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བདེ་བ་ཅན་གྱི་བཀོད་པ།

The Display of the Pure Land of Sukhāvatī

Sukhāvatī­vyūha
འཕགས་པ་བདེ་བ་ཅན་གྱི་བཀོད་པ་ཞེས་བྱ་བ་ཐེག་པ་ཆེན་པོའི་མདོ།
’phags pa bde ba can gyi bkod pa zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo
The Noble Mahāyāna Sūtra “The Display of the Pure Land of Sukhāvatī”
Ārya­sukhāvatī­vyūha­nāma­mahā­yāna­sūtra
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Toh 115

Degé Kangyur, vol. 51 (mdo sde, ja), folios 195.b–200.b

Translated by the Sakya Pandita Translation Group (International Buddhist Academy Division)
under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha

First published 2011
Current version v 2.20.13 (2023)
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co.

Table of Contents

ti. Title
im. Imprint
co. Contents
s. Summary
ac. Acknowledgments
i. Introduction
+ 8 sections- 8 sections
· Origin and History
· Source Text and Various Versions
· Main Points of the Subject Matter
· Four Main Topics
· The Setting
· The Significance of Buddha Realms
· References to the Sūtra in the Tibetan Canon
· Academic Research
tr. The Translation
+ 2 sections- 2 sections
1. The Display of the Pure Land of Sukhāvatī
c. Colophon
n. Notes
b. Bibliography
+ 3 sections- 3 sections
· Tibetan Texts
· Sanskrit Texts
· Secondary Literature
g. Glossary

s.

Summary

s.­1

In the Jeta Grove of Śrāvastī, the Buddha Śākyamuni, surrounded by a large audience, presents to his disciple Śāriputra a detailed description of the realm of Sukhāvatī, a delightful, enlightened abode, free of suffering. Its inhabitants are described as mature beings in an environment where everything enhances their spiritual inclinations. The principal buddha of Sukhāvatī is addressed as Amitāyus (Limitless Life) as well as Amitābha (Limitless Light).

The Buddha Śākyamuni further explains how virtuous people who focus single-mindedly on the Buddha Amitābha will obtain a rebirth in Sukhāvatī in their next life, and he urges all to develop faith in this teaching. In support, he cites the similar way in which the various buddhas of the six directions exhort their followers to develop confidence in this teaching on Sukhāvatī.

The sūtra ends with a short dialogue between Śāriputra and the Buddha Śākyamuni that highlights the difficulty of enlightened activity in a degenerate age.


ac.

Acknowledgments

ac.­1

Translation by the Sakya Pandita Translation Group, International Buddhist Academy Division, Kathmandu, under the supervision of Khenpo Ngawang Jorden. This sūtra was translated into English by the monk Ngawang Rinchen Gyaltsen, Julia Stenzel, and Tsewang Gyaltsen.

This translation has been completed under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.


i.

Introduction

Origin and History

i.­1

The Display of the Pure Land of Sukhāvatī is the shortest of three sūtras that expound the Land of Delight, the pure realm of Amitābha, called Sukhāvatī. The Kangyur includes Tibetan translations of two of these texts: this one, often called the “shorter” Sukhāvatī, and the “longer” sūtra, with the formal title The Array of Amitābha (Toh 49 in the Heap of Jewels section).1 The third, The Amitāyus Meditation Sūtra,2 is only extant in Chinese.

The shorter sūtra, according to the Sanskrit scholar Luis Gomez, first appeared in its written form during the first century ᴄᴇ, possibly in what was then Northwest India and is now Pakistan.3

Source Text and Various Versions

i.­2

A Sanskrit version of the smaller Display of the Pure Land of Sukhāvatī is extant today, as well as Tibetan and Chinese translations. All the translations show some variation from the Sanskrit source in content and style, which can be attributed in part to cultural and geographic conditions in Tibet and China.4 The translations have become more influential than the original itself, for which we presently lack any contextual information.

i.­3

There are several Chinese translations of this sūtra, dating from between 240 and 400 ᴄᴇ, but only one Tibetan version, translated in the eighth or ninth century. The Chinese versions of the sūtra spread through China, Korea, Japan, and Vietnam and played an important role in the formation of the Pure Land schools in these countries. These versions appear to embellish the description of the wonders of the realm of Sukhāvatī,5 whereas the Tibetan version is more subdued and shows its main variations from the Sanskrit original in the names and the number of buddhas presiding over the different buddha realms. The various editions in the Tibetan canon, i.e., the Degé, Narthang, Peking, and Lhasa editions, show no major differences that would alter any meaning.

i.­4

For the present translation, we have followed the Tibetan text, while comparing it with the Sanskrit original. Concerning the enumeration of names of the buddhas presiding over the various buddha realms, we have retained their original Sanskrit names, unless the Tibetan text had names without a known Sanskrit equivalent, in which case we chose to translate those names into English. The differences are further commented on in notes.

i.­5

The Tibetan version of the smaller Display of the Pure Land of Sukhāvatī was translated by the Indian preceptor Dānaśīla and the chief editor-translator Bandé Yeshé Dé, as indicated in the colophon.

Main Points of the Subject Matter

i.­6

The sūtra’s overall subject is revealed in the title. The Sanskrit term sukhāvatī, in Tibetan Dewachen (bde ba can), designates a realm of delight, a place where no suffering is experienced. The inhabitants of this realm are spiritually advanced beings who enjoy the presence of buddhas, bodhisattvas, and arhats, and engage exclusively in wholesome activities. The principal buddha of this realm has two names, Amitāyus (Limitless Life) and Amitābha (Limitless Light). Even though it is not explicitly stated in this particular sūtra, Amitāyus is, in Vajrayāna contexts, sometimes considered a sambhogakāya form of Buddha Amitābha.6

The term vyūha (Tib. bkod pa) means “display,” indicating that the sūtra is to a large extent a description of this buddha realm and its characteristics. It is a land with lakes and forests full of jewels, with magical birds, and with little bells producing lovely sounds. Its ideal environment enhances the spiritual practice of Sukhāvatī’s inhabitants.

Four Main Topics

i.­7

The sūtra contains four main topics: (1) the description of Sukhāvatī; (2) the prerequisites needed to take birth in this realm; (3) praise of this discourse expressed by other buddhas; and (4) the Buddha Śākyamuni’s supreme feat.

The Setting

i.­8

The narrative of the sūtra takes place in the Jeta Grove of Śrāvastī, where the Buddha Śākyamuni, in the presence of a large audience consisting of arhats and bodhisattvas, addresses his disciple Śāriputra and tells him about the realm of Sukhāvatī. The sūtra is in large part a discourse spoken by the Buddha. Even though the Buddha regularly asks the question, “Śāriputra, what do you think about this?” Śāriputra speaks only at the very end of the sūtra and praises the Buddha.

The sūtra ends with a short dialogue between Śāriputra and the Buddha Śākyamuni that highlights the difficulty of the Buddha Śākyamuni’s attaining enlightenment and preaching in a degenerate age.

The Significance of Buddha Realms

i.­9

The notion of innumerable buddha realms coexisting with our reality became popular with the emergence of Mahāyāna Buddhism around the first century ᴄᴇ. They have been interchangeably translated as buddhafields, buddha realms, or pure lands.

In The Display of the Pure Land of Sukhāvatī, the Land of Delight is described as a realm beyond space and time. The two larger sūtras elaborate on the history of its emergence. According to those sūtras, the Land of Delight is the result of the powerful vows of the Buddha Amitābha, who out of great compassion created a safe environment for fortunate beings to progress toward spiritual maturity. The smaller sūtra, however, refers only to the existence of such a realm and its characteristics.

