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

This rendering does not include the entire published text

The full text is available to download as pdf at:
https://read.84000.co/data/toh116_84000-the-basket-s-display.pdf

ཟ་མ་ཏོག་བཀོད་པ།

The Basket’s Display
Colophon

Kāraṇḍa­vyūha
འཕགས་པ་ཟ་མ་ཏོག་བཀོད་པ་ཞེས་བྱ་བ་ཐེག་པ་ཆེན་པོའི་མདོ།
’phags pa za ma tog bkod pa zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo
The Noble Mahāyāna Sūtra “The Basket’s Display”
Ārya­kāraṇḍa­vyūha­nāma­mahāyāna­sūtra
84000 logo

Toh 116

Degé Kangyur, vol. 51 (mdo sde, pa), folios 200.a–247.b

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

First published 2013
Current version v 2.47.27 (2021)
Generated by 84000 Reading Room v2.17.7

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.

Logo for the license

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

Options for downloading this publication

This print version was generated at 7.49pm on Monday, 13th March 2023 from the online version of the text available on that date. If some time has elapsed since then, this version may have been superseded, as most of 84000’s published translations undergo significant updates from time to time. For the latest online version, with bilingual display, interactive glossary entries and notes, and a variety of further download options, please see
https://read.84000.co/translation/toh116.html.


co.

Table of Contents

ti. Title
im. Imprint
co. Contents
s. Summary
ac. Acknowledgments
i. Introduction
+ 10 sections- 10 sections
· The sūtra in India and its translations
· Avalokiteśvara
· The Kāraṇḍavyūha in Tibetan Buddhism
· Translation of the title
· Oṁ maṇipadme hūṁ
· Difficulties inherent in the ‌sūtra
· Problems arising from the Tibetan translation
· The translation into English
· Summary of the text
· Outline of the sūtra
tr. The Translation
+ 2 chapters- 2 chapters
1. Part One
2. Part Two
c. Colophon
n. Notes
b. Bibliography
+ 2 sections- 2 sections
· Tibetan, Sanskrit, and Chinese texts
· Secondary literature
g. Glossary

s.

Summary

s.­1

The Basket’s Display (Kāraṇḍavyūha) is the source of the most prevalent mantra of Tibetan Buddhism: oṁ maṇipadme hūṁ. It marks a significant stage in the growing importance of Avalokiteśvara within Indian Buddhism in the early centuries of the first millennium. In a series of narratives within narratives, the sūtra describes Avalokiteśvara’s activities in various realms and the realms contained within the pores of his skin. It culminates in a description of the extreme rarity of his mantra, which, on the Buddha’s instructions, Bodhisattva Sarva­nīvaraṇa­viṣkambhin obtains from someone in Vārāṇasī who has broken his monastic vows. This sūtra provided a basis and source of quotations for the teachings and practices of the eleventh-century Maṇi Kabum, which itself served as a foundation for the rich tradition of Tibetan Avalokiteśvara practice.


ac.

Acknowledgments

ac.­1

The sūtra was translated from the Tibetan and Sanskrit by Peter Alan Roberts. Tulku Yeshi of the Sakya Monastery, Seattle, was the consulting lama who reviewed the translation. The project manager and editor was Emily Bower, and the proofreader was Ben Gleason. Thanks to William Tuladhar-Douglas and Charles Manson for their assistance in obtaining Sanskrit manuscripts, and to Richard Gombrich and Sanjukta Gupta for their elucidations.

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


ac.­2

The generous sponsorship of Tony Leung Chiu Wai and family for work on this sūtra is gratefully acknowledged.


i.

Introduction

i.­1

The Kāraṇḍavyūha is an early Mantrayāna sūtra that is the source of the mantra oṁ maṇipadme hūṁ. The sūtra is thus of particular importance, as this mantra now holds a central role in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, especially throughout the lay population. This sūtra also records Avalokiteśvara’s transformation into the principal figure of the Buddhist pantheon, greater than all other buddhas, let alone bodhisattvas. In this sūtra, Avalokiteśvara is a resident of Sukhavātī and acts as a messenger and gift bearer for Amitābha, even though he is also described as superior to all buddhas and therefore paradoxically has both a subservient and dominant status.

The sūtra in India and its translations

Avalokiteśvara

The Kāraṇḍavyūha in Tibetan Buddhism

Translation of the title

Oṁ maṇipadme hūṁ

Difficulties inherent in the ‌sūtra

Problems arising from the Tibetan translation

The translation into English

Summary of the text

Outline of the sūtra


The Translation
The Noble Mahāyāna Sūtra
The Basket’s Display

1.

Part One

[F.200.a]


1.­1

Thus have I heard: One time the Bhagavat was staying, with a great saṅgha of 1,250 bhikṣus and a multitude of bodhisattvas, at Jetavana, the monastery of Anāthapiṇḍada, in Śrāvastī.

Eight hundred million19 bodhisattva mahāsattvas had gathered there, such as Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Vajramati, Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Jñānadarśana, Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Vajrasena, Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Guhyagupta,20 Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Ākaśagarbha, Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Sūryagarbha, Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Anikṣiptadhura, Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Ratnapāṇi, Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Samantabhadra, Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Mahāsthāmaprāpta, Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Sarva­nīvaraṇa­viṣkambhin, Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Sarvaśūra, [F.200.b] Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Bhaiṣajyasena, Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara, Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Vajrapāṇi, Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Sāgaramati, Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Dharmadhara, Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Pṛthivīvaralocana, Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Āśvāsahasta, and Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Maitreya.


2.

Part Two

2.­1

Bodhisattva Sarva­nīvaraṇa­viṣkambhin then said to the Bhagavat, “Bhagavat, I request that you teach what samādhis Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara has previously remained in.”

