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རྒྱ་ཆེར་རོལ་པ།

The Play in Full
The Purity of the Family

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.

3.­2

The Bodhisattva then said, “Monks, in twelve years the Bodhisattva shall enter the womb of his mother.”

At that time the gods from the pure realms ventured to Jambudvīpa. Hiding their divine forms, they took on the guise of priests and taught the Vedas to other priests. They made it known that one who entered the womb in this manner [14] would be a great being possessed of thirty-two marks:

“Someone with such marks would become one of two things. There would be no third option,” they said. “If such an individual were to live as a householder, he would become a universal monarch with a fourfold army. He would become a conqueror, a righteous Dharma king. Such a king would have the seven treasures: the precious wheel, the precious elephant, the precious horse, the precious jewel, the precious wife, the precious steward, and the precious minister.

3.­3

“How is it that a universal monarch comes to possess the precious wheel? Such a wheel can only belong to a king who has been properly consecrated by sprinkling his head. On the fifteenth day of the lunar month, while observing a poṣadha fast, the king will first wash his head and then go to the top terrace of the palace, surrounded by the women of the female quarters. Then a precious, divine wheel with one thousand spokes will appear from the east. [F.10.a] As high as seven tāla trees, the wheel, which is not made by a smith, is round with a central hub and made entirely of gold.

“This precious, divine wheel will now belong to the king, who is appointed to the highest rank of the ruling class. As he sees it, he will think to himself, ‘I have heard that if a precious, divine wheel appears from the east when a king, who has been appointed to the highest rank of the ruling class, ascends to the top floor of the palace surrounded by a gathering of women while observing a poṣadha fast on the fifteenth day of the lunar month, then he shall become a universal monarch. Since I can now clearly perceive this precious, divine wheel, I must certainly be a universal monarch!’

3.­4

“The king appointed to the highest rank of the ruling class will then draw his cloak back from one shoulder and lower his right knee to the ground. Turning the precious, divine wheel with his right hand, he will proclaim, ‘Precious wheel, noble and divine, please turn in harmony with the Dharma, rather than that which is not the Dharma.’

“The precious, divine wheel, set in motion by the king appointed to the highest rank of the ruling class, will magically travel through space to the east, followed by the universal monarch and his four army divisions. Wherever the wheel comes to rest, [15] there the king appointed to the highest rank of the ruling class and his four army divisions will set up their camp.

3.­5

“As he travels, the provincial kings of the eastern lands will come to greet him, carrying silver vessels filled with gold dust, and gold vessels filled with fragments of silver. ‘Welcome, lord,’ they will say. ‘Please come. This kingdom is yours. It is extremely vast and prosperous. [F.10.b] With bountiful harvests, it is both delightful and populous. Indeed it is filled with people. Now that you have arrived in this land, lord, it is yours. We beseech you to stay.’

“Replying to the provincial kings, the king appointed to the highest rank of the ruling class will respond, ‘May you rule your respective kingdoms according to the Dharma, and not by what is not Dharma. Do not take the lives of living beings, do not take what is not given, and do not engage in sexual misconduct. Likewise you should refrain from telling lies, sowing discord, speaking harshly, and talking frivolously. Do not let your mind be overcome by covetousness, malice, or misguided beliefs. Do not befriend those who take life or those with misguided beliefs. Should non-Dharma arise in my dominion, do not applaud those who practice it.’ In this way the king, who is appointed to the highest rank of the ruling class, will conquer the east.

3.­6

“Having conquered the east, the precious wheel will then move toward the eastern seas. Crossing over them, it will travel magically through space to the south, accompanied by the universal monarch and his four army divisions. As before he will conquer the south, and then move on to conquer the west and the north.

“Once the king has conquered the north, the wheel will move toward the northern seas and, traveling magically through the sky to the royal palace, it will come to rest unharmed at the entrance to the quarters of the queen’s retinue. In this manner the king appointed to the highest rank of the ruling class comes to possess the precious wheel.

3.­7

“How is it that a universal monarch comes to possess the precious elephant? [F.11.a] The precious elephant of the king appointed to the highest rank of the ruling class appears in the same way that the precious wheel appeared. Completely white in color, the precious elephant has four limbs, two tusks, and a trunk. Its head is ornamented with gold, and it bears a gold victory banner. Likewise it is bedecked with gold ornaments and covered with gold netting. [16] Its magical powers enable it to fly through the sky and transform itself. This king of elephants is known as Bodhi.

“When the king appointed to the highest rank of the ruling class wishes to examine the precious elephant, he will mount it at daybreak and travel throughout this great earth, which is surrounded by oceans. After returning to the royal palace, he will fondly resume his governance. In this manner the universal monarch comes to possess the precious elephant.

3.­8

“How is it that a universal monarch comes to possess the precious horse? The precious horse of the king appointed to the highest rank of the ruling class appears just as before. The precious horse has a blue body and a black head with a braided mane. It is bridled, bearing a gold victory banner and gold ornaments, and it is covered with gold netting. With its magical powers, it can fly through the sky and transform itself. This king of horses is known as Bālāhaka.

“When the king appointed to the highest rank of the ruling class wishes to examine the precious horse, he will mount it at daybreak and travel throughout this great earth, which is surrounded by oceans. After returning to the royal palace, he will fondly resume his governance. In this manner the universal monarch comes to possess the precious horse.

3.­9

“How is it that a universal monarch comes to possess the precious jewel? The precious jewel of the king appointed to the highest rank of the ruling class appears just as before. [F.11.b] It is a lapis lazuli gem of pure blue color, with eight facets and very fine craftsmanship. With the light emitted from the precious jewel, the entirety of the female quarters are bathed in light.

“When the king appointed to the highest rank of the ruling class wishes to examine the precious jewel, then, at midnight, in complete darkness, he will affix it to the tip of a victory banner and venture out in the gardens [17] to observe the sublime grounds. The light emitted by the precious jewel will illuminate the surrounding area for an entire league, including all four divisions of the king’s army. The people who dwell in the vicinity of the precious jewel will be illuminated by its radiance. Seeing and recognizing each other, they will say to one another, ‘Wake up, friends. Start your work and get to the market. The sun is up and the day has begun.’ In this manner the universal monarch appointed to the highest rank of the ruling class comes to possess the precious jewel.

