co.

Table of Contents

s.

Summary

s.­1

While the Buddha is abiding in the space above the Śuddhāvāsa realm with a retinue of bodhisattvas, he urges them to uphold The Dhāraṇī of the Six Gates and presents these gates as six aspirations that vanquish the causes of saṃsāric experience. He then presents the dhāraṇī itself to his listeners and instructs them to recite it three times each day and three times each night. Finally, he indicates the benefits that come from this practice, and the assembly praises the Buddha’s words. This is followed by a short dedication marking the conclusion of the text.

ac.

Acknowledgements

ac.­1

Giuliano Proença and Leticia Osorio produced and revised the translation. Joaquim Monteiro provided comparisons with the Chinese versions of the consulted texts and gave valuable references throughout the translation process. Giuliano Proença wrote the introduction and other ancillary elements while Leticia Osorio revised them.

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

i.

Introduction

i.­1

The Dhāraṇī of the Six Gates is a short text that consists mainly of a dhāraṇī taught by the Buddha to an assembly of bodhisattvas. According to Pedro Sánchez,1 this style of dhāraṇī appeared between the third and eighth centuries ᴄᴇ. Since Xuanzang’s Chinese translation dates to 645 ᴄᴇ, this text must have already been available at the beginning of the seventh century. It appears to have enjoyed a certain level of popularity, since we find many copies of it among the Dunhuang documents in Tibetan and Chinese, as well as several Indian, Tibetan, and Chinese commentaries and recitation texts based on it.

i.­2

One of its commentaries, the Ṣaṇmukhī­dhāraṇī­vyākhyāna (Toh 3989), appears in the Tengyur and is attributed to Vasubandhu (fourth to fifth century); its Chinese translation is in the Taishō. Its subcommentary (IOL Tib J 430) written by Jñānadatta has been preserved only in Tibetan and Chinese among the Dunhuang manuscripts. According to the colophon of the Dunhuang texts, these Indian commentaries were translated into Tibetan by the Indian paṇḍitas Dharmapāla and Prajñāvarman and the Tibetan translator-monk Yeshé Dé.

i.­3

There are four known Tibetan commentaries on the Ṣaṇmukhī­dhāraṇī composed by the renowned scholars Butön Rinchen Drup (1290–1364), Jonang Tāranātha (1575–1634), the seventh Dalai Lama (1708–57), and the Geluk scholar Ngülchu Dharmabhadra (1772–1851). The Phangthangma, one of the imperial catalogs of translated works, also mentions two sādhanas related to the Ṣaṇmukhī­dhāraṇī, which we could not locate. There are available, however, some relatively modern recitation texts related to this dhāraṇī composed by Ngawang Khedrup (1779–1838) and Losang Tsültrim Gyatso (1845–1915).

i.­4

It is not known who translated The Dhāraṇī of the Six Gates into Tibetan. Neither the colophons, the Denkarma and Phangthangma imperial catalogs, nor Tibetan historical works mention the translators. The inclusion of our text in the Denkarma catalog, dated to ca. 812 ᴄᴇ, confirms that the translation was made by the early ninth century at the latest. It seems likely that this dhāraṇī was translated from an Indian original since, according to the Phangthangma catalog, it was not among the dhāraṇīs that were translated from Chinese.

i.­5

Texts that include dhāraṇīs, as well as those referred to as dhāraṇīs by their titles, are widespread in the Mahāyāna sūtra literature as well as featuring in the tantras. Gergely Hidas, for example, notes that dhāraṇī scriptures have been assigned both to sūtra and tantra categories in Buddhist canonical collections and that their classification is “sometimes controversial within Tibetan and Chinese textual systems.”2 In this regard, it is interesting to note that three almost identical versions of the Ṣaṇmukhī­dhāraṇī are assigned to the Sūtra, Tantra, and Dhāraṇī sections of the Kangyurs of the Tshalpa group. In the Thempangma Kangyurs, such as the Stok Palace Kangyur, it is included exclusively in the Tantra section. In the Lhasa and Narthang Kangyurs, we find almost identical versions of The Dhāraṇī of the Six Gates in both the Sūtra and Tantra sections. Our text is also found among the Dunhuang manuscripts.3 All versions are roughly the same length. There were probably different sources for the Tibetan translations that were found in Dunhuang: Pelliot tibétain 415 is almost identical to the Thempangma versions, while Pelliot tibétain 77 is in some cases closer to the Tshalpa versions.

