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སྙིང་རྗེ་པད་མ་དཀར་པོ།

The White Lotus of Compassion

Karuṇāpuṇḍarīka

Translated into Tibetan by

Jinamitra
Surendrabodhi
Prajñāvarman
Bendé Yeshé Dé

སྙིང་རྗེ་པད་མ་དཀར་པོ་ཞེས་བྱ་བ་ཐེག་པ་ཆེན་པོའི་མདོ།

snying rje pad ma dkar po zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo

The Noble Mahāyāna Sūtra “The White Lotus of Compassion”

Karuṇāpuṇḍarīkanāmamahāyānasūtra

Toh 112

Degé Kangyur, vol. 50 (mdo sde, cha), folios 129.a–297.a

Translated by Peter Alan Roberts and team
under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha

First published 2023
Current version v 1.2.11 (2023)
Generated by 84000 Reading Room v2.19.1

84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha is a global non-profit initiative to translate all the Buddha’s words into modern languages, and to make them available to everyone.

This work is provided under the protection of a Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND (Attribution - Non-commercial - No-derivatives) 3.0 copyright. It may be copied or printed for fair use, but only with full attribution, and not for commercial advantage or personal compensation. For full details, see the Creative Commons license.

co.

Summary

s.1

The Buddha Śākyamuni recounts one of his most significant previous lives, when he was a court priest to a king and made a detailed prayer to become a buddha, also causing the king and his princes, his own sons and disciples, and others to make their own prayers to become buddhas too. This is revealed to be not only the major event that is the origin of buddhas and bodhisattvas such as Amitābha, Akṣobhya, Avalokiteśvara, Mañjuśrī, and the thousand buddhas of our eon, but also the source and reason for Śākyamuni’s unsurpassed activity as a buddha.

s.2

The “white lotus of compassion” in the title of this sūtra refers to Śākyamuni himself, emphasizing his superiority over all other buddhas, like a fragrant, healing white lotus among a bed of ordinary flowers. Śākyamuni chose to be reborn in an impure realm during a degenerate age, and therefore his compassion was greater than that of other buddhas.

ac.

Acknowledgements

ac.1

The sūtra was translated from the Tibetan with reference to the Sanskrit by Peter Alan Roberts. Tulku Yeshi Gyatso of the Sakya Monastery, Seattle, was the consulting lama who reviewed the translation. Guilaine Mala was the consultant for the Chinese versions. Emily Bower was the project manager, editor, and proofreader.

ac.2

The translation was completed under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.

ac.3

The translation of this text has been made possible through the generous sponsorship of an anonymous donor.

Introduction

i.1

The White Lotus of Compassion describes the origin of many buddhas and bodhisattvas, focusing in particular on the Buddha Śākyamuni. The “white lotus of compassion” in the title refers to Śākyamuni himself, emphasizing his superiority over all other buddhas, like a fragrant, healing white lotus among a bed of ordinary flowers.

i.2

Most of the sūtra’s narrative, recounted by the Buddha on Vulture Peak Mountain, takes place in the distant past and concerns the cakravartin king Araṇemin, his thousand sons, his chief court priest Samudrareṇu, and Samudrareṇu’s followers and eighty-one sons, one of whom has sought enlightenment and become the Buddha Ratnagarbha. Samudrareṇu encourages people throughout the kingdom to aspire to attain enlightenment too, and eventually brings about the conditions for the king and many members of his court to make their own aspirations in the presence of the Buddha Ratnagarbha. On these occasions the Buddha Ratnagarbha prophesies the buddhahood of the individuals concerned. He prohesies that King Araṇemin will become the Buddha Amitābha; that 999 of Samudrareṇu’s disciples, together with five of his attendants, will become the 1,004 buddhas of our Fortunate Eon;1 and that Samudrareṇu himself will become the Buddha Śākyamuni. Origin stories for the Buddha Akṣobhya, for the Buddha Amitābha’s accompanying bodhisattvas Avalokiteśvara and Mahāsthāmaprāpta, and for the bodhisattvas Mañjuśrī and Samantabhadra are also told.

