The sūtra is introduced with the Buddha residing in Anāthapiṇḍada’s grove in Jeta Wood in Śrāvastī together with a great assembly of monks and a great multitude of bodhisatvas. The Buddha then addresses the bodhisatva Jayamati, instructs him on nineteen moral prescriptions, and indicates the corresponding effects of practicing these prescriptions when they are cultivated.

此經中，佛陀於王舍城開示了供養證悟者之舍利塔的利益與功德。世尊主要細說了以鮮花、焚香以及油燈供養佛塔的諸多裨益。

The Dwelling Place of Mañjuśrī first presents a dialogue between Mañjuśrī and Śāriputra regarding the activity of “dwelling” (vihāra) during meditation, the nature of dharmas, and the “true nature” (tathatā). This opens into a conversation between Mañjuśrī and a large gathering of monks whereby Mañjuśrī corrects the monks’ misinterpretations. Mañjuśrī then instructs Śāriputra on the enduring and indestructible nature of the realm of sentient beings and the realm of reality. Finally, the power of Mañjuśrī’s teaching is explained and reiterated by the Buddha.

In this sūtra, in answer to a question put by Maitreya, the Buddha Śākyamuni teaches five qualities that bodhisattvas should have in order to live a long life free of obstacles and attain awakening quickly: (1) giving the Dharma; (2) giving freedom from fear; (3) practicing great loving kindness, great compassion, great joy, and great equanimity; (4) repairing dilapidated stūpas; and (5) causing all beings to aspire to the mind of awakening. Maitreya praises the benefits of this teaching and vows to teach it himself in future degenerate times. Both Maitreya and the Buddha emphasize the positive effects on beings and the environment that upholding, preserving, and teaching The Nectar of Speech will bring about.

此經中，釋迦牟尼佛為眾人講述彌勒菩薩在過去世中，曾出生為一君王時初發菩提心之因緣故事。之後佛陀又闡述彌勒菩薩以比丘身示現的另一世，並解釋「彌勒」之名的由來。世尊繼而給予有關諸法本自無生的教法，並督促弟子們開展超越一切參照點的見地。

本經記敘了舍衛國初夜時分世尊與眷屬眾的一段對話，當時名為阿逸多的彌勒菩薩與優波離俱在會中。優波離問佛言：阿逸多命終生何國土，佛記其人成佛無疑。佛告優波離，阿逸多命終後必得往生兜率陀天，進而講述兜率陀天諸多極妙樂事，以及往生彼天之因。說是語時，與會諸眾皆大歡喜，皆同發願往生兜率天宮。

佛陀與普賢菩薩分別為回應文殊菩薩之提問而講演此經。世尊完整闡釋了能令菩薩登初地之五法，而普賢菩薩則詳述諸佛為利益眾生所行之廣大佛行事業。 佛陀与普贤菩萨分别为回应文殊菩萨之提问而讲演此经。世尊完整阐释了能令菩萨登初地之五法，而普贤菩萨则详述诸佛为利益众生所行之广大佛行事业。

本经中，妙吉祥菩萨请佛演说，志求无上正等正觉的菩萨，何者决定证果而何者不定。世尊以五种远程旅行的方式作为譬喻，宣说菩萨在法道上或有退转、或无退转的五种行，即羊车行、象车行、日月神力行、声闻神力行、如来神力行。

在這部簡短的經文中，世尊基於大乘的見地開示出家的本質，解說為何出離在家人的生活具有神聖、超越凡俗之功德。如是宣說之後，長老舍利弗與須菩提兩位亦就此略作討論。

一时，佛在竹林精舍与眷属众俱。目犍连尊者于托钵途中见到一些奇特的众生，前来问佛。佛告目犍连，此诸众生乃是饿鬼，过去为人时犯下与食物相关之恶行，以致今生堕于饿鬼道中。世尊详述了与食物相关之恶行，反映出当时对于出家众的饮食禁戒，例如违反「日中一食」、饮食不当、擅取馀食，以及其它滥用食物供养等行为。在家众亦有与食物相关之戒律，主要是关于为僧团准备食物时的卫生要求。