i.­6

Fortunately, there are a few extant Sanskrit manuscripts of The Dhāraṇī of the Six Gates. Mimaki (1977b) prepared a critical edition based on these manuscripts and prepared a critical edition of the Tibetan based on various canonical translations. The Tibetan versions seem to be quite accurate translations of the Sanskrit text, although there are minor differences between them. It is noteworthy that the versions of the Thempangma Kangyur group, like that of the Stok Palace, and Pelliot tibétain 415 are closer to the extant Sanskrit version than versions from the Tshalpa Kangyur group. The Dhāraṇī of the Six Gates was translated into Chinese by the great translator Xuanzang in 645 ᴄᴇ (Taishō 1360). The Chinese translation differs considerably from the Sanskrit and the Tibetan, especially in its presentation of the six gates, despite having the same structure as the Sanskrit and Tibetan texts. Interestingly, the Tibetan and Chinese translations of the above-mentioned commentary and subcommentary are similar in content and wording. Even the quotations of the six gates in the Chinese subcommentary more closely match the Tibetan text of The Dhāraṇī of the Six Gates than Xuanzang’s rendering of the six gates.

i.­7

In addition to his critical editions of the Sanskrit and Tibetan versions of the text, Mimaki (1977a) offers a French translation. Mimaki also examines references to The Dhāraṇī of the Six Gates in later treatises and its possible affiliation to the Sautrāntika school. He lists the extant Sanskrit, Tibetan, and Chinese manuscripts of the text, as well as the Tibetan editions and the commentaries. He also compares his Sanskrit edition with the Tibetan and with the Chinese canonical versions. Mimaki’s research proved invaluable for preparing our own translation.

i.­8

We have based our translation mainly on the Tibetan text as found in the Sūtra section of the Degé Kangyur (Toh 141), but consulted the other versions found in the Action Tantra and Dhāraṇī sections to clarify ambiguous passages (Toh 526 and Toh 916, respectively).4 Whenever our main source text diverged from the Sanskrit, we compared the passage in question with other Tibetan translations, including the Comparative Edition (dpe bsdur ma) and Stok Palace versions, and the two complete Tibetan manuscripts from Dunhuang, and we recorded variant readings in the notes. Moreover, in cases where both the Tibetan and Sanskrit texts allowed for different readings, we consulted the Indian commentaries on The Dhāraṇī of the Six Gates for clarification.

i.­9

As suggested by its title, The Dhāraṇī of the Six Gates consists in an account of the six gates, which are presented as a series of six aspiration prayers, followed by the presentation of the dhāraṇī itself. The goal of the dhāraṇī is to transcend worldly suffering by eradicating the causes of saṃsāric experience.

i.­10

The text begins with the Buddha advising his audience of innumerable bodhisattvas to uphold The Dhāraṇī of the Six Gates for the good of the entire world. He then utters the six aspirations, which can be summarized as recognizing one’s own sufferings as no different from those of all beings in saṃsāra, using worldly happiness for the benefit of others as well as oneself, purifying one’s misdeeds through confession, understanding demonic actions, developing virtue through supreme knowledge, and liberating all beings from saṃsāra.

i.­11

He finally instructs the assembly to recite the dhāraṇī three times each day and three times each night and then highlights the benefits that derive from this practice, including the ultimate benefit of attaining spiritual awakening. The text concludes with the assembly praising the Buddha’s teaching. This is followed by a short dedication marking the conclusion of the text. In one Tibetan canonical version (Toh 141), two auspicious sayings in Sanskrit and the “Verse on Dependent Arising” (Pratītyasamutpādagāthā) appear after the dedication.

