The Inquiry of Lokadhara
Toh 174
Degé Kangyur, vol. 60 (mdo sde, ma), folios 7.b–78.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 1.1.17 (2021)
Generated by 84000 Reading Room v2.4.3
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.
This work is provided under the protection of a Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND (Attribution - Non-commercial - No-derivatives) 3.0 copyright. It may be copied or printed for fair use, but only with full attribution, and not for commercial advantage or personal compensation. For full details, see the Creative Commons license.
Table of Contents
Summary
In The Inquiry of Lokadhara, the bodhisattva Lokadhara asks the Buddha to explain the proper way for bodhisattvas to discern the characteristics of phenomena and employ that knowledge to attain awakening. In reply, the Buddha teaches at length how to understand the lack of inherent existence of phenomena. As part of the teaching, the Buddha explains in detail the nonexistence of the aggregates, the elements, the sense sources, dependently originated phenomena, the four applications of mindfulness, the five powers, the eightfold path of the noble ones, and mundane and transcendent phenomena, as well as conditioned and unconditioned phenomena.
Acknowledgements
The sūtra was translated by the Dharmachakra Translation Committee under the guidance of Chökyi Nyima Rinpoche. The translation from the Tibetan was produced by Timothy Hinkle. Andreas Doctor checked the translation against the Tibetan, edited the text, and wrote the introduction. James Gentry subsequently compared the translation against Kumārajīva’s Chinese translation and made further edits.
The translation was completed under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.
Introduction
The Inquiry of Lokadhara is a scripture that belongs to the general sūtra section of the Degé Kangyur. As far as we are aware, no Sanskrit version of this text remains. However, in addition to the Tibetan translation, which we have translated here, the sūtra is also present in two Chinese translations (Taishō 481 and Taishō 482). The first of these was translated by Dharmarakṣa (233–311 ᴄᴇ), the famed and prolific translator of The Lotus Sūtra. The second translation was completed between 402 and 412 ᴄᴇ, by the equally renowned translator Kumārajīva (344–413 ᴄᴇ), as one of his last translations. We therefore know that the text has been in existence since at least the third century ᴄᴇ. Unfortunately, however, we know little else of the history of this sūtra. We do not even know when, or by whom, it was translated into Tibetan; the translation does not identify a translator, and the text is not listed in the ninth-century Denkarma (Tib. ldan dkar ma) or Phangthangma (Tib. ’phang thang ma) imperial catalogues of Tibetan translations.1 It does, however, appear in Buton’s (Tib. bu ston) History of the Dharma (Tib. chos ’byung), thus suggesting that it was translated after the fall of the Yarlung dynasty (846 ᴄᴇ) (or at least outside official circles of imperial influence), and only became known in Tibet sometime prior to the fourteenth century ᴄᴇ. A cursory search of the Dunhuang manuscript catalogues did not yield any further information, although future studies of these resources may shed new light on this issue. In this regard, it is worth mentioning that Cornelius Chang (1976, p. 22) reports that a fragment of the sūtra was discovered in Turfan (in modern day Xinjiang). The sūtra is therefore likely to have been present in the Dunhuang region as well, as the Tibetan Yarlung Dynasty controlled Turfan during the same period that it controlled Dunhuang, until roughly 846 ᴄᴇ.
Chapter One: The Introduction
[F.7.b] [B1]
Homage to all buddhas and bodhisattvas!
Thus did I hear at one time. The Blessed One was staying at the Kalandakanivāpa in Veṇuvana near Rājagṛha, with a great saṅgha of monks. The Blessed One was teaching the Dharma to a large assembly with hundreds of thousands of beings in attendance. Present in the assembly was the bodhisattva great being Lokadhara. It was his wish that bodhisattva great beings develop the mind of awakening by adorning themselves with immeasurable virtues; that they understand in its entirety the true meaning of all phenomena; [F.8.a] that they understand how limitless aspirations lead to the perfection of limitless ornaments; that they comprehend and understand the true characteristics of limitless phenomena; that they purify their motivation through limitless aspirations; that they gain comprehensive knowledge; that they attain the ornament of generosity and the purity of certainty; that they perfect the ornament of discipline and patience; that they purify the attitude of mildness and gentleness; that they understand the purity of diligence; that they understand and comprehend the perfections of concentration and insight; and that they develop limitless other such virtues.
Chapter Two: Investigating the Five Aggregates
The Blessed One then addressed the bodhisattva Lokadhara, “Lokadhara, bodhisattva great beings who wish to attain the true characteristics of all phenomena, wish to be learned in the characteristics of discerning phenomena, wish to attain the power of recall, wish to attain the insight that discerns all phenomena, or wish to attain unbroken mindfulness from the time they leave this body until reaching unsurpassed and perfect awakening should swiftly enter this Dharma gateway. Through this Dharma gateway, they will attain the light of insight. Why is this? Because this Dharma gateway swiftly ensures that perfection is attained. Furthermore, Lokadhara, bodhisattva great beings should exert themselves in this Dharma gateway. Having entered this gateway that pertains to the Dharma, they will become highly skilled in discerning what pertains to the aggregates, elements, sense sources, dependently originated phenomena, the four applications of mindfulness, the five powers, the eightfold path of the noble ones, and mundane and transcendent phenomena. Additionally, they will become highly skilled in discerning what pertains to conditioned and unconditioned phenomena.”
Form
“Lokadhara, how are bodhisattvas skilled in discerning what pertains to the five aggregates? Bodhisattva great beings correctly understand the five aggregates for appropriation in the following way: [F.20.b] The aggregates for appropriation are heaps of ignorance. The aggregates for appropriation are heaps of suffering. The aggregates for appropriation are heaps of delusion. The aggregates for appropriation are heaps of sickness, boils, and thorns.
