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དྲི་མེད་གྲགས་པས་བསྟན་པ།

The Teaching of Vimalakīrti
Lesson of the Destructible and the Indestructible

Vimala­kīrti­nirdeśa
འཕགས་པ་དྲི་མ་མེད་པར་གྲགས་པས་བསྟན་པ་ཞེས་བྱ་བ་ཐེག་པ་ཆེན་པོའི་མདོ།
’phags pa dri ma med par grags pas bstan pa zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo
The Noble Mahāyāna Sūtra “The Teaching of Vimalakīrti”
Ārya­vimala­kīrti­nirdeśa­nāma­mahā­yāna­sūtra
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Toh 176

Degé Kangyur vol. 60 (mdo sde, ma), folios 175.a–239.a

First published 2017
Current version v 1.45.19 (2022)
Generated by 84000 Reading Room v2.17.7

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co.

Table of Contents

ti. Title
im. Imprint
co. Contents
s. Summary
ac. Acknowledgments
i. Introduction
tr. The Translation
+ 12 chapters- 12 chapters
1. Purification of the Buddhafield
2. Inconceivable Skill in Liberative Art
3. The Disciples’ and the Bodhisattvas’ Reluctance to Visit Vimalakīrti
4. The Consolation of the Invalid
5. The Inconceivable Liberation
6. The Goddess
7. The Family of the Tathāgatas
8. The Dharma-Door of Nonduality
9. The Feast Brought by the Emanated Incarnation
10. Lesson of the Destructible and the Indestructible
11. Vision of the Universe Abhirati and the Tathāgata Akṣobhya
12. Antecedents and Transmission of the Holy Dharma
c. Colophon
ab. Abbreviations
n. Notes
b. Bibliography
+ 4 sections- 4 sections
· Tibetan and Sanskrit sources
· Translations of this text
· Canonical references
· Editions and translations of works referenced
g. Glossary

s.

Summary

s.­1

While the Buddha is teaching outside the city of Vaiśālī, a notable householder in the city‍—the great bodhisattva Vimalakīrti‍—apparently falls sick. The Buddha asks his disciple and bodhisattva disciples to call on Vimalakīrti, but each of them relates previous encounters that have rendered them reluctant to face his penetrating scrutiny of their attitudes and activities. Only Mañjuśrī has the courage to pay him a visit, and in the conversations that ensue between Vimalakīrti, Mañjuśrī, and several other interlocutors, Vimalakīrti sets out an uncompromising and profound view of the Buddha’s teaching and the bodhisattva path, illustrated by various miraculous displays. Its masterful narrative structure, dramatic and sometimes humorous dialogue, and highly evolved presentation of teachings have made this sūtra one of the favorites of Mahāyāna literature.


ac.

Acknowledgments

ac.­1

Translated by Robert A. F. Thurman and first published, under the title The Holy Teaching of Vimalakīrti: A Mahāyāna Scripture, by the Pennsylvania State University Press, University Park and London, in 1976.

This electronic edition for 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, with an abridged introduction and notes, and lightly edited under the supervision of Professor Thurman, is published by his kind permission as the copyright holder.

From the Preface to the original edition:

I sincerely thank my friend and benefactor, Dr. C. T. Shen, both for his sponsorship of the work and for his most helpful collaboration in the work of comparing the Tibetan and Chinese versions. We were sometimes joined in our round-table discussions by Drs. C. S. George, Tao-Tien Yi, F. S. K. Koo, and T. C. Tsao, whose helpful suggestions I gratefully acknowledge. My thanks also go to Ms. Yeshe Tsomo and Ms. Leah Zahler for their invaluable editorial assistance, and to Ms. Carole Schwager and the staff of The Pennsylvania State University Press.

Preface to this electronic edition:

I earnestly thank Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche for his great efforts in creating the 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha project, to present in English the many great works of the Buddha’s teachings freely to the world.

I also thank John Canti, of 84000, for his careful, creative, and very learned translating and editorial work on this electronic edition, without which this improved translation would not have materialized. I thank Mr. Patrick Alexander, of the Penn State University Press, who was the one who informed me that the copyright to my original translation done for the Institute for Advanced Studies of World Religions had reverted to me upon the termination of that Institute, to which I had previously conveyed my rights.

I intend to publish in print form a further update of that original version at a future time. Since there have been a number of free-floating electronic forms of this text on the internet for some years now, I am happy that the sūtra in its current revision is now available in the 84000 Reading Room, among the many other translations on that site.

Sarva maṅgalam!


i.

Introduction

i.­1

Among Buddhist sūtras, The Teaching of Vimalakīrti stands out like a masterfully faceted diamond, so located between the heaps of gold, silver, and pearls of the Transcendent ‌Wisdom (Prajñā­pāramitā) Sūtras and the array of sapphires, rubies, emeralds, and other gems of the ‌Buddha Garland (Buddhāvataṃsaka), or Inconceivable Liberation (Acintyavimokṣa) Sūtras as to refract the radiances of all, beaming them forth to the beholder in a concentrated rainbow-beam of diamond light.


The Translation
The Noble Mahāyāna Sūtra
The Teaching of Vimalakīrti

1.
Chapter 1

Purification of the Buddhafield

[F.175.a]


1.­1

Reverence to all the buddhas, bodhisattvas, noble disciples, and pratyekabuddhas, in the past, the present, and the future.


1.­2

Thus did I hear on a single occasion. The Lord Buddha was in residence in the garden of Āmrapālī, in the city of Vaiśālī, attended by a great gathering. Of bhikṣus there were eight thousand, all arhats. They were free from impurities and afflictions, and all had attained self-mastery. Their minds were entirely liberated by perfect knowledge. They were calm and dignified, like royal elephants. They had accomplished their work, done what they had to do, cast off their burdens, attained their goals, and totally destroyed the bonds of existence. Their true knowledge had made their minds entirely free. They all had attained the utmost perfection of every form of control over their minds.14


2.
Chapter 2

Inconceivable Skill in Liberative Art

2.­1

At that time, there lived in the great city of Vaiśālī a certain Licchavi, Vimalakīrti by name. Having served the ancient buddhas, he had generated the roots of virtue by honoring them and making offerings to them. He had attained tolerance as well as eloquence. He played with the great superknowledges. He had attained the power of retention and the fearlessnesses. He had conquered all demons and opponents. He had penetrated the profound way of the Dharma. He was liberated through the transcendence of wisdom. Having integrated his realization with skill in liberative art, he was expert in knowing the thoughts and actions of living beings. Knowing the strength or weakness of their faculties, and being gifted with unrivaled eloquence, he taught the Dharma appropriately to each. Having applied himself energetically to the Mahāyāna, he understood it and accomplished his tasks with great finesse. He lived with the deportment of a buddha, and his superior intelligence was as wide as an ocean. He was praised, honored, and commended by all the buddhas and was respected by Śakra, Brahmā, and all the Lokapālas. In order to develop living beings with his skill in liberative art, he lived in the great city of Vaiśālī.


3.
Chapter 3

The Disciples’ and the Bodhisattvas’ Reluctance to Visit Vimalakīrti

3.­1

Then, the Licchavi Vimalakīrti thought to himself, “I am sick, lying on my bed in pain, yet the Tathāgata, the arhat, the perfectly accomplished Buddha, does not consider me or take pity upon me, and sends no one to inquire after my illness.”

3.­2

The Lord knew this thought in the mind of Vimalakīrti and said to the venerable Śāriputra, “Śāriputra, go to inquire after the illness of the Licchavi Vimalakīrti.”


4.
Chapter 4

The Consolation of the Invalid

4.­1

Then, the Buddha said to the crown prince, Mañjuśrī, “Mañjuśrī, [F.198.a] go to the Licchavi Vimalakīrti to inquire about his illness.”

Mañjuśrī replied, “Lord, it is difficult to attend upon the Licchavi Vimalakīrti. He is gifted with marvelous eloquence concerning the law of the profound. He is extremely skilled in full expressions and in the reconciliation of dichotomies. His eloquence is inexorable, and no one can resist his imperturbable intellect. He accomplishes all the activities of the bodhisattvas. He penetrates all the secret mysteries of the bodhisattvas and the buddhas. He is skilled in civilizing all the abodes of devils. He plays with the great superknowledges. He is consummate in wisdom and liberative art. He has attained the supreme excellence of the indivisible, nondual sphere of the ultimate realm. He is skilled in teaching the Dharma with its infinite modalities within the uniform ultimate. He is skilled in granting means of attainment in accordance with the spiritual faculties of all living beings. He has thoroughly integrated his realization with skill in liberative art. He has attained decisiveness with regard to all questions. Thus, although he cannot be withstood by someone of my feeble defenses, still, sustained by the grace of the Buddha, I will go to him and will converse with him as well as I can.”


5.
Chapter 5

The Inconceivable Liberation

5.­1

Thereupon, the venerable Śāriputra had this thought: “There is not even a single chair in this house. Where are these disciples and bodhisattvas going to sit?”

The Licchavi Vimalakīrti read the thought of the venerable Śāriputra and said, “Reverend Śāriputra, did you come here for the sake of the Dharma? Or did you come here for the sake of a chair?”

5.­2

Śāriputra replied, “I came for the sake of the Dharma, not for the sake of a chair.”


6.
Chapter 6

The Goddess

6.­1

Thereupon, Mañjuśrī, the crown prince, addressed the Licchavi Vimalakīrti: “Good sir, how should a bodhisattva regard all living beings?”

Vimalakīrti replied, “Mañjuśrī, a bodhisattva should regard all living beings as a wise man regards the reflection of the moon in water or as magicians regard men created by magic. He should regard them as being like a face in a mirror; like the water of a mirage; like the sound of an echo; like a mass of clouds in the sky; [F.208.b] like the previous moment of a ball of foam; like the appearance and disappearance of a bubble of water; like the core of a plantain tree; like a flash of lightning; like the fifth great element; like the seventh sense-medium; like the appearance of matter in an immaterial realm; like a sprout from a rotten seed; like a tortoise-hair coat; like the fun of games for one who wishes to die; like the egoistic views of a stream-winner; like a third rebirth of a once-returner; like the descent of a nonreturner into a womb; like the existence of desire, hatred, and folly in an arhat; [F.209.a] like thoughts of avarice, immorality, wickedness, and hostility in a bodhisattva who has attained tolerance; like the instincts of afflictions in a tathāgata; like the perception of color in one blind from birth; like the inhalation and exhalation of an ascetic absorbed in the meditation of cessation; like the track of a bird in the sky; like the erection of a eunuch; like the pregnancy of a barren woman; like the unproduced afflictions of an emanated incarnation of the Tathāgata; like dream-visions seen after waking; like the afflictions of one who is free of conceptualizations; like fire burning without fuel; like the reincarnation of one who has attained ultimate liberation. [F.209.b]


7.
Chapter 7

The Family of the Tathāgatas

7.­1

Then, the crown prince Mañjuśrī asked the Licchavi Vimalakīrti, “‌Noble sir, how does the bodhisattva follow the way to attain the qualities of the Buddha?”

Vimalakīrti replied, “Mañjuśrī, when the bodhisattva follows the wrong way, he follows the way to attain the qualities of the Buddha.”

7.­2

Mañjuśrī continued, “How does the bodhisattva follow the wrong way?”