In this sūtra, the Buddha Śākyamuni explains the manner in which beings take birth in this realm: fortunate sons and daughters are told to accumulate a significant amount of merit and direct their faith single-mindedly toward the Buddha Amitābha.

Śākyamuni’s discourse mentions an alternative title for this sūtra. He explains that there are countless buddha realms with tathāgatas who praise Sukhāvatī with a Dharma discourse called “Complete Embrace by All Buddhas.”

References to the Sūtra in the Tibetan Canon

i.­10

The various sūtras of the Pure Land of Sukhāvatī have inspired Tibetan masters to write prayers and practice rituals that allow adepts to enter Amitābha’s realm. There are numerous Sukhāvatī-related compositions available in the Tengyur and in different collected works (gsung ’bum).

The Collection of Prayers for Sukhāvatī (bde smon phyogs bsgrigs) is a collection of prayers, practice rituals, and commentaries concerning the pure land of Amitābha. An edition was published in Chengdu in 2007 by Sichuan Minorities Publishing House (Si khron mi rigs dpe skrun khang).

One of the Tibetan masters who made Sukhāvatī a particular focus of attention was Chagmé Rinpoché (’chags med, 1610–78). He composed The Long Prayer of Sukhāvatī (mkhas grub rā ga a syas mdzad pa’i rnam dag bde chen zhing gi smon lam), among others.

Furthermore, the well-known Noble King of Prayers for Good Conduct (’phags pa bzang po spyod pa’i smon lam gyi rgyal po), recited by adherents of all Tibetan schools, concludes with the aspiration for rebirth in the pure realm of Sukhāvatī. Praying to be born in the pure realm of Amitābha has become a major practice in Mahāyāna Buddhism.

Academic Research

i.­11

There appears to have been no translation of the Tibetan Display of the Pure Land of Sukhāvatī prior to the one published here. However, the Sanskrit version of the sūtra was translated into English and edited by Max Müller and Bunyiu Nanjio in Müller and Nanjio (1883).

Luis O. Gomez has published a nonliteral, poetic translation of the Sanskrit and Chinese versions of the smaller and larger sūtras and gives an introduction to the main topics (Gomez 1996). His literal translation of the same sūtras is forthcoming. Hisao Inagaki has translated the three Pure Land sūtras on the basis of their Chinese versions; this translation appears in the BDK English Tripiṭaka Vol. 12, Berkeley, 1995. An earlier translation from the Chinese was published in Utsuki (1924).

Nakamura (1987) presents an historical introduction to the beginnings of Pure Land Buddhism and its textual sources in Indian Buddhism.


The Noble Mahāyāna Sūtra
The Display of the Pure Land of Sukhāvatī

1.

The Translation

[F.195.b]


1.­1

Homage to all the buddhas and bodhisattvas.


Thus did I hear at one time. The Bhagavān was dwelling in Anāthapiṇḍada’s park in the Jeta Grove in Śrāvastī, along with a large monastic saṅgha of 1,250 bhikṣus,7 all of them great elders, śrāvakas, and arhats, such as the elder Śāriputra, Mahā­maudgalyāyana, Mahākāśyapa, Mahā­kātyāyana,8 Mahākapphiṇa, Mahākauṣṭhila, Revata, Śuddhipaṃthaka, Nanda, Ānanda, Rāhula, Gavāṃpati, Bharadvāja, Kālodāyin, Vakula, and Aniruddha. He dwelt with these and other great śrāvakas and with many bodhisattva mahāsattvas, such as the youthful Mañjuśrī, [F.196.a] the bodhisattva mahāsattva Ajita, the bodhisattva mahāsattva Gandhahastin, the bodhisattva mahāsattva Nityodyukta, and the bodhisattva mahāsattva Anikṣiptadhura, along with many other bodhisattva mahāsattvas. He was also accompanied by Śakra, the lord of gods, and Brahmā, the ruler of the Sahā world, along with many myriads9 of gods.

1.­2

On that occasion, the Bhagavān said to the venerable Śāriputra, “Śāriputra, if you go from this buddha realm past one hundred thousand myriad buddha realms toward the western direction, there is a world known as Sukhāvatī. In that place the tathāgata, the arhat, the perfectly and fully enlightened buddha known as Amitāyus, dwells, lives, and abides, teaching the Dharma.

“Now what do you think, Śāriputra, why is that world called ‘Sukhāvatī’?

1.­3

“Śāriputra, in the Sukhāvatī world, sentient beings experience neither physical pain nor mental suffering and the causes for their happiness are limitless. For this reason, this world is called Sukhāvatī. Furthermore, Śāriputra, the Sukhāvatī world is surrounded on all sides by seven layers of terraces, seven rows of palm trees, and filigrees of chimes. It is radiantly beautiful. Śāriputra, this buddha realm is beautifully adorned with displays of the excellences of buddha realms, such as the four kinds of jewels, namely, gold, silver, beryl, and crystal. Furthermore, Śāriputra, the Sukhāvatī world has ponds adorned with seven kinds of jewels. The ponds are full of water possessing the eight qualities. They are covered by jeweled lotuses, [F.196.b] are filled to the top to enable crows to drink, and are lined with golden sand. All around, on the four sides of the ponds are four radiantly elegant staircases, each made of one of the four precious substances: gold, silver, beryl, and crystal. By the banks of the ponds grow jeweled trees of the seven radiantly beautiful jewels: gold, silver, beryl, crystal, rosy pearls, emerald, and coral. From all those ponds grow lotuses that bloom as large as chariot wheels.

1.­4

“The golden lotuses have a golden hue, a golden sheen, and manifest as gold. The blue ones have a blue hue, a blue sheen, and manifest as blue. The yellow ones have a yellow hue, a yellow sheen, and manifest as yellow. The red ones have a red hue, a red sheen, and manifest as red. The white ones have a white hue, a white sheen, and manifest as white. The iridescent ones have an iridescent hue, an iridescent sheen, and manifest as iridescence. Śāriputra, this buddha realm is beautifully adorned by such displays of the excellences of buddha realms. Furthermore, Śāriputra, in the Sukhāvatī world, the sound of divine cymbals is always heard. The vast ground is magnificent, as if golden in color. Śāriputra, this buddha realm is beautifully adorned by such displays of the excellences of buddha realms.

1.­5

“Furthermore, Śāriputra, in that buddha realm a shower of divine flowers, divine mandārava flowers, descends three times every day and three times every night. In a single morning, the sentient beings that are born there proceed from one buddha realm to the next, paying homage to hundreds of thousands of buddhas. They also toss hundreds of thousands of bouquets of flowers toward each tathāgata. After making offerings, they return to that same world for their daily rest. [F.197.a] Śāriputra, this buddha realm is beautifully adorned by such displays of the excellences of buddha realms.

1.­6

“Furthermore, Śāriputra, in the Sukhāvatī world there are swans, cranes, and peacocks that assemble three times during the day and three times at night and perform a concert, each singing its own melody. When they sing, the sounds of the powers, strengths, and branches of enlightenment emerge. Upon hearing those sounds, the sentient beings born there are moved to contemplate the Buddha, to contemplate the Dharma, and to contemplate the Saṅgha. Now what do you think about this, Śāriputra? Have those sentient beings taken birth as animals? You should not think so. Why is that? Śāriputra, in this buddha realm there are not even words for birth as a hell being, birth as an animal, or birth in the world of the Lord of Death. Those flocks of birds were manifested by the Tathāgata Amitāyus himself to voice the sound of Dharma. Śāriputra, this buddha realm is beautifully adorned by such displays of the excellences of buddha realms.