This sūtra contains a Dharma discourse on the profound insight into the emptiness of all phenomena, also known as transcendent insight. Following a short teaching in verse by Śāriputra, the Buddha delivers the primary discourse at the behest of Ānanda and Mañjuśrī amid a vast assembly of monks, bodhisattvas, and lay devotees. He specifically addresses hearers and so-called “outcast bodhisattvas” who have not realized transcendent insight and who thus remain attached to phenomenal appearances. Responding to a series of questions posed by Mañjuśrī and Śāriputra, the Buddha explains that all phenomena are as empty as space, with nothing to be either affirmed or rejected. Yet that very emptiness is what makes everything possible, including the bodhisattvas’ altruistic activities.

佛陀的弟子阿難尊者在舍衛城中托缽乞食，於途中見到一座潔凈無暇的宮殿。他思忖道，若將這樣一座宮殿供養給僧團，或以小佛塔供奉一顆佛舍利，何者所獲福德更多？他以此問佛。佛陀答言，後者之福德遠勝於其他一切供養，因為諸佛具有無量的功德。

In this sūtra, at the request of venerable Śāriputra, the bodhisattva mahāsattva Maitreya elucidates a very brief teaching on dependent arising that the Buddha had given earlier that day while gazing at a rice seedling. The text discusses outer and inner causation and its conditions, describes in detail the twelvefold cycle by which inner dependent arising gives rise to successive lives, and explains how understanding the very nature of that process can lead to freedom from it.

In the Jeta Grove outside Śrāvastī, monks have gathered to listen to the Buddha as he presents the foundational doctrine of dependent arising. The Buddha first gives the definition of dependent arising and then teaches the twelve factors that form the causal chain of existence in saṃsāra as well as the defining characteristics of these twelve factors.

While the Buddha is residing in the Realm of the Thirty-Three Gods with a retinue of deities, great hearers, and bodhisattvas, Avalokiteśvara asks the Buddha how beings can gain merit from building a stūpa.

Discerning that the time is right to train King Bimbisāra, the Buddha Śākyamuni goes to Magadha, along with his entourage. The king is hostile at first but when his attack on the Buddha is thwarted and a verse on impermanence is heard, he becomes respectful. In the discourse that ensues, the Buddha tells the king that it is good to be disillusioned with the world because saṃsāra is impermanence and suffering. He then elaborates with a teaching on impermanence followed by a teaching on suffering. When the king asks where, if saṃsāra is so full of suffering, well-being is to be found, the Buddha responds with a short exposition on nirvāṇa as the cessation of all suffering and the cause for supreme happiness. Moved by his words, the king decides that he will renounce worldly concerns and seek nirvāṇa. The Buddha praises the king and concludes the teaching with the potent refrain, “When one is attached, that is saṃsāra. When one is not attached, that is nirvāṇa.”

While giving teachings at Vārāṇasī, the Buddha Śākyamuni discerns that the time is right to train King Udayana of Vatsa. When he meets the king, who at the time is embarking on a military expedition, the king flies into a rage and tries to kill the Buddha with an arrow. However, the arrow circles in the sky, and a voice proclaims a verse on the dangers of anger and warfare. Hearing this verse, the king pays homage to the Buddha, who explains that an enemy far greater than worldly opponents is the affliction of perceiving a self, which binds one to saṃsāra. He uses a military analogy to explain how this great enemy can be controlled by the combined arsenal of the six perfections and slayed by the arrow of nonself. When the king asks what is meant by “nonself,” the Buddha replies in a series of verses that constitute a succinct teaching on all persons and all things being without a self.