3.­10

“How is it that the universal monarch appointed to the highest rank of the ruling class comes to possess the precious wife? The precious wife of the king appointed to the highest rank of the ruling class appears just as before. In accord with tradition, the precious wife has been born into the warrior class. She is not too tall or short, too fat or thin, too dark or fair. Indeed she is beautiful in form, pleasant in manner, and pleasing to the eye. She is in the full bloom of life, and every pore of her body gives off the scent of sandalwood, while from her mouth wafts the fragrance of utpala flowers. Her body is as soft to the touch as kācilindika cloth; in cold weather her body is warm to the touch, and in warm weather it is cool. Her mind, let alone her body, desires no one other than the universal monarch. In this manner the universal monarch comes to possess the precious wife. [F.12.a]

3.­11

“How is it that the universal monarch appointed to the highest rank of the ruling class comes to possess the precious steward? The precious steward of the king appointed to the highest rank of the ruling class appears just as before. Learned, lucid, and intelligent, the precious steward’s divine sight will enable him to perceive treasures‍—both those that are owned and those that are not‍—in the surrounding area for up to an entire league. With those treasures that do not belong to anyone, he will cater to the material needs of the universal monarch. In this manner the universal monarch comes to possess the precious steward. [18]

3.­12

“How is it that the universal monarch appointed to the highest rank of the ruling class comes to possess the precious minister? The precious minister of a king who has been properly consecrated by sprinkling his head appears just as before. The precious minister is learned, lucid, and intelligent. The universal monarch merely has to think of commissioning an army and it is done. In this manner the universal monarch comes to possess the precious minister. The universal monarch thus possesses these seven treasures.

3.­13

“The universal monarch will also have one thousand sons. Brave, heroic, and supremely able in body, these sons will attain nothing but victory over the forces that oppose them. Without resorting to punishment or acts of violence, the king will rule with the Dharma, bringing peace and order to the entire vast kingdom that extends all the way to the oceans.

“If, however, he leaves his family behind and becomes a monk, he will become a buddha. Relinquishing the attachment of desire, and without relying on anyone else as a guide, he will become the teacher of gods and humans.”

With these words, the gods inspired the priests to recite the Vedas.

3.­14

In a similar manner, other gods arrived in Jambudvīpa to exhort the solitary buddhas. “Noble ones,” they said. “Give up this buddha realm. In twelve years’ time, the Bodhisattva will enter the womb of his mother.”

Monks, at that time there was a solitary buddha named Mātaṅga who dwelt on Mount Golāṅgula­parivartana in the city of Rājagṛha. [F.12.b] Hearing the exhortation of the gods, he became as still as mud resting upon a boulder, then rose up into the sky to the height of seven tāla trees. Merging with the fire element, like a torch he passed into nirvāṇa. His bile and phlegm, ligaments and bones, and flesh and blood were completely consumed by fire, leaving nothing but a few relics on the ground. Even today, they are known as ‘the footprints of the sage.’

3.­15

Monks, at this same time five hundred solitary buddhas were assembled in a deer park outside Vārāṇasī. They too heard the exhortation of the gods, rose up into the sky to the height of seven tāla trees and, turning into fire, passed into nirvāṇa like a torch. [19] Their bile and phlegm, ligaments and bones, and flesh and blood were completely consumed by fire. Nothing was left behind, save a few relics that fell to the ground. From this point on, the area came to be known as Ṛṣipatana, or the Hill of the Fallen Sages. The area also came to be known as Mṛgadāva, or the Deer Park, since deer frolicked there without fear.

3.­16

Monks, in this manner the Bodhisattva dwelt in the supreme realm of the Heaven of Joy, where he engaged in four great examinations. What were these four? He examined the time of his birth, the continent of his birth, the country of his birth, and the family of his birth.

3.­17

And why, monks, did the Bodhisattva examine the time of his birth? Because a bodhisattva does not enter his mother’s womb at the beginning of time when sentient beings are evolving. Rather it is when the world has formed and when birth, [F.13.a] old age, sickness, and death have become known that a bodhisattva enters his mother’s womb.

3.­18

And why, monks, did the Bodhisattva examine the continent of his birth? Because a bodhisattva is not born in an outlying continent, nor is he born on the eastern continent of Pūrvavideha, on the western continent of Aparagodānīya, or on the northern continent of Uttarakuru. Rather a bodhisattva is born on the southern continent of Jambudvīpa.

3.­19

And why, monks, did the Bodhisattva examine the country of his birth? Because a bodhisattva is not born in outlying lands where people are as stupid as sheep, with dull faculties, ignorant, and incapable of distinguishing right from wrong. Rather a bodhisattva is born in a central land. [20]

3.­20

And why, monks, did the Bodhisattva examine the family of his birth? Because a bodhisattva is not born into an inferior family, like a family of outcastes, flutemakers, cartwrights, or servants. A bodhisattva is only born into one of two families‍—a priestly family or a family of the ruling class. When the priestly families are dominant in the world, the bodhisattva is born into a priestly family. When the ruling-class families are dominant in the world, the bodhisattva is born into a ruling-class family. Thus, monks, at this time the ruling-class families were dominant in the world, so bodhisattvas were born into such families.

For this reason, the Bodhisattva engaged in these four great examinations as he dwelt in the supreme realm of the Heaven of Joy. Having examined these points, he remained silent. [B2]

3.­21

Monks, the gods and bodhisattvas then asked one another, “Into what precious family will the Bodhisattva be born? In what mother’s womb will he be conceived?” [F.13.b]

Some said, “The Vaideha family in the land of Magadha is wealthy, prosperous, and happy. This is a fitting place for the Bodhisattva to be conceived.”

“This is not a worthy place for the Bodhisattva to be conceived,” others responded, “for the mother’s family is not pure, nor is the father’s. The family’s fortunes have come about from little merit, not a vast store of merit. They are impetuous, unstable, and fickle. The surrounding environs of their land are like a desert, with few groves, lakes, and ponds. This is a primitive land, like a remote village. Hence this is not a worthy place for the Bodhisattva to take birth.”

3.­22

Some said, “The Kośala family has a large retinue, many mounts, and great wealth. This is a fitting place for the Bodhisattva to be conceived.”

“This is not a worthy place, either,” others replied. “The Kośala family descends from outcastes. Neither the father’s nor the mother’s families are pure. Their interests are base and their line is ignoble. Moreover, they have no limitless store of wealth and treasures. Hence this is not a worthy place for the Bodhisattva to take birth.” [21]

3.­23

Some said, “The family of the king of Vatsa is wealthy, prosperous, and happy. This is a fitting place for the Bodhisattva to be conceived.”

To this, others replied, “This is not a worthy place. The family of the king of Vatsa is base, violent, and lacking in nobility. They are illegitimate by birth, and their accomplishments have not resulted from the noble deeds of their parents. The king is a nihilist. Hence this is not a worthy place for the Bodhisattva to take birth, either.”