The Noble Dhāraṇī of the Six Gates
1.

The Translation

[F.299.a]5



Thus did I hear at one time. The Bhagavān was dwelling together with an assembly of innumerable bodhisattvas in a pavilion ornately decorated with the seven kinds of precious jewels7 that was located in the firmament of the sky above Śuddhāvāsa.

1.­2

On that occasion, the Bhagavān said to the bodhisattvas, “Children of a noble family, [F.299.b] may you uphold The Dhāraṇī of the Six Gates for the benefit and well-being of the whole world.8 It is as follows:

1.­3

“As I pass through life after life in saṃsāra,9 whatever suffering I experience, may it not be characterized by my not understanding that it is the same for all beings.

1.­4

“Whatever happiness due to worldly success I experience, may I make use of it in common with all beings to bring about thorough understanding.10

1.­5

“Whatever misdeeds and non-virtuous actions11 I have done, may I not fail to confess each one of them through unsurpassed confession.

1.­6

“Whatever demonic actions have been done to me,12 may I not fail to thoroughly understand them through unsurpassed thorough understanding.

1.­7

“Whatever roots of virtue I may have, both mundane and supramundane, endowed with the perfections, may they become the fruit of unsurpassable wisdom for all beings.13

1.­8

“Whatever liberation I may have, through it may all sentient beings be released.14 May I stay neither in saṃsāra nor in nirvāṇa.15

1.­9

tadyathā oṃ kṣame kṣame kṣānte kṣānte dame dame dānte dānte bhadre bhadre subhadre subhadre candre candre sucandre sucandre candrakiraṇe candravati tejovati yaśovati16 dharmavati brahmavati sarva­kleśa­viśodhani sarvārtha­sādhani sarvānartha­praśamani17 paramārtha­sādhani kāyaviśodhani vāgviśodhani18 manaḥsaṃśodhani svāhā

1.­10

“Therefore, children of a noble family, if any sons or daughters of a noble family recite The Dhāraṇī of the Six Gates three times by day and three times by night, [F.300.a] then, having purified all their karmic obscurations, they will remember their previous lives up to seven lifetimes19 and will swiftly20 and fully awaken to unsurpassed perfect buddhahood.”21

1.­11

When the delighted Bhagavān had spoken these words, the assembly of bodhisattvas,22 and the world with its devas, humans, asuras, and gandharvas23 rejoiced in what the Bhagavān had said.24

1.­12

Thus ends “The Noble Dhāraṇī of the Six Gates.”

1.­13
śubham astu sarvajagatām25

ye dharmā hetuprabhavā hetuṃ teṣāṃ tathāgato hy avadat
teṣāṃ ca yo nirodha evaṃvādī mahāśramaṇaḥ26

maṅgalaṃ bhavatu27
ab.

Abbreviations

A Comparative Edition (dpe bsdur ma) of the Kangyur
D (Toh 141) Degé (sde dge) Kangyur‍—Sūtra section
D (Toh 526) Degé (sde dge) Kangyur‍—Tantra section
D (Toh 916) Degé (sde dge) Kangyur‍—Dhāraṇī section
HT Lhasa (zhol) Kangyur‍—Tantra section
K Peking (pe cin) Kangxi Kangyur
KY Peking Yongle (g.yung lo) Kangyur
NT Narthang (snar thang) Kangyur‍—Tantra section
PT Pelliot tibétain (numbers denote specific texts in collection)
S Stok Palace (stog pho brang) Manuscript Kangyur
Skt. Mimaki’s Sanskrit edition (1977)
Toh Degé (sde dge) Kangyur (numbers denote specific texts in collection)
n.