阿闍世王因殺害其父頻婆娑羅王的深重罪業而晝夜憂懼，文殊師利菩薩為其說法化解心結。通過直指要義、應機發問和示現神變，文殊師利及諸眷屬菩薩向阿闍世王開示：悔罪之心實無所有，一切諸法亦復如是。本經展現了文殊師利的超勝智慧，以及了悟空性則一切法自然清凈。

此經描述耆那教青年吉祥護惡意邀請佛陀於家中用餐，試圖以火坑和劇毒謀害世尊的故事。佛陀雖了知吉祥護的陰謀仍然接受邀請，藉此展現佛因證量與善根而不可被此類陷阱所傷害的功德。世尊繼而講說過去世身為野雞、兔子以及孔雀時也曾逃脫過火和毒的危害。在吉祥護謀害佛陀的詭計失敗後，世尊敘述了吉祥護在過去世身為婆羅門時同樣試圖以火坑謀害自己的故事。吉祥護聽聞此故事後生起了羞愧心，即向佛陀請求贖罪和皈依，此後更領受了在家優婆塞的戒律。

The Buddha is residing at Āmrapālī’s Grove in Vaiśālī when Mañjuśrī brings before him the monk Stainless Light, who had been seduced by a prostitute and feels strong remorse for having violated his vows. After the monk confesses his wrongdoing, the Buddha explains the lack of inherent nature of all phenomena and the luminous nature of mind, and the monk Stainless Light gives rise to the mind of enlightenment. At Mañjuśrī’s request, the Buddha then explains how bodhisattvas purify obscurations by generating an altruistic mind and realizing the empty nature of all phenomena. He asks Mañjuśrī about his own attainment of patient forbearance in seeing all phenomena as nonarising, and recounts the tale of the monk Vīradatta, who, many eons in the past, had engaged in a sexual affair with a girl and even killed a jealous rival before feeling strong remorse. Despite these negative actions, once the empty, nonexistent nature of all phenomena had been explained to him by the bodhisattva Liberator from Fear, he was able to generate bodhicitta and attain patient forbearance in seeing all phenomena as nonarising. The Buddha explains that even a person who had enjoyed pleasures and murdered someone would be able to attain patient forbearance in seeing all phenomena as nonarising through practicing this sūtra, which he calls “the Dharma mirror of all phenomena.”

佛陀於此經中開示以晝夜三時念誦願文來凈除業障、成就所願的法門。念誦願文時，行者當懺悔惡行，隨喜善行，並祈請諸佛常轉法輪、不入涅槃。

When Śāriputra voices amazement at how the Buddha uses words to point out the inexpressible ways in which nothing has true existence, the Buddha responds with an uncompromising teaching on how the lack of true existence and the absence of a self are indeed not simply philosophical views but the very cornerstone of the Dharma. To have understood, realized, and applied them fully is the main quality by which someone may be considered a member of the saṅgha and authorized to teach others and to receive offerings.

In Taking Refuge in the Three Jewels, the venerable Śāriputra wonders how much merit accrues to someone who takes refuge in the Three Jewels: the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Saṅgha. He therefore seeks out the Buddha Śākyamuni and requests a teaching on this topic. The Buddha proceeds to describe how even vast offerings, performed in miraculous ways, would not constitute a fraction of the merit gained by someone who takes refuge in the Three Jewels.

摩揭陀國的影勝王前來問佛，為何有情先所造業，臨命終時皆悉現前。佛告影勝王，譬如男子於睡夢中見一美女，醒來後仍癡癡戀慕不捨。有如此例，眾生眼見於色、起貪嗔癡而造作諸業，作已滅壞，至命終時意識將滅，所作之業皆悉現前。世尊繼而演說，前識滅已、後識無間生起，依於成熟之業果，彼心相續流轉，並無一法能從此世轉至後世。經文最後，世尊以七句偈頌簡要開示空性，宣說二諦及諸法假名安立之理。

In this sutra, the Buddha decides to enter a strict three-month retreat to remedy a suddenly worsening degeneration in the world, which has caused sentient beings to lose interest in hearing and practicing the Dharma. They have even lost all reverence and respect for the Buddha himself. While the Buddha is in retreat, he uses his clairvoyant powers to convene with countless other buddhas whose realms are facing similar troubles. Together, they decide to recite in unison the profound Dharma of the Great Vehicle, and after the three months have passed the situation in the world has been restored through their recital. Once again, beings have faith and interest in the Dharma. The teaching that was delivered together by all the many buddhas is finally entrusted by the Buddha to his disciples for future generations to study and draw inspiration from. One interesting historical fact about this sutra is that the earliest existing Chinese Buddhist manuscript is a copy of this text, dated to the end of the 3rd century and discovered in the early 20th century in excavations at Turfan.

