• The Collection
  • The Kangyur
  • Discourses
  • General Sūtra Section

This rendering does not include the entire published text

The full text is available to download as pdf at:
https://read.84000.co/data/toh147_84000-the-teaching-on-the-great-compassion-of-the-tathagata.pdf

དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པའི་སྙིང་རྗེ་ཆེན་པོ་ངེས་པར་བསྟན་པ།

The Teaching on the Great Compassion of the Tathāgata

Tathāgata­mahā­karuṇā­nirdeśa
འཕགས་པ་དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པའི་སྙིང་རྗེ་ཆེན་པོ་ངེས་པར་བསྟན་པ་ཞེས་བྱ་བ་ཐེག་པ་ཆེན་པོའི་མདོ།
’phags pa de bzhin gshegs pa’i snying rje chen po nges par bstan pa zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo
The Noble Great Vehicle Sūtra “The Teaching on the Great Compassion of the Tathāgata”
Ārya­tathāgata­mahākaruṇā­nirdeśanāma­mahāyāna­sūtra
84000 logo

Toh 147

Degé Kangyur, vol. 57 (mdo sde, pa), folios 142.a–242.b

Translated by Anne Burchardi
under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha

First published 2020
Current version v 1.2.24 (2022)
Generated by 84000 Reading Room v2.18.4.1

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co.

Table of Contents

ti. Title
im. Imprint
co. Contents
s. Summary
ac. Acknowledgements
i. Introduction
+ 3 sections- 3 sections
· The Text
· Outline of the Sūtra
· The Sūtra’s Associations with Buddha Nature Literature
tr. The Translation
+ 2 chapters- 2 chapters
1. The Great Assembly Chapter “Array of Ornaments”
2. Chapter 2
c. Colophon
n. Notes
b. Bibliography
+ 3 sections- 3 sections
· Primary Sources
· Secondary Canonical Sources
· Other Secondary Sources
g. Glossary

s.

Summary

s.­1

The Teaching on the Great Compassion of the Tathāgata opens with the Buddha presiding over a large congregation of disciples at Vulture Peak. Entering a special state of meditative absorption, he magically displays a pavilion in the sky, attracting a vast audience of divine and human Dharma followers. At the request of the bodhisattva Dhāraṇīśvara­rāja, the Buddha gives a discourse on the qualities of bodhisattvas, which are specified as bodhisattva ornaments, illuminations, compassion, and activities. He also teaches about the compassionate awakening of tathāgatas and the scope of a tathāgata’s activities. At the request of a bodhisattva named Siṃhaketu, Dhāraṇīśvara­rāja then gives a discourse on eight dhāraṇīs, following which the Buddha explains the sources and functions of a dhāraṇī known as the jewel lamp. As the text concludes, various deities and Dharma protectors praise the sūtra’s qualities and vow to preserve and protect it in the future, and the Buddha entrusts the sūtra and its propagation to Dhāraṇīśvara­rāja. The sūtra is a particularly rich source of detail on the qualities of bodhisattvas and buddhas.


ac.

Acknowledgements

ac.­1

This sūtra was translated by Anne Burchardi, with Dr. Ulrich Pagel acting as consultant. Tulku Dakpa Rinpoche, Jens Braarvig, and Tom Tillemans provided help and advice, and Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche provided inspiration. Anne Burchardi introduced the text, the translation and introduction were edited by the 84000 editorial team.


We gratefully acknowledge the generous sponsorship of May and George Gu, made in memory of Frank ST Gu. Their support has helped make the work on this translation possible.


i.

Introduction

The Text

i.­1

The Teaching on the Great Compassion of the Tathāgata1 is an important early Great Vehicle sūtra, setting out some key features of the bodhisattva path in a doctrinally dense text that has been explored in later commentaries as an important source of clarification on the qualities that bodhisattvas develop as they progress to awakening, on the dhāraṇīs, and indirectly on the potential for buddhahood (buddhagotra) underlying their progress. The text survives in an incomplete Sanskrit manuscript, two Chinese translations, and the Tibetan translation.

Outline of the Sūtra

The Sūtra’s Associations with Buddha Nature Literature


The Translation
The Noble Great Vehicle Sūtra
The Teaching on the Great Compassion of the Tathāgata

1.

The Great Assembly Chapter “Array of Ornaments”

[B1] [F.142.a]


1.­1

Homage to all buddhas and bodhisattvas.


1.­2

Thus did I hear at one time. The Blessed One was dwelling on Vulture Peak, near Rājagṛha, a place blessed by tathāgatas, a great stūpa where previous victors dwelled. It is a Dharma seat praised by bodhisattvas and a place worshiped by gods, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, and asuras that inspires toward roots of virtue. It is a site where tathāgatas appear and where gateways to the Dharma are promulgated‍—a domain of tathāgatas where bodhisattvas appear and infinite qualities spring forth.


2.

Chapter 2

2.­1

After the Blessed One had surveyed the great assembly of bodhisattvas, he knew and rejoiced that the bodhisattvas who had assembled were holders of the treasure of the Tathāgata’s Dharma striving for righteousness.

