parents, children, sisters, and brothers asked about them:
“Where were they seen? Where have they gone?”
And in this way they started to argue and fight with each other:
“Such suffering has befallen us, and there are no prospects for living.” [342]
21.­234
The great army of demons, so utterly unshakable,
Was now all gone, dispersed, and no more together.
For seven days they did not see each other,
And when they finally did see their phantasmal forms, they said, “Great to see you alive.”
21.­235
The goddess in the tree felt compassion;
She took her vase with water and sprinkled the friend of darkness.
“Quick, get up! You must depart without delay!
For this is what happens to those who pay no heed to the words of the Master.”
21.­236

Māra replied:

“I did not listen to the kind and helpful advice of my sons,
And offended against a perfectly pure being.
Therefore I now reap suffering, fear, misfortune, grief, ruin,
Lamentation, loss of honor, and this miserable state.”
21.­237

The goddess replied:

“A fool who offends against those who are faultless
Shall himself meet with many troubles‍—
Fear, suffering, calamities, misery,
Lamentation, murder, and bondage.”
21.­238
The leaders of gods, demigods, garuḍas, kinnaras, and rākṣasas,
Brahmā, Indra, and the gods in the Heaven of Making Use of Others’ Emanations
And the Heaven of Joy all proclaimed his victory and called out,
“You have conquered Māra’s army! Hero of the World, be victorious!”
21.­239
They offered garlands of pearls, crescent moons, parasols, flags, and banners,
And showered him with flowers and powders of aloe, tagara, and sandalwood. [343]
They played music and sang,
“Sit at the tree, O Hero, O Lion Who Conquers His Enemies.
21.­240
“At this supreme seat, you have conquered with love the wicked army of demons.
Hero, today you shall attain awakening!
The ten powers, the unique qualities, the distinct realizations,
And the experiences of a buddha you shall attain today.
21.­241
“In order to tame Māra, you entered this battle.
There were 360 million beings who witnessed
The power and might of a perfect bodhisattva,
And 240 million who formed the wish for the perfect awakening of a buddha!”
21.­242

This concludes the twenty-first chapter, on conquering Māra. [F.165.a]


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.­13
The following six verses are missing in the Sanskrit text.
n.­14
The first three lines of this verse are missing in the Sanskrit text.

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.­4

Acalamati

Wylie:
  • blo gros mi gyo ba
Tibetan:
  • བློ་གྲོས་མི་གྱོ་བ།
Sanskrit:
  • acalamati

One of Māra’s sons who developed faith in Prince Siddhārtha and tried to dissuade Māra from attacking him on the evening of his awakening.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 21.­75
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.­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.­20

Ānandita

Wylie:
  • kun tu dga’ byed
Tibetan:
  • ཀུན་ཏུ་དགའ་བྱེད།
Sanskrit:
  • ānandita

A gatekeeper.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 21.­7
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.­23

Anavapta

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

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

A vast legendary lake on the other side of the Himalayas. Only those with miraculous powers can go there. It is said to be the source of the world’s four great rivers. (Provisional 84000 definition. New definition forthcoming.)

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 21.­180
g.­24

Aṅgiras

Wylie:
  • shes ldan
Tibetan:
  • ཤེས་ལྡན།
Sanskrit:
  • aṅgiras

The name of an ascetic.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 21.­205
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.­26

Anivartin

Wylie:
  • phyir mi ldog pa
Tibetan:
  • ཕྱིར་མི་ལྡོག་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • anivartin

One of the sons of Māra present on the eve of Prince Siddhārtha’s awakening.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 21.­65
g.­27

Antaka

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

Alternate name of Māra.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 21.­201
g.­30

Anupaśānta

Wylie:
  • nye bar zhi ba
Tibetan:
  • ཉེ་བར་ཞི་བ།
Sanskrit:
  • anupaśānta

One of the sons of Māra present on the eve of Prince Siddhārtha’s awakening.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 21.­68
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.­37

Arati

Wylie:
  • dga’ can
Tibetan:
  • དགའ་ཅན།
Sanskrit:
  • arati

One of the daughters of Māra present on the eve of Siddhārtha’s awakening.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 21.­146
  • 24.­79
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.­58