佛於祇園精舍入定三個月，於甚深禪定中與他方世界諸佛討論諸法之本性。佛陀出定時遂為眾弟子轉述其精彩對話，為大眾解答各種疑惑，並且詳細說明一切事物——從平凡的花朵乃至諸佛的證悟——都擁有超越概念的、妙不可言的本性。

The Sūtra on the Splendid Commitments of the Tathāgatas is a Mahāyāna sūtra which was taught by theBuddha through interactions with various bodhisattvas. Śrīvidhijña is the main bodhisattva who facilitates a series of discussions in the text on topics such as: instruction in the cultivation of the perfections(pāramitās); instruction in meditative stabilization, and ways to pacify droughts and other obstacles, such as wrathful nāgas.

On Gayāśīrṣa Hill, Buddha Śākyamuni is visited by a great gathering of bodhisattvas who have traveled miraculously there from a distant world, to venerate him as one who has vowed to liberate beings in a world much more afflicted than their own. The visiting bodhisattvas are led by Sarva­nīvaraṇa­viṣkam­bhin, who asks the Buddha a series of searching questions. In response, the Buddha gives a detailed and systematic account of the practices, qualities, and nature of bodhisattvas, the stages of their path, their realization, and their activities. Many of the topics are structured into sets of ten aspects, expounded with reasoned explanations and illustrated with parables and analogies. This sūtra is said to have been one of the very first scriptures translated into Tibetan. Its doctrinal richness, profundity, and clarity are justly celebrated, and some of its key statements on meditation, the realization of emptiness, and the fundamental nature of the mind have been widely quoted in the Indian treatises and Tibetan commentarial literature.

本經是釋迦牟尼佛與大雲密藏菩薩之間的一段對話，其中聚集聽法的人天大眾亦不時加入談話之中。他們對談的內容廣泛多元，其中一個核心主題是廣大的菩薩行，即菩薩為滿足一切眾生所必須通達的種種三昧與解脫法門，世尊一一列舉其名。隨後，在與婆羅門善德的對話之中，揭示出佛陀的堂弟提婆達多實為一示現最勝方便的菩薩。善德繼而詢問是否能得一佛舍利，另一位與會者遂為之解說，佛舍利現世是何等真正稀有之事。經文最後，佛陀詳細描述並授記大雲密藏菩薩將於未來成就佛果，並進而宣說奉持本經可獲得的諸般利益與神力。

如經文末頁明確註記，這一簡短開示是《大雲經》的補充章節「降雨諸風品」。經文記敘釋迦牟尼佛到訪龍宮，無量龍眾向佛頂禮，獻上神力化現的廣大供養海雲。龍王請佛宣說如何能使龍族滅除諸苦，並以及時雨利益眾生。世尊先贊嘆了大慈行的利益，繼而傳授一陀羅尼咒，教喻龍族讀誦受持之同時持誦諸如來名號，即可遣除龍眾所有苦厄，並令莊稼生長。應龍王之請，佛陀復又傳授一長陀羅尼咒，能於乾旱時降下甘霖。佛陀於開示末尾還教授了施設佛壇以及祈雨之儀軌。

一時，佛在王舍城靈鷲山安住於名曰「三摩地輪」的禪定中。爾時，文殊師利應佛所問，演說究竟實相之本性。世尊聞之歡喜，贊嘆文殊師利善說甚深法義。

Proper Dharma Conduct takes place in the Jeta Grove at Śrāvastī. Knowing that many bodhisattvas are wondering about proper Dharma conduct, the Buddha Śākyamuni gives a teaching on this topic to a great number of bodhisattvas. The teaching follows a format in which the Buddha first makes a short cryptic statement that seems to go against the conventions of proper behavior for bodhisattvas. The bodhisattvas then inquire as to the meaning of this statement, and the Buddha proceeds to explain how to interpret the initial statement in order to decipher the underlying meaning. Because of his teaching, many gods and bodhisattvas are able to make great progress on the path.