2.­2

The Bhagavat said, “Noble son, they are as follows: the samādhi named Creation, the samādhi named Illumination, the samādhi named Sublime Vajra, the samādhi named Sunlight, the samādhi named Dispersal, the samādhi named Armlet, the samādhi named Supreme Vajra Victory Banner, the samādhi named Ornament, the samādhi named King of Arrays, the samādhi named Seeing the Ten Directions, the samādhi named The Supreme Illumination of the Wish-fulfilling Jewel,153 the samādhi named Dharma Holder,154 the samādhi named Descending into the Ocean,155 the samādhi named Totally Stable,156 the samādhi named Giving Joy,157 the samādhi named Vajra Victory Banner,158 the samādhi named Viewing All Worlds,159 the samādhi named Completely Present,160 [F.222.a] the samādhi named Truly Bowing Down, the samādhi named Coiled at the Crown, the samādhi named Supreme Illumination by the Moon,161 the samādhi named Many Attendants, the samādhi named Divine Bright Earrings,162 the samādhi named Lamp of the Eon,163 the samādhi named Manifesting Miracles, the samādhi named Supreme Lotus, the samādhi named King’s Power,164 the samādhi named Extinguishing Avīci, the samādhi named Blazing, the samādhi named Divine Circle,165 the samādhi named Drop of Amṛta, the samādhi named Circle of Light, the samādhi named Immersion in the Ocean, the samādhi named Door of the Celestial Palace, the samādhi named Cuckoo’s Song, the samādhi named Scent of the Blue Lotus, the samādhi named Mounted, the samādhi named Vajra Armor, the samādhi named Elephant’s Delight, the samādhi named Lion’s Play, the samādhi named Unsurpassable, the samādhi named Subduing, the samādhi named Moon on High, the samādhi named Shining, the samādhi named Hundred Light Rays, the samādhi named Sprinkling, the samādhi named Brightening, the samādhi named Beautiful Appearance, the samādhi named Summoning the Asuras, the samādhi named Meditation, the samādhi named Summoning Nirvāṇa, the samādhi named Great Lamp,166 the samādhi named Liberation of Sensation,167 the samādhi named King of Lamps,168 the samādhi named Creating the Supreme State,169 the samādhi named Creating Indestructibility,170 the samādhi named Facing the Deities,171 the samādhi named Creating Union, the samādhi named Teaching Ultimate Truth, the samādhi named Lightning, the samādhi named Array of Names,172 the samādhi named Gaping Lion, the samādhi named Face of Arcturus,173 [F.222.b] the samādhi named Approaching, the samādhi named Flash of Intelligence,174 the samādhi named Increasing Power of Mindfulness, the samādhi named Aspiration, the samādhi named Carriage of Victory, and the samādhi named Teaching the Path.


c.

Colophon

c.­1

Translated and revised by the Indian upādhyāyas Jinamitra and Dānaśīla, and by Bandé Yeshé Dé, the translator and chief editor.


n.

Notes

n.­1
Mette (2005).
n.­2
Chandra (1999).
n.­3
Toh 115, see Sakya Pandita Translation Group (2012).
n.­4
Toh 49 in the Heap of Jewels section, with the formal title Amitābha­vyūha­sūtra (The Sūtra of the Array of Amitābha).
n.­5
Karuṇā­puṇḍarīka (Toh 112), see Roberts and Bower (forthcoming).
n.­6
Yü (2000), 293–350.
n.­7
Pillar Testament (1989), 95–6, 108.
n.­8
Uebach (1987, 7a).
n.­19
According to the Sanskrit, aśīti-koṭyo, literally, “eighty ten millions.” Tibetan: bye ba (“ten million”), “eighty” being omitted.
n.­20
According to the Sanskrit; the Tibetan has sbas corrupted to sban.
n.­153
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan translates as “Supreme Eyes of the Wish-fulfilling Jewel.”
n.­154
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has “Dharma King.”
n.­155
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan omits “the samādhi named Descending into the Ocean.”
n.­156
According to the Tibetan (shin tu gnas pa), Cambridge, and Sāmaśrami (supratiṣṭha).
n.­157
According to the Tibetan (dga’ ba sbyin par byed pa) and the Cambridge (priyaṃdada).
n.­158
According to the Tibetan (rdo rje rgyal mtshan), Cambridge, and Sāmaśrami (vajradhvaja).
n.­159
According to the Tibetan (’jig rten thams cad la rnam par lta ba), Cambridge, and Sāmaśrami (sarvva­loka­dhātu­vyavalokana).
n.­160
According to the Tibetan (ma lus ’ongs ba) and Sāmaśrami (kṛtsangata).
n.­161
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan translates as “Supreme Eyes of the Moon.”
n.­162
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has “Divine Eyes” (from a corruption of rocana to locana).
n.­163
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan translates as “The Continent of the Eon,” from the alternative meaning of dvīpa that here means “lamp.”
n.­164
According to the Tibetan. Omitted in the Sanskrit.
n.­165
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has “Divine Earrings.”
n.­166
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan translates as “The Great Continent,” from the alternative meaning of dvīpa that here means “lamp.”
n.­167
According to the Tibetan. Omitted in the Sanskrit.
n.­168
According to the Sanskrit. Omitted in the Tibetan.
n.­169
According to the Sanskrit. Omitted in the Tibetan.
n.­170
According to the Sanskrit. Omitted in the Tibetan.
n.­171
According to the Sanskrit. Omitted in the Tibetan.
n.­172
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has “Array of Nāgas” (klu bkod pa), from a corruption of nāmavyuha to nāgavyuha.
n.­173
Arcturus is the brightest star in the northern sky.
n.­174
According to the Sanskrit. Omitted in the Tibetan.

b.

Bibliography

Tibetan, Sanskrit, and Chinese texts

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

’phags pa za ma tog bkod pa zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo, Ārya­karaṇḍa­vyūha­nāma­mahā­yāna­sūtra. 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, pp 529-640.

“Kāraṇḍavyūha Sūtra.” In Mahā­yāna-Sūtra-Saṃgraha. Edited by P. L. Vaidya, 258–308. Darbhanga: Mathila Institute, 1961.

“Kāraṇḍavyūha: mahāyānasūtra.” Edited by Satyavrata Sāmaśrami. Calcutta: Hindu Commentator: a Monthly Sanskrit Journal, Vol. 5, No. 1, 1872.

