The Play in Full
Glossary

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

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.”

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.

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

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

Another name of Sūrya, the god of the sun, or the sun personified.

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

A follower of a non-Buddhist mendicant movement founded by Makkhali Gosāla (fifth century ʙᴄᴇ). The ājīvikas adhered to a fatalist worldview according to which all beings eventually reach spiritual accomplishment by fate, rather than their own actions.

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.

A thus-gone one to whom the Bodhisattva made offerings in a past life.

One of the eight goddesses in the west, called upon to grant protection.

The most subtle form of deluded consciousness, which serves as the substratum for karmic seeds to be stored; likewise the substratum from which appearances manifest.

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

A thus-gone one to whom the Bodhisattva made offerings in a past life.

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

One of the places the Buddha visited in the region of Gayā.

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.

A gatekeeper.

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.

A nāga king.

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

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

The name of an ascetic.

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.

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

Alternate name of Māra.

Lit. “god who moves above the earth.” Name of one of the sixty-four scripts mentioned by Prince Siddhārtha to his schoolmaster Viśvāmitra.

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

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

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

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.

One of the eight goddesses in the east, called upon to grant protection.

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.

One of the sixteen gods guarding the seat of awakening.

The first spiritual teacher Prince Siddhārtha studied with after leaving his home.

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

A thus-gone one to whom the Bodhisattva made offerings in a past life.

A king, one of the Buddha’s former rebirths.

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

The greatest mathematician among the Śākyas. He was appointed as a judge to determine Prince Siddhārtha’s intellectual capabilities.

One of the five Pāṇḍava brothers. Son of Indra.

One of the eight goddesses in the west, called upon to grant protection.

One of the eight goddesses in the north, called upon to grant protection.

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

The famous great sage who went to visit Prince Siddhārtha when he was a newborn baby. He made predictions of his awakening as the Buddha and then cried when he realized he would not be alive to witness it.

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

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

A mountain in the west, called upon to grant wealth and protection.

See “demigod.”

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.

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.

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

One of the ten girls who attended upon Prince Siddhārtha while he was practicing austerities.

A buddha in the past.

One of the sixteen gods guarding the seat of awakening.

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

Also rendered “buddha.”

A buddha in the past.

One of the ten girls who attended upon Prince Siddhārtha while he was practicing austerities.

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

Determination, discernment, diligence, and meditative concentration.

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.

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

One of the generals of Māra.

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.

A young Śākya.

A thus-gone one to whom the Bodhisattva made offerings in a past life.

One of the two brother merchants, the other being Trapuṣa, who met and made offerings to the Buddha near the Bodhi tree, seven weeks after his awakening.

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

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

One of the five Pāṇḍava brothers. Son of Vāyu.

The name of an ascetic.

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

This term in its broadest sense can refer to any being, whether human, animal, or nonhuman. However, it is often used to refer to a specific class of nonhuman beings, especially when bhūtas are mentioned alongside rākṣasas, piśācas, or pretas. In common with these other kinds of nonhumans, bhūtas are usually depicted with unattractive and misshapen bodies. Like several other classes of nonhuman beings, bhūtas take spontaneous birth. As their leader is traditionally regarded to be Rudra-Śiva (also known by the name Bhūta), with whom they haunt dangerous and wild places, bhūtas are especially prominent in Śaivism, where large sections of certain tantras concentrate on them.

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.

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

The king of Magadha and a great patron of the Buddha. His birth coincided with the Buddha’s, and his father, King Mahāpadma, named him “Essence of Gold” after mistakenly attributing the brilliant light that marked the Buddha’s birth to the birth of his son by Queen Bimbī (“Goldie”). Accounts of Bimbisāra’s youth and life can be found in The Chapter on Going Forth (Toh 1-1, Pravrajyāvastu).