In this sūtra some of Buddha Śākyamuni’s senior disciples request a teaching on the nature of “the sections of Dharma.” The Buddha responds by first delivering a teaching on the absence of birth with regard to phenomena, as an antidote to the poison of desire. On that basis, the Buddha then presents a longer explanation of the repulsiveness of the human body, and of the female body in particular.

此經中，佛為諸天菩薩眾演示廣大神通力，以大光明幻化出無量眾生。其時有一外道仙人名光明炬因毗濕奴與濕婆等諸天神亦具此神通力而不為所動。仙人光明炬遂向佛陀請示：一切眾生從何處生、末劫劫盡熾燃之因緣以及如何度量眾生微細身。世尊即為其演說無常、因果業力與空性等教法。

There are two main themes in Distinguishing Phenomena and What Is Meaningful. One is in the narrative structure: The Buddha Śākyamuni tells how, countless eons ago, in a world called Flower Origin, a buddha named Arisen from Flowers gave instructions to a royal family, and prophesied the awakening of the prince Ratnākara. Arisen from Flowers, the Buddha Śākyamuni then relates, has since become the buddha Amitābha, and the prince Ratnākara the bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara. The other theme is doctrinal, and lies in the content of the teaching given by Arisen from Flowers: it explains the four mistakes made by ordinary beings in the way they perceive the five aggregates, and how bodhisattvas teach them how to clear away these misconceptions, so that they may be free of the sufferings that result.

In The Accomplishment of the Sets of Four Qualities: The Bodhisattvas’ Prātimokṣa, Venerable Śāriputra requests the Buddha Śākyamuni to explain the conduct of bodhisattvas. The Buddha responds by describing how bodhisattvas train in many practices and in the cultivation of many qualities, here presented in sets of four, related to generosity and diligence in particular, and more broadly to their attitude, conduct, learning, insight, and teaching. In this way bodhisattvas swiftly progress along the path to buddhahood.

While Buddha Śākyamuni is residing in the Sudharmā assembly hall in the Heaven of the Thirty-Three, he explains to the great bodhisattva Maitreya four factors that make it possible to overcome the effects of any negative deeds one has committed. These four are: the action of repentance, which involves feeling remorse; antidotal action, which is to practice virtue as a remedy to non-virtue; the power of restraint, which involves vowing not to repeat a negative act; and the power of support, which means taking refuge in the Buddha, Dharma, and Saṅgha, and never forsaking the mind of awakening. The Buddha concludes by recommending that bodhisattvas regularly recite this sūtra and reflect on its meaning as an antidote to any further wrongdoing.

在這部簡短的經文中，佛陀宣說人終生不可執取的四種謬見：（1）於女人間可得快樂，（2）於王宮中可得快樂，（3）依靠健美身體可得快樂，（4）依靠財富資具可得快樂。

一時，佛在舍衛城祇園精舍，與眾比丘與菩薩俱。佛言，有四種法菩薩常應修行，縱遇命難，亦不得舍：一不舍菩提心，二不舍善知識，三不舍安忍調柔，四不舍阿蘭若。經文末尾，世尊復以二偈重宣此義，言說不舍此四法者必將證得無上菩提。

The Fourfold Accomplishment revolves around a dialogue between the god Śrībhadra and the bodhisattva Mañjuśrī that takes place in the Jeta Grove at Śrāvastī. At Śrībhadra’s request, Mañjuśrī recalls a teaching that he previously gave to Brahmā Śikhin on the practices of a bodhisattva. The teaching takes the form of a sequence of topics, each of which has four components.

While the Buddha Śākyamuni is staying in Śrāvastī, a bodhisattva named Dharmaketu asks him how many qualities a bodhisattva must possess in order to quickly reach awakening. In response, the Buddha enumerates the ten most important qualities for bodhisattvas to cultivate.

At Mount Potalaka, on an island in the ocean, the bodhisattva Lord of the World asks the Buddha what it means to successfully take full ordination as a monk. The Buddha answers that it is only by transcending various forms of dualism that one truly takes full ordination. When the bodhisattva Maitreya asks for clarification of what the Buddha has said, the Lord of the World offers a discourse on the ultimate truth. This discourse wins the Buddha’s approval, and the Buddha in turn further elaborates on the ultimate nature of phenomena.