Kāraṇḍa­vyūha Sūtra. Sanskrit manuscript, Cambridge University Library, UK. 126.7 (12).

Chandra, Lokesh. Kāraṇḍa-Vyūha-Sūtra: or the Supernal Virtues of Avalokiteśvara; Sanskrit Text of the Metrical Version, Edited for the First time from Original Manuscripts. New Delhi: Aditya Prakashan, 1999.


’dul ba gzhi, Vinayavāstu. Toh. 1, Degé Kangyur, vols. 1–4 (’dul ba, ka – nga).

’dul ba rnam par ’byed pa, Vinaya­vibhaṅga. Toh. 3, Degé Kangyur, vols. 5–8 (’dul ba, ca – nya).

’phags pa shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa brgyad stong pa, Āryāṣṭa­sāhasrikā­prajñā­pāramitā [Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines]. Toh. 12, Degé Kangyur, vol. 33 (sher phyin brgyad stong, ka), folios 1b–286a.

bcom ldan ’das ma shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa’i snying po, Bhagavatī­prajñā­pāramitā­hṛdaya [Heart Sūtra]. Toh. 21, Degé Kangyur, vol. 34 (sher phyin sna tshogs, ka), folios 144b–146a.

sangs rgyas phal po che zhes bya ba shin tu rgyas pa chen po’i mdo, Buddhāvataṃsaka­sūtra. Toh. 44, Degé Kangyur, vols. 35-38 (phal chen, ka - a).

dam pa’i chos pad ma dkar po zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo, Saddharma­puṇḍarīka­nāma­mahā­yāna­sūtra [Lotus Sūtra]. Toh. 113, Degé Kangyur, vol. 51 (mdo sde, ja), folios 1b–180b.

’phags pa bde ba can gyi bkod pa zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo, Ārya­sukhāvatī­vyūha­nāma­mahā­yāna­sūtra. Toh. 115, Degé Kangyur vol. 51 (mdo sde, pa), folios 195b-200b [trans. Sakya Pandita Translation Group (2012), see below].

’phags pa dkon mchog gi za ma tog ces bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo, Ārya­ratna­karaṇḍa­nāma­mahā­yāna­sūtra [The Basket of the Jewels Sūtra]. Toh. 117, Degé Kangyur, vol.51 (mdo sde, ja), folios 248a–290a.

’phags pa de bzhin gshegs pa thams cad kyi byin gyis rlabs kyi snying po gsang ba ring bsrel gyi za ma tog ces bya ba’i gzungs (Ārya­sarva­tathāgatā­dhiṣṭhāna­hṛdaya­guhya­dhātu­karaṇḍa­nāma­dhāraṇī) [The Dhāraṇī Named The Relic Casket that is the Secret Essence of the Blessings of all the Tathāgatas]. Toh. 507, Degé Kangyur, vol. 88 (rgyud ’bum, na), folios 1b–7b.

’phags pa lha mo skul byed ma zhes bya ba’i gzungs, Cunde­devī­nāma­dhāraṇī [The Dhāraṇī Named Goddess Cunde]. Toh. 613, Degé Kangyur, vol.91 (rgyud, ba), folios 46b–47a; Toh. 989, Degé Kangyur, vol. 102 (gzungs, waṃ), folios 143a–143b.

’phags pa lha mo bskul byed ma zhes bya ba’i gzungs, Ārya­cuṇḍa­devī­nāma­dhāraṇī [Goddess Cuṇḍa’s Dhāraṇī]. Toh. 989, Degé Kangyur, vol. 102 (gzungs ’dus, waṃ), folios 143a–143b.

sgra’i rnam par dbye ba bstan pa. Peking number 5838, Peking Tengyur, vol. 144 (ngo mtshar bstan bcos, ngo) folios 54a–64a.

Ma ṇi bka’ ’bum: A Collection of Rediscovered Teachings Focusing upon the Tutelary Deity Avalokiteśvara (Mahākaruṇika). Delhi: Trayang and Jamyang Samten, 1975.

bka’ chems ka khol ma [The Pillar Testament]. Gansu, China: kan su’i mi rigs dpe skrun khang, 1989.

Dīpaṃkarajñāna. dbu ma’i man ngag rin po che’i za ma tog kha phye ba zhes bya ba, Ratna­karaṇḍodghāṭa­nāma­madhyamakopadeśa [The Madhyamaka Instructions entitled Opening the Precious Casket]. Toh. 3930, Degé Tengyur (dbu ma, ki), folios 96b1–116b7.

The Dhāraṇī of Cundī, the mother of seventy million buddhas, Sapta­kotī­buddha­mātṛ­cundī­dhāraṇī. Taisho 1077.

Śūra. legs par bshad pa rin po che za ma tog lta bu’i gtam, Subhāṣita­ratna­karaṇḍaka­kathā [A Talk: A Precious Casket of Eloquence]. Toh. 4168, Degé Tengyur, vol. 172 (spring yig, ge), folios 178a–189b.

Vasudeo, Ganesh, trans. and ed. Skanda Purāṇa. Tagare, Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1994.

Secondary literature

Appleton, Naomi. “The Story of the Horse King and the Merchant Siṃhala in Buddhist Texts.” In Buddhist Studies Review, Journal of the UK Association of Buddhist Studies 23, no. 2 (2006): 187–201.

Cohen, Signe. “On the Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit/Middle Indic Ending “-e” as a ‘Magadhism.’” In Acta Orientalia Vol. 63 (2002): 67–70.

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

Imaeda, Yoshiro. “Note préliminaire sur la formule oṁ maṇi padme hūṁ dans les manuscrits tibétains de Touen-houang.” In Contributions aux études sur Touen-Houang, edited by Michel Soymié, 71–76. Geneva/Paris: Librairie Droz, 1979.