1.­7

“Furthermore, Śāriputra, when the wind blows in that buddha realm it sways the rows of palm trees and the filigree net of chimes, creating sweet, enchanting, and delightful sounds, like the myriad subtleties of divine cymbals when played by a skilled musician. The people there, upon hearing those sounds, settle into the recollection of the Buddha, the recollection of the Dharma, and the recollection of the Saṅgha. Śāriputra, this buddha realm is beautifully adorned by such displays of the excellences of buddha realms.

1.­8

“Now what do you think, Śāriputra, [F.197.b] why is that tathāgata called ‘Amitāyus’ (Immeasurable Life)? Śāriputra, the lifespan of the Tathāgata Amitāyus is immeasurable. For this reason, he is called ‘Tathāgata Amitāyus.’ Furthermore, Śāriputra, why is that tathāgata called ‘Amitābha’ (Immeasurable Light)? Śāriputra, the light of the Tathāgata Amitābha shines unimpeded throughout all buddha realms. For this reason, he is called ‘Tathāgata Amitābha.’ The Bhagavān Tathāgata Amitābha fully awakened to unsurpassable, completely perfect enlightenment ten eons ago.

1.­9

“Furthermore, Śāriputra, this bhagavān has an immeasurable saṅgha of śrāvakas, who are all pure arhats; their number cannot be easily expressed. Furthermore, Śāriputra, the sentient beings born in this buddha realm are all pure bodhisattvas who will not regress and are bound by only one more birth.10 Śāriputra, one cannot express the total number of bodhisattvas except to say that they are immeasurable or countless. Śāriputra, this buddha realm is beautifully adorned by such displays of the excellences of buddha realms.

1.­10

“Therefore Śāriputra, sons and daughters of good family should completely dedicate all roots of virtue in a respectful manner to be born in that buddha realm. Why? Because by doing so, they will be able to meet holy beings similar to themselves. Śāriputra, one cannot take birth in the realm of the Bhagavān Tathāgata Amitāyus merely with minimal roots of virtue.

1.­11

“Śāriputra, if those sons and daughters of good family hear the name of the Bhagavān Tathāgata Amitāyus and keep it in mind unwaveringly for one, two, three, four, five, [F.198.a] six, or seven nights, when the hour of their death arrives, they will depart in an undeluded state. After they have passed away, the Tathāgata Amitābha will stand before them, entirely surrounded by a śrāvaka assembly and honored by a congregation of bodhisattvas. These sons and daughters of good family will be born in the Sukhāvatī world, the buddha realm of the Bhagavān Tathāgata Amitābha. Therefore, Śāriputra, having seen its real point, sons and daughters of good family, I declare, ought to respectfully make prayers to reach that buddha realm.

1.­12

“O Śāriputra, I, the Tathāgata, at present praise [this Sukhāvatī].11 So, likewise, Śāriputra, in the east, the Tathāgata Akṣobhya, the Tathāgata Merudhvaja, the Tathāgata Meru,12 the Tathāgata Mahāmeru, the Tathāgata Mahā­meru­prabhāsa,13 the Tathāgata Harmonious Speech, the Tathāgata Harmonious Voice,14 and the other bhagavān buddhas of the east, who are as numerous as the grains of sand of the river Ganges, pervade their own buddha realms with the power of their speech15 and proclaim, ‘You should place your trust in this Dharma discourse called “Complete Embrace by all Buddhas,”16 which praises inconceivable qualities.’

1.­13

“Likewise, in the south, the bhagavān buddhas of the south, such as the Tathāgata Candra­sūrya­pradīpa, the Tathāgata Renown,17 the Tathāgata Yaśaḥprabha, the Tathāgata Mahārciskandha, [F.198.b] the Tathāgata Merupradīpa, the Tathāgata Anaṃtavīrya, and others, who are as numerous as the grains of sand of the river Ganges, pervade their own buddha realms with the power of their speech and proclaim, ‘You should place your trust in this Dharma discourse called “Complete Embrace by all Buddhas,” which praises inconceivable qualities.’

1.­14

“Likewise, in the west, the bhagavān buddhas of the west, such as the Tathāgata Amitāyus, the Tathāgata Amitaskandha, the Tathāgata Amitadhvaja, the Tathāgata Mahāprabha, the Tathāgata Illuminating Light Rays,18 the Tathāgata Ratnaketu,19 the Tathāgata Śuddha­raśmi­prabha, and others, who are as numerous as the grains of sand of the river Ganges, pervade their own buddha realms with the power of their speech and proclaim, ‘You should place your trust in this Dharma discourse called “Complete Embrace by all Buddhas,” which praises inconceivable qualities.’

1.­15

“Likewise, in the north, the bhagavān buddhas of the north, such as the Tathāgata Mahārciskandha, the Tathāgata Vaiśvānara­nirghoṣa, the Tathāgata Duṣpradharṣa, the Tathāgata Āditya­saṃbhava, the Tathāgata Jālinīprabha, the Tathāgata Prabhākara, and others,20 who are as numerous as the grains of sand of the river Ganges, pervade their own buddha realms with the power of their speech and proclaim, [F.199.a] ‘You should place your trust in this Dharma discourse called “Complete Embrace by all Buddhas,” which praises inconceivable qualities.’

1.­16

“Likewise, in the nadir, the bhagavān buddhas of the nadir, such as the Tathāgata Siṃha, the Tathāgata Yaśas, the Tathāgata Yaśaḥprabhāsa, the Tathāgata Dharma, the Tathāgata Dharmadhara, the Tathāgata Dharmadhvaja, and others, who are numerous as the grains of sand of the river Ganges, pervade their own buddha realms with the power of their speech and proclaim, ‘You should place your trust in this Dharma discourse called “Complete Embrace by all Buddhas,” which praises inconceivable qualities.’

1.­17

“Likewise, in the zenith, the bhagavān buddhas of the zenith, such as the Tathāgata Brahmaghoṣa, the Tathāgata Nakṣatrarāja, the Tathāgata Gandhottama, the Tathāgata Gandhaprabhāsa, the Tathāgata Heap of Incense,21 the Tathāgata Ratna­kusuma­saṃpuṣpita­gotra, the Tathāgata Sālendrarāja, the Tathāgata Ratnotpalaśrī, the Tathāgata Sarvārthadarśa, the Tathāgata Sumerukalpa, and others22 who are as numerous as the grains of sand of the river Ganges, pervade their own buddha realms with the power of their speech and proclaim, ‘You should place your trust [F.199.b] in this Dharma discourse called “Complete Embrace by all Buddhas,” which praises Sukhāvatī’s inconceivable qualities.’

1.­18

“What do you think about this, Śāriputra, why is this Dharma discourse called ‘Complete Embrace by All Buddhas’? Śāriputra, those sons and daughters of good family who have heard, now hear, or will hear this Dharma discourse and the names of those bhagavān buddhas will all be embraced completely by the bhagavān buddhas.23 Śāriputra, of all those sentient beings who aspire‍—who have made, are making, or will make aspirations‍—to the Sukhāvatī world, the buddha realm of the Bhagavān Tathāgata Amitābha, none has turned away, is turning away, or will ever turn away from the pursuit of unsurpassable, completely perfect enlightenment. Śāriputra, just as I now praise the inconceivable qualities of those bhagavān buddhas, likewise, Śāriputra, those bhagavān buddhas also praise my inconceivable qualities.”