Feeling
Perception
Formation
Consciousness
The Five Aggregates
The Five Aggregates for Appropriation
Suffering
The World
Chapter Three: The Eighteen Elements
The Eye Element
“Lokadhara, regarding the elements, how are bodhisattva great beings learned in the eighteen elements? When bodhisattva great beings practice correct contemplation of the eighteen elements, they think, ‘The eye element cannot be observed to be the eye element. There is also no I or mine in the eye element. It is impermanent, insubstantial, and empty of inherent nature. Therefore, what is imputed as the characteristic of the eye element cannot be observed in the eye element. The eye element is untrue and totally nonexistent, for it is born from false thinking. The eye element lacks true characteristics, as the space element is the eye element. For instance, just as the space element lacks true characteristics and is not an entity, the eye element also lacks true characteristics and is not an entity. Why is this? [F.38.b] Because no real entity can be found in the eye element, the eye element does not exist in any location or direction. It does not exist internally, externally, or somewhere in-between. The eye element lacks true characteristics and is not an entity. Thus, no entity of the eye element can be apprehended, for it arises from many causes and conditions. The eye element is neither past, nor present, nor future, and there is no intrinsic nature of the eye to observe in the eye element. The eye element depends upon the ripening of the results of past actions and current conditions, whereupon the eye element is imputed. The eye element is a nonelement. No eye element can be observed in the eye element. The so-called eye element refers to the domain of consciousness. The eye element manifests when three factors come together: a clear eye faculty, an apparent form, and the involvement of the mind faculty. The eye element lacks anything that can be called a real eye element, and the wise understand the eye element to be the absence of the eye element.’ ”
The Form Element
The Eye-Consciousness Element
The Mind Element
The Mental-Object Element
The Mind-Consciousness Element
The Three Realms
Chapter Four: Understanding the Twelve Sense Sources
The Eye and Form Sense Sources
The Blessed One continued addressing Lokadhara: [F.45.b] “How are bodhisattva great beings knowledgeable about the twelve sense sources? When discerning the twelve sense sources, they think, ‘The eye sense source cannot be observed in the eye. In the eye, there is no definitive eye sense source. The eye sense source cannot be observed to be an entity.’ Why is this? The eye sense source is born from many causes and conditions and arises through mistaken perception. It depends upon form, because it observes form. When the two meet,38 the condition of form brings the condition of the eye sense source into existence. Because the form and eye sense sources are mutually dependent, they are collectively called the eye’s form. Regarding the so-called eye and form, form is the gateway through which the eye sense source is generated, and the eye also generates and illuminates the form sense source. Therefore, with regard to the sense sources, the eye sense source is so-called because it is labeled a sense source gateway via the condition of form and the form sense source is so-called because it is seen by the eye. While I teach that they do exist relatively, the eye does not exist in form, form does not exist in the eye, the eye does not exist in the eye, and form does not exist in form. The eye sense source is thus labeled because observation of form arises from many conditions. Additionally, the form sense source is thus labeled because the eye consciousness and the characteristic of sight arise through dependent origination.
The Mind and Mental-Object Sense Sources
The Inner and Outer Sense Sources
Chapter Five: Understanding the Twelve Links of Dependent Origination
“Lokadhara, how are bodhisattva great beings skilled in discerning and contemplating the twelve links of dependent origination? [F.49.a] Bodhisattva great beings discern and contemplate the twelve links of dependent origination as follows: Ignorance is so designated because of nonexistence. Ignorance is so designated because it lacks qualities. Ignorance is so designated because it cannot understand knowledge. How is ignorance unable to understand knowledge? Ignorance is called ignorance because it has no fixed qualities to observe. For what reason does the condition of ignorance give rise to formations? All phenomena42 are nonexistent, but childish ordinary beings form them, thus it is said that ignorance causes formations. Because consciousness arises from formations, it depends upon the condition of formations. Name-and-form are two characteristics, and therefore name-and-form are created by the condition of consciousness. The six sense sources are based upon the condition of name-and-form, because the six sense sources arise from name-and-form. Contact is based upon the condition of the six sense sources, because contact arises from the six sense sources. Feeling is based upon the condition of contact, because feeling arises from contact. Craving is based upon the condition of feeling, because craving arises from feeling. Grasping is based upon the condition of craving, because grasping arises from craving. Becoming is based upon the condition of grasping, because becoming arises from grasping. Birth is based upon the condition of becoming, because birth arises from becoming. Based upon the condition of birth, there arises aging, death, sorrow, lamentation, and the great mass of suffering. In this way aging, death, sorrow, lamentation, and the great mass of suffering are so designated because of birth. In this manner, the great mass of suffering arises. This process is all-subsuming: with a mistaken perception, one contravenes knowledge and accumulates a mass of ignorance. This generates desire for another existence, and based on one’s preferences and attachments, one seeks birth in all such places—this is the aggregate of existence. [F.49.b]
Chapter Six: The Four Applications of Mindfulness
“Lokadhara, how are bodhisattva great beings skilled in the applications of mindfulness? Bodhisattva great beings discern and contemplate the four applications of mindfulness. What are these four? The contemplation of the body in relation to the body, the contemplation of feelings in relation to feelings, the contemplation of the mind in relation to the mind, and the contemplation of mental phenomena in relation to mental phenomena. How do they contemplate the body in relation to the body, and contemplate feelings, mind, [F.54.b] and mental phenomena in relation to feelings, mind, and mental phenomena?”
Contemplation of the Body in Relation to the Body
“Lokadhara, when bodhisattva great beings practice the contemplation of the body in relation to the body, they accurately contemplate the characteristics of the body. The body is characterized as impermanent, painful, like an ailment, like a blister, tormented by suffering, frail, fleeting, and destructible. This body is utterly unclean. It is filled with many ugly and foul elements. Foul things are constantly excreted from its nine orifices. The body reeks. It is like a living bag of vomit. If one investigates this body accurately, one cannot find even a single hair that is clean and pleasing. This body is bone and sinew wound together and wrapped with skin and flesh. It arises through the ripening of the causes, conditions, and results of past actions. It is understood to be bound by origination and appropriation. What are origination and appropriation in this context? That the body arises from past causes and conditions is designated appropriation. That we presently wash this body and then sustain it with food, clothing, seats, and medicine is called origination. In this fashion, the causes and conditions of the present moment are called origination, while all actions performed while bound by the power of the ripening of past results are termed appropriation. Furthermore, what we designate the body is formed of the four great elements, lacks definitive and true characteristics, and is included in the aggregate of form.
Contemplation of Feelings in Relation to Feelings
Contemplation of the Mind in Relation to the Mind
Contemplation of Mental Phenomena in Relation to Mental Phenomena
Chapter Seven: The Five Powers
“Lokadhara, how are bodhisattva great beings skilled in the five powers? Bodhisattva great beings accurately contemplate the five transcendent powers. What are these five? The powers of faith, diligence, mindfulness, absorption, and insight.
