The Ratnaketu Dhāraṇī
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 1.0.13 (2021)
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Table of Contents
Summary
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.
Acknowledgements
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.
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
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.
from the Great Collection
Homage
Homage to the thus-gone Splendorous with the Gentle Glow of Light and Fragrance!
Homage to the one with the melodious voice of Mahābrahmā!
Having paid homage to him, one should employ the dhāraṇī called unharmed by the assemblies of Māra. May I accomplish the following mantra:11
Avāme avāme amvare amvare {TK4} parikuñja naṭa naṭa puṣkaravaha jalukha khama khaya ili mili kili mili kīrtipara mudre mudramukhe svāhā! {TK5}
Chapter 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
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
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
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
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.”
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
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
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
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
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.”
Chapter 10
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?”
Chapter 11
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.
Chapter 12
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
Chapter 13
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
Tibetan Translators’ Colophon
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.
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
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
Absorption
- ting nge ’dzin
- ཏིང་ངེ་འཛིན།
- samādhi
Stabilized meditative concentration.
Acintyamati
- blo gros bsam gyis mi khyab pa
- བློ་གྲོས་བསམ་གྱིས་མི་ཁྱབ་པ།
- Acintyamati
A bodhisattva in the retinue of the Buddha.
Acts of attracting beings
- bsdu ba’i dngos po bzhi
- བསྡུ་བའི་དངོས་པོ་བཞི།
- saṃgrahavastu
The means of winning over beings; traditionally there are four of them—generosity, kind talk, meaningful action, and impartiality.
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.”
Airāvaṇa
- sa srung
- ས་སྲུང་།
- Airāvaṇa
The elephant of Indra.
Akṣobhya
- mi ’khrugs pa
- མི་འཁྲུགས་པ།
- Akṣobhya
In the Ratnaketudhāraṇī, he is one of the six “directional” tathāgatas.
Amitāyus
- tshe dpag med
- ཚེ་དཔག་མེད།
- Amitāyus
In the Ratnaketudhāraṇī, he is one of the six “directional” tathāgatas.
Anurādhā
- lha mtshams
- ལྷ་མཚམས།
- Anurādhā
The name of a lunar asterism. Its chief star is known as Delta Scorpii in the occidental tradition.
Applications of mindfulness
- dran pa nye bar bzhag pa
- དྲན་པ་ཉེ་བར་བཞག་པ།
- smṛtyupasthāna
Ārdrā
- lag
- ལག
- Ārdrā
The name of a lunar asterism. Its chief star is known as Alpha Orionis in the occidental tradition.
Arivijaya
- dgra las rnam par rgyal
- དགྲ་ལས་རྣམ་པར་རྒྱལ།
- Arivijaya
A bodhisattva in the retinue of the Buddha.
Āśleṣā
- skag
- སྐག
- Āśleṣā
The name of a lunar asterism. Its chief star is known as Alpha Hydrae in the occidental tradition.
Asura
- lha ma yin
- ལྷ་མ་ཡིན།
- asura
A class of titans or demigods.
Aśvajit
- rta thul
- རྟ་ཐུལ།
- Aśvajit
One of the five ascetics, the companions of the Buddha during his early practice of austerities.
Aśvinī
- tha skar
- ཐ་སྐར།
- Aśvinī
The name of a lunar asterism. Its chief star is known as Beta Arietis in the occidental tradition.
Awakening
- byang chub
- བྱང་ཆུབ།
- bodhi
I.e., awakening to the reality of phenomena (inner and outer) as they actually are.
Bālāha
- sprin gyi shugs can
- སྤྲིན་གྱི་ཤུགས་ཅན།
- Bālāha
A mythical horse.
Bases of supernatural power
- rdzu ’phrul gyi rkang pa
- རྫུ་འཕྲུལ་གྱི་རྐང་པ།
- ṛddhipāda
Bharaṇī
- bra nye
- བྲ་ཉེ།
- Bharaṇī
The name of a lunar asterism. Its chief star is known as 35 Arietis in the occidental tradition.
Bhūteśvara
- phun sum tshogs pa’i dbang phyug
- ཕུན་སུམ་ཚོགས་པའི་དབང་ཕྱུག
- Bhūteśvara
One of the great brahmās.
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.
Blue Light
- sngon por snang ba
- སྔོན་པོར་སྣང་བ།
- (Skt. lacuna)
A buddha field in the future where the bodhisattva Saffron Color attains buddhahood as Precious Light.
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.
Branches of knowledge
- rig pa’i gnas
- རིག་པའི་གནས།
- vidyāsthāna
Traditionally, there are eighteen branches of knowledge; they include the great philosophical systems of India (Sāṅkhya, Yoga, etc.) as well as ordinary sciences and arts, such as arithmetic, medicine, astrology, music, archery, etc.
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.
Caitya
- mchod rten
- མཆོད་རྟེན།
- caitya
A structure containing holy relics.
Cakravāḍa
- ’khor yug
- འཁོར་ཡུག
- Cakravāḍa
The name of a mountain range.
Cessation of perception and sensation
- ’du shes dang tshor ba ’gog pa
- འདུ་ཤེས་དང་ཚོར་བ་འགོག་པ།
- saṃjñāvedayitanirodha
- saṃjñāveditanirodha
An advanced state of meditation corresponding to the ninth anupūrvavihārasamāpatti (the attainment of (nine) successive stages); the state of the eighth vimokṣa (liberation).
Citrā
- nag pa
- ནག་པ།
- Citrā
The name of a lunar asterism. Its chief star is known as Spica (alpha Virginis) in the occidental tradition.
Consecration
- dbang bskur ba
- དབང་བསྐུར་བ།
- abhiṣeka
In the Buddhist context, the ritual of consecration usually involves an initiation or empowerment.
Correct applications of mindfulness
- yang dag pa’i dran pa nye bar bzhag pa
- ཡང་དག་པའི་དྲན་པ་ཉེ་བར་བཞག་པ།
- samyaksmṛtyupasthāna
This refers to the four types of mindfulness: the mindfulness of the body, sensations, thought, and phenomena.
Dark age
- zad pa’i dus
- ཟད་པའི་དུས།
- kaliyuga
The most degenerate in the cosmic cycle of five ages.
Demonstrator of Consequences
- thal ba ston
- ཐལ་བ་སྟོན།
- (Skt. lacuna)
A bodhisattva who seeks a prophecy from Śākyamuni.
Dependent origination
- rten cing ’brel bar ’byung ba
- rten ’brel
- རྟེན་ཅིང་འབྲེལ་བར་འབྱུང་བ།
- རྟེན་འབྲེལ།
- pratītyasamutpāda
The arising of beings explained as a chain of causation involving twelve interdependent links or stages.
Desire realm
- ’dod khams
- འདོད་ཁམས།
- rūpadhātu
One of the three realms of saṃsāra (the other two being the form and formless realms).
Dhaniṣṭhā
- mon gru
- མོན་གྲུ།
- Dhaniṣṭhā
The name of a lunar asterism. Its chief star is known as Beta Delphini in the occidental tradition.
Dhāraṇamati
- gzungs kyi blo gros
- གཟུངས་ཀྱི་བློ་གྲོས།
- Dhāraṇamati
A bodhisattva in the retinue of the Buddha.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Doorway
- sgo ldan
- སྒོ་ལྡན།
- (Skt. lacuna)
A buddha field in the future where the bodhisattva Supreme Wisdom attains buddhahood as the tathāgata Supreme Sun of Bliss.
Dṛḍhā
- gzi brjid che ba
- གཟི་བརྗིད་ཆེ་བ།
- Dṛḍhā
An earth deity.
Dundubhisvara
- rnga sgra
- རྔ་སྒྲ།
- Dundubhisvara
In the Ratnaketudhāraṇī, he is one of the six “directional” tathāgatas.
Durdharṣa
- thub dka’
- ཐུབ་དཀའ།
- Durdharṣa
One of the bodhisattvas in the Buddha’s retinue; also one of the māras.
Dyutindharā
- ’od ’chang
- འོད་འཆང་།
- Dyutindharā
A tree deity.
Earth
- sa
- ས།
- Vasundharā
Earth (Tib. sa, Skt. bhūmi) is the Indian goddess representing Mother Earth. She goes by various other names including Vasundharā (“holder of the riches”).
Eighteen unique qualities of a buddha
- sangs rgyas kyi chos ma ’dres pa bco brgyad
- སངས་རྒྱས་ཀྱི་ཆོས་མ་འདྲེས་པ་བཅོ་བརྒྱད།
- aṣṭādaśāveṇikabuddhadharma
Eighteen special features of a buddha’s behavior, realization, activity, and wisdom that are not shared by other beings.
Eightfold path
- yan lag brgyad lam
- ཡན་ལག་བརྒྱད་ལམ།
- aṣṭāṅgamārga
Right view, right thought, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right absorption.
Element
- khams
- ཁམས།
- dhātu
Sphere; primary element (such as earth, water, etc.; see “six elements”); sensory “elements” that comprise six types of sense objects, six types of sense faculties, and six sense consciousnesses.
Exposition
- lung bstan
- ལུང་བསྟན།
- vyākaraṇa
A clear analysis or detailed presentation. Also translated here as “prophecy.”
Extensive Scent of Flowers
- me tog rgyas pa’i dris
- མེ་ཏོག་རྒྱས་པའི་དྲིས།
- (Skt. lacuna)
A buddha field in the future where the bodhisattva Jyotīrasa attains buddhahood as the tathāgata Immaculate Fragrant Star of Bright Splendor.
Factors of awakening
- byang chub kyi phyogs kyi chos
- བྱང་ཆུབ་ཀྱི་ཕྱོགས་ཀྱི་ཆོས།
- bodhipakṣadharma
Traditionally there are thirty-seven factors conducive to awakening.
Fetter
- kun tu sbyor ba
- ཀུན་ཏུ་སྦྱོར་བ།
- saṃyojana
Fetters binding one to saṃsāra; they come in groups of three (ignorance, hatred, and desire) or ten.
Five acts of immediate retribution
- mtshams med pa byed pa
- མཚམས་མེད་པ་བྱེད་པ།
- pañcānantarya
Acts for which one will be reborn in hell immediately after death, without any intervening stages; they are (1) killing one’s master or father, (2) killing one’s mother, (3) killing an arhat, (4) maliciously drawing blood from a buddha, and (5) causing a schism in the saṅgha.
Five aggregates
- phung po lnga
- ཕུང་པོ་ལྔ།
- pañcaskandha
The five constituents of a living entity: form, sensation, perception, mental formations, and consciousness.
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.
Formation
- ’du byed
- འདུ་བྱེད།
- saṃskāra
Predispositions; conditioning (as in “conditioned existence”) in general; also the fourth aggregate, that of volition.
Fortunate Eon
- bskal pa bzang po
- བསྐལ་པ་བཟང་པོ།
- bhadrakalpa
The name of our current eon.
Four bases of supernatural power
- rdzu ’phrul gyi rkang pa bzhi
- rdzu ’phrul gyi yul bkod pa bzhi
- རྫུ་འཕྲུལ་གྱི་རྐང་པ་བཞི།
- རྫུ་འཕྲུལ་གྱི་ཡུལ་བཀོད་པ་བཞི།
- caturṛddhipāda
- caturṛddhiviṣaya
These are (1) single-pointed intention, (2) single-pointed thoughts, (3) single-pointed diligence, and (4) single-pointed investigation.
Four concentrations
- bsam gtan bzhi
- བསམ་གཏན་བཞི།
- caturdhyāna
The four levels of meditative concentration.
Four errors
- phyin ci log bzhi
- ཕྱིན་ཅི་ལོག་བཞི།
- caturviparyāsa
- caturviprayāsa
The four errors are (1) the mistaken belief in permanence, (2) in the self (ātman), (3) in the purity of that which is impure, and (4) that the suffering is pleasurable.
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.
Four māras
- bdud bzhi
- བདུད་བཞི།
- cāturmāra
Personification of the four factors that keep beings in saṃsāra—afflictions, death, aggregates, and pride arising through meditative states.
Four noble attributes
- ’phags pa’i rigs bzhi
- འཕགས་པའི་རིགས་བཞི།
- caturāryavaṃśa
The attributes of a practitioner; the first three are garments, food, and bedding, and the fourth is the dedication to the path of liberation.
Four rivers
- chu bo bzhi
- ཆུ་བོ་བཞི།
- caturogha
- caturaugha
The same as the four āsrava (“outflows” or “contaminants”), namely (1) sensual desire, (2) conditioned existence, (3) wrong views, and (4) ignorance; also refers to birth, old age, sickness, and death.
Four truths of the noble ones
- ’phags pa’i bden pa bzhi
- འཕགས་པའི་བདེན་པ་བཞི།
- caturāryasatya
The truth of suffering, the cause of suffering, the path, and the cessation of suffering.
Fourfold assembly
- ’khor bzhi po
- འཁོར་བཞི་པོ།
- catuḥparṣad
The fourfold assembly comprises monks, nuns, and female and male lay practitioners.
Gandharva
- dri za
- དྲི་ཟ།
- gandharva
A class of celestial beings.
Gaṅgā
- gang gA
- གང་གཱ
- Gaṅgā
The river Ganges.
Garuḍa
- nam mkha’ lding
- ནམ་མཁའ་ལྡིང་།
- garuḍa
A class of celestial birds with bodies half human and half bird.
Gautama
- gau ta ma
- གཽ་ཏ་མ།
- Gautama
One of the names of the Buddha, especially during his earlier life as an ascetic.
Glorious
- snang ba ’chang ba
- སྣང་བ་འཆང་བ།
- —
The name of an eon in the past.
Glorious and Brilliantly Shining Jewel
- nor bu ’od ’bar ba dpal
- ནོར་བུ་འོད་འབར་བ་དཔལ།
- (Skt. lacuna)
One of the tathāgatas.
Going forth
- rab tu ’byung ba
- རབ་ཏུ་འབྱུང་བ།
- pravrajati
- pravrajyā
Leaving the life of a householder and embracing the life of a wandering, renunciant follower of the Buddha.
Hastā
- me bzhi
- མེ་བཞི།
- Hastā
The name of a lunar asterism. Its chief star is known as Delta Corvi in the occidental tradition.
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.
Heart of the Jewel
- nor bu’i snying po
- ནོར་བུའི་སྙིང་པོ།
- (Skt. lacuna)
A buddha field in the future where the bodhisattva Discriminating Intellect attains buddhahood.
Highly Extolled
- rab bsngags pa
- རབ་བསྔགས་པ།
- —
A buddha field in the future where the bodhisattva Demonstrator of Consequences attains buddhahood as the tathāgata Lamp of Fire.
Himalaya Mountains
- gangs kyi ri
- གངས་ཀྱི་རི།
- Himālaya
Holder of Meru’s Peak
- lhun po’i rtse ’dzin
- ལྷུན་པོའི་རྩེ་འཛིན།
- (Skt. lacuna)
A bodhisattva in the Buddha’s retinue.
Immaculately Moved by Beings
- sems can la g.yo zhing rdul dang bral ba
- སེམས་ཅན་ལ་གཡོ་ཞིང་རྡུལ་དང་བྲལ་བ།
- (Skt. lacuna)
A bodhisattva who seeks a prophecy from Śākyamuni.
Insight
- shes rab
- ཤེས་རབ།
- prajñā
Direct gnosis without conceptuality or mental elaboration.
Intelligent Light
- ’od kyi blo gros
- འོད་ཀྱི་བློ་གྲོས།
- (Skt. lacuna)
A bodhisattva in the Buddha’s retinue.
Intelligent Lightning
- glog gi blo gros
- གློག་གི་བློ་གྲོས།
- (Skt. lacuna)
A bodhisattva in the Buddha’s retinue.
Intelligent Sky
- nam mkha’i blo gros
- ནམ་མཁའི་བློ་གྲོས།
- (Skt. lacuna)
A bodhisattva in the Buddha’s retinue.
Jambudvīpa
- ’dzam bu’i gling
- འཛམ་བུའི་གླིང་།
- Jambudvīpa
The southern continent, one of the four comprising our world in Buddhist cosmology.
Jayamati
- rgyal ba’i blo gros
- རྒྱལ་བའི་བློ་གྲོས།
- Jayamati
A bodhisattva in the Buddha’s retinue; also one of Māra’s sons.