Notes

n.­1
Sánchez 2011, p. 28.
n.­2
Hidas 2015, p. 130.
n.­3
Complete and fragmentary, as PT 77, PT 414, PT 415, PT 416, IOL Tib J 426, IOL Tib J 427, and IOL Tib J 432.
n.­4

Note that there is a discrepancy among various databases for cataloging the Toh 916 version of this text within vol. 100 or 101 of the Degé Kangyur. See Toh 916 note 4 for details.

n.­5

In the Toh 526 version of the text there is a slight discrepancy in the folio numbering between the 1737 par phud printings and the late (post par phud) printings of the Degé Kangyur. Although the discrepancy is irrelevant here, further details concerning this may be found in note 5 of the Toh 526 version of this text.

n.­6
In the Skt. edition we find oṁ namo buddhāya (“oṁ homage to the Buddha”), while S, PT, NT, and HT read sangs rgyas dang byang chub sems dpa’ thams cad la phyag ’tshal lo (“Homage to all buddhas and bodhisattvas”). According to the instructions regarding Tripiṭaka translations decreed to the translators by the king Tri Ralpachen, a translators’ homage made to Mañjuśrī was supposed to be a mark of Abhidharma texts, while homage to the Buddha and homage to all buddhas and bodhisattvas were deemed appropriate for Vinaya and Sūtra texts, respectively.
n.­7
We have followed the Tib. reading. The Skt. reads “decorated with various jewels, among which the seven kinds of jewels were arranged.” For the critically edited Skt. text, see Mimaki 1977b, p. 10.
n.­8
We follow the Tib. ’gro ba thams cad la phan pa dang bde ba’i phyir. The Skt. reads sarva­jagaddhitārthaṃ (“for the benefit of the whole world”).
n.­9
Translated based on the Skt. saṃsāre saṃsarato and S, PT ’khor ba na ’khor ba’i tshe. All witnesses in A have ’khor ba nas ’khor ba’i skye gnas gzhan dag tu (“from saṃsāra to other saṃsāric rebirths”).
n.­10
The sūtra versions in D (Toh 141) and N, K, H, and C all read yongs su shes par byed par spyod par gyur cig, whereas the tantra and dhāraṇī versions in D (Toh 526 and 916) and the other Kangyurs read simply yongs su spyod par gyur cig. The extant Sanskrit versions do not include any equivalent to the phrase yongs su shes par byed par (“to bring about thorough understanding”).
n.­11
PT 77 adds las kyi sgribs pa and S adds las kyi sgrib pa (“karmic obscurations”). The phrase in the Skt. is pāpa­karmākuśalamūlaṃ karmāvaraṇaṃ (“misdeeds, roots of nonvirtue, karmic obscurations”).
n.­12
The Skt. reads me mārakarmāṇi. All witnesses included in A have bdag gis bdud kyi las gang ci byas pa de yongs su shes pas, except for NT and HT. NT, HT, and S read bdag la bdud kyi las gang dag yod pa de dag yongs su shes pas. Although versions of this phrase could be interpreted as speaking of one’s own “demonic actions,” the commentary attributed to Vasubandhu suggests that the obstacle to be overcome here is rather actions done to one (and influences exerted on one) by others. However, Tāranātha’s commentary (p. 355), while confirming that for experienced practitioners “demonic actions” may be interpreted as applying mainly to others, lists them as including such things as procrastination, laziness, rowdiness, belittling others’ virtuous actions, disliking perfections, slandering bodhisattvas, favoring false views, getting distracted while in meditation, turning away from and diminishing virtuous actions, and having incompatible attitudes after engaging in them‍—all tendencies that less-than-perfect practitioners could potentially interpret as applying to themselves.