Kapstein, Matthew (1992). “Remarks on the mani bka ’bum and the Cult of Avalokitesvara in Tibet.” In Tibetan Buddhism, Reason and Revelation, edited by Steven Goodman and Ronald Davidson, 79–93. Albany: State University of New York Press, 1992.

______ (1997). “The Royal Way of Supreme Compassion.” In Religions of Tibet in Practice, edited by Donald S. Lopez, Jr. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1997.

______ (2002). The Tibetan Assimilation of Buddhism: Conversion, Contestation, and Memory. New York: Oxford University Press, 2002.

Lienhard, Siegfried and Oskar von Hinüber, trans. Avalokiteshvara in the Wick of the Nightlamp 93 {395} – 104 {406}. Kleine Schriften. Wiesbaden, Germany: Otto Harrassowitz Verlag, 2007.

Lopez, Donald S. Prisoners of Shangri-la: Tibetan Buddhism and the West. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1998.

Martin, Dan. “On the Origin and Significance of the Prayer Wheel According to Two Nineteenth-century Sources.” Journal of the Tibet Society, Vol. 7 (1987).

Mette, Adelheid. Die Gilgit-Fragmente des Kārandavyūha. Swisttal, Germany: Indica et Tibetica Verlag, 2005.

Nariman, J. K. Literary History of Sanskrit Buddhism. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, (1912) 1992.

Régamey, Constantin. Le pseudo-hapax ratikara et la lampe qui rit dans le ‘sūtra des ogresses’ bouddhique. Asiastische Studien/Etudes Asiatiques 18–19 (1965): 175ff.

Rhaldi, Sherab. “Ye-Shes sDe: Tibetan Scholar and Saint.” In Bulletin of Tibetology, vol. 38 (2002): 20–36.

Rhys Davids, T.W. and William Stede, eds. The Pali Text Society’s Pali-English Dictionary. London: Pali Text Society, 1979.

Roberts, P. and Bower, E., trans. The White Lotus of Compassion (snying rje pad ma dkar po zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo, Karuṇā­puṇḍarīka­nāma­mahā­yāna­sūtra , Toh. 112). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2021. (forthcoming).

Rouse, W.H.D., trans. “Valāhassa-jātaka.” In The Jātaka or Stories of the Buddha’s Former Births. Pali Text Society Number 196, Vol. 2 (1895): 127.

Sakya Pandita Translation Group, trans. The Display of the Pure Land of Sukhāvatī (’phags pa bde ba can gyi bkod pa zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo, Ārya­sukhāvatī­vyūha­nāma­mahā­yāna­sūtra, Toh. 115, see above). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2011. (read.84000.co).

Schopen, Gregory. Figments and Fragments of Mahāyāna Buddhism in India: More Collected Papers. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 2005.

Studholme, Alexander. The Origins of Oṁ Maṇipadme Hūṃ: A Study of the Kāraṇḍavyūha. Albany: State University of New York Press, 2002.

Uebach, Helga. Nel-pa Paṇḍita’s Chronik Me-tog Phreṅ-wa: Handschrift der Library of Tibetan Works and Archives, Tibetischer Text in Faksimile, Transkription und Übersetzung. Munich: Kommission für Zentralasiatische Studien, Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften, 1987.

Van Schaik, Sam. “The Tibetan Avalokiteśvara Cult in the Tenth Century: Evidence from the Dunhuang Manuscripts.” In Tibetan Buddhist Literature and Praxis (Proceedings of the Tenth Seminar of the IATS, 2003, Volume 4), edited by Ronald M. Davidson and Christian Wedemeyer, 55–72. Leiden: EJ Brill, 2006.

Varāhamihira. The Bṛhat-Samhitā or Complete System of Natural Astrology, trans. Hendrik Kern. London: Trubner & Co., 1869.

Verhagen, P.C. “The Mantra ‘Oṁ maṇi-padme hūṁ’ in an Early Tibetan Grammatical Treatise.” In The Journal of the International Association of Buddhist Studies, Vol. 13, Number 2 (1990): 133–38.

Yü, Chün-fang. Kuan-yin: The Chinese Transformation of Avalokiteśvara. New York: Columbia University Press, 2001.


g.

Glossary

g.­1

Adbhutadharma

  • chos rmad du byung ba
  • ཆོས་རྨད་དུ་བྱུང་བ།
  • adbhutadharma

As one of the twelve aspects of the Dharma, it means descriptions of miracles.

See also “twelve wheels of the Dharma.”

3 passages contain this term:

  • 2.­72
  • 2.­85
  • g.­159

Links to further resources:

  • 9 related glossary entries
g.­2

Āditya

  • nyi ma
  • ཉི་མ།
  • Āditya

In the Vedas, the name originally meant “child of Aditi” so that in some texts it refers to a group of deities. However, in the Kāraṇḍavyūha it has the later meaning of being synonymous with Surya, the deity of the sun. It was translated into Tibetan simply as the common word for sun.

6 passages contain this term:

  • 1.­2
  • 1.­22
  • 1.­35
  • 2.­67
  • 2.­71
  • n.­21

Links to further resources:

  • 4 related glossary entries
g.­3

Affliction

  • nyon mongs
  • ཉོན་མོངས།
  • kleśa

Negative qualities in the mind, the basic three being ignorance, attachment, and aversion.

4 passages contain this term:

  • 1.­16
  • 2.­39
  • 2.­68
  • 2.­82

Links to further resources:

  • 60 related glossary entries
g.­7

Amṛta

  • bdud rtsi
  • བདུད་རྩི།
  • amṛta

The divine nectar that prevents death.

5 passages contain this term:

  • 1.­48
  • 2.­2
  • 2.­60
  • 2.­67
  • n.­218

Links to further resources:

  • 12 related glossary entries
g.­9

Anāthapiṇḍada

  • mgon med pa la zas sbyin pa
  • མགོན་མེད་པ་ལ་ཟས་སྦྱིན་པ།
  • Anāthapiṇḍada

Anāthapiṇḍada was a wealthy merchant in the town of Śrāvastī, who became a patron of Buddha Śākyamuni. He bought the Jeta Park there to be the Buddha’s first monastery. He is better known in the West by the alternative Pāli form Anāthapiṇḍika.