《日藏经》是一部内容丰富的佛经，共十一品。在王舍城郊外的迦兰陀竹园，释迦牟尼佛先向大众宣说了盗用供僧之物的大恶果报，以及护持守戒比丘的重要性。之后讲述为保护和利益娑婆世界，四方佛土各遣菩萨众送来各种不同的陀罗尼。释迦牟尼佛即为大众解说此诸陀罗尼，并开示出离心之种种禅修，教导万法之空性本质。其中一品叙述了天魔和龙族之间的一段故事，由此引出有关星相学的教授，世尊更授予多种陀罗尼，并明列出圣者示现的二十大圣地。

本經開篇記敘佛陀與無量百千萬億大菩薩眾在王舍城靈鷲山，爾時，勝思惟菩薩問如來二字：何者一法是菩薩所除滅者，何者一法總攝修行之基、菩薩常當日夜護之，何者一法是如來所證覺者。世尊一一為之作答：首先列舉菩薩應滅之法，其次教喻菩薩「己所不欲勿勸他人」，繼而宣說「無有一法如來所覺」。如來所覺，即諸法不去不來，無因無緣，無生無滅，無取不取，無增無減。與會諸眾聞已，誓願流通此經，而世尊進而講說流通此經之利益。

While the Buddha is dwelling on Khalatika Mountain with his retinue, an amazing display of light appears, brought about by the bodhisattva Ākāśagarbha’s liberating activities. As he joins the gathering, Ākāśagarbha manifests another extraordinary display, and the Buddha, praising his inconceivable accomplishments and activities, explains how to invoke his blessings. He sets out the fundamental transgressions of rulers, ministers, śrāvakas, and beginner bodhisattvas, and, after explaining in detail how to conduct the rituals of purification, encourages those who have committed such transgressions to turn to Ākāśagarbha. When people pray to Ākāśagarbha, Ākāśagarbha adapts his manifestations to suit their needs, appearing to them while they are awake, in their dreams, or at the time of their death. In this way, Ākāśagarbha gradually leads them all along the path, helping them to purify their negative deeds, relieve their sufferings, fulfill their wishes, and eventually attain perfect enlightenment.

In The Acceptance That Tames Beings with the Sky-Colored Method of Perfect Conduct, the Buddha Śākyamuni and several bodhisattvas deliver a series of teachings focusing on the relationship between the understanding of emptiness and the conduct of a bodhisattva, especially the perfection of acceptance or patience. The text describes the implications of the view that all inner and outer formations—that is, all phenomena made up of the five aggregates—are empty. It also provides detailed descriptions of the ascetic practices of non-Buddhists and insists on the importance for bodhisattvas of being reborn in buddha realms inundated with the five impurities for the sake of the beings living there, and of practicing in such realms to fulfill the highest goals of the bodhisattva path.

《華聚經》中，佛陀為眾弟子形容十方諸佛之國土，並解釋僅僅聽聞諸佛名號即可獲得眾多利益，乃至最終證得無上正等正覺。

Calling Witness with a Hundred Prostrations is widely known as the first sūtra to arrive in Tibet, long before Tibet became a Buddhist nation, during the reign of the Tibetan king Lha Thothori Nyentsen. Written to be recited for personal practice, it opens with one hundred and eight prostrations and praises to the many buddhas of the ten directions and three times, to the twelve categories of scripture contained in the Tripiṭaka, to the bodhisattvas of the ten directions, and to the arhat disciples of the Buddha. After making offerings to them, confessing and purifying nonvirtue, and making the aspiration to perform virtuous actions in every life, the text includes recitations of the vows of refuge in the Three Jewels, and of generating the thought of enlightenment. The text concludes with a passage rejoicing in the virtues of the holy ones, a request for the buddhas to bestow a prophecy to achieve enlightenment, and the aspiration to pass from this life in a state of pure Dharma.