n.­13
The Sanskrit text reads sarvasattvānām (“for all sentient beings”) and omits the equivalent for “fruit.” NT, S, and PT omit thams cad (“all”).
n.­14
PT 77 reads gang bdag gi rnam par grol ba de sems can thams cad kyi rnam par grol bar ’gyur cig (“may my liberation be the liberation of all sentient beings”). It is closer to the Skt. yā ca me vimuktiḥ sā bhavatu sarva­sattva­vimokṣāya (“may my liberation be for the liberation of all sentient beings”).
n.­15
Most of the versions in the Sūtra sections of Tshalpa Kangyurs do not specify that this aspiration to remain neither in saṃsāra nor nirvāṇa is made for oneself, but here we have followed K and KY in the Sūtra section, all witnesses in A for Toh 916 and Toh 526, and S and PT 415, which read ’khor ba dang mya ngan las ’das pa la bdag gnas par ma gyur cig. The Skt. has mā ca me bhūt saṃsāre nirvāṇe pratiṣṭhitatā, with the same meaning.
n.­16
The Skt. reads dhanavati.
n.­17
Following Skt. and PT; D and other Kangyurs read sarvārtha­praśamane, which would mean “O remover of everything that is valuable.”
n.­18
Following Skt., K, S, and KY in the Tantra section; D and other Kangyurs read vākaviśodhani.
n.­19
Skt., S, NT, HT, and PT 415 omit this passage on the recollection of former lives.
n.­20
Following the Skt. which has kṣipram (“swiftly”), translated in S, NT, HT, and PT as myur du.
n.­21
The Skt. reads, “If anyone, son or daughter of a good family, recites this dhāraṇī of the six gates three times each night and three times each day, then, having abandoned all karma, they will quickly reach the supreme state of perfect awakening.” For the critically edited Skt. text, see Mimaki 1977b, p. 10.
n.­22
Instead of “assembly of bodhisattvas,” the Skt. reads bodhisattvā mahāsattvā, and S, NT, HT, and PT 415 read byang chub sems dpa’ sems dpa’ chen po (“bodhisattvas mahāsattvas”).
n.­23
This passage is missing in the Sanskrit. In PT 415, S, D (Toh 916), and D (Toh 526) following “the assembly of bodhisattvas,” it instead reads gnas gtsang ma’i ris kyi lha’i bu de dag (“the gods of Śuddhāvāsa”).
n.­24
The Skt. reads, “When the delighted Bhagavān had thus spoken, the bodhisattva mahāsattvas rejoiced in what the Blessed One had taught.” For the critically edited Skt. text, see Mimaki 1977b, p. 10. Commentators and translators have disagreed over whether the adjective ravi (“delighted”) here applies to the Bhagavān, to the bodhisattvas (as in the Chinese translations), or to both (as in the Tibetan translations that have dgyes for the Bhagavān and yi(d) rang(s) for the assembly). On this delicate issue, see Mimaki 1977b, p. 13, n. 9.
n.­25
“May there be benefit for all beings.” Only D (Toh 141) has this and the following auspicious sayings in Sanskrit.
n.­26
For the translation of these verses, see the Buddhavacana Translation Group, trans., The Sūtra on Dependent Arising (Toh 212), 2016, 1.5.
n.­27
“May it be auspicious.”
b.