3.­24

Some suggested, “The city of Vaiśālī is wealthy, prosperous, and happy. Delightful and teeming with people, [F.14.a] it is like a heavenly palace, with terraces, balconies, architraves, skylights, cool pavilions, multistoried buildings, and palaces. This city is filled with blooming flowers, ringed with gardens, and encircled by forests. This is a worthy place for the Bodhisattva to be conceived.”

“This is not a worthy place, either,” others replied. “They do not speak to one another with decorum. They have no Dharma practice, nor do they respect their superiors, elders, leaders, or those in between. Each thinks that he is king, never taking on the role of a student or accepting the Dharma. Hence this city is not worthy of the Bodhisattva, either.”

3.­25

Others said, “The Pradyota family in the city of Ujjayinī has a great army and many mounts. They have emerged victorious in battle over their foes. This is a fitting place for the Bodhisattva to be conceived.”

To this the response came, “This is not a worthy place, for these people are malicious and violent. They are uncivilized, wild, and impetuous, without any heed for the consequences of their actions. Hence this is not an appropriate place for the Bodhisattva to be conceived.”

3.­26

Some said, “The city of Mathurā is rich, prosperous, and happy. It is populous, filled with people. [22] The royal palace of King Subāhu, who commands an army of brave warriors, is a fitting place for the Bodhisattva to be conceived.”

“This is not a worthy place,” others replied. “This king was born into a family with wrong views. Indeed he is like a savage, so it is inappropriate for the Bodhisattva to take his final existence in a family with wrong views. [F.14.b] Hence this as well is not an appropriate place for the Bodhisattva to be conceived.”

3.­27

Some suggested, “The king of the city of Hastināpura was born in the family descended from Pāṇḍu. This king is brave, courageous, and handsome. He has conquered opposing armies. Thus it is fitting for the Bodhisattva to be conceived in this family.”

To this, others responded, “This family is also not worthy of the Bodhisattva. Those born into the Pāṇḍava family have confused their genealogy. They say that Yudhiṣṭhira is the son of Dharma, that Bhīmasena is the son of Vāyu, that Arjuna is the son of Indra, and that Nakula and Sahadeva are the sons of the two Aśvins. Hence it is not proper for the Bodhisattva to be conceived in this family.”

3.­28

Some said, “The city of Mithilā is extremely beautiful and prosperous. This is the land ruled by King Sumitra, who has many elephants, horses, chariots, infantry, and troops. He also has great material wealth, with great stores of gold, silver, jewels, pearls, beryl, conches, crystals, corals, fine gold, and many other riches and belongings. He is powerful, with an army unafraid of the kings from surrounding lands. He has many friends, and he delights in the Dharma. This family is a fitting place for the Bodhisattva to be conceived.”

“This is not appropriate,” others replied. “King Sumitra does indeed have these qualities. Yet he is extremely aged, so he does not even possess the ability to produce a son. Moreover, he already has many sons. It is not proper for the Bodhisattva to be conceived in this family.”

In this manner the bodhisattvas and gods observed all the illustrious royal families to be found throughout the sixteen kingdoms of Jambudvīpa, [F.15.a] [23] and found them all to be inadequate.

3.­29

As they considered this, a god named Jñānaketudhvaja, who was firmly established in the Great Vehicle and could not be turned away from awakening, spoke to the great assembly of gods and bodhisattvas: “Come, my friends. Let us go before the Bodhisattva himself and ask him what sublime qualities a precious family must have in order for a bodhisattva to take his final birth there.”

“Excellent!” they replied. With palms joined, they all went before the Bodhisattva and asked him, “Sublime Being, what sublime qualities must a precious family have for a bodhisattva to take his final birth there?”

3.­30

Looking upon the great assembly of bodhisattvas and the great assembly of gods, the Bodhisattva then addressed the gathering: “Friends, the family into which a bodhisattva takes his final birth must have sixty-four excellent qualities. What are these sixty-four qualities?

“This family must be noble and it must be known by all. It must not be petty or prone to violence. It must be of a good caste and good clan. It must have excellent marital unions, with excellent marital unions in the past, and marital unions between individuals who are pure. These marital unions must be between people who are both pure, well-known by all, and renowned for their great power. This family must have many men and women. It must be fearless, not base or cowardly. [F.15.b] It must not be greedy, but disciplined. It must be wise and watched over by ministers. This family must be creative and thereby enjoy worldly pleasures. This family should be steadfast in its friendships and safeguard the lives of all the beings throughout the animal kingdom. [24] They must have gratitude and know how to conduct themselves appropriately. They must not be moved by ambition, anger, ignorance, or fear. They must be afraid of engaging in negative deeds. They must not dwell in ignorance. This family must be benevolent and industrious. It must be inspired to give, be generous, and remember the kindness of others. They must be physically strong, with great power and strength, indeed supreme strength. They must make offerings to the sages, to the gods, and to stūpas, and also pay homage to their ancestors. They must not hold grudges.

3.­31

“This family must be renowned throughout the ten directions and have a vast retinue. It must not be divided. It must be peerless. This family must be the most senior and the most illustrious among all families. It must be powerful, and renowned as such. They must respect their fathers, mothers, mendicants, and priests. They must have great stores of treasure and grain. They must have a great deal of gold, and many jewels, gems, pearls, lapis lazuli, conches, crystals, corals, fine gold, silver, and many other riches and belongings. They must have many elephants, horses, camels, oxen, and [F.16.a] sheep. They must have many male servants, female servants, officials, and workers. This family must be difficult to defeat. It must accomplish all of its aims. It must be a family of universal monarchs. It must be aided, in great measure, by the root virtues accumulated in the past. It must be descended from a noble family, a family of bodhisattvas. [25] Indeed this family must be irreproachable when it comes to any accusations of faults related to one’s birth, such as those found in this entire world with its gods, demons, and brahmās, mendicants and priests. Friends, the family of a bodhisattva in his final existence must have these sixty-four qualities.

3.­32

“Friends, the woman in whose womb a bodhisattva is conceived in his final existence must have thirty-two qualities. What are these thirty-two qualities? A bodhisattva in his final existence must be conceived in the womb of a woman known by all and steadfast in conduct. She must come from a good caste and a good family. She must have an excellent figure, an excellent name, and excellent proportions. She must not have given birth previously, and she must have excellent discipline. She must be generous, cheerful, and adroit. She must also be clear-minded, calm, fearless, learned, wise, honest, and without guile. She must be free from anger, jealousy, and greed. She must not be coarse, easily distracted, or prone to gossip. She must be patient and good-natured, with a good conscience and sense of modesty. She should have little attachment, anger, and ignorance. She should be free from the faults of womankind [F.16.b] and be a devoted wife. In his final existence, a bodhisattva must be conceived in the womb of a woman with all of these excellent qualities.