Vimalakīrti replied, “Even should he enact the five deadly sins, he feels no malice, violence, or hate. Even should he go into the hells, he remains free of all taint of afflictions. Even should he go into the states of the animals, he remains free of darkness and ignorance. When he goes into the states of the asuras, he remains free of pride, conceit, and arrogance. When he goes into the realm of the lord of death, he accumulates the stores of merit and wisdom. When he goes into the states of motionlessness and immateriality, he does not dissolve therein.


8.
Chapter 8

The Dharma-Door of Nonduality

8.­1

Then, the Licchavi Vimalakīrti asked those bodhisattvas, “Good sirs, please explain how the bodhisattvas enter the Dharma-door of nonduality!”177

8.­2

The bodhisattva Dharmavikurvaṇa declared, “Noble sir, production and destruction are two, but what is not produced and does not occur cannot be destroyed. Thus the attainment of the tolerance of the birthlessness of things is the entrance into nonduality.”


9.
Chapter 9

The Feast Brought by the Emanated Incarnation

9.­1

Thereupon, the venerable Śāriputra thought to himself, “If these great bodhisattvas do not adjourn before noontime, when are they going to eat?”185

The Licchavi Vimalakīrti, aware of what the venerable Śāriputra was thinking, spoke to him: “Reverend Śāriputra, the Tathāgata has taught the eight liberations. You should concentrate on those liberations, listening to the Dharma with a mind free of preoccupations with material things. Just wait a minute, reverend Śāriputra, and you will eat such food as you have never before tasted.”


10.
Chapter 10

Lesson of the Destructible and the Indestructible

10.­1

Meanwhile, the area in which the Lord was teaching the Dharma in the garden of Āmrapālī expanded and grew larger, and the entire assembly appeared tinged with a golden hue. Thereupon, the venerable Ānanda asked the Buddha, “Lord, this expansion and enlargement of the garden of Āmrapālī and this golden hue of the assembly‍—what do these auspicious signs portend?”

The Buddha declared, “Ānanda, these auspicious signs portend that the Licchavi Vimalakīrti and the crown prince Mañjuśrī, attended by a great multitude, are coming into the presence of the Tathāgata.”

10.­2

At that moment the Licchavi Vimalakīrti said to the crown prince Mañjuśrī, “Mañjuśrī, let us take these many living beings into the presence of the Lord, [F.226.a] so that they may see the Tathāgata and bow down to him!”

Mañjuśrī replied, “Noble sir, send them if you feel the time is right!”

10.­3

Thereupon the Licchavi Vimalakīrti performed the miraculous feat of placing the entire assembly, replete with thrones, upon his right hand and then, having transported himself magically into the presence of the Buddha, placing it on the ground. He bowed down at the feet of the Buddha, circumambulated him to the right seven times with palms together, and withdrew to one side.

10.­4

The bodhisattvas who had come from the buddhafield of the Tathāgata Gandhottama­kūṭa descended from their lion-thrones and, bowing down at the feet of the Buddha, placed their palms together in reverence and withdrew to one side. And the other bodhisattvas, great spiritual heroes, and the great disciples descended from their thrones likewise and, having bowed at the feet of the Buddha, withdrew to one side. Likewise all those Śakras, Brahmās, Lokapālas, and gods bowed at the feet of the Buddha and withdrew to one side.

10.­5

Then, the Buddha, having delighted those bodhisattvas with greetings, declared, “Noble sons, be seated upon your thrones!”

Thus commanded by the Buddha, they took their thrones.

10.­6

The Buddha said to Śāriputra, “Śāriputra, did you see the miraculous performances of the bodhisattvas, those best of beings?”

“I have seen them, Lord.”

10.­7

“What concept did you produce toward them?”

“Lord, I produced the concept of inconceivability toward them. Their activities appeared inconceivable to me to the point that I was unable to think of them, to judge them, [F.226.b] or even to imagine them.”

10.­8

Then the venerable Ānanda asked the Buddha, “Lord, what is this perfume, the likes of which I have never smelled before?”

The Buddha answered, “Ānanda, this perfume emanates from all the pores of all these bodhisattvas.”

Śāriputra added, “Venerable Ānanda, this same perfume emanates from all our pores as well!”

10.­9

Ānanda: Where does the perfume come from?

Śāriputra: The Licchavi Vimalakīrti obtained some food from the universe called Sarva­gandha­sugandhā, the buddhafield of the Tathāgata Gandhottama­kūṭa, and this perfume emanates from the bodies of all those who partook of that food.

10.­10

Then the venerable Ānanda addressed the Licchavi Vimalakīrti: “How long will this perfume remain?”

Vimalakīrti: Until it is digested.

10.­11

Ānanda: When will it be digested?

Vimalakīrti: It will be digested in forty-nine days, and its perfume will emanate for seven days more after that, but there will be no trouble of indigestion during that time. Furthermore, reverend Ānanda, if monks who have not entered destiny for the ultimate eat this food, it will be digested when they enter that destiny. When those who have entered destiny for the ultimate eat this food, it will not be digested until their minds are totally liberated. If living beings who have not conceived the spirit of unexcelled, perfect enlightenment eat this food, it will be digested when they conceive the spirit of unexcelled, perfect enlightenment. If those who have conceived the spirit of perfect enlightenment eat this food, it will not be digested until they have attained tolerance. And if those who have attained tolerance eat this food, it will be digested when they have become bodhisattvas one lifetime away from buddhahood. Reverend Ānanda, it is like the medicine called “delicious,” which reaches the stomach but is not digested until all poisons have been eliminated‍—only then is it digested. Similarly, reverend Ānanda, [F.227.a] this food is not digested until all the poisons of the passions have been eliminated‍—only then is it digested.

10.­12

Then, the venerable Ānanda said to the Buddha, “Lord, it is wonderful that this food accomplishes the work of the Buddha!”

“So it is, Ānanda! It is as you say, Ānanda! There are buddhafields that accomplish the buddha-work by means of bodhisattvas, those that do so by means of lights, those that do so by means of the tree of enlightenment, those that do so by means of the physical beauty and the marks of the Tathāgata, those that do so by means of religious robes, those that do so by means of food, those that do so by means of water, those that do so by means of gardens, those that do so by means of palaces, those that do so by means of mansions, those that do so by means of magical incarnations, those that do so by means of empty space, and those that do so by means of lights in the sky. Why is it so, Ānanda? Because by these various means, living beings become disciplined. Similarly, Ānanda, there are buddhafields that accomplish the buddha-work by means of teaching living beings words, definitions, and analogies, such as ‘dreams,’ ‘images,’ the ‘reflection of the moon in water,’ ‘echoes,’ ‘illusions,’ and ‘mirages’; and there are those that accomplish the buddha-work by making words understandable. Also, Ānanda, there are utterly pure buddhafields that accomplish the buddha-work for living beings without speech, by silence, inexpressibility, and unteachability. [F.227.b] Ānanda, among all the activities, enjoyments, and practices of the buddhas, there are none that do not accomplish the buddha-work, because all discipline living beings. Finally, Ānanda, the buddhas accomplish the buddha-work by means of the four māras and all the eighty-four thousand types of passion that afflict living beings.

10.­13

“Ānanda, this is a Dharma-door called introduction to all the buddha-qualities. The bodhisattva who enters this Dharma-door experiences neither joy nor pride when confronted by a buddhafield adorned with the splendor of all noble qualities, and experiences neither sadness nor aversion when confronted by a buddhafield apparently without that splendor, but in all cases produces a profound reverence for all the tathāgatas. Indeed, it is wonderful how all the lord buddhas, who understand the equality of all things, manifest all sorts of buddhafields in order to develop living beings!

10.­14

“Ānanda, just as the buddhafields are diverse as to their specific qualities but have no difference as to the sky that covers them, so, Ānanda, the tathāgatas are diverse as to their physical bodies but do not differ as to their unimpeded gnosis.

10.­15

“Ānanda, all the buddhas are the same as to the perfection of their buddha-qualities: that is, their forms, their colors, their radiance, their bodies, their marks, their nobility, their morality, their concentration, their wisdom, their liberation, their gnosis and vision of liberation, their strengths, their fearlessnesses, their special buddha-qualities, their great love, their great compassion, their helpful intentions, their attitudes, their practices, their paths, the lengths of their lives, their teachings of the Dharma, [F.228.a] their development and liberation of living beings, and their purification of buddhafields. Therefore, they are all called ‘saṃyaksaṃbuddhas,’ ‘tathāgatas,’ and ‘buddhas.’

10.­16

“Ānanda, were your life to last an entire eon, it would not be easy for you to understand thoroughly the extensive meaning and precise verbal significance of these three names. Also, Ānanda, if all the living beings of this billion-world galactic universe were like you‍—the foremost of the learned and the foremost of those endowed with memory and retention193‍—and were they to devote an entire eon, they would still be unable to understand completely the exact and extensive meaning of the three words ‘saṃyaksaṃbuddha,’ ‘tathāgata,’ and ‘buddha.’ Thus, Ānanda, the enlightenment of the buddhas is immeasurable, and the wisdom and the eloquence of the tathāgatas are inconceivable.”

10.­17

Then, the venerable Ānanda addressed the Buddha: “Lord, from this day forth, I shall no longer declare myself to be the foremost of the learned.”

The Buddha said, “Do not be discouraged, Ānanda! Why? I pronounced you, Ānanda, the foremost of the learned, with the disciples in mind, not considering the bodhisattvas. Look, Ānanda, look at the bodhisattvas. They cannot be fathomed even by the wisest of men. Ānanda, one can fathom the depths of the ocean, but one cannot fathom the depths of the wisdom, gnosis, memory, retention, or eloquence of the bodhisattvas. Ānanda, you should remain in equanimity with regard to the deeds of the bodhisattvas. Why? Ānanda, these marvels displayed in a single morning by the Licchavi Vimalakīrti [F.228.b] could not be performed by the disciples and solitary sages who have attained miraculous powers, were they to devote all their powers of incarnation and transformation during one hundred thousand millions of eons.”

10.­18

Then, all those bodhisattvas from the buddhafield of the Tathāgata Gandhottama­kūṭa joined their palms in reverence and, saluting the Tathāgata Śākyamuni, addressed him as follows: “Lord, when we first arrived in this buddhafield, we conceived a negative idea, but we now abandon this wrong idea. Why? Lord, the realms of the buddhas and their skill in liberative art are inconceivable. In order to develop living beings, they manifest such and such a field to suit the desire of such and such a living being. Lord, please give us a teaching by which we may remember you, when we have returned to Sarva­gandha­sugandhā.”