Bibliography

Tibetan and Sanskrit Source Texts

sgo drug pa’i gzungs (Ṣaṇmukhī­dhāraṇī). Toh 141, Degé Kangyur vol. 56 (mdo sde, na), folios 299.a–300.a.

sgo drug pa’i gzungs (Ṣaṇmukhīdhāraṇī). Toh 526, Degé Kangyur vol. 88 (rgyud, na), folios 54.a–54.b (in par phud printings).

sgo drug pa’i gzungs (Ṣaṇmukhī­dhāraṇī). Toh 916, Degé Kangyur vol. 100 (gzungs, e), folios 260.b–261.a.

sgo drug pa’i gzungs. 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. 826–29; vol. 88, pp. 227–30; vol. 97, pp. 775–78.

sgo drug pa’i gzungs. Stok Palace Kangyur vol. 102 (rgyud, da), folios 60.a–61.a.

Pelliot tibétain 77, section 2. Bibliothèque nationale de France, Paris. Accessed through The International Dunhuang Project: The Silk Road Online.

Pelliot tibétain 415, section 1. Bibliothèque nationale de France, Paris. Accessed through The International Dunhuang Project: The Silk Road Online.

Mimaki, Katsumi (1977b). “La Ṣaṇmukhī-dhāraṇī ou ‘Incantation des SIX PORTES,’ texte attribué aux Sautrāntika (II).” Report of the Japanese Association for Tibetan Studies 23 (1977): 9–13.

Tibetan Secondary References

Vasubandhu. sgo drug pa’i gzungs kyi rnam par bshad pa (Ṣaṇmukhī­dhāraṇī­vyākhyāna). Toh 3989, Degé Tengyur vol. 113 (mdo ’grel, ngi), folios 64.b–66.a.

‍—‍—‍—. sgo drug pa’i gzungs kyi rnam par bshad pa. bstan ’gyur (dpe bsdur ma) [Comparative Edition of the Tengyur], krung go’i bod kyi shes rig zhib ’jug lte 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’i dpe skrun khang (China Tibetology Publishing House), 1994–2008, vol. 37, pp. 3–7.

Jñānadatta (ye shes byin). ’phags pa sgo drug pa’i gzungs kyi rnam par bshad pa rgya cher ’grel pa. IOL Tib J 430, section 1. British Library, London. Accessed through The International Dunhuang Project: The Silk Road Online.

Denkarma (pho brang stod thang ldan dkar gyi chos kyi ’gyur ro cog gi dkar chag). Toh 4364, Degé Tengyur vol. 206 (sna tshogs, jo), folios 294.b–310.a.

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

Tāranātha. ’phags pa sgo drug pa’i gzungs kyi rnam par bshad pa. In gsung ’bum/ tA ra nA tha (dpe bsdur ma), vol. 35 (77) pp. 350–362. Beijing: krung go’i bod rig pa dpe skrun khang, 2008.

Chinese Source Texts

Xuanzang, trans. Liu men tuoluoni jing 六門陀羅尼經, Taishō 1360.

Vasubandhu. Liu men tuoluoni jing lun 六門陀羅尼經論, Taishō 1361.

Western Translation and References

Buddhavacana Translation Group, trans. The Sūtra on Dependent Arising (Pratītya­samutpāda­sūtra, Toh 212). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2016.

Dalton, Jacob, and Sam Van Schaik. Tibetan Tantric Manuscripts from Dunhuang: A Descriptive Catalogue of the Stein Collection at the British Library. Leiden: Brill, 2006.

Halkias, Georgios. “Tibetan Buddhism Registered: A Catalogue from the Imperial Court of ’Phang Thang.” The Eastern Buddhist 36, nos. 1–2 (2004): 46–105.

Hidas, Gergely. “Dhāraṇī Sūtras.” In Brill’s Encyclopedia of Buddhism, edited by Jonathan Silk et al., vol. 1, Literature and Languages, 129–37. Leiden: Brill, 2015.

Mimaki, Katsumi (1977a). “La Ṣaṇmukhī-dhāraṇī ou ‘Incantation des SIX PORTES,’ texte attribué aux Sautrāntika (I).” Report of the Japanese Association for Tibetan Studies 23 (1977): 965–72.

‍—‍—‍—(1977b). “La Ṣaṇmukhī-dhāraṇī ou ‘Incantation des SIX PORTES,’ texte attribué aux Sautrāntika (II).” Report of the Japanese Association for Tibetan Studies 23 (1977): 9–13.

Obermiller, Eugéne, trans. and ed. History of Buddhism (Chos ḥbyung) by Bu-ston. Vol. 2, The History of Buddhism in India and Tibet. Materialien zur Kunde des Buddhismus 19. Heidelberg: O. Harrassowitz, 1932.

Sánchez, Pedro M. C. “The Indian Buddhist Dhāraṇī: An Introduction to its History, Meanings and Functions.” MA diss., University of Sunderland, 2011.