1.­19

Śāriputra declared,24 “Bhagavān Śākyamuni, king of the Śākyas, you have fully awakened to unsurpassable, completely perfect enlightenment in this Sahā world. You have taught the Dharma that the whole world was reluctant to accept at the time of the degeneration of the eon, the degeneration of afflictions, the degeneration of beings, the degeneration of views, and the degeneration of lifespan.25 How marvelous indeed!”

1.­20

The Bhagavān replied, “Śāriputra, having fully awakened to unsurpassable, completely perfect enlightenment in this world, the Sahā world, at the time of the five degenerations, I have taught the Dharma that the whole world was reluctant to accept. This is the supreme feat I have accomplished.”

1.­21

After the Bhagavān [F.200.a] had thus spoken, the whole world, including the venerable Śāriputra, the great śrāvakas, bodhisattvas, gods, humans, demigods, and gandharvas, were delighted and praised highly the words spoken by the Bhagavān.


1.­22

This completes The Noble Mahāyāna Sūtra “The Display of Sukhāvatī.”


c.

Colophon

c.­1

This sūtra was translated and finalized by the Indian preceptor Dānaśīla and the principal revisor-translator Bandé Yeshé Dé, along with others.


n.

Notes

n.­1
Toh 49 (’od dpag med kyi bkod pa’i mdo, Amitābha­vyūha­sūtra), also known in Tibetan as bde ba can gyi zhing
 bkod pa’i bstan pa (The Teaching on the Display of the Pure Land
 of Sukhāvatī) or, informally, the “longer” Sukhāvatī.
n.­2
The latter sūtra’s Sanskrit title, Amitāyur­dhyāna­sūtra, is now believed to have been fabricated at a later date. Most scholars even consider the Guan wu liang shou jing to be a Chinese or Central Asian compilation. See Fujita (1990), especially p. 155 and n. 48, on the question of the title. On p. 155 Fujita says, “It cannot be determined categorically what the Sanskrit title of the Kuan Wu-liang-shou ching might have been.”
n.­3
Gomez (1996), p. xii.
n.­4
Nakamura (1987), p. 204.
n.­5
Nakamura (1987), p. 206.
n.­6
But see also Roberts and Bower (2016), Introduction, on the conflation of these two buddhas.
n.­7
The Sanskrit has “abhijñānābhijñātaiḥ”, i.e., “bhikṣus, all of them proficient in the [five kinds of] superknowledge.” This is omitted in the Tibetan.
n.­8
In the Sanskrit version the order is Mahā­maudgalyāyana, Mahākāśyapa, Mahākapphiṇa, Mahā­kātyāyana.
n.­9
Literally, the text has “10 million (bye ba) x 10 billion (khrag khrig) x 100 thousand (’bum phrag).” In the Sanskrit it says, according to Max Müller, “a hundred thousand nayutas.”
n.­10
These are bodhisattvas removed from enlightenment by only one more 
birth.
n.­11
The Skt. has tāṃ pari­kīrtayāmi, “I praise this”; the feminine tāṃ (missing, of course, in the Tibetan) shows that what is being praised is indeed Sukhāvatī.
n.­12
This name is not mentioned in the Sanskrit text.
n.­13
In the Sanskrit version this name is rendered as simply Meruprabhāsa.
n.­14
The Tibetan version includes these last two names, ’jam sgra (*mañjuvacana) and ’jam dbyangs (*mañjughoṣa). There is no equivalent in the Sanskrit text, which instead has Mañjudhvaja (Beautiful Victory Banner).
n.­15
Literally, the text says: “The buddhas cover their land with the power of their tongue faculty.”
n.­16
The Sanskrit text has sarva­buddha­pari­grahaṃ nāma dharma­paryāyam. This translates as, “You should place your trust in this Dharma discourse called ‘The Grace [lit. the complete embrace] of All Buddhas.’ ” The word nāma (“called”) is missing in the Tibetan version, but has been added to clarify the meaning of this passage.
n.­17
There is no equivalent in the Sanskrit version.
n.­18
’od zer snang ba. There is no equivalent in the Sanskrit version.
n.­19
The Sanskrit version reads Mahāratnaketu.
n.­20
The Sanskrit mentions another tathāgata who does not figure in the Tibetan, Tathāgata Duṃdubhisvara­nirghoṣa (=Dundubhisvara­nirghoṣa).
n.­21
spos kyi phung po. The Sanskrit here reads Mahārciskandha (Great Mass of Light).
n.­22
The Sanskrit also mentions the Tathāgata Indra­ketu­dhvaja­rāja, who is absent in the Tibetan text.
n.­23
The Sanskrit and Tibetan differ significantly here and in what immediately follows. We have translated on the basis of the Tibetan.
n.­24
Here the Tibetan departs significantly from the Sanskrit, which has the other buddhas say these words.
n.­25
The five degenerations. See glossary.

b.

Bibliography

Tibetan Texts

’phags pa bde ba can gyi bkod pa zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo. Toh 115, Degé Kangyur vol. 51 (mdo sde, ja), folios 195.b–200.b.

’phags pa bde ba can gyi bkod pa zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo. bka’ ’gyur (dpe bsdur ma) [Comparative Edition of the Kangyur], krung go’i bod rig pa zhib ’jug ste gnas kyi bka’ bstan dpe sdur khang (The Tibetan Tripitaka Collation Bureau of the China Tibetology Research Center). 108 volumes. Beijing: krung go’i bod rig pa dpe skrun khang (China Tibetology Publishing House), 2006–9, vol. 51, pp. 532–42.

Ha’o wun zhon and To’u tshun chi, eds. bod rgya shan sbyar gyi shes bya’i rnam grangs kun btus tshig mdzod. Beijing: mi rigs dpe skrun khang (Minorities Publishing House), 1987.

bde smon phyogs bsgrigs [The Collection of Prayers for Sukhāvatī]. Chengdu: si khron mi rigs dpe skrun khang (Sichuan Minorities Publishing House), 2007.

mkhas grub rā ga a syas mdzad pa’i rnam dag bde chen zhing gi smon lam [Long Prayer for Sukhāvatī]. Chengdu: si khron mi rigs dpe skrun khang (Sichuan Minorities Publishing House), 2007.

’phags pa bzang po spyod pa’i smon lam gyi rgyal po [Noble King of Prayers for Good Conduct]. Toh 1095, Degé Kangyur, vol. 101 (gzungs ’dus, waM), folios 262.a–266.b.

Sanskrit Texts

Ārya­sukhāvatī­vyūha­nāma­mahā­yāna­sūtra. http://gretil.sub.uni-goettingen.de. Accessed August 25, 2010.

Secondary Literature

Epstein, Ronald, trans. The Amitābha Sūtra. Hsüan Hua, A General Explanation of the Buddha Speaks of Amitābha Sūtra. San Francisco: Buddhist Text Translation Society, 1974. online.sfsu.ed.

Fujita, Kōtatsu. “Textual Origins of the Kuan Wu-liang-shou ching.” In Chinese Buddhist Apocrypha, edited by Robert E. Buswell, Jr., 149–173. Honolulu: University of Hawai’i Press, 1990.

Gomez, Luis O. Land of Bliss: The Paradise of the Buddha of Measureless Light; Sanskrit and Chinese Versions of the Sukhāvatīvyūha Sūtras. Honolulu: University of Hawai’i Press, 1996.

Hapatsch, Hischam A., trans. and ed. Die Heiligen Schriften des Amitābha-Buddhismus: Das große Sukhāvatī-vyūha-Sūtra, Das kleine Sukhāvatī-vyūha-Sūtra, Das Meditationssūtra. Berlin, 2007. www.littera.de. Accessed 2010.