10.­19

Thus having been requested, the Buddha declared, “Noble sons, there is a liberation of bodhisattvas called destructible and indestructible. You must train yourselves in this liberation. What is it? ‘Destructible’ refers to compounded things. ‘Indestructible’ refers to the uncompounded.194 But the bodhisattva should neither destroy the compounded nor rest in the uncompounded.195

10.­20

“Not to destroy compounded things consists in not losing the great love; not giving up the great compassion; not forgetting the omniscient mind generated by high resolve; not tiring in the positive development of living beings; not abandoning the means of unification; giving up body and life in order to uphold the holy Dharma; never being satisfied with the roots of virtue already accumulated; taking pleasure in skillful dedication; having no laziness in seeking the Dharma; [F.229.a] being without selfish reticence in teaching the Dharma; sparing no effort in seeing and worshiping the tathāgatas; being fearless in voluntary reincarnations; being neither proud in success nor bowed in failure; not despising the unlearned, and respecting the learned as if they were the Teacher himself; making reasonable those whose passions are excessive; taking pleasure in solitude, without being attached to it; not longing for one’s own happiness but longing for the happiness of others; conceiving of trance, meditation, and equanimity as if they were the Avīci hell; conceiving of the world as a garden of liberation; considering beggars to be spiritual teachers; considering the giving away of all possessions to be the means of realizing buddhahood; considering immoral beings to be saviors;196 considering the transcendences to be parents; considering the aids to enlightenment to be servants; never ceasing accumulation of the roots of virtue; establishing the virtues of all buddhafields in one’s own buddhafield; offering limitless pure sacrifices to fulfill the auspicious marks and signs; adorning body, speech, and mind by refraining from all sins; continuing in reincarnations during immeasurable eons, while purifying body, speech, and mind; avoiding discouragement, through spiritual heroism, when learning of the immeasurable virtues of the Buddha; wielding the sharp sword of wisdom to chastise the enemy afflictions; knowing well the aggregates, the elements, and the sense-media in order to bear the burdens of all living beings; blazing with energy to conquer the host of demons; seeking knowledge in order to avoid pride; being content with little desire in order to uphold the Dharma; [F.229.b] not mixing with worldly things in order to delight all the people; being faultless in all activities in order to conform to all people; producing the superknowledges to actually accomplish all duties of benefit to living beings; acquiring retention, memory, and knowledge in order to retain all learning; understanding the degrees of people’s spiritual faculties to dispel the doubts of all living beings; displaying invincible miraculous feats to teach the Dharma; having irresistible speech by acquiring unimpeded eloquence;197 tasting human and divine success by purifying the path of the ten virtues; establishing the path of the pure states of Brahmā by cultivating the four immeasurables; inviting the buddhas to teach the Dharma, rejoicing in them, and applauding them, thereby obtaining the melodious voice of a buddha; disciplining body, speech, and mind, thus maintaining constant spiritual progress; being without attachment to anything and thus acquiring the behavior of a buddha; gathering together the order of bodhisattvas198 to attract beings to the Mahāyāna; and being consciously aware at all times not to neglect any good quality. Noble sons, a bodhisattva who thus applies himself to the Dharma is a bodhisattva who does not destroy the compounded realm.

10.­21

“What is not resting in the uncompounded? The bodhisattva practices voidness, but he does not realize voidness. He practices signlessness but does not realize signlessness. He practices wishlessness but does not realize wishlessness. He practices non-performance but does not realize non-performance. He knows impermanence but is not complacent about his roots of virtue. He considers misery, but he reincarnates voluntarily. He knows selflessnes, but does not waste himself. [F.230.a] He considers peacefulness but does not seek extreme peace. He cherishes solitude but does not avoid mental and physical efforts. He considers placelessness but does not abandon the place of good actions. He considers occurrencelessness but undertakes to bear the burdens of all living beings. He considers immaculateness, yet he follows the process of the world. He considers motionlessness, yet he moves in order to develop all living beings. He considers selflessness, yet does not abandon the great compassion toward all living beings. He considers birthlessness, yet he does not fall into the ultimate determination of the disciples. He considers vanity, futility, insubstantiality, dependency, and placelessness, yet he establishes himself on merits that are not vain, on knowledge that is not futile, on reflections that are substantial, on the striving for the consecration of the independent gnosis, and on the buddha lineage in its definitive meaning.

“Thus, noble sons, a bodhisattva who aspires to such a Dharma neither rests in the uncompounded nor destroys the compounded.

10.­22

“Furthermore, noble sons, in order to accomplish the store of merit, a bodhisattva does not rest in the uncompounded, and, in order to accomplish the store of wisdom, he does not destroy the compounded. In order to fulfill the great love, he does not rest in the uncompounded, and, in order to fulfill the great compassion, he does not destroy compounded things. In order to develop living beings, he does not rest in the uncompounded, and, in order to aspire to the buddha-qualities, he does not destroy compounded things. To perfect the marks of buddhahood, he does not rest in the uncompounded, and, to perfect the gnosis of omniscience, he does not destroy compounded things. Out of skill in liberative art, he does not rest in the uncompounded, and, through thorough analysis with his wisdom, he does not destroy compounded things. To purify the buddhafield, he does not rest in the uncompounded, [F.230.b] and, by the power of the grace of the Buddha, he does not destroy compounded things. Because he feels the needs of living beings, he does not rest in the uncompounded, and, in order to show truly the meaning of the Dharma, he does not destroy compounded things. Because of his store of roots of virtue, he does not rest in the uncompounded, and, because of his instinctive enthusiasm for these roots of virtue, he does not destroy compounded things. To fulfill his prayers, he does not rest in the uncompounded, and, because he has no wishes, he does not destroy compounded things. Because his positive thought is pure, he does not rest in the uncompounded, and, because his high resolve is pure, he does not destroy compounded things. In order to play with the five superknowledges, he does not rest in the uncompounded, and, because of the six superknowledges of the buddha-gnosis,199 he does not destroy compounded things. To fulfill the six transcendences, he does not rest in the uncompounded, and, to fulfill the time,200 he does not destroy compounded things. To gather the treasures of the Dharma, he does not rest in the uncompounded, and, because he does not like any narrow-minded teachings, he does not destroy compounded things. Because he gathers all the medicines of the Dharma, he does not rest in the uncompounded, and, to apply the medicine of the Dharma appropriately, he does not destroy compounded things. To confirm his commitments, he does not rest in the uncompounded, and, to mend any failure of these commitments, he does not destroy compounded things. To concoct all the medicines of the Dharma, he does not rest in the uncompounded, and, to give out the medicine of even the smallest Dharma,201 he does not destroy compounded things. Because he knows thoroughly all the sicknesses due to passions, he does not rest in the uncompounded, and, in order to cure all sicknesses of all living beings, he does not destroy compounded things.

10.­23

“Thus, noble sons, the bodhisattva does not destroy compounded things and does not rest in the uncompounded, and that is the liberation of bodhisattvas called destructible and indestructible. Noble sirs, you should also strive in this.”

10.­24

Then, those bodhisattvas, having heard this teaching, were satisfied, delighted, and reverent. They were filled with rejoicing and happiness of mind. [F.231.a] In order to worship the Buddha Śākyamuni and the bodhisattvas of the Sahā universe, as well as this teaching, they covered the whole earth of this billion-world galactic universe with fragrant powder, incense, perfumes, and flowers up to the height of the knees. Having thus regaled the whole retinue of the Tathāgata, bowed their heads at the feet of the Buddha, and circumambulated him to the right three times, they sang a hymn of praise to him. They then disappeared from this universe and in a split second were back in the universe Sarva­gandha­sugandhā.


11.
Chapter 11

Vision of the Universe Abhirati and the Tathāgata Akṣobhya

11.­1

Thereupon, the Buddha said to the Licchavi Vimalakīrti, “Noble son, when you see the Tathāgata, how do you view him?”

Thus addressed, the Licchavi Vimalakīrti said to the Buddha, “Lord, when I see the Tathāgata, I view him by not seeing any Tathāgata. Why? I see him as not born from the past, not passing on to the future, and not abiding in the present time. Why? He is the essence that is the reality of matter,202 but he is not matter. He is the essence that is the reality of sensation, but he is not sensation. He is the essence that is the reality of intellect, but he is not intellect. He is the essence that is the reality of performance, yet he is not performance. He is the essence that is the reality of consciousness, yet he is not consciousness. Like the element of space, he does not abide in any of the four elements. Transcending the scope of eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind, he is not produced in the six sense-media. [F.231.b] He is not involved in the three worlds, is free of the three defilements, is associated with the triple liberation, is endowed with the three knowledges, and has truly attained the unattainable.


12.
Chapter 12

Antecedents and Transmission of the Holy Dharma

12.­1

Then Śakra, the king of the gods, said to the Buddha, “Lord, formerly I have heard from the Tathāgata and from Mañjuśrī, the crown prince of wisdom, many hundreds of thousands of teachings of the Dharma, but I have never before heard a teaching of the Dharma as remarkable as this instruction in the entrance into the method of inconceivable transformations.206 Lord, those living beings who, having heard this teaching of the Dharma, accept it, remember it, read it, and understand it deeply will be, without a doubt, true vessels of the Dharma; [F.235.a] there is no need to mention those who apply themselves to the yoga of meditation upon it. They will cut off all possibility of unhappy lives, will open their way to all fortunate lives, will always be looked after by all buddhas, will always overcome all adversaries, and will always conquer all devils. They will practice the path of the bodhisattvas, will take their places upon the seat of enlightenment, and will have truly entered the domain of the tathāgatas. Lord, the noble sons and daughters who will teach and practice this exposition of the Dharma will be honored and served by me and my followers. To the villages, towns, cities, states, kingdoms, and capitals wherein this teaching of the Dharma will be applied, taught, and demonstrated, I and my followers will come to hear the Dharma. I will inspire the unbelieving with faith, and I will guarantee my help and protection to those who believe and uphold the Dharma.”


c.

Colophon

c.­1

It has 1,800 ślokas in six fascicles, and was translated, edited, and established by Bandé Chönyi Tsultrim.


ab.

Abbreviations

Ch. Chinese
K Kumārajīva’s Ch. translation
X Xuanzang’s Ch. translation

n.