2.­2

In order for the Dharma discourse The Gateway to Unobstructed Deliverance through the Bodhisattva Way of Life to be explained, [F.157.b] a light known as fearless eloquence, the mark of a great being, emerged from the crown of his head.


c.

Colophon

c.­1

This text was translated and edited by the Indian preceptor Śīlendrabodhi and the principal editor-translator, Bandé Yeshé Dé. It was reviewed and finalized in accordance with the new language reforms.


n.

Notes

n.­1
This text is known by two different Sanskrit titles: Tathāgata­mahā­karuṇā­nirdeśa (The Teaching on the Great Compassion of the Tathāgata) and Dhāraṇīśvara­rāja­sūtra (The Dhāraṇīśvararāja Sūtra).
n.­2
See Ye 2021.
n.­3
Taishō 398 is Da ai jing (大哀經), and the overall title of Taishō 397 is Dafangdeng da ji jing (大方等大集經). The version of the sūtra in the latter appears to be the version referenced in the Ratnagotra­vibhāgavyākhyā. A Japanese translation of Taishō 397 was published in 1934.
n.­4
Denkarma, folio 297.a.6. See also Herrmann-Pfandt (2008), pp. 56–57, no. 99.
n.­5
Phangthangma, p. 8.
n.­6
For information on the sections and the discourses of the sūtra see Pagel (2007b), pp. 92–96.
n.­7
In addition to the best known references mentioned below, the sūtra is cited in the Madhyamakāvatāra (Toh 3861, see La Vallée Poussin 1907–12, p. 426) and in the Sūtrasamuccaya (see Pāsādika 1989, 30.6–32.7, 129.1–130.14).
n.­8
The Ratnagotra­vibhāga (Toh 4024), also known from the other part of its title as the Mahā­yānottara­tantra­śāstra, theg pa chen po rgyud bla ma, and the Ratnagotra­vibhāgavyākhyā (Toh 4025) are to be found as Tibetan translations in the Tengyur. Tibetan translations of this text and its commentary were widely studied in Tibet, and the Ratnagotra­vibhāga still figures prominently in the curriculum of many Tibetan Buddhist monastic universities in exile, where it continues to be regarded as locus classicus for the study of buddha nature.

b.

Bibliography

Primary Sources

’phags pa de bzhin gshegs pa’i snying rje chen po nges par bstan pa zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo (Ārya­tathāgata­mahākaruṇā­nirdeśanāma­mahāyāna­sūtra). Degé Kangyur vol. 57 (mdo sde, pa), folios 142.a–242.b.

’phags pa de bzhin gshegs pa’i snying rje chen po nges par bstan 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. 57, pp. 377–611.

[Bodhisattva­piṭaka] ’phags pa byang chub sems dpa’i sde snod ces bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo (Ārya­bodhisattva­piṭaka­nāma­mahāyāna­sūtra). Toh 56, Degé Kangyur vol. 40 (dkon brtsegs, kha), folios 255.b–294.a; vol. 41 (dkon brtsegs, ga), folios 1.b–205.b.

[Ratnagotra­vibhāga] theg pa chen po rgyud bla ma’i bstan bcos (Mahāyānottara­tantra­śāstra). Toh 4024, Degé Tengyur vol. 123 (sems tsam, phi), folios 54.b–73.a.

[Ratnagotra­vibhāgavyākhyā] theg pa chen po rgyud bla ma’i bstan bcos rnam par bshad pa (Mahāyānottara­tantra­śāstra). Toh 4025, Degé Tengyur vol. 123 (sems tsam, phi), folios 74.b–129.a.

rigs sngags kyi rgyal mo rma bya chen mo las gsungs pa’i smon lam dang bden tshig. Toh 814, Degé Kangyur vol. 96 (rgyud ’bum, wa), folios 254.a–254.b.

Secondary Canonical Sources

[Akṣayamati­nirdeśa] ’phags pa blo gros mi zad pas bstan pa zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo (Āryākṣayamati­nirdeśanāma­mahāyāna­sūtra). Toh 175, Degé Kangyur vol. 60 (mdo sde, ma), folios 79.a–174.b. English translation in Braarvig, Jens, and David Welsh (2020). [Full citation listed in secondary sources]

Candrakīrti. dbu ma la ’jug pa (Madhyamakāvatāra). Toh 3861, Degé Tengyur vol. 102 (dbu ma, ’a), folios 201.b–219.a. Translation in La Vallée Poussin (1907–12).

Dharmottara. rigs pa’i thigs pa’i rgya cher ’grel pa (Nyāyabinduṭīka). Toh 4231, Degé Tengyur vol. 189 (mdo ’grel, we), folios 36.b–92.a.

[Denkarma] pho brang stod thang ldan dkar gyi chos kyi ’gyur ro cog gi dkar chag. Toh 4364, Degé Tengyur vol. 206 (sna tshogs, jo), folios 294.b–310.a.

[Jñānā­lokālaṃkāra] ’phags pa sangs rgyas thams cad kyi yul la ’jug pa’i ye shes snang ba’i rgyan zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo (Ārya­sarva­buddha­viṣayāvatāra­jñānā­lokālaṃkāranāma­mahāyāna­sūtra). Toh 100, Degé Kangyur vol. 47 (mdo sde, ga), folios 276.a–305.a. English translation in Dharmachakra Translation Committee (2015). [Full citation listed in secondary sources]

Mahāvyutpatti (bye brag tu rtogs par byed pa chen po). Toh 4346, Degé Tengyur vol. 204 (sna tshogs, co), folios 1.b–131.a.