King Śreṇya Bimbisāra first met with the Buddha early on, when the latter was the wandering mendicant known as Gautama. Impressed by his conduct, Bimbisāra offered to take Gautama into his court, but Gautama refused, and Bimbisāra wished him success in his quest for awakening and asked him to visit his palace after he had achieved his goal. One account of this episode can be found in the sixteenth chapter of The Play in Full (Toh 95, Lalitavistara). There are other accounts where the two meet earlier on in childhood; several episodes can be found, for example, in The Hundred Deeds (Toh 340, Karmaśataka). Later, after the Buddha’s awakening, Bimbisāra became one of his most famous patrons and donated to the saṅgha the Bamboo Grove, Veṇuvana, at the outskirts of the capital of Magadha, Rājagṛha, where he built residences for the monks. Bimbisāra was imprisoned and killed by his own son, the prince Ajātaśatru, who, influenced by Devadatta, sought to usurp his father’s throne.

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

In Buddhist literature, 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”).

Lit. “awakening.”

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.

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.

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 (Mahābrahmā).

The first god realm of form, it is the lowest of the three heavens that make up the first dhyāna heaven in the form realm.

A king, one of the Buddha’s former rebirths.

A king.

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

A class of beings.

The second god realm of form, this is the second of the three heavens that make up the first dhyāna heaven in the form realm. Also called Realms of the High Priests of Brahmā (Brahmā­purohita).

A buddha in the past.

A divine priest.

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

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.”

A thus-gone one to whom the Bodhisattva made offerings in a past life.

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

The world of the Thus-Gone One Puṣpāvali Vanarāji Kusumitābhijña’s buddha realm.

One of the gods of the pure realms.

The god of the moon; the moon personified.

One of the Buddha’s former rebirths.

A thus-gone one.

This most likely refers to the Indian Roller, Coracias indica, a small bird with bright blue plumage.

Sometimes also translated “goddess.”

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.

Prince Siddhārtha’s charioteer.

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

The tenth of the seventeen heavens of the form realm; also the name of the gods living there. In the form realm, which is structured according to the four concentrations and the pure realms, it is listed as the first of the three heavens that correspond to the fourth of the four concentrations.

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.

A feature of the uṣṇīṣa whereby its top, or its upward extent, cannot be seen.

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

One of the thirty-two signs, or major marks, of a great being. In its simplest form it is a pointed shape of the head like a turban (the Sanskrit term, uṣṇīṣa, in fact means “turban”), or more elaborately a dome-shaped extension. The extension is described as having various extraordinary attributes such as emitting and absorbing rays of light or reaching an immense height.

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

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.

A forest.

A Śākya clan member and father of Gopā.

The father of Rājaka who briefly hosts Prince Siddhārtha after he leaves his home.

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

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).

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.

The principle of dependent origination asserts that nothing exists independently of other factors, the reason being that things and events come into existence only by dependence on the aggregation of multiple causes and conditions. In general, the processes of cyclic existence, through which the external world and the sentient beings within it revolve in a continuous cycle of suffering, propelled by the propensities of past actions and their interaction with afflicted mental states, originate dependent on the sequential unfolding of twelve links, commencing with fundamental ignorance and ending with birth, aging, and death (see The Transcendent Perfection of Wisdom in Ten Thousand Lines, 1.18–1.19). It is only through deliberate reversal of these twelve links that one can succeed in bringing the cycle to an end.

A cousin of the Buddha Śākyamuni who broke with him and established his own community. His tradition was still continuing during the first millennium ᴄᴇ. He is portrayed as engendering evil schemes against the Buddha and even succeeding in wounding him. He is usually identified with wicked beings in accounts of previous lifetimes.

A class of beings.

A god.

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

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

The term dhāraṇī has the sense of something that “holds” or “retains,” and so it can refer to the special capacity of practitioners to memorize and recall detailed teachings. It can also refer to a verbal expression of the teachings‍—an incantation, spell, or mnemonic formula that distills and “holds” essential points of the Dharma and is used by practitioners to attain mundane and supramundane goals. The same term is also used to denote texts that contain such formulas.

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