Notes

n.­1
Skt. acintyavimokṣa. See Chapter 12.
n.­2
See Lamotte (Appendice, Note III, pp 407-413).
n.­3
See Lamotte’s discussion of this concept (Lamotte, Introduction, pp 33-37), even though he emphasizes the rhetorical meaning more than the behavioral meaning.
n.­4
The Guhya­samāja­tantra (see bibliography) is generally recognized as one of the earliest systematic tantric texts. It expounds a philosophically pure Middle Way nondualism, combined with an explicit teaching of the reconciliation of dichotomies (i.e., how even evil can be transmuted to enlightenment, etc.) and an elaborate meditational methodology, employing sacred formulae (mantra), rituals, and visualizations. The meditation of jewels, buddhas, sacred universes (maṇḍala), etc., as existing in full detail inside a mustard seed on the tip of the yogin’s nose is a characteristic exercise in the Guhyasamāja, as in Chap. 3.
n.­5
See 2.­3. It is especially appropriate, in the light of the early tantric tradition, for Vimalakīrti, as a layman, to be an adept.
n.­6
See 7.­1-7.­15, where Vimalakīrti states that the “wrong way” leads to buddhahood, Mañjuśrī that all passions constitute the “tathāgata-family” (itself an important tantric concept), and Mahākaśyapa that only those guilty of the five deadly sins can conceive the spirit‌ of enlightenment‌. The Guhyasamāja (V.4) states: “Even those who have committed great sins, such as the five deadly sins, will succeed on the buddha-vehicle, there in the great ocean of the Mahāyāna” (ānantarya­prabhṛtayaḥ mahā­pāpakṛto ’pi ca | siddhyante buddhāydne ’smin mahā­yāna­mahodadhau ||). It then goes on to list in Vimala­kīrti­nirdeśa fashion all sorts of terrible crimes of lust and hatred, ending with the phrase that such “a mentally nondualistic, intelligent person’s buddhahood is attained” (siddhyate tasya buddhatvaṃ nirvi­kalpasya dhīmataḥ ||).
n.­7
See 7.­17. In the tantric male-female symbolism of the Guhyasamāja and other tantras, the female consort is called the “Wisdom” (prajña) and the male the “Liberative Technique” (upāya), and the bell (ghaṅṭa) and diamond-scepter (vajra) also symbolize female and male, respectively.
n.­8
See 5.­17. This type of yogic power is classified as a lesser attainment (siddhi), the superior attainment being buddhahood, in all tantric methodologies.
n.­14
This list of qualities of the noble disciples (āryāśravāka) is absent in the Chinese of K and X. It is, however, frequently found in Mahāyāna sūtras (see Lamotte, p 98, n 2).
n.­177
“Nonduality” (advayatva) = “Middle Path” (madhyama­pratipat) = freedom from extremes of being and nothingness (antadvaya­vivarjita). For numerous references, see Lamotte, pp 301-302, n 1.
n.­185
Those of the bodhisattvas who are monks, or who maintain ascetic practices, are allowed to eat only before noon; otherwise they must wait until dawn of the next day.
n.­193
Ānanda, as well as being “foremost of attendants” (see n.­88), was also styled by the Buddha as the “foremost of the learned” (Skt. bahu­śrutānām agryaḥ) and as the “foremost of those endowed with memory and retention” (Skt. smṛti­dhāraṇī­prāptānām agryaḥ). Thus he was the one who remembered the vast body of the sūtras and recited them from memory during the first collection of the Sūtra Pitaka, after the Buddha’s passing into final liberation.
n.­194
That is, destructible (Skt. kṣaya) = compounded (Skt. saṃskṛta) = the superficial (Skt. saṃvṛtti) = saṃsāra. Indestructible (akṣaya) = uncompounded (Skt. asaṁskṛta) = the ultimate (Skt. paramārtha) = nirvāṇa.
n.­195
That is, the bodhisattva does not put an end to saṃsāra for himself alone, nor does he seek ultimate repose in the Disciple Vehicle nirvāṇa. The following instruction represents the Buddha’s own summation of the bodhisattva’s reconciliation of dichotomies that Vimalakīrti has been expounding throughout the sūtra.
n.­196
Immoral persons, along with other living beings who suffer their immoral acts, provide the bodhisattva the opportunity to expiate through suffering any traces of bad karma, as well as to practice generosity, tolerance, etc., and eventually to gather into the discipline those same immoral persons.
n.­197
Skt. apratihata­pratibhāṇa. This is another synonym for buddhahood because only at that stage does the turning of the Wheel of Dharma become automatic, effortless, and irresistible.
n.­198
Skt. bodhi­sattva­saṅgha. The third Jewel, the Saṅgha, is defined in two ways: as the disciple community (śrāvaka­saṅgha) and as the bodhisattva community (bodhi­sattva­saṅgha). Thus, from the Mahāyāna viewpoint, not only Disciple Vehicle monks but also bodhisattvas constitute the Saṅgha.
n.­199
The sixth superknowledge (āsravakṣaya­jñāna) is attained only by arhats, of whom the Buddha is foremost.
n.­200
That is, he does not wish his own ultimate liberation until it is time for the ultimate liberation of all living beings.
n.­201
Tib. chos kyi rtsi ba thams cad sgrub pa’i phyir ’dus ma byas la mi gnas so/ ’di tar chos chung ngu’i sman sbyor ba’i phyir ’dus byas zad par mi byed do. This sentence is absent in K and X.
n.­202
Tib. gzugs kyi de bzhin nyid kyi rang bzhin, Skt. rūpa­tathatā­svabhāva, i.e., voidness, as “essence which is reality” is a euphemism for “essencelessness” (niḥsvabhāvatā). Thus the Tathāgata is the voidness of matter, i.e., matter in the ultimate sense, not mere relative matter‍—and so on for the remaining four aggregates. For interesting references on the ultimate nonexistence of the Tathāgata, see Lamotte, p 355, n 1. The reference given there is worth repeating here (from Prasanna­padā, p 435, quoting a Vaipulya­sūtra): “Those who see me by means of form, or who follow me by means of sound‍—they are involved with false and ruinous views and will never see me at all. The buddhas are to be seen by means of ultimate reality, since those leaders are Dharma-bodies, and ultimate reality is impossible to know, as it is not an object of discernment.”
n.­206
Skt. acintya­vikurvaṇa­naya­praveśa­nirdeśa. This is a description, not a title of the sūtra, as it is not mentioned at the end of this chapter, where the Buddha gives the titles to Ānanda.

b.

Bibliography

Tibetan and Sanskrit sources

’phags pa dri ma med par grags pas bstan pa zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo (Ārya­vimala­kīrti­nirdeśa­nāma­mahā­yāna­sūtra). Toh. 176, Degé Kangyur, vol. 60 (mdo sde, ma), folios 175b–239a.

’phags pa dri ma med par grags pas bstan pa zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo (Ārya­vimala­kīrti­nirdeśa­nāma­mahā­yāna­sūtra). [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. 476–635.

Study Group on Buddhist Sanskrit Literature. 梵文維摩經 : ポタラ宮所蔵写本に基づく校訂. Vimalakīrtinirdeśa, A Sanskrit Edition Based upon the Manuscript Newly Found at the Potala Palace. Tokyo: Institute for Comprehensive Studies of Buddhism, Taishō Daigaku Shuppankai, 2006.

Translations of this text

Lamotte, Étienne. L’Enseignement de Vimalakīrti (Vimala­kīrti­nirdeśa). Louvain: Université de Louvain, Institut Orientaliste, 1962. [Translated from Tib. and Xuanzang’s Chinese].

Luk, Charles (tr.). The Vimalakīrti Nirdeśa Sūtra. Berkeley and London: Shambhala, 1972. [Translated from Kumārajīva’s Chinese].

McRae, John R. (tr.). The Vimalakīrti Sūtra. Berkeley: Numata Center for Buddhist Translation and Research, 2004. [Translated from Kumārajīva’s Chinese].

Canonical references

Saṃdhi­nirmocana­sūtra. Sanskrit text: see Lamotte 1935. Tibetan text: ’phags pa dgongs pa nges par ’grel pa zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo, Toh 106, Degé Kangyur vol. 49 (mdo sde, tsha), folios 1b–55b. English translation: see Buddhavacana Translation Group.https://read.84000.co/translation/toh106.html

Saddharma­puṇḍarīka. Sanskrit text: see Vaidya 1960, Wogihara et al. 1934-1935. Tibetan text: dpal dam chos pad ma dkar po zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo, Toh 113, Degé Kangyur, vol. 51 (mdo sed, ja), folios 1b–180b. English translations: see Kern 1884; Roberts, 2018.

Guhya­samāja­tantra. Sanskrit text: see Bagchi 1965. Tibetan text: de bzhin gshegs pa thams cad kyi sku gsung thugs kyi gsang chen gsang ba ’dus pa zhes bya ba brtag pa’i rgyal po chen po, Toh 442, Degé Kangyur vol. 81 (rgyud ’bum, ca), folios 89b–148a.

yul ’khor skyong gis zhus pa (Rāṣṭrapālaparipṛcchā). Toh 62, Degé Kangyur vol. 42 (dkon brtsegs, nga), folios 227.a–257.a. English translation in Vienna Buddhist Translation Studies Group (2021).

Candrakīrti. Prasannapadā­nāma­mūla­madhyamaka­vṛtti. Sanskrit text: see La Vallée Poussin 1903-1912. Tibetan text: dbu ma rtsa ba’i ’grel pa tshig gsal ba, Toh 3860, Degé Tengyur vol. 102 (dbu ma, ’a), folios 1b–200a.

Nāgārjuna. Prajña­nāma­mūla­mādhyamaka­kārikā. Sanskrit text and translation: see Inada 1970. Tibetan text: dbu ma rtsa ba’i tshig le’ur byas pa shes rab, Toh 3824, Degé Tengyur vol. 96 (dbu ma, tsa), folios 1b–19a.

Śāntideva. Śikṣāsamuccaya. Sanskrit text: see Vaidya, 1961. Tibetan text: bslab pa kun las btus pa, Toh 3940, Degé Tengyur vol. 111 (dbu ma, khi), folios 3a–194b. English translation: see Goodman 2016.

Editions and translations of works referenced

Bagchi, S. (ed.). Guhya­samāja­tantra. Buddhist Sanskrit Texts, No. 9. Darbhanga: Mithila Institute of Postgraduate Studies and Research in Sanskrit Learning, 1965.

Buddhavacana Translation Group. The Sūtra Unravelling the Intent (Saṃdhi­nirmocana­sūtra, Toh 106). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.https://read.84000.co/translation/toh106.html

Dayal, Har. The Bodhisattva Doctrine in Buddhist Sanskrit Literature. 1932. Reprint, Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1970.

Goodman, Charles. The Training Anthology of Śāntideva: A Translation of the Śikṣā-samuccaya. New York: Oxford University Press, 2016.

Inada, K. Nāgārjuna. Buffalo, N.Y., 1970.

Kern, H. (ed.). Saddharma-Puṇḍarīka, or Lotus of the True Law. Sacred Books of the East, Vol. XXI. Oxford: Clarendon, 1884.

Lamotte, Étienne (tr.). Saṃdhi­nirmocana­sūtra: L’Explication des mystères. [Tib. text and French translation]. Louvain: Université de Louvain; and Paris: Adrien Maisonneuve, 1935.

La Vallée Poussin, L. de (ed.). Mūla­madhyamaka­kārikās (Mādhyamika­sūtras) de Nāgārjuna avec la Prasanna­padā, commentaire de Candrakīrti . Bibliotheca Buddhica IV. St. Petersburg: Académie Impériale des sciences, 1903-1913.

Roberts, Peter (tr.). The White Lotus of the Good Dharma (Saddharma­puṇḍarīka­sūtra, Toh 113). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2018 (read.84000.co).

Sakaki (ed.). Mahāvyutpatti, Skt.-Tib. lexicon. Kyoto, 1916-1925.

Vaidya, P. L. (ed.) Saddharma­puṇḍarīka­sūtra. Darbhanga: The Mithila Institute of Post-Graduate Studies and Research in Sanskrit Learning, 1960.

‍—‍—‍—(ed.). Śikṣāsamuccaya of Śāntideva. Buddhist Sanskrit Texts, No. 11. Darbhanga: Mithila Institute of Postgraduate Studies and Research in Sanskrit Learning, 1961.

Vienna Buddhist Translation Studies Group, trans. The Questions of Rāṣṭrapāla (Rāṣṭrapālaparipṛcchāsūtra, Toh 62). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2021.

Wogihara, Unrai and Tsuchida, Chikao. Saddharma­puṇḍarīka-sūtram: Romanized and Revised Text of the Bibliotheca Buddhica publication by consulting a Sanskrit Ms. & Tibetan and Chinese translations. Tōkyō: Seigo-Kenkyūkai, 1934–1935.


g.