Nāgārjuna. mdo kun las btus pa (Sūtrasamuccaya). Toh 3934, Degé Tengyur vol. 110 (dbu ma, ki), folios 148.b–215.a.

[Ratnamegha] ’phags pa dkon mchog sprin ces bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo (Āryaratnameghanāmamahāyānasūtra). Toh 231, Degé Kangyur vol. 64 (mdo sde, wa), folios 1.b–112.b. English translation in Dharmachakra Translation Committee (2019). [Full citation listed in secondary sources]

[Ṡaḍaṅgayogapañjikā]. Avadhūtipa. dpal dus kyi ’khor lo’i man ngag sbyor ba yan lag drug gi rgyud kyi dka’ ’grel zhes bya ba (Śrī­kālacakropadeśa­yoga­ṣaḍaṅga­tantra­pañjikānāma). Toh 1373, Degé Tengyur vol. 13 (rgyud, pa), folios 252.a–279.b.

[Saṃdhinirmocana­sūtra] ’phags pa dgongs pa nges par ’grel pa zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo (Ārya­saṃdhinirmocana­nāma­mahāyāna­sūtra). Toh 106, Degé Kangyur vol. 49 (mdo sde, tsha), folios 1.b–55.b. English translation in Buddhavacana Translation Group (2020). [Full citation listed in secondary sources]

[Tathāgata­guṇa­jñānā­cintyaviṣayāvatāra­nirdeśa] ’phags pa de bzhin gshegs pa’i yon tan dang ye shes bsam gyis mi khyab pa’i yul la ’jug pa bstan pa zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo (Ārya­tathāgata­guṇa­jñānā­cintyaviṣayāvatāra­nirdeśa­nāma­mahāyāna­sūtra). Toh 185, Degé Kangyur vol. 61 (mdo sde, tsa), folios 106.a–143.b. English translation in Liljenberg, Karen (2020). [Full citation listed in secondary sources]

Other Secondary Sources

Braarvig, Jens (1993). Akṣayamati­nirdeśasūtra. 2 vols. Oslo: Solom Verlag, 1993.

‍—‍—‍—(1985). “Dhāraṇī and Pratibhāna: Memory and Eloquence of the Bodhisattvas.” Journal of the International Association of Buddhist Studies 8, no. 1 (1985): 17–30.

Braarvig, Jens, and David Welsh, trans. The Teaching of Akṣayamati (Akṣayamati­nirdeśa, Toh 175). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2020.

Brunnhölzl, Karl. When the Clouds Part: The “Uttaratantra” and Its Meditative Tradition as a Bridge between Sūtra and Tantra. Boston: Snow Lion, 2014.

Buddhavacana Translation Group, trans. Unraveling the Intent (Saṃdhinirmocana­sūtra, Toh 106). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.

Burchardi, Anne. “A Provisional list of Tibetan Commentaries on the Ratnagotra­vibhāga.” Tibet Journal 31, no. 4 (Winter 2006): 3–46.

Dharmachakra Translation Committee (2015), trans. The Ornament of the Light of Awareness that Enters the Domain of All Buddhas (Jñānā­lokālaṃkāra, Toh 100). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2015.

‍—‍—‍—(2019) trans. The Jewel Cloud (Ratnamegha, Toh 231). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2019.

Herrmann-Pfandt, Adelheid. Die lHan kar ma: ein früher Katalog der ins Tibetische übersetzten buddhistischen Texte. Vienna: Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, 2008.

Higgins, David, and Martina Draszczyk. Mahāmudrā and the Middle Way: Post-classical Kagyü Discourses on Mind, Emptiness and Buddha-Nature. Wiener Studien zur Tibetologie und Buddhismuskunde vol. 90.1–2. Vienna: Arbeitskreis für Tibetische und Buddhistische Studien der Universität Wien, 2016.

Hookham, S. K. The Buddha Within: Tathāgatagarbha Dharma According to the Shentong Interpretation of the Ratnagotra­vibhāga. Albany: SUNY Press, 1991. 

Johnston, Edward H., ed. The Ratnagotra­vibhāga Mahāyānanottaratantraśāstra. Patna: Bihar Research Society, 1950.

La Vallée Poussin, Louis de, ed. Madhyamakāvatāra par Candrakīrti: Traduction Tibétaine. Bibliotheca Buddhica 9. Osnabruück: Biblio Verlag, 1907–12.

Liljenberg, Karen, trans. Introduction to the Inconceivable Qualities and Wisdom of the Tathāgatas (Tathāgata­guṇa­jñānā­cintyaviṣayāvatāra­nirdeśa, Toh 185). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2020.

Marpa Chökyi Lodrö (mar pa chos kyi blo gros). rgyud bla ma’i tshig don rnam par ’grel ba. In dpal mnga’ bdag sgra sgyur mar pa’ lo tsA ba chos kyi blo gros kyi gsung ’bum, vol. 1, 414–522. Dehradun: Drikung Kagyu Institute, 2009.

