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ཟ་མ་ཏོག་བཀོད་པ།

The Basket’s Display
Notes

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

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.

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co.

Table of Contents

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.

The Translation
The Noble Mahāyāna Sūtra
The Basket’s Display
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.­9
See The Basket of the Jewels Sūtra, Toh 117.
n.­10
Toh 507, see bibliography under The Dhāraṇī Named The Relic Casket.
n.­11
See bibliography, under Dīpaṃkarajñāna and Śūra.
n.­12
Lopez (1998), 114–34.
n.­13
Martin (1987), 1.
n.­14
Verhagen (1990), 133–138.
n.­15
Cohen (2002), 67–68.
n.­16
See sman gyi gzhi (Bhaiṣajya­vastu), chapter 6 of the ’dul ba gzhi (Toh 1); ’dul ba rnam par ’byed pa (Toh 3); and Rouse (1895), 127.
n.­17
This is a Sanskritization of the name Valāhassa, which means “cloud horse.” The version of the story in the Vinaya­vāstu was translated into Tibetan as rta’i rgyal po sprin gyi shugs can, “the king of horses who has the power of the clouds.”
n.­18
In the tradition that enumerates Śākyamuni as the seventh buddha, Vipaśyin is the first. The sūtra will introduce successively each buddha in order up to the fifth.
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.­21
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan appears to be corrupt at this point, adding another sentence mentioning both thirty-two and thirty-three classes of deities: “Also, Īśvara, Nārāyaṇa, and the other deities of the thirty-two classes of devas were assembled there. Also the deities of the thirty-three classes of devas were assembled there. Assembled with such deities as the deity Maheśvara, Āditya, Candra, Vāyu, and Varuṇa, were Śakra, the lord of the devas, and Brahma, the lord of Sahā.”
n.­22
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has “Huluta.”
n.­23
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan omits “Nāga King Vahūdaka.”
n.­24
According to the Cambridge. The Tibetan has blo gros chen po (a translation of “Mahāmati,” a scribal error for “Sahāpati”). The Sāmaśrami and Vaidya have “Sahāṃpati.”
n.­25
Following the Tibetan and Vaidya. Cambridge: “Maharṣita.”
n.­26
Following the Tibetan and Vaidya. The Cambridge omits “Kinnara King Druma.”
n.­27
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has only “hundreds.”
n.­28
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has only “hundreds.”
n.­29
According to the Cambridge. The Tibetan has Pulinda, which is repeated a few lines later. Absent in the Sāmaśrami and Vaidya.
n.­30
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has sa ri’i bzhin, with sa ri a corruption of “Svāti.”
n.­31
Vijayaśrī and Mucilindā are absent in the Tibetan and Cambridge.
n.­32
According to the Tibetan, Sāmaśrami, and Vaidya. Absent in the Cambridge.
n.­33
According to the Vaidya, “drop of water.” The Cambridge has only bindu. The Tibetan has thigs pa, meaning “drop.”
n.­34
According to the Tibetan and Cambridge (“hundred mounts”). The Vaidya has śatabāhu (“hundred arms”).
n.­35
According to the Tibetan. The first element comes from the Cambridge manuscript compound (“Anākṛtsna-karā”), and the second from the Vaidya (“Anākṛcchragatā”).
n.­36
According to the Sanskrit. After Subhūṣaṇā, the Tibetan has “a female nāga named thig le” (possible from Tilakā). We have omitted it.
n.­37
According to the Tibetan and Cambridge. The Vaidya has “Pāṇḍalameghā.”
n.­38
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan de bzhin du chags pa appears to have been translating from Tathāvirūdhā. According to the Cambridge, the female nāga Nīlotpalā is listed after Rathābhiruḍhā here, though an apsaras has already been given that name. We have omitted it.
n.­39
According to the Cambridge and Tibetan. The Vaidya has “Tyāgagatā.”
n.­40
According to the Cambridge. Absent in the Tibetan and Vaidya.
n.­41
According to the Tibetan and Vaidya. The Cambridge has “Nillau.”
n.­42
According to the Cambridge. The Vaidya has “Mukharā”; the Tibetan translates from “Sukhakarā.”
n.­43
According to the Sāmaśrami and Vaidya (“joyful flower”). The Cambridge and Tibetan have rudita puṣpa (“weeping flower”), which seems anomalous here.
n.­44
According to the Tibetan, Sāmaśrami, and Vaidya. Absent in the Cambridge.
n.­45
According to the Tibetan, Sāmaśrami, and Vaidya. The Cambridge has audumvararudita and the Tibetan has me tog u dum ba ra’i lto ba, both implying a second part to the compound, although the Cambridge appears corrupt and the Tibetan “stomach” also has a dubious origin.
n.­46
According to the Tibetan and Cambridge. Absent in the Sāmaśrami and Vaidya.
n.­47
According to the Sāmaśrami and Vaidya. Absent in the Cambridge and Tibetan.
n.­48
According to the Sāmaśrami and Vaidya. The Cambridge has “Padmālaṃbā.” Either that or Padmālaṃbāna translated into Tibetan as pad ma’i dmigs.
n.­49
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has the obscure cha bas dbang po.
n.­50
According to the Tibetan and Cambridge; occurs earlier in the Sāmaśrami and Vaidya.
n.­51
According to the Sāmaśrami, Vaidya, and Tibetan. The Cambridge has devavara­locana.
n.­52
According to the Tibetan and Cambridge. The Sāmaśrami and Vaidya have “Suvaca.” The Tibetan has three additional names: ’khor gyis yongs su bskor ba, mchog dga’, and dam pa’i dpal.
n.­53
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has only “hundreds.”
n.­54
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has only “hundreds.”
n.­55
According to the Tibetan, Sāmaśrami, and Vaidya. The Cambridge has “Ākāśayūvanā.”
n.­56
According to the Cambridge. The Sāmaśrami and Vaidya have “Acalaśrī.”
n.­57
According to the Tibetan and Cambridge (last two letters illegible). Absent in the Sāmaśrami and Vaidya.
n.­58
According to the Tibetan and Cambridge. Absent in the Sāmaśrami and Vaidya.
n.­59
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has blo gros chen mo, a translation of “Mahāmati,” itself a scribal error of “Sahāpati.” The Sāmaśrami and Vaidya have “Sahāṃpati.”
n.­60
The Cambridge has śatā. The Tibetan has bdog ma, translated from a corruption.
n.­61
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan translates from a corruption, beginning with akṣa instead of lakṣa.
n.­62
According to the Tibetan and Cambridge. The Sāmaśrami and Vaidya have yogānugatā.
n.­63
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has only “hundreds.”
n.­64
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has only “hundreds.”
n.­65
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has only “hundreds.”
n.­66
Nirgrantha in its general meaning as “one with no possessions.” The Tibetan has gcer bu pa, “naked ones,” which would refer specifically to Jains, but that does not appear to be the meaning here.
n.­67
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has rgya’i gos (“Chinese cloth”), perhaps from cīnaka­vastra or cīna­vastra, a corruption of cīvara­vastra (“monastic robes”). rgya’i gos does not occur anywhere else in the Kangyur, whereas “monastic robes, sometimes made of divine material” occurs elsewhere along with “parasols, victory banners, etc.” “Chinese cloth” would be silk, which is next in the list of hangings.
n.­68
According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has “strings of pearls.”
n.­69
Water of the eight good qualities is: cool; delicious; light; soft; clear; unstained; not harmful to the stomach; and not harmful to the throat.
n.­70
Strictly speaking only the padma (red lotus) and puṇḍarika (white lotus) are lotuses. The utpala (blue lotus) is a water lily, as is the kuduma (night-flowering water lily).
n.­71
Māndārava, and mahāmāndārava. The author, in copying lists of flowers from earlier sutras, has placed tree flowers on the pond. Tiger claw or Indian coral trees (Erythrina stricta) are trees prized for their beauty and are believed to grow in Indra’s paradise. The greater tiger claw tree is presumably Erythrina variegata, which grows much taller.
n.­72
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan omits “Mahāsattva.”
n.­73
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan omits “It was he who emanated these light rays.”
n.­74
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has this passage as a description of the events instead of the thoughts of Yama’s guards: “At that time Yama’s creatures were dismayed as they saw bad omens appear in the Avīci hell, for when the bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara arrived there, lotus flowers the size of cartwheels…”
n.­75
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has btun, “pestle,” which is an alternative meaning of musala.
n.­76
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan omits “taking all their Avīci utensils.”
n.­77
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has “Divine One, you don’t know? First an inauspicious…”
n.­78
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan omits “peaceful,” and makes this omen occur on Avalokiteśvara’s entry into hell: “…a being, handsome, with a topknot and his body having all adornments, came and it became cool.”
n.­79
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan omits “…with an extremely loving mind, and resembling a golden statue.”
n.­80
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan interpreted mahā­rāvaṇa incorrectly as “the elephant of the gods,” a name for Indra’s elephant.
n.­81
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan translates pṛthivī­vara­locana­karāya as “the eyes of the world.”
n.­82
According to the Cambridge and Tibetan. The Vaidya omits “who teaches the six perfections; who illuminates like the sun…” The Tibetan translates this as “who creates perfect eyes like the sun.”
n.­83
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan omits “who manifests as the supreme rishi.”
n.­84
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan omits “who creates abundance.”
n.­85
In other words, two cobras tied together and worn diagonally over the torso across one shoulder, as a brahmin’s thread. Śiva is also depicted wearing this.
n.­86
According to the Tibetan (phra men pha dang phra men ma). Not present in the Sanskrit.
n.­87
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan omits “who has profound wisdom.”
n.­88
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan omits “Then they contemplated human existence.”
n.­89
The Tibetan ’jig tshogs means “an aggregation that is destroyed.” The Sanskrit satkāya means “existent accumulation,” a secondary meaning of kāya, which is usually translated as sku, meaning “body.” The mountain is singular in the Sanskrit and has twenty peaks, which are the views of the relationship of the self to each of the five skandhas or aggregates‍—i.e., the self is form, form possesses self, self possesses form, and self is located within form‍—and the same for the other four aggregates (sensations, identifications, mental activities, and consciousnesses), which comes to twenty views.
n.­90
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan omits “from the city of the pretas.”
n.­91
Liṅga was translated into Tibetan as rtags, which can mean “sign,” “emblem,” or “gender.” The etymology of liṅga is here given a fanciful etymology from the verb līyana (“dissolve”), which is lost in translation.
n.­92
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan omits “flowers.”
n.­93
The seven jewels are listed here in the order given in Cambridge, and in agreement with the second time they are listed.
n.­94
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan translation of these phrases is obscure.
n.­95
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has “Shambala.”
n.­96
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan omits “and others.”
n.­97
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has “departed in one direction.”
n.­98
Śayanāsana, literally, “sleeping-sitting,” can mean “bed and seat” as translated into Tibetan (mal stan). However, it is also a Buddhist term for a monk’s cell or dwelling.
n.­99
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan transliterates and does not translate the Sanskrit for “hyenas” (tarakṣu, though tarakṣa would mean “wolf”) and omits “camels, jackals.”
n.­100
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has “statues.”
n.­101
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has ngal bso po, the translation of viśrama (“tranquility”).
n.­102
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan omits “He says to the listening asuras.”
n.­103
The dialogue between the Buddha and Sarva­nīvaraṇa­viṣkhambin is absent in both the Tibetan and Cambridge. It has been added here from the Sāmaśrami as the narrative is more confusing without it.
n.­104
In Indian literature such as the Pūraṇas, those beings that do not produce descendants are reborn in a realm where the inhabitants continually hang upside down. The seven underworlds, called patala, include realms made of gold. The implication here is that Avalokiteśvara is traveling through the underworlds, one of which is ruled by Bali, which this sūtra describes as being made of iron. The hells and the preta realm are also located below the ground.
n.­105
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has the peculiar “Show us the path of liberation that creates sensation.”
n.­106
The Sanskrit editions added an extra sentence here: “As he approached, King Bali saw him in the distance, resembling a disk of gold emitting light rays of various colors.” This would easily have been omitted when copying a manuscript, since the next sentence begins in a similar way.
n.­107
One example of these names being used separately for two attendants, as opposed to the compound name Kubja­vāmanaka for one asura, is found in verses 31–32 and 35–36 in chapter 69 of the Bṛhatsaṃhita by Varāhamihira (505–587 ᴄᴇ), where Kubja and Vāmanaka are listed as separate attendants of kings. See Varāhamihira (1869), 287.
n.­108
This is a poetic metaphor for a face covered or darkened by tears as clouds darken the land.
n.­109
List of jewelry is given according to the Tibetan.
n.­110
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has “I became astonished on having become…”
n.­111
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan translation is obscure.
n.­112
The English translation of the Chinese translation adds here that there were five hundred locks on each door.
n.­113
“Son of Daśaratha” is another name for “Rāma,” who came to be regarded as one of Nārāyaṇa’s (i.e., Viṣṇu’s) incarnations. The English translation of the Chinese translation has Nārāyaṇa transforming into these different beings.
n.­114
According to the Sanskrit the five named kṣatriyas are the five Pāṇḍava brothers, and the Kaurava brothers were their enemies. This is the principal theme of the Mahā­bhārata epic.
n.­115
This passage is awkward in the original text, as from this point on, descriptions of Bali shift from first-person voice to third-person voice. In this translation we have maintained the first-person voice throughout, as noted in the introduction.
n.­116
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has the literal but obscure translation “being of time.”
n.­117
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has “weapons” instead of “long spear and short spear.”
n.­118
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan omits “and the others.”
n.­119
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan omits “having been expelled from the offering site.”
n.­120
According to the Gilgit manuscript. This passage is corrupted in later manuscripts and translated into Tibetan as “like a creator.”
n.­121
At this point in the original, the narrative switches back to the first person, though the next sentence has one incident of Bali in the third person in his own narrative.
n.­122
“Omniscient buddha” here is referring to Amitābha.
n.­123
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan translates as “eyes of the world.”
n.­124
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan omits “Avīci.”
n.­125
The text has only “hundred thousand,” assuming that the reader will know this refers to the silver coin, the raupya, the origin of the present day rupee, which was tied to the value of silver until the end of the nineteenth century.
n.­126
According to the Cambridge and Tibetan.
n.­127
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has only “others.”
n.­128
According to the Cambridge: kiṃ mayā pāpara­tena sattvena karma kṛtam.
n.­129
This is the Jetavana Monastery of Buddha Viśvabhū, and not the Jetavana Monastery in which Buddha Śākyamuni is relating the sūtra.
n.­131
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan omits “an extremely dreadful.”
n.­132
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has simply “I have been ripening many beings.”
n.­133
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan translates as “rested.”
n.­134
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan omits “promulgate.”
n.­135
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has “one four-line verse that is the root of this king…”
n.­141
According to the Tibetan. The Cambridge only lists “once-returner.” The other later Sanskrit editions have a complete list of attainments: “Some attained the result of a stream entrant, some attained the result of becoming a once-returner, some attained the result of becoming a non-returner, some attained the state of an arhat, and some attained enlightenment.”
n.­142
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has “Stay in this vihāra!”
n.­143
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan omits “and gave him the divine clothing.”
n.­144
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan omits “homes with drink” and “a variety of multicolored beds.”
n.­145
According to the Tibetan and Cambridge. See n.­141 for the fuller list given in other Sanskrit editions.
n.­146
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan omits “and we will keep the upāsikā vows.”
n.­147
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan omits “namo dharmāya, namaḥ saṃghāya” (“Homage to the Buddha, homage to the Dharma, homage to the Saṅgha”).
n.­150
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan translates as “they all rested.”
n.­151
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan translates as “rested.”
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.
n.­175
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan omits “named Siṃhalarāja.”
n.­176
Ratnadvīpa, Siṃhala, and Rākṣasidvīpa (“island of rākṣasīs”) are normally synonyms, but here “Ratnadvīpa” appears to be differentiated. The Gilgit manuscript also has “Ratnadvīpa,” but the Cambridge manuscript has “Jambudvīpa.”
n.­177
“Yavanadvīpa” (nas kyi gling) appears only in the Tibetan.
n.­178
According to the Tibetan and Cambridge. The Vaidya has “Land of the Rākṣasas.” See also n.­176.
n.­179
The original text is inconsistent in making the island singular or plural.
n.­180
The original text is inconsistent in switching to the third person “the merchants.”
n.­181
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has “extremely aged,” which is not the intended meaning here.
n.­182
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has “from two or three to seven days.”
n.­183
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan translation, not comprehending the unusual word used for lamp in the Sanskrit, assumes it is the sleeping woman who is laughing (see Introduction, i.­30).
n.­184
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan translates it as “to the right,” an alternative meaning for dakṣiṇa. The Vinaya version of the story (’dul ba gzhi) translates this correctly as lho at first but later in the story use g.yas, “right,” even though they are describing the same road.
n.­185
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan translates as “city.”
n.­186
At this point the narrative in the original changes briefly from first to third person.
n.­187
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has “sword that glowed like moonlight named ‘provision for me.’ ”
n.­188
At this point the narrative changes back to first person.
n.­189
… “inside [who] heard me” is absent in the manuscript; it has been added to make the narrative clearer in English.
n.­190
The herb is unidentified and may be fictional. The Vinaya version (’dul ba gzhi) has “the wild rice that does not need to be farmed” (ma smos ma btab pa’i ’bras sa lu’i ’bru), which is considered superior to farmed rice. “Wild rice” there translates taṇḍula­phalaśa. Other names for rice include śetaśala, sarva­saṃgata, and śvetaṇḍula. Therefore this may be the origin of the name for this mythical herb.
n.­191
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan translates as “they all rested.”
n.­192
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has only two repetitions.
n.­193
In the original this passage began with the plural for both “rākṣasī” and “merchant,” but then changed to singular.
n.­194
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan omits “and the delightful bathing pools.”
n.­195
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan omits “and a variety of delightful bathing pools.”
n.­196
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has only two repetitions.
n.­197
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has “adorned by red lotuses,” presumably translating from a corruption of padmarāga to padmarakta.
n.­198
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan omits “leaf huts.”
n.­199
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan omits “the suffering and happiness of beings in saṃsāra.”
n.­200
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has “deeply contemplate emptiness in that way.”
n.­201
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan omits “cause to be written out.”
n.­202
According to the Sanskrit, caṇḍāla, a term that is used for all those outside the caste system or those with the lowest status among them, or more specifically, those who deal with dead bodies. The Tibetan translates as phyag dar pa (“sweeper”).
n.­203
According to the Sanskrit, kukkura. The Tibetan translates as rme sha can (“one with spotted flesh”), which has various definitions including “butcher.”
n.­204
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has “lame, hunchbacked, bent, knock-kneed, large-bodied, and having leprosy.”
n.­205
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has “he did not even see those who live in each of those pores, let alone any other bodhisattvas [being able to see them].”
n.­206
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has “and did not even see [them], why should I go?”
n.­207
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has “Noble son, I am unwavering, without illusion, and appear as subtle.” The reading of “I” is from a corruption of ayam (“this [bodhisattva]”) to aham (“I”).
n.­208
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has “imperceptible.”
n.­209
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has “without form.”
n.­210
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has “without mind.”
n.­211
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has “Lord of the family.” The family is that of the bodhisattvas or Mahāyāna.
n.­212
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has “and becomes a shadow on/in all phenomena.”
n.­213
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan omits “or hear.”
n.­214
According to the Cambridge (svabhāvakāyaṃ) and the Tibetan (rang bzhin gyi lus). The Vaidya has svabhāvakā (“nature”).
n.­215
According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit omits “inconceivable.”
n.­216
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan omits “rested his cheek on his hand.” This is a gesture of despondency.
n.­217
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has “following the three paths.”
n.­218
The Tibetan has only bdud rtsi (amṛta).
n.­219
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has “first mind.”
n.­221
Translated into Tibetan as “Vajra Door.”
n.­222
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has “adorned by red lotuses,” presumably translating from a corruption of padmarāga to padmarakta.
n.­223
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan translates as “rested.”
n.­224
This is presumably the name of a hell. Translated into Tibetan literally as “Vajra Mountain.”
n.­225
The list of hells is according to the Tibetan.
n.­226
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has “there would be none who know.”
n.­227
Naga King Vāsuki omitted in the Tibetan.
n.­228
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan omits “the ground.”
n.­229
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has “seven, eight generations will obtain [it].”
n.­230
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan omits “or on their throat.”
n.­231
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has “with their hand.”
n.­232
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan omits “which pacifies desire and hatred.”
n.­233
According to the Cambridge (dharma­gaṃjasya) and Tibetan (chos kyi mdzod). The Vaidya has dharma­rājasya (“Dharma king”).
n.­234
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan omits “imperishable.”
n.­235
According to the Tibetan and Cambridge. The Vaidya adds the dubious “the realm named Padmottama.”
n.­236
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan omits “I can calculate.”
n.­237
Unidentified. Tibetan texts refer to the source of the Indus by this name. There is also a river of that name in South India, though it is not likely to be referred to here. This does not refer to the Tarim River of Sinkiang, which is also known as the Sītā.
n.­238
The Tibetan transliterates as “Gaṅga.”
n.­239
The Tibetan transliterates as “Sindhu.”
n.­240
Unidentified, though Tibetan texts use this name for the source of the Brahmaputra.
n.­241
The Tibetan transliterates as “Śatadru.”
n.­242
The Tibetan transliterates as “Candrabhaga.”
n.­243
The Tibetan transliterates as “Airavati.” The Sanskrit has “Erāvatī,” though it is primarily known as Irāvatī.
n.­244
Unidentified. Possibly the Son River.
n.­245
Unidentified. “Himarati” in Vaidya. “Himakala” in Tibetan. Possibly the Kali Gandaki.
n.­246
Written as “Kodapari” in the Tibetan; “Kalaśodari” in the Sanskrit; and “Kalasodarī” in the Cambridge.
n.­247
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan translates jambuka as “fox.”
n.­248
“Hour” here translates muhurta, but as there are thirty muhurta in a day, this “hour” is forty-eight minutes long.
n.­249
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan omits “I can count the number of years, months, days, hours, and minutes of time that would take.”
n.­250
According to the Tibetan, sa bdun pa, and the Cambridge manuscript saptami­bhūmi. The Vaidya has daśa­bhūmi (“tenth bhūmi”).
n.­251
This is according to the lunisolar calendar. When the year of twelve lunar months falls thirty days behind the solar year, an extra month, a leap-month, is added.
n.­252
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan omits “bowls.”
n.­254
According to the Tibetan.
n.­255
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has “through eight maṇḍalas” through a corruption in Sanskrit that has loss of the negative and adṛṣta (“not-seen”) becoming aṣṭa (“eight”).
n.­256
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has only “lotus” and omits “hook.” Amitābha’s hand gesture (mudrā) is portrayed in the maṇḍala.
n.­257
This hand gesture is portrayed in the maṇḍala as being performed by Mahāmaṇidhara.
n.­258
This hand gesture is portrayed in the maṇḍala as being performed by Ṣaḍakṣarī.
n.­259
According to the Sanskrit.
n.­260
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has “four corners.”
n.­261
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has “individual implements.”
n.­262
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan omits “mantras.”
n.­263
In the original text the narrative suddenly changes here from Padmottama’s first-person narration to Śākyamuni’s narration.
n.­264
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan omits “queen of.”
n.­265
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has the vighnas and vināyakas being frightened and the others fleeing.
n.­266
According to the Cambridge and Sāmaśrami. The Tibetan has only Padma. Vaidya, though it had Padmottama earlier, has Patrottama at this point.
n.­267
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has “statues.”
n.­268
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan and Cambridge have this further on in the list, before “the samādhi of Seeing All the Tathāgatas.”
n.­269
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has “Possessing the Six Perfections.”
n.­270
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan omits “recites, and is completely focused on.”
n.­271
According to the Cambridge (jaṃgamayuṣyatitha, corruption of jagadāyuṣyatitha). Omitted in the Vaidya. The Tibetan has “should be seen as the shore of the merit of beings.”
n.­272
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan omits “merit,” which was conjoined with the preceding phrase.
n.­273
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan omits “should be seen as being like the Ganges and all sacred places.”
n.­274
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan omits.
n.­275
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has “Dharma treasury.”
n.­276
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has “his conduct is not controlled.”
n.­277
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has “cloth from China.” The Sāmaśrami and Vaidya follow this with dhyuṣitāni, which is not included in the Cambridge or Tibetan.
n.­279
According to the Sanskrit vārṣika. The Tibetan has vāraṣikā. The name means “a monsoon flower.” It is described as white and fragrant. Though the Sanskrit dictionary gives Arabian jasmine (Jasminum sambac), the description matches gardenia (Gardenia gummifera).
n.­280
According to the Tibetan compound kunda (Jasminum multiflorum) and dhyuṣita (white). The Sanskrit has śakunakā­dhyuṣita. The Cambridge has śakuntā­dhyuṣita.
n.­281
According to the Sanskrit, vimalika. The Tibetan has vimānaka.
n.­282
Transliterated into Tibetan as vyaśārika. The Vaidya has śālika, but the Cambridge has śārikā. The myna is a vocalizer that has always been a popular house pet in India, the Gracula religiosa or the Turdus salica.
n.­283
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has “his conduct was not controlled.”
n.­284
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan omits “I lack the highest complete enlightenment, so…”
n.­285
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has “Give me the completely pure state of great stability.”
n.­286
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan omits “unequalled.”
n.­287
Literally “Indra garments.” This obscure term is found only in this sūtra. It appears in the Sanskrit to be a kind of compound called madhyama­pada­lopī, “omission of the middle word.” As this appears to be in a list referring to colors of cloth, the first part of the compound is presumably short for indradhanu, indrayudha, or indrakārmuka, all meaning “rainbow.”
n.­288
According to the Sanskrit. The obscure word dhyuṣita is found only in this sūtra. It is also used to describe star jasmine earlier in the sūtra, which has been interpreted as “bright white.” It has also been interpreted as a variant of a word meaning “dwell,” and therefore the Tibetan translates it as “dwelling” (literally “based”) garments. Edgerton sees it as related to duṣya, which he interprets as meaning “very fine” when applied to cloth.
n.­289
According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has just divasa (“day”), which is presumably short for divasakara (“day-maker”), a common term for the sun.
n.­290
The Sāmaśrami has nagna­śravaṇeṣu and the Vaidya has nagna­śramaneṣu, which are here synonymous. This could refer to Jains‍—monks of the Digambara sect are always naked‍—but nakedness was also a common feature among Śaivite and Vaiśnavite ascetics. The Cambridge has nagna­śávareṣu (“naked savages”), referring to the tribal people living in the mountains of present day Orissa. The Tibetan is based on a similar version, but with the compound divided into two, “naked ones and mountain men” (gcer bu pa dang ri mi).
n.­291
This is the traditional division of the twelve kinds of teachings given by the Buddha. See “twelve wheels of the Dharma.”
n.­292
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan omits “What is the essence?”
n.­293
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has “with their hands.”
n.­295
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has mkhan po for dharma upādhyāya, or “preceptor.”
n.­296
This is referring to Amitābha.
n.­297
The mantra itself has seven times ten million buddhas. The compiler must have been aware of the apparent contradiction and is presumably stating that in this sūtra a greater number of buddhas are reciting this mantra than did so in the Cundī sūtra. See also n.­299.
n.­298
According to the Tibetan and Cambridge. The Vaidya and Sāmaśrami have cunye.
n.­299
This is the mantra of the Goddess Cundi in the form written in The Dhāranī Named Goddess Cunde (folio 46b7). However, it is oṁ cale cule cundi svāhā, the form that is popular in Chinese Buddhism, in the same text as repeated in the Dhāraṇī section of the Kangyur (The Dhāranī Named Goddess Cunde, folio 143a5). Cale cule cunde are the vocative forms of Calā, Culā, and Cundā, three variations of her name. Cundi is the vocative for Cundī. The words seventy million buddhas are a reference to her being the mother of seventy million buddhas as described in her sūtra, which was not translated into Tibetan, but was translated into Chinese (The Dhāraṇī of Cundī). This sūtra was evidently popular in India at the time of the creation of the Kāraṇḍa­vyūha­sūtra, at least in its present form.
n.­300
Here the narrative abruptly changes to continue on directly from the description of the previous pore (Vajramukha). No attempt has been made to smooth this fracture of the original.
n.­301
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan did not translate but transliterated it as śaridaka.
n.­302
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has “many hundreds of thousands.”
n.­303
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan omits “and jewels.”
n.­304
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan omits “many.”
n.­305
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has “ninety thousand.”
n.­306
According to the Sanskrit, cittarāja. The Tibetan had sna tshogs kyi rgyal po (“King of Variety”), translating citrarāja. The Chinese has “Painting King,” which was also translating citrarāja.
n.­307
Not the same as the identically named “seven jewels of the cakravartin.” The seven jewels were associated with the seven heavenly bodies: ruby, moonstone or pearl, coral, emerald, yellow sapphire, diamond, and blue sapphire.
n.­308
According to the Sanskrit and the Chinese. The Cambridge has “the trunks are red, and the leaves are red-gold.” Tibetan has “the trunks are red pearl, and the leaves are gold and silver.” For consistency in the description of the trees, the Vaidya and Sāmaśrami versions have been followed.
n.­309
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has the verb “hung” used for both the jewels and the adornments.
n.­310
According to the Tibetan (rgyal mtshan gyi rgyal po). The Vaidya and Sāmaśrami have Dhvajāgra.
n.­311
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has “ninety-nine thousand multistoried palaces.”
n.­312
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan omits “divine.”
n.­313
According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit omits “and jewels.”
n.­314
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has “they face Jambudvīpa and teach the Dharma.”
n.­315
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan omits mahoragas.
n.­316
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan omits “in a realm within this universe.”
n.­317
The preceding two paragraphs were absent in the Tibetan, and could easily have been omitted in the copying of the Sanskrit manuscripts.
n.­318
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan omits “divine magnolia trees appeared and divine lotus pools appeared.”
n.­319
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan omits.
n.­320
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan omits “who holds a lotus.”
n.­321
“Lord of Ashes,” according to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has only Iśvara (“Lord”).
n.­322
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan translates as “who creates the eyes of the world.”
n.­323
According to the Cambridge (śubha-padma-hastāya) and Tibetan (pad ma bzang po phyag na mnga’ ba). Omitted in the Vaidya and Sāmaśrami.
n.­324
According to the Sanskrit.
n.­325
Himavat (“having snow”) is also an alternative name for the Himalayas.
n.­326
“Noble son” is from the Sanskrit, which makes it clear that this sentence is a continuation of Śākyamuni’s speech. Otherwise it could seem to be the description of a conclusion of a section of the book. The uncommon word nirvyūha, used for the two parts this sūtra is divided into, was translated in the Tibetan version as le’u, which is more commonly used to translate parivarta and normally means a chapter. Neither the Cambridge manuscript nor the Tibetan has a chapter division at this point in the text‍—unlike later Sanskrit manuscripts, which have here and elsewhere a number of additional divisions into chapters, which they call prakaraṇa. The text from which the Chinese translation was made included neither this Maheśvara episode, nor the preceding description of the oceans coming from Avalokiteśvara’s toe. This strange final sentence of the Maheśvara episode, therefore, in which the Buddha is giving a title and text division to what has occurred, is probably indicative of yet another case of unskillful compilation in this sūtra.