Müller, Max, and Bunyiu Nanjio, trans. “Āryasukhāvatīvyūhasūtra.” Anecdota Oxoniensia: Aryan Series. Vol. I, part II. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1883.

Nakamura, Hajime. Indian Buddhism: A Survey with Bibliographical Notes. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass Publications, 1987.

Roberts, Peter Alan and Emily Bower, trans. The Aparimitāyurjñāna Sūtra (Toh 674). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2016.

Utsuki, Nishu. The Smaller Sukhāvatīvyūha Sūtra or The Sūtra on the Buddha Amitāyus: Translated from the Chinese Version of Kumārajīva. Kyoto: Educational Department of the West Hongwanji, 1924. web.mit.edu.


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

Āditya­saṃbhava

  • nyi ma’i ’byung
  • ཉི་མའི་འབྱུང་།
  • āditya­saṃbhava

Name of a tathāgata.

1 passage contains this term:

  • 1.­15
g.­2

Ajita

  • mi pham
  • མི་ཕམ།
  • ajita

Name of a bodhisattva. Not to be confused with mgon po mi pham, Maitreya.

2 passages contain this term:

  • 1.­1
  • g.­30
g.­3

Akṣobhya

  • mi ’khrugs pa
  • མི་འཁྲུགས་པ།
  • akṣobhya

Name of a tathāgata.

1 passage contains this term:

  • 1.­12
g.­4

Amitābha

  • ’od dpag med
  • འོད་དཔག་མེད།
  • amitābha

Buddha associated with Sukhāvatī; buddha of the western direction; principal buddha of the Pure Land tradition; as the bodhisattva Dharmākara, he made forty-eight original vows (praṇidhāna) to bring beings to enlightenment, thus establishing Sukhāvatī for their benefit; in tantrism he is one of the five dhyāni-buddhas and is associated with the aggregate of notions (saṃjñā­skandha).

10 passages contain this term:

  • s.­1
  • i.­1
  • i.­6
  • i.­9-10
  • 1.­8
  • 1.­11
  • 1.­18
  • g.­7
  • g.­81
g.­5

Amitadhvaja

  • rgyal msthan dpag med
  • རྒྱལ་མསཐན་དཔག་མེད།
  • amitadhvaja

Name of a tathāgata.

1 passage contains this term:

  • 1.­14
g.­6

Amitaskandha

  • phung po dpag med
  • ཕུང་པོ་དཔག་མེད།
  • amitaskandha

Name of a tathāgata.

1 passage contains this term:

  • 1.­14
g.­7

Amitāyus

  • tshe dpag med
  • ཚེ་དཔག་མེད།
  • amitāyus

Buddha especially associated with life energy and long life; the sambhogakāya aspect of Amitābha. Also a name of Amitābha.

9 passages contain this term:

  • s.­1
  • i.­6
  • 1.­2
  • 1.­6
  • 1.­8
  • 1.­10-11
  • 1.­14
  • g.­81
g.­8

Anaṃtavīrya

  • brtson ’grus mtha’ yas
  • བརྩོན་འགྲུས་མཐའ་ཡས།
  • anaṃtavīrya

Name of a tathāgata.

1 passage contains this term:

  • 1.­13
g.­9

Ānanda

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

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

A major śrāvaka disciple and personal attendant of the Buddha Śākyamuni during the last twenty-five years of his life. He was a cousin of the Buddha (according to the Mahāvastu, he was a son of Śuklodana, one of the brothers of King Śuddhodana, which means he was a brother of Devadatta; other sources say he was a son of Amṛtodana, another brother of King Śuddhodana, which means he would have been a brother of Aniruddha).

Ānanda, having always been in the Buddha’s presence, is said to have memorized all the teachings he heard and is celebrated for having recited all the Buddha’s teachings by memory at the first council of the Buddhist Saṅgha, thus preserving the teachings after the Buddha’s parinirvāṇa. The phrase “Thus did I hear at one time,” found at the beginning of the sūtras, usually stands for his recitation of the teachings. He became a patriarch after the passing of Mahākāśyapa.

1 passage contains this term:

  • 1.­1
g.­10

Anāthapiṇḍada

  • mgon med zas sbyin
  • མགོན་མེད་ཟས་སྦྱིན།
  • anāthapiṇḍada

A principal benefactor of the Buddha; he was the wealthy banker who acquired the grove of Prince Jeta, i.e., Jeta Grove, and donated it to the Buddhist community.

1 passage contains this term:

  • 1.­1
g.­11

Anikṣiptadhura

  • brtson pa’i mi ’dor
  • བརྩོན་པའི་མི་འདོར།
  • anikṣiptadhura

Name of a bodhisattva.

1 passage contains this term:

  • 1.­1
g.­12

Aniruddha

  • ma ’gag pa
  • ’gags pa med pa
  • མ་འགག་པ།
  • འགགས་པ་མེད་པ།
  • aniruddha

Śrāvaka arhat.

1 passage contains this term:

  • 1.­1
g.­13

arhat

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

Final goal of the śrāvaka practitioner.

25 passages contain this term:

  • i.­6
  • i.­8
  • 1.­1-2
  • 1.­9
  • g.­9
  • g.­12
  • g.­17
  • g.­24
  • g.­30
  • g.­38
  • g.­41
  • g.­43
  • g.­44
  • g.­45
  • g.­46
  • g.­47
  • g.­59
  • g.­61
  • g.­63
  • g.­66
  • g.­70
  • g.­74
  • g.­77
  • g.­87
g.­14

Bandé Yeshé Dé

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

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

Yeshé Dé (late eighth to early ninth century) was the most prolific translator of sūtras into Tibetan. Altogether he is credited with the translation of more than one hundred sixty sūtra translations and more than one hundred additional translations, mostly on tantric topics. In spite of Yeshé Dé’s great importance for the propagation of Buddhism in Tibet during the imperial era, only a few biographical details about this figure are known. Later sources describe him as a student of the Indian teacher Padmasambhava, and he is also credited with teaching both sūtra and tantra widely to students of his own. He was also known as Nanam Yeshé Dé, from the Nanam (sna nam) clan.

2 passages contain this term:

  • i.­5
  • c.­1
g.­15

beryl

  • bai du rya
  • བཻ་དུ་རྱ།
  • vaiḍūrya

Precious/semiprecious stone; sometimes translated as lapis lazuli.

1 passage contains this term:

  • 1.­3
g.­16

bhagavān

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

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

In Buddhist literature, an epithet applied to buddhas, most often to Śākyamuni. The Sanskrit term generally means “possessing fortune,” but in specifically Buddhist contexts it implies that a buddha is in possession of six auspicious qualities (bhaga) associated with complete awakening. The Tibetan term‍—where bcom is said to refer to “subduing” the four māras, ldan to “possessing” the great qualities of buddhahood, and ’das to “going beyond” saṃsāra and nirvāṇa‍—possibly reflects the commentarial tradition where the Sanskrit bhagavat is interpreted, in addition, as “one who destroys the four māras.” This is achieved either by reading bhagavat as bhagnavat (“one who broke”), or by tracing the word bhaga to the root √bhañj (“to break”).

16 passages contain this term:

  • 1.­1-2
  • 1.­8-21
g.­17

Bharadvāja

  • bha ra dh+va dza
  • བྷ་ར་དྷབ༹་ཛ།
  • bharadvāja

Śrāvaka arhat; one of the sixteen sthavira arhats (see “elder”).

1 passage contains this term:

  • 1.­1
g.­18

bodhisattva

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

Someone who has the intent to achieve full enlightenment for the benefit of sentient beings.