2 passages contain this term:

  • 1.­1
  • g.­56

Links to further resources:

  • 39 related glossary entries
g.­13

Asura

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

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

31 passages contain this term:

  • i.­24
  • i.­25
  • i.­33
  • i.­34
  • i.­43
  • 1.­26
  • 1.­36
  • 1.­37
  • 1.­42
  • 1.­45
  • 1.­48
  • 1.­52
  • 1.­54
  • 1.­57
  • 1.­58
  • 1.­61
  • 1.­67
  • 1.­68
  • 1.­69
  • 1.­88
  • 2.­2
  • 2.­21
  • 2.­67
  • 2.­87
  • 2.­110
  • 2.­120
  • n.­102
  • n.­107
  • g.­17
  • g.­149
  • g.­171

Links to further resources:

  • 106 related glossary entries
g.­15

Avalokiteśvara

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

First appeared as a bodhisattva beside Amitābha in the Sukhāvativyūha. The name has been variously interpreted. “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 Mahāsamghika 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 South India became important in Southern Indian Buddhism as his residence in this world, but Potalaka does not feature in the Kāraṇḍavyūha.

136 passages contain this term:

  • s.­1
  • i.­1
  • i.­5
  • i.­6
  • i.­7
  • i.­8
  • i.­14
  • i.­16
  • i.­18
  • i.­20
  • i.­21
  • i.­26
  • i.­28
  • i.­33
  • i.­34
  • i.­35
  • i.­36
  • i.­37
  • i.­38
  • i.­39
  • i.­40
  • i.­41
  • i.­42
  • i.­43
  • 1.­1
  • 1.­12
  • 1.­13
  • 1.­14
  • 1.­15
  • 1.­16
  • 1.­17
  • 1.­18
  • 1.­19
  • 1.­20
  • 1.­21
  • 1.­22
  • 1.­23
  • 1.­25
  • 1.­26
  • 1.­27
  • 1.­28
  • 1.­29
  • 1.­30
  • 1.­31
  • 1.­32
  • 1.­33
  • 1.­34
  • 1.­35
  • 1.­36
  • 1.­37
  • 1.­38
  • 1.­39
  • 1.­40
  • 1.­41
  • 1.­42
  • 1.­44
  • 1.­45
  • 1.­48
  • 1.­60
  • 1.­61
  • 1.­62
  • 1.­67
  • 1.­68
  • 1.­69
  • 1.­74
  • 1.­76
  • 1.­77
  • 1.­83
  • 1.­84
  • 1.­85
  • 1.­86
  • 1.­87
  • 1.­88
  • 1.­89
  • 1.­90
  • 2.­1
  • 2.­3
  • 2.­17
  • 2.­22
  • 2.­25
  • 2.­26
  • 2.­27
  • 2.­34
  • 2.­35
  • 2.­49
  • 2.­51
  • 2.­52
  • 2.­56
  • 2.­57
  • 2.­58
  • 2.­59
  • 2.­75
  • 2.­81
  • 2.­87
  • 2.­88
  • 2.­89
  • 2.­90
  • 2.­91
  • 2.­92
  • 2.­93
  • 2.­94
  • 2.­95
  • 2.­96
  • 2.­97
  • 2.­98
  • 2.­99
  • 2.­100
  • 2.­101
  • 2.­102
  • 2.­103
  • 2.­104
  • 2.­105
  • 2.­106
  • 2.­110
  • n.­74
  • n.­78
  • n.­104
  • n.­326
  • g.­8
  • g.­25
  • g.­27
  • g.­35
  • g.­50
  • g.­65
  • g.­77
  • g.­105
  • g.­118
  • g.­128
  • g.­132
  • g.­138
  • g.­148
  • g.­151
  • g.­153
  • g.­162
  • g.­172
  • g.­174

Links to further resources:

  • 58 related glossary entries
g.­16

Avīci

  • bstir med
  • mnar med
  • བསྟིར་མེད།
  • མནར་མེད།
  • Avīci

The lowest hell, translated in two different ways within the sūtra and in the Mahāvyutpatti concordance, although mnar med became the standard form.

21 passages contain this term:

  • i.­17
  • i.­33
  • i.­43
  • 1.­10
  • 1.­12
  • 1.­13
  • 1.­14
  • 1.­15
  • 1.­16
  • 1.­18
  • 1.­29
  • 1.­60
  • 1.­86
  • 2.­2
  • 2.­84
  • 2.­90
  • 2.­101
  • 2.­105
  • n.­74
  • n.­76
  • n.­124

Links to further resources:

  • 37 related glossary entries
g.­18

Bhagavat

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

“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. The Tibetan translation has three syllables defined to mean “one who has conquered (the maras), possesses (the qualities of enlightenment), and has transcended (saṃsāra, or both saṃsāra and nirvāṇa).

75 passages contain this term:

  • i.­23
  • 1.­1
  • 1.­12
  • 1.­13
  • 1.­14
  • 1.­17
  • 1.­18
  • 1.­20
  • 1.­21
  • 1.­22
  • 1.­23
  • 1.­25
  • 1.­26
  • 1.­27
  • 1.­28
  • 1.­29
  • 1.­30
  • 1.­31
  • 1.­33
  • 1.­35
  • 1.­36
  • 1.­37
  • 1.­38
  • 1.­39
  • 1.­44
  • 1.­52
  • 1.­55
  • 1.­59
  • 1.­61
  • 1.­67
  • 1.­69
  • 1.­88
  • 1.­89
  • 1.­91
  • 2.­1
  • 2.­2
  • 2.­20
  • 2.­21
  • 2.­22
  • 2.­23
  • 2.­24
  • 2.­26
  • 2.­27
  • 2.­35
  • 2.­36
  • 2.­38
  • 2.­39
  • 2.­40
  • 2.­41
  • 2.­42
  • 2.­50
  • 2.­52
  • 2.­56
  • 2.­60
  • 2.­62
  • 2.­64
  • 2.­72
  • 2.­78
  • 2.­88
  • 2.­89
  • 2.­90
  • 2.­91
  • 2.­92
  • 2.­93
  • 2.­94
  • 2.­96
  • 2.­97
  • 2.­98
  • 2.­102
  • 2.­107
  • 2.­110
  • 2.­111
  • 2.­112
  • 2.­113
  • 2.­120

Links to further resources:

  • 116 related glossary entries
g.­21

Bodhisattva

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

A person who is dedicated not merely to attaining 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.”