3.­33

“Friends, a bodhisattva is not conceived in his mother’s womb while the moon is waning. A bodhisattva in his final existence must be conceived during a full moon. On the fifteenth day of the waxing moon, and in conjunction with the constellation Puṣya, the Bodhisattva will be conceived in the womb of a mother who is observing the poṣadha fast.” [26]

The bodhisattvas and gods, having heard the Bodhisattva explain the attributes of the pure family and the pure mother, thought to themselves, “Where can a family with the qualities described by this holy being be found?”

3.­34

Pondering this question, they then thought, “The seat of the Śākyas is wealthy, prosperous, agreeable, and pleasant. It has bountiful harvests and is teeming with people. Its king, Śuddhodana, descends from pure families on both his mother’s and father’s side. His wife as well is pure. His deeds are not swayed by the afflictions, and he bears excellent physical characteristics. Extremely wise and endowed with brilliant merit, the king comes from an illustrious family and is descended from a line of universal monarchs. He has incalculable wealth and treasures and innumerable precious jewels. He believes in karma and does not hold negative views. He rules over all the lands of the Śākya clan and is honored and revered by all the merchants, householders, ministers, and people in his court. He is kind and handsome, neither too old nor too young. He has a fine body and every excellent quality. He is knowledgeable concerning crafts, astrology, the self, the Dharma, the truth, the world, and signs. Indeed he is a Dharma king who guides according to the Dharma. [F.17.a]

3.­35

“The city of Kapilavastu is the abode of sentient beings who have generated basic virtues. All those who are born there are equal in fortune to the king. The wife of King Śuddhodana is Māyādevī, the daughter of Suprabuddhā, a ruler of the Śākya clan. She is wealthy and youthful. Indeed she is in the prime of life. She has an excellent figure and has not given birth. She has no sons or daughters. With a beautiful form, as pleasing to the eye as a finely drawn picture, she is bedecked with jewelry like a celestial maiden, free from the faults of womankind. She speaks the truth, with words that are soft, gentle, dependable, and altogether beyond reproach. Her voice is like that of the cuckoo; she is demure and speaks only sweet and pleasant words.

3.­36

“Māyādevī is reserved, free of anger, pride, conceit, and arrogance. She does not get indignant or jealous; rather what she says is timely, and she gives generously. She is disciplined and devoted to her husband, unconcerned with other men. Her head, ears, and nose are perfectly symmetrical. Her hair, as black as a bee, frames a fine forehead and a beautiful brow. Always smiling, she speaks with sincerity, her words measured and pleasing to the ear. [27] She is quick to learn, honest and straightforward, free from guile, artifice, and deceit. She is modest and decent, constant and dependable, and not prone to idle or frivolous chatter. She has little attachment, anger, and ignorance; rather she is patient and of good character, carefully guarding her limbs, eyes, and mind. The movement of her limbs is gentle, and her skin is as soft as kācilindika cloth. Her eyes are as pure as the petals of a newly blossomed lotus flower. Her nose is well formed with a beautiful complexion. Her limbs are firm and gently curved like the arch of a rainbow. [F.17.b] Every part of her body is beautiful and free of faults. She is attractive, with lips as red as the bimba fruit, a tapered neck bedecked with jewelry, and teeth as white as jasmine and sumana flowers. She has sloping shoulders, tapering arms, a waist curved like the arch of a bow, perfect sides, and a deep navel. Her hips are smooth, wide, round, and firm. Her body is as firm as a vajra. She has thighs that are as well proportioned as an elephant’s trunk, and calves like an antelope’s. The palms of her hands and the soles of her feet are like liquid lac. She is attractive to others, with faultless eyes. Alluring to the mind and pleasing to the eye, her form is superior even when compared with other beautiful women. Indeed she is without peer. Since her form is like a magical emanation, the word māyā, meaning ‘magically emanated,’ was included in her name. She is also skilled in all the arts. Like a celestial maiden in the garden of Indra, Māyādevī lives in King Śuddhodana’s female quarters. She is fit to be the mother of the Bodhisattva. Thus it appears that the purity of the family described by the Bodhisattva can be seen only in the Śākya clan.”


3.­37

On this topic, it is said:

In the Dharmoccaya Palace, the Pure Being
Sat upon the lion throne called Sublime Dharma.
Bodhisattvas of great renown and gods
Equal in fortune to himself gathered around the Sage.
3.­38
Seated there, they entertained this thought:
“What family is known to be pure
And fitting for the Bodhisattva to take birth in?
And where are the father and mother with pure qualities?”
3.­39
Looking throughout all Jambudvīpa,
All the major royal families and royal lines
Were found to be flawed. Considering this,
The Śākya clan alone was seen to be free of faults. [28]
3.­40
“King Śuddhodana belongs to a royal family. [F.18.a]
He descends from a pure line of monarchs,
Wealthy, prosperous, and free from conflicts.
A holy being, he is righteous and has gained respect.
3.­41
“All the other beings in the city of Kapilavastu
Are righteous and pure in mind.
The city is filled with gardens, groves, and palaces;
The beautiful city of Kapilavastu is the most suitable birthplace.
3.­42
“All its inhabitants are mighty and powerful,
With the strength of two or even three elephants.
They have perfected their training in archery and weapons
And do not harm others, even to protect their own lives.
3.­43
“King Śuddhodana’s wife is supreme
Among one thousand other sublime women.
Enchanting in appearance, like a magical emanation,
She is aptly named Māyādevī, ‘Magically Emanated Goddess.’
3.­44
“Her body is as beautiful as a celestial maiden,
With a shapely silhouette and perfectly formed limbs.
Any being, whether a god or a human,
Could never see enough of Māyā.
3.­45
“She harbors no attachment or hatred;
She is gentle and tender, and her speech honest and mellifluous.
Neither harsh nor abrasive, she is extremely tranquil,
Never frowning and always with a smile on her face.
3.­46
“With a good conscience and a sense of modesty, she observes the Dharma.
She is free of pride and conceit, and not prone to overexuberance,
Just as she has no envy and is free of guile and artifice.
She delights in giving and is always loving in her thoughts.
3.­47
“Believing in karma and abandoning misguided deeds,
She adheres to what is true, controlled in body and mind.
She is free from the multitude of faults
That are commonly found in women the whole world over.
3.­48
“Indeed Māyādevī is without rival,
For no other woman in the realm of humans can match her,
Nor so in the realm of gandharvas, or even in the heavenly realms.
She is worthy of being the mother of the Great Sage.
3.­49
“For five hundred lifetimes, she alone
Has been the mother of the Bodhisattva,
Just as King Śuddhodana has been his father.
She thus has all the qualities of a worthy mother.
3.­50
“As disciplined as an ascetic, she follows a strict code of conduct,
And while following her own conduct, she shares in her husband’s duties.
She has fulfilled her vow, given to her by the king,
For she has abstained from sexual activity for thirty-two months. [29] [F.18.b]
3.­51
“Wherever she may be, whether sitting or standing,
Lying down or in motion, those places
Become filled with the brilliant light
Given off by her dedication to virtuous deeds.
3.­52
“No being, whether god, demigod, or human,
Is able to look upon her with a lustful mind.
They all look upon her as a mother or a daughter,
For she follows the right conduct and is endowed with noble qualities.
3.­53
“Due to the virtuous deeds of Māyādevī,
The king’s vast empire increases in prosperity.
Unmatched by the neighboring kings,
The ruler’s renown and fame also continue to increase.
3.­54
“In this way Māyā is a suitable vessel;
In this way the Holy Being is supremely beautiful.
Thus, since these two are endowed with supreme qualities,
One will be the son, and one is worthy to be the mother.
3.­55
“Other than Devī, who is endowed with the most supreme of qualities
And has the strength of ten thousand elephants,
No woman would be able to carry
The supreme man of Jambudvīpa.”
3.­56
With these words of praise, the gods
And bodhisattvas, with their vast knowledge,
Proclaimed the sublime Māyā to be the mother,
Saying, “She is fit to give birth to the joy of the Śākya family.”
3.­57