Glossary

g.­1

Abhidharma

  • chos mngon pa
  • ཆོས་མངོན་པ།
  • Abhidharma

Conventionally, the general name for the Buddhist teachings presented in a scientific manner, as a fully elaborated transcendental psychology. As one of the branches of the Canon, it corresponds to the discipline of wisdom (the Sūtras corresponding to meditation, and the Vinaya to morality). Ultimately the Abhidharma is “pure wisdom, with its coordinate mental functions” (Prajñāmalā sānucārā), according to Vasubandhu.

7 passages contain this term:

  • n.­74
  • n.­190
  • g.­7
  • g.­137
  • g.­158
  • g.­215
  • g.­338

Links to further resources:

  • 3 related glossary entries
g.­2

Abhi­dharma­kośa

  • chos mngon pa’i mdzod
  • ཆོས་མངོན་པའི་མཛོད།
  • Abhi­dharma­kośa

An important work written by Vasubandhu, probably in the fourth century, as a critical compendium of the Abhidharmic science.

4 passages contain this term:

  • n.­175
  • g.­192
  • g.­285
  • g.­338
g.­3

Abhirati

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

Lit. “Intense Delight.” The universe, or buddhafield of the Tathāgata Akṣobhya, lying in the east beyond innumerable galaxies, whence Vimalakīrti came to reincarnate in our Sahā universe.

10 passages contain this term:

  • i.­8
  • 11.­9
  • 11.­13
  • 11.­14
  • 11.­15
  • 11.­17
  • 11.­18
  • 11.­19
  • 11.­20
  • g.­12

Links to further resources:

  • 17 related glossary entries
g.­6

Affliction

  • nyon mongs
  • ཉོན་མོངས།
  • kleśa

Desire, hatred and anger, dullness, pride, and jealousy, as well as all their derivatives, said to number 84,000. Also translated “passions.”

23 passages contain this term:

  • 1.­2
  • 3.­13
  • 3.­34
  • 3.­53
  • 3.­59
  • 3.­69
  • 3.­78
  • 3.­79
  • 4.­15
  • 4.­21
  • 4.­29
  • 6.­1
  • 6.­7
  • 6.­27
  • 7.­2
  • 7.­28
  • 9.­24
  • 10.­20
  • 11.­12
  • n.­68
  • g.­197
  • g.­213
  • g.­319

Links to further resources:

  • 60 related glossary entries
g.­7

Aggregate

  • phung po
  • ཕུང་པོ།
  • skandha

This translation of skandha is fairly well established, although some prefer the monosyllabic “group.” It is important to bear in mind that the original skandha has the sense of “pile,” or “heap,” which has the connotation of utter lack of internal structure, of a randomly collocated pile of things; thus “group” may convey a false connotation of structure and ordered arrangement. The five “compulsive” (upādāna) aggregates are of great importance as a schema for introspective meditation in the Abhidharma, wherein each is defined with the greatest subtlety and precision. In fact, the five terms rūpa, vedanā, samjñā, saṃskāra, and vijñāna have such a particular technical sense that many translators have preferred to leave them untranslated. Nevertheless, in the sūtra context, where the five are meant rather more simply to represent the relative living being (in the realm of desire), it seems preferable to give a translation‍—in spite of the drawbacks of each possible term‍—in order to convey the same sense of a total categorization of the psychophysical complex. Thus, for rūpa, “matter” is preferred to “form” because it more concretely connotes the physical and gross; for vedanā, “sensation” is adopted, as limited to the aesthetic; for samjñā, “intellect” is useful in conveying the sense of verbal, conceptual intelligence. For samskāra, which covers a number of mental functions as well as inanimate forces, “motivation” gives a general idea. And “consciousness” is so well established for vijñāna (although what we normally think of as consciousness is more like samjñā, i.e., conceptual and notional, and vijñāna is rather the “pure awareness” prior to concepts) as to be left unchallenged.

18 passages contain this term:

  • 2.­9
  • 3.­25
  • 3.­69
  • 4.­15
  • 5.­2
  • 8.­18
  • 8.­24
  • 10.­20
  • n.­52
  • n.­102
  • n.­202
  • g.­55
  • g.­74
  • g.­80
  • g.­128
  • g.­179
  • g.­188
  • g.­283

Links to further resources:

  • 57 related glossary entries
g.­8

Aids to enlightenment

  • byang chub kyi phyogs kyi chos
  • བྱང་ཆུབ་ཀྱི་ཕྱོགས་ཀྱི་ཆོས།
  • bodhi­pakṣika­dharma

See “thirty-seven aids to enlightenment”

6 passages contain this term:

  • 3.­58
  • 3.­69
  • 3.­79
  • 7.­19
  • 10.­20
  • 12.­11

Links to further resources:

  • 27 related glossary entries
g.­14

Āmrapālī

  • a mra srung ba
  • ཨ་མྲ་སྲུང་བ།
  • Āmrapālī

A courtesan of Vaiśālī who gave her garden to the Buddha and his retinue, where they stay during the events of the sūtra.

5 passages contain this term:

  • i.­3
  • i.­7
  • 1.­2
  • 1.­13
  • 10.­1

Links to further resources:

  • 3 related glossary entries
g.­15

Ānanda

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

A major śrāvaka disciple of the Buddha; his personal attendant. See also n.­88 and n.­193.

25 passages contain this term:

  • i.­7
  • i.­8
  • 3.­41
  • 3.­42
  • 3.­43
  • 3.­44
  • 3.­45
  • 3.­46
  • 10.­1
  • 10.­8
  • 10.­9
  • 10.­10
  • 10.­11
  • 10.­12
  • 10.­13
  • 10.­14
  • 10.­15
  • 10.­16
  • 10.­17
  • 12.­27
  • 12.­28
  • 12.­29
  • n.­88
  • n.­193
  • n.­206

Links to further resources:

  • 78 related glossary entries
g.­20

Arhat

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

According to Buddhist tradition, one who has conquered his enemy passions (kleśa-ari-hata) and reached the supreme purity. The term can refer to buddhas as well as to those who have reached realization of the Disciple Vehicle.

18 passages contain this term:

  • 1.­2
  • 3.­1
  • 3.­24
  • 4.­29
  • 6.­1
  • 6.­3
  • 6.­41
  • 12.­6
  • 12.­10
  • n.­59
  • n.­72
  • n.­144
  • n.­148
  • n.­199
  • g.­85
  • g.­88
  • g.­313
  • g.­333

Links to further resources:

  • 96 related glossary entries
g.­24

Asura

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

Titan .

10 passages contain this term:

  • 1.­11
  • 1.­14
  • 5.­12
  • 5.­14
  • 6.­24
  • 7.­2
  • 11.­14
  • 12.­12
  • 12.­19
  • 12.­29

Links to further resources:

  • 106 related glossary entries
g.­32

Bhikṣu

  • dge slong
  • དགེ་སློང་།
  • bhikṣu

Lit. “beggar.” Buddhist mendicant monk; bhikṣuṇī is the female counterpart.

5 passages contain this term:

  • 1.­2
  • 1.­11
  • 1.­56
  • 3.­21
  • 3.­49

Links to further resources:

  • 44 related glossary entries
g.­34

Birthlessness

  • mi skye ba
  • མི་སྐྱེ་བ།
  • anutpādatva

This refers to the ultimate nature of reality, to the fact that, ultimately, nothing has ever been produced or born nor will it ever be because birth and production can occur only on the relative, or superficial, level. Hence “birthlessness” is a synonym of “voidness,” “reality,” “absolute,” “ultimate,” “infinity,” etc.

7 passages contain this term:

  • i.­9
  • 3.­25
  • 3.­49
  • 4.­29
  • 10.­21
  • 12.­22
  • g.­324

Links to further resources:

  • 4 related glossary entries
g.­35

Bodhisattva

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

A living being who has produced the spirit of enlightenment in himself and whose constant dedication, lifetime after lifetime, is to attain the unexcelled, perfect enlightenment of Buddhahood.

250 passages contain this term:

  • s.­1
  • i.­3
  • i.­4
  • i.­5
  • i.­6
  • i.­7
  • i.­9
  • i.­13
  • i.­14
  • 1.­1
  • 1.­3
  • 1.­10
  • 1.­13
  • 1.­31
  • 1.­32
  • 1.­33
  • 1.­34
  • 1.­35
  • 1.­36
  • 1.­37
  • 1.­38
  • 1.­39
  • 1.­40
  • 1.­41
  • 1.­42
  • 1.­43
  • 1.­44
  • 1.­46
  • 3.­14
  • 3.­35
  • 3.­43
  • 3.­48
  • 3.­61
  • 3.­63
  • 3.­69
  • 3.­71
  • 3.­72
  • 3.­80
  • 3.­83
  • 4.­1
  • 4.­2
  • 4.­3
  • 4.­7
  • 4.­11
  • 4.­14
  • 4.­15
  • 4.­18
  • 4.­20
  • 4.­21
  • 4.­22
  • 4.­25
  • 4.­26
  • 4.­27
  • 4.­28
  • 4.­29
  • 4.­30
  • 5.­1
  • 5.­7
  • 5.­8
  • 5.­9
  • 5.­13
  • 5.­14
  • 5.­15
  • 5.­16
  • 5.­17
  • 5.­18
  • 5.­19
  • 5.­20
  • 5.­21
  • 5.­22
  • 6.­1
  • 6.­2
  • 6.­3
  • 6.­4
  • 6.­5
  • 6.­12
  • 6.­16
  • 6.­27
  • 7.­1
  • 7.­2
  • 7.­8
  • 7.­16
  • 7.­17
  • 7.­32
  • 7.­43
  • 8.­1
  • 8.­2
  • 8.­3
  • 8.­4
  • 8.­5
  • 8.­6
  • 8.­7
  • 8.­8
  • 8.­9
  • 8.­10
  • 8.­11
  • 8.­12
  • 8.­13
  • 8.­14
  • 8.­15
  • 8.­16
  • 8.­17
  • 8.­18
  • 8.­19
  • 8.­20
  • 8.­21
  • 8.­22
  • 8.­23
  • 8.­24
  • 8.­25
  • 8.­26
  • 8.­27
  • 8.­28
  • 8.­29
  • 8.­30
  • 8.­31
  • 8.­32
  • 8.­33
  • 8.­34
  • 8.­35
  • 9.­1
  • 9.­2
  • 9.­3
  • 9.­4
  • 9.­6
  • 9.­7
  • 9.­9
  • 9.­10
  • 9.­11
  • 9.­12
  • 9.­13
  • 9.­14
  • 9.­16
  • 9.­17
  • 9.­18
  • 9.­20
  • 9.­21
  • 9.­22
  • 9.­23
  • 9.­26
  • 9.­27
  • 9.­28
  • 9.­29
  • 10.­4
  • 10.­5
  • 10.­6
  • 10.­8
  • 10.­11
  • 10.­12
  • 10.­13
  • 10.­17
  • 10.­18
  • 10.­19
  • 10.­20
  • 10.­21
  • 10.­22
  • 10.­23
  • 10.­24
  • 11.­8
  • 11.­12
  • 11.­13
  • 11.­14
  • 11.­15
  • 11.­16
  • 11.­18
  • 12.­1
  • 12.­7
  • 12.­12
  • 12.­17
  • 12.­19
  • 12.­20
  • 12.­21
  • 12.­22
  • 12.­23
  • 12.­24
  • 12.­25
  • 12.­29
  • n.­16
  • n.­18
  • n.­19
  • n.­20
  • n.­35
  • n.­36
  • n.­37
  • n.­40
  • n.­55
  • n.­56
  • n.­73
  • n.­93
  • n.­99
  • n.­100
  • n.­111
  • n.­120
  • n.­125
  • n.­127
  • n.­128
  • n.­130
  • n.­144
  • n.­145
  • n.­147
  • n.­155
  • n.­158
  • n.­162
  • n.­168
  • n.­181
  • n.­185
  • n.­190
  • n.­195
  • n.­196
  • n.­198
  • g.­11
  • g.­26
  • g.­47
  • g.­59
  • g.­60
  • g.­63
  • g.­68
  • g.­69
  • g.­77
  • g.­81
  • g.­84
  • g.­86
  • g.­98
  • g.­106
  • g.­109
  • g.­110
  • g.­113
  • g.­118
  • g.­123
  • g.­131
  • g.­148
  • g.­163
  • g.­167
  • g.­171
  • g.­172
  • g.­181
  • g.­205
  • g.­214
  • g.­217
  • g.­245
  • g.­246
  • g.­248
  • g.­277
  • g.­278
  • g.­297
  • g.­302
  • g.­313
  • g.­319
  • g.­333
  • g.­337