Mathes, Klaus-Dieter, ed. ’Gos Lo tsā ba gZhon nu dpal’s Commentary on the Ratnagotra­vibhāgavyākhyā (Theg pa chen po rgyud bla ma´i bstan bcos kyi ´grel bshad de kho na nyid rab tu gsal ba’i me long). Stuttgart: Franz Steiner Verlag, 2003.

‍—‍—‍—. A Direct Path to the Buddha Within: Gö Lotsāwa’s Mahāmudra Interpretation of the Ratnagotra­vibhāga. Somerville, MA: Wisdom Publications, 2008.

Nakamura, Hajime. “On the Jnāna-āloka-alaṃkāra-sūtra.” Journal of Nichiren and Buddhist Studies 100 (1953): 185–204.

Obermiller, Eugène. “The Sublime Science of the Great Vehicle to Salvation: Being a Manual of Buddhist Monism.” Acta Orientalia 9 (1931): 81–306.

Pagel, Ulrich (1994). “The Bodhisattva­piṭaka and Akṣayamati­nirdeśa: Continuity and Change in Buddhist Sūtras.” In The Buddhist Forum III: Papers in honour and appreciation of Professor David Seyfort Ruegg’s contribution to Indological, Buddhist and Tibetan Studies, edited by Ulrich Pagel and Tadeusz Skorupski, 333–73. London: School of Oriental and African Studies, 1994.

‍—‍—‍—(1995). The Bodhisattva­piṭaka: Its Dharmas, Practices and Their Position in Mahāyāna Literature. Tring: The Institute of Buddhist Studies, 1995.

‍—‍—‍—(2007a). “The Dhāraṇīs of Mahāvyutpatti #748: Origin and Formation.” Buddhist Studies Review 24, no. 2 (2007): 151–91.

‍—‍—‍—(2007b). Mapping the Path: Vajrapadas in Mahāyāna Literature. Studia Philologica Buddhica 21. Tokyo: The International Institute for Buddhist Studies, 2007.

Pagel, Ulrich, and Braarvig, Jens. “Fragments of the Bodhisattva­piṭaka.” In Buddhist manuscripts, Volume III, edited by Jens Braarvig, 11–89. Manuscripts in the Schøyen Collection. Oslo: Hermes Publishing, 2006.

Pāsādika, Bhikkhu, ed. Nāgārjuna’s Sūtrasamuccaya: A Critical Edition of the Mdo kun las btus pa. Fontes Tibetici Havnienses 2. Copenhagen: Akademisk Forlag, 1989.

Phangthangma (dkar chag ’phang thang ma). Beijing: mi rigs dpe skrun khang, 2003.

Powers, John. Wisdom of the Buddha: The Saṁdhinimocana Mahāyāna Sūtra. Berkeley: Dharma Publishing, 1995.

Ruegg, David Seyfort. Buddha-nature, Mind and the Problem of Gradualism in a Comparative Perspective: On the Transmission and Reception of Buddhism in India and Tibet. Jordan Lectures in Comparative Religion 13. London: School of Oriental and African Studies, 1989.

Stearns, Cyrus. The Buddha from Dolpo: A Study of the Life and Thought of the Tibetan Master Dolpopa Sherab Gyaltsen. Albany: SUNY Press, 1999.

Study Group on Buddhist Literature. Jñānā­lokālaṃkāra: Transliterated Sanskrit Text Collated with Tibetan and Chinese Translations. Tokyo: Taisho University Press, 2004.

Takasaki, Jikido (1974). Nyoraizō shiso nō keisei: Indo Daijō Bukkyō shisō kenkyū. [English title: Formation of the Tathāgatagarbha Theory: A Study of the Historical Background of the Tathāgatagarbha Theory of Mahāyāna Buddhism Based upon the Scriptures Preceding the Ratnagotra­vibhāga]. Tokyo: Shunjūsha, 1974.

‍—‍—‍—(1966). A Study of the Ratnagotra­vibhāga (Uttaratantra): Being a Treatise on the Tathāgatagarbha Theory of Mahāyāna Buddhism. Serie Orientale Roma 33. Roma: Istituto Italiano per il Medio ed Estremo Oriente, 1966.

Ui, Hakuju. Hōshōron Kenkyū. Daijī Bukkyō Kenkyū 6. Tokyo: Iwanami Shoten, 1959.

Ye Shaoyong. “A Preliminary Report on a Sanskrit Manuscript of the Tathāgata­mahā­karuṇā­nirdeśa or Dhāraṇīśvararāja.” Journal of Indian and Buddhist Studies 69:3 (2021): 76-81.


g.

Glossary

Types of attestation for Sanskrit names and terms

AS

Attested in source text

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

AO

Attested in other text

This term is attested in other Sanskrit manuscripts of the Kangyur or Tengyur.

AD

Attested in dictionary

This term is attested in Tibetan-Sanskrit dictionaries.

AA

Approximate attestation

The attestation of this name is approximate. It is based on other names where Tibetan-Sanskrit relationship 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

  • ’od gsal
  • འོད་གསལ།
  • ābhāsvara

Sixth god realm of form, meaning “luminosity,” it is the highest of the three heavens that make up the second dhyāna heaven in the form realm.