Yoshimura, Shyuki. The Denkar-Ma: An Oldest Catalogue of the Tibetan Buddhist Canons. Kyoto: Ryukoku University, 1950.

g.

Glossary

Types of attestation for Sanskrit names and terms

AS

Attested in source text

This term is attested in the Sanskrit manuscript used as a source for this translation.

AO

Attested in other text

This term is attested in other Sanskrit manuscripts of the Kangyur or Tengyur.

AD

Attested in dictionary

This term is attested in Tibetan-Sanskrit dictionaries.

AA

Approximate attestation

The attestation of this name is approximate. It is based on other names where Tibetan-Sanskrit relationship is attested in dictionaries or other manuscripts.

RP

Reconstruction from Tibetan phonetic rendering

This term is a reconstruction based on the Tibetan phonetic rendering of the term.

RS

Reconstruction from Tibetan semantic rendering

This term is a reconstruction based on the semantics of the Tibetan translation.

SU

Source Unspecified

This term has been supplied from an unspecified source, which most often is a widely trusted dictionary.

g.­1

asura

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

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

A type of nonhuman being whose precise status is subject to different views, but is included as one of the six classes of beings in the sixfold classification of realms of rebirth. In the Buddhist context, asuras are powerful beings said to be dominated by envy, ambition, and hostility. They are also known in the pre-Buddhist and pre-Vedic mythologies of India and Iran, and feature prominently in Vedic and post-Vedic Brahmanical mythology, as well as in the Buddhist tradition. In these traditions, asuras are often described as being engaged in interminable conflict with the devas (gods).

g.­2

bhagavān

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

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

In Buddhist literature, an epithet applied to buddhas, most often to Śākyamuni. The Sanskrit term generally means “possessing fortune,” but in specifically Buddhist contexts it implies that a buddha is in possession of six auspicious qualities (bhaga) associated with complete awakening. The Tibetan term‍—where bcom is said to refer to “subduing” the four māras, ldan to “possessing” the great qualities of buddhahood, and ’das to “going beyond” saṃsāra and nirvāṇa‍—possibly reflects the commentarial tradition where the Sanskrit bhagavat is interpreted, in addition, as “one who destroys the four māras.” This is achieved either by reading bhagavat as bhagnavat (“one who broke”), or by tracing the word bhaga to the root √bhañj (“to break”).

g.­3

bodhisattva

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

A being who is dedicated to the cultivation and fulfillment of the intention to attain perfect buddhahood for the benefit of all sentient beings.

g.­4

demonic action

  • bdud kyi las
  • བདུད་ཀྱི་ལས།
  • mārakarman

An action that is either done by the god-demon Māra (the personification of evil) himself; or by beings belonging to the class of demons; or by humans either (literally) under demonic influence or (figuratively) under the influence of whatever distractions, obstacles, and afflictions act as an impediment to liberation.

g.­5

deva

  • lha
  • ལྷ།
  • deva

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

Cognate with the English term divine, the devas are most generally a class of celestial beings who frequently appear in Buddhist texts, often at the head of the assemblies of nonhuman beings who attend and celebrate the teachings of Śākyamuni and other buddhas and bodhisattvas. In Buddhist cosmology the devas occupy the highest of the five or six “destinies” (gati) of saṃsāra among which beings take rebirth. The devas reside in the devalokas, “heavens” that traditionally number between twenty-six and twenty-eight and are divided between the desire realm (kāmadhātu), material realm (rūpadhātu), and immaterial realm (ārūpyadhātu). A being attains rebirth among the devas either through meritorious deeds (in the desire realm) or the attainment of subtle meditative states (in the material and immaterial realms). While rebirth among the devas is considered favorable, it is ultimately a transitory state from which beings will fall when the conditions that lead to rebirth there are exhausted. Thus, rebirth in the god realms is regarded as a diversion from the spiritual path.