Avatāraprekṣin

Wylie:
  • glags lta
Tibetan:
  • གླགས་ལྟ།
Sanskrit:
  • avatāraprekṣin

One of the sons of Māra present on the eve of Prince Siddhārtha’s awakening.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 21.­63
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.­65

bayur tree

Wylie:
  • dong ka’i shing
Tibetan:
  • དོང་ཀའི་ཤིང་།
Sanskrit:
  • karṇikāra

Pterospermum acerifolium. Other names include karnikara, muchakunda, muchalinda, and dinner-plate tree.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 21.­164
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.­69

Bhadrasena

Wylie:
  • sde bzang po
Tibetan:
  • སྡེ་བཟང་པོ།
Sanskrit:
  • bhadrasena

One of the generals of Māra.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 21.­85
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.­75

Bhayaṃkara

Wylie:
  • ’jigs byed
Tibetan:
  • འཇིགས་བྱེད།
Sanskrit:
  • bhayaṃkara

One of the sons of Māra present at the eve of Prince Siddhārtha’s awakening.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 21.­61
g.­77

Bhṛgu

Wylie:
  • rab ’gro
Tibetan:
  • རབ་འགྲོ།
Sanskrit:
  • bhṛgu

The name of an ascetic.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 21.­205
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.­88

Brahmadatta

Wylie:
  • tshangs pas byin
Tibetan:
  • ཚངས་པས་བྱིན།
Sanskrit:
  • brahmadatta

A king.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 21.­96
g.­89

Brahmamati

Wylie:
  • tshangs pa’i blo gros
Tibetan:
  • ཚངས་པའི་བློ་གྲོས།
Sanskrit:
  • brahmamati

One of the sons of Māra present on the eve of Siddhārtha’s awakening.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 21.­76
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.­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.­110

conch shell

Wylie:
  • dung
Tibetan:
  • དུང་།
Sanskrit:
  • śaṅkha

Located in 4 passages in the translation:

  • 7.­2
  • 19.­18
  • 21.­127
  • 25.­16
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.­116

cuckoo bird

Wylie:
  • khyu byug
Tibetan:
  • ཁྱུ་བྱུག
Sanskrit:
  • kokila

Located in 5 passages in the translation:

  • 19.­69
  • 21.­156
  • 21.­213
  • 26.­213
  • 27.­6
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.­119

Daṇḍaka

Wylie:
  • dan da ka
Tibetan:
  • དན་ད་ཀ
Sanskrit:
  • daṇḍaka

A forest.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 21.­96
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.­138

Dharmakāma

Wylie:
  • chos ’dod
Tibetan:
  • ཆོས་འདོད།
Sanskrit:
  • dharmakāma

One of Māra’s sons who developed faith in Prince Siddhārtha, and tried to dissuade Māra from attacking him on the evening of his awakening.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 21.­66
g.­142

Dharmarati

Wylie:
  • chos dags
Tibetan:
  • ཆོས་དགས།
Sanskrit:
  • dharmarati

One of Māra’s sons who developed faith in Prince Siddhārtha and tried to dissuade Māra from attacking him on the evening of his awakening.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 21.­73
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.­151

Dīrgha­bāhu­garvita

Wylie:
  • lag rings kyis bsgyings
Tibetan:
  • ལག་རིངས་ཀྱིས་བསྒྱིངས།
Sanskrit:
  • dīrgha­bāhu­garvita

One of the sons of Māra present on the eve of Prince Siddhārtha’s awakening.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 21.­56
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.­162

Durmati

Wylie:
  • blo gros ngan pa
Tibetan:
  • བློ་གྲོས་ངན་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • durmati

One of the sons of Māra present on the eve of Prince Siddhārtha’s awakening.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 21.­45
g.­163

Duścintita­cintin

Wylie:
  • nyes par bsam pa sems pa
Tibetan:
  • ཉེས་པར་བསམ་པ་སེམས་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • duścintita­cintin

One of the sons of Māra present on the eve of Siddhārtha’s awakening.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 21.­81
g.­168

eight-legged lion beast

Wylie:
  • ri dags ldang sko ska
Tibetan:
  • རི་དགས་ལྡང་སྐོ་སྐ།
Sanskrit:
  • śarabha

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 21.­23
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.­173

Ekāgramati

Wylie:
  • blo gros rtse gcig pa
Tibetan:
  • བློ་གྲོས་རྩེ་གཅིག་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • ekāgramati

One of Māra’s sons who developed faith in Prince Siddhārtha and tried to dissuade Māra from attacking him on the evening of his awakening.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 21.­62
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.­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.­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.­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.­221

great trichiliocosm

Wylie:
  • stong gsum gyi stong chen po
Tibetan:
  • སྟོང་གསུམ་གྱི་སྟོང་ཆེན་པོ།
Sanskrit:
  • tri­sāhasra­mahā­sāhasra­loka­dhātu

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

The largest universe described in Buddhist cosmology. This term, in Abhidharma cosmology, refers to 1,000³ world systems, i.e., 1,000 “dichiliocosms” or “two thousand great thousand world realms” (dvi­sāhasra­mahā­sāhasra­lokadhātu), which are in turn made up of 1,000 first-order world systems, each with its own Mount Sumeru, continents, sun and moon, etc.