1 passage contains this term:

  • 1.­90
g.­2

abodes of Brahmā

  • tshangs pa’i gnas pa
  • ཚངས་པའི་གནས་པ།
  • brahmavihāra

The four abodes of Brahmā are loving kindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity, also known as the four “immeasurables.” The term is also rendered in this translation as “Brahmā abodes.”

8 passages contain this term:

  • 2.­593
  • 2.­627
  • 2.­723
  • g.­36
  • g.­50
  • g.­94
  • g.­145
  • g.­174
g.­3

absorption

  • ting nge ’dzin
  • ཏིང་ངེ་འཛིན།
  • 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 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.

86 passages contain this term:

  • s.­1
  • i.­6
  • 1.­9
  • 1.­13
  • 1.­31-32
  • 1.­40
  • 1.­82
  • 1.­89
  • 1.­91-93
  • 1.­109-112
  • 1.­117-118
  • 2.­22
  • 2.­27
  • 2.­33-42
  • 2.­47
  • 2.­64
  • 2.­67
  • 2.­78
  • 2.­81
  • 2.­224
  • 2.­250-252
  • 2.­305
  • 2.­332
  • 2.­335-336
  • 2.­344-345
  • 2.­408
  • 2.­416-417
  • 2.­434
  • 2.­438-439
  • 2.­463-467
  • 2.­484
  • 2.­486
  • 2.­516
  • 2.­613
  • 2.­640
  • 2.­655
  • 2.­682
  • 2.­709
  • n.­32
  • g.­5
  • g.­21
  • g.­22
  • g.­43
  • g.­51
  • g.­53
  • g.­79
  • g.­82
  • g.­84
  • g.­98
  • g.­107
  • g.­109
  • g.­121
  • g.­146
  • g.­166
  • g.­173
  • g.­207
  • g.­299
  • g.­328
  • g.­329
  • g.­330
g.­24

asura

  • lha ma yin
  • ལྷ་མ་ཡིན།
  • asura

Powerful beings who live around Mount Meru and are usually classified as belonging to the higher realms. They are characterized as jealous and ambitious, forever in conflict with the gods.

10 passages contain this term:

  • 1.­2
  • 1.­14
  • 1.­37
  • 1.­121
  • 2.­60
  • 2.­102
  • 2.­507
  • 2.­721
  • 2.­751
  • g.­108
g.­27

Bandé Yeshé Dé

  • ban de ye shes sde
  • བན་དེ་ཡེ་ཤེས་སྡེ།
  • —

A prolific Tibetan translator active during the late 8th and early 9th centuries.

1 passage contains this term:

  • c.­1
g.­31

blessed one

  • bcom ldan ’das
  • བཅོམ་ལྡན་འདས།
  • bhagavān

Epithet of a buddha.

168 passages contain this term:

  • i.­6
  • i.­8-9
  • i.­13
  • 1.­2-3
  • 1.­5
  • 1.­7-9
  • 1.­13
  • 1.­15
  • 1.­17-18
  • 1.­20-21
  • 1.­23-27
  • 1.­29-30
  • 1.­38-40
  • 1.­47-53
  • 1.­55-56
  • 1.­59-60
  • 1.­63-64
  • 1.­67-68
  • 1.­71-72
  • 1.­75-76
  • 1.­79-80
  • 1.­83-84
  • 1.­87-93
  • 1.­102-103
  • 1.­108-109
  • 1.­112-113
  • 1.­115-116
  • 1.­119-120
  • 1.­122-123
  • 2.­1
  • 2.­3
  • 2.­5-6
  • 2.­14-21
  • 2.­63
  • 2.­109-110
  • 2.­118
  • 2.­146
  • 2.­200-203
  • 2.­230
  • 2.­236
  • 2.­242-246
  • 2.­248-257
  • 2.­319
  • 2.­425
  • 2.­476
  • 2.­502
  • 2.­505
  • 2.­508
  • 2.­513-514
  • 2.­516-517
  • 2.­521
  • 2.­523-524
  • 2.­526
  • 2.­531
  • 2.­559
  • 2.­606-607
  • 2.­609-611
  • 2.­614-617
  • 2.­650
  • 2.­652-655
  • 2.­663-668
  • 2.­670
  • 2.­673
  • 2.­704
  • 2.­710-711
  • 2.­715-717
  • 2.­725
  • 2.­727-728
  • 2.­730
  • 2.­732
  • 2.­734
  • 2.­736
  • 2.­738
  • 2.­740
  • 2.­742
  • 2.­744-751
g.­50

compassion

  • snying rje
  • སྙིང་རྗེ།
  • karuṇā

One of the abodes of Brahmā, the other being: loving kindness or love, equanimity, and joy.