137 passages contain this term:

  • s.­1
  • i.­1
  • i.­5
  • i.­6
  • i.­8
  • i.­33
  • i.­34
  • i.­35
  • i.­43
  • 1.­1
  • 1.­12
  • 1.­13
  • 1.­14
  • 1.­15
  • 1.­16
  • 1.­17
  • 1.­18
  • 1.­19
  • 1.­20
  • 1.­21
  • 1.­22
  • 1.­25
  • 1.­26
  • 1.­27
  • 1.­28
  • 1.­29
  • 1.­30
  • 1.­31
  • 1.­32
  • 1.­33
  • 1.­34
  • 1.­35
  • 1.­36
  • 1.­37
  • 1.­39
  • 1.­40
  • 1.­41
  • 1.­42
  • 1.­44
  • 1.­45
  • 1.­47
  • 1.­48
  • 1.­60
  • 1.­61
  • 1.­62
  • 1.­67
  • 1.­68
  • 1.­69
  • 1.­74
  • 1.­76
  • 1.­79
  • 1.­83
  • 1.­84
  • 1.­85
  • 1.­87
  • 1.­88
  • 1.­89
  • 1.­90
  • 1.­91
  • 2.­1
  • 2.­3
  • 2.­4
  • 2.­17
  • 2.­20
  • 2.­22
  • 2.­23
  • 2.­24
  • 2.­25
  • 2.­26
  • 2.­27
  • 2.­28
  • 2.­29
  • 2.­34
  • 2.­35
  • 2.­36
  • 2.­37
  • 2.­38
  • 2.­42
  • 2.­48
  • 2.­49
  • 2.­51
  • 2.­52
  • 2.­53
  • 2.­55
  • 2.­56
  • 2.­57
  • 2.­58
  • 2.­59
  • 2.­60
  • 2.­62
  • 2.­64
  • 2.­65
  • 2.­67
  • 2.­72
  • 2.­74
  • 2.­75
  • 2.­77
  • 2.­80
  • 2.­81
  • 2.­82
  • 2.­83
  • 2.­84
  • 2.­87
  • 2.­88
  • 2.­89
  • 2.­90
  • 2.­91
  • 2.­92
  • 2.­93
  • 2.­94
  • 2.­95
  • 2.­96
  • 2.­98
  • 2.­99
  • 2.­100
  • 2.­101
  • 2.­102
  • 2.­103
  • 2.­104
  • 2.­105
  • 2.­106
  • 2.­109
  • 2.­110
  • n.­74
  • n.­205
  • n.­207
  • n.­211
  • g.­15
  • g.­19
  • g.­40
  • g.­52
  • g.­71
  • g.­119
  • g.­128
  • g.­132
  • g.­159
  • g.­174

Links to further resources:

  • 33 related glossary entries
g.­56

Jetavana

  • dze ta’i tshal
  • ཛེ་ཏའི་ཚལ།
  • Jetavana

A grove owned by Prince Jeta in Śrāvastī, the capital of the kingdom of Kośala (presently an area within Uttar Pradesh). It was bought by Anāthapiṇḍada and became the monastery that the Buddha spent most rainy seasons in, and is therefore the setting for many sūtras.

17 passages contain this term:

  • i.­33
  • i.­34
  • i.­35
  • i.­43
  • 1.­1
  • 1.­10
  • 1.­11
  • 1.­67
  • 1.­68
  • 1.­78
  • 1.­88
  • 2.­78
  • 2.­87
  • 2.­89
  • 2.­90
  • 2.­91
  • n.­129

Links to further resources:

  • 52 related glossary entries
g.­71

Mahāsattva

  • sems dpa’ chen po
  • སེམས་དཔའ་ཆེན་པོ།
  • mahāsattva

An epithet for an accomplished bodhisattva.

85 passages contain this term:

  • 1.­1
  • 1.­12
  • 1.­13
  • 1.­14
  • 1.­15
  • 1.­16
  • 1.­17
  • 1.­18
  • 1.­20
  • 1.­21
  • 1.­22
  • 1.­25
  • 1.­26
  • 1.­27
  • 1.­28
  • 1.­29
  • 1.­30
  • 1.­31
  • 1.­32
  • 1.­33
  • 1.­34
  • 1.­35
  • 1.­36
  • 1.­37
  • 1.­39
  • 1.­40
  • 1.­41
  • 1.­42
  • 1.­44
  • 1.­48
  • 1.­60
  • 1.­61
  • 1.­62
  • 1.­67
  • 1.­68
  • 1.­69
  • 1.­74
  • 1.­76
  • 1.­83
  • 1.­84
  • 1.­85
  • 1.­87
  • 1.­88
  • 1.­89
  • 1.­90
  • 2.­1
  • 2.­3
  • 2.­17
  • 2.­22
  • 2.­23
  • 2.­25
  • 2.­26
  • 2.­27
  • 2.­34
  • 2.­35
  • 2.­49
  • 2.­51
  • 2.­56
  • 2.­57
  • 2.­58
  • 2.­59
  • 2.­65
  • 2.­75
  • 2.­77
  • 2.­81
  • 2.­87
  • 2.­88
  • 2.­89
  • 2.­90
  • 2.­91
  • 2.­92
  • 2.­93
  • 2.­94
  • 2.­95
  • 2.­96
  • 2.­98
  • 2.­99
  • 2.­100
  • 2.­101
  • 2.­103
  • 2.­104
  • 2.­105
  • 2.­106
  • 2.­110
  • n.­72

Links to further resources:

  • 15 related glossary entries
g.­80

Monastery

  • gtsug lag khang
  • གཙུག་ལག་ཁང་།
  • vihāra

Originally a place where the wandering “viharin” monks would stay during the monsoon only, they later developed into permanent domiciles for monks.