Bodhisattvas’ Aspirations Determine Their Activity as Buddhas

Evolution, History, and Context

Sources and Comparison

Chapter Summaries

Chapter 1: Turning the Wheel of the Dharma

Chapter 2: The Dhāraṇī Entranceway

Chapter 3: Generosity

Chapter 4: The Prophecies to the Bodhisattvas

Chapter 5: The Practice of Generosity

Chapter 6: Conclusion

The Translation

The Noble Mahāyāna Sūtra

The White Lotus of Compassion

Chapter 1

Turning the Wheel of the Dharma

[B1] [F.129.a]

1.1

Homage to all buddhas and bodhisattvas.

1.2

Thus did I hear at one time:14 the Bhagavat was residing at Rājagṛha, on Vulture Peak Mountain, accompanied by a great saṅgha of 62,000 bhikṣus who, with the exception of one individual‍—which is to say, Venerable Ānanda‍—were all arhats whose outflows had ceased, who were without kleśas, who were self-controlled, who had liberated minds, who had completely liberated wisdom, who were noble beings,15 who were great elephants, who had done what had to be done, who had accomplished what had to be accomplished, who had put down their burden, who had reached their goals, who had ended the fetters to existence, who had liberated their minds through true knowledge, and who had attained all the perfect, highest, most complete powers of the mind.16

Chapter 2

The Dhāraṇī Entranceway

2.1

Then the bodhisattva Ratnavairocana asked the Bhagavat, “Bhadanta Bhagavat, how does one distinguish day and night in the Padmā realm? What kinds of sounds are heard there? What kind of mental states do the bodhisattvas there have? What kind of dwelling do they dwell in?”

2.2

“Noble son,” answered the Bhagavat, “the Padmā realm is continuously illuminated by the Buddha’s light. The time there that is known as night is when the flowers close, the songs of the birds diminish, and the Bhagavat and the bodhisattvas enjoy meditation and experience liberation’s joy and bliss. The time that is known as day is when the flowers are opened by a breeze, the birds sing beautifully, a rain of flowers falls, and supremely fragrant, pleasant, gentle breezes, the touch of which is delightful, blow in the four directions. The Bhagavat arises from his samādhi, the bodhisattvas [F.133.b] arise from their samādhis,33 and the Bhagavat Padmottara teaches the bodhisattva mahāsattvas the bodhisattva piṭaka, which transcends completely what is spoken of to śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas.

Chapter 3

Generosity

3.1

When the Bhagavat had concluded his miraculous manifestation, the bodhisattva mahāsattva Śāntimati asked the Bhagavat, “Bhagavat, by what cause and circumstances are the pure buddha realms of other buddhas unpolluted, free from the five degeneracies, and have the array of the various qualities of a buddha realm? All the bodhisattva mahāsattvas there have a perfection of the various kinds of good qualities and possess the various kinds of happiness. Even the words śrāvaka and pratyekabuddha are unknown there, let alone the word rebirth.

Chapter 4

The Prophecies to the Bodhisattvas

4.1

“Then, noble son, the tathāgata arhat samyaksambuddha Ratnagarbha thought, ‘The brahmin Samudrareṇu has made many millions of beings aspire to, be fixed upon, and be dedicated to the highest, most complete enlightenment and has brought them to an irreversible level. I shall give them prophecies, telling them what their buddha realms will be.’

4.2

“Then the Bhagavat entered the samādhi called never forgetting bodhicitta, and he smiled. That smile illuminated countless buddha realms with a vast radiance. He showed the array of qualities of those buddha realms to King Araṇemin and the many millions of beings. [F.170.a] At that time, the bodhisattva mahāsattvas in countless buddha realms in the ten directions saw that radiance, and through the power of the Buddha, they came to this world in order to see, pay homage to, and honor the Bhagavat and his saṅgha of bhikṣus.

