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This rendering does not include the entire published text

The full text is available to download as pdf at:
https://read.84000.co/data/toh127_84000-the-king-of-samadhis-sutra.pdf

ཏིང་ངེ་འཛིན་གྱི་རྒྱལ་པོའི་མདོ།

The King of Samādhis Sūtra
The Entry into the City

Samādhi­rāja­sūtra
འཕགས་པ་ཆོས་ཐམས་ཅད་ཀྱི་རང་བཞིན་མཉམ་པ་ཉིད་རྣམ་པར་སྤྲོས་པ་ཏིང་ངེ་འཛིན་གྱི་རྒྱལ་པོ་ཞེས་བྱ་བ་ཐེག་པ་ཆེན་པོའི་མདོ།
’phags pa chos thams cad kyi rang bzhin mnyam pa nyid rnam par spros pa ting nge ’dzin gyi rgyal po zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo
The Noble Mahāyāna Sūtra “The King of Samādhis, the Revealed Equality of the Nature of All Phenomena”
Ārya­sarva­dharma­svabhāva­samatāvipañcita­samādhi­rāja­nāma­mahā­yāna­sūtra
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Toh 127

Degé Kangyur, vol. 55 (mdo sde, da), folios 1.b–170.b

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

First published 2018
Current version v 1.45.25 (2022)
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co.

Table of Contents

ti. Title
im. Imprint
co. Contents
s. Summary
ac. Acknowledgements
i. Introduction
+ 4 sections- 4 sections
· History of the Sūtra
· The Contents
· The Translation
· Outline
tr. The Translation
+ 40 chapters- 40 chapters
1. The Introduction
2. Śālendrarāja
3. Praise of the Buddha’s Qualities
4. Samādhi
5. Ghoṣadatta
6. Cultivating the Samādhi
7. The Attainment of Patience
8. Buddha Abhāva­samudgata
9. The Patience of the Profound Dharma
10. The Entry into the City
11. Becoming a Keeper of the Sūtra
12. The Training According to the Samādhi
13. The Teaching of the Samādhi
14. The Buddha’s Smile
15. The Elucidation of the Buddha’s Smile
16. The Past
17. The Entranceway to the Samādhi That Is Taught by Many Buddhas
18. The Entrustment of the Samādhi
19. The Teaching of the Inconceivable Dharma of the Buddha
20. Indra­ketu­dhvaja­rāja
21. The Past
22. The Teaching on the Body
23. The Teaching on the Tathāgata’s Body
24. The Inconceivable Tathāgata
25. Engaging in Discernment
26. Rejoicing
27. The Benefits of Generosity
28. The Teaching on Correct Conduct
29. Ten Benefits
30. Tejaguṇarāja
31. Benefits
32. The Teaching on the Nature of All Phenomena
33. The Benefits of Possessing the Sūtra
34. Kṣemadatta
35. Jñānāvatī
36. Supuṣpacandra
37. Teaching the Aggregate of Correct Conduct
38. Yaśaḥprabha
39. Restraint of the Body, Speech, and Mind
40. [Untitled]
c. Colophon
ab. Abbreviations
n. Notes
b. Bibliography
+ 5 sections- 5 sections
· Tibetan Editions of the Samādhirājasūtra
· Sanskrit Editions of the Samādhirājasūtra
· Other canonical references
+ 2 sections- 2 sections
· Kangyur
· Tengyur
· Non-Canonical Tibetan Sources
· Western Publications
g. Glossary

s.

Summary

s.­1

This sūtra, much quoted in later Buddhist writings for its profound statements especially on the nature of emptiness, relates a long teaching given by the Buddha mainly in response to questions put by a young layman, Candraprabha. The samādhi that is the subject of the sūtra, in spite of its name, primarily consists of various aspects of conduct, motivation, and the understanding of emptiness; it is also a way of referring to the sūtra itself. The teaching given in the sūtra is the instruction to be dedicated to the possession and promulgation of the samādhi, and to the necessary conduct of a bodhisattva, which is exemplified by a number of accounts from the Buddha’s previous lives. Most of the teaching takes place on Vulture Peak Mountain, with an interlude recounting the Buddha’s invitation and visit to Candraprabha’s home in Rājagṛha, where he continues to teach Candraprabha before returning to Vulture Peak Mountain. In one subsequent chapter the Buddha responds to a request by Ānanda, and the text concludes with a commitment by Ānanda to maintain this teaching in the future.


ac.

Acknowledgements

ac.­1

Translated from the Tibetan, with reference to Sanskrit editions, by Peter Alan Roberts. The Chinese consultant was Ling-Lung Chen. Edited by Emily Bower and Ben Gleason.

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


ac.­2

The generous donation of an anonymous donor, which helped make the work on this translation possible, is most gratefully acknowledged.


i.

Introduction

i.­1

The Samādhi­rāja­sūtra, or King of Samādhis Sūtra, is one of the earlier Mahāyāna sūtras to appear in India. It contains teachings on emptiness, bodhisattva conduct, and mendicancy, as well as tales of previous lifetimes and prophecies for the future. Its teaching on emptiness is much quoted by such Mādhyamaka masters as Candrakīrti and Śāntideva, as well as in later Buddhist literature.

History of the Sūtra

The Contents

The Translation

Outline


The Translation
The Mahāyāna Sūtra
The King of Samādhis, the Revealed Equality of the Nature of All Phenomena

1.
Chapter 1

The Introduction

[F.1.b] [B1]


1.­1

I pay homage to all the buddhas and bodhisattvas.8


1.­2

Thus have I heard at one time: The Bhagavān was residing at Vulture Peak Mountain in Rājagṛha together with a great bhikṣu saṅgha of a full hundred thousand bhikṣus, and together with eighty quintillion9 bodhisattvas,10 all of whom had one rebirth remaining, were renowned for their higher cognitions,11 and had gathered there from the worlds in the ten directions; they had complete mastery12 of the dhāraṇīs13 and sūtras; they satisfied all beings with the gift of the Dharma; they were skilled in speaking of the wisdom of the higher cognitions; they had attained the highest perfection of all the highest perfections; [F.2.a] they were skilled in the knowledge of remaining in all bodhisattva samādhis and samāpattis; they had been praised, extolled, and lauded by all the buddhas;14 they were skilled in miraculously going to all buddha realms; they were skilled in the knowledge of terrifying all māras;15 they were skilled in the correct knowledge of the nature of all phenomena; they were skilled in the knowledge of the higher and lower capabilities of all beings; they were skilled in the knowledge of accomplishing the activity of offering to all the buddhas; they were unstained by any of the worldly concerns; they had perfectly adorned bodies, speech, and minds;16 they wore the armor of great love and great compassion; they had great undiminishing diligence throughout countless eons; they roared the great lion’s roar; they could not be defeated by any opponent;17 they were sealed with nonregression; and they had received the consecration of the Dharma from all buddhas.18 They were the bodhisattva mahāsattvas Meru, Sumeru, Mahāmeru,19 Meru­śikhara­dhara,20 Meru­pradīpa­rāja, Merukūṭa, Merudhvaja, Merurāja,21 Meru­śikhara­saṁghaṭṭana­rāja,22 Merusvara, Megharāja, Dundubhisvara, Ratnapāṇi,23 Ratnākara, Ratnaketu, Ratnaśikhara, Ratnasaṁbhava, Ratnaprabhāsa, Ratnayaṣṭi, Ratna­mudrā­hasta, Ratnavyūha, Ratnajāli, Ratnaprabha, Ratnadvīpa, [F.2.b] Ratiṁkara, Dharmavyūha, Vyūharāja, Lakṣaṇa­samalaṁkṛta, Svaravyūha, Svara­viśuddhi­prabha, Ratnakūṭa, Ratnacūḍa,24 Daśa­śata­raśmihutārci,25 Jyotirasa, Candrabhānu, Saha­cittotpāda­dharma­cakra­pravartin, and Śubha­kanaka­viśuddhi­prabha, the bodhisatta mahāsattva Satatam­abhayaṁdad,26 and all the bodhisattva mahāsattvas of the Good Eon, such as the bodhisattva mahāsattva Ajita,27 and the sixty with incomparable minds,28 such as Mañjuśrī, and the sixteen good beings,29 such as Bhadrapāla,30 and the Four Mahārājas and the other Cāturmahā­rāja­kāyika devas, and so on31 up until Brahmā and the other Brahmakāyika devas. In addition there were also devas, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kinnaras, mahoragas, humans, and nonhumans, who were all illustrious32 and renowned as being very powerful.33


2.
Chapter 2

Śālendrarāja

2.­1

Then the Bhagavān said to the youth Candraprabha, “Young man, I remember that in the past, when I was practicing the conduct of a bodhisattva, I became a cakravartin. I desired this samādhi and I desired to attain quickly the highest, complete enlightenment of perfect buddhahood. For many hundred thousand quintillions172 of eons on this Vulture Peak Mountain I served, venerated, revered, honored, worshiped, and made offerings to many countless, innumerable tathāgatas, arhats, perfectly enlightened buddhas with the presentation of many hundred thousand quintillions of every kind of jewel, and various kinds of beautiful flowers, incense, perfume, garlands, ointments, powders, parasols, banners, flags, music, musical instruments, flags of victory, and precious monasteries.173


3.
Chapter 3

Praise of the Buddha’s Qualities

3.­1

Then the Bhagavān said to the youth Candraprabha, “Young man, therefore, if bodhisattva mahāsattvas wish to teach the buddha qualities as described by the Tathāgata, the arhat, the perfectly enlightened Buddha, without any loss of meaning or words, and for all their words to come forth as those of the Buddha, then those bodhisattva mahāsattvas, young man, [F.10.a] should, for the sake of all beings, obtain197 this samādhi, understand198 it, preserve it,199 recite it to others,200 promote it,201 proclaim it,202 chant it,203 meditate on it with unadulterated204 meditation, promulgate it,205 and make it widely known to others.206


4.
Chapter 4

Samādhi

4.­1

Then the youth Candraprabha [F.12.b] rose from his seat, removed his robe from one shoulder, and, kneeling on his right knee with palms placed together, he bowed toward the Bhagavān and made this request: “If the Bhagavān will give me an opportunity to seek answers to them, I have a few questions for the Bhagavān, the tathāgata, the arhat, the perfectly enlightened Buddha.”


5.
Chapter 5

Ghoṣadatta

5.­1

Then the Bhagavān again addressed the youth Candraprabha, saying, “Therefore, young man, bodhisattva mahāsattvas who wish for this samādhi, and wish to attain quickly the highest, complete enlightenment of perfect buddhahood, should think that they are like someone whose hair and clothes are on fire, and they should cast off father, mother, [F.14.b] son, daughter, family, kinsmen, relatives, kindred, wife, and so on, as if they were fire, throw away all the pleasures of a kingdom as if they were a lump of phlegm, turn toward solitude, and depart from home.


6.
Chapter 6

Cultivating the Samādhi

6.­1

The Bhagavān now said to the youth Candraprabha,300 “Therefore, young man, bodhisattva mahāsattvas who wish for this samādhi, and wish to attain quickly the highest, complete enlightenment of perfect buddhahood, should cultivate this samādhi.

6.­2

“Young man, what is the cultivation of this samādhi? [F.18.b] Young man, bodhisattva mahāsattvas with a compassionate mind are dedicated to making offerings to the tathāgatas, whether living or passed into nirvāṇa, of Dharma robes, alms, seat and bedding, medicines for when ill, and of monastic utensils, and of flowers, incense, perfume, garlands, ointments, aromatic powders, clothing, parasols, banners, and flags, and of music and musical instruments. They dedicate that root of merit to the attainment of samādhi. They do not make offerings to a tathāgata with the hope for anything at all‍—not with the hope for anything they desire, nor with the hope for any enjoyment, nor with the hope for a higher existence, nor with the hope for followers‍—but do so with the Dharma in mind. They do not even, with that wish, perceive the Tathāgata as the dharmakāya, let alone perceiving him as the rūpakāya.


7.
Chapter 7

The Attainment of Patience

7.­1

Then the Bhagavān said to the youth Candraprabha, “Therefore, young man, bodhisattva mahāsattvas who wish for this samādhi, and wish to attain quickly the highest, complete enlightenment of perfect buddhahood, should become skilled in the wisdoms of the three kinds of patience. They should know the first patience. They should know the second patience. They should know the third patience. They should become skilled in the differences between the three kinds of patience and skilled in the differences between the wisdoms of the three kinds of patience.


8.
Chapter 8

Buddha Abhāva­samudgata

8.­1

Then the Bhagavān said to the youth Candraprabha, “Young man, bodhisattva mahāsattvas who wish for this samādhi, and wish to attain quickly the highest, complete enlightenment of perfect buddhahood, should become skilled in the wisdom of the nonexistent nature of all phenomena.

8.­2

“Young man, what is being skilled in the wisdom of the nonexistent nature of all phenomena? Bodhisattva mahāsattvas know that all phenomena have no existence, have no essence, have no attributes, have no characteristics, have no origin, have no cessation, have no words, are empty, are primordial peace, and are pure by nature.


9.
Chapter 9

The Patience of the Profound Dharma

9.­1

Then the Bhagavān said to the youth Candraprabha, [F.24.b] “Young man, bodhisattva mahāsattvas who wish to attain quickly the highest, complete enlightenment of perfect buddhahood and liberate all beings from the ocean of existence should hear this king of samādhis, in which the equality of the nature of all phenomena is revealed, which is praised by all the buddhas and is the mother of the tathāgatas. They should obtain it, preserve it, understand it, recite it to others, promote it, proclaim it, chant it, meditate on it with unadulterated meditation, promulgate it, and make it widely known to others.


10.
Chapter 10

The Entry into the City

10.­1

The Bhagavān then said to the youth Candraprabha, “Therefore, young man, you should be someone who makes practice essential, and always trains in that way. Why is that? Young man, bodhisattva mahāsattvas who make practice essential will not even find it difficult to attain the highest, complete enlightenment of perfect buddhahood, not to mention attaining this samādhi.”

10.­2

Then the youth Candraprabha rose from his seat, removed his robe from one shoulder, and, kneeling on his right knee, [F.29.a] with palms placed together, bowed toward the Bhagavān and exclaimed, “Bhagavān, that teaching and instruction that the bhagavāns have taught well, presented well, and explained well to the bodhisattva mahāsattvas, the entire bodhisattva training that they have explained well and presented well is marvelous.

10.­3

“Bhagavān, this is the scope of activity of the tathāgatas, not of the śrāvakas or pratyekabuddhas, let alone the tīrthikas.

10.­4

“Bhagavān, I, too, will make practice essential, and without care for life or body I shall train as the tathāgatas have. Why is that? Bhagavān, I wish to train as the tathāgatas have. Bhagavān, I wish to attain the highest, complete enlightenment of perfect buddhahood. Bhagavān, I wish to eliminate the evil māras. Bhagavān, I wish to free all beings from all fear and all suffering.383 I pray that the Bhagavān will place his right hand upon my head.”

He said to the Bhagavān:

10.­5
“You have an excellent body, like a clear sky.
You are the son of wisdom, who has no body or attributes.
You are a deep ocean of qualities, and have compassion.
You who are without equal, place your hand upon my head.”384 {i}
10.­6

The Bhagavān placed upon Candraprabha’s head his right hand, which was adorned with many characteristics that were the result of many roots of merit, and which was of the color of divine gold.

10.­7

As soon as the Bhagavān placed his right hand upon Candraprabha’s head, in that very instant, more indescribable than indescribably many hundred thousand quintillions of samādhi entranceways that arise from the perfection of wisdom were revealed to Candraprabha, such as the heroic,385 the treasury of space,386 the vajra-like,387 the speed of the mind,388 the revealing of all forms,389 [F.29.b] the ultimate absence of obscurations, the revealing of all tathāgatas,390 the consecration of all emptiness,391 and so on. Many entranceways to dhāraṇīs and liberations392 were revealed. He attained the knowledge of the joy and happiness that is described by the noble ones, of the countless vast number of beings in the deva realms, and the scope of experience of the buddhas and bodhisattvas.

It was said:

10.­8
The Bhagavān placed upon the head of the youth Candraprabha
The hand that for many millions of eons had given away jewels,
Which was beautified by being webbed, and had markings of a vase and hook,
A knot of eternity, a wheel, a victory banner, a flag, and fishes. {ii}
10.­9

Then Candraprabha, full of joy and happiness and the knowledge of the countless, vast number of beings in the deva realms, and the scope of experience of the buddhas and bodhisattvas, rose from his seat, removed his robe from one shoulder, and, kneeling on his right knee, with palms placed together, he bowed toward the Bhagavān and recited these appropriate verses of praise:

10.­10
“I pay homage to you, the unsurpassable provider of freedom from fear.
I pay homage to you, a loving friend of beings who benefits others.
I pay homage to you, who possess the power of truth and the ten strengths.
I pay homage to you, who are the equal of the unequaled tathāgatas. {iii}
10.­11
“I pay homage to you, the Lord who has the highest compassion.
I pay homage to you, the hero who has subjugated the four enemies.393
I pay homage to you, who know the benefits of sublime diligence.
I pay homage to you, the Lord394 who has the supreme dharmakāya. {iv}
10.­12
“I will always go for refuge to you, Lord,
The Jina who is a sun shining in the center of the vast sky of wisdom,
Dispelling darkness with the light of love and compassion,
And who is the teacher of the extremely profound Dharma of the ultimate truth.” {v} [F.30.a]
10.­13

When the youth Candraprabha had recited these appropriate verses of praise to the Bhagavān, he said to him, “Bhagavān, so that you may show me your compassion I pray that you, with your saṅgha of bodhisattvas and saṅgha of bhikṣus, will assent to eat your meal tomorrow at my home.

