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དམ་པའི་ཆོས་པད་མ་དཀར་པོ།

The White Lotus of the Good Dharma
Herbs

Saddharma­puṇḍarīka
དམ་པའི་ཆོས་པད་མ་དཀར་པོ་ཞེས་བྱ་བ་ཐེག་པ་ཆེན་པོའི་མདོ།
dam pa’i chos pad ma dkar po zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo
The Mahāyāna Sūtra “The White Lotus of the Good Dharma”
Saddharma­puṇḍarīka­nāma­mahāyāna­sūtra
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Toh 113

Degé Kangyur, vol. 51 (mdo sde, ja), folios 1.b–180.b

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

First published 2018
Current version v 1.2.12 (2022)
Generated by 84000 Reading Room v2.18.4.1

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.

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co.

Table of Contents

ti. Title
im. Imprint
co. Contents
s. Summary
ac. Acknowledgements
i. Introduction
+ 9 sections- 9 sections
· Introduction
· The Lotus Sūtra in India
· The Sūtra in China and Beyond
· The Sūtra in Tibet
· Translations into Western Languages
· This Translation
· Translation of the Title
· Translation of Specific Terms
· Detailed Summary of “The White Lotus of the Good Dharma”
tr. The Translation
+ 27 chapters- 27 chapters
1. The Introduction
2. Skill in Methods
3. The Parable
4. The Aspiration
5. Herbs
6. The Prophecies to the Śrāvakas
7. The Past
8. The Prophecy to the Five Hundred Bhikṣus
9. The Prophecies to Ānanda, Rāhula, and Two Thousand Bhikṣus
10. The Dharmabhāṇakas
11. The Appearance of the Stūpa
12. Resolutions
13. Dwelling in Happiness
14. The Bodhisattvas Emerging Out of the Ground
15. The Lifespan of the Tathāgata
16. The Extent of the Merit
17. Teaching the Merit of Rejoicing
18. The Benefits of the Purity of the Six Āyatanas
19. Sadāparibhūta
20. The Tathāgata’s Miracles
21. Dhāraṇīs
22. The Past of Bhaiṣajyarāja
23. Gadgadasvara
24. Facing Everywhere: The Teaching of the Miracles of Avalokiteśvara
25. The Past of King Śubhavyūha
26. Samantabhadra’s Encouragement
27. The Entrusting
c. Colophon
n. Notes
b. Bibliography
+ 7 sections- 7 sections
· Tibetan Editions of the Sūtra
· Sanskrit Editions of the Sūtra
· Translations of the Sūtra
· Other Kangyur Texts
· Tengyur Texts
· Secondary Tibetan Sources
· Secondary Non-Tibetan Sources
g. Glossary

s.

Summary

s.­1

The White Lotus of the Good Dharma, popularly known as the Lotus Sūtra, is taught by Buddha Śākyamuni on Vulture Peak to an audience that includes bodhisattvas from countless realms, as well as bodhisattvas who emerge from under the ground, from the space below this world. Buddha Prabhūtaratna, who has long since passed into nirvāṇa, appears within a floating stūpa to hear the sūtra, and Śākyamuni enters the stūpa and sits beside him. The Lotus Sūtra is celebrated, particularly in East Asia, for its presentation of crucial elements of the Mahāyāna tradition, such as the doctrine that there is only one yāna, or “vehicle”; the distinction between expedient and definite teachings; and the notion that the Buddha’s life, enlightenment, and parinirvāṇa were simply manifestations of his transcendent buddhahood, while he continues to teach eternally. A recurring theme in the sūtra is its own significance in teaching these points during past and future eons, with many passages in which the Buddha and bodhisattvas such as Samantabhadra describe the great benefits that come from devotion to it, the history of its past devotees, and how it is the Buddha’s ultimate teaching, supreme over all other sūtras.


ac.

Acknowledgements

ac.­1

The White Lotus of the Good Dharma Sūtra was translated from Tibetan with reference to the Sanskrit by Peter Alan Roberts. Ling Lung Chen was the consultant for the Chinese versions. Emily Bower was the project manager and editor. Ben Gleason was the proofreader.

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


ac.­2

The generous sponsorship of May & George Gu, which helped make the work on this translation possible, is most gratefully acknowledged.


i.

Introduction

Introduction

i.­1

The White Lotus of the Good Dharma, popularly known as the Lotus Sūtra, not only contains one of the fullest expressions of the transcendent nature of the Buddha, but also, through its successive descriptions of astonishing events and its vivid parables, is imbued with a distinctive literary power of its own. The sūtra inspired a devoted following in India, but it is above all in east Asia that it has been particularly popular. There it has been the impetus for a range of exquisite artistic and architectural forms, and indeed, whole traditions of study and practice that thrive to this day. An extensive body of literature, too‍—both scholarly and popular‍—is based upon the sūtra.1

The Lotus Sūtra in India

The Sūtra in China and Beyond

The Sūtra in Tibet

Translations into Western Languages

This Translation

Translation of the Title

Translation of Specific Terms

Detailed Summary of “The White Lotus of the Good Dharma”


The Translation
The Mahāyāna Sūtra
The White Lotus of the Good Dharma

1.
Chapter 1

The Introduction

[B1] [F.1.b]


1.­1

Homage to the buddhas and the bodhisattvas.


1.­2

Thus have I heard at one time.56 The Bhagavān was dwelling on Vulture Peak in Rājagṛha together with a great saṅgha of twelve hundred bhikṣus,57 all of whom were solely arhats whose defilements had ceased; who were without kleśas; who had mastered themselves; who had liberated minds; who had completely liberated wisdom; who were noble beings;58 who were great elephants;59 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 engagement with existence; and who had liberated their minds through true knowledge, had perfectly attained all the powers of the mind, were renowned for their higher knowledge,60 [F.2.a] and were mahāśrāvakas.


2.
Chapter 2

Skill in Methods

2.­1

Then the Bhagavān mindfully and knowingly arose from that samādhi. Having arisen from it, he addressed Brother Śāriputra.99

“Śāriputra, the wisdom of the buddhas, which is profound, difficult to see, and difficult to understand, has been realized by the tathāgatas, arhats, perfectly enlightened buddhas. It is difficult for all śrāvakas and pratyeka­buddhas to know. Why is that? Śāriputra, the tathāgatas, arhats, perfectly enlightened buddhas have served many hundred thousand quintillions of buddhas; they have practiced for the highest, complete enlightenment with many hundred thousand quintillions of buddhas; they have followed them for a long time; they have been diligent; [F.13.a] they have obtained marvelous, amazing Dharma; and they know the Dharma that is difficult to know.


3.
Chapter 3

The Parable

3.­1

Then at that time, Śāriputra felt contented, delighted, elated, and joyful. With happiness and gladness he bowed with palms together toward the Bhagavān. Facing the Bhagavān, gazing solely upon the Bhagavān, he said to the Bhagavān, “Bhagavān, I am astonished and amazed. I am overjoyed to have heard this kind of speech from the Bhagavān.

3.­2

“Why is that? Bhagavān, it is because I have never heard this kind of Dharma from the Bhagavān. When I saw other bodhisattvas and heard the names of the buddhas that those bodhisattvas will become in the future, and yet, still had not heard this kind of Dharma teaching from the Bhagavān, I imagined that I was deprived of that kind of vision of the tathāgatas’ wisdom,169 and was extremely grieved and extremely distressed. [F.25.a]


4.
Chapter 4

The Aspiration

4.­1

Then Brother Subhūti, Brother Mahākātyāyana, Mahākāśyapa, and Mahā­maudgalyāyana, having heard from the Bhagavān this kind of Dharma that they had never heard before, and having heard directly from the Bhagavān the prophecy of Brother Śāriputra’s attainment of the highest, supreme enlightenment, were amazed, astonished, and overjoyed.

At that time they rose from their seats, approached the Bhagavān, uncovered one shoulder, knelt on their right knees, and with palms together in homage to the Bhagavān, looking directly at the Bhagavān, they inclined their bodies, they bowed their bodies, they bowed well, bowed perfectly.


5.
Chapter 5

Herbs

5.­1

Then the Bhagavān said to Brother Mahākāśyapa and the other great sthaviras, “Excellent! Excellent, Kāśyapa! It is excellent, Kāśyapa, that you have praised the true qualities of the Tathāgata. Kāśyapa, those are qualities of the Tathāgata. There are immeasurably and innumerably more than those. It would not be easy to enumerate them entirely even in countless eons.

5.­2

“Kāśyapa, the Tathāgata is the Lord of the Dharma. He is the principal King of All the Dharmas. Kāśyapa, whatever Dharma the Tathāgata presents, and the way he presents it, that is how it is. Kāśyapa, the Tathāgata presents all dharmas correctly.250 He presents them through the wisdom of a tathāgata, so that those dharmas lead to the state of omniscience. The Tathāgata sees the stages of meaning in all the dharmas. [F.47.a] He has attained the superior motivation concerning all the dharmas. He has attained the supreme, highest wisdom of skillful methods in bringing certainty in all the dharmas. Kāśyapa, the Tathāgata, the Arhat, the perfectly enlightened Buddha teaches the wisdom of omniscience, he brings the realization of omniscience, and he presents the wisdom of omniscience.

5.­3

“Kāśyapa, it is like this: There are all the plants, bushes, herbs, and forest trees of many different colors and different kinds, and herbs with various names that grow on the plains, the mountains, and mountain valleys in this world realm of a billion worlds. A great cloud filled with water rises up, and having risen covers all the worlds in the all-containing realm of a billion worlds. Having covered them all, rain falls simultaneously and equally everywhere on all of them.

5.­4

“Kāśyapa, the young and tender stems, branches, leaves, and petals,251 and the half-grown stems, branches, leaves, and petals, and the fully grown stems, branches, leaves, and petals among the plants, bushes, herbs, and forest trees in this world realm of a billion worlds all drink the element of water released from the great cloud in accordance with their strength and location. That great water with a single taste that was released from one great cloud appropriately makes the seeds sprout, develop, and grow. Similarly it produces flowers and fruits. Each one of those acquires its own individual name. There are multitudes of herbs and multitudes of seeds all on the same earth that are soaked by the water that has a single taste.

5.­5

“Kāśyapa, the Tathāgata, the Arhat, the perfectly enlightened Buddha appears in the world in that way. Just as the great cloud rises, the Tathāgata appears [F.47.b] and causes the entire world, with its devas, humans, and asuras, to hear his speech.

5.­6

“Kāśyapa, just as that great cloud covers all the worlds in the all-containing world realm of a billion worlds, the Tathāgata, the Arhat, the perfectly enlightened Buddha emits sound before the world with its devas, humans, and asuras, so that they hear his voice, declaring, ‘Devas and humans! I am the Tathāgata, the Arhat, the perfectly enlightened Buddha! I have crossed over and I bring across! I am liberated and I liberate! I am relieved and I bring relief! I have attained nirvāṇa and bring others to the attainment of nirvāṇa! With perfect wisdom I have correct knowledge of this world and the next world! I am omniscient and all-seeing! Devas and humans, you should come to me in order to hear the Dharma! I am one who makes known the path! I am one who teaches the path! I am one who knows the path! I am one who is skilled in the path!’

5.­7

“In that way, Kāśyapa, many hundred thousand quintillions of beings come to the Tathāgata in order to hear the Dharma. The Tathāgata knows their higher and lower levels of capacity and diligence and provides them with Dharma teachings. I have taught many different kinds of Dharma discourses to various kinds of individuals so as to delight them, please them, bring them joy, and bring them benefit and happiness. Through those teachings those beings will have happiness in this life and at death will be reborn in happy existences. Wherever they are reborn, even though they enjoy many desires, they will listen to the Dharma, and having heard the Dharma they will become devoid of obscurations and finally they will enter the Dharma of omniscience, in accordance with their strength, location, and power.

5.­8

“Kāśyapa, it is like when a great cloud covers all the worlds in the all-containing realm of a billion worlds and lets fall rain equally everywhere on the plants, bushes, herbs, and forest trees, and satisfies them with water. [F.48.a] The plants, bushes, herbs, and forest trees drink the water in accordance with their strength, location, and power, and each of them grows in accordance with their individual species.

“Kāśyapa, the Tathāgata, the Arhat, the perfectly enlightened Buddha teaches the Dharma in that way. The entire Dharma has one taste‍—the one taste of liberation, freedom from desire, cessation, and the ultimate wisdom of omniscience.

5.­9

“Kāśyapa, the beings who listen to, retain, and practice the Dharma that the Tathāgata teaches do not comprehend, know, or understand themselves. Why is that? Kāśyapa, it is the Tathāgata who knows those beings‍—who they are, how they are, and what kind they are; what they think, how they think, and why they think; what they meditate on, how they meditate, and why they meditate; and what they attain, how they attain it, and why they attain it.

“Kāśyapa, it is the Tathāgata who has direct knowledge of them, direct perception of them, and sees them as they are.

5.­10

“Kāśyapa, I have realized the one taste of the Dharma: the one taste of liberation, ultimate nirvāṇa, the eternal nirvāṇa, the single level, and the domain of space. However, in order to preserve the faith of beings‍—the beings who are on this and that level, higher, middling, and lower, like the plants, bushes, herbs, and forest trees‍—I do not immediately teach them the wisdom of omniscience.

5.­11

“Kāśyapa, you are astonished because you were not able to penetrate into the Tathāgata’s teaching that contained an implied meaning. Why was that? Kāśyapa, it is because the teachings with implied meaning given by the tathāgatas, arhats, perfectly enlightened buddhas [F.48.b] are difficult to understand.”

5.­12

Then the Bhagavān taught this meaning in detail, at this time giving his teaching in verses:

“I am the Dharma King who has appeared in the world.
I am the crusher of existence.
Knowing their aspirations
I teach the Dharma to beings. {1}
5.­13
“With unwavering understanding I have maintained
The teaching of the great heroes for a long time.
They also possess that which is secret,
Which they do not teach to beings. {2}
5.­14
“That wisdom is difficult to understand
For the foolish who suddenly hear it.
They will have doubts, complete misunderstanding,
And they will fall away and wander. {3}
5.­15
“I teach according to their range
And according to their strength.
By using different meanings,
I make their view correct. {4}
5.­16
“Kāśyapa, there is a cloud
That appears in the world
And spreads over the land
And covers over everything. {5}
5.­17
“That great cloud, flashing with lightning,
Is completely filled with water.
It resounds with sound,
Bringing joy to all beings. {6}
5.­18
“It obscures the sunlight
And it cools the land.
When it is within hand’s reach,
Its rain falls everywhere. {7}
5.­19
“Although it falls equally,
The mass of water is vast.
It flows everywhere,
Satiating this earth. {8}
5.­20
“Whatever herbs there are
That grow from this ground;
Plants, bushes, and forest trees,
Small trees and great trees; {9}
5.­21
“The many kinds of crops
That will become green;
Whatever grows on mountains,
In ravines, forests, and dells, {10}
5.­22
“The cloud satiates them all.
It satiates the parched earth
And the plants, bushes, and forest trees,
And it bathes the herbs. {11}
5.­23
“Those waters have one taste.
They fall from the cloud and remain here.
The plants and bushes drink them
According to their strength and location. {12}
5.­24
“The small trees and the great trees, [F.49.a]
Whether young, middling, or full grown,
They drink the water according to their strength,
And having drunk it they grow as they wish. {13}
5.­25
“Because the rain falls from the cloud, the great herbs
Grow their stems, hollow stalks, and skins,
Their spreading branches and their leaves,
And likewise their fruits and flowers. {14}
5.­26
“According to their strength and location,
The fallen rain, which has a single taste,
Germinates each and every thing
That is dwelling within its seed. {15}
5.­27
“Kāśyapa, in that way the Buddha in this world
Appears like a rain-bearing cloud over the world.
The Lord of the World, having appeared, teaches,
Expounding the true practice to beings. {16}
5.­28
“In that way the great Rishi,
Revered by the world and its devas, proclaims:
‘I am the Tathāgata, the supreme human, the Jina,
Appearing like a cloud in this world. {17}
5.­29
“ ‘I bring satiation to all beings who have withered bodies
And are attached to the three existences.
I bring happiness to those who are withered by suffering
And give them their desires and nirvāṇa. {18}
5.­30
“ ‘Multitudes of devas and humans, listen to me!
Approach so that you may look upon me!
I am the Tathāgata, the unsurpassable Bhagavān!
I have been born into this world to bring liberation. {19}
5.­31
“ ‘I teach thousands of millions of beings.
I shall fully reveal to them the pure Dharma.
Its true nature is a single equality,
Which is liberation and nirvāṇa. {20}
5.­32
“ ‘I teach the Dharma with one voice,
Doing so always for the sake of enlightenment.
It has equality and has no inequality.
There is no desire, and there is no aversion. {21}
5.­33
“ ‘I never need to be appeased,
I have no affection or malice for anyone.
I teach the Dharma equally to all beings,
As if others were all one being. {22}
5.­34
“ ‘I teach the Dharma and do nothing else. [F.49.b]
Whether walking, standing, or sitting,
Whether seated on a cushion, or lying on a bed,
I never give rise to weariness. {23}
5.­35
“ ‘I bring satiation to all the world,
Like a cloud that rains equally on all,
With an outlook of equality, on the superior and inferior,
On those with good conduct and those without good conduct, {24}
5.­36
“ ‘And the same for people who have lost their practice,
And those who are endowed with proper practice and conduct,
Those who hold the view, and those who have lost the view,
And those who have the true view, and those who have a pure view. {25}
5.­37
“ ‘I teach the Dharma to those with little capacity,
To those with inferior and those with higher understanding.
I have eliminated all weariness
And perfectly send down a rain of the Dharma. {26}
5.­38
“ ‘Listening to me, according to their strengths,252
They are established on various levels:
As beautiful devas and humans,253
As Śakras, Brahmās, and as cakravartins. {27}
5.­39
“ ‘Listen! I shall explain all
These tiny, minute herbs,
Those that are small in the world,
And the other medium and large herbs.254 {28}
5.­40
“ ‘Those humans who know the immaculate Dharma
And remain in the attainment of nirvāṇa,
Those who have the six higher knowledges and the three insights
Are declared to be the tiny herbs. {29}
5.­41
“ ‘Those humans who dwell in mountain defiles
And aspire to pratyeka­buddhahood,
Those who have a medium pure understanding,
Are declared to be the medium-sized herbs. {30}
5.­42
“ ‘Those who aspire to be the leaders of beings,
Thinking, ‘I will be a buddha, lord of devas and humans,’
And are practicing diligence and dhyāna,
Are declared to be the highest herbs. {31}
5.­43
“ ‘Those dedicated children of the Sugata,
Who practice kindness and whose conduct is peaceful,
And have no doubts about the Leader of Beings
Are in this way said to be the trees. {32}
5.­44
“ ‘Those who turn the wheel of irreversibility,
Are brave and established in strengths and miracles,
And liberate many millions of beings
Are declared to be the great trees. {33} [F.50.a]
5.­45
“ ‘The Jina teaches the Dharma equally,
Like the rain falling equally from a cloud.
Those who have various higher knowledges
Are like the herbs upon the surface of the ground. {34}
5.­46
“ ‘Understand the method of the Tathāgata
Through the teaching of this analogy.
While he teaches one Dharma
The various words255 are like the drops of rain. {35}
5.­47
“ ‘I send down a rain of the Dharma
That satiates all these beings in the world.
The Dharma that is taught has but one taste
But beings contemplate it according to their abilities. {36}
5.­48
“ ‘When it rains, the plants and bushes,
The medium-sized herbs,
The trees and big trees
In all ten directions are beautified. {37}
5.­49
“ ‘The Dharma256 thus benefits the world constantly,
Satiating the entire world with Dharma.
The entire world having been satiated,
Flowers arise from the herbs. {38}
5.­50
“ ‘The medium-sized herbs that grow
Are the arhats whose defilements have ceased,
And the pratyeka­buddhas who in the forests
Practice257 the well-taught Dharma. {39}
5.­51
“ ‘Many unwavering bodhisattvas, endowed with mindfulness,
Who have comprehended the entirety of the three realms,
Who are seeking this supreme enlightenment,
Are like the continually growing trees. {40}
5.­52
“ ‘Those who have miraculous powers and reside in the four dhyānas,
Who are overjoyed to hear the teaching of emptiness,
And who radiate thousands of light rays
Are said to be the great trees.’ {41}
5.­53
“Kāśyapa, the Dharma is taught in this way:
Like the rain falling equally from a cloud
And an endless multitude of human flowers,
A multitude of great herbs grow. {42}
5.­54
“I teach the Dharma that I have myself realized,
And teach buddhahood’s enlightenment at the appropriate time.
My skill in methods is supreme,
And that of all the guides of the world. {43} [F.50.b]
5.­55
“In this way I teach the true ultimate truth:
All those śrāvakas have not attained nirvāṇa.
When they have practiced the way of enlightenment
Then all those śrāvakas will become buddhas.258 {44}
5.­56

“Moreover, Kāśyapa, the Tathāgata guides beings equally, without any inequality.

“Kāśyapa, it is like this: The light of the sun and moon illuminates the entire world. The light shines equally, without any inequality, on the good and the bad, the high and the low, the aromatic and the foul-smelling.

5.­57

“Kāśyapa, in that way the light of the omniscient wisdom of the tathāgatas, arhats, perfectly enlightened buddhas brings the Dharma equally to all beings who have been born in the five states of existence, whatever their aspirations, whether they are of the Mahāyāna, of the Pratyeka­buddha­yāna, or of the Śrāvakayāna. In that way the wisdom of the Tathāgata is never lacking and never superfluous,259 so that there is thus the attainment260 of merit and wisdom. [B5]

5.­58

“Kāśyapa, there are not three yānas. It is only because of the different practices of beings that there are said to be three yānas.”

5.­59

Then Brother Mahākāśyapa asked the Bhagavān, “Bhagavān, if there are not three yānas, why at this time are there said to be the designations of śrāvakas, pratyeka­buddhas, and bodhisattvas?”

The Bhagavān said to Brother Mahākāśyapa, “Kāśyapa, it is like this: A potter makes all bowls from clay equally. Some of them become bowls that hold molasses, some of them become bowls that hold ghee, and some of them become bowls that hold curds or milk, some of them become bowls that hold bad and impure substances. [F.51.a] There is no difference in their clay. It is only because of the substances placed within them that they are said to be different kinds of bowls.

“Kāśyapa, in that way there is this one yāna, which is the Buddhayāna, and there is no second or third yāna.”

5.­60

Then Brother Mahākāśyapa asked the Bhagavān, “Bhagavān, when beings with different aspirations depart from the three realms, do they have the one nirvāṇa or is there a second or third nirvāṇa?”

“Kāśyapa,” replied the Bhagavān, “nirvāṇa is the realization of the equality of all phenomena, and therefore there is the one nirvāṇa, and there is no second or third nirvāṇa.

5.­61

“Kāśyapa, some wise beings will understand the meaning through the teaching of a parable, and therefore I shall teach you a parable.

5.­62

“Kāśyapa, it is like this: A man who is blind from birth says, ‘There are no forms with good color or bad color. There is no one who sees forms with good color or bad color. There are no sun and moon. There are no stars. There are no planets. There is no one who sees planets.’

“Then some other people say in front of that born-blind man, ‘There are good colors and bad colors. There are those who see forms with good color or bad color. There are a sun and moon. There are stars. There are planets. There are those who see planets.’

5.­63

“The born-blind man does not have faith in those people, and does not believe what they have said.

“A physician who knows every illness sees the blind man and thinks, ‘That man has an illness because of his past bad karma. Every illness is one of four261 kinds: caused by air, caused by bile, caused by phlegm, or caused by their combination.’ [F.51.b]

5.­64

“Then the physician thinks again and again as to what method would cure the man of his illness. He thinks, ‘The medicines that are available here will not be able to cure him, but there are four kinds of herbs on the king of mountains, the Himalayas.’ What are these four? First there is the one named endowed with all colors and tastes,262 the second is called freedom from all illness,263 the third is called elimination of all poisons,264 and the fourth is called bestowing happiness anywhere.265 Those are the four herbs.

5.­65

“Then the physician, feeling compassion for the born-blind man, contemplates by what method he would be able to go to the king of mountain ranges, the Himalayas. He goes there and, searching for them, he climbs up, climbs down, and traverses their slopes. Searching in that way he finds the four herbs. After finding them, some he gives after grinding them with his teeth, some he gives after crushing them, some he gives after mixing them with other substances and then cooking them, some he gives after mixing them with other substances uncooked, some he gives after piercing a point on the body with a needle, some he gives after burning them with fire, and some he gives after mixing them with each other, and also mixing them with food, drink, and so on. Through the application of these methods the born-blind man gains sight.

5.­66

“When he has gained sight he sees outside and inside, far and near, the light of the moon, the sunlight, the stars, the planets, and all forms. He says, ‘Oh, I was so stupid before in not believing what was taught to me, not accepting what was said. Now I can see everything! I am freed from blindness!’

“At that time there are rishis who have the five higher knowledges: divine sight, divine hearing, the knowledge of others’ minds, memory of previous lives, and mastery of miraculous powers. They say to the man, ‘Oh, all you obtained is your sight. If you have no other knowledge, why are you proud? You have no wisdom. [F.52.a] You have no sagacity.’

5.­67

“They also say to him, ‘You know, when you are sitting inside a house, you do not see the forms that are outside. You do not know the kind thoughts or malicious thoughts of beings. You do not know, do not hear, the sounds of people speaking, or the sounds of drums, conches, and so on, which are five yojanas away. You are not able to travel one krośa without taking a step with your feet. You are not able to remember the activity of being conceived and growing in your mother’s womb. So how can you be sagacious? How can you say that you see everything? Oh, you think that light is darkness. You think that darkness is light!’

5.­68

“Then that man says to the rishis, ‘Through what method and through what good actions can I attain such wisdom as that, and through your benevolence attain these qualities?’

“ ‘If you wish for those you must dwell in a solitary place,’ say the rishis to that man, ‘or, staying in a cave, you should contemplate the Dharma. You should forsake all the afflictions of the mind. If in this way you have the qualities of a mendicant, you will attain higher knowledge.’

5.­69

“That man then adopts that goal and entering homelessness he resides in solitude. With a one-pointed mind he abandons craving for this world and attains the five higher knowledges. Having obtained the five higher knowledges, he thinks, ‘I did not attain any qualities whatsoever through the other actions I had performed in the past. Now I can go wherever I think of. In the past, I had little wisdom and little insight. I was blind.’

“Kāśyapa, I have made this parable so that its meaning can be understood. Its meaning should be seen in this way:

5.­70

“Kāśyapa, the blind man represents the beings who dwell in the saṃsāra of the five266 kinds of existences. Those who do not know the good Dharma generate the black darkness of the kleśas and have the blindness of ignorance. Those who are blind with ignorance accumulate formations. [F.52.b] Through the factor of formation there is name-and-form, and so on until the arising of a great mass of sheer suffering. In that way they are blinded by ignorance. The Tathāgata has compassion for the beings in saṃsāra, and although he has transcended the three realms he has love for them like that of a father for his only son. With great compassion he goes to the three realms. The Bhagavān looks with eyes of wisdom upon the beings who are afflicted and wandering in the cycle of saṃsāra and do not know how to leave saṃsāra. Seeing them he knows, ‘These beings, because of their previous good actions, have little anger and great desire, while these have little desire and great anger; some have little wisdom, some are wise; and some are ripened and pure, and some hold wrong views.’ The Tathāgata, using a skillful method, teaches three yānas to those beings.

5.­71

“The rishis with the five higher knowledges and pure vision are the bodhisattvas who have developed the aspiration for enlightenment, attained receptivity to the birthlessness of phenomena, and attained the highest, complete enlightenment of perfect buddhahood.

“The great physician should be seen to be the Tathāgata.

“The born-blind man should be seen to be beings who are blinded by ignorance.

5.­72

“Air, bile, and phlegm should be seen as desire, anger, ignorance, and the sixty-two fabricated views.

“The four kinds of herbs should be seen as (1) the doorway of emptiness, (2) the doorway of the absence of attributes, (3) the doorway of the absence of aspiration, and (4) nirvāṇa.

“The herbs are given in such and such a way so as to cure such and such an illness, and in that way through meditation on the doorways to liberation‍—emptiness, the absence of attributes, [F.53.a] and the absence of aspiration‍—they bring an end to ignorance. Because of the cessation of ignorance there is the cessation of formation, and so on until there is the cessation of the great mass of sheer suffering. And thus their minds neither dwell on virtue nor on sin.

5.­73

“The born-blind man who gains sight should be seen as those who follow the Śrāvakayāna and the Pratyeka­buddha­yāna. They cut through the bondage of saṃsāra’s kleśas. Freed from the bondage of the kleśas, they are liberated from the six existences of the three realms. Therefore, those following the Śrāvakayāna think and say, ‘There is no other Dharma for attaining complete buddhahood and I have attained nirvāṇa.’ Then the Tathāgata teaches them the Dharma, saying, ‘How can one who has not attained the entire Dharma have nirvāṇa?’ and he then leads them to the attainment of enlightenment. Having gained realization they see the world of the three realms in the ten directions as empty, like an emanation, like an illusion, like a dream, a mirage, and an echo. They see that all phenomena are unborn and unceasing, without bondage or liberation, without darkness and without light.

“The ones who thus see and hear these profound dharmas see, without seeing, the different thoughts and aspirations of beings that fill the entire three realms.”


5.­74

Then the Bhagavān, teaching this in greater detail, recited these verses:

“The light of the sun and moon
Shines equally upon humans,
Both those with qualities and the sinful,
Without increase or diminution. {45}
5.­75
“The wisdom light of the Tathāgata
Shines equally like the sun and moon,
And it guides all beings
Without diminution or excess. {46} [F.53.b]
5.­76
“A potter makes clay pots
Equally from the same clay
But they become pots
For molasses, milk, ghee, or water. {47}
5.­77
“Some are for impurities
And others for curds,
Though the potter makes the pots
By using the same clay. {48}
5.­78
“A pot is characterized in accordance
With the substance that is contained within it.
In the same way there is no difference between beings
But there are those who become tathāgatas because of their aspirations. {49}
5.­79
“They describe separate yānas
But the Buddhayāna is the definitive one.267
If there is no knowledge of the circle of saṃsāra
There can be no knowledge of nirvāṇa. {50}
5.­80
“The one who knows emptiness
And that phenomena are without self
Truly knows the enlightenment
Of the bhagavāns, of the buddhas. {51}
5.­81
“Someone who is classified as having
Medium wisdom is said to be a pratyekajina.
Someone who is lacking268 the knowledge of emptiness
Is proclaimed to be a śrāvaka. {52}
5.­82
“The one who comprehends all phenomena
Is said to be a perfectly enlightened buddha.269 {53}
5.­83
“Someone who is born blind says,
Not having ever seen
The sun, moon, planets, or stars,
‘There are no forms whatsoever.’ {54}
5.­84
“A great physician has great compassion
For the one who is born blind,
And goes to the Himalayas,
Ascending, descending, and traversing them. {55}
5.­85
“From the mountains he finds herbs
Of four kinds such as the one called
Endowed with all colors and tastes,270
And he blends them together. {56}
5.­86
“Some he grinds with his teeth,
And others he crushes, or moreover
Inserts them into a limb with a needle’s point,
Thereby using them on the born-blind man. {57}
5.­87
“The blind man gains his sight and sees the sun,
The moon, the planets, and the stars,
And then he thinks that in the past
He had spoken out of ignorance. {58}
5.­88
“In that way, beings have great271 ignorance
Like the born-blind man, and continue in saṃsāra.
Because they do not know the cycle of dependent origination
Their path is the river of suffering.272 {59}
5.­89
“The supreme all-knowing one,273 [F.54.a]
The Tathāgata, the great physician,
Who has the nature of compassion,
Appears in the world that is stupefied by ignorance. {60}
5.­90
“That Teacher, skillful in methods,
Teaches the good Dharma.
To those in the highest yāna he teaches
The supreme enlightenment of buddhahood. {61}
5.­91
“The Guide expounds the medium
To those who have medium wisdom,
And also describes another enlightenment
To those who are frightened of saṃsāra. {62}
5.­92
“Śrāvakas274 who have freed themselves
From the three realms understand in this way:
‘I have gained the attainment
Of peace, of stainless nirvāṇa. {63}
5.­93
“ ‘I have understood the entire Dharma
And thereby attained immortal nirvāṇa.’275 {64}
5.­94
“Then the great rishis have
Great compassion for the once-blind man,
And they say, ‘You are a fool!
Do not think, “I am wise!” {65}
5.­95
“ ‘When you are staying
In the interior of a house,
You, who are an ignoramus,
Do not know what is outside. {66}
5.­96
“ ‘How can you, ignoramus, say you have knowledge
When still, while you are inside,
You do not know what is done
Or not done on the outside? {67}
5.­97
“ ‘You are not even able to hear
The sounds that are made
Merely five yojanas distant,
Let alone any further. {68}
5.­98
“ ‘You are not able to know
What malicious thoughts others have
Or what kind thoughts they have,
So how can you be proud? {69}
5.­99
“ ‘You are not able to go even one krośa
Without having to take a step.
You have immediately forgotten
Whatever happened in your mother’s womb. {70}
5.­100
“ ‘Someone who is called omniscient
Is someone who has the five higher knowledges.
You are stupid and know nothing,
And yet you say, “I am omniscient.” {71}
5.­101
“ ‘If you wish to be omniscient,
You must attain higher knowledge.
In order to accomplish higher knowledge
You must contemplate in solitude
The pure Dharma, and then through that
You will accomplish higher knowledge.’276 {72}
5.­102
“Having that as his goal he enters solitude
And contemplates with perfect concentration.
He attains the five higher knowledges,
And soon possesses those qualities. {73} [F.54.b]
5.­103
“In that way, all the śrāvakas
Believe they have attained nirvāṇa.
The Jina teaches to them,
‘This is not nirvāṇa, it is a rest. {74}
5.­104
“ ‘This way of teaching
Is the method of the buddhas.
There is no other nirvāṇa
Than omniscience‍—strive to attain it! {75}
5.­105
“ ‘The infinite wisdom of the three times,
And the excellent six perfections;
Emptiness, the absence of attributes,
And the elimination of aspiration; {76}
5.­106
“ ‘The aspiration to enlightenment,
And the other dharmas that lead to nirvāṇa;277 {77}
5.­107
“ ‘The four brahmavihāras, the methods of attracting disciples,
And whatever else has been taught,
Has been taught by the supreme rishis
For the purpose of guiding beings. {78}
5.­108
“ ‘The one who knows that phenomena
Have the nature of dreams and illusions,
Are without an essence like a plantain tree
And are the same as echoes, {79}
5.­109
“ ‘That one knows the nature
Of the entire three realms,
Has no bondage, is liberated,
And knows nirvāṇa. {80}
5.­110
“ ‘All phenomena are empty and equal,
And their nature is without diversity or differentiation.
If that is not perceived,
There is no insight into any phenomenon. {81}
5.­111
“ ‘The one with great wisdom sees
The entire dharmakāya.
There are no three yānas at all;
There is only the single yāna. {82}
5.­112
“ ‘All phenomena are the same;
All are the same, always the same.
Knowing that, one knows
Nirvāṇa, deathlessness, and peace.’ ” {83}
5.­113

This concludes “Herbs,” the fifth chapter of the Dharma teaching of “The White Lotus of the Good Dharma.”


6.
Chapter 6

The Prophecies to the Śrāvakas

6.­1

When the Bhagavān had finished reciting those verses, he announced to the complete saṅgha of bhikṣus, “Oh bhikṣus! I declare to you,278 I make it known to you, that this śrāvaka bhikṣu of mine, Kāśyapa, will serve three hundred billion buddhas, will venerate them, honor them, make offerings to them, praise them, and respect them.279 He will hold the Dharma of those buddha bhagavāns. [F.55.a] In his last life, in an eon named Mahāvyūha, in a world named Avabhāsaprāptā, he will appear in the world as the tathāgata, the arhat, the perfectly enlightened buddha, the one with perfect wisdom and conduct,280 the sugata, the one who knows the world, the unsurpassable guide who tames beings, the teacher of devas and humans, the buddha, the bhagavān named Raśmiprabhāsa. His lifespan will be twelve intermediate eons. His Dharma will remain for twenty intermediate eons, and the outer form of his Dharma will remain for a further twenty intermediate eons. His buddha realm will be pure and clean, without stones, pebbles, or gravel, without chasms or cliffs, without drains or cesspools.281 It will be flat, pleasant, beautiful, delightful, made of beryl, adorned by jewel trees, divided eightfold like a checkerboard by golden cords,282 and filled with flowers. There will be many hundred thousands of bodhisattvas there. There will be countless hundred thousand quintillions of śrāvakas there. The evil Māra and his followers will not appear there. Even if Māra and Māra’s followers were to appear there they would become dedicated to maintaining the Dharma taught by the bhagavān tathāgata Raśmiprabhāsa.”


7.
Chapter 7

The Past

7.­1

“Bhikṣus, in the past, in a time gone by, beyond and even further beyond the most countless, innumerable, incalculable, unquantifiable, inconceivable asaṃkhyeya eons ago, at that time, in that era, in an eon named Mahārūpa, in a world named Saṃbhavā, there appeared in that world the tathāgata, the arhat, the perfectly enlightened buddha, the one with perfect wisdom and conduct, the sugata, the one who knows the world, the unsurpassable guide who tames beings, the teacher of devas and humans, the buddha, the bhagavān named Mahābhijñā­jñānābhi­bhū.


8.
Chapter 8

The Prophecy to the Five Hundred Bhikṣus

8.­1

Brother Pūrṇa Maitrāyaṇī­putra, having heard directly from the Bhagavān about this wisdom insight into skillful methods, about the teachings with implied meaning, and having heard the prophecies made to the great śrāvakas, and having heard of the connections with the past, and having heard of the preeminence of the Bhagavān, was astonished and amazed, without worldly concerns, and filled with delight and joy. Then with great delight and joy and great reverence for the Dharma, he rose from his seat, bowed down to the feet of the Bhagavān, [F.75.b] and thought, “Bhagavān, it is wonderful! Sugata, it is wonderful! The tathāgatas, arhats, perfectly enlightened buddhas accomplish that which is extremely difficult‍—they teach the Dharma to beings according to the different concerns of the world, through many wisdom insights into skillful methods, and they liberate330 beings attached to this and that.331 Bhagavān, what are we able to do? The Tathāgata is the one who knows our aspirations and our past.”


9.
Chapter 9

The Prophecies to Ānanda, Rāhula, and Two Thousand Bhikṣus

9.­1

At that time, Brother Ānanda thought, “May I obtain a prophecy like these!” Thinking that, contemplating it, and wishing for it, he rose from his seat and bowed down to the Bhagavān’s feet. Brother Rāhula also, thinking, contemplating, and wishing for the same thing, bowed down to the Bhagavān’s feet, and they said, “Bhagavān, may we have such an opportunity! Sugata, may we have such an opportunity! Bhagavān, you are our father, our progenitor, our refuge, our support, and our protector. Bhagavān, we are honored by the world with its devas, humans, and asuras as the sons of the Bhagavān, the attendants of the Bhagavān, and the keepers of the Dharma treasure of the Bhagavān. Therefore, Bhagavān, it would be fitting if the Bhagavān were quickly to give us the prophecy of our attainment of the highest, complete enlightenment.”


10.
Chapter 10

The Dharmabhāṇakas

10.­1

Then the Bhagavān said to the bodhisattva Bhaiṣajyarāja and eighty thousand other bodhisattvas, “Bhaiṣajyarāja, do you see this assembly’s numerous devas, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kinnaras, mahoragas, humans and nonhumans, bhikṣus and bhikṣuṇīs, upāsakas and upāsikās, and followers of the Śrāvakayāna and the Bodhisattva­yāna who have heard this Dharma teaching directly from the Tathāgata?” [F.84.a]


11.
Chapter 11

The Appearance of the Stūpa

11.­1

Then a stūpa made of the seven precious materials arose from the center of the assembly, directly in front of the Bhagavān. It was five hundred yojanas tall and of a corresponding circumference. Having risen up, it remained suspended in the air, bright and beautiful, adorned with five thousand encircling railings358 covered in flowers, and beautified by many thousands of toraṇas, hung with thousands of sacred flags and banners of victory, [F.89.a] hung with thousands of strings of jewels, hung with thousands of streamers and bells, and emitting the aroma of bay leaves and sandalwood. That aroma spread throughout the entire all-containing world. Its crowning parasol reached as high as the palaces in the paradises of the Four Mahārājas. It was made of the seven precious materials, which are gold, silver, beryl, white coral, emerald, red pearl, and chrysoberyl. At the stūpa, devas of the Trāyastriṃśa paradise scattered coral tree and great coral tree flowers on the precious stūpa, bestrewing it with them, and covering it with them.


12.
Chapter 12

Resolutions

12.­1

Then the bodhisattva mahāsattva Bhaiṣajyarāja and the bodhisattva mahāsattva Mahāpratibhāna, together with a following of two hundred thousand bodhisattvas, facing the Bhagavān, said, “Bhagavān, have no concern over this matter. Bhagavān, we will teach, we will expound this Dharma teaching to beings after the nirvāṇa of the Tathāgata.

“Bhagavān, in that time beings will be wicked, have few roots of merit, be arrogant, be devoted to gain and honor, engage in roots of demerit, be difficult to guide, have no interest, and be filled with disinterest, but, Bhagavān, we will demonstrate the power of patience and in that time we will teach this sūtra, we will uphold it, we will expound it, we will write it out, we will honor it, we will venerate it, and we will make offerings to it. Bhagavān, we will cast aside body and life and teach this sūtra. Therefore, Bhagavān, have no concern.”


13.
Chapter 13

Dwelling in Happiness

13.­1

Then Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta said to the Bhagavān, “Bhagavān, what these bodhisattva mahāsattvas are resolved to do because of their reverence for the Bhagavān is a difficult task, extremely difficult. Bhagavān, how should these bodhisattva mahāsattvas expound this Dharma teaching in the later times, in a later era?”

The Bhagavān said to Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta, “Mañjuśrī, bodhisattva mahāsattvas should expound this Dharma teaching in the later times, in a later era, by maintaining four qualities. What are these four?


14.
Chapter 14

The Bodhisattvas Emerging Out of the Ground

14.­1

Then the bodhisattvas who had arrived from other world realms, who were as numerous as the grains of sand in eight Ganges Rivers, stood up in the circle of the assembly, bowed to the Bhagavān with hands together in homage, and said these words:

“Bhagavān, if the Bhagavān will permit us, [F.111.a] after the Tathāgata has passed into nirvāṇa, we too will teach this Dharma teaching in the Sahā world realm. We will read it, write it, and make offerings to it. We shall be dedicated to this Dharma teaching. Bhagavān, teach well this Dharma teaching to us.”


15.
Chapter 15

The Lifespan of the Tathāgata

15.­1

Then the Bhagavān said to the complete assembly of bodhisattvas, “Noble ones, have faith and certainty in the true words that I, the Tathāgata, will speak.”

The Bhagavān said a second time, and a third time, to those bodhisattvas, “Noble ones, have faith and certainty in the true words that I, the Tathāgata, will speak. Noble ones, have faith and certainty in the true words that I, the Tathāgata, will speak.”


16.
Chapter 16

The Extent of the Merit

16.­1

When the teaching of the Tathāgata’s lifespan was taught it benefited innumerable, countless beings. The Bhagavān said at that time to the bodhisattva mahāsattva Maitreya, “Ajita, when the Dharma teaching that teaches the Tathāgata’s lifespan was given, a hundred thousand quintillion bodhisattvas, as numerous as the grains of sand in sixty-eight Ganges Rivers, developed receptivity to the birthlessness of phenomena.


17.
Chapter 17

Teaching the Merit of Rejoicing

17.­1

Then the bodhisattva mahāsattva Maitreya asked the Bhagavān, [F.129.a] “Bhagavān, if a noble man or noble woman rejoices after hearing this Dharma teaching explained, how much merit, Bhagavān, does that noble man or noble woman create?” And at that time the bodhisattva mahāsattva Maitreya also addressed to him this verse:

17.­2
“After the nirvāṇa of the great Hero,
How much merit will there be
For someone who listens to this kind of sūtra,
And having heard it, rejoices?” {1}

18.
Chapter 18

The Benefits of the Purity of the Six Āyatanas

18.­1

Then the Bhagavān said to the bodhisattva mahāsattva Satata­samitābhiyukta, “If any noble man or noble woman possesses, reads, teaches, or asks questions about this Dharma teaching, that noble man or noble woman will gain eight hundred qualities of the eyes, will gain twelve hundred qualities of the nose, will gain eight hundred qualities of the ears, will gain twelve hundred qualities of the tongue, will gain eight hundred qualities of the body, and will gain twelve hundred qualities of mind.


19.
Chapter 19

Sadāparibhūta

19.­1

Then the Bhagavān said to the bodhisattva mahāsattva Mahā­sthāma­prāpta, “Mahā­sthāma­prāpta, you should know that this Dharma teaching is like this: Whoever rejects this Dharma teaching, and scolds, rebukes, and speaks crudely489 and harshly to the bhikṣus, [F.139.b] bhikṣuṇīs, upāsakas, and upāsikās who possess such a sūtra as this, will experience the undesirable result ripening from that, which is that they will be unable to speak words. Whoever possesses such a sūtra as this, reads it, studies it, teaches it, and teaches it extensively to others will have the desirable result ripening from that, which is, as I have said before, that they will attain purified eyes, nose, ears, tongue, body, and mind.


20.
Chapter 20

The Tathāgata’s Miracles

20.­1

Then those hundreds of millions of quintillions of bodhisattvas who had emerged from the ground, as numerous as the atoms in a world realm, placed their hands together in homage and said to the Bhagavān, “Bhagavān, we will teach this Dharma teaching in all the buddha realms where the Tathāgata has passed into nirvāṇa, and in the buddha realms where the Bhagavān will pass into nirvāṇa.


21.
Chapter 21

Dhāraṇīs

21.­1

498Then the bodhisattva mahāsattva Bhaiṣajyarāja rose from his seat, removed his upper robe from one shoulder, knelt on his right knee, [F.147.a] and with his hands together in homage bowed toward the Bhagavān and said to the Bhagavān, “Bhagavān, how much merit will a noble man or noble woman generate by carrying this Dharma teaching The White Lotus of the Good Dharma on their body or making a text of it?”


22.
Chapter 22

The Past of Bhaiṣajyarāja

22.­1

Then the bodhisattva mahāsattva Nakṣatra­rāja­saṃkusumitābhi­jña said to the Bhagavān, “Bhagavān, through what cause is the bodhisattva mahāsattva Bhaiṣajyarāja active in this Sahā world realm? Bhagavān, he must have undergone many hundred thousands of quintillions of hardships. I request the Tathāgata, the Arhat, the perfectly enlightened Buddha to speak of just a fraction of what the bodhisattva mahāsattva Bhaiṣajyarāja has practiced, so that those who have heard the Bhagavān‍—the devas, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kinnaras, mahoragas, humans and nonhumans, and the bodhisattva mahāsattvas who have arrived here from other world realms and these great śrāvakas‍—will all be pleased, delighted, and happy.”


23.
Chapter 23

Gadgadasvara

23.­1

Then at that time the tathāgata, the arhat, the perfectly enlightened buddha Śākyamuni emitted light from the ūrṇā hair between his eyebrows, which was a sign of a great being. That light shone throughout hundreds of thousands of quintillions of buddha realms in the east, which were as numerous as the grains of sand in eighteen Ganges Rivers. Beyond those hundreds of thousands of quintillions of buddha realms, which were as numerous as the grains of sand in eighteen Ganges Rivers, there was the world realm named Vairocana­raśmi­prati­maṇḍitā, in which there lived, was present, and remained the tathāgata, the arhat, the perfectly enlightened buddha named Kamala­dala­vimala­nakṣatra­rāja­saṃkusumitābhi­jña. He was accompanied and revered by an immeasurably great saṅgha of bodhisattvas. Then the ray of light emitted by the bhagavān tathāgata, the arhat, the perfectly enlightened buddha Śākyamuni from his ūrṇā hair shone at that time throughout the world realm Vairocana­raśmi­prati­maṇḍitā.