g.­6

dhāraṇī

  • gzungs
  • གཟུངས།
  • dhāraṇī

A verbal formula or phrase that can serve a variety of purposes depending on the genre of text. It often refers to a magical incantation for attaining mundane or supramundane goals.

g.­7

gandharva

  • dri za
  • དྲི་ཟ།
  • gandharva

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

A class of generally benevolent nonhuman beings who inhabit the skies, sometimes said to inhabit fantastic cities in the clouds, and more specifically to dwell on the eastern slopes of Mount Meru, where they are under the jurisdiction of the Great King Dhṛtarāṣṭra. They are most renowned as celestial musicians who serve the gods. In the Abhidharma, the term is also used to refer to the mental body assumed by any sentient being in the realm of desire (kāma­dhātu) during the intermediate state between death and rebirth. Gandharvas are said to live on fragrances in the desire realm, hence the Tibetan translation dri za, meaning “scent eater.”

g.­8

karmic obscurations

  • las kyi sgrib pa
  • ལས་ཀྱི་སྒྲིབ་པ།
  • karmāvaraṇa

Obstructions due to past actions.

g.­9

Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta

  • ’jam dpal gzhon nur gyur pa
  • འཇམ་དཔལ་གཞོན་ནུར་གྱུར་པ།
  • mañjuśrī­kumāra­bhūta

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

Mañjuśrī is one of the “eight close sons of the Buddha” and a bodhisattva who embodies wisdom. He is a major figure in the Mahāyāna sūtras, appearing often as an interlocutor of the Buddha. In his most well-known iconographic form, he is portrayed bearing the sword of wisdom in his right hand and a volume of the Prajñā­pāramitā­sūtra in his left. In addition to the epithet Kumārabhūta, which means “having a youthful form,” Mañjuśrī is also called Mañjughoṣa, Mañjusvara, and Pañcaśikha.

g.­10

nirvāṇa

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

Final liberation from suffering. The Sanskrit literally means “extinguishment” and the Tibetan “the transcendence of suffering.”

g.­11

perfection

  • pha rol tu phyin pa
  • ཕ་རོལ་ཏུ་ཕྱིན་པ།
  • pāramitā

Typically refers to the practices of the bodhisattvas, which are embraced with knowledge. The six perfections are generosity, discipline, patience, diligence, concentration, and wisdom.

g.­12

roots of nonvirtue

  • mi dge ba’i rtsa ba
  • མི་དགེ་བའི་རྩ་བ།
  • akuśalamūla

Usually referring to the ten unwholesome actions, which are taking life, taking what is not given, sexual misconduct, lying, sowing discord, harsh speech, worthless chatter, covetousness, wishing harm on others, and wrong views.

g.­13

roots of virtue

  • dge ba’i rtsa ba
  • དགེ་བའི་རྩ་བ།
  • kuśalamūla

Wholesome actions that are conducive to happiness.

g.­14

saṃsāra

  • ’khor ba
  • འཁོར་བ།
  • saṃsāra

The cyclic existence in which beings are confined to suffering and unsatisfactoriness.

g.­15

seven kinds of precious jewels

  • rin po che sna bdun
  • རིན་པོ་ཆེ་སྣ་བདུན།
  • saptaratna

The list of seven precious materials varies. One possible listing is gold, silver, cat’s eye, crystal, ruby, emerald, and amethyst.

g.­16

Śuddhāvāsa

  • gnas gtsang ma
  • གནས་གཙང་མ།
  • śuddhāvāsa

Name for the five highest levels of existence within the form realm.

g.­17

thorough understanding

  • yongs su shes pa
  • ཡོངས་སུ་ཤེས་པ།
  • parijñāna

A general term that may here imply not just understanding or knowledge but realization or even awakening.

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(tr.). The Dhāraṇī of the Six Gates (Ṣaṇmukhī­dhāraṇī, Toh 141). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2023:
https://read.84000.co/translation/toh141.html

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