This concludes the third chapter, on the purity of the family.


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.”


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.

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.­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.­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.­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.­32

Aparagodānīya

Wylie:
  • ba lang spyod
Tibetan:
  • བ་ལང་སྤྱོད།
Sanskrit:
  • aparagodānīya

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

One of the four main continents that surround Sumeru, the central mountain in classical Buddhist cosmology. It is the western continent, characterized as “rich in the resources of cattle,” thus its Tibetan name “using cattle.” It is circular in shape, measuring about 7,500 yojanas in circumference, and is flanked by two subsidiary continents. Humans who live there are very tall, about 24 feet (7.3 meters) on average, and live for 500 years. It is known by the names Godānīya, Aparāntaka, Aparagodānīya, or Aparagoyāna.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 3.­18
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.­42

Arjuna

Wylie:
  • srid sgrub
Tibetan:
  • སྲིད་སྒྲུབ།
Sanskrit:
  • arjuna

One of the five Pāṇḍava brothers. Son of Indra.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 3.­27
  • g.­439
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.­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.­53

Aśvin

Wylie:
  • tha skar
Tibetan:
  • ཐ་སྐར།
Sanskrit:
  • aśvin

According to Monier-Williams, this is the name of two divinities who appear in the sky before the dawn in a golden carriage drawn by horses or birds. They bring treasures to people and avert misfortune and sickness. They are considered to be the physicians of heaven. Their two sons are Nakula and Sahadeva.

Located in 4 passages in the translation:

  • 3.­27
  • 17.­18
  • g.­405
  • g.­531
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.­62

Bālāhaka

Wylie:
  • sprin gyi shugs can
Tibetan:
  • སྤྲིན་གྱི་ཤུགས་ཅན།
Sanskrit:
  • bālāhaka

A mythical horse, described in this text as the precious horse of universal monarchs.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 3.­8
g.­63

bases of miraculous power

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

Determination, discernment, diligence, and meditative concentration.

Located in 9 passages in the translation:

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

Bāṣpa

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

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

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­2
  • g.­183
g.­66

beneficial activity

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

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 5.­1
g.­67

beryl

Wylie:
  • be du rya
Tibetan:
  • བེ་དུ་རྱ།
Sanskrit:
  • vaiḍūrya

Located in 10 passages in the translation:

  • 3.­28
  • 5.­13
  • 6.­42-43
  • 6.­48
  • 13.­15
  • 19.­6
  • 20.­2
  • 20.­19
  • 24.­98
g.­68

bhadraṃkara gem

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

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 10.­1
g.­70

Bhadrika

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

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

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­2
  • g.­183
g.­76

Bhīmasena

Wylie:
  • ’jigs sde
Tibetan:
  • འཇིགས་སྡེ།
Sanskrit:
  • bhīmasena

One of the five Pāṇḍava brothers. Son of Vāyu.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 3.­27
  • g.­439
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.­82

Bodhi

Wylie:
  • byang chub
Tibetan:
  • བྱང་ཆུབ།
Sanskrit:
  • bodhi

Lit. “awakening.”

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 3.­7
g.­83

Bodhi tree

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

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

Located in 53 passages in the translation:

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

bodhisattva

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

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

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

In this text:

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

Located in 589 passages in the translation:

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

Brahmā

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

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

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

Located in 126 passages in the translation:

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

branches of awakening

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

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

Located in 10 passages in the translation:

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

buddha

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

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

Sometimes also translated here as “awakened one.”

Located in 300 passages in the translation:

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

craving

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

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

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

Located in 29 passages in the translation:

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

Cunda

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

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

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­2
g.­118

Dānaśīla

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

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

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • c.­2
g.­120

Daṇḍapāṇi

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

A Śākya clan member and father of Gopā.

Located in 11 passages in the translation:

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

Deer Park

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

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

Located in 14 passages in the translation:

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

demigod

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

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

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

Located in 51 passages in the translation:

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

demon

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

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

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

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

Located in 47 passages in the translation:

  • s.­1
  • i.­8
  • 1.­26
  • 3.­31
  • 5.­31
  • 5.­38
  • 5.­61
  • 7.­96
  • 7.­127
  • 13.­52
  • 15.­53
  • 15.­90
  • 15.­95
  • 15.­148
  • 15.­189
  • 17.­46
  • 17.­70
  • 19.­3
  • 19.­58
  • 19.­69
  • 19.­80
  • 19.­84
  • 21.­1
  • 21.­9
  • 21.­22
  • 21.­26
  • 21.­107-108
  • 21.­211
  • 21.­216
  • 21.­222
  • 21.­234
  • 21.­240
  • 22.­44
  • 22.­51
  • 23.­29
  • 23.­53
  • 24.­42
  • 24.­70
  • 26.­145
  • 26.­176
  • 26.­215
  • 26.­218
  • 27.­3
  • 27.­5
  • g.­164
  • g.­584
g.­128

Devī

Wylie:
  • lha mo
Tibetan:
  • ལྷ་མོ།
Sanskrit:
  • devī

A god.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 3.­55
  • 17.­18
g.­132