24.
Chapter 24

Facing Everywhere: The Teaching of the Miracles of Avalokiteśvara

24.­1

596Then the bodhisattva mahāsattva Akṣayamati rose from his seat, removed his upper robe from one shoulder, knelt on his right knee, and with his hands together in homage bowed toward the Bhagavān and asked the Bhagavān, “Bhagavān, why is the bodhisattva mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara called Avalokiteśvara?” [F.164.b]

24.­2

The Bhagavān said to the bodhisattva mahāsattva Akṣayamati, “Noble one, if the hundred thousand quintillion beings in this world who are experiencing suffering were to hear the name of the bodhisattva mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara they would all become freed from that mass of suffering.


25.
Chapter 25

The Past of King Śubhavyūha

25.­1

Then the Bhagavān said to the all-inclusive assembly of bodhisattvas, “Noble ones, in the past, in a time gone by, countless eons ago, at that time, in that era, in an eon named Priyadarśana, in a world named Vairocana­raśmi­prati­maṇḍitā, there appeared in that world the tathāgata, the arhat, the perfectly enlightened buddha, the one with perfect wisdom and conduct, the sugata, the one who knows the world’s beings, the unsurpassable guide who tamed beings, the teacher of devas and humans, the buddha, the bhagavān named Jala­dhara­garjita­ghoṣa­susvarana­kṣatra­rāja­saṃkusumitābhi­jña­.


26.
Chapter 26

Samantabhadra’s Encouragement

26.­1

The bodhisattva mahāsattva Samantabhadra, leading a following of countless bodhisattva mahāsattvas, and leading a following of countless devas, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kinnaras, and mahoragas, humans, and nonhumans, came from the east, and the realms shook, a rain of lotuses fell, and a hundred thousand quintillion musical instruments played. With the great power of a bodhisattva, with the great manifestations of a bodhisattva, with the great miraculous power of a bodhisattva, with the great majesty636 of a bodhisattva, with the great brilliant magnificence of a bodhisattva, with the great way637 of a bodhisattva, with the great miracles of a bodhisattva, and with the great miraculous manifestation of leading a following638 of devas, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kinnaras, mahoragas, humans, and nonhumans‍—it was with such an inconceivable miraculous manifestation that the bodhisattva mahāsattva Samantabhadra came to this Sahā world realm.


27.
Chapter 27

The Entrusting

27.­1

Then the bhagavān, the tathāgata, the arhat, the perfectly enlightened buddha Śākyamuni [F.179.b] rose from his Dharma seat and manifested the miracle of his right hand taking hold of the right hands of those in the entire gathering of bodhisattvas. At that time he said, “Noble ones, this highest, complete enlightenment that I accomplished after a hundred thousand quintillion asaṃkhyeya eons I place in your hands: I entrust it to you, I present it to you, and I pass it on to you. Noble ones, you should do whatever will make it extensively widespread.”


c.

Colophon

c.­1

Translated, revised, and finalized by the Indian Upādhyāya Surendrabodhi and the chief editor Lotsawa Bandé Nanam Yeshé Dé.


n.

Notes

n.­1
See Jamieson (2002) for a list of the numerous scholarly works.
n.­2
Karashima (2015).
n.­3
Dessein (2009): 36–37.
n.­4
Zhongxin (1997).
n.­5
Karashima (2001).
n.­6
Karashima (2001): 212.
n.­7
Lopez (2016): 21.
n.­8
Deeg (1999).
n.­56
There have been two ways to interpret this traditional beginning of a sūtra, with such Indian masters as Kamalaśīla claiming that both are equally correct. The alternative interpretation is “Thus have I heard: at one time, the Bhagavān…,” and so on. The various arguments, both traditional and modern, for either side are given by Brian Galloway in “Thus have I heard: At one time…,” Indo-Iranian Journal 34, no. 2 (April 1991): 87–104.
n.­57
This figure is from the Sanskrit. The Tibetan in all Kangyurs has twelve thousand, as do the Chinese translations by Kumārajīva (T.262, early fifth century) and by Jñānagupta and Dharmagupta (T.264, early seventh century). The Chinese translation by Dharmarakṣa (T.263, late third century), however, has 1,200 like the Sanskrit, while the other early Chinese translation, which is anonymous, has 42,000 (大比丘眾四萬二千人俱).
n.­58
Sanskrit ājāneya; Tibetan cang shes. Ājāneya was incorrectly defined as meaning “all-knowing” and was translated therefore into Tibetan as cang shes (“all-knowing”). The term ājāneya was primarily used for thoroughbred horses, but was also applied to people in a laudatory sense.
n.­59
This term probably has its origins in being a translation into Sanskrit from the Middle Indic mahānāga, the Sanskrit equivalent of which should have been mahānagna, which has the meaning of “a great champion, a man of distinction and nobility.”
n.­60
According to the BHS abhi­jñatābhijña­ta, where the same word is repeated with different meanings. The Tibetan translates both identically in most Kangyurs as mngon par shes pa mngon par shes pa, and in others such as Degé and Lhasa as mngon par shes pas mngon par shes pa.
n.­99
According to the Sanskrit. Tibetan: Śāridvataputra.
n.­169
According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has “deprived of the scope of wisdom of the tathāgatas, and of the vision of their wisdom.”
n.­250
According to the Stok Palace Kangyur rigs, and the Sanskrit yukti. The other Tibetan versions consulted have rig in error for rigs.
n.­251
According to the Tibetan. The BHS has “shoots, tender stalks, branches, leaves, foliage.”
n.­252
According to the Sanskrit and most Kangyurs consulted. The Degé and the Comparative Edition have spobs (“eloquence,” “confidence”) instead of stobs.
n.­253
In Sanskrit, martya means literally “mortals.”
n.­254
According to the Stok Palace Kangyur sman, and the Sanskrit oṣadhī. The other Tibetan versions consulted have dman (“inferior”) in error for sman (“herb”).
n.­255
According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has nirukti (“definitions”).
n.­256
According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has dharmatā (“the nature of the Dharma”).
n.­257
According to the Sanskrit niṣpādayī and the Yongle and Kangxi Kangyurs bsten. The Degé has bstan (“teach”).
n.­258
In the Chinese version the chapter concludes at this point.
n.­259
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has “born” instead of “superfluous,” which appears to be a corruption.
n.­260
According to the BHS samudāgamāya. The Tibetan translates as sdud, which could be interpreted as “gathering together.”
n.­261
According to the Sanskrit, and the Lhasa and Stok Palace Kangyurs. Other Kangyurs consulted have zhi (“pacified”) in error for bzhi (“four”).
n.­262
Sarva­varṇa­rasa­sthānānugatā.
n.­263
Sarva­vyādhi­pramocanī.
n.­264
Sarva­viṣa­vināśanī.
n.­265
Yathā­sthāna­sthita­sukha­pradā.
n.­266
According to the Tibetan and in agreement with Burnouf. The Vaidya and Wogihara Sanskrit and Kern have “six.”
n.­267
The Comparative Edition has des in error for nges; the Stok Palace Kangyur has nges and the Sanskrit has niścita (online Vaidya: niṃścita).
n.­268
According to the Sanskrit vihīna. The Tibetan has btul (“subdued”).
n.­269
The second half of this verse does not appear in Tibetan: “Through hundreds of skillful methods / He constantly teaches the Dharma to beings” (See Vaidya ed., tenopāyaśatair­nityaṃ dharmaṃ deśeti prāṇinām //).
n.­270
Sarva­varṇa­rasa­sthānā. In the prose it has a longer form of the name: Sarva­varṇa­rasa­sthānānugatā.
n.­271
According to the Sanskrit mahā and the Yongle, Lithang, Kangxi, and Choné Kangyurs. The Degé and Comparative Edition have tshe in error for che.
n.­272
According to the Tibetan, which appears to be a free translation of avartmanaḥ (“to repeat,” “to continue with”).
n.­273
According to the Sanskrit sarvavid. Absent from the Tibetan.
n.­274
According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit is in the singular.
n.­275
Only half of this verse appears to have been translated into Tibetan, thereby altering the meaning. In comparison, the Sanskrit has: “I then teach to them, / ‘This is not what is called nirvāṇa; / It is through understanding the entire Dharma / that immortal nirvāṇa is attained’ ” (see Vaidya, ed.: tāmeva tatra prakāśemi naitannirvāṇa­mucyate / sarva­dharmāvabodhāttu nirvāṇaṃ prāpyate ’mṛtam //).
n.­276
The Sanskrit has this as a six-line verse instead of the usual four lines.
n.­277
The Tibetan has the first half only of the Sanskrit verse, the second half of which is: “And all the imperfect and the immaculate, / which are peace, and are equal to space” (Vaidya, ed.: sāsravānāsravāḥ śāntāḥ sarve gagana­saṃnibhāḥ).
n.­278
According to the BHS ārocayāmi. The Tibetan mos par bya could be interpreted as “make you aspire.”
n.­279
According to the Sanskrit. The last two activities are absent from the Tibetan, but when this passage is repeated further on in this chapter they are included in the Tibetan, and so there appears to be an unintended omission here.
n.­280
According to the commentary this refers to the eightfold path, with wisdom being the right view and conduct being the other seven aspects of the path.
n.­281
According to the BHS gūtholigalla. The Tibetan translates obscurely as sme ba (“spots”).
n.­282
See n.­179.
n.­330
According to the Sanskrit pramocayanti and, in part, the Stok Palace Kangyur ’grol ba. The other Tibetan versions consulted have ’grel ba; a Tibetan translation of the causative Sanskrit verb form would more likely be sgrol ba.
n.­331
The syntax is according to the Sanskrit; the Tibetan reverses the order of the sentences.
n.­358
According to the Sanskrit vedikā. The Tibetan translates as stegs bu, “platforms,” Burnouf as “balconies,” and Kern as “terraces.” However, vedikā here refers to the railings in which the toraṇas, or “gateways,” are set. While the vedikās do serve as railings for elevated platforms, which serve as circumambulatory walkways, they also encircle the stūpa on the surrounding flat ground.
n.­489
According to the Tibetan tshogs par mi dbyung ba (“unfit for a gathering”), which will have been a translation of asabhya. The Sanskrit has asatya (“falsely”), which appears to have been the source of the Chinese translation.
n.­498
In the Chinese translation this chapter is later, following the chapter on Avalokiteśvara.
n.­596
“Facing everywhere” in the chapter title is translated according to the Sanskrit samantamukha, which has also became an epithet for the many-faced forms of Avalokiteśvara. The Tibetan translates as kun nas sgo (taking the alternative meaning of “door” from mukha) which could be literally translated as “doors on all sides.” However, in the Mahāvyutpatti we find samanta-spharaṇa-mukha translated as bzhin kun tu khyab pa (“face that pervades everywhere”). Other translations have included “all-sided one” and “all-sidedness.” Burnouf translates as “Celui dont la face regarde de tous les côtés,” correcting his earlier translation based on a misreading of samantamukha as samantasukha (“complete bliss”). The meaning, however translated, refers to Avalokiteśvara regarding all beings.
n.­636
According to the Sanskrit. “Great” is absent from the Tibetan. The Sanskrit mahata bodhi­sattva­māhātmyena manages to keep the two similar words apart.
n.­637
According to the Sanskrit mahatā bodhi­sattvayānena. The Tibetan could be interpreted to mean specifically the mahāyāna.
n.­638
“leading a following” is absent from the Tibetan.

b.

Bibliography

Tibetan Editions of the Sūtra

dam chos padma dkar po’i mdo (Saddharma­puṇḍarīka­sūtra) [The White Lotus of the Good Dharma]. Toh 113, Degé Kangyur, 103 vols. New Delhi: Karmapae Chodhey Gyalwae Sungrab Patrun Khang, 1976–79, vol. 51 (mdo sde, ja), folios 1a–180b.

‍—‍—‍—. 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. 51 (mdo sde, ja), pp. 3–427.

‍—‍—‍—. Choné Kangyur (co ne bka’ ’gyur). 108 vols. Choné: co ne par khang, 1926, vol. 31 (mdo sde, ja), folios 1–212b.

‍—‍—‍—. Lhasa Kangyur (lha sa bka’ ’gyur). 100 vols. Lhasa: zhol bka’ ’gyur par khang, 1934, vol. 53 (mdo sde, ja), folios 1b–285b.

‍—‍—‍—. Narthang Kangyur (snar thang bka’ ’gyur). 102 vols. Narthang: snar thang par khang, eighteenth century, vol. 53 (mdo sde, ja), folios 1b–281b.

‍—‍—‍—. Stok Palace Kangyur (stog pho brang bris ma bka’ ’gyur). 109 vols. Leh: smad rtsis shes rig dpe mdzod, 1975–80. vol. 67 (mdo sde, ma), folios 1a–270b.

‍—‍—‍—. Urga Kangyur (ur ga bka’ ’gyur). New Delhi: International Academy of Indian Culture, 1990–94. vol. 51 (mdo sde, ja), folios 1a–180b.

Khangkar, Tsultrim Kelsang (ed.) bod gyur dam pa’i chos padma dkar po zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo: Tibetan Translation of Saddharmapuṇḍarīka-sūtra. Nyin bod nang rig deb grangs (Japanese and Tibetan Buddhist Culture Series) XI. Kyoto: Tibetan Buddhist Culture Association, 2009.

Sanskrit Editions of the Sūtra

Zhongxin, Jiang. Sanskrit Lotus Sutra Fragments from the Lüshun Museum Collection. Tokyo: Sōka Gakkai, 1997.

Vaidya, P. L. Saddharma­puṇḍarīka­sūtra. Darbhanga: The Mithila Institute of Post-Graduate Studies and Research in Sanskrit Learning, 1960.

Watanabe, Shōkō. Saddharmapuṇḍarīka Manuscripts Found in Gilgit. Tokyo: Reiyukai, 1972–75.

Wogihara, Unrai and Tsuchida, Chikao. Saddharmapuṇḍarīka-sūtram: Romanized and Revised Text of the Bibliotheca Buddhica publication by consulting a Sanskrit Ms. & Tibetan and Chinese translations. Tōkyō: Seigo-Kenkyūkai, 1934–35.

Translations of the Sūtra

Borsig, Margareta von. Lotos-Sutra: Das Große Erleuchtungsbuch des Buddhismus. Freiburg: Herder, 2003.

Burnouf, Eugene. Le lotus de la bonne loi. Paris: L’imprimerie Nationale, 1852.

Hurvitz, Leon. Scripture of the Lotus Blossom of the Fine Dharma. New York: Columbia University Press, 1976.

Katō, Bunnō. “The Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Law.” In The Threefold Lotus Sutra, translated by Bunnō Katō, Yoshirō Tamura, and Kōjirō Miyasaka, with revisions by W. E. Soothill, Wilhelm Schiffer, and Pier P. Del Campana, 18–213. New York and Tokyo: Weatherhill and Kosei, 1993.

Kern, H. Saddharma-Puṇḍarīka or the Lotus of the Good Law. Sacred Books of the East XXII. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1884.

Kubo, Tsugunari and Akira Yuyama. The Lotus Sutra. Berkeley: Numata Center for Buddhist Translation and Research (revised second edition), 2007.

Montgomery, Daniel B. The Lotus Sutra: The Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma. Tokyo: Nichiren Shu Headquarters, 1991.

Murano, Senchū. The Lotus Sutra: Sutra of the Lotus of the Wonderful Dharma. Hayward, CA: Nichiren Buddhist International Center, 1974.

Reeves, Gene. The Lotus Sutra: A Contemporary Translation of a Buddhist Classic. Somerville, MA: Wisdom Publications, 2008.

Soothill, W.E. The Lotus of the Wonderful Law, or The Lotus Gospel. Richmond: Curzon Press, 1987.

Watson, Burton. The Lotus Sutra. New York: Columbia University Press, 1993.