14 passages contain this term:

  • i.­6
  • i.­8
  • 1.­1
  • 1.­9
  • 1.­11
  • 1.­21
  • n.­10
  • g.­2
  • g.­4
  • g.­11
  • g.­34
  • g.­54
  • g.­60
  • g.­79
g.­19

Brahmā

  • tshangs pa
  • ཚངས་པ།
  • brahmā

Lord of the Sahā world (q.v.). Buddhists see Brahmā as a god occupying a high position in cyclic existence, with a very long life and a great deal of power.

2 passages contain this term:

  • 1.­1
  • g.­71
g.­20

Brahmaghoṣa

  • tshangs pa’i dbyangs
  • ཚངས་པའི་དབྱངས།
  • brahmaghoṣa

Name of a tathāgata.

1 passage contains this term:

  • 1.­17
g.­21

branches of enlightenment

  • byang chub kyi yan lag
  • བྱང་ཆུབ་ཀྱི་ཡན་ལག
  • bodhyaṅgāni

The branches of (1) authentic mindfulness, (2) authentic discrimination of dharmas, (3) authentic perseverance, (4) authentic joy, (5) authentic serenity, (6) authentic meditative absorption, and (7) authentic equanimity.

1 passage contains this term:

  • 1.­6
g.­22

Candra­sūrya­pradīpa

  • nyi zla sgron ma
  • ཉི་ཟླ་སྒྲོན་མ།
  • candra­sūrya­pradīpa

Name of a tathāgata.

1 passage contains this term:

  • 1.­13
g.­23

coral

  • spug gi shing
  • སྤུག་གི་ཤིང་།
  • musāragalva

1 passage contains this term:

  • 1.­3
g.­24

Cūḍapanthaka

  • lam phran bstan
  • ལམ་ཕྲན་བསྟན།
  • cūḍapanthaka

Śrāvaka arhat, one of the sixteen sthavira arhats (see “elder”).

1 passage contains this term:

  • g.­30
g.­25

Dānaśīla

  • da na shi la
  • ད་ན་ཤི་ལ།
  • dānaśīla

Translator of the Sukhāvatī­vyūha­sūtra.

2 passages contain this term:

  • i.­5
  • c.­1
g.­26

Dharmadhara

  • chos ’dzin
  • ཆོས་འཛིན།
  • dharmadhara

Name of a tathāgata.

1 passage contains this term:

  • 1.­16
g.­27

Dharmadhvaja

  • chos kyi rgyal mtshan
  • ཆོས་ཀྱི་རྒྱལ་མཚན།
  • dharmadhvaja

Name of a tathāgata.

1 passage contains this term:

  • 1.­16
g.­28

Duṃdubhisvara­nirghoṣa

  • —
  • —
  • duṃdubhisvara­nirghoṣa

Name of a tathāgata.

1 passage contains this term:

  • n.­20
g.­29

Duṣpradharṣa

  • rab tu thul dka’
  • རབ་ཏུ་ཐུལ་དཀའ།
  • duṣpradharṣa

Name of a tathāgata.

1 passage contains this term:

  • 1.­15
g.­30

elder

  • gnas brtan
  • གནས་བརྟན།
  • sthavira

The term is used to designate a senior monk. The sixteen great arhats, or sixteen noble elders (āryasthavira), were the successors of the Buddha’s teaching after he passed. They promised to preserve the teaching until the coming of the future Buddha Maitreya. They are on the path of seeing of the arhat path. Each arhat lived in a specific place: (1) Aṅgaja on Mt. Kailash; (2) Ajita in the Crystal Wood of Sages; (3) Vanavāsin on Mt. Saptaparṇa; (4) Mahākālika in Tāmradvīpa; (5) Vajrīputra in Siṃhaladvīpa; (6) Śrībhadra on Yamunādvīpa; (7) Kanakavatsa in Kashmir; (8) Kanakabharadvāja in the western continent of Godānīya; (9) Bakula in the northern continent of Uttarakuru; (10) Rāhula in Priyaṅgudvīpa; (11) Cūḍapanthaka on Mt. Gṛdhrakūṭa; (12) Piṇḍolabharadvāja in the eastern continent of Pūrvavideha; (13) Mahāpanthaka in Trayatriṃśa; (14) Nāgasena on Mt. Meru; (15) Gopaka on Mt. Bhihula; and (16) Abhedya in the Himālayas.

5 passages contain this term:

  • 1.­1
  • g.­17
  • g.­24
  • g.­66
  • g.­87
g.­31

emerald

  • rdo’i snying po
  • རྡོའི་སྙིང་པོ།
  • aśmagarbha

1 passage contains this term:

  • 1.­3
g.­32

five degenerations

  • snyigs ma lnga
  • སྙིགས་མ་ལྔ།
  • pañcakaṣāya

The five degenerations are (1) the degeneration of life span, (2) the degeneration of views, (3) the degeneration of the afflictions, (4) the degeneration of beings, and (5) the degeneration of the era.

2 passages contain this term:

  • 1.­20
  • n.­25
g.­33

fully awakened

  • mngon par rdzogs par sangs rgyas
  • མངོན་པར་རྫོགས་པར་སངས་རྒྱས།
  • abhisaṃbuddha

A person who has manifested the complete enlightenment of a buddha of the Greater Vehicle.

3 passages contain this term:

  • 1.­8
  • 1.­19-20
g.­34

Gandhahastin

  • spos kyi glang po
  • སྤོས་ཀྱི་གླང་པོ།
  • gandhahastin

Name of a bodhisattva.

1 passage contains this term:

  • 1.­1
g.­35

Gandhaprabhāsa

  • spos ’od
  • སྤོས་འོད།
  • gandhaprabhāsa

Name of a tathāgata.

1 passage contains this term:

  • 1.­17
g.­36

gandharva

  • dri za
  • དྲི་ཟ།
  • gandharva

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

A class of generally benevolent nonhuman beings who inhabit the skies, sometimes said to inhabit fantastic cities in the clouds, and more specifically to dwell on the eastern slopes of Mount Meru, where they are under the jurisdiction of the Great King Dhṛtarāṣṭra. They are most renowned as celestial musicians who serve the gods. In the Abhidharma, the term is also used to refer to the mental body assumed by any sentient being in the realm of desire (kāma­dhātu) during the intermediate state between death and rebirth. Gandharvas are said to live on fragrances in the desire realm, hence the Tibetan translation dri za, meaning “scent eater.”

1 passage contains this term:

  • 1.­21
g.­37

Gandhottama

  • spos mchog
  • སྤོས་མཆོག
  • gandhottama

Name of a tathāgata.

1 passage contains this term:

  • 1.­17
g.­38

Gavāṃpati

  • ba lang bdag
  • བ་ལང་བདག
  • gavāṃpati

Śrāvaka arhat; one of the Buddha’s five close arhat disciples. He took ordination from the Buddha and then became a disciple of Śāriputra.

1 passage contains this term:

  • 1.­1
g.­39

Jālinīprabha

  • dra ba can gyi ’od
  • དྲ་བ་ཅན་གྱི་འོད།
  • jālenīprabha

Name of a tathāgata.

1 passage contains this term:

  • 1.­15
g.­40

Jeta Grove

  • rgyal bu rgyal byed kyi tshal
  • རྒྱལ་བུ་རྒྱལ་བྱེད་ཀྱི་ཚལ།
  • jetavana

The grove of Prince Jeta in Śrāvastī; the Buddha taught many of his discourses there, especially during the rainy season retreat.

4 passages contain this term:

  • s.­1
  • i.­8
  • 1.­1
  • g.­10
g.­41

Kālodāyin

  • ’char byed nag po
  • འཆར་བྱེད་ནག་པོ།
  • kālodāyin

Śrāvaka arhat.