Dharma

Wylie:
  • chos
Tibetan:
  • ཆོས།
Sanskrit:
  • dharma

The god of justice, father of one of the five Pāṇḍava brothers, namely Yudhiṣṭhira, as found in the Mahābhārata.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 3.­27
  • g.­774
g.­145

Dharmoccaya

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

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

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 3.­1
  • 3.­37
g.­146

Dhṛtarāṣṭra

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

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

Located in 6 passages in the translation:

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

diligence

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

Located in 46 passages in the translation:

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

discipline

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

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

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

Located in 68 passages in the translation:

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

disciplined conduct

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

Located in 19 passages in the translation:

  • 5.­19
  • 5.­51
  • 7.­54
  • 12.­49
  • 13.­25
  • 13.­31
  • 13.­43
  • 13.­185
  • 15.­69
  • 15.­93
  • 15.­128
  • 15.­167
  • 17.­1-2
  • 19.­72
  • 19.­78
  • 21.­97
  • 21.­170
  • 26.­3
g.­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.­175

envy

Wylie:
  • phrag dog
Tibetan:
  • ཕྲག་དོག
Sanskrit:
  • īrṣyā

Located in 7 passages in the translation:

  • 3.­46
  • 5.­18
  • 5.­83
  • 6.­57
  • 6.­72
  • 19.­24
  • 26.­30
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.­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.­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.­232

Hastā

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

A constellation.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 9.­1
g.­233

Hastināpura

Wylie:
  • hasti na pu ra
Tibetan:
  • ཧསྟི་ན་པུ་ར།
Sanskrit:
  • hastināpura

A city in ancient India.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 3.­27
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.­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.­254

Hill of the Fallen Sages

Wylie:
  • drang srong lhung ba
Tibetan:
  • དྲང་སྲོང་ལྷུང་བ།
Sanskrit:
  • ṛṣipatana

The hill in Sārnāth, on the outskirts of Vārāṇasī, on which the Deer Park (Mṛgadāva) is situated. This is the place where the Buddha turned the wheel of Dharma for the first time.

Located in 8 passages in the translation:

  • 3.­15
  • 18.­27
  • 25.­54
  • 26.­8
  • 26.­19
  • 26.­43
  • 26.­98
  • g.­392
g.­256

householder

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

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

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

Located in 9 passages in the translation:

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

ignorance

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

Located in 44 passages in the translation:

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

Indra

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

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

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

Located in 21 passages in the translation:

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

Indrayaṣṭi

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

A nāga king.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 19.­2
g.­268

intelligence

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

Located in 28 passages in the translation:

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

Īśvara

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

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

Located in 4 passages in the translation:

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

Jambudvīpa

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

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

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

Located in 21 passages in the translation:

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

jasmine

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

Located in 8 passages in the translation:

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

Jeta’s Grove

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

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

Located in 44 passages in the translation:

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

Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍada’s Park

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

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

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

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

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­2
  • g.­276
g.­278

Jinamitra

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

Jinamitra was invited to Tibet during the reign of King Trisong Detsen (khri srong lde btsan, r. 742–98 ᴄᴇ) and was involved with the translation of nearly two hundred texts, continuing into the reign of King Ralpachen (ral pa can, r. 815–38 ᴄᴇ). He was one of the small group of paṇḍitas responsible for the Mahāvyutpatti Sanskrit–Tibetan dictionary and also author of the Nyāya­bindu­piṇḍārtha (Toh 4233), which is contained in the Tengyur (bstan ’gyur) collection.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • c.­2
g.­282

Jñānaketudhvaja

Wylie:
  • ye shes tog gi rgyal mtshan
Tibetan:
  • ཡེ་ཤེས་ཏོག་གི་རྒྱལ་མཚན།
Sanskrit:
  • jñānaketudhvaja

A god in the Heaven of Joy, who urges the assembly to put forth the question to the Bodhisattva as to what qualities his future family must have for him to take birth within it.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 3.­29
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.­285

kācilindika

Wylie:
  • ka tsa lin di
Tibetan:
  • ཀ་ཙ་ལིན་དི།
Sanskrit:
  • kācilindika

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

A frequent simile for softness, thought to refer either (1) to the down of the kācilindika or kācalindika bird (see Lamotte 1975, p. 261, n. 321), or (2) to a tropical tree bearing silken pods, similar to kapok, from which garments were made, and identified (Monier-Williams p. 266) with Abrus precatorius.

Located in 5 passages in the translation:

  • 3.­10
  • 3.­36
  • 6.­42
  • 7.­26
  • 13.­16
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.­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.­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.­367

Mātaṅga

Wylie:
  • glang po
Tibetan:
  • གླང་པོ།
Sanskrit:
  • mātaṅga

A solitary buddha who dwelt on Mount Golāṅgula­parivartana in the city of Rājagṛha.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 3.­14
g.­368

Mathurā

Wylie:
  • bcom brlag
Tibetan:
  • བཅོམ་བརླག
Sanskrit:
  • mathurā

A city in the North Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, located approximately fifty kilometers north of Agra.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 3.­26
  • g.­609
g.­370

Māyā

Wylie:
  • sgyu ’phrul
Tibetan:
  • སྒྱུ་འཕྲུལ།
Sanskrit:
  • māyā

See “Māyādevī.”

Located in 27 passages in the translation:

  • i.­3
  • 3.­36
  • 3.­44
  • 3.­54
  • 3.­56
  • 5.­14
  • 5.­64
  • 5.­67
  • 5.­78-79
  • 6.­3
  • 6.­6
  • 6.­9-10
  • 6.­14
  • 6.­22
  • 6.­30-31
  • 6.­46
  • 6.­57-59
  • 6.­68-71
  • g.­371
g.­371

Māyādevī

Wylie:
  • lha mo sgyu ’phrul
Tibetan:
  • ལྷ་མོ་སྒྱུ་འཕྲུལ།
Sanskrit:
  • māyādevī

The Buddha Śākyamuni’s mother, who died shortly after his birth; also called here simply Māyā. She was one of the wives of King Śuddhodana of Kapilavastu and is said to have been the daughter of Śākya Suprabuddha.