The Power of Faith
“When bodhisattvas put the five powers into practice, they gain trust in how all phenomena are born from dependent origination, arise through mistaken perception, and are like a whirling firebrand or a dream, in owing their existence to a gathering of conditions of false perception. They trust that all phenomena have the characteristics of being impermanent, suffering, impure, selfless, like a thorn or blister, insubstantial, unstable, mutable, and destructible. [F.59.b] Moreover, they trust that all phenomena are false, and thus nonexistent; that just as a child is fooled by an empty fist or a rainbow, phenomena are merely arisen from imputation and dependent phenomena, and thus lack even a single true quality of being an entity. Moreover, they trust that all phenomena are neither past, present, nor future. They trust that all phenomena neither come from, nor go, anywhere. They trust that all phenomena are emptiness, without marks, and unconditioned. They trust that all phenomena are unborn, unconditioned, unarisen, without marks, and free from marks. They trust in pure discipline, pure absorption, pure insight, and the pure teaching of the wisdom of liberation.61 Bodhisattvas become irreversible by effortlessly accomplishing the power of faith; guided by faith, they can observe discipline, such that their faith will not decline or be lost. By effortlessly accomplishing the quality of irreversibility, they will have unwavering faith. They will ripen faith in accordance with the ripening of karmic results, and they will destroy all wrong views. They will not spurn the teachings or seek out any teachers other than the blessed buddhas. They will always follow the true nature of all phenomena. They will follow the genuine path practiced by the saṅgha. Through observing pure discipline and effortlessly accomplishing acceptance, they will attain faith that is unwavering, unchanging, and extraordinary. They are thus said to possess the power of faith.”
The Power of Diligence
The Power of Mindfulness
The Power of Absorption
The Power of Insight
Chapter Eight: The Eightfold Path of the Noble Ones
“Lokadhara, how are bodhisattva great beings skilled in the path of the noble ones? The bodhisattva great beings are steadfast on the noble path. What is meant by path in this context? It is the eightfold path of the noble ones, which comprises right view, right thought, [F.63.a] right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right absorption. Lokadhara, what is it that bodhisattva great beings practice on the eightfold path of the noble ones? And what means do they obtain on the eightfold path of the noble ones?”
Right View
“Bodhisattva great beings with right view are steadfast in right view. In order to disrupt all views, they exert themselves on the path. In order to disrupt all views, they are steadfast on the path and eliminate even their views of nirvāṇa and buddhahood. Why is this? Lokadhara, any view, including even views of nirvāṇa and buddhahood, is a negative view. It is called right view because it destroys and defeats all attachment to views. Furthermore, right view refers to having no view, and not adopting, forming ideas about, becoming attached to, observing, partaking of, or conceptualizing any view.
Right Thought
Right Speech
Right Action
Right Livelihood
Right Effort
Right Mindfulness
Right Absorption
Chapter Nine: The Phenomena of the World and Transcendence
“Lokadhara, how are bodhisattva great beings skilled regarding the phenomena of the world and transcendence? What means do they obtain with regard to the phenomena of the world and transcendence? Lokadhara, bodhisattva great beings understand the phenomena of the world and transcendence to be true reality.
“What are the phenomena of the world? Bodhisattvas think, ‘Thoughts and concepts about phenomena arise from mistaken perception, they are generated by causes and conditions, and they depend on falsity. Since they arise from the marks of duality, they are empty and nonexistent. They fool childish ordinary beings, like the bright colors reflecting from a pearl or the spinning of a firebrand. The world is given as a synonym for things that decay and degenerate. This is the world. These worldly phenomena are all unreal; they arise from false conditions and lack the characteristics of arising or being created. They are labeled as aggregates, elements, sense sources, forms, sounds, odors, tastes, tactile objects, or mental objects, and described as name-and-form. [F.67.b] Through their attachment and clinging, childish ordinary beings generate further attachment and clinging in a variety of forms, just as tangled silk fringes72 or entwined roots and creepers are linked, one to another. Worldly phenomena are described based upon such mistaken perception.
Chapter Ten: The Conditioned and the Unconditioned
“Lokadhara, how are bodhisattva great beings highly skilled regarding conditioned and unconditioned phenomena? What means do they obtain regarding conditioned and unconditioned phenomena? Lokadhara, bodhisattva great beings discern and contemplate conditioned and unconditioned phenomena. [F.69.a]
“How do they discern and contemplate conditioned phenomena? Conditioned phenomena are compounded and without experiencer. Conditioned phenomena are called conditioned phenomena because they are considered to be naturally arising and naturally categorized. Conditioned phenomena come about due to formations created by false causes and conditions. Why are conditioned phenomena naturally categorized?73 When formations are perceived through the condition of duality, they are labeled as conditioned phenomena. Conditioned phenomena are uncreated and free from a creator. Since they are naturally arising, they cannot be generated. Thus, they are called conditioned phenomena. Conditioned phenomena do not exist internally, externally, or somewhere in-between; they are not one or many. They arise from false imputation. They are nonexistent, since they have arisen through ignorance. Though they can be perceived due to formations, they are uncreated and nonarising. Therefore, they are called conditioned. Conditioned means being bound by marks, and the conditioned is taught for the sake of childish ordinary beings who are attached to mistaken perceptions. The wise, full of understanding and knowledge, do not observe them as conditioned phenomena or something understood to be conditioned phenomena. They are called conditioned phenomena because the wise do not categorize them. Why is this? How do the wise know and understand the features of the conditioned? The wise view all conditioned phenomena as being false, insubstantial, and without bondage. They see that they cannot be categorized. When they contemplate this, they are not attached to conditioned phenomena, and they do not appropriate conditioned phenomena. Why is this? Lokadhara, it is not the case that unconditioned phenomena exist separate from conditioned phenomena, or that conditioned phenomena exist separate from unconditioned phenomena, [F.69.b] for the characteristic of the thatness of the conditioned is the unconditioned. Why is this? There is nothing conditioned within the conditioned, and nothing unconditioned within the unconditioned. Still, so that mistaken beings can see and understand the characteristics of the conditioned, bodhisattvas teach and explain, saying, ‘This is conditioned,’ ‘This is unconditioned,’ ‘This is the characteristic of the conditioned,’ and ‘This is the characteristic of the unconditioned.’
Chapter Eleven: The Teaching on What Occurred in the Past
“Lokadhara, through their great knowledge of the five aggregates, the eighteen elements, the twelve sense sources, the twelve links of dependent origination, the four applications of mindfulness, the five powers, the eightfold path of the noble ones, the phenomena of the world and transcendence, and conditioned and unconditioned phenomena, bodhisattva great beings will gain great knowledge of the characteristic of the thatness of all phenomena. They will become highly skilled in discerning the characteristics of phenomena. They will attain the power of recollection. They will have the intelligence that discerns the terminology for all phenomena. As soon as they exchange their bodies, they will obtain unbroken recollection, and they will eventually attain unsurpassed and perfect awakening.
Chapter Twelve: The Entrustment
The bodhisattva great being Lokadhara then requested the Blessed One, “Blessed One, please consecrate this discourse to protect it and bring benefit and happiness to bodhisattva great beings. If bodhisattva great beings hear this discourse in the future, their minds will become pure, joyful, and happy. They will then give rise to diligence in order to accomplish these teachings.”