Links to further resources:

  • 33 related glossary entries
g.­37

Brahmā

  • tshangs pa
  • ཚངས་པ།
  • Brahmā

Creator-lord of a universe, there being as many as there are universes, whose number is incalculable. Hence, in Buddhist belief, a title of a deity who has attained supremacy in a particular universe, rather than a personal name. For example, the Brahmā of the Aśoka universe is personally called Śikhin, to distinguish him from other Brahmās. A Brahmā resides at the summit of the realm of pure matter (rūpadhātu), and is thus higher in status than a Śakra.

26 passages contain this term:

  • 1.­11
  • 1.­49
  • 1.­50
  • 2.­1
  • 2.­6
  • 3.­27
  • 3.­28
  • 3.­29
  • 4.­2
  • 4.­3
  • 4.­30
  • 5.­8
  • 5.­18
  • 6.­24
  • 6.­27
  • 7.­39
  • 9.­21
  • 10.­4
  • 10.­20
  • 11.­14
  • 12.­3
  • g.­23
  • g.­260
  • g.­285
  • g.­288
  • g.­305

Links to further resources:

  • 125 related glossary entries
g.­39

Buddha

  • sangs rgyas
  • སངས་རྒྱས།
  • buddha

Lit. “awakened one.” Title of one who has attained the highest attainment possible for a living being. “The Buddha” often designates Śākyamuni because he is the buddha mainly in charge of the buddhafield of our Sahā universe.

272 passages contain this term:

  • s.­1
  • i.­3
  • i.­4
  • i.­5
  • i.­6
  • i.­7
  • i.­8
  • i.­11
  • i.­14
  • i.­15
  • 1.­1
  • 1.­2
  • 1.­3
  • 1.­5
  • 1.­7
  • 1.­11
  • 1.­12
  • 1.­13
  • 1.­14
  • 1.­15
  • 1.­24
  • 1.­25
  • 1.­26
  • 1.­29
  • 1.­30
  • 1.­31
  • 1.­32
  • 1.­33
  • 1.­46
  • 1.­47
  • 1.­48
  • 1.­50
  • 1.­52
  • 1.­53
  • 2.­1
  • 2.­3
  • 3.­1
  • 3.­2
  • 3.­4
  • 3.­10
  • 3.­12
  • 3.­13
  • 3.­15
  • 3.­16
  • 3.­17
  • 3.­21
  • 3.­24
  • 3.­25
  • 3.­27
  • 3.­28
  • 3.­30
  • 3.­31
  • 3.­37
  • 3.­38
  • 3.­41
  • 3.­46
  • 3.­47
  • 3.­48
  • 3.­49
  • 3.­55
  • 3.­60
  • 3.­61
  • 3.­63
  • 3.­69
  • 3.­74
  • 3.­78
  • 4.­1
  • 4.­6
  • 4.­18
  • 4.­30
  • 5.­2
  • 5.­17
  • 5.­18
  • 6.­3
  • 6.­5
  • 6.­6
  • 6.­24
  • 6.­25
  • 6.­28
  • 6.­31
  • 6.­35
  • 6.­36
  • 6.­41
  • 6.­43
  • 7.­1
  • 7.­5
  • 7.­8
  • 7.­11
  • 7.­13
  • 7.­14
  • 7.­15
  • 7.­29
  • 7.­30
  • 7.­48
  • 7.­57
  • 8.­23
  • 9.­3
  • 9.­9
  • 9.­10
  • 9.­13
  • 9.­14
  • 9.­15
  • 9.­16
  • 9.­23
  • 9.­25
  • 9.­26
  • 10.­1
  • 10.­3
  • 10.­4
  • 10.­5
  • 10.­6
  • 10.­8
  • 10.­12
  • 10.­13
  • 10.­15
  • 10.­16
  • 10.­17
  • 10.­18
  • 10.­19
  • 10.­20
  • 10.­21
  • 10.­22
  • 10.­24
  • 11.­1
  • 11.­4
  • 11.­9
  • 11.­13
  • 11.­14
  • 11.­18
  • 11.­19
  • 12.­1
  • 12.­2
  • 12.­5
  • 12.­6
  • 12.­8
  • 12.­12
  • 12.­13
  • 12.­14
  • 12.­17
  • 12.­23
  • 12.­24
  • 12.­25
  • 12.­26
  • 12.­27
  • 12.­28
  • 12.­29
  • n.­4
  • n.­6
  • n.­25
  • n.­26
  • n.­30
  • n.­32
  • n.­33
  • n.­34
  • n.­35
  • n.­36
  • n.­40
  • n.­52
  • n.­55
  • n.­57
  • n.­61
  • n.­62
  • n.­70
  • n.­74
  • n.­80
  • n.­83
  • n.­88
  • n.­93
  • n.­101
  • n.­103
  • n.­106
  • n.­110
  • n.­128
  • n.­133
  • n.­152
  • n.­162
  • n.­188
  • n.­192
  • n.­193
  • n.­195
  • n.­199
  • n.­202
  • n.­206
  • n.­208
  • n.­212
  • g.­9
  • g.­10
  • g.­12
  • g.­13
  • g.­14
  • g.­15
  • g.­16
  • g.­19
  • g.­20
  • g.­30
  • g.­40
  • g.­41
  • g.­45
  • g.­52
  • g.­60
  • g.­66
  • g.­68
  • g.­71
  • g.­73
  • g.­77
  • g.­81
  • g.­84
  • g.­85
  • g.­86
  • g.­105
  • g.­106
  • g.­109
  • g.­110
  • g.­125
  • g.­137
  • g.­141
  • g.­148
  • g.­152
  • g.­155
  • g.­157
  • g.­158
  • g.­164
  • g.­167
  • g.­171
  • g.­172
  • g.­175
  • g.­185
  • g.­186
  • g.­191
  • g.­207
  • g.­211
  • g.­212
  • g.­218
  • g.­220
  • g.­225
  • g.­232
  • g.­234
  • g.­235
  • g.­236
  • g.­238
  • g.­244
  • g.­245
  • g.­248
  • g.­256
  • g.­261
  • g.­262
  • g.­271
  • g.­272
  • g.­274
  • g.­275
  • g.­276
  • g.­280
  • g.­288
  • g.­290
  • g.­292
  • g.­293
  • g.­294
  • g.­296
  • g.­298
  • g.­300
  • g.­302
  • g.­306
  • g.­307
  • g.­308
  • g.­313
  • g.­314
  • g.­318
  • g.­319
  • g.­330
  • g.­333
  • g.­336
  • g.­340

Links to further resources:

  • 10 related glossary entries
g.­41

Buddhafield

  • sangs rgyas kyi zhing
  • སངས་རྒྱས་ཀྱི་ཞིང་།
  • buddhakṣetra

Roughly, a synonym for “universe,” although Buddhist cosmology contains many universes of different types and dimensions. “Buddhafield” indicates, in regard to whatever type of world-sphere, that it is the field of influence of a particular Buddha. For a detailed discussion of these concepts, see Lamotte, Appendice, Note I.

82 passages contain this term:

  • i.­3
  • i.­7
  • i.­8
  • i.­14
  • 1.­9
  • 1.­31
  • 1.­32
  • 1.­33
  • 1.­34
  • 1.­35
  • 1.­36
  • 1.­37
  • 1.­38
  • 1.­39
  • 1.­40
  • 1.­41
  • 1.­42
  • 1.­43
  • 1.­44
  • 1.­45
  • 1.­46
  • 1.­48
  • 1.­49
  • 1.­50
  • 1.­52
  • 1.­53
  • 1.­54
  • 1.­55
  • 1.­56
  • 3.­28
  • 3.­43
  • 3.­69
  • 3.­79
  • 4.­8
  • 4.­23
  • 4.­24
  • 4.­30
  • 5.­6
  • 5.­7
  • 5.­17
  • 6.­27
  • 7.­31
  • 7.­44
  • 9.­2
  • 9.­4
  • 9.­7
  • 9.­11
  • 9.­12
  • 9.­13
  • 9.­15
  • 9.­22
  • 9.­26
  • 9.­27
  • 9.­28
  • 10.­4
  • 10.­9
  • 10.­12
  • 10.­13
  • 10.­14
  • 10.­15
  • 10.­18
  • 10.­20
  • 10.­22
  • 11.­4
  • 11.­9
  • 11.­12
  • 11.­18
  • 11.­20
  • 12.­25
  • n.­35
  • n.­36
  • n.­39
  • n.­113
  • n.­114
  • n.­115
  • n.­174
  • g.­3
  • g.­39
  • g.­185
  • g.­258
  • g.­278
  • g.­340

Links to further resources:

  • 25 related glossary entries
g.­43

Buddhāvataṃsaka

  • sangs rgyas phal po che
  • སངས་རྒྱས་ཕལ་པོ་ཆེ།
  • Buddhāvataṃsaka

See Avataṃsaka.

2 passages contain this term:

  • i.­1
  • g.­27

Links to further resources:

  • 1 related glossary entry
g.­48

Cessation

  • ’gog pa
  • འགོག་པ།
  • nirodha

The third Noble Truth, equivalent to nirvāṇa.

11 passages contain this term:

  • 3.­2
  • 3.­50
  • 4.­18
  • 4.­27
  • 5.­2
  • 6.­1
  • 8.­24
  • 8.­29
  • 11.­3
  • n.­98
  • g.­75

Links to further resources:

  • 3 related glossary entries
g.­51

Concentration

  • ting nge ’dzin
  • ཏིང་ངེ་འཛིན།
  • samādhi

See “absorption.”