Located in 25 passages in the translation:

  • 3.­35-36
  • 3.­43
  • 3.­48
  • 3.­53
  • 6.­76
  • 7.­4
  • 7.­8
  • 7.­11
  • 7.­17-18
  • 7.­21
  • 7.­25-27
  • 7.­49-50
  • 7.­54
  • 7.­85-86
  • 17.­29
  • 17.­34
  • 17.­37
  • g.­370
  • g.­637
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.­386

Mithilā

Wylie:
  • bcom brlag
Tibetan:
  • བཅོམ་བརླག
Sanskrit:
  • mithilā

A city in India.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 3.­28
  • g.­628
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.­390

Mount Golāṅgula­parivartana

Wylie:
  • mjug ma sgyur ba zhes bya ba’i ri
Tibetan:
  • མཇུག་མ་སྒྱུར་བ་ཞེས་བྱ་བའི་རི།
Sanskrit:
  • golāṅgula­parivartana

A place in the city of Rājagṛha.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 3.­14
  • g.­367
g.­392

Mṛgadāva

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

The forest on the Hill of the Fallen Sages, located outside of Vārāṇasī, known as Deer Park. This is the place where the Buddha turned the wheel of Dharma for the first time.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 3.­15
  • g.­254
g.­396

Munivarman

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

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

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • c.­2
g.­400

Nadīkāśyapa

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

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

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­2
g.­401

nāga

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

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

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

Located in 75 passages in the translation:

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

Nairañjanā

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

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

Located in 13 passages in the translation:

  • 16.­39
  • 17.­12
  • 17.­29
  • 18.­2
  • 18.­38-39
  • 18.­44-45
  • 18.­50
  • 19.­1
  • 19.­5-6
  • 24.­91
g.­405

Nakula

Wylie:
  • rigs med
Tibetan:
  • རིགས་མེད།
Sanskrit:
  • nakula

One of the five Pāṇḍava brothers. Son of the two Aśvins.

Located in 3 passages in the translation:

  • 3.­27
  • g.­53
  • g.­439
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.­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.­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.­439

Pāṇḍava

Wylie:
  • skya bseng
Tibetan:
  • སྐྱ་བསེང་།
Sanskrit:
  • pāṇḍava

Five brothers who were the sons of Pāṇḍu. The most renowned was Arjuna (of Bhagavadgīta fame); the other four were Yudhiṣṭhira, Nakula, Sahadeva, and Bhīmasena. The story of the Pāṇḍava brothers and their battle with their cousins, the Kauravas, is the subject of the Mahābhārata, India’s greatest epic. In the sūtra, Bali imprisons the Pāṇḍavas and Kauravas together.

Located in 8 passages in the translation:

  • 3.­27
  • g.­42
  • g.­76
  • g.­132
  • g.­405
  • g.­440
  • g.­531
  • g.­774
g.­440

Pāṇḍu

Wylie:
  • skya ba seng
Tibetan:
  • སྐྱ་བ་སེང་།
Sanskrit:
  • pāṇḍu

A legendary king before the time of the Buddha, whose story features in the Mahābhārata. He could not produce descendants due to a curse, so his two wives conceived five children with different gods, after invoking them through a special mantra. Their sons became known as the five Pāṇḍava brothers. It’s for this reason that this text states this family has confused their genealogy. See 3.­27.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 3.­27
  • g.­439
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.­445

patience

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

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

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

Located in 18 passages in the translation:

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

perfection

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

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

Located in 13 passages in the translation:

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

poṣadha

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

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

Located in 3 passages in the translation:

  • 3.­3
  • 3.­33
  • 6.­2
g.­455

powers

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

See “five powers.”

Located in 5 passages in the translation:

  • 2.­1
  • 2.­4
  • 13.­153
  • 15.­59
  • 26.­130
g.­461

Pradyota

Wylie:
  • rab snang
Tibetan:
  • རབ་སྣང་།
Sanskrit:
  • pradyota

Name of a ruler of Ujjayinī.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 3.­25
g.­464

Praśānta

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

One of the gods of the pure realms.

Located in 3 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­13
  • 1.­18
  • 27.­1
g.­470

pride

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

Literally “I king.” Arrogance or egocentrism.

Located in 41 passages in the translation:

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

priest

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

A member of the Indian priestly caste, a brahmin.

Located in 71 passages in the translation:

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

pure realm

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

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

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

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

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

Located in 49 passages in the translation:

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

Pūrṇa

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

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

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­2
g.­479

Pūrṇa­maitrāyaṇī­putra

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

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

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­2
g.­481

Pūrvavideha

Wylie:
  • lus ’phags po
Tibetan:
  • ལུས་འཕགས་པོ།
Sanskrit:
  • pūrvavideha

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

One of the four main continents that surround Sumeru, the central mountain in classical Buddhist cosmology. It is the eastern continent, characterized as “sublime in physique,” and it is semicircular in shape. The humans who live there are twice as tall as those from our southern continent, and live for 250 years. It is known as Videha and Pūrva­videha.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 3.­18
  • 10.­9
g.­486

Puṣya

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

A constellation in a section of the east.

Located in 10 passages in the translation:

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

Rāhula

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

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

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­2
g.­492

Rājagṛha

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

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

The ancient capital of Magadha prior to its relocation to Pāṭaliputra during the Mauryan dynasty, Rājagṛha is one of the most important locations in Buddhist history. The literature tells us that the Buddha and his saṅgha spent a considerable amount of time in residence in and around Rājagṛha‍—in nearby places, such as the Vulture Peak Mountain (Gṛdhrakūṭaparvata), a major site of the Mahāyāna sūtras, and the Bamboo Grove (Veṇuvana)‍—enjoying the patronage of King Bimbisāra and then of his son King Ajātaśatru. Rājagṛha is also remembered as the location where the first Buddhist monastic council was held after the Buddha Śākyamuni passed into parinirvāṇa. Now known as Rajgir and located in the modern Indian state of Bihar.

Located in 8 passages in the translation:

  • 3.­14
  • 16.­6
  • 16.­8
  • 17.­1
  • 17.­7
  • g.­207
  • g.­367
  • g.­390
g.­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.­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.­531

Sahadeva

Wylie:
  • lhar bcas
Tibetan:
  • ལྷར་བཅས།
Sanskrit:
  • sahadeva

One of the five Pāṇḍava brothers. Son of the two Aśvins.

Located in 3 passages in the translation:

  • 3.­27
  • g.­53
  • g.­439
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.­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.­556

Śāriputra

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

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

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

In this text:

One of the monks attending this teaching.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­2
  • 27.­15
g.­560

Sarvārthasiddha

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

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

Located in 17 passages in the translation:

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

seat of awakening

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

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

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

Located in 86 passages in the translation:

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

sense fields

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

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

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

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

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

Located in 10 passages in the translation:

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

seven branches of awakening

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

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

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

In this text:

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

Located in 4 passages in the translation:

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

Siddhārtha

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

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

Located in 96 passages in the translation:

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

Śiva

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

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

Located in 5 passages in the translation:

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

skillful means

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

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

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

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

Located in 8 passages in the translation:

  • 2.­1
  • 2.­4-5
  • 4.­29
  • 12.­5
  • 13.­143-144
  • 23.­55
g.­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.­607

stūpa

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

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

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

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

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

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 3.­30
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.­609

Subāhu

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

The king of the city of Mathurā around the time of Prince Siddhārtha’s birth.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 3.­26
g.­612

Subhūti

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

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

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­2
g.­619

Śuddhodana

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

The king of the Śākyas, father of Prince Siddhārtha.