Located in 18 passages in the translation:

  • 5.­82
  • 6.­43
  • 6.­64
  • 7.­30
  • 7.­32-34
  • 12.­43-44
  • 19.­4-5
  • 19.­8
  • 19.­18
  • 19.­23
  • 21.­2
  • 21.­26
  • 21.­69
  • 21.­115
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.­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.­236

Heaven Fully Free from Strife

Wylie:
  • ’thab bral rab
Tibetan:
  • འཐབ་བྲལ་རབ།
Sanskrit:
  • suyāmā

A heavenly realm and the class of gods who inhabit it.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 21.­154
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.­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.­270

Jambū

Wylie:
  • ’dzam
Tibetan:
  • འཛམ།
Sanskrit:
  • jambū
  • jāmbū

A mythical, divine river.

Located in 9 passages in the translation:

  • 9.­4-5
  • 19.­21
  • 20.­19
  • 21.­212
  • 21.­225
  • 23.­30
  • 26.­10
  • 26.­22
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.­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.­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.­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.­316

kunāla

Wylie:
  • ku na la
Tibetan:
  • ཀུ་ན་ལ།
Sanskrit:
  • kunāla

Himalayan bird with beautiful bright eyes.

Located in 4 passages in the translation:

  • 5.­10
  • 13.­15
  • 19.­69
  • 21.­7
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.­333

Madhura­nirghoṣa

Wylie:
  • dbyangs snyan
Tibetan:
  • དབྱངས་སྙན།
Sanskrit:
  • madhura­nirghoṣa

One of Māra’s sons who developed faith in Prince Siddhārtha and tried to dissuade Māra from attacking him on the evening of his awakening.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 21.­46
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.­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.­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.­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.­365

Māra­pramardaka

Wylie:
  • bdud rab tu ’joms pa
Tibetan:
  • བདུད་རབ་ཏུ་འཇོམས་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • māra­pramardaka

One of Māra’s sons who developed faith in Prince Siddhārtha and tried to dissuade Māra from attacking him on the evening of his awakening.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 21.­106
g.­366

Māriṇī

Wylie:
  • phreng ma can
Tibetan:
  • ཕྲེང་མ་ཅན།
Sanskrit:
  • māriṇī

Māra’s chief queen.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 21.­7
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.­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.­398

myna bird

Wylie:
  • ri skegs
Tibetan:
  • རི་སྐེགས།
Sanskrit:
  • śārikā

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 11.­21
  • 21.­120
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.­406

Namuci

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

An epithet of Māra.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 21.­62
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.­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.­416

Nārada

Wylie:
  • mis byin gyi bu
Tibetan:
  • མིས་བྱིན་གྱི་བུ།
Sanskrit:
  • nārada

A priest.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 21.­7
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.­427

Ojobalā

Wylie:
  • mdangs stobs
Tibetan:
  • མདངས་སྟོབས།
Sanskrit:
  • ojobalā

One of the eight goddesses dwelling in the Bodhi tree.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 21.­175
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.­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.­444

partridge

Wylie:
  • shang shang te’u
Tibetan:
  • ཤང་ཤང་ཏེའུ།
Sanskrit:
  • jīvaṃjīvaka
  • jīvaṃjīva

Also translated “pheasant.”

Located in 4 passages in the translation:

  • 2.­13
  • 19.­7
  • 19.­69
  • g.­451
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.­451

pheasant

Wylie:
  • shang shang te’u
Tibetan:
  • ཤང་ཤང་ཏེའུ།
Sanskrit:
  • jīvaṃjīvaka
  • jīvaṃjīva

Also translated as “partridge.”