24 passages contain this term:

  • i.­11
  • i.­13
  • i.­33
  • i.­34
  • i.­35
  • i.­43
  • 1.­1
  • 1.­10
  • 1.­11
  • 1.­27
  • 1.­67
  • 1.­68
  • 1.­78
  • 1.­88
  • 2.­78
  • 2.­87
  • 2.­89
  • 2.­90
  • 2.­91
  • 2.­112
  • 2.­113
  • n.­129
  • g.­9
  • g.­56

Links to further resources:

  • 7 related glossary entries
g.­98

Nāga

  • klu
  • ཀླུ།
  • nāga

In India, this was the cobra deity, which in Tibet was equated with water spirits and in China with dragons, neither country having cobras.

21 passages contain this term:

  • 1.­3
  • 1.­7
  • 1.­16
  • 1.­26
  • 1.­35
  • 1.­46
  • 1.­67
  • 1.­88
  • 2.­21
  • 2.­36
  • 2.­44
  • 2.­67
  • 2.­87
  • 2.­108
  • 2.­110
  • 2.­120
  • n.­23
  • n.­36
  • n.­38
  • n.­172
  • g.­133

Links to further resources:

  • 91 related glossary entries
g.­102

Nirvāṇa

  • mya ngan las ’das pa
  • མྱ་ངན་ལས་འདས་པ།
  • nirvāṇa

Sanskrit: the causes for saṃsāra are “extinguished.” Tibetan: suffering has been transcended.

19 passages contain this term:

  • 1.­16
  • 1.­35
  • 1.­37
  • 1.­40
  • 1.­86
  • 2.­2
  • 2.­24
  • 2.­29
  • 2.­30
  • 2.­33
  • 2.­34
  • 2.­39
  • 2.­81
  • 2.­82
  • 2.­95
  • 2.­97
  • 2.­101
  • 2.­113
  • g.­18

Links to further resources:

  • 31 related glossary entries
g.­119

Ratnapāṇi

  • lag na rin po che
  • ལག་ན་རིན་པོ་ཆེ།
  • Ratnapāṇi

In the Kāraṇḍavyūha he is, as well as being listed as present at Buddha Śākyamuni’s teachings, the one who is described in Śākyamuni’s memories as the bodhisattva who questions Buddha Vipaśyin. He is the principal bodhisattva being addressed by Śākyamuni in chapter 35 of the Avatamsaka Sūtra. In the early tantras he is one of the sixteen bodhisattvas in the dharmadhātu maṇḍala. In the higher tantras he is associated with the ratna family of Buddha Ratnasambhava.

10 passages contain this term:

  • i.­33
  • i.­43
  • 1.­1
  • 1.­27
  • 1.­28
  • 1.­30
  • 1.­33
  • 1.­35
  • 1.­36
  • 1.­37

Links to further resources:

  • 16 related glossary entries
g.­127

Samādhi

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

One of the synonyms for the meditative state, meaning a completely focused state.

20 passages contain this term:

  • i.­36
  • i.­41
  • i.­43
  • 1.­16
  • 2.­1
  • 2.­2
  • 2.­3
  • 2.­61
  • 2.­70
  • 2.­76
  • 2.­101
  • 2.­102
  • 2.­103
  • 2.­104
  • 2.­105
  • n.­155
  • n.­268
  • n.­338
  • g.­40
  • g.­129

Links to further resources:

  • 76 related glossary entries
g.­128

Samantabhadra

  • kun tu bzang po
  • ཀུན་ཏུ་བཟང་པོ།
  • Samantabhadra

One of the eight principal bodhisattvas, he figures strongly in the Gaṇḍavyūha (the final chapter of the Avataṃsaka­sūtra) and in the Lotus Sūtra. His prominence in these sūtras is the reason why emphasis is placed on Avalokiteśvara’s superiority over him. (Not to be confused with the buddha in the Nyingma tradition.)

10 passages contain this term:

  • i.­41
  • i.­43
  • 1.­1
  • 2.­23
  • 2.­25
  • 2.­102
  • 2.­103
  • 2.­104
  • 2.­105
  • 2.­106

Links to further resources:

  • 24 related glossary entries
g.­132

Sarva­nīvaraṇa­viṣkambhin

  • sgrib pa thams cad rnam par sel ba
  • སྒྲིབ་པ་ཐམས་ཅད་རྣམ་པར་སེལ་བ།
  • Sarva­nīvaraṇavi­ṣkambhin

One of the eight great bodhisattvas. In particular, he has an important role in the Lotus Sūtra, in which Buddha Śākyamuni sends him to Vārāṇasī to see Avalokiteśvara. This is paralleled in the Kāraṇḍavyūha, in which he is sent to Vārāṇasī to obtain Avalokitesvara’s mahāvidyā.

54 passages contain this term:

  • s.­1
  • i.­33
  • i.­36
  • i.­37
  • i.­39
  • i.­40
  • i.­43
  • 1.­1
  • 1.­12
  • 1.­13
  • 1.­17
  • 1.­20
  • 1.­21
  • 1.­22
  • 1.­25
  • 1.­26
  • 1.­38
  • 1.­39
  • 2.­1
  • 2.­17
  • 2.­20
  • 2.­21
  • 2.­22
  • 2.­23
  • 2.­24
  • 2.­26
  • 2.­27
  • 2.­28
  • 2.­29
  • 2.­35
  • 2.­39
  • 2.­41
  • 2.­60
  • 2.­62
  • 2.­65
  • 2.­66
  • 2.­69
  • 2.­72
  • 2.­75
  • 2.­76
  • 2.­77
  • 2.­78
  • 2.­86
  • 2.­88
  • 2.­89
  • 2.­90
  • 2.­96
  • 2.­97
  • 2.­98
  • 2.­99
  • 2.­101
  • 2.­102
  • 2.­107
  • 2.­110

Links to further resources:

  • 11 related glossary entries
g.­143

Śrāvastī

  • mnyan du yod pa
  • མཉན་དུ་ཡོད་པ།
  • Śrāvastī

The capital of Kośala, a kingdom in what is now Uttar Pradesh, where Buddha Śākyamuni spent most of his life. There are differing explanations for the name, including that it was founded by King Śrāvasta or that it was named after a rishi, Sāvattha, who lived there.