Notes
Bibliography
’phags pa ’jig rten ’dzin gyis yongs su dris pa zhes bya ba’i mdo (Āryālokadharaparipṛcchānāmasūtra). Toh 174, Degé Kangyur vol. 60 (mdo sde, ma), folios 7b.4–78b.7.
’phags pa ’jig rten ’dzin gyis yongs su dris pa zhes bya ba’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), 2006–2009, vol. 60, pp. 22–206.
’phags pa ’jig rten ’dzin gyis yongs su dris pa zhes bya ba’i mdo (Āryālokadharaparipṛcchānāmasūtra). In bka’ ’gyur (stog pho brang bris ma). Vol. 72 (mdo sde, zha), folios 1r–110v.
Chang, Cornelius P. “A Re-evaluation of the Development of Hsing-su Style in the Fourth Century AD.” National Palace Museum Quarterly, 11/2 (Winter 1976): 19–44.
Digital Dictionary of Buddhism. http://www.buddhism-dict.net/ddb/.
Herrmann-Pfandt, Adelheid. Die lHan kar ma: ein früher Katalog der ins Tibetische übersetzten buddhistischen Texte. Wien: Verlag der österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, 2008.
Lokadharaparipṛcchā; Chishi jing 持世經 (Taishō 482). Translated by Kumārajīva. In Taishō Shinshū Daizōkyō 大正新脩大藏經, ed. Junjirō Takakusu, Kaikyoku Watanabe, 100 vols., Tokyo: Taishō Shinshū Daizōkyō Kankōkai, 1924–34.
Stein, R. A. “The Two Vocabularies of Indo-Tibetan and Sino-Tibetan Translations in the Dunhuang Manuscripts.” In Rolf Stein’s Tibetica Antiqua with Additional Materials, trans. and ed. Arthur P. McKeown. Leiden: Brill, 2010, pp. 1–96.
Glossary
Absorption
- ting nge ’dzin
- ཏིང་ངེ་འཛིན།
- samādhi
A general term for states of deep concentration. One of the synonyms for meditation, referring in particular to a state of complete concentration or focus.
Acceptance
- bzod pa
- བཟོད་པ།
- kṣānti
The capacity to accept or tolerate experiences which ordinary beings cannot tolerate. It is the preparatory step to profound insight into reality. It also refers to the third stage of the path of joining (prayogamārga, sbyor lam). It is also the third transcendent perfection, in which context it has been rendered here as patience.
Aggregate for appropriation
- nye bar len pa’i phung po
- ཉེ་བར་ལེན་པའི་ཕུང་པོ།
- upādānaskandha
Ānanda
- dga’ bo
- དགའ་བོ།
- Ānanda
- 阿難
Anguished spirit
- yi dwags
- ཡི་དྭགས།
- preta
One of the five or six classes of sentient beings, considered to be the karmic fruition of past miserliness. In Sanskrit, literally “the departed”; they are analagous to the ancestral spirits of Vedic tradition, the pitṛs, who starve without the offerings of descendants. They live in the realm of Yama, the Lord of Death. They are particularly known to suffer from great hunger and thirst and the inability to acquire sustenance.
Applications of mindfulness
- dran pa nye bar bzhag pa
- དྲན་པ་ཉེ་བར་བཞག་པ།
- smṛtyupasthāna
- 念處
Apprehension
- dmigs pa
- དམིགས་པ།
- ālambana
- upalabdhi
A term for the apprehension of a subject, an object, and the relationships that exist between subjects and objects. The term might also be translated as “referentiality,” meaning a system based on the existence of referent objects, referent subjects, and the referential relationships that exist between them. As part of their doctrine of “threefold non-apprehension/non-referentiality” (’khor gsum mi dmigs pa), Mahāyāna Buddhists famously assert that all three categories of apprehension lack substantiality.
Appropriation
- nye bar len pa
- len pa
- ཉེ་བར་ལེན་པ།
- ལེན་པ།
- upādāna
In some texts, four types of appropriation are listed: of desire (rāga), of view (dṛṣṭi), of rules and observances as paramount (śīlavrataparāmarśa), and of belief in a self (ātmavāda). The term nye bar len pa also means “grasping” and it was rendered as such when it refers to the ninth of the twelve links of dependent origination, between craving and becoming.
Apramāṇābha
- tshad med ’od
- ཚད་མེད་འོད།
- Apramāṇābha
- 無量光
A buddha from the past.
Ascetic practice
- sbyangs pa’i yon tan
- སྦྱངས་པའི་ཡོན་ཏན།
- dhūtaguṇa
- 頭陀
An optional set of thirteen practices that monastics can adopt in order to cultivate greater detachment. They consist of 1) wearing patched robes made from discarded cloth rather than from cloth donated by laypeople; 2) wearing only three robes; 3) going for alms; 4) not omitting any house while on the alms round, rather than begging only at those houses known to provide good food; 5) eating only what can be eaten in one sitting; 6) eating only food received in the alms bowl, rather than more elaborate meals presented to the Saṅgha; 7) refusing more food after indicating one has eaten enough; 8) dwelling in the forest; 9) dwelling at the root of a tree; 10) dwelling in the open air, using only a tent made from one’s robes as shelter; 11) dwelling in a charnel ground; 12) satisfaction with whatever dwelling one has; and 13) sleeping in a sitting position without ever lying down.
Asura
- lha ma yin
- ལྷ་མ་ཡིན།
- asura
One of the six classes of sentient beings. The asuras are engendered and dominated by envy, ambition, and hostility and are metaphorically described as being incessantly embroiled in disputes with the gods (deva). They are frequently portrayed in brahmanical mythology as having a disruptive effect on cosmological and social harmony.
Bhadrapāla
- bzang skyong
- བཟང་སྐྱོང་།
- Bhadrapāla
- 跋陀婆羅
A bodhisattva in the Buddha’s retinue.
Blessed One
- bcom ldan ’das
- བཅོམ་ལྡན་འདས།
- bhagavat
- bhagavān
In Buddhist literature, an epithet applied to buddhas, most often to Śākyamuni. The Sanskrit term generically means “possessing fortune,” but in specifically Buddhist contexts 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.”
Blissful one
- bde bar gshegs pa
- བདེ་བར་གཤེགས་པ།
- sugata
Epithet of a buddha, meaning “one who has reached bliss.”
Bodhisattva Collection
- byang chub kyi sde snod
- བྱང་ཆུབ་ཀྱི་སྡེ་སྣོད།
- bodhisattvapiṭaka
- 菩薩藏
An old term for Mahāyāna corpus.