一時，佛在摩揭陀國與無數菩薩眾俱。爾時，不可思議王菩薩為眾演說不同佛剎之間的時間相對性。他提到十一個佛剎，其中此娑婆世界釋迦牟尼佛剎的一劫，為西方極樂世界阿彌陀佛剎的一日一夜，而西方極樂世界的一劫，為袈裟幢世界金剛堅佛剎的一日一夜，如是次第，乃至過百萬阿僧祇世界，最後世界一劫，為蓮花吉祥世界賢吉祥佛剎的一日一夜。

一時，佛遊於迦毗羅衛國，與乘坐馬車出城的釋迦童子「面善悅」相遇。童子請求佛陀教導防護危害之法。佛告童子：十方各有一佛住於遙遠世界中，每當出城前往某一方向時，心中憶念此方之佛，則旅途無有恐懼危難，有所興作悉當如願。童子及與會大眾奉受此法後，皆能現見十方佛及其佛土。爾後，佛陀授記會上百千人終得成就正覺。佛言，奉此經典、讀誦書寫、為他人說，能護佑一切，無復恐懼。故而於行事之初或出遊之前，常常諷誦此經以遣除障礙，速成所願。

The Seven Buddhas opens with the Buddha Śākyamuni residing in an alpine forest on Mount Kailāsa with a saṅgha of monks and bodhisattvas. The Buddha notices that a monk in the forest has been possessed by a spirit, which prompts the bodhisattva Ākāśagarbha to request that the Buddha teach a spell to cure diseases and exorcise demonic spirits. The Buddha then emanates as the set of “seven successive buddhas,” each of whom transmits a dhāraṇī to Ākāśagarbha. Each of the seven buddhas then provides ritual instructions for using the dhāraṇī.

While the Buddha is dwelling together with a great saṅgha of monks in Śrāvastī, at the garden of Anāthapiṇḍada in the Jeta Grove, the whole universe suddenly begins to shake. The sounds of innumerable cymbals are heard without their being played, and flowers fall, covering the entire Jeta Grove. The world becomes filled with golden light and golden lotuses appear, each lotus supporting a lion throne upon which appears the shining form of a buddha. Venerable Śāriputra arises from his seat, pays homage, and asks the Buddha about the causes and conditions for these thus-gone ones to appear. The Buddha then proceeds to describe in detail these buddhas, as well as their various realms and how beings can take birth in them.

The Twelve Buddhas opens at Rājagṛha with a dialogue between the Buddha Śākyamuni and the bodhisattva Maitreya about the eastern buddhafield of a buddha whose abbreviated name is King of Jewels. This buddha prophesies that when he passes into complete nirvāṇa, the bodhisattva Incomparable will take his place as a buddha whose abbreviated name is Victory Banner King. Śākyamuni then provides the names of the remaining ten tathāgatas, locating them in the ten directions surrounding Victory Banner King’s buddhafield Full of Pearls. After listing the full set of names of these twelve buddhas and their directional relationship to Victory Banner King, the Buddha Śākyamuni provides an accompanying mantra-dhāraṇī and closes with a set of thirty-seven verses outlining the benefits of remembering the names of these buddhas.

釋迦牟尼佛和诸比丘和与菩薩眾住於靈鷲山時，其中有十位菩薩因精進修行七年卻尚未證得總持而感到氣餒。見此情況，無怯菩薩代之請求佛陀教導能夠開啟菩薩智慧之法。佛陀應其所問揭示菩薩未能證得總持之因——過去所造之惡業——並为众人开示尊敬佛法導師的重要性以及淨化業障的方法。

一時，佛在毗舍離奈女樹園，有一離車族青年名為「善作」，請佛宣說現今住世修行本願之諸佛名號，使持名禮敬者無有恐懼、無復眾難。世尊隨即演說八佛及其佛土之名，教喻善作應諦奉善思、係心毋忘，必能德行日進、所作皆成。善作告退之後，天帝釋白佛言，我已受此八佛之名，精进奉行。佛告天帝，天人與阿修羅戰鬥之前，念諸八佛名即可無畏，繼而講說傳布本經的種種功德。

In The Sūtra on the Threefold Training, Buddha Śākyamuni briefly introduces the three elements or stages of the path, widely known as “the three trainings,” one by one in a specific order: discipline, meditative concentration, and wisdom. He teaches that training progressively in them constitutes the gradual path to awakening.