n.­327
The Tibetan has translated this freely as “my path is without obstacles.”
n.­328
These are probably synonymous with Cakravāḍa and Mahācakravāḍa in other sūtras, which can refer either to the submarine mountain that contains the hells or the circle of mountains around the edge of the world.
n.­329
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan omits “Mahāmucilinda.”
n.­330
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan omits “Mahāsaṃsṛṣṭa.”
n.­331
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan omits “Pralambodhara.”
n.­332
A pala is said to be the equivalent to the weight of 640 grains of rice. The weight of four rice grains is called one guñjā; five guñjās are one paṇa; eight paṇas are one karṣa; and four karṣas are one pala. In practice the actual weight of the pala varied in different regions and when used for different purposes, ranging in modern equivalents from 30 to 50 grams. The Tibetan srang is roughly equivalent to the pala, and is often translated into English as “ounce,” although it is somewhat more (an avoirdupois ounce is 28 grams, a troy ounce 31 grams).
n.­333
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has just “ink.”
n.­334
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has “write on the endless.”
n.­335
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan translates as “Eyes of Lightning.”
n.­336
According to the Cambridge (anantavyūha) and Tibetan (bkod pa mtha’ yas pa). The Vaidya and Sāmaśrami have andhavyūha.
n.­337
According to the Sanskrit, Prati­bhāna­kūṭa. The Cambridge has Prati­bhāsa­kūṭa, “Mountain of Brilliant Light”; the Sāmaśrami has the corrupt Prati­hāsa­kūṭa, “Mountain of Laughter.” The Tibetan has spobs pa’i phung po, agreeing with Vaidya; spobs pa is the standard Tibetan translation of prati­bhāna.
n.­338
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan omits “the samādhi named Vajra Wall.”
n.­339
According to the Tibetan and Sāmaśrami. The Cambridge has “purification of the senses” (-śodhano instead of -mocano).
n.­340
The Tibetan translates locana (“illumination”) as “eyes.” The Cambridge has śodhana (“purification”). The Vaidya and Sāmaśrami have candra-(instead of indriya) vara-locana (“The Moon’s Sublime Illumination”).
n.­341
“Day-maker” (Sanskrit: divakara, Tibetan: nyin byed) is an epithet for the sun.
n.­342
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan translates as “The Sun’s Sublime Eyes.”
n.­343
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan translates as “The Complete Eyes of the World.”
n.­344
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan translates as “The Sacred Eyes of the Buddha Realms.”
n.­345
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has “Facing the Deeds to Be Done.”
n.­346
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan omits.
n.­347
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan omits.
n.­348
According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit omits.
n.­349
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan omits.
n.­350
According to the Tibetan.
n.­351
According to the Cambridge (vikirṇa) and Tibetan (’thor ba). The Vaidya has the corrupt vividhamādhi, and the Sāmaśrami has viviṇamādhi.
n.­352
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan translates as “Sacred Eyes of the Moon.”
n.­353
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan translates as “Sacred Eyes of the Sun.”
n.­354
This paragraph omitted in the Tibetan.
n.­355
This paragraph only in the Tibetan.
n.­356
According to the Tibetan. The Vaidya has bhadra­rāja (“excellent king”), the Sāmaśrami has rāja (“king”), and the Cambridge has Indra­rāja (“Indra king”).
n.­357
The Tibetan uses the same word for “open” while the Sanskrit has two different synonyms.
n.­358
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan translates as “the right hand side,” another meaning of the word dakṣiṇa.
n.­359
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has “six buddhas.”
n.­360
Literally “blue,” but in Sanskrit this is a euphemism for “black.”
n.­361
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan omits “gandharvas.”
n.­362
Bhadanta, a relic from the Middle Indic language of the original monastic communities, which in its Sanskritized form would be bhadrānta, “one who has the utter limit of goodness.” It is translated into Tibetan as btsun po, “noble one.”
n.­363
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan here is particularly obscure: “They should not do the supplication and the fourth.” See also n.­364.
n.­364
The announcement that someone wishes to take ordination, followed by three inquiries as to whether any bhikṣu present has an objection, are together called “the four motions.”
n.­365
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan omits “and they will be reborn as insects in a cesspool of feces and urine in the great city of Vārāṇasī.”
n.­366
“Kodrava” is specifically Paspalum scrobiculatum, which is kodo millet. The Tibetan has rgya shug, or “jujubes.”
n.­367
Generally in Indian mythology the Vaitarāṇi River is analogous to the River Styx, as it separates the living from the dead. However, in the context of the hells it is simply another place of suffering.
n.­368
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan omits “and who have wisdom.”
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.

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