Body of form
- gzugs kyi sku
- གཟུགས་ཀྱི་སྐུ།
- rūpakāya
- 色身
The dimension of a buddha that corresponds to relative truth and is perceptible to either ordinary beings (nirmāṇakāya) or sublime beings (saṃbhogakāya).
Bringer of Benefit
- phan par ’gyur ba
- ཕན་པར་འགྱུར་བ།
- —
- 徳益
A king in Royal Mountain of Great Intelligence’s buddha realm.
Buddha realm
- sangs rgyas kyi zhing
- སངས་རྒྱས་ཀྱི་ཞིང་།
- buddhakṣetra
A pure realm manifested by a buddha or advanced bodhisattva through the power of their great merit and aspirations.
Conditioned
- ’dus byas
- འདུས་བྱས།
- saṃskṛta
This term refers to composite objects in the generic sense. In other contexts, it can also refer to “formations.”
Consciousness
- rnam par shes pa
- རྣམ་པར་ཤེས་པ།
- vijñāna
The third link of dependent origination, the fifth of the five aggregates. In most Abhidharma accounts it comprises the six sensory consciousnesses (eye, ear, nose, taste, body, and mind), but in Yogācāra theory two more kinds of consciousness, afflicted (kliṣṭamanas) and storehouse (ālayavijñāna), are added. For the sixth consciousness, see also “mind consciousness.”
Definitive meaning
- nges pa’i don
- ངེས་པའི་དོན།
- nītārtha
- 了義
The ultimate meaning of a given Dharma teaching.
Desire realm
- ’dod khams
- འདོད་ཁམས།
- kāmadhātu
In Buddhist cosmology, it is our sphere of existence where beings are driven primarily by the urge for sense gratification.
Dhāraṇī
- gzungs
- གཟུངས།
- dhāraṇī
- 陀羅尼
Usually this term refers to a statement, or spell, meant to protect or bring about a particular result. Here however, the term also has the meaning of “recall” or “memory.”
Dharma
- chos
- ཆོས།
- dharma
The term “dharma” (chos) conveys ten different meanings, according to Vasubandhu’s Vyākhyāyukti. It may mean the Buddhist teachings, the awakened qualities which buddhas and bodhisattvas acquire, phenomena or things in general, etc. In the context of this work, it was rendered as “Dharma” when it refers to the teachings, and in other contexts, rendered according to the specific meaning, namely as phenomena and qualities. See also i.4.
Dharma body
- chos kyi sku
- ཆོས་ཀྱི་སྐུ།
- dharmakāya
- 法身
One of the subdivisions in the collection of dharmas that constitutes a Buddha, variously explained but usually more closely related to the aspect of ultimate truth.
Dharma gateway
- chos kyi sgo
- ཆོས་ཀྱི་སྒོ།
- dharmamukha
- 法門
A teaching or spiritual method by which the Dharma is understood.
Dīpaṅkara
- mar me mdzad
- མར་མེ་མཛད།
- Dīpaṅkara
- 然燈
One of the most reknowned of former buddhas.
Eighteen elements
- khams bco brgyad
- ཁམས་བཅོ་བརྒྱད།
- aṣṭadaśadhātu
One way of describing experience and the world in terms of eighteen elements (eye, form, and eye consciousness; ear, sound, and ear consciousness; nose, odor, and nose consciousness; tongue, taste, and tongue consciousness; body, touch, and body consciousness; mind, mental phenomena, and mind consciousness).
Eightfold path of the noble ones
- ’phags pa’i lam yan lag brgyad pa
- འཕགས་པའི་ལམ་ཡན་ལག་བརྒྱད་པ།
- āryāṣṭāṅgamārga
- 八聖道分
Correct view, thought, speech, actions, livelihood, effort, mindfulness, and absorption. These eight are part of the thirty-seven factors of awakening.
Factors of awakening
- byang chub kyi phyogs kyi chos
- བྱང་ཆུབ་ཀྱི་ཕྱོགས་ཀྱི་ཆོས།
- bodhipakṣadharma
- 助菩提法
The set of practices that lead to awakening, traditionally listed as thirty-seven.
Feeling
- tshor ba
- ཚོར་བ།
- vedanā
The seventh link of dependent origination. The second of the five aggregates.
Five aggregates for appropriation
- nye bar len pa’i phung po lnga
- phung po lnga
- ཉེ་བར་ལེན་པའི་ཕུང་པོ་ལྔ།
- ཕུང་པོ་ལྔ།
- pañcopadānaskandha
- pañcaskandha
The five aggregates (skandha) of form, feeling, perception, formation, and consciousness. On the individual level the five aggregates refer to the basis upon which the mistaken idea of a self is projected. They are referred to as the “bases for appropriation” (upādāna) insofar as all conceptual grasping arises on the basis of these aggregates.
Five degenerations
- snyigs ma lnga
- སྙིགས་མ་ལྔ།
- pañcakaṣāya
The five degenerations are: (1) degeneration of life span, (2) degeneration of views, (3) degeneration of the afflictions (4) degeneration of beings, and (5) the degeneration of the era.
Five mental obscurations
- sgrib pa lnga
- སྒྲིབ་པ་ལྔ།
- pañcanīvaraṇa
- 五蓋
Longing for desires (kāmacchanda), malice (vyāpāda), sloth and torpor (styānamiddha), excitement and remorse (auddhatyakaukṛtya), and doubt (vicikitsā).
Five powers
- dbang po lnga
- དབང་པོ་ལྔ།
- pañcendriya
- 五根
Faith, diligence, mindfulness, absorption, and insight. These are the same as the five strengths at a lesser stage of development. See also n.64.
Five strengths
- stobs lnga
- སྟོབས་ལྔ།
- pañcabala
Faith, diligence, mindfulness, absorption, and insight. These are the same as the five powers, at a further stage of development.
Form realm
- gzugs khams
- གཟུགས་ཁམས།
- rūpadhātu
In Buddhist cosmology, the sphere of existence one level more subtle than our own (the desire realm), where beings, though subtly embodied, are not driven primarily by the urge for sense gratification.
Formation
- ’du byed
- འདུ་བྱེད།
- saṃskāra
Fourth of the five aggregates, second of the twelve links of dependent origination, and in the context of the aggregates sometimes also called “volitions,” “volitional formations,” or “compositional factors,” these are complex propensities that bring about action.
Formless realm
- gzugs med khams
- གཟུགས་མེད་ཁམས།
- ārūpyadhātu
In Buddhist cosmology, the sphere of existence two levels more subtle than our own (the desire realm), where beings are no longer physically embodied, and thus not subject to the sufferings that physical embodiment brings.