1 passage contains this term:

  • 1.­1
g.­42

Lord of Death

  • gshin rje
  • གཤིན་རྗེ།
  • yama

Lord of Death.

1 passage contains this term:

  • 1.­6
g.­43

Mahākapphiṇa

  • ka pi na chen po
  • ཀ་པི་ན་ཆེན་པོ།
  • mahākapphiṇa

Śrāvaka arhat.

2 passages contain this term:

  • 1.­1
  • n.­8
g.­44

Mahākāśyapa

  • ’od srung chen po
  • འོད་སྲུང་ཆེན་པོ།
  • mahākāśyapa

Śrāvaka arhat, one of the most important followers of the Buddha.

2 passages contain this term:

  • 1.­1
  • n.­8
g.­45

Mahā­kātyāyana

  • ka tya’i bu chen po
  • ཀ་ཏྱའི་བུ་ཆེན་པོ།
  • mahā­kātyāyana

Śrāvaka arhat.

2 passages contain this term:

  • 1.­1
  • n.­8
g.­46

Mahākauṣṭhila

  • gsus po che
  • གསུས་པོ་ཆེ།
  • mahākauṣṭhila

Śrāvaka arhat.

1 passage contains this term:

  • 1.­1
g.­47

Mahā­maudgalyāyana

  • maud gal gyi bu chen po
  • མཽད་གལ་གྱི་བུ་ཆེན་པོ།
  • mahā­maudgalyāyana

Śrāvaka arhat, one of the most important followers of the Buddha.

2 passages contain this term:

  • 1.­1
  • n.­8
g.­48

Mahāmeru

  • lhun po chen po
  • ལྷུན་པོ་ཆེན་པོ།
  • mahāmeru

Name of a tathāgata.

1 passage contains this term:

  • 1.­12
g.­49

Mahā­meru­prabhāsa

  • lhun po chen po snang ba
  • ལྷུན་པོ་ཆེན་པོ་སྣང་བ།
  • mahā­meru­prabhāsa

Name of a tathāgata.

1 passage contains this term:

  • 1.­12
g.­50

Mahāprabha

  • ’od chen
  • འོད་ཆེན།
  • mahāprabha

Name of a tathāgata.

1 passage contains this term:

  • 1.­14
g.­51

Mahārciskandha

  • ’od ’phro’i phung po chen po
  • འོད་འཕྲོའི་ཕུང་པོ་ཆེན་པོ།
  • mahārciskandha

Name of a tathāgata.

3 passages contain this term:

  • 1.­13
  • 1.­15
  • n.­21
g.­52

mandārava

  • man da ra ba
  • མན་ད་ར་བ།
  • mandārava

A heavenly tree.

1 passage contains this term:

  • 1.­5
g.­53

Mañjudhvaja

  • —
  • —
  • mañjudhvaja

Name of a tathāgata.

1 passage contains this term:

  • n.­14
g.­54

Mañjuśrī

  • ’jam dpal gzhon nu
  • འཇམ་དཔལ་གཞོན་ནུ།
  • mañjuśrī

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

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

1 passage contains this term:

  • 1.­1
g.­55

Meru

  • lhun po
  • ལྷུན་པོ།
  • meru

Name of a tathāgata.

2 passages contain this term:

  • 1.­12
  • g.­30
g.­56

Merudhvaja

  • lhun po rgyal mtshan
  • ལྷུན་པོ་རྒྱལ་མཚན།
  • merudhvaja

Name of a tathāgata.

1 passage contains this term:

  • 1.­12
g.­57

Merupradīpa

  • lhun po’i sgron ma
  • ལྷུན་པོའི་སྒྲོན་མ།
  • merupradīpa

Name of a tathāgata.

1 passage contains this term:

  • 1.­13
g.­58

Nakṣatrarāja

  • skar m’i rgyal po
  • སྐར་མའི་རྒྱལ་པོ།
  • nakṣatrarāja

Name of a tathāgata.

1 passage contains this term:

  • 1.­17
g.­59

Nanda

  • dga’ bo
  • དགའ་བོ།
  • nanda

Śrāvaka arhat.

1 passage contains this term:

  • 1.­1
g.­60

Nityodyukta

  • rtag tu btson
  • རྟག་ཏུ་བཙོན།
  • nityodyukta

Name of a bodhisattva.

1 passage contains this term:

  • 1.­1
g.­61

not regress

  • phyir mi ldog pa
  • ཕྱིར་མི་ལྡོག་པ།
  • —

The third stage on the path to arhatship; a non-returner who will no longer be reborn into saṃsāra.

1 passage contains this term:

  • 1.­9
g.­62

palm tree

  • shing ta la
  • ཤིང་ཏ་ལ།
  • tāla

2 passages contain this term:

  • 1.­3
  • 1.­7
g.­63

perfectly and fully enlightened buddha

  • yang dag par rdzogs pa’i sangs rgyas
  • ཡང་དག་པར་རྫོགས་པའི་སངས་རྒྱས།
  • samyaksaṃbuddha

A term used to emphasize the superiority of buddhahood when contrasted with the achievement of the arhats and pratyekabuddhas. A samyaksaṃbuddha is considered superior by virtue of his compassionate activity, his omniscience, and his ten special powers.

1 passage contains this term:

  • 1.­2
g.­64

powers

  • dbang po
  • དབང་པོ།
  • indriya

The five powers, or faculties, are those of (1) faith, (2) perseverence, (3) mindfulness, (4) meditative absorption or samādhi, and (5) wisdom or prajñā.

3 passages contain this term:

  • 1.­6
  • g.­63
  • g.­79
g.­65

Prabhākara

  • ’od kyi byung gnas
  • འོད་ཀྱི་བྱུང་གནས།
  • prabhākara

Name of a tathāgata.

1 passage contains this term:

  • 1.­15
g.­66

Rāhula

  • sgra gcan zin
  • སྒྲ་གཅན་ཟིན།
  • rāhula

Śrāvaka arhat, one of the sixteen sthavira arhats (see “elder”).

2 passages contain this term:

  • 1.­1
  • g.­30
g.­67

Ratnaketu

  • rin po che’i tog
  • རིན་པོ་ཆེའི་ཏོག
  • ratnaketu

Name of a tathāgata.

1 passage contains this term:

  • 1.­14
g.­68

Ratna­kusuma­saṃpuṣpita­gotra

  • rin chen me tog shin tu rgyas pa’i rigs
  • རིན་ཆེན་མེ་ཏོག་ཤིན་ཏུ་རྒྱས་པའི་རིགས།
  • ratna­kusuma­saṃpuṣpita­gotra

Name of a tathāgata.

1 passage contains this term:

  • 1.­17
g.­69

Ratnotpalaśrī

  • rin chen ud pa la’i dpal
  • རིན་ཆེན་ཨུད་པ་ལའི་དཔལ།
  • ratnotpalaśrī

Name of a tathāgata.

1 passage contains this term:

  • 1.­17
g.­70

Revata

  • nam gru
  • ནམ་གྲུ།
  • revata

Śrāvaka arhat.

1 passage contains this term:

  • 1.­1
g.­71

Sahā world

  • mi mjed
  • mi mjed kyi ’jig rten
  • མི་མཇེད།
  • མི་མཇེད་ཀྱི་འཇིག་རྟེན།
  • sahā
  • sahā­loka­dhatu

This universe of ours, presided over by Brahmā. The term is variously interpreted as meaning the world of suffering, of endurance, of fearlessness, or of concomitance (of karmic cause and effect).