77 passages contain this term:

  • s.­1
  • i.­8-9
  • i.­18
  • 1.­5
  • 1.­25
  • 1.­28
  • 1.­31-32
  • 1.­53
  • 1.­69
  • 1.­100
  • 1.­117
  • 1.­120
  • 2.­17-18
  • 2.­41
  • 2.­58
  • 2.­125
  • 2.­146
  • 2.­163
  • 2.­200-212
  • 2.­215
  • 2.­218
  • 2.­221
  • 2.­223-224
  • 2.­226
  • 2.­229
  • 2.­235
  • 2.­237
  • 2.­239
  • 2.­241-245
  • 2.­250
  • 2.­255-256
  • 2.­316
  • 2.­377-378
  • 2.­381
  • 2.­383-384
  • 2.­390
  • 2.­396
  • 2.­402
  • 2.­424
  • 2.­448
  • 2.­452
  • 2.­454
  • 2.­480
  • 2.­598
  • 2.­659
  • 2.­691
  • 2.­718
  • 2.­752
  • n.­38
  • g.­2
  • g.­44
  • g.­94
  • g.­145
  • g.­174
g.­61

crown protuberance

  • spyi gtsug
  • སྤྱི་གཙུག
  • uṣṇīṣa

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

One of the thirty-two signs 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.

11 passages contain this term:

  • 1.­62
  • 1.­91
  • 2.­2-3
  • 2.­5
  • 2.­8
  • 2.­263
  • 2.­476-477
  • 2.­508
  • 2.­569
g.­71

dhāraṇī

  • gzungs
  • གཟུངས།
  • dhāraṇī

An incantation, spell, or mnemonic formula that distills essential points of the Dharma and is used by practitioners to attain mundane and supramundane goals. It also has the sense of “retention,” referring to the special capacity of practitioners to memorize and recall detailed teachings. Also translated here as “retention.”

118 passages contain this term:

  • s.­1
  • i.­1
  • i.­5
  • i.­12-15
  • i.­20
  • 1.­103
  • 2.­525-531
  • 2.­539-540
  • 2.­543-545
  • 2.­553-554
  • 2.­557-559
  • 2.­561-562
  • 2.­564-565
  • 2.­567-569
  • 2.­572-577
  • 2.­579-606
  • 2.­615-632
  • 2.­635-648
  • 2.­650-653
  • 2.­670
  • n.­53
  • g.­32
  • g.­92
  • g.­93
  • g.­130
  • g.­148
  • g.­154
  • g.­169
  • g.­172
  • g.­207
  • g.­239
  • g.­247
  • g.­283
  • g.­285
g.­72

Dhāraṇīśvara­rāja

  • gzungs kyi dbang phyug gi rgyal po
  • གཟུངས་ཀྱི་དབང་ཕྱུག་གི་རྒྱལ་པོ།
  • dhāraṇīśvara­rāja

The name of a Bodhisattva. The principal interlocutor of The Teaching on the Great Compassion of the Tathāgata, where he also gives a discourse of his own.

33 passages contain this term:

  • s.­1
  • i.­5
  • i.­7-9
  • i.­12-14
  • i.­16
  • 2.­3-6
  • 2.­17
  • 2.­21
  • 2.­109
  • 2.­146
  • 2.­200
  • 2.­257
  • 2.­525-526
  • 2.­528-529
  • 2.­574
  • 2.­606
  • 2.­650
  • 2.­704
  • 2.­745
  • 2.­748
  • 2.­750-751
  • g.­130
  • g.­268
g.­74

Dharma discourse

  • chos kyi rnam grangs
  • ཆོས་ཀྱི་རྣམ་གྲངས།
  • dharmaparyāya

22 passages contain this term:

  • 1.­8
  • 1.­103
  • 1.­107
  • 1.­115
  • 1.­119
  • 2.­2
  • 2.­507
  • 2.­514
  • 2.­516
  • 2.­523
  • 2.­541
  • 2.­553
  • 2.­664
  • 2.­715-716
  • 2.­744-750
g.­101

fearless eloquence

  • mi ’jigs pas spobs pa
  • མི་འཇིགས་པས་སྤོབས་པ།
  • —

The name of a light.

1 passage contains this term:

  • 2.­2
g.­126

gandharva

  • dri za
  • དྲི་ཟ།
  • gandharva

Gandharvas, literally “smell eaters,” are a class of spirits sometimes described as “celestial musicians.”

7 passages contain this term:

  • 1.­2
  • 1.­14
  • 2.­60
  • 2.­102
  • 2.­507
  • 2.­751
  • g.­48
g.­134

god

  • lha
  • ལྷ།
  • deva

One of the five or six classes of sentient beings, specifically influenced by exaltation, frivolousness, and pride. According to Buddhist cosmology, the gods live in many divine realms within the desire realm, the form realm, and the formless realm.. Also rendered here as “devas.”