As the title suggests, this sūtra describes the three bodies of the Buddha. While the Buddha is dwelling on Vulture Peak in Rājgṛha, the Bodhisattva Kṣitigarbha asks whether the Tathāgata has a body, to which the Buddha replies that the Tathāgata has three bodies: a dharmakāya, a saṃbhogakāya, and a nirmāṇakāya. The Buddha goes on to describe what constitutes these three bodies and their associated meaning. The Buddha explains that the dharmakāya is like space, the saṃbhogakāya is like clouds, and the nirmāṇakāya is like rain. At the end of the Buddha’s elucidation, Kṣitigarbha expresses jubilation, and the Buddha declares that whoever upholds this Dharma teaching will obtain immeasurable merit.

This recitable prayer of dedication reflects the "seven branches" liturgy common in Mahāyāna Buddhism. It comprises two sections: a detailed confession and a prayer of rejoicing, requesting the turning of the Dharma wheel, beseeching buddhas to remain, and dedicating merit extensively.

This prayer of dedication echoes later Tibetan mind training literature. It includes the traditional dedication of merit to all beings and highlights the faults and afflictions burdening sentient beings. The prayer concludes with the wish that the reciter takes on these negatives, liberating and purifying all beings.

While on the way to Rājagṛha to collect alms, a group of newly ordained monks are approached by some non-Buddhists, who suggest that their doctrine is identical to that of the Buddha, since everyone agrees that misdeeds of body, speech, and mind are to be given up. The monks do not know how to reply, and when they later return to the brahmin town of Nālati, where the Buddha is residing, Śāradvatīputra therefore encourages them to seek clarification from the Blessed One himself. In response to the monks’ request, the Buddha delivers a comprehensive discourse on the effects of virtuous and unvirtuous actions, explaining these matters from the perspective of an adept practitioner of his teachings, who sees and understands all this through a process of personal discovery. As the teaching progresses, the Buddha presents an epic tour of the realm of desire—from the Hell of Ultimate Torment to the Heaven Free from Strife—all the while introducing the specific human actions and attitudes that cause the experience of such worlds and outlining the ways to remedy and transcend them. In the final section of the sūtra, which is presented as an individual scripture on its own, the focus is on mindfulness of the body and the ripening of karmic actions that is experienced among humans in particular.

The Mahāsūtra “Illusion’s Net” is a discourse taught by the Buddha Śākyamuni to an assembly of monks at Prince Jeta’s Grove in Śrāvastī. The Buddha opens his discourse by stressing the position of importance that the training in wisdom holds among the three trainings of discipline, contemplation, and wisdom. Perfecting the training in wisdom, he states, naturally perfects the other two trainings as well. The remainder of the sūtra describes how monks should train to develop wisdom by examining the futility and folly of their emotional reactions to the objects of the five senses and mental phenomena. The Buddha then discusses the five sense objects as well as the mental objects in succession, describing how ordinary sensory and mental perceptions of them are deluded, and how getting caught up in such perceptions only causes pain and regret. The five sensory objects and the mental objects are each described with nearly identical phrasing, supplemented by individual analogies. These analogies, the sūtra states in its concluding summary, constitute the “net of illusion” to which the title of this discourse refers.

毗舍離城的一群商主準備前往怛剎屍羅國，他們得知佛陀住在附近的重閣講堂，便供養佛陀及其僧衆午餐。爾時，佛陀告諸商主：就如同帝釋天、伊捨那天子、婆留那天子的勝幢能鼓舞與阿修羅作戰的天衆，消除其恐懼。汝等行於曠野中心生怖畏時，當憶念佛、法、僧，如是憶念怖畏即除。經文最後，佛陀爲諸商主説供養隨喜偈，祝福他們路途平安。本經是兩部同名大經中篇幅較長的一部，兩部經文主題相似，但説法的對象不同。

世尊告諸比丘：心生怖畏時，當念如來諸名號，怖畏即除。如同帝釋天告諸天眾，戰鬥時如有恐懼，念其伏敵之幢，恐懼即除。經文結尾以偈頌重宣此義，並教導大眾亦可念法與僧。本經是兩部名稱相同、主題相似的大經中篇幅較短的一部。