Located in 4 passages in the translation:

  • 5.­10
  • 13.­15
  • 21.­156
  • g.­444
g.­453

pleasure grove

Wylie:
  • skyed mos tshal
Tibetan:
  • སྐྱེད་མོས་ཚལ།
Sanskrit:
  • udyāna

Located in 10 passages in the translation:

  • 5.­23
  • 5.­35
  • 6.­75
  • 7.­5-6
  • 7.­86
  • 9.­5
  • 14.­6
  • 21.­156
  • g.­384
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.­463

Prasāda­pratilabdha

Wylie:
  • sdad pa thob pa
Tibetan:
  • སྡད་པ་ཐོབ་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • prasāda­pratilabdha

One of Māra’s sons who developed faith in Prince Siddhārtha and tried to dissuade Māra from attacking him on the evening of his awakening.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 21.­59
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.­469

preta

Wylie:
  • yi dags
Tibetan:
  • ཡི་དགས།
Sanskrit:
  • preta

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

One of the five or six classes of sentient beings, into which beings are born as the karmic fruition of past miserliness. As the term in Sanskrit means “the departed,” they are analogous to the ancestral spirits of Vedic tradition, the pitṛs, who starve without the offerings of descendants. It is also commonly translated as “hungry ghost” or “starving spirit,” as in the Chinese 餓鬼 e gui.

They are sometimes said to reside in the realm of Yama, but are also frequently described as roaming charnel grounds and other inhospitable or frightening places along with piśācas and other such beings. They are particularly known to suffer from great hunger and thirst and the inability to acquire sustenance. Detailed descriptions of their realm and experience, including a list of the thirty-six classes of pretas, can be found in The Application of Mindfulness of the Sacred Dharma, Toh 287, 2.­1281– 2.1482.

Located in 3 passages in the translation:

  • 5.­86
  • 17.­18
  • g.­669
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.­475

Puṅyālaṃkāra

Wylie:
  • bsod nams brgyan
Tibetan:
  • བསོད་ནམས་བརྒྱན།
Sanskrit:
  • puṅyālaṃkāra

One of Māra’s sons who developed faith in Prince Siddhārtha and tried to dissuade Māra from attacking him on the evening of his awakening.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 21.­64
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.­489

Rāhu

Wylie:
  • sgra gcan
Tibetan:
  • སྒྲ་གཅན།
Sanskrit:
  • rāhu

A powerful asura, said to cause eclipses.

Located in 3 passages in the translation:

  • 11.­7
  • 16.­15
  • 21.­122
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.­499

Rati

Wylie:
  • dga’
Tibetan:
  • དགའ།
Sanskrit:
  • rati

One of the daughters of Māra present on the eve of Siddhārtha’s awakening.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 21.­146
  • 24.­79
g.­500

Ratilola

Wylie:
  • dga’ ba chags pa
Tibetan:
  • དགའ་བ་ཆགས་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • ratilola

One of the sons of Māra present on the eve of Siddhārtha’s awakening.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 21.­72
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.­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.­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.­538

sāl tree

Wylie:
  • shing sA la
Tibetan:
  • ཤིང་སཱ་ལ།
Sanskrit:
  • sāla
  • śāla

A hardwood tree that is widespread on the Indian subcontinent. Usually identified as Shorea robusta. It is usually known as the kind of tree under which the Buddha was born and passed away. However, according to this account, the Buddha was born under a fig tree, similar to the one under which he attained awakening.

Located in 4 passages in the translation:

  • 7.­52
  • 7.­79
  • 21.­195
  • 24.­111
g.­541

Samaṅginī

Wylie:
  • ldan ma
Tibetan:
  • ལྡན་མ།
Sanskrit:
  • samaṅginī

One of the eight goddesses dwelling in the Bodhi tree.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 21.­175
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.­553

Santuṣita

Wylie:
  • yongs su dga’ ldan
Tibetan:
  • ཡོངས་སུ་དགའ་ལྡན།
Sanskrit:
  • santuṣita

The principal deity in the paradise of Tuṣita.

Located in 5 passages in the translation:

  • 5.­30
  • 21.­7
  • 23.­42
  • 23.­45
  • 27.­9
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.­557

Sārthavāha

Wylie:
  • ded dpon
Tibetan:
  • དེད་དཔོན།
Sanskrit:
  • sārthavāha

One of Māra’s sons who developed faith in Prince Siddhārtha and tried to dissuade Māra from attacking him on the evening of his awakening.