3 passages contain this term:

  • 1.­1
  • g.­9
  • g.­56

Links to further resources:

  • 56 related glossary entries
g.­152

Sūtra

  • mdo
  • མདོ།
  • sūtra

Generally used for pithy statements, rules, and aphorisms, for the Buddha’s non-tantric teachings in general, and as one of the twelve aspects of the Dharma, it means “teaching given in prose.”

73 passages contain this term:

  • s.­1
  • i.­1
  • i.­3
  • i.­4
  • i.­5
  • i.­6
  • i.­7
  • i.­9
  • i.­10
  • i.­14
  • i.­15
  • i.­16
  • i.­17
  • i.­18
  • i.­19
  • i.­20
  • i.­22
  • i.­23
  • i.­24
  • i.­25
  • i.­26
  • i.­30
  • i.­31
  • i.­32
  • i.­33
  • i.­34
  • i.­37
  • i.­42
  • i.­43
  • 1.­19
  • 1.­36
  • 1.­37
  • 1.­41
  • 1.­71
  • 1.­72
  • 1.­73
  • 1.­74
  • 1.­75
  • 1.­91
  • 2.­19
  • 2.­20
  • 2.­21
  • 2.­72
  • 2.­85
  • 2.­107
  • 2.­108
  • 2.­109
  • 2.­121
  • n.­18
  • n.­104
  • n.­129
  • n.­287
  • n.­288
  • n.­297
  • n.­299
  • n.­326
  • n.­328
  • g.­6
  • g.­15
  • g.­16
  • g.­32
  • g.­40
  • g.­56
  • g.­70
  • g.­108
  • g.­114
  • g.­128
  • g.­132
  • g.­133
  • g.­148
  • g.­159
  • g.­174
  • g.­184

Links to further resources:

  • 13 related glossary entries
g.­164

Upādhyāya

  • mkhan po
  • མཁན་པོ།
  • upādhyāya

A personal preceptor and teacher. In Tibet, it has also come to mean a learned scholar, the equivalent of a paṇḍita, but that is not the intended meaning in the Kāraṇḍavyūha.

5 passages contain this term:

  • i.­10
  • 1.­55
  • 2.­77
  • c.­1
  • n.­295

Links to further resources:

  • 21 related glossary entries
g.­170

Vajra

  • rdo rje
  • རྡོ་རྗེ།
  • vajra

The word vajra refers to the “thunderbolt,” the indestructible and irresistible weapon that first appears in Indian literature in the hand of the Vedic deity Indra. As a symbol of indestructibility and great power it is used in the Kāraṇḍavyūha to describe the qualities of the maṇi mantra.

13 passages contain this term:

  • 1.­18
  • 2.­2
  • 2.­37
  • 2.­61
  • 2.­67
  • 2.­70
  • 2.­101
  • 2.­103
  • 2.­119
  • n.­221
  • n.­224
  • n.­338
  • g.­174

Links to further resources:

  • 24 related glossary entries
g.­174

Vajrapāṇi

  • phyag na rdo rje
  • ཕྱག་ན་རྡོ་རྗེ།
  • Vajrapāṇi

He first appears in Buddhist literature as the yakṣa bodyguard of the Buddha, ready at times to shatter a person’s head into a hundred pieces with his vajra if he speaks inappropriately to the Buddha. His identity as a bodhisattva did not take place until the rise of the Mantrayāna in such sūtras as the Kāraṇḍavyūha. However, although listed (paradoxically along with Avalokiteśvara) as being in the assembly that hears the teaching of this sūtra, in the sūtra itself he is grouped with the worldly spirits that Avalokiteśvara frightens.

3 passages contain this term:

  • i.­6
  • 1.­1
  • 1.­16

Links to further resources:

  • 37 related glossary entries
g.­175

Vārāṇasī

  • khor mor ’jigs
  • ཁོར་མོར་འཇིགས།
  • Vārāṇasī

Also known as Benares, the oldest city of northeast India in the Gangetic plain. It was once the capital of its own small kingdom and was known by various names. It was an important religious center, as well as a major city in India, even during the time of the Buddha. The name may derive from being where the Varuna and Assi rivers flow into the Ganges.

13 passages contain this term:

  • s.­1
  • i.­2
  • i.­35
  • i.­40
  • i.­43
  • 1.­83
  • 2.­62
  • 2.­66
  • 2.­67
  • 2.­113
  • n.­365
  • g.­60
  • g.­132

Links to further resources:

  • 25 related glossary entries
0

    Table of Contents


    Search this text


    Other ways to read

    Download PDF
    Download EPUB
    Download AZW3 (Kindle)
    Open in the 84000 App

    Spotted a mistake?

    Please use the contact form provided to suggest a correction.


    How to cite this text

    The following is an example of how to correctly cite this publication. Links to specific passages can be derived by right-clicking on the milestones markers in the left-hand margin (e.g. s.1). The copied link address can replace the url below.

    Peter Roberts and team (tr.). The Basket’s Display (Kāraṇḍa­vyūha, Toh 116). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2021:
    https://read.84000.co/translation/toh116.html?part=UT22084-051-004-colophon


    Other links

    84000 Homepage
    Reading Room Lobby
    Published Translations
    Search the Reading Room
    Sponsor Translation

    Bookmarks

    Copyright © 2011-2022 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha - All Rights Reserved
    • Website: https://84000.co
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy