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རིན་པོ་ཆེ་ཏོག་གི་གཟུངས།

The Ratnaketu Dhāraṇī

Ratnaketudhāraṇī

འཕགས་པ་འདུས་པ་ཆེན་པོ་རིན་པོ་ཆེ་ཏོག་གི་གཟུངས་ཤེས་བྱ་བ་ཐེག་པ་ཆེན་པོའི་མདོ།

’phags pa ’dus pa chen po rin po che tog gi gzungs shes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo

The Noble Mahāyāna Sūtra “The Ratnaketu Dhāraṇī” from the Great Collection

Āryamahāsannipātaratnaketudhāraṇīnāmamahāyānasūtra

Toh 138

Degé Kangyur, vol. 56 (mdo sde, na), folios 187.b–277.b.

Translated by the Dharmachakra Translation Committee
under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha

First published 2020
Current version v 1.0.15 (2022)
Generated by 84000 Reading Room v2.11.4

84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha is a global non-profit initiative to translate all the Buddha’s words into modern languages, and to make them available to everyone.

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co.

Summary

s.1

The Ratnaketu Dhāraṇī is one of the core texts of the Mahāsannipāta collection of Mahāyāna sūtras that dates back to the formative period of Mahāyāna Buddhism, from the first to the third century ᴄᴇ. Its rich and varied narratives, probably redacted from at least two independent works, recount significant events from the lives, past and present, of the Buddha Śākyamuni and some of his main followers and opponents, both human and nonhuman. At the center of these narratives is the climactic episode from the Buddha’s life when Māra, the personification of spiritual death, sets out to destroy the Buddha and his Dharma. The mythic confrontation between these paragons of light and darkness, and the Buddha’s eventual victory, are related in vivid detail. The main narratives are interwoven with Dharma instructions and interspersed with miraculous events. The text also exemplifies two distinctive sūtra genres, “prophecies” (vyākaraṇa) and “incantations” (dhāraṇī), as it includes, respectively, prophecies of the future attainment of buddhahood by some of the Buddha’s followers and the potent phrases that embody the Buddha’s teachings and are meant to ensure their survival and the thriving of its practitioners.

ac.

Acknowledgements

ac.1

This translation was produced by the Dharmachakra Translation Committee under the supervision of Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche. Wiesiek Mical translated the extant parts from the Sanskrit and wrote the introduction. Timothy Hinkle compared the translation from the Sanskrit against the Tibetan translation and translated from the Tibetan the parts that are lost in the original Sanskrit.

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

ac.2

The generous sponsorship of Twenty and family, which helped make the work on this translation possible, is gratefully acknowledged. They would like to dedicate their sponsorship to Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche.

Introduction

i.1

The Ratnaketu Dhāraṇī presents the dramatic events in the life of the Buddha when Māra attempts to destroy the Buddha, break up the Saṅgha, and annihilate the Dharma, a struggle from which the Buddha eventually emerges victorious. This epic confrontation is told with tremendous verve and poignancy, and features characters, dialogue, and plot twists that rank among the best in Buddhist literature. The narrative starts with its own version of the well-known story of the conversion of two of the Buddha’s most prominent early disciples, Śāriputra and Maudgalyāyana, and is soon embellished with quaint stories from the past lives of some of the characters, ranging from well-known buddha figures down to (at one time) ordinary human and nonhuman beings. The parts of the narrative that unfold on earth are centered around the city of Rājagṛha, the capital of Magadha. They provide some interesting insight into the everyday life of India at the time, with its division into secular and religious members of society, and vividly capture the experiences that Buddhist monks might have had when going on their daily alms-rounds in the city streets. This is interspersed with lively dialogue that is at once didactic and aesthetically captivating. Especially moving is the conversation that Māra has with his children, when the daughters try to console their distraught father, who bitterly despairs over the impending loss of his realm and the humiliation of seeing his minions, even his own children, desert him, with all the pathos of a broken old man and all the obduracy of a petulant child.

The Translation

The Noble Mahāyāna Sūtra

The Ratnaketu Dhāraṇī
from the Great Collection

Homage

[F.187.b] [B1]10

h.1

Homage to the thus-gone Splendorous with the Gentle Glow of Light and Fragrance!

h.2

Homage to the one with the melodious voice of Mahābrahmā!

h.3

Having paid homage to him, one should employ the dhāraṇī called unharmed by the assemblies of Māra. May I accomplish the following mantra:11

h.4

Avāme avāme amvare amvare {TK4} parikuñja naṭa naṭa puṣkaravaha jalukha khama khaya ili mili kili mili kīrtipara mudre mudramukhe svāhā! {TK5}

Chapter 1

1.1

Thus did I hear at one time. The Blessed One was dwelling in Veṇuvana, at the Kalandakanivāpa, near the city of Rājagṛha, with a great saṅgha of a thousand monks, all of whom were noble ones. They had all exhausted defilements, were free from the afflictions, were powerful, had liberated minds, had liberated insight, were of noble birth, were great elephants,12 had done what needed to be done, had completed their mission, had cast off the burden, had achieved their own welfare, had severed the bonds that tied them to existence, had liberated their minds with genuine knowledge, and had perfected all mental powers. There was also a great saṅgha of ten thousand bodhisattvas, including [F.188.a] {TK6} the princely youth Holder of Meru’s Peak, the princely youth Varuṇamati, the princely youth Sumati, the princely youth Jayamati, the princely youth Jinamati, the princely youth Intelligent Light, the princely youth Intelligent Sky, the princely youth Intelligent Lightning, the princely youth Mañjuśrī, the princely youth Durdharṣa, the princely youth Varuṇa, the princely youth Vimala, the bodhisattva great being Maitreya, and others. Each of these ten thousand bodhisattvas had achieved acceptance, retention, and absorption. {TK7} Each possessed the wisdom that is unobscured by any phenomenon, had equal concern for all beings, had transcended all the domains of Māra, and had entered the domain of all the thus-gone ones. Each was knowledgeable, possessed great love and compassion, and was skilled in means.

Chapter 2

2.1

The daughters and sons of Māra, accompanied by their retinues, said to the Blessed One, “The extent to which the Thus-Gone One is endowed with means and wisdom is incredible! We seek, O Blessed One, the same sort of Dharma vehicle, wisdom, magical powers, compassion, means, and eloquence. What are the qualities, O Blessed One, that a person should have in order to not fall into the hands of evil companions, but instead swiftly realize unsurpassed and perfect awakening?”

Chapter 3

3.1

While the Ratnaketu dhāraṇī was being recited by the thus-gone Śākyamuni, the entire Sahā world became clearly visible, illuminated by a powerful light. The one hundred billion lords of sensual pleasure, each one a māra active in one of the one hundred billion worlds of four continents in this buddha field of Śākyamuni, became alarmed by this display of the Buddha’s power and directed their eyes toward this world of four continents. “Where is this light emanating from?” they wondered. “Surely this must be through the power of Māra, the evil one, who lives in that particular world of four continents. He is stronger, mightier, and more powerful than us.”

Chapter 4

4.1

When the four great hearers were, as described before, in the great city of Rājagṛha collecting alms, they were rudely accosted by the māra youths who urged them, “Dance, monk! Sing, monk!” When, subsequently, the great hearers, running along the street, sang their verses with lyrics that describe the path to nirvāṇa, this great earth trembled. At that moment many hundreds of thousands of gods, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kinnaras, and mahoragas, inspired with faith in the Blessed One’s instructions,215 said this, their faces awash with tears:

Chapter 5

5.1

The millions of māras then thought, “We should adorn the gates of the city through which the Blessed One is to enter, as well as the earth surrounding them, with sublime and magnificent ornaments in the same manner as the gods, nāgas, and yakṣas have adorned the surroundings of the city.”

5.2

With his mind, however, the Blessed One knew the thoughts of the millions of māras,[F.227.a] and he manifested a miracle such that through the twelve gates of the city, twelve blessed buddhas entered the city of Rājagṛha. The millions of māras then, while hovering in the sky, adorned the city gates, the area around them, the city walls, its trees, and the surface of the earth with magical ornaments of the māra realm, as well as countless other magnificent miraculous manifestations set in the finest and most beautiful arrangements. Some of the millions of māras transformed into guises ranging from that of Brahmā to those of great sages. {TK131} From their perch in the sky, they placed various flowers, incense, scented powders, garlands, gold, silver, jewels, and pearls on the windows, ledges, and turrets of the mansions in the city, as well as in the trees. They also cast down a rain of cloth, cotton, linen, and ornaments, played many instruments, and venerated the Blessed One with songs of praise, extolling his qualities. The Blessed One then entered Rājagṛha’s city gates, adorned as they were with a supremely extensive and elevating display made in such a novel, incredible, and miraculous fashion.

Chapter 6

6.1

At that time the thus-gone Akṣobhya set out from the world in the east called Abhirati in the company of an infinite number of bodhisattva great beings. Through the power and mastery of miracles particular to a buddha, he arrived instantaneously in the buddha field that includes the central world with its four continents, where the thus-gone, worthy, perfect buddha Śākyamuni was staying. Having arrived, he sat upon a lotus seat that appeared just as needed. The bodhisattva great beings [F.237.a] from his retinue also sat upon lotus seats that appeared through their own magical power.

Chapter 7

7.1

At that time, a bodhisattva great being called Discriminating Intellect was seated before the blessed, thus-gone [F.250.a] Glorious and Brilliantly Shining Jewel, not far from the blessed, thus-gone Śākyamuni. For a short time he was in the guise of Brahmā, before instantaneously appearing in the form of Māra. He likewise briefly appeared in the forms of Śakra, as well as a lord of the gods in the heavens of Making Use of Others’ Emanations, Delighting in Emanations, Tuṣita, Free from Strife, and the Four Great Kings, as well as in the form of Maheśvara, and also as a yakṣa, an asura, a garuḍa, a kinnara, a mahoraga, a rākṣasa, a preta, a piśāca, a kumbhāṇḍa, a kṣatriya, a brahmin, a vaiśya, a śūdra, a lion, an elephant, a buffalo, and myriad other species of the animal realm. Instantaneously he appeared in the form of a bird, a tree, a mountain, fruit, clothing, bedding, heavy cloth, a vase, ornaments, jewelry, medicinal herbs, and a jewel. Instantaneously he also appeared in the form of a monk, a nun, and a buddha. Instantaneously he appeared in eighty-four different colors, characteristics, shapes, and forms.

Chapter 8

8.1

At that time, the thus-gone Akṣobhya addressed the entire assembly: “Noble children, all of you śakras, brahmās, world protectors, and lords of the gods, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kinnaras, mahoragas, and so forth, as well as human and nonhuman beings, who have arrived here out of faith in the buddhas’ teaching‍—I will uplift you! It is rare to find such a congregation of the blessed buddhas, bodhisattva great beings, śakras, [F.252.a] brahmās, world protectors, and lords of the gods, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, and so forth, as well as human and nonhuman beings! Therefore, now that you have seen this, may those of you who are happy to sustain this sacred Dharma‍—this Dharma method‍—and propagate the lineage of the Three Jewels in the future in this buddha field each make an aspiration before the Blessed One.” {TK204}

Chapter 9

9.1

The blessed, thus-gone Śākyamuni then said, “O all you [F.258.a] blessed buddhas who have come here to this buddha field motivated by compassion to engage in discussion, please give these beings your attention. These noble children will satisfy others with clothing, food, drink, medicine, and supplies. They will use the female form to mature others for unsurpassed and perfect awakening. From the moment they developed the mind of awakening in order to mature others, they have been dedicated to emanating and providing clothing, food, drink, medicine, and supplies to fulfill their hopes‍—no matter what, why, or how these things are desired. These sublime beings will enact this great power and be able to serve beings with what is enjoyable and useful.”

10.

Chapter 10

10.1

The thus-gone Māndāravagandharoca then addressed the thus-gone Śākyamuni, saying, “In the past, previous thus-gone ones came from their disparate buddha fields and congregated in buddha fields that were afflicted and rife with the five degenerations. They excellently blessed this sacred Dharma method. They defeated billions of māras and gazed upon all beings with the eyes of great love and compassion. They freed them from evil views, lit the lamp of insight, and laid out the peaceful path. They delivered this Dharma discourse, this exposition of the dhāraṇī-seal, including its verbal formula, which is called the terminator of birth based on the essential nature of phenomena in their vajra-like indivisibility. Thus they defeated the black faction and planted the banner of the Dharma. In the same way, right now, so many of us blessed buddhas who live and spend our time in the ten directions have assembled in this buddha field filled with the afflictions and the five degenerations out of our concern for others. We have performed acts such as excellently blessing this Dharma method and so forth, as well as planting the banner of the Dharma. However, Śākyamuni, [F.260.a] after your sun has set, who will reign supreme in this buddha field? Who will uphold this sacred Dharma? {TK230} Who will nurture these Dharma methods? Who will bring beings to maturity? Who will be included in this great assembly? Into whose hands shall I entrust this Dharma discourse?”

11.

Chapter 11

11.1

Now the blessed, thus-gone Śākyamuni addressed Śakra, Brahmā, Virūḍhaka, Virūpākṣa, Dhṛtarāṣṭra, and Kubera:

“O sublime beings, I have fully realized unsurpassed and perfect awakening in this buddha field, which is afflicted by the five degenerations and lacking in Dharma, through my compassionate dedication to sentient beings. In order to quell the pain of beings441 thrown into the darkness of ignorance and overwhelmed by the thieves and rogues of the afflictions,442 I have conquered the faction of Māra, raised the banner of the sacred Dharma, delivered countless beings from suffering, rained showers of the sacred Dharma, and defeated ten million māras.

12.

Chapter 12

12.1

The great general of the yakṣas, [F.271.b] Āṭavaka, in the form of the yakṣa Bhīṣaṇaka, and Saṃjñika in the form of a deer, Jñānolka in the form of a monkey, Tṛṣṇājaha in the form of a jackal,455 and Chinnasrotas in the form of an elephant‍—these five great beings‍—were sitting not too far from the thus-gone Śākyamuni and in front of the thus-gone Kauṇḍiṇyārcis. From each of their bodies a pure light radiated, suffused with fragrance. Each of these five great beings was holding in his hands a great precious gem called Starlight for the sake of worshipping the Blessed One.456

13.

Chapter 13

13.1

At this time, all the blessed buddhas displayed the signs of rising and returning472 to their respective buddha fields. At the same moment, the beings of this entire assembly, who were on earth as well as in the sky, shuddered, and so did the entire earth. A rain of flowers poured from the sky, millions of instruments resounded in midair, and all kinds of fragrances of perfume and incense were released. As the entire buddha field filled with light, those in the assembly pressed their hands together. Then Brahmā, lord of the Sahā world, asked the thus-gone Mahācandanagandha, “How many roots of virtue, O Blessed One, will those beings accumulate who in the future uphold and preserve this Dharma discourse‍—who read it, master it, and teach it authentically and extensively to others? How many roots of virtue will those beings accumulate who set it down in writing and uphold it in writing?473 What qualities will they be rewarded with by the blessed buddhas?”

Colophon

c.1

Because of the special merit that I have accumulated when refining, with all my devotion, care, and a joyous mind,

The text of this Ratnaketu Dhāraṇī‍—the dhāraṇī that removes great fear‍—

May this entire world obtain in this very moment this Ratnaketu Dhāraṇī

Adorned with words of the Sage’s doctrine, clear in meaning, and resplendent with great qualities!

Tibetan Translators’ Colophon

c.2

This sūtra was translated by the Indian preceptor Śilendrabodhi and the translator-editor Yeshé Dé. It was later standardized in line with the new terminological register.

ab.

Abbreviations

D	Tibetan Degé edition
G	Gilgit manuscript
K	Kurumiya 1978 (page numbers entered in braces, e.g. {K26} denotes page 26)
TK	Kurumiya 1979 (page numbers entered in braces, e.g. {TK26} denotes page 26)

Notes

n.1

Braarvig 1993.

n.2

Kurumiya 1978.

n.3

Denkarma, folio 297.a.4. See also Herrmann-Pfandt (2008), p. 52, no. 91.

n.4

Phangthangma, p. 7 (with abbreviated title ’phags pa rin po che’i tog).

n.5

Interestingly, the catalog of the Narthang Kangyur records the tradition that The Ratnaketu Dhāraṇī was first translated into Tibetan by Tönmi Sambhoṭa (thon mi sam+b+ho Ta), the legendary seventh century minister and scholar credited with the development of the Tibetan alphabet during the reign of King Songtsen Gampo (ca. 617–650). See Narthang Catalog, folio 14.a.1, and Skilling 1997, p. 89.

n.6

Lamotte 2001, pp. 1541–42.

n.7

This information is based on a private communiqué from Peter Skilling, who does not recall seeing the feminine form vyākaraṇī in any other sūtra.

n.8

Toh 1-1, 1.233 et seq.; see translation in Miller et al. (2018). The Chapter on Going Forth contains a much longer and more detailed account of the story of Upatiṣya and Kaulita (Śāriputra and Maudgalyāyana), but the culmination of their story in their encounter with Aśvajit and meeting with the Buddha is related in the present text with a little more detail, including some verses of which the Vinayavastu account has much briefer equivalents. The main additional element in the story in the present version‍—the advent of Māra following that meeting with Aśvajit‍—is of course the narrative theme that ties together all the component parts of The Ratnaketu Dhāraṇī.

n.10

The following section, up to “I must make them embrace the view of the evil one” at 1.19, has been translated entirely from the Tib., filling a lengthy lacuna in the Skt. text.

n.11

Because of their magical character, uncertain readings, and the extent of corruption, the Sanskrit dhāraṇī formulae in this text would be impossible to translate in full. Although some individual words and phrases are intelligible, it would be risky to attempt a coherent translation‍—the alliterations (which possibly are part of the magic), for example, would be impossible to replicate in English. These dhāraṇīs have therefore been quoted throughout the translation in the original Sanskrit, with some editorial emendments that affect mainly word divisions and orthography. These emendments by no means make the Sanskrit text correct or even consistent, and have not been reported in the critical apparatus.

n.12

The Buddha and his hearer disciples are often compared to elephants or “great elephants” (mahānāga).

n.215

“Instructions” is not in the Tib.

n.441

“In order to quell the pain of beings” has been supplied from the Tib. (Skt. lacuna).

n.442

“Overwhelmed by the thieves and rogues of the afflictions” has been supplied from the Tib. (Skt. lacuna).

n.455

In place of “jackal,” the Tib. reads “goat.”

n.456

In place of “Starlight,” the Tib. reads “Firelight.”

n.472

The reading “returning” was obtained by emending the Skt. gagana to gamana (supported by the Tib. and the Chinese).

n.473

The passage from “who read it . . .” up to this point has been supplied from the Tib.; it is absent in the Skt. text.

Bibliography

Primary literature (manuscripts and editions)

Sanskrit

Dutt, Nalinaksha, ed. Gilgit Manuscripts. Vols. 1–4. Delhi: Sri Satguru Publications, 1984.

Kurumiya, Yenshu, ed. Ratnaketuparivarta: Sanskrit Text. Kyoto: Heirakuji-shoten, 1978.

Ratnaketu Dhāraṇī‍—the Gilgit manuscript. National Archives of India, New Delhi.

Tibetan

’phags pa ’dus pa rin po che tog gi gzungs shes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo. Toh 138, Degé Kangyur vol. 56 (mdo sde, na), folios 187.b–277.b.

’phags pa ’dus pa rin po che tog gi gzungs shes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo. bka’ ’gyur (dpe bsdur ma) [Comparative Edition of the Kangyur], krung go’i bod rig pa zhib ’jug ste gnas kyi bka’ bstan dpe sdur khang (The Tibetan Tripitaka Collation Bureau of the China Tibetology Research Center). 108 volumes. Beijing: krung go’i bod rig pa dpe skrun khang (China Tibetology Publishing House), 2006–9, vol. 56, pp. 509–734.

Kurumiya, Yenshu, ed. ’Dus Pa Chen Po Rin Po Che Tog Gi Gzungs, ’Dus Pa Chen Po Dkon Mchog Dbal Zes Bya Ba’i Gzungs: being the Tibetan translation of the Ratnaketu Parivarta. Kyoto: Heirakuji-shoten, 1979.

Denkarma (pho brang stod thang ldan[/lhan] dkar gyi chos ’gyur ro cog gi dkar chag). Degé Tengyur vol. 206 (sna tshogs, jo), folios 294.b–310.a.

Narthang Catalog (bka’ ’gyur dkar chag ngo mtshar bkod pa rgya mtsho’i lde mig). Narthang Kangyur vol. 102 (dkar chag), folios 1.a–124.a.

Phangthangma (dkar chag ’phang thang ma). Beijing: mi rigs dpe skrun khang, 2003.

Translations and secondary literature:

Braarvig, Jens (1993). Akṣayamatinirdeśasūtra. Vol. 2, The Tradition of Imperishability in Buddhist Thought. Oslo: Solum Verlag, 1993.

‍—‍—‍—(1985). “Dhāraṇī and Pratibhāna: Memory and Eloquence of the Bodhisattvas.” The Journal of the International Association of Buddhist Studies 8, no. 1: 17–29. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan, 1985.

Herrmann-Pfandt, Adelheid. Die lHan kar ma: ein früher Katalog der ins Tibetische übersetzten buddhistischen Texte. Vienna: Verlag der österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, 2008.

Lamotte, Étienne. The Treatise of the Great Virtue of Wisdom of Nāgārjuna (Mahāprajñāpāramitāśāstra). Translated from the French by Karma Migme Chodron, 2001.

Mak, Bill M. “Ratnaketu-parivarta, Sūryagarbha-parivarta, and Candragarbha-parivarta of Mahāsannipātasūtra (MSN): Indian Jyotiṣa through the lens of Chinese Buddhist Canon.” Paper presented at the World Sanskrit Conference, New Delhi, January 8, 2012.

Miller, Adam Tyler. “The Buddha Said That Buddha Said So: A Translation and Analysis of ‘Pūrvayogaparivarta’ from the Ratnaketu Dhāraṇī Sūtra.” MA thesis. University of Missouri-Columbia, 2013.

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

Negi, J. S. Bod skad daṅ Legs-sbyar gyi tshig mdzod chen mo. Tibetan-Sanskrit Dictionary. Sarnath: Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies, 1993.

Skilling, Peter. “From bKa’ bstan bcos to bKa’ ’gyur and bsTan ’gyur.” In Transmission of the Tibetan Canon: Papers Presented at a Panel of the 7th Seminar of the International Association for Tibetan Studies, Graz 1995, edited by Helmut Eimer, 87–111. Vienna: Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften, 1997.

Ui, Hakuju. A catalogue-index of the Tibetan Buddhist canons (Bkaḥ-ḥgyur and Bstan-ḥgyur). Sendai: Tōhoku Imperial University, 1934.

Glossary

g.1

Abhirati

mngon par dga’ ba

མངོན་པར་དགའ་བ།

Abhirati

The celestial realm of the tathāgata Akṣobhya in the east.

g.2

Absorption

ting nge ’dzin

ཏིང་ངེ་འཛིན།

samādhi

Stabilized meditative concentration.

g.3

Acceptance

bzod pa

བཟོད་པ།

kṣānti

Intellectual and spiritual readiness to accept certain tenets, such as the nonarising of phenomena or the law of karma. Also translated here as “patience.”

g.6

Afflictions

nyon mongs

ཉོན་མོངས།

kleśa

Mental and emotional traits that bind one to saṃsāra; the fundamental three are ignorance, desire, and anger. When the term refers to the fundamental three, it tends to be translated as “the afflictions.”

g.12

Akṣobhya

mi ’khrugs pa

མི་འཁྲུགས་པ།

Akṣobhya

In the Ratnaketudhāraṇī, he is one of the six “directional” tathāgatas.

g.20

Asura

lha ma yin

ལྷ་མ་ཡིན།

asura

A class of titans or demigods.

g.23

Āṭavaka

’brog gnas

འབྲོག་གནས།

Āṭavaka

One of the five yakṣa generals.

g.24

Awakening

byang chub

བྱང་ཆུབ།

bodhi

I.e., awakening to the reality of phenomena (inner and outer) as they actually are.

g.29

Bhīṣaṇaka

’jigs ’jigs

འཇིགས་འཇིགས།

Bhīṣaṇaka

One of the five yakṣa generals.

g.31

Black faction

nag po’i phyogs

ནག་པོའི་ཕྱོགས།

kṛṣṇapakṣa

The army, divisions, or factions of Māra, the deity who personifies spiritual death; from Māra’s point of view, this is the “white faction.” Also refers to the dark fortnight of the lunar month.

g.32

Blessed one

bcom ldan ’das

བཅོམ་ལྡན་འདས།

bhagavat

A title used for the Buddha and other tathāgatas.

g.36

Bodhisattva

byang chub sems dpa’

བྱང་ཆུབ་སེམས་དཔའ།

bodhisattva

A practitioner who, motivated by altruistic feelings, vows not to enter nirvāṇa until each and every being has been liberated first.

g.37

Brahmā

tshangs pa

ཚངས་པ།

brahmā

A god from any of the realms of Brahmā.

g.38

Brahmā

tshangs pa

ཚངས་པ།

Brahmā

One of the trinity of Hindu gods, a protagonist and ally of the Buddha; when spelled with the lower case, it denotes any god from the multiple worlds of Brahmā.

g.40

Buddha

sangs rgyas

སངས་རྒྱས།

buddha

A fully awakened being; when spelled with a capital letter it refers to the Buddha Śākyamuni, one of the Three Jewels.

g.46

Chinnasrotas

rgyun bcad pa

རྒྱུན་བཅད་པ།

Chinnasrotas

One of the five yakṣa generals.

g.53

Delighting in Emanations

’phrul dga’

འཕྲུལ་དགའ།

Nirmāṇarati

One of the gods’ realms.

g.60

Dhāraṇī

gzungs

གཟུངས།

dhāraṇī

Magical spell, usually a longer one with a specific purpose. Being also the name of a literary genre, this term may refer also to the entire text of the Ratnaketudhāraṇī or a section of text dealing with a particular dhāraṇī.

g.61

Dhāraṇī-seal

gzungs kyi phyag rgya

གཟུངས་ཀྱི་ཕྱག་རྒྱ།

dhāraṇīmudrā

This is another term used for dhāraṇī that is meant to convey, among other meanings, the idea that a dhāraṇī seals or stamps upon the reciter or the targeted phenomenon the nature that it embodies.

g.62

Dharma

chos

ཆོས།

dharma

Quality or phenomenon in a general sense; when spelled with a capital letter it refers to the Buddha’s teaching, one of the Three Jewels.

g.63

Dharma discourse

chos kyi rnam grangs

ཆོས་ཀྱི་རྣམ་གྲངས།

dharmaparyāya

This may refer to the entire text of the Ratnaketudhāraṇī or to a section dealing with a particular dhāraṇī.

g.64

Dharma method

chos kyi tshul

ཆོས་ཀྱི་ཚུལ།

dharmanetrī

The Skt. term, which means “way,” “method,” or “system,” could be interpreted as that which is “conducive” to the Dharma, which “leads” to the Dharma or which “guides” in accordance with the principles of the Dharma. In the Ratnaketudhāraṇī, it variously refers to individual dhāraṇīs, the sections that deal with these dhāraṇīs, or the entire text of the Ratnaketudhāraṇī.

g.65

Dhṛtarāṣṭra

yul ’khor srung

ཡུལ་འཁོར་སྲུང་།

Dhṛtarāṣṭra

One of the Four Great Kings.

g.68

Discriminating Intellect

shin tu rnam par phye ba’i blo gros

ཤིན་ཏུ་རྣམ་པར་ཕྱེ་བའི་བློ་གྲོས།

(Skt. lacuna)

One of the bodhisattvas who received from the Buddha a prophecy of his future awakening.

g.73

Durdharṣa

thub dka’

ཐུབ་དཀའ།

Durdharṣa

One of the bodhisattvas in the Buddha’s retinue; also one of the māras.

g.81

Exposition

lung bstan

ལུང་བསྟན།

vyākaraṇa

A clear analysis or detailed presentation. Also translated here as “prophecy.”

g.87

Five degenerations

snyigs ma lnga

སྙིགས་མ་ལྔ།

pañcakaṣāya

Five signs that the later era of an eon has arrived: degenerate views, afflictions, beings, lifespan, and time.

g.89

Form

gzugs

གཟུགས།

rāpa

First of the five aggregates.

g.95

Four Great Kings

rgyal po chen po bzhi

རྒྱལ་པོ་ཆེན་པོ་བཞི།

caturmahārāja

The powerful nonhuman guardian kings of the four quarters‍—Virūḍhaka, Virūpākṣa, Dhṛtarāṣṭra, and Vaiśravaṇa‍—who rule, respectively, over kumbhāṇḍas in the south, nāgas in the west, gandharvas in the east, and yakṣas in the north.

g.101

Free from Strife

’thab bral

འཐབ་བྲལ།

Yāma

One of the gods’ realms.

g.102

Gandharva

dri za

དྲི་ཟ།

gandharva

A class of celestial beings.

g.104

Garuḍa

nam mkha’ lding

ནམ་མཁའ་ལྡིང་།

garuḍa

A class of celestial birds with bodies half human and half bird.

g.110

Glorious and Brilliantly Shining Jewel

nor bu ’od ’bar ba dpal

ནོར་བུ་འོད་འབར་བ་དཔལ།

(Skt. lacuna)

One of the tathāgatas.

g.111

God

ལྷ།

deva

A celestial being from the highest realm (in the sixfold division) of saṃsāra.

g.116

Hearer

nyan thos

ཉན་ཐོས།

śrāvaka

A disciple of the Buddha; in the Mahāyāna sūtras this term refers to the followers of the Hīnayāna, or the Lesser Vehicle.

g.120

Holder of Meru’s Peak

lhun po’i rtse ’dzin

ལྷུན་པོའི་རྩེ་འཛིན།

(Skt. lacuna)

A bodhisattva in the Buddha’s retinue.

g.123

Insight

shes rab

ཤེས་རབ།

prajñā

Direct gnosis without conceptuality or mental elaboration.

g.124

Intelligent Light

’od kyi blo gros

འོད་ཀྱི་བློ་གྲོས།

(Skt. lacuna)

A bodhisattva in the Buddha’s retinue.

g.125

Intelligent Lightning

glog gi blo gros

གློག་གི་བློ་གྲོས།

(Skt. lacuna)

A bodhisattva in the Buddha’s retinue.

g.126

Intelligent Sky

nam mkha’i blo gros

ནམ་མཁའི་བློ་གྲོས།

(Skt. lacuna)

A bodhisattva in the Buddha’s retinue.

g.129

Jayamati

rgyal ba’i blo gros

རྒྱལ་བའི་བློ་གྲོས།

Jayamati

A bodhisattva in the Buddha’s retinue; also one of Māra’s sons.

g.130

Jinamati

Jinamati

A bodhisattva in the Buddha’s retinue.

g.133

Jñānolka

shes pa’i sgron ma

ཤེས་པའི་སྒྲོན་མ།

Jñānolka

One of the five yakṣa generals.

g.139

Kalandakanivāpa

bya ka lan ta ka

བྱ་ཀ་ལན་ཏ་ཀ

Kalandakanivāpa

Literally, “The Squirrel Feeding Ground,” a location within the Veṇuvana where the Buddha stayed, receiving its name from the many squirrels living there, being fed by humans. It should be noted that Tibetan translations misunderstand the Sanskrit term kalandaka to be a kind of bird (Tib. bya).

g.146

Kauṇḍiṇyārcis

kauN+Di n+ya ’od ’phro ba

ཀཽཎྜི་ནྱ་འོད་འཕྲོ་བ།

Kauṇḍiṇyārcis

One of the tathāgatas.

g.151

Kinnara

mi ’am ci

མི་འམ་ཅི།

kinnara

A class of celestial beings.

g.154

Kṣatriya

rgyal rigs

རྒྱལ་རིགས།

kṣatriya

The warrior caste (one of the main four Indian castes).

g.156

Kubera

lus ngan po

ལུས་ངན་པོ།

Kubera
Kuvera

A god of wealth, sometimes (as in the Ratnaketudhāraṇī) identified with Vaiśravaṇa, one of the Four Great Kings.

g.159

Kumbhāṇḍa

grul bum

གྲུལ་བུམ།

kumbhāṇḍa

A class of nonhuman beings.

g.166

Magadha

ma ga d+hA

མ་ག་དྷཱ།

Māgadha
Magadha

The country corresponding roughly to modern Bihar.

g.169

Mahācandanagandha

tsan dan gyi dri chen po

ཙན་དན་གྱི་དྲི་ཆེན་པོ།

Mahācandanagandha

One of the tathāgatas.

g.170

Maheśvara

dbang phyug chen po

དབང་ཕྱུག་ཆེན་པོ།

Maheśvara

One of the forms of the god Śiva.

g.171

Mahoraga

lto ’phye chen po

ལྟོ་འཕྱེ་ཆེན་པོ།

mahoraga

A class of nonhuman beings with bodies resembling snakes.

g.173

Maitreya

byams pa

བྱམས་པ།

Maitreya

A bodhisattva in the retinue of the Buddha; also the name of the future buddha.

g.174

Making Use of Others’ Emanations

gzhan ’phrul dbang byed

གཞན་འཕྲུལ་དབང་བྱེད།

Paranirmitavaśavartin

One of the gods’ realms.

g.176

Māndāravagandharoca

me tog man dA ra ba’i dri mo

མེ་ཏོག་མན་དཱ་ར་བའི་དྲི་མོ།

Māndāravagandharoca

One of the tathāgatas.

g.177

Mañjuśrī

’jam dpal

འཇམ་དཔལ།

Mañjuśrī

The bodhisattva of wisdom; one of the bodhisattvas in the retinue of the Buddha.

g.178

Māra

bdud

བདུད།

māra

A generic name for the followers of Māra.

g.179

Māra

bdud

བདུད།

Māra

The main adversary of the Buddha and the embodiment of evil; in the latter sense it may also be used in the plural.

g.180

Maudgalyāyana

maud gal gyi bu

མཽད་གལ་གྱི་བུ།

Maudgalyāyana

One of the main disciples of the Buddha.

g.181

Mind of awakening

byang chub kyi sems

བྱང་ཆུབ་ཀྱི་སེམས།

bodhicitta

The aspiration to attain awakening for the sake of all beings.

g.186

Nāga

ཀླུ།

nāga

A class of nonhuman beings with bodies that are half snake and half human.

g.189

Nirvāṇa

mya ngan las ’das pa

མྱ་ངན་ལས་འདས་པ།

nirvāṇa

The state attained when the afflictions have been extinguished.

g.190

Noble one

’phags pa

འཕགས་པ།

ārya

This term in particular applies to stream enterers, once-returners, non-returners, and worthy ones.

g.197

Piśāca

sha za

ཤ་ཟ།

piśāca

A class of flesh-eating spirits.

g.201

Preta

yi dags

ཡི་དགས།

preta

A class of spirits of the lower order, sometimes called “hungry ghosts.”