Located in 7 passages in the translation:

  • 5.­30
  • 21.­14
  • 21.­16
  • 21.­18
  • 21.­20
  • 21.­43-44
g.­559

Sarvacaṇḍāla

Wylie:
  • thams cad du gdol pa
Tibetan:
  • ཐམས་ཅད་དུ་གདོལ་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • sarvacaṇḍāla

One of the sons of Māra present on the eve of Siddhārtha’s awakening.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 21.­78
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.­562

Śatabāhu

Wylie:
  • lag brgya pa
Tibetan:
  • ལག་བརྒྱ་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • śatabāhu

One of the sons of Māra present on the eve of Prince Siddhārtha’s awakening.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 21.­48
g.­567

Satyavādinī

Wylie:
  • bden smra
Tibetan:
  • བདེན་སྨྲ།
Sanskrit:
  • satyavādinī

One of the eight goddesses dwelling in the Bodhi tree.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 21.­175
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.­576

Siddhārtha

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

One of Māra’s sons who developed faith in Prince Siddhārtha and tried to dissuade Māra from attacking him on the evening of his awakening.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 21.­69
g.­584

Siṃhahanu

Wylie:
  • seng ge za ’gram
Tibetan:
  • སེང་གེ་ཟ་འགྲམ།
Sanskrit:
  • siṃhahanu

A demon in Māra’s army.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 21.­9
g.­587

Siṃhamati

Wylie:
  • seng ge’i blo gros
Tibetan:
  • སེང་གེའི་བློ་གྲོས།
Sanskrit:
  • siṃhamati

One of Māra’s sons who developed faith in Prince Siddhārtha and tried to dissuade Māra from attacking him on the evening of his awakening.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 21.­77
g.­588

Siṃhanādin

Wylie:
  • seng ge sgra sgrogs
Tibetan:
  • སེང་གེ་སྒྲ་སྒྲོགས།
Sanskrit:
  • siṃhanādin

One of Māra’s sons who developed faith in Prince Siddhārtha and tried to dissuade Māra from attacking him on the evening of his awakening.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 21.­79
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.­595

solitary buddha

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

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

Literally, “buddha for oneself” or “solitary realizer.” Someone who, in his or her last life, attains awakening entirely through their own contemplation, without relying on a teacher. Unlike the awakening of a fully realized buddha (samyaksambuddha), the accomplishment of a pratyeka­buddha is not regarded as final or ultimate. They attain realization of the nature of dependent origination, the selflessness of the person, and a partial realization of the selflessness of phenomena, by observing the suchness of all that arises through interdependence. This is the result of progress in previous lives but, unlike a buddha, they do not have the necessary merit, compassion or motivation to teach others. They are named as “rhinoceros-like” (khaḍgaviṣāṇakalpa) for their preference for staying in solitude or as “congregators” (vargacārin) when their preference is to stay among peers.

Located in 17 passages in the translation:

  • 2.­11
  • 3.­14-15
  • 5.­45
  • 17.­22
  • 17.­62
  • 20.­20
  • 21.­13
  • 26.­113
  • 26.­173
  • 26.­175
  • 27.­16-17
  • 27.­21
  • g.­321
  • g.­367
  • g.­672
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.­599

Śreyasī

Wylie:
  • dge ma
Tibetan:
  • དགེ་མ།
Sanskrit:
  • śreyasī

One of the eight goddesses dwelling in the Bodhi tree.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 21.­175
g.­600

Śrī

Wylie:
  • dpal ldan
Tibetan:
  • དཔལ་ལྡན།
Sanskrit:
  • śrī

One of the eight goddesses dwelling in the Bodhi tree.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 21.­7
  • 21.­175
g.­605

Sthāvarā

Wylie:
  • brtan ma
Tibetan:
  • བརྟན་མ།
Sanskrit:
  • sthāvarā

The earth goddess who was present at the eve of Siddhārtha’s awakening.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 21.­115
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.­615

Subuddhi

Wylie:
  • blo bzang
Tibetan:
  • བློ་བཟང་།
Sanskrit:
  • subuddhi

One of Māra’s sons who developed faith in Prince Siddhārtha and tried to dissuade Māra from attacking him on the evening of his awakening.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 21.­49
g.­616

Sucintitārtha

Wylie:
  • don legs par bsam pa sems pa
Tibetan:
  • དོན་ལེགས་པར་བསམ་པ་སེམས་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • sucintitārtha

One of Māra’s sons who developed faith in Prince Siddhārtha and tried to dissuade Māra from attacking him on the evening of his awakening.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 21.­82
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.­633

Sunetra

Wylie:
  • mi bzangs
Tibetan:
  • མི་བཟངས།
Sanskrit:
  • sunetra

One of Māra’s sons who developed faith in Prince Siddhārtha and tried to dissuade Māra from attacking him on the evening of his awakening.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 21.­53
g.­634

Sunirmāṇarati

Wylie:
  • rab ’phrul
Tibetan:
  • རབ་འཕྲུལ།
Sanskrit:
  • sunirmāṇarati

The principal deity in the Nirmāṇarati paradise, the second highest paradise in the desire realm. Also called Sunirmita.