102 passages contain this term:

  • 1.­2
  • 1.­9
  • 1.­13-15
  • 1.­17-18
  • 1.­20-21
  • 1.­23-24
  • 1.­26-27
  • 1.­29-30
  • 1.­37-39
  • 1.­90
  • 1.­94
  • 1.­121
  • 1.­124
  • 2.­38
  • 2.­66
  • 2.­121
  • 2.­129-130
  • 2.­230
  • 2.­238-239
  • 2.­246
  • 2.­249
  • 2.­252-254
  • 2.­258
  • 2.­279
  • 2.­363
  • 2.­366
  • 2.­371
  • 2.­374
  • 2.­387
  • 2.­397
  • 2.­408
  • 2.­415-416
  • 2.­497
  • 2.­507
  • 2.­608
  • 2.­611
  • 2.­660
  • 2.­669
  • 2.­671
  • 2.­695
  • 2.­721-722
  • 2.­727
  • 2.­732
  • 2.­739
  • 2.­751
  • g.­1
  • g.­9
  • g.­11
  • g.­18
  • g.­19
  • g.­23
  • g.­24
  • g.­25
  • g.­26
  • g.­38
  • g.­39
  • g.­40
  • g.­41
  • g.­48
  • g.­49
  • g.­69
  • g.­108
  • g.­147
  • g.­177
  • g.­201
  • g.­212
  • g.­215
  • g.­216
  • g.­230
  • g.­231
  • g.­236
  • g.­253
  • g.­270
  • g.­290
  • g.­293
  • g.­294
  • g.­296
  • g.­298
  • g.­301
  • g.­310
  • g.­318
  • g.­319
  • g.­321
  • g.­325
  • g.­337
  • g.­351
  • g.­352
g.­154

jewel lamp

  • rin chen sgron ma
  • རིན་ཆེན་སྒྲོན་མ།
  • ratnadīpa

The name of a dhāraṇī.

19 passages contain this term:

  • s.­1
  • i.­13
  • 2.­616-624
  • 2.­626-632
  • 2.­652
g.­199

nāga

  • klu
  • ཀླུ།
  • nāga

A semidivine class of beings who live in subterranean aquatic environments and who are known to hoard wealth and esoteric teachings. They are associated with snakes and serpents.

12 passages contain this term:

  • 1.­2
  • 1.­13-14
  • 1.­37
  • 2.­60
  • 2.­102
  • 2.­507
  • 2.­591
  • 2.­721
  • g.­48
  • g.­128
  • g.­310
g.­217

pavilion

  • ’khor gyi khyam
  • འཁོར་གྱི་ཁྱམ།
  • maṇḍalamāḍa

43 passages contain this term:

  • s.­1
  • i.­6
  • 1.­9-12
  • 1.­14
  • 1.­30
  • 1.­39-40
  • 1.­48
  • 1.­51-52
  • 1.­55-56
  • 1.­59-60
  • 1.­63-64
  • 1.­67-68
  • 1.­71-72
  • 1.­75-76
  • 1.­79-80
  • 1.­83-84
  • 1.­87-90
  • 1.­92
  • 1.­112
  • 1.­122
  • 2.­507
  • 2.­513-514
  • 2.­516
  • 2.­663
  • 2.­746
  • g.­155
g.­241

Rājagṛha

  • rgyal po’i khab
  • རྒྱལ་པོའི་ཁབ།
  • rājagṛha

Now known as Rajgir and located in the modern Indian state of Bihar, Rājagṛha was the capital of the kingdom of Magadha during the Buddha’s lifetime.

3 passages contain this term:

  • i.­6
  • 1.­2
  • g.­344
g.­248

righteousness

  • chos
  • ཆོས།
  • dharma

Also translated as “phenomena” and “Dharma” (see entry for “Dharma and Vinaya”).

4 passages contain this term:

  • 1.­110
  • 2.­1
  • 2.­13
  • g.­225
g.­267

Śīlendrabodhi

  • shI len dra bo dhi
  • ཤཱི་ལེན་དྲ་བོ་དྷི།
  • śīlendrabodhi

An Indian paṇḍita resident in Tibet during the late 8th and early 9th centuries.

2 passages contain this term:

  • i.­3
  • c.­1
g.­268

Siṃhaketu

  • seng ge’i tog
  • སེང་གེའི་ཏོག
  • siṃhaketu

Lit. “Lion Crest.” The bodhisattva present in the Buddha’s assembly who requests a discourse from Dhāraṇīśvara­rāja.

5 passages contain this term:

  • s.­1
  • i.­5
  • i.­12
  • 2.­525
  • 2.­528
g.­288

stūpa

  • mchod rten
  • མཆོད་རྟེན།
  • stūpa

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.

1 passage contains this term:

  • 1.­2
g.­304

tathāgata

  • de bzhin gshegs pa
  • དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པ།
  • tathāgata

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-agata, “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 enlightenment dependent on the reality that does not abide in the two extremes of existence and quiescence.

Here also used as a specific epithet of the Buddha Śākyamuni.

253 passages contain this term:

  • s.­1
  • i.­9-10
  • i.­13-14
  • i.­18
  • 1.­2
  • 1.­4
  • 1.­8-9
  • 1.­42
  • 1.­48
  • 1.­52
  • 1.­56
  • 1.­60
  • 1.­64
  • 1.­68
  • 1.­72
  • 1.­76
  • 1.­80-81
  • 1.­84
  • 1.­93
  • 1.­107-108
  • 1.­110-111
  • 1.­113
  • 1.­115
  • 1.­117
  • 2.­1
  • 2.­5-6
  • 2.­17
  • 2.­19-20
  • 2.­32
  • 2.­200-213
  • 2.­215-216
  • 2.­218-219
  • 2.­221
  • 2.­223-226
  • 2.­229-230
  • 2.­233
  • 2.­236-237
  • 2.­239
  • 2.­241-242
  • 2.­246-250
  • 2.­252-254
  • 2.­256-258
  • 2.­263-264
  • 2.­275-278
  • 2.­286-287
  • 2.­291
  • 2.­294
  • 2.­303-309
  • 2.­318-324
  • 2.­326
  • 2.­332-336
  • 2.­346
  • 2.­348-352
  • 2.­361
  • 2.­363-368
  • 2.­373
  • 2.­375-378
  • 2.­387-392
  • 2.­397-399
  • 2.­401-402
  • 2.­408-409
  • 2.­415
  • 2.­419
  • 2.­425-427
  • 2.­430-431
  • 2.­434-435
  • 2.­438-439
  • 2.­442-444
  • 2.­447-449
  • 2.­452-453
  • 2.­456-457
  • 2.­460
  • 2.­463-465
  • 2.­468-469
  • 2.­472-473
  • 2.­476
  • 2.­479-481
  • 2.­484
  • 2.­487-488
  • 2.­491-492
  • 2.­495
  • 2.­498
  • 2.­501-502
  • 2.­504-508
  • 2.­514
  • 2.­516-517
  • 2.­521
  • 2.­541
  • 2.­559
  • 2.­569-570
  • 2.­572
  • 2.­606-607
  • 2.­609-611
  • 2.­615-617
  • 2.­650-651
  • 2.­664
  • 2.­666
  • 2.­668
  • 2.­710-712
  • 2.­716
  • 2.­725
  • 2.­735
  • 2.­744
  • 2.­748
  • 2.­752
  • n.­14
  • n.­57
  • g.­6
  • g.­14
  • g.­15
  • g.­42
  • g.­54
  • g.­59
  • g.­79
  • g.­90
  • g.­123
  • g.­125
  • g.­129
  • g.­130
  • g.­131
  • g.­132
  • g.­133
  • g.­139
  • g.­141
  • g.­142
  • g.­144
  • g.­182
  • g.­238
  • g.­255
  • g.­271
  • g.­272
  • g.­273
  • g.­275
  • g.­283
  • g.­285
  • g.­305
  • g.­307
  • g.­330
  • g.­341
  • g.­342
g.­308

The Gateway to Unobstructed Deliverance through the Bodhisattva Way of Life

  • byang chub sems dpa’i spyod pa la ’jug pas nges par ’byung ba sgrib pa med pa’i sgo
  • བྱང་ཆུབ་སེམས་དཔའི་སྤྱོད་པ་ལ་འཇུག་པས་ངེས་པར་འབྱུང་བ་སྒྲིབ་པ་མེད་པའི་སྒོ།
  • —

The name of a discourse.

7 passages contain this term:

  • 1.­8
  • 1.­103
  • 1.­115
  • 1.­119
  • 2.­2
  • 2.­19
  • 2.­516
g.­338

victor

  • rgyal ba
  • རྒྱལ་བ།
  • jina

Epithet of a buddha.

57 passages contain this term:

  • 1.­2
  • 1.­16
  • 1.­25
  • 1.­28
  • 1.­45-46
  • 1.­58
  • 1.­62
  • 1.­65
  • 1.­81
  • 1.­86
  • 2.­120
  • 2.­123
  • 2.­138
  • 2.­233
  • 2.­236
  • 2.­282
  • 2.­285
  • 2.­290
  • 2.­297
  • 2.­299
  • 2.­301
  • 2.­310
  • 2.­316
  • 2.­337
  • 2.­343-344
  • 2.­355
  • 2.­358
  • 2.­369
  • 2.­371-372
  • 2.­374
  • 2.­383
  • 2.­385
  • 2.­403
  • 2.­407
  • 2.­410
  • 2.­420-421
  • 2.­429
  • 2.­433
  • 2.­440-441
  • 2.­451
  • 2.­454-455
  • 2.­461
  • 2.­467
  • 2.­493
  • 2.­499-500
  • 2.­582
  • 2.­595
  • 2.­604
  • 2.­633
  • 2.­714
g.­344

Vulture Peak

  • bya rgod kyi phung po’i ri
  • བྱ་རྒོད་ཀྱི་ཕུང་པོའི་རི།
  • gṛdhrakūṭa

Name of a peak just outside of the city of Rājagṛha and the setting for a great number of Great Vehicle sūtras.

4 passages contain this term:

  • s.­1
  • i.­6
  • 1.­2
  • 1.­14
g.­351

yakṣa

  • gnod sbyin
  • གནོད་སྦྱིན།
  • yakṣa

A class of supernatural beings that are often represented as the attendants of Vaiśravaṇa, the god of wealth, but the term is also applied to spirits. Although they are generally portrayed as benevolent, the Tibetan translation means “harm giver,” as they are also capable of causing harm.

8 passages contain this term:

  • 1.­2
  • 1.­14
  • 2.­60
  • 2.­102
  • 2.­507
  • g.­48
  • g.­137
  • g.­333
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    Anne Burchardi and team (tr.). The Teaching on the Great Compassion of the Tathāgata (Tathāgata­mahā­karuṇā­nirdeśa, Toh 147). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2022:
    https://read.84000.co/translation/toh147.html


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