Chapter 5

The Practice of Generosity

5.1

“Noble son, the bodhisattva mahāsattva Mahākāruṇika bowed down the five points of his body to the feet of the Tathāgata Ratnagarbha. He then sat down in front of the Tathāgata Ratnagarbha [F.261.a] and respectfully addressed this question to the Tathāgata Ratnagarbha: ‘Bhadanta Bhagavat, you have taught the path of bodhisattvas, the Dharma discourse on the entranceway instruction to samādhi and the entranceway to the purity of accumulations. Bhadanta Bhagavat, how much have you taught of the path of bodhisattvas, the Dharma discourse on the entranceway instruction to samādhi and the entranceway to the purity of accumulations? Bhadanta Bhagavat, what is the complete extent of the teaching on samādhi entranceways and the Dharma discourse on pure accumulations? Bhadanta Bhagavat, how should a noble son or noble daughter remain within your teaching? In what way should they be adorned by the teaching on samādhi entranceways?’

Chapter 6

Conclusion

6.1

“Noble son, I, with my buddha eyes, see in the ten directions as many bhagavat buddhas passing into parinirvāṇa as there are particles in a buddha realm. It was I who first brought them all to the aspiration for the highest, most complete enlightenment and made them enter and remain in it.

6.2

“Thus, [F.284.a] I see innumerable, uncountable bhagavat buddhas who reside, live, and remain in the eastern direction, teaching the Dharma, having turned the Dharma wheel that possesses the Dharma. It was I who first brought them, too, to the aspiration for the highest, most complete enlightenment and made them enter and remain in it. I was the one who made them first obtain, enter, and remain in the six perfections.

Colophon

c.1

This was translated and revised by the Indian preceptors Jinamitra, Surendrabodhi, Prajñāvarman, and the chief editor Lotsawa Bendé Yeshé Dé and others.

Notes

n.1

The origin story in this sūtra for the 1,004 buddhas of our eon is one among several others. The sūtra The Good Eon (Bhadrakalpika, Toh 94) itself contains two origin stories for them (see Dharmachakra Translation Committee 2022, 2.1 ff, and 2.C.1019 ff.), the Tathāgatācintyaguhyanirdeśa (Toh 47, Degé Kangyur vol. 39, F.117.b–125.b.) another, and The Teaching of Vimalakīrti (Vimalakīrtinirdeśa, Toh 176) yet another (see Thurman 2017, 12.6 ff.)

n.2

See Roberts, Peter Alan. trans., The White Lotus of the Good Dharma, Toh 113 (2018).

n.3

Consequently, although the notion of multiple buddhas arising over time, as well as over space, is most fully developed in the Mahāyāna tradition, it is also a theme present in the texts of Nikāya Buddhism, including several in the Pali Canon and the Mahāvastu of the Lokottaravāda-Mahāsāṅghika. For a general survey of accounts of multiple buddhas, see The Good Eon i.10–i.18. See also Salomon 2018, pp. 265–293.

n.4

In essence the process begins with a period in which an individual accumulates merit independently, followed by the first vow to attain awakening, made in the presence of a buddha; the subsequent prophecy of awakening, made by the same or another, later buddha; a long period of maturation during which the six (or more) perfections are practiced and the successive bodhisattva levels are traversed; the attainment of a stage of irreversible progress leading to inevitable awakening; being anointed as the next buddha to come by the preceding buddha; taking birth in the Heaven of Joy; and being reborn in the lifetime during which awakening as a tathāgata will occur. The stages of a bodhisattva’s practice are the topic of numerous scriptures, treatises, and commentaries, some in vast detail such as the Buddhavataṃsakasūtra (Toh 44) and the Yogācārabhūmi (Toh 4035–4037). Perhaps the most succinct summary comes in the opening lines of the Mahāvastu, where four stages are described: (1) prakṛticaryā (“natural career”), (2) pranidhānacaryā (“resolving stage”), (3) anulomacaryā (“conforming stage”), and (4) anivartanacaryā (“preserving career”). See Mahāvastu, vol. I, 1.2; the four stages are explained in more detail in vol. 1, ch. 5 and are a feature of other works including the Bahubuddhaka sūtras of Gandhāra. See also Jaini 2001, p. 453, and Salomon 2018, pp. 276–279.

n.5

Taishō 158: 大乘悲分陀利經 (Dasheng beifen tuoli jing); Taishō 157: 悲華經 (Bei hua jing). A Chinese bibliography written in 730 by Zhi Seng claims that the sūtra was first translated by Dharmarakṣa (ca. 230–317), and that there was also another lost translation by Dao Gong made between 401 and 412. However, Yamada’s research shows the first attribution to have been a misunderstanding of the earlier Seng Min bibliography, which also records that the Dharmakṣema translation had been mistakenly ascribed to Dao Gong. See Yamada 1967, vol. 1, pp. 15–20.

n.6

The opening section that features the Buddha Padmottara seems to have only a tenuous connection to the main body of the text. There are also some internal inconsistencies, such as an unexplained name change for King Araṇemin.

n.7

Yamada 1967, 1:167–71.

n.8

Denkarma, F.296.b.7. See also Herrmann-Pfandt 2008, p. 44, no. 78.

n.14

There are two ways to interpret this traditional beginning of a sūtra, with such Indian masters as Kamalaśīla claiming that both are equally correct: the version used in this translation, and the alternative interpretation “Thus did I hear: At one time, the Bhagavat…” The various traditional and modern arguments for both sides are given in Galloway (1991).

n.15

Skt. ājāneya; Tib. cang shes. The term ājāneya was primarily used for thoroughbred horses but was also applied to people in a laudatory sense.

n.16

From this point on, the Sanskrit version of the introduction is more elaborate.

n.33

According to the Tibetan. “The bodhisattvas arise from their samādhis” is absent in the Sanskrit.

Bibliography

Selected Versions of The White Lotus of Compassion

’phags pa snying rje pad ma dkar po zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo (Karuṇāpuṇḍarīkanāmamahāyānasūtra). 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), 2006–9, vol. 50, pp. 345–736.

’phags pa snying rje pad ma dkar po zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo (Karuṇāpuṇḍarīkanāmamahāyānasūtra). Toh 112, Degé Kangyur vol. 50 (mdo sde, cha), folios 129a–297a.

’phags pa snying rje pad ma dkar po zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo (Karuṇāpuṇḍarīkanāmamahāyānasūtra). Lhasa 119, Lhasa (lha sa) Kangyur vol. 52 (mdo sde, cha), folios 209b–474b.

’phags pa snying rje pad ma dkar po zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo (Karuṇāpuṇḍarīkanāmamahāyānasūtra). Sheldrima 76, Sheldrima (shel mkhar bris ma) Kangyur vol. 51 (mdo sde, nga), folios 1b–243b.

’phags pa snying rje pad ma dkar po zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo (Karuṇāpuṇḍarīkanāmamahāyānasūtra). Stok 45, Stok Palace Kangyur vol. 55 (mdo sde, nga), folios 1a–243b.

’phags pa snying rje pad ma dkar po zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo (Karuṇāpuṇḍarīkanāmamahāyānasūtra). Urga 112, Urga Kangyur vol. 50 (mdo sde, cha), folios 128a–296a.

Kangyur and Tengyur Texts

bcom ldan ’das kyi ye shes rgyas pa’i mdo sde rin po che mtha’ yas pa mthar phyin pa zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo (Niṣṭhāgatabhagavajjñānavaipulyasūtraratnānantanāmamahāyāna-sūtra). Toh 99, Degé Kangyur vol. 47 (mdo sde, ga), folios 1b–275b. English translation in Dharmachakra Translation Committee, 2019.

bde ba can gyi bkod pa zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo (Sukhāvatīvyūhanāmamahāyānasūtra). Toh 115, Degé Kangyur vol. 51 (mdo sde, ja), folios 195b–200a. English translation in Sakya Pandita Translation Group, 2011.

dam pa’i chos pad ma dkar po zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo (Saddharmapuṇḍarīkanāmamahāyānasūtra). Toh 113, Degé Kangyur vol. 51 (mdo sde, ja), folios 1b–180b. English translation in Roberts 2022.

kun nas sgo’i le’u zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo (Samantamukhaparivartanāmamahāyānasūtra). Toh 54, Degé Kangyur vol. 40 (dkon brtsegs, kha), folios 184a–195b. English translation in Dharmachakra Translation Committee, 2020.

nam mkha’i mdzod kyis zhus pa zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo (Gaganagañjaparipṛcchānāmamahāyānasūtra). Toh 148, Degé Kangyur vol. 57 (mdo sde, pa), folios 243a–330b.

shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa brgyad stong pa (Aṣṭāsāhasrikāprajñāpāramitā). Toh 12, Degé Kangyur vol. 33 (sher phyin brgyad stong pa, ka), folios 1b–286b.

snying rje chen po’i pad ma dkar po zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo (Mahākaruṇāpuṇḍarīkanāmamahāyānasūtra). Toh 111, Degé Kangyur vol. 51 (mdo sde, cha), folios 56a–128b.

za ma tog bkod pa zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo (Karaṇḍavyūhanāmamahāyānasūtra). Toh 116, Degé Kangyur vol. 51 (mdo sde, ja), folios 200a–247b. English translation in Roberts 2013.

Denkarma (pho brang stod thang ldan [/lhan] dkar gyi chos kyi ’gyur ro cog gi dkar chag). Toh 4364, Degé Tengyur vol. 207 (sna tshogs, jo), folios 294b–310a.

Secondary Literature

Davids, T.W. Rhys & William Stede. The Pali Text’s Society’s Pali–English Dictionary. London: Pali Text Society, 1921–25.

Dharmachakra Translation Committee, trans. The Exposition on the Universal Gateway (Toh 54). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2019.

Dharmachakra Translation Committee, trans. The Precious Discourse on the Blessed One’s Extensive Wisdom That Leads to Infinite Certainty (Toh 99). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2019.

Dīpaṃkarajñāna. dbu ma’i man ngag rin po che’i za ma tog kha phye ba (Ratnakaraṇḍodghāṭanāmamadhyamakopadeśa). Toh 3930, Degé Tengyur vol. 212 (dbu ma, ki), folios 96b1–116b7.

Edgerton, Franklin. Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Grammar and Dictionary (2 vols). New Haven: Yale University Press, 1953.

Galloway, Brian. “Thus Have I Heard: At one time…” Indo-Iranian Journal 34, no. 2 (April 1991): 87–104.

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

Jaini, Padmanabh S. “Stages in the Bodhisattva Career of the Tathāgata Maitreya,” in Sponberg and Hardacre (eds.), Maitreya, the Future Buddha, pp 54-90. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1988. Reprinted with additional material in Jaini, Padmanabh S. Collected Papers on Buddhist Studies, ch. 26. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 2001.

Mañjuśrīkīrti. ’jam dpal gyi mtshan yang dag par brjod pa’i rgya cher bshad pa (Mañjuśrīnāmasaṃgītiṭīkā). Toh 2534, Degé Tengyur vol. 63 (rgyud, khu), folios 115b–301a7.

Mipham (Ju Mipham Gyatso, ’ju mi pham rgya mtsho). thub chog byin rlabs gter mdzod kyi rgyab chos pad+ma dkar po. In gsung ’bum/ mi pham rgya mtsho. Degé: sde dge spar khang, 195?. BDRC: WA4PD506.

Roberts, Peter Alan. trans. The White Lotus of the Good Dharma (Toh 113). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2022.

Roberts, Peter Alan. and Tulku Yeshi, trans. The Basket’s Display (Toh 116). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2013.

Sakya Pandita Translation Group, trans. The Display of the Pure Land of Sukhāvatī (Toh 115). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2011.

Salomon, Richard. The Buddhist Literature of Ancient Gandhāra: An Introduction with Selected Translations. Classics of Indian Buddhism series. Somerville: Wisdom Publications, 2018.

Yamada, Isshi. Karuṇāpuṇḍarīka (vols. 1 & 2). London: School of Oriental and African Studies, 1967.

Other Resources

Peking Tripitaka Online Search.

Sanskrit and Tamil Dictionaries.

Digital Sanskrit Buddhist Canon.

Resources for Kangyur and Tanjur Studies, Universität Wien.

Glossary

Types of attestation for Sanskrit names and terms

Attested in source text

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

Attested in other text

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

Attested in dictionary

This term is attested in Tibetan-Sanskrit dictionaries.

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.

Reconstruction from Tibetan phonetic rendering

This term is a reconstruction based on the Tibetan phonetic rendering of the term.

Reconstruction from Tibetan semantic rendering

This term is a reconstruction based on the semantics of the Tibetan translation.

Source Unspecified

This term has been supplied from an unspecified source, which most often is a widely trusted dictionary.

g.1

Abhaya

’jigs med

འཇིགས་མེད།

abhaya

g.2

Abhibhūtaguṇasāgararāja

yon tan rgya mtsho’i zil mnan rgyal po

ཡོན་ཏན་རྒྱ་མཚོའི་ཟིལ་མནན་རྒྱལ་པོ།

abhibhūtaguṇasāgararāja

g.3

Abhigarjita

mngon par sgrogs pa

མངོན་པར་སྒྲོགས་པ།

abhigarjita

g.22

Akṣobhya

mi ’khrugs pa

མི་འཁྲུགས་པ།

akṣobhya

The buddha whom the bodhisattva Akṣobhya, the ninth son of King Araṇemin, is prophesied to become in the realm Abhirati. His name as a bodhisattva and buddha is the same. At the time when this sūtra appeared, he was already a well-known buddha and later become important as the head of one of the five buddha families in the higher tantras. Śākyamuni states that he can see Akṣobhya in the eastern buddha realm Abhirati.

g.28

Amitābha

’od dpag med
snang ba mtha’ yas

འོད་དཔག་མེད།
སྣང་བ་མཐའ་ཡས།

amitābha

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

The buddha of the western buddhafield of Sukhāvatī, where fortunate beings are reborn to make further progress toward spiritual maturity. Amitābha made his great vows to create such a realm when he was a bodhisattva called Dharmākara. In the Pure Land Buddhist tradition, popular in East Asia, aspiring to be reborn in his buddha realm is the main emphasis; in other Mahāyāna traditions, too, it is a widespread practice. For a detailed description of the realm, see The Display of the Pure Land of Sukhāvatī, Toh 115. In some tantras that make reference to the five families he is the tathāgata associated with the the lotus family.

Amitābha, “Infinite Light,” is also known in many Indian Buddhist works as Amitāyus, “Infinite Life.” In both East Asian and Tibetan Buddhist traditions he is often conflated with another buddha named “Infinite Life,” Aparimitāyus, or “Infinite Life and Wisdom,”Aparimitāyurjñāna, the shorter version of whose name has also been back-translated from Tibetan into Sanskrit as Amitāyus but who presides over a realm in the zenith. For details on the relation between these buddhas and their names, see The Aparimitāyurjñāna Sūtra (1) Toh 674, i.9.

g.32

Amṛtaśuddha

amṛtaśuddha

g.34

Ānanda

kun dga’ bo

ཀུན་དགའ་བོ།

ānanda

g.50

arhat

dgra bcom pa

དགྲ་བཅོམ་པ།

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 or emotions (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.

g.61

Avalokiteśvara

spyan ras gzigs dbang phyug

སྤྱན་རས་གཟིགས་དབང་ཕྱུག

avalokiteśvara

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

One of the “eight close sons of the Buddha,” he is also known as the bodhisattva who embodies compassion. In certain tantras, he is also the lord of the three families, where he embodies the compassion of the buddhas. In Tibet, he attained great significance as a special protector of Tibet, and in China, in female form, as Guanyin, the most important bodhisattva in all of East Asia.

g.68

bhadanta

btsun pa

བཙུན་པ།

bhadanta

g.72

Bhagavat

bcom ldan ’das

བཅོམ་ལྡན་འདས།

bhagavat

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”).

g.75

bhikṣu

dge slong

དགེ་སློང་།

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 begged from the laity.

In the Tibetan tradition, which follows the Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya, a monk follows 253 vows as part of his moral discipline. A nun (bhikṣuṇī; dge slong ma) follows 263 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).

g.79

bodhicitta

byang chub sems

བྱང་ཆུབ་སེམས།

bodhicitta

g.80

bodhisattva

byang chub sems dpa’

བྱང་ཆུབ་སེམས་དཔའ།

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 five bodhisattva paths and ten bodhisattva levels. 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 the two aspects of selflessness, with respect to afflicted mental states and the nature of all phenomena.

g.89

brahmin

bram ze

བྲམ་ཟེ།

brāhmaṇa

g.94

cakravartin

’khor los sgyur ba

འཁོར་ལོས་སྒྱུར་བ།

cakravartin

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

The term “universal monarch” denotes a just and pious king who rules over the universe according to the laws of Dharma. Such a monarch is called a cakravartin because he wields a disk (cakra) that rolls (vartana) over continents, worlds, and world systems, bringing them under his power. A universal monarch is often considered the worldly, political correlate of a buddha. (Provisional 84000 definition. New definition forthcoming.)

g.139

dhyāna

bsam gtan

བསམ་གཏན།

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.

g.154

five degeneracies

snyigs ma lnga

སྙིགས་མ་ལྔ།

pañcakaṣāya

g.185

great elephants

glang po chen po

གླང་པོ་ཆེན་པོ།

mahānāga

g.224

Jinamitra

dzi na mi tra

ཛི་ན་མི་ཏྲ།

jinamitra

g.289

kleśa

nyon mongs

ཉོན་མོངས།

kleśa

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

The essentially pure nature of mind is obscured and afflicted by various psychological defilements, which destroy the mind’s peace and composure and lead to unwholesome deeds of body, speech, and mind, acting as causes for continued existence in saṃsāra. Included among them are the primary afflictions of desire (rāga), anger (dveṣa), and ignorance (avidyā). It is said that there are eighty-four thousand of these negative mental qualities, for which the eighty-four thousand categories of the Buddha’s teachings serve as the antidote.

Kleśa is also commonly translated as “negative emotions,” “disturbing emotions,” and so on. The Pāli kilesa, Middle Indic kileśa, and Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit kleśa all primarily mean “stain” or “defilement.” The translation “affliction” is a secondary development that derives from the more general (non-Buddhist) classical understanding of √kliś (“to harm,“ “to afflict”). Both meanings are noted by Buddhist commentators.

g.306

lotsawa

lots+tsha ba

ལོཙྪ་བ།

locāva

g.312

Mahākāruṇika

thugs rje chen po dang ldan pa

ཐུགས་རྗེ་ཆེན་པོ་དང་ལྡན་པ།

mahākāruṇika

g.318

mahāsattva

sems dpa’ chen po

སེམས་དཔའ་ཆེན་པོ།

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.

In this text:

In chapter 4 of this text (see 4.513) the Buddha Ratnagarbha states that bodhisattvas who have vowed to attain awakening under relatively easier circumstances do not deserve the title mahāsattva, which should be reserved for those like Mahākāruṇika who have vowed to attain awakening only in the most degenerate and difficult times and places. However, this statement is best taken as highlighting a specific point of perspective rather than as a general gloss, since throughout the text the term is nevertheless used‍—just as it is in most Mahāyāna sūtras‍—as an epithet for bodhisattvas in general regardless of their individual status, qualities, or aspirations.

g.319

Mahāsthāmaprāpta

mthu chen thob

མཐུ་ཆེན་ཐོབ།

mahāsthāmaprāpta

One of the two principal bodhisattvas in Sukhāvatī and prominent in Chinese Buddhism. In Tibetan Buddhism he is identified with Vajrapāṇi, though they are separate bodhisattvas in the sūtras. The second of the thousand sons of King Araṇemin, on becoming a bodhisattva, is given the name Mahāsthāmaprāpta, and as such in the future will be in Sukhāvatī as that bodhisattva when his father becomes the Buddha Amitābha. He will eventually become the Buddha Supratiṣṭhitaguṇamaṇikūṭarāja in that realm.

g.332

Mañjuśrī

’jam dpal

འཇམ་དཔལ།

mañjuśrī

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

Mañjuśrī is one of the “eight close sons of the Buddha” and a bodhisattva who embodies wisdom. He is a major figure in the Mahāyāna sūtras, appearing often as an interlocutor of the Buddha. In his most well-known iconographic form, he is portrayed bearing the sword of wisdom in his right hand and a volume of the Prajñāpāramitāsūtra in his left. In addition to the epithet Kumārabhūta, which means “having a youthful form,” Mañjuśrī is also called Mañjughoṣa, Mañjusvara, and Pañcaśikha.

g.386

outflows

zag pa

ཟག་པ།

āsrava

g.387

Padmā

pad ma

པད་མ།

padmā

g.388

Padmottara

pad ma dam pa

པད་མ་དམ་པ།

padmottara

g.398

parinirvāṇa

yongs su mya ngan las ’das pa

ཡོངས་སུ་མྱ་ངན་ལས་འདས་པ།

parinirvāṇa AS

g.399

perfections

pha rol tu phyin pa

ཕ་རོལ་ཏུ་ཕྱིན་པ།

pāramitā

g.401

piṭaka

sde snod

སྡེ་སྣོད།

piṭaka

g.402

powers

dbang

དབང་།

indriya

g.413

Prajñāvarman

pradz+nya bar+ma

པྲཛྙ་བརྨ།

prajñāvarman

g.419

pratyekabuddha

rang sangs rgyas

རང་སངས་རྒྱས།

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 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.

g.438

Rājagṛha

rgyal po’i khab

རྒྱལ་པོའི་ཁབ།

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 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.

g.453

Ratnagarbha

rin po che’i snying po

རིན་པོ་ཆེའི་སྙིང་པོ།

ratnagarbha

g.464

Ratnavairocana

rin po che rnam par snang byed

རིན་པོ་ཆེ་རྣམ་པར་སྣང་བྱེད།

ratnavairocana

g.488

Śākyamuni

shakya thub pa

ཤཀྱ་ཐུབ་པ།

śākyamuni

g.495

samādhi

ting nge ’dzin

ཏིང་ངེ་འཛིན།

samādhi

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.

g.496

Samantabhadra

kun tu bzang po

ཀུན་ཏུ་བཟང་པོ།

samantabhadra

g.526

Samudrareṇu

rgya mtsho’i rdul

རྒྱ་མཚོའི་རྡུལ།

samudrareṇu

g.530

samyaksambuddha

yang dag par rdzogs pa’i sangs rgyas

ཡང་དག་པར་རྫོགས་པའི་སངས་རྒྱས།

samyaksambuddha

g.533

saṅgha

dge ’dun

དགེ་འདུན།

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.

g.535

Śāntimati

blo gros zhi ba

བློ་གྲོས་ཞི་བ།

śāntimati

g.577

śrāvaka

nyan thos

ཉན་ཐོས།

śrāvaka

g.614

Surendrabodhi

su ren dra bo dhi

སུ་རེན་དྲ་བོ་དྷི།

surendrabodhi

g.634

tathāgata

de bzhin gshegs pa

དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པ།

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

g.648

Translation

Tibetan Wylie

ཊིབེཏན་ཝཡླིཨེ།

sanskrit

Chinese (optional)

g.734

Vulture Peak Mountain

rgod kyi phung po

རྒོད་ཀྱི་ཕུང་པོ།

gṛdhrakūṭa

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

The Gṛdhrakūṭa, literally Vulture Peak, was a hill located in the kingdom of Magadha, in the vicinity of the ancient city of Rājagṛha (modern-day Rajgir, in the state of Bihar, India), where the Buddha bestowed many sūtras, especially the Great Vehicle teachings, such as the Prajñāpāramitā sūtras. It continues to be a sacred pilgrimage site for Buddhists to this day.

g.754

Yeshé Dé

ye shes sde

ཡེ་ཤེས་སྡེ།

none

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.