4 passages contain this term:

  • 1.­1
  • 1.­19-20
  • g.­19
g.­72

Śakra

  • brgya byin
  • བརྒྱ་བྱིན།
  • śakra

Chief of the gods of the Thirty-Three, who presides over the desire realm heaven.

1 passage contains this term:

  • 1.­1
g.­73

Sālendrarāja

  • sa la’i dbang po’i rgyal po
  • ས་ལའི་དབང་པོའི་རྒྱལ་པོ།
  • sālendrarāja

Name of a tathāgata.

1 passage contains this term:

  • 1.­17
g.­74

Śāriputra

  • sha ri’i bu
  • ཤ་རིའི་བུ།
  • śāriputra

Śrāvaka arhat, one of the most important followers of the Buddha.

19 passages contain this term:

  • s.­1
  • i.­8
  • 1.­1-12
  • 1.­18-21
  • g.­38
g.­75

Sarvārthadarśa

  • mthong ba don yod
  • མཐོང་བ་དོན་ཡོད།
  • sarvārthadarśa

Name of a tathāgata.

1 passage contains this term:

  • 1.­17
g.­76

Siṃha

  • seng ge
  • སེང་གེ
  • siṃha

Name of a tathāgata.

1 passage contains this term:

  • 1.­16
g.­77

śrāvaka

  • nyan thos
  • ཉན་ཐོས།
  • śrāvaka

Hīnayāna practitioner of the first turning of the wheel of the Dharma on the four noble truths, who realizes the suffering inherent in saṃsāra and focuses on understanding that there is no independent self. By conquering disturbing emotions, he liberates himself, attaining first the stage of stream enterer at the path of seeing, followed by the stage of once-returner who will be reborn only one more time, and then the stage of non-returner who will no longer be reborn into saṃsāra. The final goal is to become an arhat. These four stages are also known as the “four results of spiritual practice.”

21 passages contain this term:

  • 1.­1
  • 1.­9
  • 1.­11
  • 1.­21
  • g.­9
  • g.­12
  • g.­13
  • g.­17
  • g.­24
  • g.­38
  • g.­41
  • g.­43
  • g.­44
  • g.­45
  • g.­46
  • g.­47
  • g.­59
  • g.­66
  • g.­70
  • g.­74
  • g.­87
g.­78

Śrāvastī

  • mnyan yod
  • མཉན་ཡོད།
  • śrāvastī

The capital city of Kosala where Buddha lived in the later years of his life.

4 passages contain this term:

  • s.­1
  • i.­8
  • 1.­1
  • g.­40
g.­79

strengths

  • stobs
  • སྟོབས།
  • bala

For the five strengths, see “powers.” The ten strengths can refer either to one set of ten qualities of tathāgatas, or to a different list of ten strengths of bodhisattvas.

1 passage contains this term:

  • 1.­6
g.­80

Śuddha­raśmi­prabha

  • ’od zer dag pa
  • འོད་ཟེར་དག་པ།
  • śuddha­raśmi­prabha

Name of a tathāgata.

1 passage contains this term:

  • 1.­14
g.­81

Sukhāvatī

  • bde ba can
  • བདེ་བ་ཅན།
  • sukhāvatī

Meaning “the delightful” or “the land of delight,” the name of the buddhafield of Amitābha / Amitāyus, in the western direction from our world.

19 passages contain this term:

  • s.­1
  • i.­1
  • i.­3
  • i.­6-10
  • 1.­2-4
  • 1.­6
  • 1.­11-12
  • 1.­17-18
  • n.­1
  • n.­11
  • g.­4
g.­82

Sumerukalpa

  • ri rab lta bu
  • རི་རབ་ལྟ་བུ།
  • sumerukalpa

Name of a tathāgata.

1 passage contains this term:

  • 1.­17
g.­83

tathāgata

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

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

A frequently used synonym for buddha. According to different explanations, it can be read as tathā-gata, literally meaning “one who has thus gone,” or as tathā-āgata, “one who has thus come.” Gata, though literally meaning “gone,” is a past passive participle used to describe a state or condition of existence. Tatha­(tā), often rendered as “suchness” or “thusness,” is the quality or condition of things as they really are, which cannot be conveyed in conceptual, dualistic terms. Therefore, this epithet is interpreted in different ways, but in general it implies one who has departed in the wake of the buddhas of the past, or one who has manifested the supreme awakening dependent on the reality that does not abide in the two extremes of existence and quiescence. It also often used as a specific epithet of the Buddha Śākyamuni.

54 passages contain this term:

  • i.­9
  • 1.­2
  • 1.­5-6
  • 1.­8
  • 1.­10-18
  • n.­20
  • n.­22
  • g.­1
  • g.­3
  • g.­5
  • g.­6
  • g.­8
  • g.­20
  • g.­22
  • g.­26
  • g.­27
  • g.­28
  • g.­29
  • g.­35
  • g.­37
  • g.­39
  • g.­48
  • g.­49
  • g.­50
  • g.­51
  • g.­53
  • g.­55
  • g.­56
  • g.­57
  • g.­58
  • g.­65
  • g.­67
  • g.­68
  • g.­69
  • g.­73
  • g.­75
  • g.­76
  • g.­79
  • g.­80
  • g.­82
  • g.­84
  • g.­86
  • g.­89
  • g.­90
  • g.­91
g.­84

Tathāgata Dharma

  • chos
  • ཆོས།
  • dharma

Name of a tathāgata.

1 passage contains this term:

  • 1.­16
g.­85

unsurpassable, completely perfect enlightenment

  • bla na med pa yang dag par rdzogs pa’i byang chub
  • བླ་ན་མེད་པ་ཡང་དག་པར་རྫོགས་པའི་བྱང་ཆུབ།
  • anuttara­samyak­saṃbodhi

An enlightenment that is authentically complete.

4 passages contain this term:

  • 1.­8
  • 1.­18-20
g.­86

Vaiśvānara­nirghoṣa

  • thams cad sgrol ba’i dbyangs sgrol
  • ཐམས་ཅད་སྒྲོལ་བའི་དབྱངས་སྒྲོལ།
  • vaiśvānara­nirghoṣa

Name of a tathāgata.

1 passage contains this term:

  • 1.­15
g.­87

Vakula

  • ba ku la
  • བ་ཀུ་ལ།
  • bakula

Śrāvaka arhat; one of the sixteen sthavira arhats (see “elder”).

1 passage contains this term:

  • 1.­1
g.­88

water possessing the eight qualities

  • yan lag brgyad dang ldan pa’i chu
  • ཡན་ལག་བརྒྱད་དང་ལྡན་པའི་ཆུ།
  • —

The eight qualities of water: (1) sweet-tasting; (2) cool; (3) soft; (4) light; (5) transparent; (6) clean; (7) not harmful to the throat; and (8) beneficial to the stomach.

1 passage contains this term:

  • 1.­3
g.­89

Yaśaḥprabha

  • grags pa’i ’od
  • གྲགས་པའི་འོད།
  • yaśaḥprabha

Name of a tathāgata.

1 passage contains this term:

  • 1.­13
g.­90

Yaśaḥprabhāsa

  • grags ’od
  • གྲགས་འོད།
  • yaśaḥprabhāsa

Name of a tathāgata.

1 passage contains this term:

  • 1.­16
g.­91

Yaśas

  • grags pa
  • གྲགས་པ།
  • yaśas

Name of a tathāgata.

1 passage contains this term:

  • 1.­16
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    (tr.). The Display of the Pure Land of Sukhāvatī (Sukhāvatī­vyūha, Toh 115). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2023:
    https://read.84000.co/translation/toh115.html


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