Four applications of mindfulness
- dran pa nye bar bzhag pa bzhi
- དྲན་པ་ཉེ་བར་བཞག་པ་བཞི།
- catuhsmṛtyupasthāna
- 四念處
Four contemplations on: (1) the body, (2) feelings, (3) mind, and (4) mental objects. These four contemplations are part of the thirty-seven factors of awakening.
Four concentrations
- bsam gtan bzhi
- བསམ་གཏན་བཞི།
- caturdhyāna
- 四禪
The four levels of mental absorption practiced by the gods in the formless realms: (1) the sphere of infinite space, (2) the sphere of infinite consciousness, (3) the sphere of nothingness, and (4) the sphere of neither perception nor nonperception.
Four correct exertions
- yang dag par spong ba bzhi
- ཡང་དག་པར་སྤོང་བ་བཞི།
- catuḥsamyakprahāṇa
- catuḥsamyakpradāṇa
Four types of effort consisting in abandoning existing negative mind states, abandoning the production of such states, giving rise to virtuous mind states that are not yet produced, and letting those states continue.
Four foundations of miracles
- rdzu ’phrul gyi rkang pa bzhi
- རྫུ་འཕྲུལ་གྱི་རྐང་པ་བཞི།
- caturṛddhipāda
The four foundations or bases of miraculous power are: determination, discernment, diligence, and absorption. These are among the thirty-seven factors of awakening.
Four great elements
- chen po bzhi
- ’byung ba chen po bzhi
- ཆེན་པོ་བཞི།
- འབྱུང་བ་ཆེན་པོ་བཞི།
- mahābhūta
- 四大
The four “main” or “great” outer elements of earth, water, fire, air, and (when there is a fifth) space.
Four types of fearlessness
- mi ’jigs pa rnam pa bzhi
- མི་འཇིགས་པ་རྣམ་པ་བཞི།
- caturvaiśāradya
- caturabhaya
This refers to the four confidences or fearlessnesses of the Buddha: confidence in having attained realization, confidence in having attained elimination, confidence in teaching the Dharma, and confidence in teaching the path of aspiration to liberation.
Gandharva
- dri za
- དྲི་ཟ།
- gandharva
A class of spirits, sometimes described as celestial musicians. In other contexts the term can also refer to beings in the bardo-state.
Garuḍa
- nam mkha’ lding
- ནམ་མཁའ་ལྡིང་།
- garuḍa
Lower class of divine being, described as an eagle-type bird with a gigantic wingspan. They were traditionally enemies of the nāgas. In the Vedas, they were thought to have brought nectar from the heavens to earth.
God
- lha
- ལྷ།
- deva
One of the five or six classes of sentient beings, specifically engendered and dominated by exaltation, indulgence, and pride. According to Buddhist cosmology, the gods are said to exist in many levels of celestial or divine realms, higher than that of the human realm, within in the desire realm, in the form realm, and in the formless realm.
Great trichiliocosm
- stong gsum gyi stong chen po’i ’jig rten gyi khams
- སྟོང་གསུམ་གྱི་སྟོང་ཆེན་པོའི་འཇིག་རྟེན་གྱི་ཁམས།
- trisāhasramahāsāhasralokadhātu
The largest universe spoken of in Buddhist cosmology, consisting of one billion smaller world systems.
Hearer
- nyan thos
- ཉན་ཐོས།
- śrāvaka
It is usually defined as “those who hear the teaching from the Buddha and make it heard to others.” Primarily it refers to those disciples of the Buddha who aspire to attain the state of an arhat by seeking self liberation and nirvāṇa.
Heaven of Joy
- dga’ ldan
- དགའ་ལྡན།
- Tuṣita
- 兜率天
One of the six heavens of the desire realm, where all future buddhas dwell prior to their awakening.
Heaven of the Thirty-Three
- sum cu rtsa gsum
- སུམ་ཅུ་རྩ་གསུམ།
- Trāyastriṃśa
- 忉利天
One of the six heavens of the desire realm.
Hell being
- sems can dmyal ba
- སེམས་ཅན་དམྱལ་བ།
- naraka
One of the five or six classes of sentient beings, engendered by anger and powerful negative actions. They are dominated by great suffering and said to dwell in eight different hells with specific caracteristics.
Inferred meaning
- bkri ba’i don
- བཀྲི་བའི་དོན།
- neyārtha
- 未了義
Meaning which can be logically inferred from a Dharma teaching, though is stated explicitely.
Insight
- shes rab
- ཤེས་རབ།
- prajñā
The sixth of the six perfections, it refers to the profound understanding of the emptiness of all phenomena, the realization of ultimate reality. It is also one of the five powers.
Jambudvīpa
- ’dzam bu’i gling
- འཛམ་བུའི་གླིང་།
- Jambudvīpa
- 閻浮提
The southern continent, one the four comprising our world in the Buddhist cosmology.
Kalandakanivāpa
- bya ka lan ta ka
- བྱ་ཀ་ལན་ཏ་ཀ
- Kalandakanivāpa
- 迦蘭陀
Literally, “The kalandaka Feeding Ground,” a location within the Veṇuvana where the Buddha stayed; it received its name from the many kalandaka that lived or were fed there. The Tibetan rendering bya ka lan da ka makes it clear that the Tibetans considered the kalandaka to be a kind of bird, while Sanskrit and Pali sources generally agree that it is a kind of squirrel—perhaps therefore the Indian flying squirrel, Petaurista philippensis.
King of Immeasurable Stacked Flowers
- tshad med pa’i me tog brtsegs pa’i rgyal po
- ཚད་མེད་པའི་མེ་ཏོག་བརྩེགས་པའི་རྒྱལ་པོ།
- —
- 無量花積王
A buddha who resides to the east of our world.
King of Lofty and Immeasurable Power
- tshad med pa stobs mtho ba’i rgyal po
- ཚད་མེད་པ་སྟོབས་མཐོ་བའི་རྒྱལ་པོ།
- —
- 無量力高王
A buddha from the past.
King of Lofty Wisdom
- ye shes mtho ba’i rgyal po
- ཡེ་ཤེས་མཐོ་བའི་རྒྱལ་པོ།
- —
- 智高王
A buddha from the past.
Kinnara
- mi’am ci
- མིའམ་ཅི།
- kinnara
A class of semidivine beings known for their musical skills, depicted as half horse and half human, or half bird and half human.
Limitless Intelligence
- tshad med blo gros
- ཚད་མེད་བློ་གྲོས།
- —
- 無量意
A son of King Bringer of Benefit and a bodhisattva in a story told by the Buddha.