33 passages contain this term:

  • 2.­2
  • 2.­10
  • 3.­13
  • 3.­24
  • 3.­28
  • 3.­75
  • 4.­22
  • 4.­23
  • 4.­24
  • 4.­30
  • 5.­8
  • 7.­22
  • 9.­2
  • 9.­20
  • 9.­22
  • 9.­27
  • 10.­15
  • 11.­3
  • 11.­15
  • n.­85
  • n.­86
  • g.­5
  • g.­58
  • g.­78
  • g.­79
  • g.­92
  • g.­93
  • g.­184
  • g.­264
  • g.­285
  • g.­286
  • g.­306
  • g.­319

Links to further resources:

  • 76 related glossary entries
g.­53

Conceptualization

  • rnam par rtog pa
  • རྣམ་པར་རྟོག་པ།
  • vikalpa

This brings up another important group of words that has never been treated systematically in translation: vikalpa, parikalpa, samāropa, adhyāropa, kalpanā, samjñā, and prapāñca. All of these refer to mental functions that tend to superimpose upon reality, either relative or ultimate, a conceptualized reality fabricated by the subjective mind. Some translators have tended to lump these together under the rubric “discursive thought,” which leads to the misleading notion that all thought is bad, something to be eliminated, and that sheer “thoughtlessness” is “enlightenment,” or whatever higher state is desired. According to Buddhist scholars, thought in itself is simply a function, and only thought that is attached to its own content over and above the relative object, i.e., “egoistic” thought, is bad and to be eliminated. Therefore we have chosen a set of words for the seven Skt. terms: respectively, “conceptualization,” “imagination,” “presumption,” “exaggeration,” “construction,” “conception” or “notion,” and “fabrication.” This does not mean that these words are not somewhat interchangeable or that another English word might not be better in certain contexts; it only represents an attempt to achieve consistency with the original usages.

5 passages contain this term:

  • i.­11
  • 3.­34
  • 6.­1
  • 8.­24
  • g.­183

Links to further resources:

  • 14 related glossary entries
g.­55

Consciousness

  • rnam shes
  • རྣམ་ཤེས།
  • vijñāna

See “aggregate.”

23 passages contain this term:

  • 3.­7
  • 3.­8
  • 3.­12
  • 4.­14
  • 5.­2
  • 5.­4
  • 8.­18
  • 8.­22
  • 11.­1
  • 11.­2
  • 12.­13
  • n.­98
  • g.­7
  • g.­22
  • g.­52
  • g.­74
  • g.­75
  • g.­80
  • g.­98
  • g.­285
  • g.­304
  • g.­318
  • g.­343

Links to further resources:

  • 21 related glossary entries
g.­56

Contemplation

  • bsam gtan
  • བསམ་གཏན།
  • dhyāna

See “absorption.”

12 passages contain this term:

  • 3.­2
  • 3.­3
  • 4.­22
  • 4.­30
  • 6.­3
  • 7.­4
  • 7.­26
  • g.­5
  • g.­184
  • g.­285
  • g.­313
  • g.­319

Links to further resources:

  • 49 related glossary entries
g.­58

Decisiveness

  • nges par sems pa
  • ངེས་པར་སེམས་པ།
  • nidhyapti

Analytic concentration that gains insight into the nature of reality, synonymous with “transcendental analysis,” vipaśyana (q.v.).

2 passages contain this term:

  • 3.­58
  • 4.­1

Links to further resources:

  • 2 related glossary entries
g.­59

Dedication

  • yongs su bsngo ba
  • ཡོངས་སུ་བསྔོ་བ།
  • pariṇāmana

This refers to the bodhisattva’s constant mindfulness of the fact that all his actions of whatever form contribute to his purpose of attaining enlightenment for the sake of himself and others, i.e., his conscious deferral of the merit accruing from any virtuous action as he eschews immediate reward in favor of ultimate enlightenment for himself and all living beings.

7 passages contain this term:

  • 1.­42
  • 1.­44
  • 4.­26
  • 8.­21
  • 10.­20
  • g.­35
  • g.­77

Links to further resources:

  • 6 related glossary entries
g.­60

Definitive meaning

  • nges don
  • ངེས་དོན།
  • nītārtha

This refers to those teachings of the Buddha that are in terms of ultimate reality; it is opposed to those teachings given in terms of relative reality, termed “interpretable meaning,” because they require further interpretation before being relied on to indicate the ultimate. Hence definitive meaning relates to voidness, etc., and no statement concerning the relative world, even by the Buddha, can be taken as definitive. This is especially important in the context of the Mādhyamika doctrine, hence in the context of Vimalakīrti’s teachings, because he is constantly correcting the disciples and bodhisattvas who accept interpretable expressions of the Tathāgata as if they were definitive, thereby attaching themselves to them and adopting a one-sided approach.

4 passages contain this term:

  • 10.­21
  • n.­61
  • g.­98
  • g.­129

Links to further resources:

  • 4 related glossary entries
g.­63

Destiny for the ultimate

  • nges pa la zhugs pa
  • ངེས་པ་ལ་ཞུགས་པ།
  • niyāmāvakrānti

This is the stage attained by followers of the Hinayāna wherein they become determined for the attainment of liberation (nirvāṇa, i.e., the ultimate for them) in such a way as never to regress from their goals, and by bodhisattvas when they attain the holy path of insight.

2 passages contain this term:

  • 3.­49
  • 10.­11
g.­66

Dharma

  • chos
  • ཆོས།
  • Dharma

The second of the Three Jewels, that is, the teaching of the Buddha.

134 passages contain this term:

  • i.­5
  • i.­7
  • i.­8
  • 1.­3
  • 1.­5
  • 1.­6
  • 1.­7
  • 1.­8
  • 1.­11
  • 1.­12
  • 1.­14
  • 1.­18
  • 1.­21
  • 1.­22
  • 2.­1
  • 2.­3
  • 2.­4
  • 2.­5
  • 2.­7
  • 2.­12
  • 3.­4
  • 3.­5
  • 3.­6
  • 3.­7
  • 3.­9
  • 3.­10
  • 3.­16
  • 3.­21
  • 3.­24
  • 3.­45
  • 3.­57
  • 3.­61
  • 3.­68
  • 3.­69
  • 3.­70
  • 3.­74
  • 3.­75
  • 3.­76
  • 3.­77
  • 3.­78
  • 3.­79
  • 3.­80
  • 3.­82
  • 4.­1
  • 4.­2
  • 4.­3
  • 4.­19
  • 4.­21
  • 4.­30
  • 5.­1
  • 5.­2
  • 5.­3
  • 5.­4
  • 5.­5
  • 5.­18
  • 5.­20
  • 6.­2
  • 6.­3
  • 6.­12
  • 6.­15
  • 6.­22
  • 6.­24
  • 6.­28
  • 6.­30
  • 7.­18
  • 7.­20
  • 7.­21
  • 7.­25
  • 7.­41
  • 7.­45
  • 7.­55
  • 8.­23
  • 9.­1
  • 9.­2
  • 9.­10
  • 9.­12
  • 9.­22
  • 9.­23
  • 9.­25
  • 9.­29
  • 10.­1
  • 10.­15
  • 10.­20
  • 10.­21
  • 10.­22
  • 11.­14
  • 11.­21
  • 11.­22
  • 12.­1
  • 12.­2
  • 12.­5
  • 12.­8
  • 12.­9
  • 12.­10
  • 12.­11
  • 12.­12
  • 12.­13
  • 12.­14
  • 12.­15
  • 12.­16
  • 12.­18
  • 12.­19
  • 12.­20
  • 12.­21
  • 12.­22
  • 12.­23
  • 12.­26
  • 12.­27
  • 12.­28
  • n.­30
  • n.­52
  • n.­59
  • n.­72
  • n.­85
  • n.­99
  • n.­106
  • n.­136
  • n.­138
  • n.­190
  • n.­197
  • n.­202
  • g.­30
  • g.­67
  • g.­77
  • g.­125
  • g.­130
  • g.­151
  • g.­164
  • g.­181
  • g.­275
  • g.­294
  • g.­319
  • g.­333
  • g.­337

Links to further resources:

  • 34 related glossary entries
g.­67

Dharma-door

  • chos kyi sgo
  • ཆོས་ཀྱི་སྒོ།
  • dharmamukha

Certain teachings are called “Dharma-doors” (or “doors of the Dharma”), as they provide access to the practice of the Dharma.

4 passages contain this term:

  • 8.­1
  • 10.­13
  • n.­162
  • g.­72

Links to further resources:

  • 3 related glossary entries
g.­74

Egoistic views

  • ’jig tshogs la lta ba
  • འཇིག་ཚོགས་ལ་ལྟ་བ།
  • satkāyadṛṣṭi

This consists of twenty varieties of false notion, consisting basically of regarding the temporally impermanent and ultimately insubstantial as “I” or “mine.” The five compulsive aggregates are paired with the self, giving the twenty false notions. For example, the first four false notions are that (1) matter is the self, which is like its owner (rūpaṃ ātmā svāmivat); (2) the self possesses matter, like its ornament (rūpavañ ātmā alaņkāravat); (3) matter belongs to the self, like a slave (ātmīyaṃ rūpaṃ bhṛtyavat); and (4) the self dwells in matter as in a vessel (rūpe ātmā bhajanavat). The other four compulsive aggregates are paired with the self in the same four ways, giving sixteen more false notions concerning sensation, intellect, motivation, and consciousness, hypostatizing an impossible relationship with a nonexistent, permanent, substantial self.

6 passages contain this term:

  • 3.­15
  • 6.­1
  • 7.­11
  • 8.­24
  • n.­102
  • g.­178

Links to further resources:

  • 16 related glossary entries
g.­75

Eight liberations

  • rnam par thar pa brgyad
  • རྣམ་པར་ཐར་པ་བརྒྱད།
  • vimokṣa

The first consists of the seeing of form by one who has form; the second consists of the seeing of external form by one with the concept of internal formlessness; the third consists of the physical realization of pleasant liberation and its successful consolidation; the fourth consists of the full entrance to the infinity of space through transcending all conceptions of matter, and the subsequent decline of conceptions of resistance and discredit of conceptions of diversity; the fifth consists of full entrance into the infinity of consciousness, having transcended the infinity of space; the sixth consists of the full entrance into the sphere of nothingness, having transcended the sphere of the infinity of conscious­ness; the seventh consists of the full entrance into the sphere of neither conscious­ness nor un­conscious­ness, having transcended the sphere of nothingness; the eighth consists of the perfect cessation of suffering, having transcended the sphere of neither conscious­ness nor un­conscious­ness. Thus the first three liberations form specific links to the ordinary perceptual world; the fourth to seventh are equivalent to the four absorptions; and the eighth represents the highest attainment.

3 passages contain this term:

  • 3.­13
  • 7.­22
  • 9.­1

Links to further resources:

  • 16 related glossary entries
g.­80

Element

  • khams
  • ’byung ba chen po
  • ཁམས།
  • འབྱུང་བ་ཆེན་པོ།
  • dhātu
  • mahābhūta

Depending on the context, may translate either: (a) Skt. mahābhūta, Tib. ’byung ba chen po, the four “main” or “great” outer elements of earth, water, fire, air, and (when there is a fifth) space; or: (b) Skt. dhātu, Tib. khams, the “eighteen elements” introduce, in the context of the aggregates, elements, and sense-media, the same six pairs as the twelve sense-media, as elements of experience, adding a third member to each set: the element of consciousness (vijñāna), or sense. Hence the first pair gives the triad eye-element (caksur­dhātu), form-element (rūpadhātu), and eye-consciousness-element, or eye-sense-element (caksur­vijñāna­dhātu)‍—and so on with the other five, noting the last, mind-element (manodhātu), phenomena-element (dharma­dhātu), and mental-sense-element (mano­vijñāna­dhātu).