10.­14
“I pray to the Lord of men and your sons
That you eat a pure meal at my home.
Lord of sages, in order to show me your compassion,
Chief of devas, give your assent.” {vi}
10.­15

The Bhagavān, because of his compassion, by remaining silent assented to eat a meal together with his saṅgha of bodhisattvas and saṅgha of bhikṣus at the home of the youth Candraprabha.

10.­16

The youth Candraprabha, knowing that the Bhagavān had assented by his silence, rose from his seat, removed his robe from one shoulder, bowed his head to the Bhagavān’s feet, circumambulated the Bhagavān three times, and departed from the Bhagavān’s presence.

10.­17

The youth Candraprabha then went down from Vulture Peak Mountain, and at that time he perfectly adorned the entire road in between Vulture Peak Mountain and the great city of Rājagṛha.

10.­18

As an offering to the Bhagavān he cleared a great, wide roadway so that it was free of grass, tree stumps, thorns, stones, pebbles, and gravel, and spread pure sand over it, so that it was as soft and pleasant to the touch as down, and made a pleasant sound. He covered it with flowers from all seasons, such as divine blue lotuses, red lotuses, night lotuses, white lotuses, water lilies, kachnar flowers, sambac jasmines, magnolias, bignonias, star jasmines, sesame flowers, ironwood flowers, and aśoka flowers. Parasols, banners, flags, flags of victory, precious arches,395 and canopies were set up along the road. [F.30.b] There were precious censers from which flowed the smoke of black agarwood.396 Arranged in different places were dancers and performers skilled in performing divine songs, dance, and music. Beautifully adorned men, women, boys, and girls were arranged holding paṇava drums,397 one-stringed lutes,398 lutes, flutes, mṛdaṅga drums,399 mukunda drums,400 and muraja drums.401 On both sides of the road tall palm trees were adorned with various divine jewels and a jingling network of bells made from Jambu River gold.402 There were many hundred thousand quintillions of pillars made of precious materials, and different kinds of trees of various heights and thicknesses made from the seven jewels, and on which were arranged the leaves, flowers, and fruits of all seasons.

10.­19
The road was excellently adorned in various ways.
Canopies, parasols, and flags were erected.
The sound of music was perfectly played,
And similarly there was the beautiful sound of songs. {vii}
10.­20
That perfect road was excellently adorned
By many women performing dances,
Many millions of various excellent cloths,
And beautiful, excellent garlands of flowers. {viii}
10.­21
“The Buddha, the moon of sages, the compassionate one
Is coming to this pure excellent city.”
On hearing that, young Candraprabha with great faith
Perfectly adorned a great, vast road. {ix}
10.­22
He spread out pure, divine sand
And scattered perfect, beautiful flowers.
He also set up precious pillars
And made the road as beautiful as a divine city. {x}
10.­23
Young Candraprabha, with immense joy,
Perfectly adorned the road in various ways.
Devas, asuras, and nāgas, upon seeing it
Were astonished and cried out, “Ha ha ha!” {xi}
10.­24
To the left and right of the road there were placed
Tall, excellent, round palm trees made of Jambu River gold,
Decorated and beautified by a network
Of numerous jingling, precious bells. {xii}
10.­25
Similarly arranged were million of precious trees [F.31.a]
Adorned by blossomed flowers of all seasons,
Which were beautiful adornments for that vast road,
Like a blissful park in the deva realms. {xiii}
10.­26
Pillars that were made from precious materials,
With beautiful strings of beads that shone like light‍—
An indescribable sight, huge and vast‍—
Were set up and arranged on the left and right of the road. {xiv}
10.­27
The Buddha, the Lord of the three worlds,
Traveled on that road to the capital city.
That great road was adorned in that way
So that it was beautiful in every way. {xv}
10.­28
On the right and left, precious censers were hung.
They were filled with black agarwood.
From all the censers there formed a cloud of smoke,
With divine, pleasant aromas of various kinds. {xvi}
10.­29
The youth Candraprabha, for the sake of the Jina,
Arranged vast, incalculable ornaments of divine materials,
From the entrance to the water well of the city
Up to the king of mountains, Gṛdhrakūṭa. {xvii}
10.­30

Young Candraprabha adorned the road with many different precious arrangements.403 Then young Candraprabha descended from Vulture Peak and went to the great city of Rājagṛha, to his tall, vast, great, divine home. He reached there and he entered his home. He spent that night preparing a great amount of excellent, delicious404 food and drink, and creating food that had a hundred flavors. Then he sprinkled well the ground in the great city of Rājagṛha and swept it clean, scattered flower petals, perfumed it with incense, put up canopies, hung ribbons and wreaths of silk, and set up parasols, banners, and flags.

10.­31

In that way he made the main road of Rājagṛha up to the town free of stones, pebbles, and gravel, scattered it with various flowers, and sprinkled it with sandalwood powder. He adorned the windows, porticoes, doors,405 roofs,406 lattices,407 and the crescent moons,408 and perfumed them with sandalwood. In that way he adorned the city of Rājagṛha with countless displays [F.31.b] and adorned his own house, too, with a variety of many adornments. He hung it with many precious strings of beads. He adorned it with the raiment of the Tuṣita deities and also beautified the grounds. He had many kinds of garlands and wreaths put up as adornments. He arranged a hundred thousand precious seats. In order to make offerings to the Bhagavān he placed in their center a lion throne of divine materials that surpassed the work of devas and humans. In the four directions he hung censers made of various precious materials, from which flowed the smoke of black agarwood. In that way the youth Candraprabha arranged his excellent home so that for the enjoyment of the Bhagavān there was the sound of divine songs, performances, and music; pure parasols and banners were erected; an audience of a hundred thousand devas, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kinnaras, mahoragas, humans, and nonhumans thronged it; and it was filled with many various kinds of precious flowers.

10.­32
Candraprabha perfectly, extensively adorned
His vast and excellent home.
In the center he placed a lion throne of divine materials
Where the lamp of the world would sit. {xviii}
10.­33
He perfectly set out countless millions
Of extremely precious, beautiful seats
Where the saṅgha of the lamp of the world,
The Lord of jinas, would sit. {xix}
10.­34
Censers made of all kinds of precious materials,
Completely filled with agarwood,
Were hung in all directions,
And from them a beautiful aroma spread. {xx}
10.­35
Candraprabha, in order to attain the ten strengths,
Spread throughout the entire excellent grounds of the house
Various kinds of beautiful, precious flowers‍—
A multitude of excellent, aromatic flowers. {xxi}
10.­36
The sound of dancers, singers, and of music
Filled the entire excellent house with sound.
He erected also parasols and banners [F.32.a]
So that the house was intensely beautiful, like that of a deity. {xxii}
10.­37
The vast excellent home of the youth Candraprabha
Was adorned by a multitude of young people.
It was filled with many nāgas, yakṣas, and asuras,
And was gazed upon by many hundreds of devas.409 {xxiii}
10.­38

The young man Candraprabha, having adorned the great city of Rājagṛha and having perfectly beautified his own home, after the night was over, in the early morning, departed, accompanied by the music of hundreds of various kinds of instruments, with many millions of parasols, banners, and flags held high, and with an encircling vanguard of a great assembly of eight million quintillion bodhisattvas, their cupped hands filled with divine coral tree flowers. Among them were bodhisattvas with one life remaining, such as Avalokiteśvara, Mahā­sthāma­prāpta, Gandhahasti, Ratnaketu, Dundubhisvara,410 Durabhisambhava, Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta, Vīrasena, Subāhu, Ratnakusuma, Amoghadarśin, Maitreya, and others, accompanied by many adorned horses and elephants without riders that were being led along, with an assembly of countless people of the country, his own cupped hands filled with divine coral tree flowers; and they were accompanied by the enchanting, beautiful, harmonious sound of the laughter of the deities as they cried, “Oh, the bodhisattva’s great power! The bodhisattva’s great miracles! The bodhisattva’s great manifestations! The bodhisattva’s‍—a la la!”

10.­39

He came out through the hot springs gateway411 of the great city of Rājagṛha and went toward Vulture Peak Mountain, and to the Bhagavān.

10.­40

When he arrived, he bowed his head to the Bhagavān’s feet, circumambulated the Bhagavān three times,412 sprinkled the divine coral tree flowers that filled his cupped hands over the Bhagavān, and went to sit down to one side.

10.­41

Maitreya and the other [F.32.b] bodhisattva mahāsattvas bowed their heads to the Bhagavān’s feet, circumambulated the Bhagavān three times, sprinkled the divine coral tree flowers that filled their cupped hands over the Bhagavān, and also sat down to one side.

10.­42

Then the youth, who had sat to one side, rose from his seat, removed his robe from one shoulder, and, kneeling on his right knee, with palms placed together bowed toward the Bhagavān and said, “It is midday, Bhagavān, the time to eat. If the Bhagavān considers the time has come, then together with the saṅgha of bodhisattvas, the saṅgha of bhikṣus, and the devas, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, rishis, garuḍas, kinnaras, mahoragas, kumbhāṇḍas, pretas, pūtanas, humans, and nonhumans who have great power, who are widely renowned for their great power and have great influence, come to the great city of Rājagṛha, as the time has come to eat the midday meal in my garden. Sugata, it is midday.413

10.­43
“I have adorned well the entire, excellent city,
And similarly, Lord, my garden.
I have prepared and laid out divine food with a hundred flavors.
As it is midday, I pray to the Sugata to arise. {xxiv}
10.­44
“Supreme Rishi, you who hold the qualities of the ten strengths in your hands,
Encircled by the assembly of your sons, come to the city.
I pray that you, the illuminating sun who dispels darkness, will arise.
Bhagavān, the time has come for the midday meal in my garden. {xxv}
10.­45
“I pray that you come, with your sons, to my garden.
You will benefit an assembly of many beings.
Just as Dīpaṃkara granted a prophecy to you,
Grant me likewise a direct prophecy in this world. {xxvi}
10.­46
“When I have heard that prophecy in this world,
I will also develop a vast and perfect aspiration,
And all these beings will become buddhas. [F.33.a]
There are no unworthy beings present here. {xxvii}
10.­47
“Arise, arise, Lord who has the ten strengths.
Benefit me and come to my garden.
Just as you come to my garden,
In that way I will go to the supreme tree of enlightenment. {xxviii}
10.­48
“When I have gone to the foot of the supreme tree of enlightenment,
I will remain there unshakable and unwavering.
I will defeat with love the māras and their claws,
And just as you attained it, I, too, will attain enlightenment.” {xxix}
10.­49

Then the Bhagavān, who had known what the youth Candraprabha would request, addressed these lines of verse to him:

10.­50
“Arise Candraprabha, son of the jinas!
Arise, you who are joyful in generosity, you supreme being!
Arise, you who have compassion and firm conduct!
Let us go to the meal!414 Let us proceed415 to your home.” {xxx}
10.­51

After speaking these lines,416 the Bhagavān arose from his seat. He put on his lower robe, picked up his Dharma robe and alms bowl, and with the great saṅgha of a hundred thousand bhikṣus, and accompanied by a multitude of bodhisattva mahāsattvas, he proceeded. Many hundreds of thousands of devas, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, rishis, garuḍas, kinnaras, mahoragas, kumbhāṇḍas, pretas, pūtanas,417 humans, and nonhumans made offerings to him and praised him. Through his great buddha powers, his great buddha miracles, his great buddha manifestations, and his buddha conduct he radiated many quintillions418 of light rays. He emanated flocks of melodious, soft, and beautiful birds of many different shapes and colors, such as geese, cranes, ruddy shelducks, swans, partridges, peacocks, rollers,419 parrots,420 mynas, cuckoos, avadavats,421 and snipe, so that like devas in the sky, each with its own song, they emitted the sound of music.422 [F.33.b]

10.­52

The yakṣa lords Surūpa, Indraketu, Vikaṭa, Bakula, Pāñcika, Śākyavardhana, and many quintillions of yakṣa lords holding pestles423 with both hands, offered many quintillions of huge, vast censers made of various divine precious materials, with handles of beryl, sapphire, crystal, and white coral, filled with uragasāra sandalwood, gośīrṣa sandalwood, vetiver, yellow sandalwood, Malaya sandalwood, red sandalwood, agarwood, and so on, and from which smoke flowed.

10.­53

There were the superior kings of great power, renowned as having great power, from their own regions, accompanied by many divisions of perfectly adorned horses and elephants being led without their riders, chariots, and infantry,424 in lines marching in front, holding in their hands many streamers and precious garlands. The horses and elephants, even though they were being led along without riders, were proceeding magnificently and emitting beautiful cries.

10.­54

The Bhagavān was accompanied on his right-hand side by Brahmā, who was making offerings to him and attending upon him, and on his left-hand side by Śakra, lord of the devas, and by countless devas with great power, who were renowned for their great power, who were mighty and illustrious, and whose bodies were adorned by excellent divine crowns, ornamented anklets, earrings, bracelets, flowers on their ears, bejeweled necklaces, and flower garlands. Their forms were made visible and they were holding coral tree flowers, asters, orchids, hibiscus, amaranths, magnolias, karnikara flowers, aśoka flowers,425 bignonias, kachnar flowers, blue lotuses, medlar flowers,426 sambac jasmine, star jasmine, ironwood flowers, red lotuses, night lotuses, white lotuses, water lilies, precious garlands, precious agarwood, and precious fruit. They were playing hundreds of thousands of different kinds of musical instruments, waving millions of pieces of cloth, crying out, “Ha! Ha! Ha!” and sending down a great rain of flowers. In order to make offerings to the Bhagavān they filled the entire sky without leaving any space [F.34.a] and sent down a great rain of flowers, incense, garlands, perfumes, powders, and jewels.

10.­55

The Bhagavān entered at midday the great city of Rājagṛha through the hot springs gateway. The nature of this is described in these verses:427

10.­56
The Tathāgata Buddha, knowing it was time,
That hero adorned with all qualities,
Who illuminates countless realms,
The Bhagavān, the lion of men, set forth. {xxxi}
10.­57
Avalokiteśvara, Mahā­sthāma­prāpta,428 and Amoghadarśin;429
Gandhahasti, Ratnakusuma,430 and Ratnabāhu;431
And Ratnaketu, Durabhisambhava,432 Vīrasena,433
And others followed in the Jina’s footsteps.434 {xxxii}
10.­58
On his right was Ajita, who is named Maitraka,435
Who has the wealth of infinite qualities,
Who will become the following buddha
And has completed the accumulation of merit and wisdom. {xxxiii}
10.­59
He is one who has cultivated436 love, rejoicing, and equanimity.
He is a great being of the Dharma who has developed compassion.
He understands the infinite qualities, the qualities of the Lord of sages.437 {xxxiv}
10.­60
He followed behind438 the compassionate Sugata
And was followed by those439 who will be
Those with great realization in the Good Eon:
The thousand buddhas less four, {xxxv}
10.­61
Who were preceded by Maitraka.
And also he who in the past, in this city of Rājagṛha,
While born in divine bodies that were like beautiful moonlight,
Made infinite offerings to jinas throughout eons, {xxxvi}
10.­62
That hero Candraprabha was also present at the front.
To the left of the one with supreme compassion
Was Mañjuśrī,440 along with many thousands of millions441
Of heroes who have sublime qualities of miraculous powers,442 {xxxvii}
10.­63
Who traveled to endless hundreds of realms.
Following him were those in the śrāvaka saṅgha:
Śārisuta,443 Maudgalyāyana,444 Kāla,
Kāśyapa, Subhūti, Nanda, and Kapphiṇa; {xxxviii}
10.­64
Bhadrikarāja,445 and similarly Kauṇḍinya;
Ānanda, and similarly Sthavira Rāhula;
And Svāgata, Kañcika,446 Pūrṇa, Udāyin,
Revata, Kauṣṭhila,447 Upāli, and Aniruddha. {xxxix}
10.­65
A full nine thousand448 of those with matted hair [F.34.b]
Followed behind the śrāvaka saṅgha.
They were all mighty ascetics who knew the Vedas and the rituals,449
And had mastered curses, renunciation, and beneficial incantations.450 {xl}
10.­66
Self-controlled rishis with peaceful minds,
With disciplined minds, bowing with palms together,
Followed behind the Buddha, the lamp of the world,
The lion of men, endowed with compassion, {xli}
10.­67
The liberator of thousands of beings, as he proceeded.
Like the completely pure lord of the host of stars,
The full moon of the last month of autumn,451
The Teacher who is without equal was encircled {xlii}
10.­68
By many hundred thousands of Brahmās.
As he stepped on the threshold of the city’s gateway,
The earth and its thick forests shook.
The devas, asuras,452 and mahoragas {xliii}
10.­69
Scattered excellent flowers and supreme incense.453 {xliv}
10.­70

The moment the Bhagavān placed his right foot, adorned by a precious wheel from the accumulation of countless roots of merit, upon the threshold of the gate, this universe of a thousand million worlds shook in six ways. It trembled, trembled strongly, and trembled intensely; it quivered, quivered strongly, and quivered intensely; it shook, shook strongly, and shook intensely; it shuddered, shuddered strongly, and shuddered intensely; it quaked, quaked strongly, and quaked intensely; the east sank and the west rose, the west sank and the east rose, the north sank and the south rose, the south sank and the north rose, the perimeter sank and the center rose, and the center sank and the perimeter rose. A great radiance shone in the world, and countless, numberless other amazing, wonderful, miraculous manifestations appeared.454 [B4]

The nature of this is described in these verses:

10.­71
When the Guide came to that supreme city
And placed his supreme foot upon the gateway’s threshold,
That magnificence caused this earth to shake,
And the beings in this supreme city were overjoyed. {1}
10.­72
When the Jina placed his foot on the gateway’s threshold
The people who were hungry and thirsty [F.35.a]
At that time became free of the need to eat or drink.
They became free of hunger and thirst. {2}
10.­73
When the Jina placed his foot on the gateway’s threshold
All those people who were blind,
Deaf, and had no protector and little merit
Were all able to see and hear. {3}
10.­74
When the Jina placed his foot on the gateway’s threshold
All the pretas in the realm of Yama,
Suffering greatly and eating snot and spit,
Were touched by light and became happy. {4}
10.­75
When the Jina placed his foot on the gateway’s threshold
The supreme trees‍—the sal and the karnikara‍—
At the summit of crags and on mountaintops,
They all bowed toward the Buddha. {5}
10.­76
When the Jina placed his foot on the gateway’s threshold
The entire ground shook in six ways
Throughout the villages and towns as far as the ocean,
Without causing harm to anyone. {6}
10.­77
Devas, humans, kumbhāṇḍas, and rākṣasas‍—
Wherever beings lived, there was happiness and joy.
They developed faith in supreme, sublime enlightenment
And held a parasol for the guide of the world. {7}
10.­78
When the Jina placed his foot on the gateway’s threshold,
Thousands of musical instruments sounded without being played;
Hearing the beautiful sound of music,
All beings were filled with joy. {8}
10.­79
Hundreds of thousands of trees bowed down,
And all flowers blossomed at that time.
Hundreds of thousands of devas in the sky
Made nonhuman offerings to the Jina. {9}
10.­80
When the Jina placed his foot on the gateway’s threshold,
Hundreds455 of bulls456 lowed with joy.
The kings of horses and elephants457 raised their bodies;
The lions, the kings of animals, roared. {10}
10.­81
The kings, the rulers, however many there were,
Came from the cardinal and intermediate directions.
When they saw the glorious majesty of the Jina,
With minds filled with joy they bowed to him. {11}
10.­82
Some praised the Lord of the World;
Some scattered a rain of flowers on the Jina;
Some placed their ten fingers together in homage,
And they cried, “Oh, the Jina, compassionate one!” {12}
10.­83
Some scattered excellent strings of pearls [F.35.b]
And various ornaments that give rise to joy,
And some scattered clothing and jewels.
They developed the supreme, unequaled aspiration to enlightenment. {13}
10.­84
Some scattered excellent meshes of gold;
Some also scattered mukhaphullaka adornments.
Some scattered excellent ornaments of gold,
And some, likewise, scattered anklets.458 {14}
10.­85
Some scattered excellent bracelets,459
Some scattered armlets inset with jewels,
And some aspired to enlightenment, scattering excellent
Pieces of cloth,460 saying, “May we become buddhas!” {15}
10.­86
When the Lord of the World stood in the gateway,
Some people scattered golden necklaces.
Some with minds filled with faith scattered excellent crest jewels;461
Some scattered networks of jewels. {16}
10.­87
Those beings who were in extreme suffering,
Tormented by many kinds of miseries,
All attained happiness through the majesty
Of the Guide, the supreme human. {17}
10.­88
Cuckoos, mynas, and peacocks,
And similarly cranes and other water birds462‍—
All the flocks of birds were in the sky
Emitting their beautiful, perfect songs. {18}
10.­89
Desire, anger, and ignorance
Ceased in whoever heard
The sweet, beautiful songs
Of those flocks of joyous birds. {19}
10.­90
The millions of beings who heard that joyful sound
All attained the patience that is concordant with the Dharma.
The Sugata gave them all this prophecy:
“You will in the future become buddhas.” {20}
10.­91
At that time the kleśas did not arise,
And everyone was respectful to the Dharma king.463 {21}
10.­92
At that time, when they saw the form of the Guide’s body,464
They developed the aspiration for the supreme wisdom of buddhahood.
They wondered, “When will we attain this kind of wisdom?”
And the Jina, knowing that, gave them their prophecies. {22}
10.­93
From each pore of the Sugata
There shone hundreds of thousands of light rays
And more, as many as there are sand grains in the Ganges‍—
It would not be possible to perceive all their attributes. {23}
10.­94
At that time, the sunlight did not shine.
Nor was there light from jewels, fire, or the devas. [F.36.a]
There was no other light at that time
When there was the splendor of the Buddha entering the city. {24}
10.­95
When with that great assembly the Sugata proceeded on the path,
Wherever the feet of the one with the ten strengths trod
There appeared from the ground a hundred thousand lotuses
That were pure and had ten thousand million petals. {25}
10.­96
When the Guide entered the supreme city,
At that time there was no dirt or refuse.
Throughout the entire city there arose
The lovely aroma of the most fragrant incense. {26}
10.­97
The entire city and its streets were purified.
They had no stones or gravel and were sprinkled with perfume
And bestrewn with the petals of various kinds of flowers.
That is the kind of merit the one with ten strengths had. {27}
10.­98
When a hundred thousand yakṣas with ferocious minds
Saw the Buddha, the Lord of men who was like gold,
They felt an immense love for the Guide
And took refuge in the Buddha, Dharma, and Saṅgha. {28}
10.­99
All of the million millions465 of devas
Who had come to see the Lord of men466
Let fall a rain of flowers on the Sugata.
They scattered flowers while in the middle of the sky. {29}
10.­100
The flowers scattered by humans for the Jina
Formed a parasol of flowers in the sky.
The flowers scattered by the devas
Were strewn on the ground as divine flowers. {30}
10.­101
The devas, humans, kumbhāṇḍas, and rākṣasas
Never tired of gazing upon him.
When they saw the Lord467 with the ten strengths,
They were overjoyed and felt the highest delight. {31}
10.­102
When they saw the body of the supreme being,
All beings were overjoyed and delighted;
They did not even think of the divine flowers,
Which did not seem at all wonderful.468 {32}
10.­103
Brahmā upon the right of the one with ten strengths,
Śakra, the king of the devas, on his left,
And the many millions of deities in the middle of the sky
Showed great veneration to the supreme being. {33}
10.­104
Devas and asuras encircled the Jina,
Who eclipsed all the majesty of devas and humans.
With the soles of his feet making patterns on the ground,
The invited Bhagavān entered into the city. {34}
10.­105
His body was beautified by excellent primary signs,
Like the firmament filled with stars. [F.36.b]
The Buddha shone upon the king’s road469
Like the full moon in the sky. {35}
10.­106
Just as an excellent, pure, precious jewel
That is free of all impurities shines
So that a pure light goes in all directions,470
In that way the Jina illuminated the entire world. {36}
10.­107
Devas and asuras encircled the Jina.
The supreme human who entered Rājagṛha
With the soles of his feet leaving patterns on the ground,
The Buddha, came to the home of the youth Candraprabha. {37}
10.­108
The supreme city was perfectly adorned,
Millions of banners had been erected,
The entire ground was anointed with the best perfumes,
And beautiful summer flowers were scattered. {38}
10.­109
When the Sugata spoke to teach
With compassion for the people in the streets,
The Jina manifested emanations
That taught to them the excellent Dharma of the Buddha. {39}
10.­110
[The Jina manifested emanations;
Bodies that were like gold were manifested.
The Buddha, the Jina, through his emanations,
Remained in emptiness, peace, the enlightenment of buddhahood.]471 {40}
10.­111
When the hundreds of thousands of beings heard that,
They prayed for the supreme wisdom of the Buddha,
Wondering, “When will I attain this kind of wisdom?”
Knowing their thoughts, the Jina prophesied to them.472{41}
10.­112
There were those who aspired to attain
That inconceivable supreme attainment.
They had invited the Jina, the Lord of men,
And there was no limit to the offerings they made.473 {42}
10.­113
There were those who developed an excellent aspiration,
Thinking, “I will tomorrow invite the compassionate one,
He who wishes to benefit beings,
Whom it is difficult to see in saṃsāra.”474 {43}
10.­114
Some who were upon the roofs
Developed the sublime, supreme aspiration to enlightenment
And they scattered divine flowers on the handsome,
Beautifully adorned body of the one with the ten strengths. {44}
10.­115
Some developed the supreme, highest aspiration
And scattered garlands of magnolias,
Kachnar flowers, the scents of summer,
And wreaths of silken ribbons. {45}
10.­116
Some stood, holding excellent flowers,
Their bodies perfectly beautified by their raiment.
They held various flowers and wreaths of silk
That they cast in the direction of the Jina with great power.475 {46}
10.­117
Some scattered red lotuses, night lotuses,
Blue lotuses, and excellent golden flowers. [F.37.a]
Some scattered precious flowers,476
And some scattered sandalwood powder. {47}
10.­118
When the Guide entered the supreme city
The wonders that appeared were uncountable,
Unequaled, impossible to describe,
And they brought many millions of beings to buddha wisdom. {48}
10.­119
Those in Avṛha, Atapa, who had seen the truth,
The devas of Sudṛśa and Sudarśana,
And those in Akaniṣṭha, who are free of desire‍—
They all came to see the Lord of humans. {49}
10.­120
Similarly, countless Parī­ttaśubha477 devas,
Apramāṇaśubha478 devas, filled with joy,
And countless millions of Śubhakṛtsna devas
Came to see the Guide, the great Rishi. {50}
10.­121
Countless Apramāṇābha devas,
And similarly the Parī­ttābha devas,
And countless millions of Ābhāsvara devas
Came to see the Lord of the World.479 {51}
10.­122
Many hundreds of thousands of Brahmā’s entourage,480
And similarly the faithful Brahmapurohita devas
And many hundreds of Brahmakāyika devas,
All came so as to see the Guide. {52}
10.­123
Also the Para­nirmita­vaśa­vartin481 devas,
And the pure beings who dwell in Nirmāṇaratin,
And the joyful devas of Tuṣita and Yāma
All came to pay homage to the Buddha. {53}
10.­124
Śakra, king of the devas, and the Trāyastriṃśa482 devas 483
Came with hundreds of millions of apsarases
And they sent down a rain of flowers,
Having come to see the Buddha, the Lord of sages. {54}
10.­125
Also the world guardians of the four directions
Vaiśravaṇa, Dhṛtarāṣṭra the nāga king,484
Virūḍhaka, and Virūpākṣa, their minds filled with joy,
All came in order to praise the Lord of men. {55}
10.­126
Ailavila, the powerful king of the yakṣas,
With a delighted mind and encircled by a hundred yakṣas,
Was in the middle of the sky and joyfully
They sent down a rain of numerous various flowers. {56}
10.­127
Also the Sadāmatta485 and Mālādhāra devas,
Holding various kinds of incense and flowers,
With their retinues, all joyful, [F.37.b]
Made offerings there to the supreme individual. {57}
10.­128
Also numerous Karoṭapāṇi yakṣas
And adorned yakṣa maidens
Made offerings to the Buddha
With hundreds of compositions of
The beautiful, melodious music of the yakṣas. {58}
10.­129
Druma, the king of the kinnaras,
With thousands of kinnara maidens skilled
In sweet and melodious songs and music,
Arrived from Gandhamādana to make offerings to the supreme Jina. {59}
10.­130
Śambara, Bala, Vemacitra, and Rāhu,
Together with an entourage of thousands of asura maidens,
And together with crowds of other powerful asuras,
Came and sent down a rain of jewels. {60}
10.­131
From countless trillions of rākṣasas
A thousand million rākṣasas honored him.
They respectfully scattered a multitude of various
Flower petals upon the supreme individual.486 {61}
10.­132
The nāga king Girivalgu,
With a great entourage came before the Tathāgata,
Holding great numbers of perfect, precious flowers,
And bowed down at the Sugata’s feet.487 {i}
10.­133
The nāga lords Padma and Mahāpadma,
And also Vāsuki, Ananta, and Phanaka,488
Came before the great leader
And respectfully bowed to the Sugata. {ii}
10.­134
The nāga king Maṇi, filled with joy,
Came before the feet of the great leader
Holding fragrant, perfect nāga flowers
And sat before the Sugata at no great distance. {iii}
10.­135
Also the nāga king Anavatapta,
With perfectly trained nāga maidens
Playing a hundred thousand musical instruments and drums,
Came and made offerings there to the Lord of the World. {62}
10.­136
The five hundred sons of Anavatapta,
Encircled by their kindred and filled with joy,
Seeking the highest, vast wisdom,
Came to make offerings to the self-arisen one. {63}
10.­137
Similarly, the nāga king Apalāla,
Palms together, bowed to the supreme individual
Holding beautiful, excellent nāga pearls.
He remained in the sky, making offerings to the king of sages. {64}
10.­138
Similarly, the nāga king Mucilinda,
With great happiness and filled with joy,
Holding various jewels and pearls, [F.38.a]
Came and scattered them for the Guide. {65}
10.­139
Similarly, the nāga king Kālika
Came before the Tathāgata.
Joyful and holding perfect, beautiful strings of jewels,
He made offerings to the supreme individual.489 {66}
10.­140
He490 felt great veneration as he thought
Of the qualities of the Tathāgata.
Encircled by his many nāga kindred,
He recited many praises of the Guide. {67}
10.­141
Similarly, the nāga kings Nanda and Upananda‍—
Similarly, also, Takṣaka and Kṛṣṇagautama‍—
Came there gazing upon the Jina
And bowed down to the Sugata’s feet. {68}
10.­142
The nāga king Elapatra
Came weeping, encircled by a hundred nāgas.
He remembered the supreme sage Jina Kāśyapa
And saw what an unfavorable rebirth he himself had obtained. {69}
10.­143
“Alas! I had doubts in the past.
In the past I cut down an elapatra491 bush,492
And therefore I obtained this unfavorable rebirth.
It is not easy to know the Dharma of the Jina. {70}
10.­144
“I forsake this rebirth into a nāgī’s womb,
And this birth in an extremely detestable body.
I will realize the Dharma, the state of peace,
That the best of men realized in the Bodhimaṇḍa.” {71}
10.­145
Sāgara, the nāga cakravartin king,
Accompanied by an entourage of thirty million nāgas,
And the majestic Varuṇa, holding necklaces of jewels,
Came in order to make offerings to the Bhagavān.493 {72}
10.­146
The yakṣa of Rājagṛha who caught
While he was in the sky
The rock thrown at the Buddha
Was respectfully present before the Sugata. {73}
10.­147
The entire domain of the king of Alakavatī494
Became empty, with no yakṣa remaining there.
They had all promised each other
To come and see the Lord of the World. {74}
10.­148
In the same way, Kharakarṇa and Sūciromā,
The terrifying yakṣas of the forests,
And the yakṣa Gardabhaka, who lives in the snow mountains,
Had come into the presence of the self-arisen Jina.495 {75}
10.­149
Indraketu, Vikaṭa, and Surūpa,
Bakula, Pañcika, and Śākyavardhana,496
And a thousand other yakṣa lords [F.38.b]
Came holding censers of incense.497 {76}
10.­150
Many with ugly, misshapen bodies,
Many kinds of bodies, destitute of adornment,
In their hundreds of thousands
Came into his presence, holding yakṣa flowers. {77}
10.­151
Gautama, Rishi Bṛhaspati, and Jahnu,
Kauśika, Kāśyapa, and Markandeya,
Viśvāmitra, Parāśara, and Gargā,
They all came to pay homage to the Buddha. {i}
10.­152
And similarly, there were the joyous and enraptured Nārada,
And the rishis Vyāsa, Kutsa, and Aṅgiras,
And Manu, Bhṛgu, Vātsyāyana, and Vaśiṣṭha,
Who came to pay homage to the Buddha. {ii}
10.­153
Jaimini, Vāmana,498 and Vaiśampāyana,
Jamadagni and supreme rishi Vālmīki,
Durvāsa, and also Cyavana
Came to the supreme city to see the Guide. {iii}
10.­154
When they saw the Rishi, the rishis were overjoyed
And they bowed down to the feet of the king of sages.
They paid homage to the lamp of the world and praised him,
Standing before the Hero with palms placed together. {iv}
10.­155
The entire multitude of rishis in the world
Came in order to see the Lord of men.
When they saw him they made vast offerings
And stood before him with palms placed together. {v}
10.­156
The garuḍas that live at the ocean’s shore
Came, having transformed into the appearance of brahmins.
Holding various beautiful kinds of crowns
And positioned in the sky, they paid homage to the Sugata. {78}
10.­157
All of the devas that dwell in Jambudvīpa,
Whether in hundreds of towns or in its forests,
And all the goddesses of the towns
Came and made offerings to the Lord. {79}
10.­158
The countless devas of the forests
And all the mountain devas came,
And also the countless devas of rivers499
Arrived to make offerings to the Guide. {80}
10.­159
The hundreds of devas of desert wildernesses,
All the devas of mountain peaks,
The devas of lakes, springs, and ponds,
And the devas of the ocean came into the Buddha’s presence. {81}
10.­160
Assemblies of devas, asuras, and nāgas,
Yakṣas, kinnaras, mahoragas, and garuḍas, [F.39.a]
And similarly, a multitude of pretas and pūtanas
Showed their respect to the supreme being. {82}
10.­161
They made offerings to the supreme Jina
When the Guide entered the supreme city.
The kings of the devas, asuras, nāgas, and yakṣas
Could not get their fill of looking at him. {83}
10.­162
In previous existences the Lord of the World
Had made perfect offerings to the jinas of the past.
This was the ripened result of that merit.
The beings could not stop looking at the Lord of humans. {84}
10.­163
When the Jina shone light through the buddha realm,
Meru, and similarly Sumeru and Cakravāla
The Himagiri and Gandhamādana
Could not obscure the Jina’s light. {85}
10.­164
All of the oceans in this buddha realm
At that time all became land,
And the entirety of this buddha realm
Became equally scattered with flowers. {86}
10.­165
Countless hundreds of thousands of light rays
Came from the soles of the King of Dharma’s feet.
All the beings in the hells were cooled
And, freed from suffering, experienced happiness. {87}
10.­166
The one with the ten strengths taught the Dharma
So that the sight of devas and humans was purified.
Countless hundreds of thousands of beings
All gained certainty in the Buddha’s wisdom. {88}
10.­167
The numerous miracles manifested by the Sugata
Could not easily be described in ten million eons.
When the Guide entered the supreme city
All beings rejoiced at the Jina, the Sugata.500 {89}
10.­168
These qualities of the Sugata are immeasurable.
They are the supreme human’s perfection of qualities.
They have transcended all unique qualities.
Bow your heads to the realm of the Buddha’s merit! {90}
10.­169

Conclusion of the tenth chapter, “The Entry into the City.”


11.
Chapter 11

Becoming a Keeper of the Sūtra

11.­1

The Bhagavān came to the street on which was the home of the youth Candraprabha, and soon arrived at the home of the youth Candraprabha. Once he had arrived, he sat on the seat prepared for him. The saṅgha of bodhisattvas and the saṅgha of bhikṣus also sat on the appropriate seats that had been arranged for each of them.

11.­2

Then the youth Candraprabha, knowing that the Bhagavān, the saṅgha of bodhisattvas, and the saṅgha of bhikṣus were seated, [F.39.b] himself presented and served a series of great offerings: numerous excellent foods, with hundreds of flavors to savor as they chewed, licked, sucked, and drank.


12.
Chapter 12

The Training According to the Samādhi

12.­1

“Young man, those are the qualities and benefits that bodhisattvas who know the nature of all phenomena will have. They will describe the true, excellent qualities of the tathāgatas. They will not falsely say that which is untrue about the tathāgatas. Why is that? It is because they know perfectly that nature, which is the nature through which a tathāgata comes to be.531 They know the infinite qualities of a buddha. Why is that? Young man, the qualities of a buddha are infinite, inconceivable, beyond thought. They cannot be conceived or measured. Why is that? The mind, young man, is taught to be without a nature of its own,532 to be without form.533 Young man, that nature of the mind is also the nature of the qualities of a buddha. That nature of the qualities of a buddha is also the nature of the tathāgatas, and that is the nature of all phenomena.


13.
Chapter 13

The Teaching of the Samādhi

13.­1

Then the Bhagavān said to the youth Candraprabha, “Therefore, young man, bodhisattva mahāsattvas who wish for this samādhi, and wish to attain quickly the highest, complete enlightenment of perfect buddhahood, should be skilled in teaching this samādhi.

13.­2

“Young man, what is the teaching of this samādhi? It is the true nature of all phenomena; it is equality; it is the absence of inequality; it is devoid of notions; it is devoid of concepts; it is devoid of creation; it is devoid of arising; it is devoid of production; it is devoid of cessation; it is the termination of notions, concepts, and assumptions; it is devoid of an object for the mind; it is devoid of a focus of the mind;547 it is the termination of designations; it is the termination of concepts from analysis; it is the termination of desire, anger, and ignorance; it is without a limited or limitless focus of the mind; it is the termination of any focus of the mind; it is the knowledge of the nature of the skandhas, dhātus, and āyatanas; it is the state of accomplishing the field of activity that is the performance of the conduct of mindfulness, understanding, comprehension, conscience, and stability; it is the level of freedom from corruptions;548 it is the level of peace; it is the termination of all conceptual elaboration; it is the training of all bodhisattvas; it is the field of activity of all tathāgatas; [F.45.a] and it is the perfection of all good qualities.


14.
Chapter 14

The Buddha’s Smile

14.­1

Then the youth Candraprabha rose from his seat, removed his robe from one shoulder, and, kneeling on his right knee, [F.46.b] with palms placed together he bowed toward the Bhagavān and said to him,569 “Bhagavān, it is marvelous that the Bhagavān, the tathāgata, the arhat, the perfectly enlightened Buddha has taught the equality that is the nature of all phenomena, which is the samādhi that all bodhisattvas train in.


15.
Chapter 15

The Elucidation of the Buddha’s Smile

15.­1

At that time the Bhagavān spoke these appropriate verses to Bodhisattva Maitreya:

15.­2
“This youth, Candraprabha,
Has praised the Buddha with unequaled joy.
He described the unique superior qualities of the buddhas.
All the time he is reciting their praises.613 {1}
15.­3
“In this very city of Rājagṛha in the past
He has seen ten thousand million buddhas.
In the presence of all those jinas
He asked about this supreme samādhi of peace. {2}

16.
Chapter 16

The Past

16.­1

The Bhagavān then said to the youth Candraprabha, “Young man, bodhisattva mahāsattvas thus wish to liberate all beings from all the suffering of existence. They wish to establish beings in the noble, unsurpassable bliss and joy of samādhi. Therefore they should hear this king of samādhis, the revealed equality of the nature of all phenomena, obtain it, understand it, preserve it, recite it to others, promote it, proclaim it, chant it, meditate on it with unadulterated meditation, promulgate it, and make it widely known to others.


17.
Chapter 17

The Entranceway to the Samādhi That Is Taught by Many Buddhas

17.­1

When the Bhagavān had finished speaking, the bodhisattva mahāsattva Maitreya, who was seated there, in his mind recited this verse to the Bhagavān.637

17.­2
“I am going, Tathāgata,638 to the king of mountains,
Gṛdhrakūṭa, which is always the residence of the buddhas.
When I have gone there, lamp of the world,639
I will make inconceivable offerings to you.” {i}
17.­3

The Bhagavān knew the thoughts that were in the bodhisattva mahāsattva Maitreya’s mind, and from his own mind sent this verse to the bodhisattva mahāsattva Maitreya:


18.
Chapter 18

The Entrustment of the Samādhi

18.­1

The Bhagavān said to the youth Candraprabha, “Young man, in that way know that there are four beneficial qualities possessed by bodhisattva mahāsattvas who obtain this samādhi, understand it, preserve it, recite it to others, promote it, proclaim it, chant it, and make it widely known to others.

18.­2

“What are those four beneficial qualities? They will be unsurpassable in merit, they will be undefeatable by opponents, they will have unlimited wisdom, and they will have unending confidence of speech.


19.
Chapter 19

The Teaching of the Inconceivable Dharma of the Buddha

19.­1

The Bhagavān said to the youth Candraprabha, “Young man, in that way bodhisattva mahāsattvas, having heard the inconceivable and measureless benefits of the qualities that come from the samādhi, the revealed equality of the nature of all phenomena, through wishing not to be fearful, wishing not to be terrified, and not to be gripped by terror, will become learned in the teaching of the inconceivable Dharma of the Buddha. Aspire to the inconceivable Dharma of the Buddha. Be wise in asking questions about the inconceivable Dharma of the Buddha. Be wise in seeking the inconceivable Dharma of the Buddha. Do not be fearful, do not be terrified, and do not be gripped by terror on hearing the inconceivable Dharma of the Buddha.” [F.67.b]


20.
Chapter 20

Indra­ketu­dhvaja­rāja

20.­1

Then the Bhagavān said to the youth Candraprabha, “Young man, in that way bodhisattva mahāsattvas who wish for this Dharma teaching of entering great compassion and wish to attain the highest, complete enlightenment of perfect buddhahood quickly should rely upon all roots of merit, training, qualities, and completely pure conduct.

20.­2

“Bodhisattva mahāsattvas who have few involvements, avoid bad companions, rely on kalyāṇamitras, have an inquiring nature, unrelentingly seek the Dharma, have the Dharma as their goal, desire the Dharma, delight in the Dharma, obtain the Dharma, and practice the Dharma in accord with the Dharma will, young man, develop great compassion for beings and will develop the aspiration for the highest, complete enlightenment.


21.
Chapter 21

The Past

21.­1

Then the Bhagavān said to the youth Candraprabha, “Therefore, young man, bodhisattva mahāsattvas should entertain no misgivings about all the teachings on the root of merits, the training, and the qualities.759 They should have few involvements, avoid bad companions, rely on kalyāṇamitras, have an inquiring nature, unrelentingly seek the Dharma, have the Dharma as their goal, desire the Dharma, delight in the Dharma, obtain the Dharma, and practice the Dharma in accord with the Dharma. They should perceive every buddha and bodhisattva as the teacher. They should with joy and veneration perceive as the teacher the person from whom they hear this Dharma teaching.


22.
Chapter 22

The Teaching on the Body

22.­1

Then the Bhagavān said to the youth Candraprabha, “Therefore, young man, bodhisattva mahāsattvas who wish for this samādhi, and wish to attain quickly the highest, complete enlightenment of perfect buddhahood, should have no attachment to their life or body. Why is that? Because, young man, beings accomplish bad actions due to attachment to their lives and bodies.783


23.
Chapter 23

The Teaching on the Tathāgata’s Body

23.­1

Then the Bhagavān said to the youth Candraprabha, “Therefore, young man, bodhisattva mahāsattvas who wish for this samādhi, and wish to attain quickly the highest, complete enlightenment of perfect buddhahood, should not know the Tathāgata to be the rūpakāya.785 Why is that? It is because the Buddha Bhagavān manifests because of the dharmakāya and does not manifest because of the rūpakāya. [F.74.a]


24.
Chapter 24

The Inconceivable Tathāgata

24.­1

Then the Bhagavān said to the youth Candraprabha, [F.76.b] “Young man, aspiring bodhisattva mahāsattvas think, ‘How can I make manifest the four discernments? What are these four? They are the discernment of meaning, the discernment of phenomena, the discernment of definitions, and the discernment of eloquence. I shall manifest these four!’ On having this thought, young man, bodhisattva mahāsattvas should obtain this samādhi, understand it, preserve it, recite it to others, promote it, proclaim it, chant it, meditate on it with unadulterated meditation, and make it widely known to others.


25.
Chapter 25

Engaging in Discernment

25.­1

“Young man, how do bodhisattva mahāsattvas who practice that discernment of phenomena, who view phenomena as phenomena, attain the highest, complete enlightenment?

“Young man, bodhisattva mahāsattvas who practice that discernment of phenomena, who view phenomena as phenomena, do not perceive enlightenment as other than form. They do not approach enlightenment as other than form. They do not seek enlightenment as other than form. They do not attain enlightenment as other than form. They do not inspire beings to an enlightenment that is other than form. They do not see a tathāgata as other than form. They see a tathāgata in this way: ‘The Tathāgata is the fearlessness that is the nature of form.’ They do not see the tathāgata as other than form, as other than the nature of form. They do not see the nature of form as other than the tathāgata. The nature of that which is called form and that of the tathāgata are nondual. The bodhisattva mahāsattvas who see in that way are engaging in the discernment of phenomena.


26.
Chapter 26

Rejoicing

26.­1

Then the Bhagavān said to the youth Candraprabha, “Therefore, young man, bodhisattva mahāsattvas who wish for this samādhi, and wish to attain quickly the highest, complete enlightenment of perfect buddhahood, should be skillful in methods. [F.87.a]882

26.­2

“Young man, in what way should bodhisattva mahāsattvas be skillful in methods? For that, young man, bodhisattva mahāsattvas focus their minds upon all beings. Those bodhisattva mahāsattvas rejoice in whatever roots of merit and accumulations of merit all beings have. Three times every day and three times every night they rejoice in whatever roots of merit and accumulations of merit all beings have, and the roots of merit and accumulation of merit that come from their taking omniscience as the focus of their aspiration they donate to all beings.


27.
Chapter 27

The Benefits of Generosity

27.­1

Then the Bhagavān said to the youth Candraprabha, “Young man, as it has been said, ‘Be careful,’ you, young man, should consequently train in that way. Why is that? Because, young man, for bodhisattva mahāsattvas who are careful, the highest, complete enlightenment is not difficult to attain, let alone this samādhi.

27.­2

“Young man, in what way should bodhisattva mahāsattvas be careful? For that, young man, bodhisattva mahāsattvas should have perfectly pure conduct. Young man, in what way should bodhisattva mahāsattvas have perfectly pure conduct? For that, young man, bodhisattva mahāsattvas who have perfectly pure conduct, never separating from an all-knowing mind, should practice the six perfections. Listen, for I shall teach you their benefits.


28.
Chapter 28

The Teaching on Correct Conduct

28.­1

“Young man, there are ten benefits for bodhisattva mahāsattvas from perfectly pure, correct conduct. What are the ten benefits? They are: [1] they devote890 themselves to wisdom and perfect it; [2] they follow the example of the buddhas; [3] they do not criticize the wise; [4] they do not waver from their vows; [5] they maintain their practice; [6] they turn away891 from saṃsāra; [7] they are led to attain nirvāṇa;892 [8] they live without faults arising; [F.89.a] [9] they attain samādhi; and [10] they will never be poor.893


29.
Chapter 29

Ten Benefits

29.­1

“Young man, there are ten benefits for bodhisattva mahāsattvas from maintaining patience and being kind. [F.89.b] What are these ten? They are: [1] they are not burned by fire; [2] they are not slain by weapons; [3] they are not affected by poison; [4] they do not drown in water; [5] the devas protect them; [6] they attain a body adorned by the primary signs of a great being; [7] all the doorways to their rebirth in lower existences are closed; [8] it is not difficult for them to be reborn in the paradise of Brahmā; [9] they are happy day and night; and [10] their physical sensations of comfort and pleasure are never lost.


30.
Chapter 30

Tejaguṇarāja

30.­1

Then the Bhagavān said to the youth Candraprabha, “Therefore, young man, you should train in this way, thinking, ‘I will abandon even the pleasures of the kingship of a divine cakravartin and enter homelessness.’

30.­2

“Young man, having entered homelessness you should maintain the disciplines of mendicancy, live in solitude, and develop perfect mildness and patience.


31.
Chapter 31

Benefits

31.­1

Then the Bhagavān said to the youth Candraprabha, “Therefore, young man, bodhisattva mahāsattvas who think, ‘I shall understand the languages of all beings and, knowing their higher or lesser capabilities, I will teach them the Dharma,’ those bodhisattva mahāsattvas should listen to the samādhi, the revealed equality of the nature of all phenomena, learn it, understand it, keep it, recite it to others, promote it, proclaim it, chant it, meditate on it with unadulterated meditation, promulgate it, and make it widely known to others.”


32.
Chapter 32

The Teaching on the Nature of All Phenomena

32.­1

Then the Bhagavān said to the youth Candraprabha, “Therefore, young man, bodhisattva mahāsattvas who wonder, ‘How can I know the nature of all phenomena?’ should listen to this samādhi, the revealed equality of the nature of all phenomena, learn it, understand it, keep it, recite it to others, promote it, proclaim it, chant it, meditate on it with unadulterated meditation, promulgate it, and make it widely known to others.”


33.
Chapter 33

The Benefits of Possessing the Sūtra

33.­1

Then the Bhagavān said to the youth Candraprabha, “Therefore, young man, bodhisattva mahāsattvas who wish to train in purifying1056 the great higher cognition of all phenomena should listen to the samādhi, the revealed equality of the nature of all phenomena, learn it, understand it, keep it, recite it to others, promote it, proclaim it, chant it, meditate on it with unadulterated meditation, promulgate it, and make it widely known to others.1057


34.
Chapter 34

Kṣemadatta

34.­1

Then the Bhagavān said to the youth Candraprabha,1161 “Young man, bodhisattva mahāsattvas who wish for this samādhi, and wish to attain quickly the highest, complete enlightenment of perfect buddhahood, should abide in the absence of attributes and be dedicated to making vast offerings to a present tathāgata or to the stūpa of a tathāgata who has passed into nirvāṇa.


35.
Chapter 35

Jñānāvatī

35.­1

Then the Bhagavān said to the youth Candraprabha, “Young man, bodhisattva mahāsattvas who wish for this samādhi, and wish to attain quickly the highest, complete enlightenment of perfect buddhahood, should plant roots of merit and apply themselves to practicing generosity through the Dharma or generosity through material things.

35.­2

“Those bodhisattva mahāsattvas should dedicate that generosity through four prayers of dedication.


36.
Chapter 36

Supuṣpacandra

36.­1

Then at that time Brother Ānanda rose from his seat, [F.125.b] removed his robe from one shoulder, and, kneeling on his right knee, with palms placed together he bowed toward the Bhagavān and made this request: “If the Bhagavān will give me an opportunity to seek answers to them, I have a few questions for the Bhagavān, the tathāgata, the arhat, the perfectly enlightened Buddha.”

36.­2

The Bhagavān addressed Brother Ānanda, saying, “That is why, Ānanda, I am seated upon this seat. Ask whatever question you wish to the Tathāgata, the arhat, the perfectly enlightened Buddha, and I shall gratify you with answers to each and every question you have asked.”


37.
Chapter 37

Teaching the Aggregate of Correct Conduct

37.­1

Then the Bhagavān said to the youth Candraprabha, “Therefore, young man, bodhisattva mahāsattvas who wish to attain quickly the highest, complete enlightenment of perfect buddhahood should hear the samādhi, the revealed equality of the nature of all phenomena, should obtain it, study it, keep it, recite it, disseminate it, transmit it, chant it, meditate on it with unadulterated meditation, and in other ways make it widely known. They should also maintain the aggregate of correct conduct.”


38.
Chapter 38

Yaśaḥprabha

38.­1

Then the Bhagavān said to the youth Candraprabha, “Therefore, young man, bodhisattva mahāsattvas who wish for these and countless other wonderful1337 and marvelous bodhisattva qualities, and wish to attain quickly the highest, complete enlightenment of perfect buddhahood, should hear this revealed equality of the nature of all phenomena samādhi and obtain it, understand it, preserve it, recite it to others, promote it, proclaim it, chant it, meditate on it with unadulterated meditation, promulgate it,1338 and make it widely known to others. [F.146.a]


39.
Chapter 39

Restraint of the Body, Speech, and Mind

39.­1

Then the Bhagavān [F.151.a] said to the youth Candraprabha, “Therefore, young man, you should train by thinking, ‘I shall have self-control through physical restraint.’

39.­2

“Young man, what is meant by physical restraint? That which is called ‘physical restraint’ is the physical restraint through which bodhisattva mahāsattvas are free of attachment to all phenomena.


40.
Chapter 40

[Untitled]

40.­1

“Young man, what is purity of action? Seeing the three existences as being like a dream and becoming free of desire. Young man, that is purity of action.

40.­2

“Young man, what is the transcendence of the mind’s fixation on perceptions? It is knowing that the skandhas, dhātus, and āyatanas are like illusions, and renouncing them. That is the transcendence of the mind’s fixation on perceptions.


c.

Colophon

c.­1

The Indian preceptor Śrīlendrabodhi, and the chief editor Lotsawa Bandé Dharmatāśīla, translated and revised this work. It was later modified and finalized in terms of the new translation.


ab.

Abbreviations

BHS Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit.
Chinese Sixth century Chinese translation by Narendrayaśas (see introduction, i.­7).
Commentary Mañjuśrīkīrti (see bibliography).
Gilgit Sixth to seventh century Sanskrit manuscript (see introduction i.­9 and bibliography under Dutt).
Hodgson Later Nepalese Sanskrit manuscript (see introduction i.­9 and bibliography under Dutt).
Matsunami Matsunami’s Sanskrit edition (see bibliography).
Shastri Later Nepalese Sanskrit manuscript (see introduction i.­9 and bibliography under Dutt).
Vaidya Vaidya’s Sanskrit edition (see bibliography).

n.

Notes

n.­1
According to the BHS vipañcita. The Tibetan translates as rnam par spros pa.
n.­2
See Dharmachakra Translation Committee, trans., The Teaching on the Effulgence of Light, Toh 55 (84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2022).
n.­3
Toh 129, see bibliography.
n.­4
Brian Houghton Hodgson (1801–1894) was a linguist, ethnologist, naturalist, and diplomat who lived in Nepal from 1824 to 1844, becoming British Resident; among his many other activities, he studied and collected Sanskrit Buddhist texts. Haraprasad Shastri (1853–1931) was an Indian Sanskrit scholar and historian who visited Nepal several times, also collecting and publishing manuscripts. Both scholars were associated with the Asiatic Society in Kolkata. The Sanskrit edition of the sūtra published by Dutt (as one of a series centered on the Gilgit manuscripts; see bibliography) is not only based on the Gilgit manuscript, but also represents the Hodgson and Shastri manuscripts, which Dutt refers to, respectively, as manuscripts A and B.
n.­5
Vibhuticandra; dpal bde mchog gi dkyil ’khor kyi cho ga; Śrī-samvara-maṇḍala-vidhi. Toh 1511, Degé Tengyur, Vol. 22, (rgyud, zha), 322b. 308b–334a.
n.­6
The Yogacāra tradition of Asaṅga and his followers has philosophical viewpoints quite distinct from those of the Mādhyamika tradition, of which Candrakīrti was perhaps the most uncompromising proponent.
n.­7
The Tibetan of the quote is: nga ’das lo ni nyis stong na / gdong dmar yul du bstan pa ’byung / spyan ras gzigs kyi gdul byar ’gyur / de yi bstan pa’i snyigs ma la / byang chub sems dpa’ seng ge’i sgra / karma pa zhes ba ba ’byung / ting ’dzin dbang thob ’gro ba ’dul / mthong thos dran regs bde la bkod (Rinchen Palzang, p. 650).
n.­8
This line of homage, as is customary for Kangyur texts, was added by the Tibetan translators, and therefore does not appear in the Sanskrit or Chinese. The Gilgit Sanskrit manuscript has 12 initial verses, Hodgson 14 verses, and Shastri 43 verses, none of which are in the Tibetan.
n.­9
This number depends on whether niyuta is taken to mean “one million,” as in Classical Sanskrit, or “a hundred thousand million,” as is found in BHS. The Tibetan has chosen the latter meaning, translating it as khrag khrig. Therefore the resulting number in Tibetan is “ten million [times] a hundred thousand million times eighty,” i.e., eighty million million million (eighty quintillion in the American or short scale system) (bye ba khrag khrig phrag brgyad bcu, apparently translating koṭiniyutena aśityā). The translation of the commentary by Mañjuśrīkīrti, however, has khrag khrig phrag brgyad bcu: “a hundred thousand million times eighty,” which would be eight million million, i.e., eight trillion. The Vaidya Sanskrit edition has niyuta­śata­sahasrena aśītyā which would be literally “a hundred thousand million [times] a hundred [times] a thousand times eighty,” which comes to eight hundred thousand million million, i.e., eight hundred thousand trillion. However if niyuta is taken as only one million, this would be eight million million, i.e., eight trillion, which would agree with the resulting number in Mañjuśrīkīrti’s commentary. The Dutt edition of the Gilgit manuscript has aśityā ca bodhisattva-niyutaiḥ and accordingly the translation of Gómez et al. is “eighty million,” where niyuta has presumably been given the value of one million. The Chinese simply transliterates as na-yo-ta. The Chinese tradition gives numerous, widely differing explanations of what this number means.
n.­10
In the Chinese the description of the bodhisattvas and the list of names do not appear. The Chinese continues at this point with Ajita.
n.­11
According to the BHS abhi­jñābhijñātair. The Tibetan, translating both abhijña and abhijñāta as mngon par shes pa, has mngon par shes pas mngon par shes pa. However, the translation of the commentary has a preferable translation of the second abhijñāta: rab tu grags pa.
n.­12
According to the BHS gatiṃgata. The Tibetan translates as rtogs par khong du chud pa.
n.­13
According to the commentary these are not only the dhāraṇī in recited form, but comprise the four kinds of retention (dhāraṇī): the recited dhāraṇī sentences and phrases themselves, the retention of the memory of the words of all teachings given, the retention of the memory of the meaning of these teachings, and the retention of the realization gained through meditation on that meaning.
n.­14
According to the Tibetan, though the Sanskrit compound could also be interpreted to mean “who had praised, extolled, and lauded all the buddhas.”
n.­15
According to the Tibetan and the commentary. The Sanskrit could also be interpreted, as in Gómez et al., as “knowing all the terrors [that come from] the māras.”
n.­16
According to the commentary, this means “adorned by the ten good actions: three of body, four of speech, and three of mind,” or, among the primary and secondary signs of a great being: “the voice of Brahmā, and the mind’s realization of the nature of beings so that they may be guided.”
n.­17
According to most Kangyurs, the commentary, and the Sanskrit. The Degé has kyi instead of kyis.
n.­18
According to the commentary, this means the bodhisattvas are on the tenth bhūmi, as taught in the Sūtra of the Ten Bhūmis. The ten-bhūmi system does not appear in the Gilgit version or the Chinese but does in the later Sanskrit versions and the Tibetan.
n.­19
According to the Sanskrit. Absent from the Tibetan.
n.­20
According to the Tibetan lhun po’i rtse mo ’dzin and Matsunami. Vaidya: Meruśikhariṁdhara. Dutt: Meruśikharindhara.
n.­21
According to the Tibetan lhun po’i rgyal po and Matsunami. Dutt: Merugāja. Does not appear in Hodgson.
n.­22
According to the Tibetan and Matsunami. Dutt: Meruśikhare saṁghaṭṭanarājena. Hodgson: Meruśikhare saṃghaḍanagajena. Shastri: Meruśikhare saṃghaṭanagajena.
n.­23
According to the Sanskrit. Absent in the Tibetan.
n.­24
According to the Sanskrit. Absent in the Tibetan.
n.­25
According to the Tibetan (nyi ma me’i ’od ’phro can) and the Hodgson. The Tibetan takes daśaśataraśmi, “a hundred thousand rays,” as an epithet of the sun and translates it simply as nyi ma (“sun”). Gilgit and Shastri: Daśaśataraśmikṛtārci with huta (“fire,” equivalent to the Tibetan me) replaced by kṛta (“made,” “created”).
n.­26
According to the Tibetan and Hodgson. Vaidya: Satatam­abhayaṁdadāna. Dutt has both versions.
n.­27
Another name for Maitreya, the bodhisattva who will be the fifth buddha of the Good Eon.
n.­28
According to the Sanskrit anupamacitta. The Tibetan has dpe med sems dpa’, whereas one would expect dpe med sems pa. The Sūtra of the Samādhi of the Seal of the Wisdom of the Tathāgatas (see bibliography) refers to this group as sems dpa’ dpe med pa, naming two of them: Pramodyarāja (mchog tu dga’ ba’i rgyal po) and Mañjuśrī (Degé Kangyur, vol. 55, F.248.a). The Sūtra of Possessing the Roots of Goodness (see bibliography) refers to byang chub sems dpa’ dpe med pa sems pa (“bodhisattvas with incomparable minds”), with Bhadrapāla being the one that is named (Degé Kangyur, vol. 48, F.48.a). Bhadrapāla is also listed as one of a group of five hundred bodhisattvas in that sūtra (F.22.b).
n.­29
This is referencing a group of beings that is listed in the White Lotus of the Good Dharma Sūtra (Degé Kangyur, vol. 67, 2.b). In that sūtra Bhadrapāla is also listed as one of a group of fifty bodhisattvas (F.142.b).
n.­30
A bodhisattva who appears prominently in certain sūtras, such as The Samādhi of the Presence of the Buddhas, and perhaps also the merchant of that name who is the principal interlocutor in the Sūtra of the Questions of Bhadrapāla the Merchant (see bibliography).
n.­31
This refers to the standard list of god realms beginning with the lowest, that of the Four Mahārājas.
n.­32
According to the Sanskrit udārodārair, which repeats udāra. The Tibetan translates as “vast and illustrious.”
n.­33
According to the Sanskrit, which uses repetition to state that each one of them has that quality, maheśākhya­maheśākhyair. The Tibetan translates as “very powerful and renowned to be very powerful.”
n.­172
Literally, “ten million times a hundred thousand times a hundred thousand million.”
n.­173
According to the Sanskrit vihāra. Tibetan: gtsug lag khang. These are equivalents in the Mahāvyutpatti, but gtsug lag khang can also mean “temple” in Tibetan.
n.­197
From the Sanskrit udgrahītavya. Tibetan: gzung.
n.­198
From the BHS paryavāptavya. Tibetan: kun chub pa.
n.­199
From the Sanskrit dhārayitavya. Tibetan: bcang.
n.­200
From the Sanskrit vācayitavya. Tibetan: klog.
n.­201
From the Sanskrit pravartayitavya. Tibetan: rab tu gdon pa.
n.­202
From the Sanskrit uddeṣṭavya. Tibetan: lung mnod par bya.
n.­203
From the Sanskrit svādhyātavya. Tibetan: kha ton du bya.
n.­204
From the Sanskrit araṇa, which also means “passionless, sinless, without impurity.” This is regularly translated into Tibetan as nyon mongs, which is also used to translate kleśa. Gómez et al. have interpreted it as “being in solitude,” presumably from an edition with araṇya (“solitude”).
n.­205
From the Sanskrit bahulīkartavya. Tibetan: mang du bya.
n.­206
From the Sanskrit parebhyaśca vistarena saṃprakāśayitavya. Tibetan: gshan dag la yang rgya cher rab tu bstan par bya. This entire list is simplified in the Chinese to three elements: “should recite, uphold / retain, and explain it to others widely.”
n.­300
Not in the Gilgit or Chinese.
n.­383
The prose and verse from this point down to “Young Candraprabha adorned the road with many different precious arrangements” 10.­30 do not appear in the Chinese, apart from the one prose sentence in which Candraprabha requests the Buddha to come to his home. There is somewhat more in the Gilgit manuscript than in the Chinese.
n.­384
The Roman numerals indicate verses that are not contained in the Gilgit manuscript and therefore are not in the Vaidya edition, but are given in footnotes in the Dutt edition of the Gilgit manuscript.
n.­385
The commentary states that this means that anything the samādhi is focused upon will be overcome.
n.­386
The commentary states that this means that whatever is desired will appear from space.
n.­387
The commentary states that this means that it is invulnerable to all distractions.
n.­388
The commentary states that this means that one can go miraculously anywhere at the speed of thought.
n.­389
The commentary states that this means that all forms can be perceived.
n.­390
The commentary states that this means that one can directly perceive the tathāgatas in infinite realms.
n.­391
The commentary states that this means the consecration of the perfection of wisdom, which has the direct perception of the essence of all emptiness.
n.­392
The usual traditional list is of eight liberations, but as in the Gaṇḍavyūhasūtra, this term can be used for any method that brings liberation.
n.­393
According to the commentary, these four enemies are the four māras: the māra of the kleśas, the māra of death, the divine māra (of distracting pleasures), and the māra of the aggregates (of the mind and body).
n.­394
Literally deva, and translated into Tibetan as lha, but this was a term of respect used for kings, as the equivalent of “Your Majesty,” and so on. It is not meant to be taken literally as “a deity.”
n.­395
According to the Sanskrit toraṇa. Translated into Tibetan as rta babs.
n.­396
Synonymous with agallochum and aloeswood. A dark resin in the heartwood of certain tropical trees.
n.­397
According to the Sanskrit. Basically the same as damaru. Translated into Tibetan as mkhar rnga.
n.­398
The text gives both the Sanskrit tuṇava and the Tibetan translation pi wang rgyud gcig pa.
n.­399
A kettle drum played horizontally, wider in the middle with the skin at both ends, played by the hands. One drumhead is smaller than the other. It is a South Indian drum, and maintains the rhythm in Karnataka music.
n.­400
Tibetan rnga mu kun da. Also called rnga zlum (“round drum”). From its representation in a sculpture of a mukunda drummer, it appears to be a much smaller version of the mṛḍaṅga drum, held in the middle with one hand with one end beaten by the other hand.
n.­401
Tibetan rdza rnga chen po (“large kettle drum”). It is a kettle drum played horizontally. Unlike the mṛdaṅga, one half of the body of the drum is wider than the other. The Sanskrit for the list of instruments is in Dutt (116). There the spelling is muruja.
n.­402
Considered the purest form of gold, found in the rivers, and believed to have come from a legendary site beyond the Himalayas.
n.­403
The Chinese account of this event resumes here, after a few introductory sentences. The Gilgit also omits all the preceding passage, apart from the description of Candraprabha taking leave of the Buddha and returning home.
n.­404
From the Sanskrit svādanīya (“tasty,” “flavorful”). The Tibetan translates as a noun: myang ba.
n.­405
According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit niryūha can also mean “a pinnacle” or “turret.”
n.­406
According to the Tibetan ba gam, which is an ornamental roof. The Sanskrit pañjara principally means “a cage,” and therefore could be “railings.”
n.­407
Tibetan: skar khung dra ba ris (“window-net pattern”). Sanskrit jāla (“net”), though jālaka does mean “lattice-window.”
n.­408
Sanskrit: ardhacandra. Tibetan: zla ba kham pa. This appears to have been a prominent part of a building’s design.
n.­409
None of the verses with Roman numerals appear in the Gilgit or the Chinese.
n.­410
According to the Sanskrit. Absent in the Tibetan, perhaps as a result of a scribal omission in the Sanskrit manuscript, or an omission in translation, as the next name is Durabhisambhava.
n.­411
The commentary states that this is on the south side of the city. Rājagṛha is well known for its natural hot springs. This passage does not appear in the Chinese from “accompanied by many adorned horses” up to this point.
n.­412
From this point until Candraprabha speaks does not appear in the Chinese.
n.­413
The following seven verses and two lines of prose do not appear in the Chinese or the Gilgit manuscript.
n.­414
According to most Kangyurs: zan. Degé: bran.
n.­415
According to the Narthang, Cone, and Degé: ’dong. Pedurma: ’dod.
n.­416
“After speaking these lines” does not appear in the Gilgit or the Chinese.
n.­417
“kumbhāṇḍas, pretas, pūtanas” does not appear in the Gilgit.
n.­418
Literally “ten million [times] a hundred thousand million [times] a hundred thousand, which adds up to “a hundred thousand quintillion.” The Chinese has 百千萬億那由他 (bai qian wan yi na yu ta), “one thousand million” (yi’ nayuta).
n.­419
Also known in the past as “Indian blue jay.”
n.­420
According to the Gilgit Sanskrit. Absent in the Tibetan, presumably accidentally.
n.­421
Also called “red avadavats,” “strawberry finches,” and “kalavinka sparrows.” Dictionaries have erroneously identified them as cuckoos; kalaviṅka birds outside India have evolved into a mythical half-human bird. The avadavat is a significant bird in the Ganges plain and is renowned for its beautiful song.
n.­422
The birds do not appear in Gilgit manuscript. The following prose and verses do not appear in the Chinese.
n.­423
From the Sanskrit muṣala. Yongle, Lithang, Peking Narthang, Cone, and Lhasa: rdung ’dzin. Degé: gtun ’dzin. Musala here refers to a large pestle, about three feet long, which is also used as a weapon, like a mace, by a deity such as a yakṣa who hurls it at an enemy.
n.­424
These are the four traditional divisions of the army: cavalry, elephants, chariots, and infantry. These are also the basis for the game of chess, which originated in India.
n.­425
These do not appear in the Gilgit manuscript.
n.­426
The Gilgit manuscript fragment has tilaka[ba]kula with what appears to be an omission of the syllable ba (sesame flowers, medlar flowers).
n.­427
This prose section does not appear in the Gilgit, but is present in the Shastri and Hodgson (Dutt p. 121).
n.­428
In the BHS verse their names are given as Avalokitu and Sthāmu.
n.­429
In the BHS verse this name is shortened to Amogha.
n.­430
In the verse this is given in the short form, “Ratna.” The commentary states that this is another name for Ratnapāṇi, a bodhisattva who appears in Mahāyāna sūtras.
n.­431
The BHS verse uses this synonym for Subāhu.
n.­432
In the BHS verse his name is given as Durabhisambhavu.
n.­433
In the BHS verse the name is shortened to Vīra.
n.­434
According to the BHS jina­pādānubaddha. The Tibetan could be interpreted as just meaning “attendants.”
n.­435
Synonym for Maitreya. In the BHS verse the form is Matraku.
n.­436
The Tibetan erroneously translates the kāya in bhāvitakāya as lus (body).
n.­437
Here the Tibetan has three lines of verse, where the Sanskrit has four. The BHS verse is: “He is one who has cultivated love, rejoicing, and equanimity, / He is a great being who has developed compassion, / And through the qualities of the teaching of the Dharma / He has infinite understanding of the qualities of the Lord of jinas.” The Tibetan translation therefore has the last line of each verse being the first line of the following verse, as compared to the Sanskrit. In addition, the last three lines of the final śloka in Sanskrit are not present in the Tibetan.
n.­438
According to the BHS. The Tibetan, zhabs ’bring byed, could be interpreted as “attended to.”
n.­439
According to the Tibetan. Sanskrit: “those humans.”
n.­440
In the verse, for the sake of the meter, the name is given as Mañjuśirī.
n.­441
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan appears to mean “many thousands of millions of Mañjuśrīs.”
n.­442
According to the Tibetan. Sanskrit: “Who have accomplished bodies with the qualities of superior powers.” The Tibetan may have been translating śura instead of śarira.
n.­443
The Sanskrit here uses the synonym Śārisuta for Śāriputra.
n.­444
The Sanskrit here is “Maudgal,” which is the name shortened for the verse.
n.­445
BHS: Bhradrikurāja. Usually referred to simply as “Bhadrika.”
n.­446
In the BHS verse the name is given as Kauñciku. This may be Katyayāna (also known as Kaccāyana or Kaccāna), the only one of the Buddha’s ten principal students not to appear in this list.
n.­447
In the BHS verse the name is given as Koṣṭhilu.
n.­448
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has stong du, which appears to be a scribal error for stong dgu.
n.­449
According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit also has vrata (“vows of discipline”), which would have been translated into Tibetan as brtul zhugs.
n.­450
According to the Tibetan. Sanskrit: “And had mastered the recitation of curses and beneficial incantations.”
n.­451
According to the Tibetan. Sanskrit: Kārttika, the twelfth month of the Indian year, named after the Pleiades constellation, as the full moon appears near that constellation. In the Western calendar it is in October / November. In India, this is the time after the monsoon has ended and the sky is at its clearest.
n.­452
The Sanskrit uses the synonym dānava instead of asura.
n.­453
The Tibetan concludes here. The Sanskrit has the final line of that verse being the first of a four-line verse: “Scattered excellent flowers and supreme incense, / And an abundant variety of sandalwoods. / They circumambulated the Instructor, / And bowed down to the enlightened one.”
n.­454
The Chinese account of this event resumes again. This paragraph is brief in the Gilgit and Chinese.
n.­455
According to the Tibetan. Sanskrit: ṛṣabha-gaṇa, “herds of bulls.” Chinese: “a hundred thousand.”
n.­456
Chinese: “kings of bulls.”
n.­457
According to the Sanskrit dvirada and the Chinese. The Tibetan translates both “bull” and “elephant” with glang.
n.­458
The BHS has parihāraka, equivalent to the Sanskrit parihaṭaka, which can mean “anklet” or “bracelet.” “Anklet” is chosen here, as the others follow. The Tibetan translates this and the following ornament identically as gdu bu.
n.­459
From the Sanskrit kaṭaka.
n.­460
According to the Tibetan. Sanskrit: ambarakusumān (“cloth and flowers”).
n.­461
According to the Tibetan. Sanskrit: maṇisūtra (“strings of jewels”).
n.­462
According to the Tibetan mtsho bya (“lake birds”). The Sanskrit has haṃsa-krauñca (“ducks / geese and cranes”).
n.­463
The last half of this verse in the Sanskrit does not appear in the Tibetan. The entire verse does not appear in the Chinese. In the Gilgit and Shastri the second half is: “They were free from the net of fear, evil, and ignorance / And wished to bow down before the Sugata.” Hodgson has “stains” (mala) instead of “fear” (bhaya).
n.­464
The Chinese has “the body of the Buddha with the ten strengths.”
n.­465
Literally, a hundred-thousand ten-million.
n.­466
Chinese: “The celestial palaces became empty, as devas had come to see the Buddha.”
n.­467
According to the Tibetan. Sanskrit: lokanātha (“Lord of the World”). Chinese: “the Buddha, the Lord with the ten strengths.”
n.­468
This verse is absent in the Chinese.
n.­469
The main road connecting towns.
n.­470
Literally “principal and intermediate directions.” Chinese: “ten directions.”
n.­471
This verse is in the Gilgit, Shastri, and Hodgson, but does not appear in the Tibetan or the Chinese.
n.­472
This verse does not appear in the Chinese.
n.­473
This verse does not appear in the Chinese, but there is an alternative verse that relates how joy arose in those who saw the Buddha and that they wondered when they, too, could make supreme offerings.
n.­474
According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit does not have “in saṃsāra.” Chinese: “difficult to encounter for a long time,” 久遠難值遇 (jiu yuan nan zhi yu).
n.­475
According to the Sanskrit mahānubhāva and most Kangyurs. The Degé has thub chen (“great muni / sage”). The Chinese has 大比丘眾 (da bi qiu zhong), from the Sanskrit bhikṣu-saṃgha.
n.­476
According to the Tibetan. Sanskrit and Chinese: “precious jewels.” (BHS maṇiratana = Sanskrit maṇiratna.)
n.­477
The Sanskrit has Śubhamarutāḥ. Maruta is a synonym for deva, and Śubha is a shorter form for the name of the Parī­ttaśubha paradise.
n.­478
The Sanskrit has the synonym “Aparimitaśubha.”
n.­479
The Chinese has an additional verse about other devas coming to see the Lord of the World.
n.­480
This refers to the Mahābrahma paradise, where Brahmā resides, and is the highest of the three deva realms that are the realms of the first dhyāna in the form realm.
n.­481
Both the Sanskrit and Tibetan give here the shortened form of the name of this realm: Paranirmita; gzhan ’phrul. Chinese: 他化天 (ta hua tian), a shortened form too.
n.­482
The Sanskrit gives a shortened form tridaśa (thirty) instead of the usual Trāyastriṃśa (“thirty-three”). The Tibetan and Chinese, however, translate as thirty-three.
n.­483
This first line is conjoined into Verse 53 in the Chinese; the rest is omitted.
n.­484
It is Virūpākṣa that is traditionally said to be the lord over the nāgas. Nevertheless, this may reflect an earlier variant tradition. Not mentioned in the Chinese.
n.­485
According to the Tibetan and Chinese. The Sanskrit omits this and instead has “Also countless Māladhāra devas.”
n.­486
This verse is in the Gilgit manuscript but not present in the Chinese.
n.­487
This verse and the following two do not appear in the Gilgit manuscript or the Chinese. They are present in the Shastri and Hodgson. The Tibetan corresponds with the Hodgson version of the verses.
n.­488
According to the Tibetan gdengs ka can and the Mahāvyutpatti. Gilgit: Bhogaka.
n.­489
This verse is not present in the Gilgit or the Chinese.
n.­490
According to the Sanskrit, which is in the singular. The Chinese assumes the plural, referring to all the previous nāga kings.
n.­491
Vachellia farnesiana. The common English name is “needle bush,” because of its numerous thorns. The Sanskrit name is kept in both the English and Chinese translation because it is the origin of the nāga’s name.
n.­492
According to the Sanskrit, which has the adjective “little,” and also the account in the Vinaya, which states that as a monk in the time of Buddha Kāśyapa he cut down the thorny bush at the entrance of his cave because it always snagged his robes. Cutting down bushes or even grass is contrary to the bhikṣu rules. Therefore he was reborn as a nāga with a tree growing out of his head. This caused him pain whenever the wind blew. In Chinese the word 小 (xiao), as an adjective, means “little,” as in the Sanskrit. As a verb it means “belittle” or “make something small.” The main verb used is 壞 (huai), i.e., “to destroy or damage,” rather than “to cut down.” These two verbs together, 壞小 (huai xiao), could be interpreted as “cutting the bush to make it small,” or “cutting the bush in contempt.”
n.­493
This verse is considerably different in the Chinese.
n.­494
In terms of early Mahāyāna cosmology, “the king of Alakavatī” is Kubera, king of the yakṣas. In the tantric tradition, Alakavatī is the realm of Vajrapāṇi.
n.­495
This is the first of eight verses that in the Chinese are reduced to three verses listing names.
n.­496
According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan here translates the names, earlier translated as lngas rtsen and shā kya ’phel, as dus ’phel lnga po, which appears to indicate a corruption in the Sanskrit text that was used for the translation, resulting in kālavṛddho (“time increase”), which would match dus ’phel (“time increase”).
n.­497
This verse and the following verses are absent in the Chinese.
n.­498
This name seems to appear twice, once in transliteration and once in translation in another line: mi’u thung (dwarf).
n.­499
According to the Sanskrit nadi and the Chinese 河 (he). The Tibetan ’bab chu could have been interpreted to mean “waterfall.”
n.­500
According to the Tibetan. Sanskrit: “rejoiced at the Jina’s entry.” The line order follows the Sanskrit. The last two lines are not present in the Chinese.
n.­531
From the Sanskrit prabhāvyate. The Tibetan appears to have translated from a manuscript with something like pravbhidyate or prabhedyate (“divide,” “categorize”).
n.­532
According to the Sanskrit, the commentary, and the Chinese. The Tibetan translates as “the nature of the mind is without form,” presumably translating from svabhāvam arūpyam as a corruption of niḥsvabhāvam arūpyam.
n.­533
The Chinese adds “and cannot be seen.”
n.­547
The Sanskrit manasikāra and the Tibetan yid la byed pa can mean, according to context, “fixed attention,” “concentration,” “focused reflection,” etc. The commentary states that the samādhi being devoid of such factors is in relation to mind and thoughts, subject and object, action and object, and so on. The negative of the term (amanasikāra, yid la mi byed pa) was later adapted into the mahāmudrā tradition.
n.­548
The BHS term raṇā is synonymous with kleśa, and both are translated into Tibetan as nyon mongs.
n.­569
Chinese: “Then the youth Candraprabha said these words to the Bhagavān.”
n.­613
The Chinese has 47 consecutive verses: the first 16 verses are in chapter 15 of the Tibetan-Sanskrit version and the remaining 31 verses are in chapter 16.
n.­637
This entire opening section about Maitreya and his miraculous activities does not appear in the Gilgit manuscript and therefore not in the Vaidya either. The Tibetan follows the version in the Hodgson manuscript.
n.­638
According to the Sanskrit, where tathāgata is clearly in the vocative and the verb “to go” is in the first-person singular.
n.­639
According to the Tibetan. Sanskrit: “Lamp of the three worlds.”
n.­759
According to the Tibetan, in which the verb here is gdon mi za bar bya’o. The Sanskrit of the Hodgson and Shastri manuscripts has “…should depend upon the duties and qualities of the training that is the root of all merit” (śikṣāguṇa­dharmaniśrita). They also have at this point “…should have pure conduct through depending on roots of merit…” and so on. The Gilgit manuscript chapter is composed only of the verses.
n.­783
The Chinese adds: “Therefore, bodhisattvas should know about the dharmakāya and the rūpakāya.” The rest of this chapter does not appear in the Chinese.
n.­785
This paragraph does not appear in the Chinese.
n.­882
Beginning of fascicle 6 of the Taisho ed., and fascicle 7 of the Song, Yuan, Ming, Gong, and Sheng eds.
n.­890
From the BHS anuparivārayati and according to the definition in the commentary. The Tibetan translates with the alternative meaning of “encircling” or “surrounding.” The Gilgit version has pariśodhayati (“purifies”). The Chinese translates this sentence as “They will perfect wisdom of all kinds.” 滿足一切智 (man zu yi qie zhi).
n.­891
According to the Sanskrit, the commentary, and most Kangyurs, except for the Degé which has ’byor pa in error for ’byol ba. Chinese: “They abandon all concern about life and death.” 棄捨生死 (qi she sheng si).
n.­892
Tibetan: thob par byed pa (“cause to obtain”). Sanskrit: arpayati (see Mahāvyutpatti 7428). Chinese: “They long for the joy of nirvāṇa,” 慕樂涅槃 (mu le nie pan).
n.­893
Chinese: “They will not lack faith or wealth,” 不乏信財 (bu fa xin cai).
n.­1056
According to the Tibetan byi dor bya ba yongs su sbyang ba. The Sanskrit pari­karma­dhāraya could be translated as “maintaining or gaining the preparation for.”
n.­1057
This paragraph is in a simpler form in the Gilgit and Chinese.
n.­1161
In the Gilgit manuscript, the prose is absent from this point until “Young man, in the past…” (34.­7).
n.­1337
According to the Tibetan. Sanskrit: “immeasurable.”
n.­1338
According to the Sanskrit bahulīkartavya. The Tibetan mang du bya, a regular element in this list elsewhere, is missing here.

b.

Bibliography

Tibetan Editions of the Samādhirājasūtra

chos thams cad kyi rang bzhin mnyam pa nyid rnam spros pa ting nge ’dzin gyi rgyal po’i mdo (Sarva­dharma­svabhāva­samatāvipañcita­samādhirāja­sūtra). Toh 127, Degé Kangyur vol. 55 (mdo sde, da), folios 1.a–175.b.

‍—‍—‍—. 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. 55, pp. 3–411.

‍—‍—‍—. Lhasa Kangyur (lha sa bka’ ’gyur) vol. 55 (mdo sde, ta), folios 1.b–269.b.

‍—‍—‍—. Narthang Kangyur (snar thang bka’ ’gyur) vol. 55 (mdo sde, ta), folios 1.b–273.b.

‍—‍—‍—. Shelkar Drima Kangyur (shel mkhar bris ma bka’ ’gyur) vol. 54 (mdo sde, ja), folios 157.a–436.a.

‍—‍—‍—. Stok Palace Kangyur (stog pho brang bris ma bka’ ’gyur) vol. 58 (mdo sde, ja), folios 145.a–405.a.

‍—‍—‍—. Urga Kangyur vol. 55 (mdo sde, da), 1.b–170.a.

Sanskrit Editions of the Samādhirājasūtra

Dutt, Nalinaksha. Gilgit Manuscripts Vol. II, part I. Calcutta: J. C. Sarkhel, 1941. [This Sanskrit edition in three volumes is based on the Gilgit manuscript but also includes and represents the two Nepalese manuscripts of Hodgson and Shastri, see Introduction i.­9 and n.­4.

‍—‍—‍—. Gilgit Manuscripts Vol. II, part II. Calcutta: J. C. Sarkhel, 1953.

‍—‍—‍—. Gilgit Manuscripts Vol. II, part III. Calcutta: J. C. Sarkhel, 1954.

Matsunami, Seiren (ed.). “Bonbun Gattō Zanma kyō.”.in TDKK [Memoirs of Taisho University, Department of Buddhism and Literature] vol. 60 (1975), pp. 188–244.

‍—‍—‍—. “Bonbun Gattō Zanma kyō.” in TDKK [Memoirs of Taisho University, Department of Buddhism and Literature] vol. 61 (1975), 761–796.

Vaidya, P. L., ed. Samādhirājsūtra. Darbhanga, India: The Mithila Institute of Post-Graduate Studies and Research in Sanskrit Learning, 1961.

Other canonical references

Kangyur

da ltar gyi sangs rgyas mngon sum du bzhugs pa’i ting nge ’dzin gyi mdo (Pratyutpanna-buddha-samukhāsthita-samādhi-sūtra) [The Sūtra, The Samādhi of Being in the Presence of the Buddhas of the Present]. Toh 133, Degé Kangyur vol. 56 (mdo sde, na), folios 1.a–70.b.

dam pa’i chos pad ma dkar po’i mdo (Saddharma­puṇḍarīka-sūtra) [The Sūtra of the White Lotus of the Good Dharma]. Toh 113, Degé Kangyur vol. 67 (mdo sde, ja), folios 1.a–180.b. English translation in Roberts 2018.

de bzhin gshegs pa’i ye shes kyi phyag rgya’i ting nge ’dzin gyi mdo (Tathāgata-jñāna-mudrā-samādhi-sūtra) [The Sūtra of the Samādhi of the Seal of the Wisdom of the Tathāgatas]. Toh 131, Degé Kangyur vol. 55 (mdo sde, da), folios 230.b–253.b. English translation in Dharmachakra Translation Committee 2020b.

dge ba’i rtsa ba yongs su ’dzin pa’i mdo (Kuśala-mūla-saparigraha-sūtra) [The Sūtra of Possessing the Roots of Goodness]. Toh 101, Degé Kangyur vol. 48 (mdo sde, nga), folios 1.a–227.b. English translation in Dharmachakra Translation Committee 2020c.

de bzhin gshegs pa thams cad kyi sku gsung thugs kyi gsang chen gsang ba ’dus pa zhe bya ba brtag pa’i rgyal po chen po (Sarva-tathāgata-kāyavākcitta-rahasyo guhyasamāja-nāma-mahā-kalparāja) [The Great King Entitled the Union of the Great Secrets: the Secret of the Body, Speech, and Mind of all the Tathāgatas]. Also known as the Tathāgata­guhyaka Sūtra [The Sūtra of the Secret of the Tathāgatas] and the Guhysamaja-tantra. Toh 442, Degé Kangyur vol. 81 (rgyud, ca), folios 90.a–157.b.

gser ’od dam pa mdo sde’i dbang po’i rgyal po’i mdo (Suvarṇa-prabhāsottama-sūtrendrarāja-sūtra) [The Sūtra of the King Who Is the Lord of Sūtras: The Supreme Golden Light]. Toh 556, Degé Kangyur vol. 89 (rgyud, pa), folios 151.b–273.a.

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

sangs rgyas rjes su dran pa (Buddhānusmṛti) [Being Mindful of the Buddha]. Toh 279, Degé Kangyur vol. 68 (mdo sde, ya), folios 55.a-55.b.

rab tu zhi ba rnam par nges pa’i cho ’phrul gyi ting nge ’dzin gyi mdo (Praśanta-viniścaya-prāthihārya-samādhi-sūtra) [The Sūtra of the Absorption of the Miraculous Ascertainment of Peace]. Toh 129, Degé Kangyur vol. 55 (mdo sde, da), folios 174.b–210.b. English translation in Dharmachakra Translation Committee 2020.

rgya cher rol pa’i mdo (Lalitavistara-sūtra) [The Play in Full]. Toh 95, Degé Kangyur vol. 46 (mdo sde, kha), folios 1.b–216.b. English translation in Dharmachakra Translation Committee 2013.

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

sdong po bkod pa (Gaṇḍavyūha) [The Stem Array]. Chapter 45 of the Avataṃsaka, Toh 44-45. Degé Kangyur vols. 37 and 38 (phal chen, ga-a), folios ga 274.b–363.a. English Translation in Roberts 2021a.

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

’od dpag med kyi bkod pa’i mdo (Amitābha­vyūha­sūtra) [The Array of Amitābha]. Also known as The Longer Sukhāvatīsūtra. Toh 49, Degé Kangyur vol. 39 (dkon brtsegs, ka), folios 237.b-270.a.

’od zer kun du bkye pa’i bstan pa’i mdo (Raśmi­samantamukta­nirdeśa­sūtra) [The Teaching on the Effulgence of Light]. Toh 55, Degé Kangur vol. 40 (dkon brtsegs, kha), folios 195.a–255.b.

tshong dpon bzang skyong gyis zhus pa’i mdo (Bhadrapāla-śreṣṭhi-paripṛccha-sūtra) [The Sūtra of the Questions of Bhadrapāla the Merchant]. Toh 83, Degé Kangyur vol. 44 (dkon brtsegs, cha), folios 71.a–94.b.

yang dag par spyod pa’i tshul nam mkha’i mdog gis ’dul ba’i bzod pa’i mdo (Saṃyagacārya-vṛtta-gagana-varṇa-vinaya-kṣānti-sūtra) [The Sūtra on Patience with the Discipline Through Practicing in a Way that is Like The Colour of the Sky]. Toh 263, Degé Kangyur vol. 67 (mdo sde ’a), folios 90.a–209.b.

Tengyur

Candrakīrti. dbu ma la ’jug pa (Madhyamakāvatāra) [Entering the Middle Way]. Toh 3861, Degé Tengyur vol. 102 (dbu ma ’a), folios 201.b–219.a.

‍—‍—‍—. dbu ma rtsa ba’i ’grel pa tshig gsal ba (Mūla­madhyamaka­vṛtti­prasanna­padā) [Clear Words: A Commentary on the Root Middle Way]. Toh 3860, Degé Tengyur vol. 102 (dbu ma, ’a), folios 1.a–200.a.

Dārika. ’khor lo sdom pa’i dkyil ’khor gyi cho ga de kho na nyid la ’jug pa (Cakra­saṁvara­maṇḍala­vidhi­tattvāvatāra) [Entering the Truth: A Maṇḍala Rite of Cakrasamvara]. Toh 1430, Degé Tengyur vol. 20 (rgyud ’grel, wa), folios 203.b–219.b.

Kamalaśīla. sgom pa’i rim pa (Bhāvanākrama) [Stages of Meditation]. Toh 3915, 3916, and 3917, Degé Tengyur vol. 110 (dbu ma, ki), folios 22.a–41.b, 41.a–55.b, and 55.b–68.b.

Mañjuśrīkīrti. ’phags pa chos thams cad kyi rang bzhin mnyam pa nyid rnam spros pa ting nge ’dzin gyi rgyal po zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo’i ’grel pa grags pa’i phreng ba zhes bya ba (Ārya-sarva-dharma-svabhāva-samatā-vipañcita-samādhi-rāja-nāma-mahāyāna-sūtra-ṭika-kīrti-mālā-nāma) [The Garland of Fame: A Commentary on The Mahāyāna Sūtra Entitled The King of Samādhis: The Revealed Equality of the Nature of All Phenomena]. Toh 4010, Degé Tengyur vol. 117 (mdo ’grel, nyi), folios 1.b–163.b.

‍—‍—‍—. Idem, in bstan ’gyur (dpe bsdur ma) [Comparative Edition of the Tengyur], krung go’i bod rig pa zhib ’jug ste gnas kyi bka’ bstan dpe sdur khang (The Tibetan Tripitaka Collation Bureau of the China Tibetology Research Center). 120 volumes. Beijing: krung go’i bod rig pa dpe skrun khang (China Tibetology Publishing House), 1994–2008, vol. 117 (mdo ’grel, nyi), 752–1181.

Prajñākaramati. byang chub kyi spyod pa la ’jug pa’i dka’ ’grel (Bodhi­sattva­caryāvatāra­pañjikā) [Commentary on Difficult Points in Entering the Conduct of the Bodhisattvas]. Toh 3872, Degé Tengyur vol. 105 (dbu ma, la), folios 41.b–288.a.

Śāntideva. byang chub sems dpa’i spyod pa la ’jug pa (Bodhi­sattva­caryāvatāra) [Entering the Conduct of the Bodhisattvas]. Toh 3871, Degé Tengyur vol. 105 (dbu ma, la), folios 1.a–40.a.

‍—‍—‍—. bslab pa kun las btus pa (Śikṣasamuccaya) [Compendium of Training]. Toh 3939, Degé Tengyur vol. 111 (dbu ma, khi), folios 3.a–194.b.

Non-Canonical Tibetan Sources

Gampopa (sgam po pa bsod nams rin chen). dam chos yid bzhin nor bu thar pa rin po che’i rgyan. Kathmandu: Gam-po-pa Library, 2003.

Pekar Sangpo (pad dkar bzang po). bstan pa spyi’i rgyas byed las mdo sde spyi’i rnam bzhag bka’ bsdu ba bzhi pa zhes bya ba’i bstan bcos. Beijing: mi rigs dpe skrun khang, 2006.

Rinchen Palzang (rin chen dpal bzang). mtshur phu dgon gyi dkar chag kun gsal me long. Beijing: mi rigs dpe skrun khang, 1995.

Tsongkhapa (tsong kha pa). lam rim chen mo. In rje tsong kha pa chen po’i gsung ’bum vol. 8, Zi ling: mtsho sngon mi rigs dpe skrun khang, 1999.

Western Publications

Bailey, D. R. Shackleton. The Śatapañcāśatka of Mātṛceta. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1951.

Cüppers, Cristoph. The IXth Chapter of the Samādhirājasūtra: A Text-Critical Contribution to the Study of Mahāyāna Sūtras. Stuttgart: Franz Steiner Verlag, 1990.

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

‍—‍—‍—, trans. (2020a). The Absorption of the Miraculous Ascertainment of Peace (Praśānta­viniścaya­prātihārya­samādhi, Toh 129). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.

‍—‍—‍—, trans. (2020b). The Absorption of the Thus-Gone One’s Wisdom Seal (Tathāgata­jñāna­mudrā­samādhi, Toh 131). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.

‍—‍—‍—, trans. (2020c). Upholding the Roots of Virtue (Kuśala­mūla­saṃparigraha, Toh 101). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.

‍—‍—‍—, trans. (2022). The Teaching on the Effulgence of Light (Raśmisamanta­mukta­nirdeśa, Toh 55). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.

Dimitrov, Dragomir. “Two Female Bodhisattvas in Flesh and Blood,” in Aspects of the Female in Indian Culture. Marburg: Indica et Tibetica, 2004, pp. 3–30.

Gómez, Luis O. and Silk, Jonathan A. Studies in the Literature of the Great Vehicle: Three Mahāyāna Buddhist Texts. Ann Arbor: Collegiate Institute for the Study of Buddhist Literature and Center for South and Southeast Asian Studies, The University of Michigan, 1989.

Leslie, Julia. “A Bird Bereaved: The Identity and Significance of Valmiki’s Krauñcha,” in Journal of Indian Philosophy 26.5 (1998): 455–87.

Régamey, Konstanty. Philosophy in the Samādhirājasūtra. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1990.

Roberts, Peter Alan, trans. (2018). The White Lotus of the Good Dharma (Saddharma­puṇḍarīka, Toh 113). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.

‍—‍—‍—, trans. (2021a) The Stem Array (Gaṇḍavyūha, Toh 44-45). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.

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

Rockwell, John Jr. Samādhi and Patient Acceptance: Four Chapters of the Samādhirāja-sūtra, Translated from the Sanskrit and Tibetan. M.A. thesis, Naropa Institute, Boulder, Colorado, 1980.

Skilton, Andrew. “Dating the Samādhirāja Sūtra,” In Journal of Indian Philosophy 27: 635–52. Netherlands: Kluwer Academic Publishers, 1999.

Tatz, Mark. “Revelation in Mādhyamika Buddhism: Chapter Eleven of the Samādhirāja-sūtra (On Mastering the Sūtra).” Translated from the Tibetan with commentary. University of Washington, 1972.

Thrangu Rinpoche. King of Samadhi: Commentaries on the Samadhi Raja Sutra and the Song of Lodrö Thaye. Hong Kong, Boudhnath & Århus: Rangjung Yeshe Publications, 1994.


g.

Glossary

g.­1

Ābhāsvara

  • —
  • —
  • Ābhāsvara

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

1 passage contains this term:

  • 10.­121

Links to further resources:

  • 25 related glossary entries
g.­2

Abhāva

  • dngos po med pa las byung
  • dngos po med pa las byung ba
  • དངོས་པོ་མེད་པ་ལས་བྱུང་།
  • དངོས་པོ་མེད་པ་ལས་བྱུང་བ།
  • Abhāva
  • Abhāva­samudgata

A buddha countless eons in the past.

1 passage contains this term:

  • 8.­22
g.­3

Abhirati

  • mngon par dga’ ba
  • མངོན་པར་དགའ་བ།
  • Abhirati

The realm of Buddha Akṣobhya, beyond countless buddha realms in the eastern direction.

5 passages contain this term:

  • 11.­74
  • 37.­2
  • n.­529
  • n.­1431
  • g.­14

Links to further resources:

  • 17 related glossary entries
g.­5

Absence of attributes

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

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

19 passages contain this term:

  • 1.­45
  • 4.­23
  • 14.­86
  • 23.­3
  • 30.­23
  • 33.­20
  • 33.­269
  • 34.­1
  • 34.­2
  • 34.­5
  • 36.­109
  • 39.­6
  • 39.­25
  • 39.­26
  • 39.­96
  • 39.­128
  • 39.­144
  • g.­132
  • g.­145

Links to further resources:

  • 36 related glossary entries
g.­9

Aggregate of correct conduct

  • tshul khrims kyi phung po
  • ཚུལ་ཁྲིམས་ཀྱི་ཕུང་པོ།
  • —

One of the five undefiled aggregates (zag med kyi phung po lnga), the others being the aggregates of concentration (samādhi), discriminative awareness (prajñā), liberation (vimukti), and insight of the primordial wisdom of liberation (vimukti­jñāna­darśana).

8 passages contain this term:

  • i.­74
  • 1.­14
  • 1.­17
  • 33.­2
  • 33.­295
  • 37.­1
  • 37.­2
  • n.­1060

Links to further resources:

  • 5 related glossary entries
g.­11

Ailavila

  • Ir bir
  • ཨཱིར་བིར།
  • Ailavila

Synonymous with Kubera, who, in this sūtra, is distinct from Vaiśravaṇa. The name Ailavila is derived from his mother, and means “the son of Ilavilā.”

1 passage contains this term:

  • 10.­126
g.­12

Ajita

  • mi pham pa
  • མི་ཕམ་པ།
  • Ajita

The other name of Maitreya (or Maitraka), the bodhisattva who will be the fifth buddha of the Good Eon.

9 passages contain this term:

  • 1.­2
  • 10.­58
  • 15.­5
  • 17.­4
  • 17.­13
  • 34.­63
  • n.­10
  • n.­640
  • g.­259

Links to further resources:

  • 8 related glossary entries
g.­13

Akaniṣṭha

  • ’og min
  • འོག་མིན།
  • Akaniṣṭha

The highest of the seventeen paradises in the form realm. Within the form realm it is the highest of the eight paradises of the fourth dhyāna. Within the fourth dhyāna it is the highest of the five Śuddhāvāsika (pure abode) paradises.

1 passage contains this term:

  • 10.­119

Links to further resources:

  • 41 related glossary entries
g.­15

Alakavatī

  • lcang lo can
  • ལྕང་ལོ་ཅན།
  • Alakavatī

The world of yakṣas ruled over by Kubera.

2 passages contain this term:

  • 10.­147
  • n.­494

Links to further resources:

  • 5 related glossary entries
g.­16

Amaranth

  • ku ra ba ka
  • ཀུ་ར་བ་ཀ
  • kurabaka

1 passage contains this term:

  • 10.­54
g.­19

Amoghadarśin

  • mthong na don yod
  • མཐོང་ན་དོན་ཡོད།
  • Amoghadarśin
  • Amogha

A bodhisattva who appears in Mahāyāna sūtras.

2 passages contain this term:

  • 10.­38
  • 10.­57

Links to further resources:

  • 9 related glossary entries
g.­21

Ānanda

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

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

27 passages contain this term:

  • s.­1
  • i.­5
  • i.­73
  • i.­78
  • 2.­20
  • 10.­64
  • 36.­1
  • 36.­2
  • 36.­3
  • 36.­4
  • 36.­5
  • 36.­6
  • 36.­7
  • 36.­8
  • 36.­9
  • 36.­11
  • 36.­13
  • 36.­15
  • 36.­16
  • 36.­136
  • 36.­140
  • 36.­141
  • 36.­221
  • 40.­156
  • 40.­157
  • 40.­158
  • n.­1313

Links to further resources:

  • 78 related glossary entries
g.­22

Ananta

  • mtha’ yas
  • མཐའ་ཡས།
  • Ananta

One of the principal nāga kings. Also known as Śeṣa or Anataśeṣa. Considered the source of Patañjali grammar in Buddhism. In Vaiśnavism he is the serpent that Viṣṇu rests upon in between the creations of worlds.

4 passages contain this term:

  • i.­26
  • 10.­133
  • n.­195
  • n.­210

Links to further resources:

  • 5 related glossary entries
g.­26

Anavatapta

  • ma dros pa
  • མ་དྲོས་པ།
  • Anavatapta

The nāga king who is said to dwell in Lake Mansarovar near Kailash.

3 passages contain this term:

  • 10.­135
  • 10.­136
  • g.­159

Links to further resources:

  • 21 related glossary entries
g.­27

Aṅgiras

  • ang gi ra
  • ཨང་གི་ར།
  • Aṅgiras
  • Aṅgirasā
  • Aṅgirasa

The rishi who is said to have composed most of the fourth Veda, the Atharvaveda.

1 passage contains this term:

  • 10.­152

Links to further resources:

  • 2 related glossary entries
g.­28

Aniruddha

  • ma ’gags pa
  • མ་འགགས་པ།
  • Aniruddha

The Buddha’s cousin, and one of his ten principal pupils. Renowned for his clairvoyance.

2 passages contain this term:

  • 10.­64
  • 14.­67

Links to further resources:

  • 18 related glossary entries
g.­29

Apalāla

  • sog med
  • སོག་མེད།
  • Apalāla

Nāga king who became a pupil of the Buddha.

1 passage contains this term:

  • 10.­137

Links to further resources:

  • 4 related glossary entries
g.­30

Apramāṇābha

  • ’tshad med ’od
  • འཚད་མེད་འོད།
  • Apramāṇābha

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

1 passage contains this term:

  • 10.­121

Links to further resources:

  • 14 related glossary entries
g.­31

Apramāṇaśubha

  • dge chung
  • དགེ་ཆུང་།
  • Apramāṇaśubha
  • Aparimitaśubha

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

1 passage contains this term:

  • 10.­120

Links to further resources:

  • 14 related glossary entries
g.­32

Apsaras

  • lha mo
  • ལྷ་མོ།
  • apsaras

In this sūtra, “apsaras” (or “apsarases” in plural) is synonymous with devī, the female equivalent of deva. In Indian culture, it is also the name for goddesses of the clouds and water, and the wives of the gandharvas.

6 passages contain this term:

  • 10.­124
  • 34.­19
  • 34.­53
  • n.­589
  • n.­1167
  • n.­1174

Links to further resources:

  • 17 related glossary entries
g.­33

Arhat

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

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

53 passages contain this term:

  • 1.­6
  • 2.­1
  • 2.­3
  • 3.­1
  • 3.­3
  • 3.­5
  • 4.­1
  • 4.­2
  • 5.­4
  • 5.­5
  • 5.­6
  • 5.­8
  • 5.­9
  • 5.­10
  • 5.­11
  • 5.­12
  • 5.­13
  • 5.­17
  • 5.­29
  • 5.­31
  • 5.­32
  • 5.­34
  • 5.­36
  • 5.­40
  • 8.­11
  • 8.­15
  • 8.­16
  • 8.­17
  • 9.­2
  • 9.­7
  • 14.­1
  • 17.­18
  • 17.­19
  • 18.­33
  • 18.­35
  • 19.­9
  • 34.­7
  • 34.­8
  • 35.­9
  • 36.­1
  • 36.­2
  • 36.­9
  • 36.­10
  • 36.­11
  • 39.­12
  • 39.­13
  • 39.­15
  • 39.­20
  • 40.­152
  • g.­55
  • g.­73
  • g.­225
  • g.­495

Links to further resources:

  • 96 related glossary entries
g.­36

Aśoka

  • mya ngan ’tshang
  • མྱ་ངན་འཚང་།
  • aśoka

Saraca asoca. The aromatic blossoms of this plant are clustered together as orange, yellow, and red bunches of petals.

3 passages contain this term:

  • 10.­18
  • 10.­54
  • 30.­14

Links to further resources:

  • 5 related glossary entries
g.­38

Aspiration to enlightenment

  • byang chub kyi sems
  • བྱང་ཆུབ་ཀྱི་སེམས།
  • bodhicitta

This term has developed further meanings such as the ultimate bodhicitta of realizing emptiness, but in this sūtra it is used with its basic meaning.

17 passages contain this term:

  • 3.­22
  • 7.­29
  • 10.­83
  • 10.­114
  • 11.­52
  • 11.­56
  • 18.­49
  • 20.­21
  • 21.­12
  • 21.­31
  • 26.­4
  • 33.­244
  • 33.­295
  • 39.­134
  • 40.­31
  • n.­767
  • n.­1118

Links to further resources:

  • 41 related glossary entries
g.­39

Aster

  • mdog mdzes
  • མདོག་མཛེས།
  • roca

1 passage contains this term:

  • 10.­54

Links to further resources:

  • 3 related glossary entries
g.­40

Asura

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

The asuras, sometimes called the demi-gods or titans, are the enemies of the devas, fighting with them for supremacy. They are powerful beings who live around Mount Sumeru, and are usually classified as belonging to the higher realms.

34 passages contain this term:

  • 1.­2
  • 2.­32
  • 7.­21
  • 10.­23
  • 10.­31
  • 10.­37
  • 10.­42
  • 10.­51
  • 10.­68
  • 10.­104
  • 10.­107
  • 10.­130
  • 10.­160
  • 10.­161
  • 11.­46
  • 11.­64
  • 14.­36
  • 14.­41
  • 17.­16
  • 31.­9
  • 34.­14
  • 34.­22
  • 36.­65
  • 36.­187
  • 36.­208
  • 38.­17
  • 40.­158
  • n.­452
  • g.­50
  • g.­303
  • g.­349
  • g.­393
  • g.­511
  • g.­518

Links to further resources:

  • 106 related glossary entries
g.­41

Atapa

  • mi gdung
  • མི་གདུང་།
  • Atapa

The fourth highest of the seventeen paradises in the form realm, and therefore the fourth of the five Śuddhāvāsika (pure abode) paradises.

1 passage contains this term:

  • 10.­119

Links to further resources:

  • 16 related glossary entries
g.­44

Avadavat

  • ka la ping ka
  • khu byug
  • ཀ་ལ་པིང་ཀ
  • ཁུ་བྱུག
  • kalaviṅka

Several species of finch belonging to the genus Amandava, part of the Estrildid finch family (Estrildidae). They are renowned as songbirds, and in Tibetan texts the Sanskrit kalaviṅka was sometimes simply transliterated ka la ping ka, sometimes translated as khu byug, “cuckoo.”

12 passages contain this term:

  • 10.­51
  • 14.­32
  • 14.­57
  • 14.­88
  • 18.­22
  • 30.­11
  • 30.­13
  • 30.­103
  • 33.­271
  • n.­421
  • n.­576
  • n.­1007

Links to further resources:

  • 20 related glossary entries
g.­45

Avalokiteśvara

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

First appeared as a bodhisattva beside Amitābha in the Sukhāvatī Sūtra. The name has been variously interpreted. In “The lord of Avalokita,” Avalokita has been interpreted as “seeing,” although, as a past passive participle, it is literally “lord of what has been seen.” One of the principal sūtras in the 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 is one of the lords of the three families, as the embodiment of the compassion of the buddhas. The Potalaka Mountain in southern India became important in Southern Indian Buddhism as his residence in this world, but Potalaka does not yet feature in the Kāraṇḍavyūha Sūtra (Toh 116), which emphasized the preeminence of Avalokiteśvara above all buddhas and bodhisattvas and introduced the mantra oṃ maṇipadme hūṃ.

4 passages contain this term:

  • i.­28
  • 10.­38
  • 10.­57
  • 14.­73

Links to further resources:

  • 58 related glossary entries
g.­47

Avṛha

  • mi che
  • མི་ཆེ།
  • Avṛha
  • Abṛha

The fifth highest of the seventeen paradises in the form realm, and therefore the fifth of the five Śuddhāvāsika (pure abode) paradises.

1 passage contains this term:

  • 10.­119

Links to further resources:

  • 17 related glossary entries
g.­48

Āyatana

  • skye mched
  • སྐྱེ་མཆེད།
  • āyatana

Sometimes translated “sense-fields” or “bases of cognition,” the term usually refers to the six sense faculties and their corresponding objects, i.e. the first twelve of the eighteen dhātu. Along with skandha and dhātu, one of the three major categories in the taxonomy of phenomena in the sūtra literature.

15 passages contain this term:

  • 1.­27
  • 1.­29
  • 3.­4
  • 4.­5
  • 13.­2
  • 17.­89
  • 17.­94
  • 17.­95
  • 40.­2
  • 40.­5
  • 40.­22
  • 40.­44
  • n.­262
  • g.­124
  • g.­417

Links to further resources:

  • 58 related glossary entries
g.­49

Bakula

  • ba ku la
  • བ་ཀུ་ལ།
  • Bakula
  • Vakula

A yakṣa lord.

2 passages contain this term:

  • 10.­52
  • 10.­149
g.­50

Bala

  • stobs ldan
  • སྟོབས་ལྡན།
  • Bala

A leader of the asuras.

3 passages contain this term:

  • 10.­130
  • n.­1284
  • g.­485

Links to further resources:

  • 7 related glossary entries
g.­51

Bandé

  • ban de
  • བན་དེ།
  • (vanda)

A term of respect for Buddhist monks: bandé in Tibet and Nepal, bhante in the Pali tradition. A middle-Indic word, it is said to be derived from vande, the BHS vocative form of the Sanskrit vanda, meaning praiseworthy or venerable, although bhante is said to be a contraction of the vocative bhadante, derived from a respectful salutation.

1 passage contains this term:

  • c.­1

Links to further resources:

  • 2 related glossary entries
g.­54

Bhadrapāla

  • bzang skyong
  • བཟང་སྐྱོང་།
  • Bhadrapāla

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

Head of the “sixteen excellent men” (ṣoḍaśasatpuruṣa), a group of householder bodhisattvas present in the audience of many sūtras. He appears prominently in certain sūtras, such as The Samādhi of the Presence of the Buddhas (Pratyutpannabuddha­saṃmukhāvasthita­samādhisūtra, Toh 133) and is perhaps also the merchant of the same name who is the principal interlocutor in The Questions of Bhadrapāla the Merchant (Toh 83).

3 passages contain this term:

  • 1.­2
  • n.­28
  • n.­29

Links to further resources:

  • 22 related glossary entries
g.­55

Bhadrikarāja

  • bzang ldan rgyal po
  • བཟང་ལྡན་རྒྱལ་པོ།
  • Bhadrikarāja
  • Bhadrika

Supreme among the upper-class monks. He became an arhat in the first rainy season. One of the first group of Śākya princes to become a monk. He is said to have been a king in many successive previous lifetimes, which is why the title of “king” is added after his name in the sūtra. He is not to be confused with the Bhadrika who was one of the Buddha’s first five pupils.

1 passage contains this term:

  • 10.­64
g.­57

Bhikṣu

  • dge slong
  • དགེ་སློང་།
  • bhikṣu

Fully ordained Buddhist monk.

203 passages contain this term:

  • i.­23
  • i.­24
  • i.­36
  • i.­40
  • i.­43
  • i.­44
  • i.­51
  • i.­52
  • i.­53
  • i.­56
  • i.­60
  • i.­65
  • i.­73
  • i.­74
  • i.­75
  • i.­76
  • 1.­2
  • 1.­62
  • 3.­27
  • 5.­9
  • 5.­10
  • 5.­11
  • 5.­12
  • 5.­13
  • 9.­7
  • 10.­13
  • 10.­15
  • 10.­42
  • 10.­51
  • 11.­1
  • 11.­2
  • 11.­3
  • 16.­5
  • 16.­8
  • 16.­10
  • 16.­12
  • 16.­35
  • 17.­16
  • 17.­165
  • 17.­168
  • 18.­31
  • 18.­45
  • 18.­51
  • 20.­18
  • 20.­19
  • 21.­14
  • 21.­16
  • 21.­24
  • 21.­26
  • 21.­29
  • 21.­37
  • 25.­30
  • 30.­7
  • 30.­40
  • 30.­119
  • 34.­44
  • 34.­52
  • 34.­55
  • 34.­56
  • 34.­62
  • 34.­64
  • 35.­8
  • 35.­12
  • 35.­14
  • 35.­15
  • 35.­16
  • 35.­17
  • 35.­18
  • 35.­19
  • 35.­21
  • 35.­22
  • 35.­23
  • 35.­24
  • 35.­25
  • 35.­30
  • 35.­33
  • 35.­34
  • 35.­36
  • 35.­39
  • 35.­41
  • 35.­43
  • 35.­53
  • 35.­59
  • 35.­60
  • 35.­68
  • 35.­72
  • 35.­78
  • 36.­14
  • 36.­18
  • 36.­45
  • 36.­46
  • 36.­47
  • 36.­48
  • 36.­51
  • 36.­52
  • 36.­53
  • 36.­54
  • 36.­55
  • 36.­57
  • 36.­59
  • 36.­60
  • 36.­63
  • 36.­66
  • 36.­67
  • 36.­68
  • 36.­69
  • 36.­70
  • 36.­71
  • 36.­72
  • 36.­73
  • 36.­74
  • 36.­75
  • 36.­76
  • 36.­77
  • 36.­80
  • 36.­81
  • 36.­83
  • 36.­84
  • 36.­85
  • 36.­86
  • 36.­87
  • 36.­88
  • 36.­89
  • 36.­90
  • 36.­91
  • 36.­92
  • 36.­93
  • 36.­95
  • 36.­96
  • 36.­98
  • 36.­101
  • 36.­106
  • 36.­107
  • 36.­108
  • 36.­112
  • 36.­143
  • 36.­148
  • 36.­150
  • 36.­151
  • 36.­152
  • 36.­153
  • 36.­154
  • 36.­156
  • 36.­157
  • 36.­170
  • 36.­174
  • 36.­175
  • 36.­193
  • 36.­194
  • 36.­195
  • 36.­205
  • 36.­210
  • 36.­211
  • 36.­212
  • 36.­213
  • 36.­214
  • 37.­4
  • 37.­32
  • 37.­33
  • 37.­43
  • 38.­17
  • 38.­50
  • 38.­51
  • 38.­53
  • 38.­54
  • 38.­55
  • 38.­56
  • 38.­57
  • 38.­58
  • 38.­59
  • 38.­60
  • 38.­61
  • 38.­63
  • 38.­64
  • 38.­65
  • 38.­66
  • 38.­67
  • 38.­69
  • 38.­71
  • 38.­72
  • 38.­75
  • 38.­79
  • 38.­80
  • 38.­81
  • 39.­58
  • 40.­158
  • n.­171
  • n.­237
  • n.­238
  • n.­239
  • n.­241
  • n.­475
  • n.­492
  • n.­774
  • n.­1165
  • n.­1189
  • n.­1236
  • n.­1237
  • n.­1240
  • n.­1305
  • n.­1351
  • g.­170
  • g.­319

Links to further resources:

  • 44 related glossary entries
g.­66

Bhṛgu

  • ngan spong
  • ངན་སྤོང་།
  • Bhṛgu

One of the seven great rishis of ancient India. The founder of Indian astrology.

2 passages contain this term:

  • 10.­152
  • g.­107

Links to further resources:

  • 2 related glossary entries
g.­67

Bhūmi

  • sa
  • ས།
  • bhūmi

Literally “grounds” in which qualities grow, and also it means “levels.” Bhūmi refers specifically to levels of enlightenment, especially the ten levels of the enlightened bodhisattvas. Also translated here as “level.”

20 passages contain this term:

  • i.­29
  • 30.­122
  • 31.­12
  • 32.­27
  • 36.­184
  • n.­18
  • n.­549
  • n.­1091
  • n.­1451
  • g.­90
  • g.­102
  • g.­127
  • g.­175
  • g.­241
  • g.­263
  • g.­330
  • g.­331
  • g.­412
  • g.­424
  • g.­498

Links to further resources:

  • 25 related glossary entries
g.­69

Bignonia

  • skya snar
  • pa ta la
  • སྐྱ་སྣར།
  • པ་ཏ་ལ།
  • pāṭalā

Bignonia suaveolens. The Indian species of bigonia. They have trumpet-shaped flowers and the small trees are common throughout India.

2 passages contain this term:

  • 10.­18
  • 10.­54

Links to further resources:

  • 4 related glossary entries
g.­70

Blue lotus

  • ud pa la
  • ud pal
  • ཨུད་པ་ལ།
  • ཨུད་པལ།
  • utpala

5 passages contain this term:

  • 10.­18
  • 10.­54
  • 10.­117
  • 29.­13
  • 30.­14

Links to further resources:

  • 11 related glossary entries
g.­72

Bodhimaṇḍa

  • byang chub snying po
  • བྱང་ཆུབ་སྙིང་པོ།
  • Bodhimaṇḍa

“The essence of enlightenment.” The spot in Bodhgaya where the Buddha attained enlightenment.

11 passages contain this term:

  • 10.­144
  • 27.­3
  • 29.­50
  • 29.­54
  • 29.­58
  • 33.­227
  • 33.­229
  • 33.­238
  • 33.­239
  • 33.­241
  • n.­930

Links to further resources:

  • 32 related glossary entries
g.­73

Bodhisattva

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

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.”

562 passages contain this term:

  • s.­1
  • i.­1
  • i.­4
  • i.­19
  • i.­24
  • i.­28
  • i.­29
  • i.­30
  • i.­36
  • i.­41
  • i.­42
  • i.­43
  • i.­45
  • i.­47
  • i.­48
  • i.­52
  • i.­53
  • i.­59
  • i.­61
  • i.­62
  • i.­64
  • i.­67
  • i.­69
  • i.­70
  • i.­71
  • i.­72
  • i.­73
  • i.­74
  • i.­75
  • 1.­1
  • 1.­2
  • 1.­20
  • 1.­21
  • 1.­22
  • 1.­25
  • 1.­26
  • 1.­49
  • 1.­50
  • 1.­52
  • 1.­54
  • 1.­55
  • 2.­1
  • 2.­3
  • 2.­5
  • 2.­8
  • 2.­22
  • 2.­27
  • 3.­1
  • 3.­2
  • 3.­4
  • 3.­5
  • 3.­38
  • 4.­19
  • 4.­22
  • 4.­31
  • 5.­1
  • 5.­2
  • 5.­5
  • 5.­9
  • 5.­10
  • 5.­11
  • 5.­12
  • 5.­37
  • 5.­42
  • 6.­1
  • 6.­2
  • 6.­6
  • 6.­9
  • 6.­13
  • 6.­18
  • 6.­19
  • 6.­27
  • 7.­1
  • 7.­2
  • 7.­3
  • 7.­13
  • 7.­21
  • 7.­22
  • 7.­23
  • 7.­24
  • 7.­27
  • 7.­30
  • 7.­31
  • 7.­39
  • 8.­1
  • 8.­2
  • 8.­3
  • 8.­4
  • 8.­18
  • 9.­1
  • 9.­5
  • 9.­6
  • 9.­7
  • 10.­1
  • 10.­2
  • 10.­7
  • 10.­9
  • 10.­13
  • 10.­15
  • 10.­38
  • 10.­41
  • 10.­42
  • 10.­51
  • 11.­1
  • 11.­2
  • 11.­3
  • 11.­12
  • 11.­19
  • 11.­22
  • 11.­24
  • 11.­25
  • 11.­27
  • 11.­35
  • 11.­41
  • 11.­42
  • 11.­43
  • 11.­48
  • 11.­51
  • 11.­75
  • 12.­1
  • 12.­2
  • 12.­4
  • 13.­1
  • 13.­2
  • 13.­3
  • 13.­16
  • 13.­18
  • 13.­24
  • 13.­25
  • 13.­30
  • 13.­31
  • 14.­1
  • 14.­55
  • 14.­71
  • 14.­72
  • 14.­73
  • 15.­1
  • 15.­4
  • 16.­1
  • 16.­3
  • 16.­10
  • 16.­21
  • 16.­25
  • 17.­1
  • 17.­3
  • 17.­5
  • 17.­10
  • 17.­16
  • 17.­17
  • 17.­20
  • 17.­21
  • 17.­22
  • 17.­23
  • 17.­24
  • 17.­25
  • 17.­61
  • 17.­64
  • 17.­86
  • 17.­136
  • 17.­142
  • 17.­150
  • 17.­157
  • 17.­189
  • 17.­196
  • 17.­200
  • 18.­1
  • 18.­3
  • 18.­5
  • 18.­8
  • 18.­40
  • 18.­52
  • 19.­1
  • 19.­2
  • 19.­3
  • 19.­5
  • 19.­7
  • 20.­1
  • 20.­2
  • 20.­3
  • 20.­4
  • 20.­5
  • 20.­6
  • 20.­7
  • 20.­15
  • 21.­1
  • 21.­2
  • 22.­1
  • 22.­2
  • 23.­1
  • 23.­2
  • 24.­1
  • 24.­5
  • 24.­6
  • 24.­7
  • 24.­8
  • 24.­9
  • 24.­10
  • 24.­11
  • 24.­12
  • 24.­13
  • 24.­14
  • 24.­15
  • 24.­16
  • 24.­17
  • 24.­18
  • 24.­19
  • 24.­20
  • 24.­21
  • 24.­22
  • 24.­23
  • 24.­24
  • 24.­25
  • 24.­26
  • 24.­27
  • 24.­28
  • 24.­29
  • 24.­30
  • 24.­31
  • 24.­32
  • 24.­33
  • 24.­34
  • 24.­35
  • 24.­36
  • 24.­37
  • 24.­38
  • 24.­39