Lokadhara
- ’jig rten ’dzin
- འཇིག་རྟེན་འཛིན།
- Lokadhara
- 持世
A bodhisattva and the main interlocutor of this sūtra.
Mahoraga
- lto ’phye chen po
- ལྟོ་འཕྱེ་ཆེན་པོ།
- mahoraga
Literally “large serpent.” A subterranean semi-divine being that takes the form of a large serpent, sometimes with a human torso and head.
Maitreya
- byams pa
- བྱམས་པ།
- Maitreya
- 彌勒
Majestic Mount Meru of Gold from the Jambū River
- ’dzam bu chu klung gi gser gyi ri rab ri’i rgyal po
- འཛམ་བུ་ཆུ་ཀླུང་གི་གསེར་གྱི་རི་རབ་རིའི་རྒྱལ་པོ།
- —
- 閻浮檀金須彌山王
A buddha from the past.
Mind consciousness
- yid kyi rnam par shes pa
- ཡིད་ཀྱི་རྣམ་པར་ཤེས་པ།
- manovijñāna
This is also known as the sixth consciouness and is the last of the eighteen elements. The Abhidharma speaks of five consciousnesses that grasp physical objects (form, sound, smells, tastes, bodily sensations) and are correlated with their respective physical sense faculties (indriya, dbang po), i.e. the eye, ear, etc. The mind consciousness, on the other hand, is said to have as its faculty simply the mind (manas, yid). It grasps all that exists, including what is presented by the physical consciousnesses as well as mental and abstract objects. These six consciousnesses, added to the twelve sense sources, constitute the Abhidharma schema of eighteen elements (dhātu, khams).
Nāga
- klu
- ཀླུ།
- nāga
A semidivine class of beings who live in subterranean acquatic environments and who are known to hoard wealth and esoteric teachings. They are associated with snakes and serpents.
Non-Buddhist
- mu stegs can
- མུ་སྟེགས་ཅན།
- tīrthika
- 外道
A follower of one of the non-Buddhist religious systems in India, who from a Buddhist perspective promote extreme views on the nature of reality.
Ornament of Certainty in Any Subject
- don thams cad gdon mi za ba’i rgyan
- དོན་ཐམས་ཅད་གདོན་མི་ཟ་བའི་རྒྱན།
- —
- 一切義決定莊嚴
The buddha that Ratnaprabha becomes.
Parinirvāṇa
- yongs su mya ngan las ’das pa
- ཡོངས་སུ་མྱ་ངན་ལས་འདས་པ།
- parinirvāṇa
Nirvāṇa, the state beyond sorrow, denotes the ultimate attainment of buddhahood, the permanent cessation of all suffering and the afflicted mental states which cause and perpetuate suffering, along with all misapprehension with regard to the nature of emptiness. As such, it is the antithesis of cyclic existence. Three types of nirvāṇa are identified: (1) the residual nirvāṇa where the person is still dependent on conditioned psycho-physical aggregates, (2) the non-residual nirvāṇa where the aggregates have also been consumed within emptiness, and (3) the non-abiding nirvāṇa transcending the extremes of phenomenal existence and quiescence. Parinirvāṇa or final nirvāṇa implies the non-residual attainment.
Phenomenon
- chos
- ཆོས།
- dharma
One of the meanings of the Skt. term “dharma.” This applies to “phenomena” or “things” in general, and, more specifically, “mental phenomena” which are the object of the mental faculty (manas, yid). See also “worldly phenomena” and “transcendent phenomena.”
Pure motivation
- lhag pa’i bsam pa
- ལྷག་པའི་བསམ་པ།
- adhyāśaya
- 深心
A strong sense of determination, often associated with altruism.
Rājagṛha
- rgyal po’i khab
- རྒྱལ་པོའི་ཁབ།
- Rājagṛha
- 王舍城
The ancient capital of Magadha; the site where many Great Vehicle sūtras take place.
Ratnaprabha
- rin chen ’od
- རིན་ཆེན་འོད།
- Ratnaprabha
- 寶光
A bodhisattva in Majestic Mount Meru of Gold from the Jambū River’s assembly.
Reality
- chos nyid
- ཆོས་ཉིད།
- dharmatā
Lit. the “nature of phenomena,” or “phenomena themselves.” The quality or condition of things as they really are, which cannot be conveyed in conceptual, dualistic terms. Akin to other terms rendered here as thatness (tattva, de kho na nyid), true reality (bhūtatā, yang dag pa nyid), and suchness (tathatā, de bzhin nyid).
Royal Array of Boundless Light
- tshad med ’od kyi bkod pa’i rgyal po
- ཚད་མེད་འོད་ཀྱི་བཀོད་པའི་རྒྱལ་པོ།
- —
- 無量光莊嚴王
The buddha that the bodhisattva Limitless Intelligence becomes.
Royal Light of Limitless Qualities
- tshad med yon tan ’od kyi rgyal po
- ཚད་མེད་ཡོན་ཏན་འོད་ཀྱི་རྒྱལ་པོ།
- —
- 無量光徳高王
A buddha from the past.
Royal Mountain of Great Intelligence
- blo gros chen po ri’i rgyal po
- བློ་གྲོས་ཆེན་པོ་རིའི་རྒྱལ་པོ།
- —
- 大意山王
A buddha from the past.
Sense source
- skye mched
- སྐྱེ་མཆེད།
- āyatana
- 入
These can be listed as twelve or as six sense sources (sometimes also called sense fields, bases of cognition, or simply āyatanas):
In context of epistemology, it is one way of describing experience and the world in terms of twelve sense sources, which can be divided into inner and outer sense sources, namely: 1-2) eye and form, 3-4) ear and sound, 5-6) nose and odor, 7-8) tongue and taste, 9-10) body and touch, 11-12) mind and mental phenomena. (These are subsumed in the eighteen elements, where to the twelve sense sources, the six consciousnesses are added.)
In the context of the twelve links of dependent origination, only six sense sources are mentioned and they are the inner sense sources (similar to the six faculties) of eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind.
Seven aspects of awakening
- byang chub kyi yan lag bdun
- བྱང་ཆུབ་ཀྱི་ཡན་ལག་བདུན།
- saptabodhyaṅga
- missing from Taishō 482
The set of seven factors that characteristically manifest on the path of seeing.
Seven precious substances
- rin po che sna bdun
- རིན་པོ་ཆེ་སྣ་བདུན།
- saptaratna
The list of seven precious materials varies. Either they are: gold, silver, turquoise, coral, pearl, emerald, and sapphire; or else they are: ruby, sapphire, beryl, emerald, diamond, pearls, and coral.