Other Kangyur Texts

rgya cher rol pa’i mdo (Lalita­vistara­sūtra, Toh 95. Degé Kangyur vol. 46 (mdo sde, kha), folios 1b–216b. English translation in Dharmachakra Translation committee (2013).

ting nge ’dzin gyi rgyal po’i mdo (Samādhi­rāja­sūtra), Toh 127, Degé Kangyur vol. 55 (mdo sde, da), folios 1a–175b. English translation in Roberts (2018).

de bzhin gshegs pa thams cad kyi gsang ba’i mdo (Tathāgata­ghuyaka­sūtra) [The Secret of the Tathāgatas Sūtra]. Toh 443, Degé Kangyur vol. 81 (rgyud, ca), folios 90a–157b.

phal po che’i mdo (Avataṁsaka­sūtra) [A Multitude of Buddhas Sūtra]. Toh 44, Degé Kangyur vols. 35–38 (phal chen, ka–a), folios ka 1a–nga 363a.

lang kar gshegs pa’i mdo (Laṅkā­vatāra­sūtra) [The Entry into Laṅka Sutra]. Toh 107, Degé Kangyur vol. 49 (mdo sde, ca), folios 56a–191b.

shes rab pha rol tu phyin pa brgyad stong pa (Aṣṭa­sāhasrikā­prajñā­pāramitā) [The Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Verses]. Toh 12, Degé Kangyur vol. 33 (brgyad stong pa, ka), folios 1b–286a.

sa bcu pa’i mdo (Daśa­bhūmika­sūtra) [The Sūtra of the Ten Bhūmis]. Chapter 31, in Toh 44, Degé Kangyur vol. 36 (phal chen, kha), folios 166a–283a. English translation in Roberts (2021).

gser ’od dam pa’i mdo (Su­varṇa­prabhā­sūtra) [The Golden Light Sūtra]. Toh 556, Degé Kangyur vol. 89 (rgyud, pa), folios 151b–273a.

Tengyur Texts

Abhayākaragupta. thub pa’i dgongs pa’i rgyan (Muni­matālaṁkāra). Toh 3903, Degé Tengyur vol. 210 (dbu ma, a), folios 73b–293a.

Asaṅga. theg pa chen po rgyud bla ma’i bstan bcos rnam par bshad pa (Mahāyānottara­tantra­śāstra­vyākhyā). Toh 4025, Degé Tengyur vol. 225 (sems tsam, phi), folios 74b–129a.

Candrakīrti. dbu ma la ’jug pa’i bshad pa (Madhyamakāvatāra­bhāṣya). Toh 3862, Degé Tengyur vol. 204 (dbu ma, ’a), folios 220b–348a.

‍—‍—‍—. byang chub sems dpa’i rnal ’byor spyod pa bzhi brgya pa’i ’grel pa (Bodhi­sattva­yoga­caryā­catuḥ­śataka­ṭīkā) Toh 3865, Degé Tengyur vol. 205 (dbu ma, ya), folios 30b–239a.

Daṃṣṭrāsena, Vasubandhu, or neither. shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa ’bum pa dang nyi khri lnga stong pa dang khri brgyad stong pa’i rgya cher bshad pa (Śata­sāhasrikā­pañca­viṁśati­sāhasrika­ṣṭāda­śasāhasrikā­prajñā­pāramitā­bṛhaṭṭīkā). Toh 3808, Degé Tengyur vol. 93 (sher phyin, pha), folios 1a–292b. English translation in Sparham (2022).

Dharmamitra. tshig rab tu gsal ba (Prasphuṭapadā). Toh 3796, Degé Tengyur vol. 87 (sher phyin, nya), folios 1a–110a.

Jānavajra. de bzhin gshegs pa’i snying po’i rgyan (Tathāgata­hṛdayālaṁkāra). Toh 4019, Degé Tengyur vol. 224 (mdo ’grel, pi), folios 1a–310a.

Kamalaśīla. shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa bdun brgya pa rgya cher bshad pa (Sapta­śatikā­prajñā­pāramitā­ṭīkā). Toh 3815, Degé Tengyur vol. 95 (sher phyin, ma), folios 89a–178a.

Maitreya-Asaṅga. theg pa chen po rgyud bla ma’i bstan bcos (Mahāyānottara­tantra­śāstra) [A Mahāyāna Treatise on the Supreme Continuum]. Toh 4024, Degé Tengyur vol. 225 (sems tsam, phi), folios 54b–73a.

Nāgārjuna. mdo kun las btus pa (Sūtrasamuccaya). Toh 3934, Degé Tengyur vol. 212 (dbu ma, ki), folios 148b–215a.

Saitsalak (sa’i rtsa lag, Kuiji, Pṛthivībandhu). dam pa’i chos padma dkar po’i ’grel pa. Toh 4017, Degé Tengyur, vol. 120 (mdo ’grel, di), folios 175b–302a.

‍—‍—‍—. dam pa’i chos padma dkar po’i ’grel pa. bstan ’gyur (dpe bsdur ma) [Comparative Edition of the Tengyur], 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). 120 volumes. Beijing: krung go’i bod rig pa dpe skrun khang (China Tibetology Publishing House), 1994–2008, vol. 69 (mdo sde, di, vol. 135), pp. 476–826.

Śāntideva. bslab pa kun las btus pa (Śikṣāsamuccaya). Toh 3940, Degé Tengyur vol. 111 (dbu ma, khi), folios 3a–194b.

Vasubandhu. theg pa chen po bsdus pa’i ’grel pa (Mahā­yāna­saṁgraha­bhāṣya). Toh 4050, Degé Tengyur vol. 225 (sems tsam, yi), folios 121b–190a.

Wantsik (wan tshig, Yuan Tso). dgongs pa zab mo nges par ’grel pa (Gambhīra­saṁdhi­nirmocana­sūtra­ṭīkā). Toh 4016, Degé Tengyur vols. 220–22 (mdo ’grel, ti–ti), folios ti 1a–di 175a.

Secondary Tibetan Sources

Lodrö Gyaltsen (blo gros rgyal mtshan). dam chos pad dkar gyi tshig don la gzhan gyi log par rtog pa dgag pa. In Sa skya bka’ ’bum vol. 15, Kathmandu: Sachen International, 2006, folios 469–485.

Butön Rinchen Drup (bu ston rin chen grub). bde bar gshegs pa’i bstan pa’i gsal byed chos kyi ’byung gnas gsung rab rin po che’i mdzod. In The Collected Works of Bu-ston. Edited by Lokesh Chandra from the collections of Raghu Vira. 28 volumes. Zhol bka’ ’gyur par khang edition. New Delhi: International Academy of Indian Culture, 1965–71, 633–1056.

Changkya Rölpai Dorjé (lcang skya rol pa’i rdo rje). dam chos pad ma dkar po’i kha byang. In lcang skya rol pa’i rdo rje’i gsung ’bum, vol. 5 (ca), Dharamsala: Library of Tibetan Works and Archives, 2003, folios 525–532.

Pekar Zangpo (pad dkar bzang po). ’phags pa dam chos padma dkar po’i mdo. In mdo sde spyi’i rnam bzhag, Beijing: mi rigs dpe skrun khang, 2006, pp. 187–189.

Secondary Non-Tibetan Sources

Abbott, Terry Rae. “Vasubandhu’s Commentary on the Saddharma­puṇḍarīka­sūtra: A Study of its History and Significance.” PhD diss., University of California at Berkeley, 1985.

Boucher, Daniel. “Dharmarakṣa and the Transmission of Buddhism to China.” Asia Major 19 (2006): 13–37.

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Dessein, Bart. “The Mahāsāṃghikas and the Origins of Mahāyāna Buddhism: Evidence Provided in the *Abhi­dharma­mahā­vibhāṣa­śāstra.” The Eastern Buddhist 40, no. 1 (2009): 25–61.

Dharmachakra Translation Committee, trans. The Play in Full (Lalita­vistara, Toh 95). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2013.

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

Groner, Paul and Jacqueline I. Stone. “Editors’ Introduction: The Lotus Sutra in Japan.” Japanese Journal of Religious Studies vol. 41, no. 1 (2014): 1–23.

Hanh, Thich Nhat. Peaceful Action, Open Heart: Lessons from the Lotus Sutra. Berkeley: Parallax Press, 2008.

Heirman, Ann. “Yijing’s View on the Bhikṣunīs’ Standard Robes.” Chung-Hwa Buddhist Journal 21 (2008): 145–158.

Hinüber, Oskar von. “A Saddharmapuṇḍarīkasūtra Manuscript from Khotan: The Gift of a Pious Khotanese Family.” Journal of Oriental Studies 24 (2014): 134–156.

‍—‍—‍—. “The Saddharmapuṇḍarīkasūtra at Gilgit: Manuscripts, Worshippers, and Artists.” Journal of Oriental Studies22 (2012): 52–67.

‍—‍—‍—. Bronzes of the Ancient Kingdom of Gilgit and Royal Patronage in Early North-Western India and Pakistan. Online lecture: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (2010).

Jamieson, R. C. “Sanskrit Lotus Sutra Manuscripts from Cambridge University Library (Add. 1682 and Add. 1683).” Journal of Oriental Studies 12, no. 6 (2002): 165–173.

Jeffus, Ryusho. Lotus Sutra Practice Guide: 35-Day Practice Outline. Charlotte, NC: Myosho-ji, 2012.

Karashima, Seishi. “Who Composed the Mahāyāna Scriptures?‍—the Mahāsāṃghikas and Vaitulya Scriptures.” ARIRIAB XVIII (2015): 113–162.

‍—‍—‍—. “Some Features of the Language of the Saddharmapuṇḍarīkasūtra.” Indo-Iranian Journal 44 (2001): 207–230.

Kim, Young-ho. Tao-sheng’s Commentary on the Lotus Sūtra: A Study and Translation. Albany: State University of New York Press, 1990.

Lancaster, L. R. The Korean Buddhist Canon: A Descriptive Catalogue.

Laufer, Berthold. “Sanskrit Karketana.” Mémoires de la Société de Linguistique 22 (1922): 43–46.

Lopez Jr., Donald S. The Lotus Sutra: A Biography. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2016.

Miller, Robert, et al. The Chapter on Going Forth (Toh 1, ch. 1). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2018.

Mookerji, Radha Kumud. Ancient Indian Education: Brahmanical and Buddhist. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1989.

Reeves, Gene. The Stories of the Lotus Sutra. Somerville, MA: Wisdom Publications, 2010.

Roberts, Peter Alan, trans. The King of Samādhis Sūtra (Samādhi­rāja­sūtra, Toh 127). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2018.

‍—‍—‍—, trans. The Ten Bhūmis (Daśabhūmika, Toh 44-31). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2021.

Sparham, Gareth, trans. The Long Explanation of the Noble Perfection of Wisdom in One Hundred Thousand, Twenty-Five Thousand, and Eighteen Thousand Lines (*Ārya­śata­sāhasrikā­pañca­viṃśati­sāhasrikāṣṭā­daśa­sāhasrikā­prajñā­pāramitā­bṛhaṭṭīkā, Toh 3808). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2022.

Schoening, Jeffrey. “Translated Sutra Commentaries in Tibet.” In Tibetan Literature: Studies in Genre, edited by José Cabezón and Roger Jackson, 111–124. Ithaca, NY: Snow Lion, 1996.

Silk, Jonathan Alan. “The Yogācāra Bhikṣu.” In Beiju: Buddhist Studies in Honor of Professor Gadjin M. Nagao, edited by J. Silk, 256–314. Studies in the Buddhist Traditions 3. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 1997.

Suguro, Shinjō. Introduction to the Lotus Sutra. Fremont, CA: Jain Publishing Company, 1998.

Tanabe, George J. and Willa Jane Tanabe. The Lotus Sutra in Japanese Culture. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 1989.

Teiser, Stephen F. and Jacqueline I. Stone. Readings of the Lotus Sūtra. New York: Columbia University Press, 2009.

Tiantai Lotus Texts. BDK English Tripiṭaka Series. Berkeley, CA: Bukkyō Dendō Kyōkai America, 2013, 93–149.

Tola, Fernando and Carmen Dragonetti. Buddhist Positiveness: Studies on the Lotus Sūtra. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 2009.

Winder, Marianne. “Vaidurya.” Studies on Indian Medical History (1987): 85–94.

Yuyama, Akira. A Bibliography of the Sanskrit Texts of the “Saddharmapuṇḍarīkasūtra.” Canberra: Faculty of Asian Studies in Association with Australian National University Press, 1970.

Zengwen, Yang. “Saddharmapundarikasutra in Chinese History and its Significance in the 21st Centry.” Journal of Oriental Studies vol. 10 (2000): 10–20.

Zhongxin, Jiang. Sanskrit Lotus Sutra Fragments from the Lüshun Museum Collection (Tokyo: Sōka Gakkai, 1997).


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

The highest of the three paradises that are the second dhyāna paradises in the form realm.

2 passages contain this term:

  • 18.­19
  • 18.­54
g.­2

Abhi­jñā­jñānābhi­bhū

  • mngon shes ye shes zil gnon
  • མངོན་ཤེས་ཡེ་ཤེས་ཟིལ་གནོན།
  • abhi­jñā­jñānābhi­bhū

A shorter form of the name of Buddha Mahābhijñā­jñānābhi­bhū.

2 passages contain this term:

  • 7.­6
  • 7.­141
g.­3

Abhijñaprāpta

  • mngon par shes thob
  • མངོན་པར་ཤེས་ཐོབ།
  • abhijñaprāpta

A short form of Sāgara­vara­dhara­buddhi­vikrīḍitābhijña, the name that Ānanda will have when he is a buddha.

1 passage contains this term:

  • 9.­8
g.­6

absence of aspiration

  • smon pa med pa
  • སྨོན་པ་མེད་པ།
  • apraṇihita

The absence of any conceptual goal that one is focused upon achieving, knowing that all composite phenomena create suffering. One of the three doorways to liberation.

4 passages contain this term:

  • 4.­3
  • 5.­72
  • n.­219
  • n.­667
g.­7

absence of attributes

  • mtshan ma med pa
  • མཚན་མ་མེད་པ།
  • animitta

The absence of the conceptual identification of perceptions. Knowing that the true nature has no attributes, such as color, shape, etc. One of the three doorways to liberation.

5 passages contain this term:

  • 4.­3
  • 5.­72
  • 5.­105
  • n.­219
  • n.­667
g.­16

Ajita

  • ma pham pa
  • མ་ཕམ་པ།
  • ajita

The other name of Maitreya, the bodhisattva who became Śākyamuni’s regent and is prophesied to be the next buddha, the fifth buddha in the fortunate eon. In early Buddhism he appears as the human disciple Maitreya Tiṣya, sent to pay his respects by his teacher. The Buddha gives him the gift of a robe and prophesies he will be the next buddha, while his companion Ajita will be the next cakravartin. As a bodhisattva in the Mahāyāna he has both these names.

40 passages contain this term:

  • 1.­77
  • 1.­79-80
  • 1.­82-83
  • 1.­85-86
  • 1.­88
  • 14.­49
  • 14.­55-56
  • 16.­1
  • 16.­25-27
  • 16.­48-56
  • 16.­59-61
  • 17.­3-8
  • 17.­10-13
  • 17.­15-16
  • g.­235
g.­20

Akṣayamati

  • blo gros mi zad pa
  • བློ་གྲོས་མི་ཟད་པ།
  • akṣayamati

A bodhisattva present at the sūtra’s teaching.

16 passages contain this term:

  • i.­62
  • 1.­4
  • 24.­1-2
  • 24.­9
  • 24.­11-12
  • 24.­14-16
  • 24.­18-19
  • n.­599-600
  • n.­602
  • n.­612
g.­27

Ānanda

  • kun dga’ bo
  • ཀུན་དགའ་བོ།
  • ānanda

Buddha Sākyamuni’s cousin, who was his attendant for the last twenty years of his life. He was the subject of criticism and opposition from the monastic community after the Buddha’s passing, but eventually succeeded to the position of the patriarch of Buddhism in India after the passing of the first patriarch, Mahākāśyapa.

20 passages contain this term:

  • i.­47
  • 1.­3
  • 9.­1
  • 9.­3
  • 9.­5-7
  • 9.­13-15
  • 9.­24-26
  • 9.­34
  • g.­3
  • g.­31
  • g.­32
  • g.­246
  • g.­344
  • g.­345
g.­39

arhat

  • dgra bcom pa
  • དགྲ་བཅོམ་པ།
  • arhat

Used as both as an epithet of the Buddha and the final accomplishment of early Buddhism, or the Hīnayāna.

213 passages contain this term:

  • i.­11
  • i.­46
  • i.­55
  • 1.­2
  • 1.­13
  • 1.­71-72
  • 1.­76-77
  • 1.­79-80
  • 1.­84-86
  • 2.­1-3
  • 2.­26
  • 2.­51
  • 2.­53-59
  • 2.­61-64
  • 2.­153
  • 3.­4
  • 3.­29
  • 3.­31
  • 3.­34
  • 3.­54
  • 3.­65
  • 3.­70
  • 3.­74-76
  • 4.­86
  • 5.­2
  • 5.­5-6
  • 5.­8
  • 5.­11
  • 5.­50
  • 5.­57
  • 6.­1
  • 6.­12
  • 6.­19
  • 6.­28
  • 6.­34
  • 7.­1
  • 7.­13
  • 7.­17
  • 7.­19
  • 7.­28
  • 7.­32
  • 7.­42
  • 7.­47
  • 7.­60
  • 7.­66
  • 7.­75
  • 7.­79
  • 7.­90
  • 7.­102
  • 7.­105
  • 7.­108
  • 7.­113
  • 7.­115-118
  • 7.­122
  • 7.­126-129
  • 7.­138-140
  • 7.­185-186
  • 8.­1
  • 8.­4
  • 8.­7
  • 8.­30
  • 8.­45
  • 8.­49
  • 9.­3
  • 9.­5-6
  • 9.­13
  • 9.­17-19
  • 9.­25
  • 10.­5
  • 10.­31
  • 11.­7-8
  • 11.­10
  • 11.­14
  • 11.­18
  • 11.­24-27
  • 11.­61
  • 11.­82-83
  • 12.­5-6
  • 13.­13
  • 13.­60
  • 13.­62-63
  • 14.­5-6
  • 14.­47-48
  • 14.­50
  • 15.­6
  • 16.­8
  • 17.­7
  • 17.­9-11
  • 17.­21
  • 18.­30
  • 19.­2-8
  • 19.­11
  • 19.­13
  • 19.­15
  • 19.­17-18
  • 20.­4-6
  • 20.­8-9
  • 21.­10
  • 22.­1-5
  • 22.­11
  • 22.­13
  • 22.­16-18
  • 22.­29
  • 22.­35
  • 22.­41
  • 23.­1-5
  • 23.­7
  • 23.­9-15
  • 23.­23
  • 23.­25-26
  • 24.­16
  • 25.­1
  • 25.­4
  • 25.­6
  • 25.­9
  • 25.­15
  • 25.­18-20
  • 25.­23-30
  • 26.­2
  • 26.­18
  • 27.­1
  • 27.­4-6
  • n.­246
  • n.­451
  • n.­591
  • g.­45
  • g.­77
  • g.­147
  • g.­182
  • g.­217
  • g.­295
  • g.­357
  • g.­423
g.­41

asaṃkhyeya

  • grangs med pa
  • གྲངས་མེད་པ།
  • asaṃkhyeya

The designation of a measure of time on the scale of eons, literally meaning “incalculable.” The number of years in such an eon differs in various sūtras that give a number. Also, twenty intermediate eons are said to be one incalculable eon, and four incalculable eons are one great eon. In that case those four incalculable eons represent the eons of the creation, presence, destruction, and absence of a world. Buddhas are often described as appearing in a second incalculable eon.

6 passages contain this term:

  • 1.­72
  • 7.­1
  • 19.­2
  • 27.­1-2
  • n.­592
g.­44

asura

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

The asuras are the enemies of the devas, fighting with them for supremacy.

54 passages contain this term:

  • 1.­8
  • 1.­10
  • 1.­13
  • 1.­81
  • 3.­46
  • 5.­5-6
  • 6.­28
  • 7.­42
  • 7.­48
  • 7.­60
  • 7.­66
  • 7.­68
  • 7.­75
  • 7.­79
  • 7.­90
  • 7.­94
  • 7.­102
  • 7.­142
  • 7.­144
  • 9.­1
  • 10.­1
  • 10.­36
  • 11.­6
  • 11.­15
  • 11.­19
  • 11.­21
  • 11.­71
  • 11.­103
  • 13.­81
  • 15.­3
  • 18.­9
  • 18.­17
  • 18.­41
  • 18.­70
  • 18.­81
  • 18.­89
  • 19.­3
  • 20.­2
  • 20.­6
  • 22.­1
  • 22.­3
  • 22.­20
  • 23.­19
  • 24.­16
  • 24.­23
  • 24.­30
  • 26.­1
  • 27.­6
  • n.­319
  • g.­54
  • g.­185
  • g.­316
  • g.­461
g.­47

Avabhāsaprāptā

  • snang ba thob pa
  • སྣང་བ་ཐོབ་པ།
  • avabhāsaprāptā

“Attainment of Light,” the world in which Kāśyapa will become a buddha.

2 passages contain this term:

  • i.­44
  • 6.­1
g.­49

Avalokiteśvara

  • spyan ras gzigs dbang phyug
  • སྤྱན་རས་གཟིགས་དབང་ཕྱུག
  • avalokiteśvara

First appeared as a bodhisattva beside Amitābha in the Sukhāvati Sūtra. The name has been variously interpreted. In “The lord of Avalokita,” Avalokita has been interpreted as “seeing,” although, as a past passive participle, it is literally “lord of what has been seen.” One of the principal sūtras in the Mahāsāṃghika tradition was the Avalokita Sūtra, which has not been translated into Tibetan, in which the word is a synonym for enlightenment, as it is “that which has been seen” by the buddhas. In the early tantras, he was one of the lords of the three families, as the embodiment of the compassion of the buddhas. The Potalaka Mountain in southern India became important in southern Indian Buddhism as his residence in this world, but Potalaka does not yet feature in the Kāraṇḍa­vyūha Sūtra, which emphasized the premeninence of Avalokiteśvara above all buddhas and bodhisattvas and introduced the mantra oṁ maṇi­padme hūṁ.

50 passages contain this term:

  • i.­27
  • i.­62
  • 1.­4
  • 24.­1-19
  • 24.­22-33
  • 24.­40-44
  • 24.­50-51
  • 24.­53
  • n.­498
  • n.­596
  • n.­600
  • n.­602-603
  • n.­606
  • n.­620
  • g.­154
g.­55

Bandé

  • ban de
  • བན་དེ།
  • bande

A Middle Indic word derived from the Sanskrit bhadanta. Meaning “venerable one” it is a term of respectful title for Buddhist monks.

1 passage contains this term:

  • c.­1
g.­57

bay leaves

  • ta ma la’i ’dab ma
  • ཏ་མ་ལའི་འདབ་མ།
  • tamālapatra

Cinnamomum tamala, which is specifically the Indian bay leaf. Called tamalpatra in Marathi, and tejpatta in Hindi. The Sanskrit and Marathi means “dark-tree leaves.” Also called Malabar leaves, after the name of the northern area of present-day Kerala in southwest India.

3 passages contain this term:

  • 11.­1
  • 18.­27
  • 18.­32
g.­59

beryl

  • bai dU rya
  • བཻ་དཱུ་རྱ།
  • vaiḍūrya

Although this has often been translated as lapis lazuli, the descriptions and references in the literature, both Sanskrit and Tibetan, match beryl. The Pāli form is veḷuriya. The Prākrit form verulia is the source for the English beryl. This normally refers to the blue or aquamarine beryl, but there are also white, yellow, and green beryls, though green beryl is called “emerald.”

25 passages contain this term:

  • i.­56
  • 1.­97
  • 1.­99
  • 2.­106
  • 3.­30
  • 3.­39
  • 4.­6
  • 6.­1
  • 6.­28
  • 6.­34
  • 9.­5
  • 11.­1
  • 11.­15
  • 11.­18
  • 11.­22
  • 11.­71
  • 13.­61
  • 16.­49
  • 17.­5
  • 18.­76
  • 18.­79
  • 22.­3
  • 24.­3
  • g.­98
  • g.­376
g.­63

bhagavān

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

“One who has bhaga,” which has many diverse meanings, including good fortune, happiness, and majesty. In the Buddhist context, it means one who has the good fortune of attaining enlightenment.

408 passages contain this term:

  • i.­63
  • 1.­2
  • 1.­9-14
  • 1.­72
  • 1.­79-86
  • 1.­88
  • 1.­126
  • 2.­1
  • 2.­5
  • 2.­26-27
  • 2.­39
  • 2.­41-43
  • 2.­47-50
  • 3.­1-5
  • 3.­12
  • 3.­27
  • 3.­29-30
  • 3.­34
  • 3.­36
  • 3.­45-46
  • 3.­53-54
  • 3.­64-65
  • 3.­77
  • 4.­1-15
  • 4.­20-22
  • 4.­24-32
  • 5.­1
  • 5.­12
  • 5.­30
  • 5.­59-60
  • 5.­70
  • 5.­74
  • 5.­80
  • 6.­1-2
  • 6.­11
  • 6.­19-20
  • 6.­28-29
  • 6.­34-35
  • 7.­1
  • 7.­3-4
  • 7.­6
  • 7.­13
  • 7.­15-17
  • 7.­20
  • 7.­28
  • 7.­32
  • 7.­42-43
  • 7.­47-49
  • 7.­51
  • 7.­60-62
  • 7.­66-67
  • 7.­69
  • 7.­75-76
  • 7.­79-80
  • 7.­82
  • 7.­90-91
  • 7.­102-103
  • 7.­105
  • 7.­108
  • 7.­110
  • 7.­113
  • 7.­115-118
  • 7.­120
  • 7.­122-125
  • 7.­131-132
  • 7.­141
  • 7.­144
  • 7.­163
  • 8.­1-4
  • 8.­7-8
  • 8.­28-30
  • 8.­32
  • 8.­45
  • 8.­47-49
  • 8.­58-59
  • 9.­1-3
  • 9.­5-7
  • 9.­13-14
  • 9.­17-18
  • 9.­20
  • 9.­24-26
  • 9.­31-32
  • 10.­1-2
  • 10.­11
  • 10.­38
  • 11.­1
  • 11.­4
  • 11.­6-7
  • 11.­9-14
  • 11.­16-17
  • 11.­23-30
  • 11.­44
  • 11.­71
  • 11.­75
  • 11.­84-86
  • 11.­94-95
  • 11.­99-100
  • 11.­104
  • 12.­1-3
  • 12.­5-13
  • 12.­27
  • 13.­1
  • 13.­10
  • 13.­36
  • 13.­53
  • 13.­65
  • 14.­1-3
  • 14.­5
  • 14.­7-8
  • 14.­10-11
  • 14.­13
  • 14.­16-18
  • 14.­47-51
  • 14.­55
  • 14.­57
  • 14.­65-69
  • 14.­75
  • 14.­79
  • 15.­1-3
  • 15.­5-6
  • 15.­17-18
  • 16.­1
  • 16.­7-8
  • 16.­25
  • 16.­28
  • 16.­62
  • 16.­86
  • 17.­1
  • 17.­3
  • 17.­9-10
  • 17.­16-17
  • 18.­1
  • 18.­3
  • 18.­22
  • 18.­31
  • 18.­66-67
  • 18.­79
  • 18.­87
  • 19.­1-6
  • 19.­15
  • 19.­18
  • 19.­22
  • 20.­1-4
  • 20.­6-8
  • 20.­10
  • 21.­1-4
  • 21.­6-8
  • 21.­10-11
  • 21.­13-14
  • 21.­16-18
  • 21.­20
  • 21.­24
  • 22.­1-4
  • 22.­7
  • 22.­9-11
  • 22.­13-14
  • 22.­16-21
  • 22.­35-36
  • 22.­41
  • 23.­1
  • 23.­3-5
  • 23.­7-17
  • 23.­23
  • 23.­25-26
  • 24.­1-2
  • 24.­8-12
  • 24.­14
  • 24.­16
  • 24.­51-52
  • 25.­1
  • 25.­3-4
  • 25.­6
  • 25.­9-11
  • 25.­15
  • 25.­18-20
  • 25.­23-30
  • 26.­2-6
  • 26.­8
  • 26.­10-18
  • 27.­1-2
  • 27.­4-6
  • n.­56
  • n.­219
  • n.­365
  • n.­372
  • n.­591
  • n.­599
g.­64

Bhaiṣajyarāja

  • sman gyi rgyal po
  • སྨན་གྱི་རྒྱལ་པོ།
  • bhaiṣajyarāja

A bodhisattva present at the sūtra’s teaching.

47 passages contain this term:

  • i.­48
  • i.­50
  • i.­59-60
  • i.­63
  • 1.­4
  • 10.­1-10
  • 10.­26-37
  • 12.­1
  • 21.­1-4
  • 21.­7
  • 22.­1
  • 22.­22-23
  • 22.­34-35
  • 22.­37
  • 22.­41-42
  • 23.­3
  • 23.­26
  • 25.­33-34
  • n.­499
g.­69

bhikṣu

  • dge slong
  • དགེ་སློང་།
  • bhikṣu

Fully ordained buddhist monk.

221 passages contain this term:

  • i.­40
  • i.­46-47
  • i.­50
  • i.­63
  • 1.­2-3
  • 1.­10
  • 1.­12-13
  • 1.­23
  • 1.­36
  • 1.­47
  • 1.­81
  • 1.­84-85
  • 1.­111
  • 1.­114
  • 1.­117-118
  • 2.­26
  • 2.­32
  • 2.­41
  • 2.­48
  • 2.­62-63
  • 2.­65
  • 2.­152
  • 3.­34
  • 3.­46
  • 3.­53-54
  • 3.­146
  • 3.­151
  • 3.­183
  • 4.­2
  • 6.­1-3
  • 6.­6
  • 6.­19-20
  • 6.­28-29
  • 6.­34
  • 7.­1-5
  • 7.­12-13
  • 7.­15
  • 7.­17-19
  • 7.­28
  • 7.­32-33
  • 7.­35-37
  • 7.­41-43
  • 7.­47
  • 7.­49
  • 7.­51-54
  • 7.­60
  • 7.­62
  • 7.­66-67
  • 7.­69-72
  • 7.­74-76
  • 7.­79-80
  • 7.­82
  • 7.­84-86
  • 7.­89-91
  • 7.­102-103
  • 7.­105-106
  • 7.­108
  • 7.­110-129
  • 7.­131-140
  • 7.­172
  • 7.­184
  • 7.­188
  • 8.­2-8
  • 8.­15
  • 8.­30
  • 8.­49
  • 8.­62
  • 9.­2
  • 9.­7
  • 9.­25
  • 9.­34
  • 10.­1
  • 10.­36
  • 10.­50
  • 11.­7
  • 11.­29-30
  • 11.­59
  • 11.­71
  • 11.­80-84
  • 12.­2
  • 12.­19
  • 12.­21
  • 12.­24
  • 12.­27
  • 13.­4
  • 13.­7
  • 13.­13
  • 13.­23
  • 13.­32
  • 13.­35
  • 13.­39
  • 13.­46
  • 13.­49
  • 13.­59-60
  • 13.­80
  • 15.­7
  • 15.­11
  • 15.­24
  • 16.­53
  • 16.­55
  • 16.­79
  • 17.­3
  • 18.­9
  • 18.­20
  • 18.­55-56
  • 18.­65
  • 19.­1
  • 19.­6-10
  • 19.­12
  • 19.­18
  • 19.­23-24
  • 19.­29-30
  • 20.­2
  • 22.­40
  • 23.­11
  • 23.­18
  • 24.­45
  • 25.­29-30
  • 26.­4-5
  • 26.­8
  • 26.­19-22
  • 26.­24
  • n.­283
  • g.­149
  • g.­219
  • g.­262
  • g.­267
  • g.­406
  • g.­436
  • g.­442
g.­70

bhikṣuṇī

  • dge slong ma
  • དགེ་སློང་མ།
  • bhikṣuṇī

Fully ordained buddhist nun.

48 passages contain this term:

  • i.­50
  • i.­63
  • 1.­3
  • 1.­10
  • 1.­12-13
  • 1.­81
  • 1.­117
  • 2.­26
  • 2.­32
  • 2.­48
  • 2.­62
  • 2.­65
  • 3.­46
  • 10.­1
  • 10.­36
  • 10.­50
  • 12.­3-4
  • 12.­6-7
  • 12.­9
  • 13.­4
  • 13.­7
  • 13.­14
  • 13.­39
  • 13.­49
  • 13.­60
  • 13.­80
  • 17.­3
  • 18.­65
  • 19.­1
  • 19.­7-10
  • 19.­12
  • 19.­18
  • 19.­20
  • 19.­29-30
  • 20.­2
  • 23.­18
  • 26.­4
  • 26.­8
  • g.­219
  • g.­380
  • g.­493
g.­77

bodhisattva

  • byang chub sems dpa’
  • བྱང་ཆུབ་སེམས་དཔའ།
  • bodhisattva

A person who is dedicated not merely to gaining liberation through attaining the state of an arhat, but to becoming a buddha. A name created from the Sanskritization of the middle-Indic bodhisatto, the Sanskrit equivalent of which was bodhisakta, “one who is fixed on enlightenment.”

449 passages contain this term:

  • s.­1
  • i.­10
  • i.­39
  • i.­41-43
  • i.­47-54
  • i.­56-65
  • 1.­1
  • 1.­4
  • 1.­9
  • 1.­12-15
  • 1.­27
  • 1.­36-37
  • 1.­42
  • 1.­48
  • 1.­57
  • 1.­64
  • 1.­67
  • 1.­70
  • 1.­75
  • 1.­78
  • 1.­80
  • 1.­82-86
  • 1.­88
  • 1.­90
  • 1.­102
  • 1.­106
  • 1.­108
  • 1.­115
  • 1.­132
  • 2.­8
  • 2.­10
  • 2.­18
  • 2.­21
  • 2.­77
  • 2.­95
  • 2.­115
  • 2.­149
  • 2.­158
  • 2.­167
  • 3.­2-3
  • 3.­13
  • 3.­26-29
  • 3.­31-34
  • 3.­40
  • 3.­73
  • 3.­128
  • 3.­133
  • 3.­137
  • 3.­146
  • 4.­3-4
  • 4.­29-31
  • 4.­70
  • 5.­51
  • 5.­59
  • 5.­71
  • 6.­1
  • 6.­8
  • 6.­19
  • 6.­24
  • 6.­28
  • 6.­33-34
  • 6.­42
  • 7.­11
  • 7.­115
  • 7.­121
  • 7.­124-125
  • 7.­131-132
  • 7.­134
  • 7.­162
  • 8.­3-4
  • 8.­7-10
  • 8.­23
  • 8.­35
  • 8.­48
  • 9.­4
  • 9.­9
  • 9.­12-13
  • 9.­25
  • 9.­29
  • 10.­1-2
  • 10.­18
  • 10.­29
  • 10.­31-33
  • 10.­35
  • 10.­57
  • 11.­6-7
  • 11.­9-12
  • 11.­14
  • 11.­24
  • 11.­71
  • 11.­85-89
  • 11.­94
  • 11.­98
  • 11.­101-102
  • 11.­104
  • 12.­1
  • 12.­4-6
  • 12.­10-11
  • 12.­13
  • 13.­1-5
  • 13.­7-10
  • 13.­27
  • 13.­35
  • 13.­49
  • 13.­51-52
  • 13.­56
  • 13.­59-60
  • 13.­63
  • 13.­66
  • 14.­1-11
  • 14.­13-14
  • 14.­16-19
  • 14.­22-23
  • 14.­28
  • 14.­30
  • 14.­33
  • 14.­38
  • 14.­41
  • 14.­43
  • 14.­45-50
  • 14.­55-58
  • 14.­64-67
  • 14.­69
  • 14.­72
  • 14.­75
  • 14.­79-80
  • 15.­1-2
  • 15.­5-6
  • 15.­19
  • 16.­1-9
  • 16.­21
  • 16.­25
  • 16.­30
  • 16.­43
  • 16.­49
  • 16.­57
  • 16.­59
  • 16.­87
  • 17.­1
  • 17.­3
  • 17.­9-10
  • 17.­15
  • 18.­1
  • 18.­9-10
  • 18.­21-22
  • 18.­26
  • 18.­30
  • 18.­35-36
  • 18.­46
  • 18.­52
  • 18.­54-55
  • 18.­57
  • 18.­59
  • 18.­76
  • 18.­78
  • 18.­83
  • 18.­85
  • 19.­1
  • 19.­3
  • 19.­6-11
  • 19.­13-15
  • 19.­18-21
  • 19.­23
  • 19.­27-28
  • 20.­1-4
  • 20.­6
  • 20.­8
  • 20.­16
  • 20.­22-23
  • 21.­1-2
  • 21.­4
  • 21.­7-9
  • 22.­1-11
  • 22.­13-14
  • 22.­16-24
  • 22.­30
  • 22.­35-36
  • 22.­38
  • 22.­41
  • 23.­1-10
  • 23.­13-27
  • 24.­1-17
  • 24.­51
  • 25.­1-2
  • 25.­30-32
  • 26.­1-6
  • 26.­8
  • 26.­10-12
  • 26.­15
  • 26.­18
  • 26.­25
  • 27.­1-2
  • 27.­4
  • 27.­6
  • 27.­9
  • n.­86
  • n.­219-220
  • n.­363
  • n.­412
  • n.­420
  • n.­464
  • n.­490
  • g.­16
  • g.­20
  • g.­28
  • g.­30
  • g.­34
  • g.­49
  • g.­61
  • g.­64
  • g.­65
  • g.­78
  • g.­111
  • g.­124
  • g.­142
  • g.­157
  • g.­220
  • g.­227
  • g.­229
  • g.­231
  • g.­235
  • g.­241
  • g.­242
  • g.­270
  • g.­271
  • g.­282
  • g.­288
  • g.­301
  • g.­302
  • g.­313
  • g.­325
  • g.­330
  • g.­331
  • g.­342
  • g.­354
  • g.­369
  • g.­371
  • g.­375
  • g.­379
  • g.­388
  • g.­390
  • g.­407
  • g.­427
  • g.­449
  • g.­452
  • g.­456
  • g.­481
  • g.­483
  • g.­485
  • g.­492
g.­78

Bodhisattva­yāna

  • byang chub sems dpa’i theg pa
  • བྱང་ཆུབ་སེམས་དཔའི་ཐེག་པ།
  • bodhisattva­yāna

The way or vehicle of the bodhisattvas.

17 passages contain this term:

  • 3.­54
  • 3.­70-71
  • 7.­123
  • 10.­1
  • 10.­32
  • 10.­35
  • 13.­49-50
  • 14.­67-68
  • 22.­23-24
  • 22.­28
  • 22.­31
  • 22.­34
  • 22.­40
g.­79

Brahmā

  • tshangs pa
  • ཚངས་པ།
  • brahmā

The personification of the universal force of Brahman, the deity in the form realm, who was during the Buddha’s time considered the supreme deity and creator of the universe. In the cosmogony of many universes, each with a thousand million worlds, there are many Brahmās.

64 passages contain this term:

  • i.­38
  • i.­45
  • i.­58
  • 1.­6
  • 1.­84
  • 2.­142
  • 3.­27
  • 3.­46
  • 5.­38
  • 7.­33-35
  • 7.­37
  • 7.­41-42
  • 7.­52-54
  • 7.­60-61
  • 7.­70-72
  • 7.­74-75
  • 7.­84-86
  • 7.­89-90
  • 7.­105
  • 7.­147-148
  • 7.­151
  • 11.­53
  • 11.­98
  • 16.­8
  • 16.­17
  • 16.­21
  • 16.­54
  • 16.­64
  • 17.­14
  • 17.­32
  • 18.­19
  • 18.­53
  • 18.­64
  • 18.­74
  • 20.­4
  • 20.­11
  • 22.­19
  • 22.­28
  • 23.­17
  • 24.­12
  • 24.­41
  • 25.­9
  • n.­295
  • n.­627
  • g.­81
  • g.­82
  • g.­83
  • g.­169
  • g.­207
  • g.­277
  • g.­378
g.­83

brahmavihāra

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

The four qualities that are said to result in rebirth in the paradise of Brahmā and were a practice already prevalent before Śākyamuni’s teaching: limitless love, compassion, rejoicing, and equanimity.

1 passage contains this term:

  • 5.­107
g.­85

brother

  • tshe dang ldan pa
  • ཚེ་དང་ལྡན་པ།
  • āyuṣmat

Literally “long-lived.” A title referring to an ordained monk.

39 passages contain this term:

  • i.­8
  • i.­63
  • 1.­3
  • 2.­1
  • 2.­27-28
  • 2.­39-41
  • 2.­43-44
  • 2.­47
  • 2.­49
  • 3.­5
  • 3.­27
  • 3.­46
  • 3.­53-54
  • 4.­1
  • 5.­1
  • 5.­59-60
  • 6.­11
  • 8.­1
  • 8.­29
  • 9.­1
  • 9.­3
  • 9.­14
  • 9.­17
  • 9.­24
  • 19.­7-8
  • 25.­20
  • g.­101
  • g.­149
  • g.­267
  • g.­338
  • g.­442
  • g.­480
g.­86

buddha

  • sangs rgyas
  • སངས་རྒྱས།
  • buddha

Literally “Awakened One” in Sanskrit, the Tibetan translation interprets this as one who is “purified and perfected.”

461 passages contain this term:

  • s.­1
  • i.­1-5
  • i.­10-11
  • i.­14
  • i.­23
  • i.­38-65
  • 1.­1
  • 1.­4
  • 1.­9-14
  • 1.­21
  • 1.­24
  • 1.­37
  • 1.­68
  • 1.­72
  • 1.­79-82
  • 1.­84
  • 1.­86-87
  • 1.­99
  • 1.­113-114
  • 1.­119-121
  • 1.­125
  • 2.­1
  • 2.­6-7
  • 2.­15
  • 2.­18
  • 2.­26
  • 2.­39
  • 2.­62
  • 2.­65
  • 2.­69
  • 2.­73-74
  • 2.­77-79
  • 2.­82
  • 2.­85
  • 2.­93
  • 2.­98
  • 2.­120-121
  • 2.­123
  • 2.­125
  • 2.­127
  • 2.­129-132
  • 2.­145-146
  • 2.­148
  • 2.­160
  • 2.­165
  • 2.­172
  • 3.­2
  • 3.­14
  • 3.­17
  • 3.­19
  • 3.­22
  • 3.­25
  • 3.­27-29
  • 3.­32-35
  • 3.­37
  • 3.­40
  • 3.­51-52
  • 3.­130-131
  • 3.­150
  • 3.­156
  • 3.­161
  • 3.­176
  • 3.­179-180
  • 4.­3
  • 4.­68-69
  • 4.­71
  • 4.­73-74
  • 4.­81-82
  • 4.­91
  • 5.­27
  • 5.­42
  • 5.­55
  • 5.­80
  • 5.­104
  • 6.­1-2
  • 6.­12
  • 6.­15-16
  • 6.­19-21
  • 6.­24
  • 6.­28
  • 6.­32-34
  • 7.­1
  • 7.­40
  • 7.­57
  • 7.­59
  • 7.­63
  • 7.­73
  • 7.­88
  • 7.­91
  • 7.­95
  • 7.­99
  • 7.­112
  • 7.­115
  • 7.­123-125
  • 7.­138
  • 7.­168
  • 7.­189
  • 8.­3-7
  • 8.­11
  • 8.­15-16
  • 8.­19
  • 8.­21
  • 8.­30
  • 8.­33-34
  • 8.­36
  • 8.­41
  • 9.­2-6
  • 9.­13-14
  • 9.­17-18
  • 9.­21
  • 9.­25
  • 9.­27-28
  • 10.­3
  • 10.­7
  • 10.­24
  • 10.­56-57
  • 11.­7
  • 11.­10-14
  • 11.­16
  • 11.­18-20
  • 11.­22-23
  • 11.­29
  • 11.­35-36
  • 11.­40
  • 11.­84-85
  • 11.­103
  • 12.­4-6
  • 12.­23
  • 13.­23
  • 13.­57
  • 13.­60
  • 13.­63
  • 13.­71
  • 14.­13
  • 14.­27
  • 14.­48
  • 14.­64-65
  • 15.­28
  • 15.­40
  • 16.­7-8
  • 16.­29
  • 16.­33
  • 16.­49
  • 16.­58
  • 16.­86
  • 17.­16
  • 18.­22
  • 18.­66
  • 18.­75
  • 18.­83
  • 18.­91
  • 19.­2
  • 19.­6
  • 19.­14
  • 19.­27
  • 19.­30
  • 19.­32
  • 20.­1
  • 20.­6
  • 20.­8
  • 20.­12
  • 20.­18
  • 21.­6
  • 21.­16
  • 22.­2-3
  • 22.­9-10
  • 22.­21
  • 22.­24
  • 22.­33
  • 22.­36
  • 23.­1
  • 23.­4
  • 23.­6-7
  • 23.­14
  • 23.­16
  • 23.­25
  • 24.­8-10
  • 24.­12
  • 24.­20
  • 24.­44
  • 25.­1
  • 25.­7
  • 25.­15
  • 25.­17
  • 25.­30
  • 25.­34
  • 26.­2
  • 26.­4
  • 26.­12
  • 26.­15
  • 27.­9
  • n.­78
  • n.­129
  • n.­164-166
  • n.­219
  • n.­303
  • n.­363-364
  • n.­441
  • n.­448
  • n.­471
  • n.­600
  • n.­602
  • n.­633-634
  • g.­2
  • g.­3
  • g.­4
  • g.­12
  • g.­15
  • g.­16
  • g.­19
  • g.­21
  • g.­22
  • g.­23
  • g.­27
  • g.­31
  • g.­32
  • g.­35
  • g.­39
  • g.­41
  • g.­45
  • g.­47
  • g.­49
  • g.­52
  • g.­60
  • g.­62
  • g.­67
  • g.­71
  • g.­76
  • g.­77
  • g.­79
  • g.­80
  • g.­87
  • g.­94
  • g.­95
  • g.­96
  • g.­101
  • g.­106
  • g.­107
  • g.­113
  • g.­117
  • g.­118
  • g.­121
  • g.­126
  • g.­135
  • g.­136
  • g.­147
  • g.­148
  • g.­149
  • g.­153
  • g.­157
  • g.­159
  • g.­161
  • g.­164
  • g.­167
  • g.­168
  • g.­170
  • g.­172
  • g.­174
  • g.­177
  • g.­178
  • g.­182
  • g.­196
  • g.­204
  • g.­206
  • g.­207
  • g.­210
  • g.­211
  • g.­212
  • g.­214
  • g.­215
  • g.­217
  • g.­219
  • g.­226
  • g.­228
  • g.­235
  • g.­244
  • g.­249
  • g.­254
  • g.­255
  • g.­256
  • g.­257
  • g.­259
  • g.­260
  • g.­262
  • g.­266
  • g.­267
  • g.­274
  • g.­281
  • g.­287
  • g.­289
  • g.­293
  • g.­295
  • g.­300
  • g.­302
  • g.­304
  • g.­312
  • g.­317
  • g.­318
  • g.­322
  • g.­323
  • g.­324
  • g.­328
  • g.­330
  • g.­333
  • g.­334
  • g.­335
  • g.­341
  • g.­344
  • g.­345
  • g.­346
  • g.­348
  • g.­349
  • g.­351
  • g.­352
  • g.­354
  • g.­357
  • g.­362
  • g.­364
  • g.­365
  • g.­367
  • g.­368
  • g.­371
  • g.­374
  • g.­378
  • g.­379
  • g.­380
  • g.­381
  • g.­382
  • g.­395
  • g.­397
  • g.­398
  • g.­402
  • g.­403
  • g.­406
  • g.­413
  • g.­415
  • g.­416
  • g.­418
  • g.­419
  • g.­420
  • g.­436
  • g.­442
  • g.­448
  • g.­452
  • g.­455
  • g.­459
  • g.­466
  • g.­471
  • g.­472
  • g.­476
  • g.­477
  • g.­482
  • g.­493
g.­87

Buddhayāna

  • sangs rgyas kyi theg pa
  • སངས་རྒྱས་ཀྱི་ཐེག་པ།
  • buddhayāna

According to the Lotus Sūtra the one true way to buddhahood, equivalent to the Mahāyāna, which is the only teaching given by buddhas who do not live in a degenerate eon.