Located in 95 passages in the translation:

  • 3.­34-36
  • 3.­40
  • 3.­43
  • 3.­49
  • 5.­8
  • 5.­10-14
  • 5.­64
  • 6.­6-7
  • 6.­9
  • 6.­20
  • 6.­22
  • 6.­24-27
  • 6.­30
  • 6.­60
  • 7.­1
  • 7.­3-4
  • 7.­25
  • 7.­65-66
  • 7.­71-72
  • 7.­74
  • 7.­88-94
  • 7.­104-105
  • 7.­111
  • 7.­127-128
  • 8.­1-3
  • 8.­7-8
  • 9.­1-2
  • 10.­1-2
  • 10.­8
  • 11.­15
  • 11.­18
  • 11.­31-32
  • 12.­1-2
  • 12.­16
  • 12.­19
  • 12.­21-22
  • 12.­25-26
  • 12.­31
  • 12.­38
  • 12.­61
  • 12.­64
  • 12.­66
  • 12.­79
  • 13.­180
  • 14.­1-3
  • 14.­5-6
  • 14.­27
  • 15.­1
  • 15.­12-13
  • 15.­61
  • 15.­157
  • 16.­1
  • 16.­35
  • 17.­44
  • 21.­3
  • g.­1
  • g.­206
  • g.­371
  • g.­575
  • g.­685
  • g.­686
g.­628

Sumitra

Wylie:
  • bzang po’i bshes gnyen
Tibetan:
  • བཟང་པོའི་བཤེས་གཉེན།
Sanskrit:
  • sumitra

A king of the city of Mithilā, in ancient India.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 3.­28
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.­637

Suprabuddhā

Wylie:
  • shin tu legs par rtogs pa
Tibetan:
  • ཤིན་ཏུ་ལེགས་པར་རྟོགས་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • suprabuddhā

A king who is the father of Māyādevī, the Buddha’s mother.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 3.­35
g.­654

Svāgata

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

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

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­2
g.­657

Śvetaketu

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

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

Located in 3 passages in the translation:

  • 2.­12
  • g.­84
  • g.­241
g.­663

ten powers

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

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

Located in 35 passages in the translation:

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

thirty-seven factors of awakening

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

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

Located in 3 passages in the translation:

  • 2.­6
  • g.­34
  • g.­179
g.­667

thorough relinquishments

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

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

Located in 6 passages in the translation:

  • 2.­1
  • 2.­4
  • 4.­22
  • 13.­153
  • 13.­165
  • g.­665
g.­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.­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.­690

Ujjayinī

Wylie:
  • ’phags rgyal
Tibetan:
  • འཕགས་རྒྱལ།
Sanskrit:
  • ujjayinī

A city in ancient India, corresponding to modern Ujjain.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 3.­25
  • g.­461
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.­706

Uttarakuru

Wylie:
  • sgra mi snyan
Tibetan:
  • སྒྲ་མི་སྙན།
Sanskrit:
  • uttarakuru

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

The continent to the north of Sumeru according to Buddhist cosmology. In the Abhidharmakośa, it is described as square in shape. Its human inhabitants enjoy a fixed lifespan of a thousand years and do not hold personal property or marry.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 3.­18
g.­707

Vaideha

Wylie:
  • lus ’phags
Tibetan:
  • ལུས་འཕགས།
Sanskrit:
  • vaideha

A family in Magadha.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 3.­21
g.­711

Vaiśālī

Wylie:
  • yangs pa can
Tibetan:
  • ཡངས་པ་ཅན།
Sanskrit:
  • vaiśālī

The ancient capital of the Licchavi state. The Buddha visited this city on several occasions during his lifetime.

Located in 4 passages in the translation:

  • 3.­24
  • 16.­2-3
  • 16.­6
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.­728

Vatsa

Wylie:
  • bad sa
Tibetan:
  • བད་ས།
Sanskrit:
  • vatsa

One of the sixteen great kingdoms of ancient India.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 3.­23
g.­729

Vāyu

Wylie:
  • rlung
Tibetan:
  • རླུང་།
Sanskrit:
  • vāyu

The god of wind.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 3.­27
  • g.­76
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.­734

victory banner

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

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

Located in 11 passages in the translation:

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

Vimala

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

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

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 1.­2
g.­744

Vinīteśvara

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

A god.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 1.­18
  • 27.­1
g.­747

Virūḍhaka

Wylie:
  • ’phags skyes po
Tibetan:
  • འཕགས་སྐྱེས་པོ།
Sanskrit:
  • virūḍhaka

One of the Four Great Kings, he is the guardian of the southern direction and the lord of the kumbhāṇḍas.

Located in 6 passages in the translation:

  • 15.­103
  • 21.­7
  • 24.­106-107
  • 24.­142
  • g.­223
g.­748

Virūpākṣa

Wylie:
  • mig mi bzang
Tibetan:
  • མིག་མི་བཟང་།
Sanskrit:
  • virūpākṣa

One of the Four Great Kings, he is the guardian of the western direction and traditionally the lord of the nāgas.

Located in 6 passages in the translation:

  • 15.­104
  • 21.­7
  • 24.­107-108
  • 24.­151
  • g.­223
g.­749

Viśākhā

Wylie:
  • skar ma sa ga
Tibetan:
  • སྐར་མ་ས་ག
Sanskrit:
  • viśākhā

The southwestern constellation symbolizing earth.

Located in 2 passages in the translation:

  • 6.­1
  • 24.­140
g.­758

warrior class

Wylie:
  • rgyal rigs
Tibetan:
  • རྒྱལ་རིགས།
Sanskrit:
  • kṣatriya

One of the four classes of the Indian caste system. Traditionally rulers and administrators belonged to this caste.

Located in 1 passage in the translation:

  • 3.­10
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
g.­774

Yudhiṣṭhira

Wylie:
  • g.yul ngor brtan pa
Tibetan:
  • གཡུལ་ངོར་བརྟན་པ།
Sanskrit:
  • yudhiṣṭhira

One of the five Pāṇḍava brothers. Son of the god Dharma.

Located in 3 passages in the translation:

  • 3.­27
  • g.­132
  • g.­439
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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-3.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-3.Copy

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