Located in 3 passages in the translation:

  • 21.­7
  • 27.­9
  • g.­635
g.­635

Sunirmita

Wylie:
  • rab ’phrul
Tibetan:
  • རབ་འཕྲུལ།
Sanskrit:
  • sunirmita

The principal deity in the Nirmāṇarati paradise, the second highest paradise in the desire realm. Also called Sunirmāṇarati.

Located in 4 passages in the translation:

  • 5.­30
  • 23.­36
  • 23.­41
  • g.­634
g.­653

Suyāma

Wylie:
  • rab ’thab bral
Tibetan:
  • རབ་འཐབ་བྲལ།
Sanskrit:
  • suyāma

The chief god of the Heaven Free from Strife.

Located in 5 passages in the translation:

  • 5.­30
  • 21.­7
  • 23.­46
  • 23.­51
  • 27.­9
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.­660

tagara

Wylie:
  • rgya spos
Tibetan:
  • རྒྱ་སྤོས།
Sanskrit:
  • tagara

The shrub Tabernaemontana coronaria from which a fragrant powder or perfume is obtained.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 21.­239
g.­662

Tapā

Wylie:
  • dka’ thub
Tibetan:
  • དཀའ་ཐུབ།
Sanskrit:
  • tapā

One of the eight goddesses dwelling in the Bodhi tree.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 21.­175
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.­669

three lower realms

Wylie:
  • ngan ’gro gsum
Tibetan:
  • ངན་འགྲོ་གསུམ།
Sanskrit:
  • tridurgati
  • tryapāya

The realms of hell beings, pretas, and animals.

Located in 11 passages in the translation:

  • 4.­14
  • 4.­38
  • 7.­45
  • 7.­55
  • 13.­24
  • 13.­80
  • 13.­131-132
  • 14.­50
  • 21.­5
  • 22.­72
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.­681

Tṛṣṇā

Wylie:
  • sred
Tibetan:
  • སྲེད།
Sanskrit:
  • tṛṣṇā

One of the daughters of Māra present on the eve of Siddhārtha’s awakening.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 21.­146
  • 24.­79
g.­683

two-headed pheasant

Wylie:
  • shang shang te’u
Tibetan:
  • ཤང་ཤང་ཏེའུ།
Sanskrit:
  • jīvaṃjīvaka
  • jīvaṃjīva

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 21.­7
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.­689

Ugratejas

Wylie:
  • gzi brjid drag shul can
Tibetan:
  • གཟི་བརྗིད་དྲག་ཤུལ་ཅན།
Sanskrit:
  • ugratejas

One of the sons of Māra present on the eve of Siddhārtha’s awakening.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 21.­52
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.­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.­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.­725

Vaśavartin

Wylie:
  • dbang sgyur
Tibetan:
  • དབང་སྒྱུར།
Sanskrit:
  • vaśavartin

The king of gods in the Heaven of Making Use of Others’ Emanations.

Located in 3 passages in the translation:

  • 21.­7
  • 27.­5
  • 27.­9
g.­727

Vātajava

Wylie:
  • rlung gi shugs
Tibetan:
  • རླུང་གི་ཤུགས།
Sanskrit:
  • vātajava

One of the sons of Māra present on the eve of Siddhārtha’s awakening.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 21.­74
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.­736

Vidu

Wylie:
  • mkhas ma
Tibetan:
  • མཁས་མ།
Sanskrit:
  • vidu

One of the eight goddesses dwelling in the Bodhi tree.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 21.­175
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.­755

Vṛddhi

Wylie:
  • ’phel mo
Tibetan:
  • འཕེལ་མོ།
Sanskrit:
  • vṛddhi

One of the eight goddesses dwelling in the Bodhi tree.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 21.­175
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.­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.­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.­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. The Play in Full (Lalita­vistara, rgya cher rol pa, Toh 95). Translated by Dharmachakra Translation Committee, online publication, 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2025, 84000.co/translation/toh95/UT22084-046-001-chapter-21.Copy
    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-21.Copy

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