14 passages contain this term:

  • i.­43
  • 1.­30
  • 2.­53-54
  • 2.­56
  • 2.­58
  • 2.­60-62
  • 2.­64
  • 3.­75
  • 3.­129
  • 5.­59
  • 5.­79
g.­90

cakravartin

  • ’khor los sgyur ba
  • འཁོར་ལོས་སྒྱུར་བ།
  • cakravartin

A king with a magical wheel, and wherever it rolls becomes his kingdom, so that he may rule over one to four continents.

18 passages contain this term:

  • 1.­10
  • 1.­81
  • 2.­38
  • 5.­38
  • 7.­19
  • 7.­114
  • 11.­98
  • 17.­14
  • 18.­34
  • 18.­65
  • 18.­72
  • 22.­32
  • 23.­17
  • 24.­12
  • g.­16
  • g.­53
  • g.­214
  • g.­235
g.­98

chrysoberyl

  • ke ke ru
  • ཀེ་ཀེ་རུ།
  • karketana

This stone is not a type of beryl in spite of its name. The Tibetan has adopted the Prakrit form of its name: ke ke ru. It is the third hardest gemstone. It comes in three main varieties: the eponymous yellow or green chrysoberyl; cat’s eye (cymophane), which is light green or yellow with a band of light, resembling a cat’s eye; and the third form, alexandrite, which can change color from red to green to yellow according to the light. All three kinds have been mined since ancient times, in Sri Lanka in particular.

3 passages contain this term:

  • 2.­106
  • 11.­1
  • g.­376
g.­99

coral tree

  • man dA ra ba
  • མན་དཱ་ར་བ།
  • māndārava

Erythrina indica or Erythrina variegate. Mandarava, flame tree, tiger’s claw. In the summer it is covered in large crimson flowers, which are believed to also grow in Indra’s paradise. The coral tree is the most widespread species of Erythrina or māndārava, taller than the others, and all are collectively known as coral trees.

17 passages contain this term:

  • 1.­10
  • 1.­16
  • 1.­61
  • 1.­81
  • 1.­94
  • 3.­46
  • 11.­1
  • 11.­15
  • 11.­18
  • 11.­22
  • 15.­30
  • 16.­7
  • 16.­17
  • 18.­29
  • 18.­48
  • 22.­6
  • g.­279
g.­103

defilements

  • zag pa
  • ཟག་པ།
  • āsrava

A term of Jain origin, meaning “inflows.” It refers to uncontrolled thoughts as a result of being influenced by sensory objects and thus being sullied or defiled. It is also defined as “outflows,” hence the Tibetan zag pa (“leaks”) as the mind is “flowing out” toward the sensory objects.

18 passages contain this term:

  • 1.­2
  • 1.­104
  • 2.­12
  • 2.­16
  • 2.­22
  • 2.­26
  • 2.­31
  • 2.­61
  • 2.­63
  • 2.­160
  • 3.­6
  • 3.­8
  • 5.­50
  • 6.­9
  • 7.­109-110
  • 17.­7
  • 17.­21
g.­105

deva

  • lha
  • ལྷ།
  • deva

A being in the paradises from the base of Mount Meru upward. Also can refer to a deity in the human world, or can be used as an honorific form of address for kings and other important personages.

162 passages contain this term:

  • i.­37
  • i.­51
  • 1.­5-7
  • 1.­10
  • 1.­13
  • 1.­16
  • 1.­62
  • 1.­81
  • 1.­84
  • 1.­94
  • 1.­98
  • 1.­110
  • 1.­121
  • 2.­32
  • 2.­37
  • 2.­39
  • 2.­41
  • 2.­53
  • 2.­55
  • 2.­57
  • 2.­59
  • 2.­101
  • 2.­131
  • 2.­164
  • 3.­18
  • 3.­26-27
  • 3.­43
  • 3.­46-47
  • 3.­68
  • 3.­73
  • 3.­143
  • 4.­86
  • 5.­5-6
  • 5.­28
  • 5.­30
  • 5.­38
  • 5.­42
  • 6.­1
  • 6.­19
  • 6.­26
  • 6.­28
  • 6.­32
  • 6.­34
  • 6.­40
  • 7.­1
  • 7.­15-16
  • 7.­28-29
  • 7.­33
  • 7.­39
  • 7.­42
  • 7.­48
  • 7.­56
  • 7.­60
  • 7.­62
  • 7.­64
  • 7.­66
  • 7.­68
  • 7.­73
  • 7.­75
  • 7.­79
  • 7.­88
  • 7.­90
  • 7.­95
  • 7.­99
  • 7.­102
  • 7.­105
  • 7.­108
  • 7.­142
  • 7.­144
  • 8.­5
  • 8.­39
  • 8.­42
  • 9.­1
  • 10.­1
  • 10.­6
  • 10.­36
  • 10.­54
  • 11.­1
  • 11.­6-7
  • 11.­15
  • 11.­19
  • 11.­21
  • 11.­71
  • 11.­83-84
  • 11.­103
  • 12.­8
  • 13.­60
  • 13.­77
  • 13.­81
  • 14.­56
  • 15.­3
  • 15.­30
  • 16.­17
  • 16.­61
  • 16.­84
  • 18.­9
  • 18.­14
  • 18.­19
  • 18.­29-30
  • 18.­41
  • 18.­50-54
  • 18.­64
  • 18.­70
  • 18.­74
  • 18.­81-82
  • 18.­89
  • 19.­3
  • 19.­22
  • 20.­2
  • 20.­6
  • 22.­1
  • 22.­3
  • 22.­17
  • 22.­20-21
  • 22.­27-28
  • 22.­36
  • 22.­38
  • 24.­16
  • 24.­34
  • 25.­1
  • 25.­4
  • 25.­9
  • 25.­30
  • 25.­34
  • 26.­1
  • 26.­6
  • 26.­13
  • 26.­15
  • 27.­6
  • n.­319
  • n.­481
  • g.­44
  • g.­54
  • g.­81
  • g.­82
  • g.­169
  • g.­249
  • g.­250
  • g.­251
  • g.­331
  • g.­347
  • g.­355
  • g.­385
  • g.­399
  • g.­422
g.­113

Dharma

  • chos
  • ཆོས།
  • dharma

A term that predates Buddhism, Dharma/dharmas has a wide range of meanings and usages in Buddhist texts depending on context:

As Dharma, it is the teaching of Buddha Śākyamuni and other buddhas, preached by their followers, and transmitted in the form of scripture; or, alternatively, it means ultimate reality itself, the referent of the teaching and what is realized through it.

As dharmas, it is variously the different teachings given by Buddha Śākyamuni, other buddhas, and their followers; the trainings enjoined in those teachings; the positive qualities acquired through applying those trainings; mental phenomena in general; or phenomena in general or their characteristics. Often in Buddhist literature there is a play on the multiple interlinked senses of this term.

616 passages contain this term:

  • i.­8
  • i.­10
  • i.­16
  • i.­23
  • i.­34-35
  • i.­43
  • i.­45-47
  • i.­49-50
  • i.­56-58
  • i.­62-63
  • 1.­4
  • 1.­9
  • 1.­11
  • 1.­13
  • 1.­21
  • 1.­24
  • 1.­35
  • 1.­40-42
  • 1.­55-56
  • 1.­70-71
  • 1.­73-75
  • 1.­77-78
  • 1.­80
  • 1.­82-85
  • 1.­88
  • 1.­90
  • 1.­92-93
  • 1.­99
  • 1.­104
  • 1.­107-111
  • 1.­118
  • 1.­122
  • 1.­131
  • 1.­133
  • 2.­1-4
  • 2.­6
  • 2.­11
  • 2.­17
  • 2.­20
  • 2.­22
  • 2.­25-27
  • 2.­36
  • 2.­40
  • 2.­42
  • 2.­44-45
  • 2.­50-51
  • 2.­53-60
  • 2.­63-64
  • 2.­67
  • 2.­69
  • 2.­86
  • 2.­95
  • 2.­99
  • 2.­101-103
  • 2.­124
  • 2.­127-130
  • 2.­136
  • 2.­138
  • 2.­144
  • 2.­152-153
  • 2.­156-157
  • 2.­162-163
  • 2.­165-166
  • 2.­173
  • 3.­2-4
  • 3.­8-9
  • 3.­14
  • 3.­20-23
  • 3.­28-29
  • 3.­31-32
  • 3.­35
  • 3.­43-44
  • 3.­46-47
  • 3.­49
  • 3.­53-54
  • 3.­69
  • 3.­76
  • 3.­142-143
  • 3.­145
  • 3.­149
  • 3.­167
  • 3.­175
  • 3.­182
  • 3.­188
  • 4.­1-3
  • 4.­25-26
  • 4.­29
  • 4.­72
  • 4.­75
  • 4.­78
  • 4.­92-95
  • 5.­2
  • 5.­6-10
  • 5.­12
  • 5.­31-34
  • 5.­37
  • 5.­40
  • 5.­45-47
  • 5.­49-50
  • 5.­53-54
  • 5.­57
  • 5.­68
  • 5.­70
  • 5.­73
  • 5.­90
  • 5.­93
  • 5.­101
  • 5.­106
  • 5.­113
  • 6.­1
  • 6.­9-10
  • 6.­19
  • 6.­27-28
  • 6.­34
  • 6.­37
  • 6.­43
  • 6.­45
  • 7.­28-29
  • 7.­42
  • 7.­47-49
  • 7.­60
  • 7.­65-67
  • 7.­75
  • 7.­79-81
  • 7.­90
  • 7.­95
  • 7.­97
  • 7.­102
  • 7.­104-105
  • 7.­108
  • 7.­110
  • 7.­113
  • 7.­115
  • 7.­118
  • 7.­120
  • 7.­122-125
  • 7.­131-134
  • 7.­146
  • 7.­150
  • 7.­154
  • 7.­156-157
  • 7.­159
  • 7.­172
  • 7.­186
  • 7.­191
  • 8.­1-4
  • 8.­7
  • 8.­15
  • 8.­17-21
  • 8.­26
  • 8.­36
  • 8.­38-39
  • 8.­41
  • 8.­49
  • 8.­62
  • 9.­1
  • 9.­4-5
  • 9.­10
  • 9.­13-16
  • 9.­20
  • 9.­25
  • 9.­30
  • 9.­34
  • 10.­1-2
  • 10.­4-8
  • 10.­10
  • 10.­26-29
  • 10.­31-37
  • 10.­48
  • 10.­56
  • 10.­58
  • 11.­3-4
  • 11.­7-8
  • 11.­10-12
  • 11.­23
  • 11.­25-26
  • 11.­29-34
  • 11.­36
  • 11.­39
  • 11.­41-42
  • 11.­49
  • 11.­58
  • 11.­63
  • 11.­72-73
  • 11.­75-79
  • 11.­82-83
  • 11.­85
  • 11.­90
  • 11.­97
  • 11.­103
  • 11.­105
  • 12.­1-2
  • 12.­9-12
  • 12.­17
  • 12.­33
  • 13.­1-2
  • 13.­4-6
  • 13.­16
  • 13.­22
  • 13.­34-36
  • 13.­39
  • 13.­43
  • 13.­45
  • 13.­49
  • 13.­51-52
  • 13.­55
  • 13.­58-66
  • 13.­71
  • 13.­73
  • 13.­80-83
  • 13.­86-88
  • 13.­91-92
  • 13.­94
  • 14.­1-2
  • 14.­39
  • 14.­52
  • 14.­54-56
  • 14.­61-62
  • 14.­66-68
  • 14.­76
  • 14.­80
  • 15.­6-10
  • 15.­12
  • 15.­18
  • 15.­20
  • 15.­26
  • 15.­32-33
  • 15.­40-41
  • 16.­1-7
  • 16.­9-10
  • 16.­13
  • 16.­15
  • 16.­25-26
  • 16.­46
  • 16.­48-49
  • 16.­51-52
  • 16.­55-59
  • 16.­88
  • 17.­1
  • 17.­3
  • 17.­6-7
  • 17.­10
  • 17.­12-16
  • 17.­19-21
  • 17.­24
  • 17.­29
  • 17.­31
  • 17.­33
  • 18.­1
  • 18.­9
  • 18.­20-22
  • 18.­26
  • 18.­29
  • 18.­57-59
  • 18.­61
  • 18.­63-66
  • 18.­69-70
  • 18.­72
  • 18.­75-76
  • 18.­78
  • 18.­83
  • 18.­85-86
  • 18.­91-94
  • 18.­96-97
  • 19.­1
  • 19.­3-6
  • 19.­11-14
  • 19.­16-19
  • 19.­21
  • 19.­23
  • 19.­31-34
  • 20.­1-4
  • 20.­6-9
  • 20.­19-20
  • 20.­24
  • 21.­1
  • 21.­3-4
  • 21.­24-25
  • 22.­4-5
  • 22.­8-9
  • 22.­11
  • 22.­13
  • 22.­24-34
  • 22.­36-37
  • 22.­39-42
  • 23.­2
  • 23.­6-7
  • 23.­11
  • 23.­17-21
  • 23.­27-28
  • 24.­11-12
  • 24.­14-15
  • 24.­39
  • 24.­45
  • 24.­53
  • 25.­3-5
  • 25.­9
  • 25.­15-17
  • 25.­19-21
  • 25.­25
  • 25.­27
  • 25.­35-36
  • 26.­2-8
  • 26.­11
  • 26.­14-21
  • 26.­24
  • 26.­26
  • 27.­1
  • 27.­3
  • 27.­7
  • 27.­9
  • n.­100
  • n.­102
  • n.­104
  • n.­127
  • n.­149
  • n.­160
  • n.­162-163
  • n.­219
  • n.­256
  • n.­269
  • n.­275
  • n.­363
  • n.­420
  • n.­475
  • g.­10
  • g.­25
  • g.­40
  • g.­115
  • g.­118
  • g.­128
  • g.­129
  • g.­133
  • g.­136
  • g.­157
  • g.­266
  • g.­293
  • g.­294
  • g.­310
  • g.­311
  • g.­312
  • g.­320
  • g.­413
  • g.­463
g.­118

dharmakāya

  • chos kyi sku
  • ཆོས་ཀྱི་སྐུ།
  • dharmakāya

In distinction to the rūpakāya, or form body of a buddha, this is the eternal, imperceivable realization of a buddha. In origin it was a term for the presence of the Dharma, and has become synonymous with the true nature.

1 passage contains this term:

  • 5.­111
g.­125

dhyāna

  • bsam gtan
  • བསམ་གཏན།
  • dhyāna

Generally one of the synonyms for meditation, referring to a state of mental stability. The specific four dhyānas are four successively subtler states of meditation that are said to lead to rebirth into the corresponding four levels of the form realm, which are composed of seventeen paradises.

18 passages contain this term:

  • 2.­3
  • 2.­28
  • 2.­83
  • 3.­71
  • 3.­75
  • 3.­131
  • 5.­42
  • 5.­52
  • 7.­134
  • 8.­7
  • 8.­24
  • 8.­26
  • 18.­53
  • 18.­57
  • g.­1
  • g.­18
  • g.­82
  • g.­394
g.­128

eloquence

  • spobs pa
  • སྤོབས་པ།
  • pratibhāna

The Tibetan word literally means “confidence” or “courage” but it refers to confident speech, to being perfectly eloquent, especially in expressing the Dharma.

7 passages contain this term:

  • 1.­4
  • 10.­56
  • 16.­2
  • 16.­11
  • 19.­12
  • 20.­20
  • n.­252
g.­130