Solitary buddha
- rang sangs rgyas
- རང་སངས་རྒྱས།
- pratyekabuddha
Literally, “buddha for himself,” or “solitary realizer.” Those who attain buddhahood in a time when the Buddha’s doctrine is no longer available in the world, and who remain either in solitude or among peers, without teaching the path to liberation to others. Their attainment is the result of progress in previous lives but, unlike a buddha, they do not have the necessary accumulated merit nor the motivation to teach others.
Special insight
- lhag mthong
- ལྷག་མཐོང་།
- vipaśyanā
- 觀
An important form of Buddhist meditation focusing on developing insight into the nature of phenomena. Often presented as part of a pair of meditation techniques, the other being “tranquility.”
Spiritual friend
- dge ba’i bshes gnyen
- དགེ་བའི་བཤེས་གཉེན།
- kalyāṇamitra
- 善知識
A personal tutor on spiritual matters; a spritual guide.
Suchness
- de bzhin nyid
- དེ་བཞིན་ཉིད།
- tathatā
The quality or condition of things as they really are, which cannot be conveyed in conceptual, dualistic terms. Akin to other terms rendered here as thatness (tattva, de kho na nyid), true reality (bhūtatā, yang dag pa nyid), and reality (dharmatā, chos nyid).
Ten strengths
- stobs bcu
- སྟོབས་བཅུ།
- daśabala
A category of the distinctive qualities of a buddha. They are: knowing what is possible and what is impossible; knowing the results of actions or the ripening of karma; knowing the various inclinations of sentient beings; knowing the various elements; knowing the supreme and lesser faculties of sentient beings; knowing the paths that lead to all destinations of rebirth; knowing the concentrations, liberations, absorptions, equilibriums, afflictions, purifications, and abidings; knowing previous lives; knowing the death and rebirth of sentient beings; and knowing the cessation of the defilements.
Thatness
- de kho na nyid
- དེ་ཁོ་ན་ཉིད།
- tattva
The nature of things or their actual state, which cannot be conveyed in conceptual, dualistic terms. Akin to other terms rendered here as suchness (tathatā, de bzhin nyid), true reality (bhūtatā, yang dag pa nyid), and reality (dharmatā, chos nyid).
Three gateways of liberation
- rnam thar sgo gsum
- རྣམ་ཐར་སྒོ་གསུམ།
- trivimokṣadvāra
These are: emptiness as a gateway to liberation, absence of marks of all phenomena as a gateway to liberation, and absence of wishes as a gateway to liberation. Among them, emptiness is characterized as the absence of inherent existence, absence of marks as the absence of mental images, and absence of wishes as the absence of hopes and fears.
Three realms
- khams gsum
- ཁམས་གསུམ།
- tridhātu
- triloka
- 三性
- 三界
The formless realm, the form realm, and the desire realm comprising the thirty-one planes of existence in Buddhist cosmology.
Thus-gone one
- de bzhin gshegs pa
- དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པ།
- tathāgata
A frequently used synonym for a buddha. The expression is interpreted in different ways, but in general it implies one who has arrived at the realization of the ultimate state. Here also used as a specific epithet of the Buddha Śākyamuni.
Tranquility
- zhi gnas
- ཞི་གནས།
- śamatha
- 止
One of the basic forms of Buddhist meditation, which focuses on calming the mind. Often presented as part of a pair of meditation techniques, with the other technique being “special insight.”
Transcendent phenomena
- ’jig rten las ’das pa’i chos
- འཇིག་རྟེན་ལས་འདས་པའི་ཆོས།
- lokottaradharma
Lit. “dharmas beyond the world.” Trancendent or supramundane phenomena are things or factors related to liberation from saṃsāra. These include, for example, the four applications of mindfulness, the four correct exertions, the four foundations of miracles, the five powers, the five strengths, the seven branches of awakening, the eightfold path of the noble ones, the three gateways of liberation, and many other techniques and qualities of attainment. See also “worldly phenomena.”
True reality
- yang dag pa nyid
- ཡང་དག་པ་ཉིད།
- bhūtatā
Lit. “genuineness” or “authenticity.” The quality or condition of things as they really are, which cannot be conveyed in conceptual, dualistic terms. Akin to other terms rendered here as thatness (tattva, de kho na nyid), suchness (tathatā, de bzhin nyid), and reality (dharmatā, chos nyid).
Twelve links of dependent origination
- rten cing ’brel bar byung ba’i yang lag bcu gnyis
- རྟེན་ཅིང་འབྲེལ་བར་བྱུང་བའི་ཡང་ལག་བཅུ་གཉིས།
- dvādaśāṅgapratītyasamutpāda
The twelve causal links that perpetuate life in cyclic existence; starting with ignorance and ending with death. Through a deliberate reversal of these twelve links that one can succeed in bringing the whole cycle to an end. The twelve links are (1) ignorance, (2) formation, (3) consciousness, (4) name-and-form, (5) six sense sources, (6) contact, (7) feeling, (8) craving, (9) grasping, (10) becoming, (11) birth, (12) aging and death.
Veṇuvana
- ’od ma’i tshal
- འོད་མའི་ཚལ།
- Veṇuvana
- 竹園
The famous bamboo grove near Rājagṛha where the Buddha regularly stayed and gave teachings. It was situated on land donated by King Bimbisāra of Magadha and, as such, was the first of several landholdings donated to the Buddhist comunity during the time of the Buddha.
Water of the eight qualities
- yon tan brgyad kyi chu
- ཡོན་ཏན་བརྒྱད་ཀྱི་ཆུ།
- —
The eight qualities of water: (1) sweet-tasting; (2) cool; (3) soft; (4) light; (5) transparent; (6) clean; (7) not harmful to the throat; and (8) beneficial to the stomach.
Wisdom
- ye shes
- ཡེ་ཤེས།
- jñāna
Also known as “pristine awareness,” “primordial wisdom,” “primordial awareness,” “gnosis,” or the like. Typically refers to nonconceptual or unobscured states of knowledge.
World and transcendence
- ’jig rten dang ’jig rten las ’das pa
- འཇིག་རྟེན་དང་འཇིག་རྟེན་ལས་འདས་པ།
- lokalokottara
See “worldly phenomena” and “transcendent phenomena.”
Worldly phenomena
- ’jig rten gyi chos
- འཇིག་རྟེན་གྱི་ཆོས།
- lokadharma
It refers to things or factors that are bound by causality. In some contexts, it is the eight worldy dharmas or concerns. See also “transcendent phenomena.”
Yakṣa
- gnod sbyin
- གནོད་སྦྱིན།
- yakṣa
A class of semidivine beings said to dwell in the north, under the jurisdiction of the Great King Vaiśravaṇa, otherwise known as Kubera.