21 passages contain this term:

  • 2.­7
  • 2.­9
  • 3.­69
  • 4.­6
  • 4.­13
  • 4.­15
  • 5.­2
  • 6.­1
  • 8.­19
  • 10.­20
  • 11.­1
  • n.­49
  • n.­50
  • n.­59
  • n.­102
  • n.­118
  • n.­167
  • n.­182
  • g.­193
  • g.­293
  • g.­333

Links to further resources:

  • 56 related glossary entries
g.­81

Emanated incarnation

  • sprul pa
  • སྤྲུལ་པ།
  • nirmāṇa

This refers to the miraculous power of the Buddha and bodhisattvas of a certain stage to emanate apparently living beings in order to develop and teach living beings. This power reaches its culmination in the nirmāṇa­kayā, the “incarnation body,” which is one of the three bodies of buddhahood and includes all physical forms of all buddhas, including Śākyamuni, whose sole function as incarnations is the development and liberation of living beings.

4 passages contain this term:

  • 6.­1
  • 6.­38
  • g.­119
  • g.­120

Links to further resources:

  • 6 related glossary entries
g.­83

Enlightenment

  • byang chub
  • བྱང་ཆུབ།
  • bodhi

This word requires too much explanation for this glossary because, indeed, the whole sūtra‍—and the whole of Buddhist literature‍—is explanatory of only this. Here we simply mention the translation equivalent.

96 passages contain this term:

  • i.­8
  • i.­14
  • 1.­20
  • 1.­31
  • 1.­35
  • 1.­36
  • 1.­37
  • 1.­38
  • 1.­39
  • 1.­40
  • 1.­41
  • 1.­42
  • 1.­43
  • 1.­54
  • 1.­56
  • 2.­11
  • 2.­12
  • 3.­11
  • 3.­14
  • 3.­24
  • 3.­29
  • 3.­36
  • 3.­39
  • 3.­40
  • 3.­49
  • 3.­50
  • 3.­51
  • 3.­52
  • 3.­53
  • 3.­67
  • 3.­68
  • 3.­69
  • 3.­72
  • 3.­75
  • 3.­76
  • 3.­81
  • 3.­83
  • 4.­25
  • 4.­26
  • 4.­31
  • 5.­20
  • 6.­3
  • 6.­39
  • 6.­40
  • 6.­41
  • 6.­42
  • 7.­10
  • 7.­15
  • 7.­19
  • 7.­21
  • 7.­25
  • 7.­28
  • 7.­36
  • 7.­51
  • 7.­52
  • 7.­58
  • 9.­29
  • 10.­11
  • 10.­12
  • 10.­16
  • 11.­14
  • 11.­19
  • 12.­2
  • 12.­5
  • 12.­16
  • 12.­19
  • 12.­23
  • 12.­25
  • n.­4
  • n.­6
  • n.­29
  • n.­35
  • n.­53
  • n.­86
  • n.­96
  • n.­98
  • n.­104
  • n.­125
  • n.­163
  • g.­4
  • g.­35
  • g.­40
  • g.­52
  • g.­53
  • g.­59
  • g.­77
  • g.­84
  • g.­98
  • g.­113
  • g.­165
  • g.­214
  • g.­273
  • g.­280
  • g.­296
  • g.­319
  • g.­329

Links to further resources:

  • 9 related glossary entries
g.­86

Fearlessness

  • mi ’jigs pa
  • མི་འཇིགས་པ།
  • vaiśāradya

The Buddha has four fearlessnesses, as do the bodhisattvas. The four fearlessnesses of the Buddha are: fearlessness regarding the realization of all things; fearlessness regarding knowledge of the exhaustion of all impurities; fearlessness of foresight through ascertainment of the persistence of obstructions; and fearlessness in the rightness of the path leading to the attainment of the supreme success. The fearlessnesses of the bodhisattva are: fearlessness in teaching the meaning he has understood from what he has learned and practiced; fearlessness resulting from the successful maintenance of purity in physical, verbal, and mental action‍—without relying on others’ kindness, being naturally flawless through his understanding of the absence of self; fearlessness resulting from freedom from obstruction in virtue, in teaching, and in delivering living beings, through the perfection of wisdom and liberative art and through not forgetting and constantly upholding the teachings; and fearlessness in the ambition to attain full mastery of omniscience‍—without any deterioration or deviation to other practices‍—and to accomplish all the aims of all living beings.

8 passages contain this term:

  • 1.­7
  • 2.­1
  • 2.­10
  • 3.­60
  • 7.­15
  • 7.­52
  • 9.­13
  • 10.­15

Links to further resources:

  • 22 related glossary entries
g.­88

Five deadly sins

  • mtshams med lnga
  • མཚམས་མེད་ལྔ།
  • ānantarya

Lit. “sins of immediate retribution [after death].” These five, all of which cause immediate rebirth in hell, are killing one’s father, killing one’s mother, killing an arhat, breaking up the saṅgha, and causing, with evil intent, the Tathāgata to bleed.

4 passages contain this term:

  • i.­13
  • 7.­2
  • 7.­13
  • n.­6

Links to further resources:

  • 28 related glossary entries
g.­96

Four immeasurables

  • tshad med bzhi
  • ཚད་མེད་བཞི།
  • catvāryapramāṇāni

Immeasurable states, otherwise known as “pure abodes” (brahmā­vihāra). Immeasurable love arises from the wish for all living beings to have happiness and the cause of happiness. Immeasurable compassion arises from the wish for all living beings to be free from suffering and its cause. Immeasurable joy arises from the wish that living beings not be sundered from the supreme happiness of liberation. And immeasurable impartiality arises from the wish that the preceding‍—love, compassion, and joy‍—should apply equally to all living beings, without attachment to friend or hatred for enemy.

4 passages contain this term:

  • 1.­40
  • 4.­30
  • 10.­20
  • n.­109

Links to further resources:

  • 11 related glossary entries
g.­106

Gandhottama­kūṭa

  • spos mchog brtsegs pa
  • སྤོས་མཆོག་བརྩེགས་པ།
  • Gandhottama­kūṭa

Buddha of the universe Sarva­gandha­sugandhā, from whom Vimalakīrti’s emanation-bodhisattva obtains the vessel of ambrosial food that magically feeds the entire assembly without diminishing in the slightest.

13 passages contain this term:

  • i.­7
  • 9.­2
  • 9.­3
  • 9.­7
  • 9.­10
  • 9.­11
  • 9.­12
  • 9.­14
  • 9.­22
  • 10.­4
  • 10.­9
  • 10.­18
  • g.­275
g.­108

Gnosis

  • ye shes
  • ཡེ་ཤེས།
  • jñāna

This is knowledge of the nonconceptual and transcendental which is realized by those attaining higher stages.

29 passages contain this term:

  • 1.­4
  • 1.­7
  • 1.­33
  • 1.­45
  • 1.­50
  • 2.­6
  • 2.­10
  • 3.­12
  • 3.­60
  • 3.­76
  • 3.­78
  • 3.­79
  • 4.­29
  • 7.­21
  • 7.­26
  • 8.­12
  • 8.­18
  • 8.­19
  • 10.­14
  • 10.­15
  • 10.­17
  • 10.­21
  • 10.­22
  • 11.­3
  • 12.­13
  • n.­71
  • g.­98
  • g.­207
  • g.­350

Links to further resources:

  • 33 related glossary entries
g.­109

Grace

  • byin gyis brlabs
  • བྱིན་གྱིས་བརླབས།
  • adhiṣṭḥāna

The “supernatural power” with which the buddhas sustain the bodhisattvas in their great efforts on behalf of living beings.

3 passages contain this term:

  • 1.­3
  • 4.­1
  • 10.­22

Links to further resources:

  • 11 related glossary entries
g.­110

Great compassion

  • snying rje chen po
  • སྙིང་རྗེ་ཆེན་པོ།
  • mahākaruṇā

This refers to one of the two central qualities of buddhas or high bodhisattvas: their feeling born of the wish for all living beings to be free of suffering and to attain the supreme happiness. It is important to note that this great compassion has nothing to do with any sentimental emotion such as that stimulated by such a reflection as “Oh, the poor creatures! How they are suffering!” On the contrary, great compassion is accompanied by the clear awareness that ultimately there are no such things as living beings, suffering, etc., in reality. Thus it is a sensitivity that does not entertain any dualistic notion of subject and object; indeed, such an unlimited sensitivity might best be termed “empathy.”

26 passages contain this term:

  • i.­12
  • 3.­10
  • 3.­75
  • 4.­7
  • 4.­18
  • 4.­21
  • 6.­3
  • 6.­4
  • 6.­23
  • 6.­25
  • 7.­5
  • 9.­19
  • 9.­26
  • 9.­27
  • 10.­15
  • 10.­20
  • 10.­21
  • 10.­22
  • 12.­11
  • n.­36
  • n.­126
  • n.­144
  • n.­146
  • n.­168
  • g.­26
  • g.­148

Links to further resources:

  • 4 related glossary entries
g.­111

Great love

  • byams pa chen po
  • བྱམས་པ་ཆེན་པོ།
  • mahāmaitrī

In an effort to maintain distinctions between Buddhism and Christianity, translators have used all sorts of euphemisms for this basic term. Granted, it is not the everyday “love” that means “to like”; it is still the altruistic love that is the finest inspiration of Christ’s teaching, as well as of the Mahāyāna.

11 passages contain this term:

  • i.­12
  • 3.­75
  • 3.­82
  • 6.­2
  • 6.­3
  • 6.­25
  • 10.­15
  • 10.­20
  • 10.­22
  • 12.­11
  • n.­147

Links to further resources:

  • 2 related glossary entries
g.­112

Great spiritual hero

  • sems dpa’ chen po
  • སེམས་དཔའ་ཆེན་པོ།
  • mahāsattva

This translation follows the Tib. (lit. “great mind- hero”), whose translation from Skt. derives from the lo tsā ba’s analysis of sattva as meaning “hero,” rather than simply “being.”

6 passages contain this term:

  • 1.­3
  • 3.­83
  • 6.­12
  • 6.­16
  • 10.­4
  • 12.­19

Links to further resources:

  • 15 related glossary entries
g.­113

High resolve

  • lhag pa’i bsam pa
  • ལྷག་པའི་བསམ་པ།
  • adhyāśaya

This is a stage in the conception or initiation of the spirit‌ of enlightenment‌. It follows upon the positive thought, or aspiration to attain it, wherein the bodhisattva becomes filled with a lofty determination that he himself should attain enlightenment, that it is the only thing to do to solve his own problems as well as those of all living beings. This high resolve reaches its most intense purity when the bodhisattva simultaneously attains the Path of Insight and the first bodhisattva-stage, the Stage of Joy. The translation follows Lamotte’s happy coinage “haute résolution.”

18 passages contain this term:

  • 1.­5
  • 1.­7
  • 1.­35
  • 1.­44
  • 3.­29
  • 3.­36
  • 3.­55
  • 3.­78
  • 5.­21
  • 6.­3
  • 10.­20
  • 10.­22
  • 12.­15
  • n.­37
  • n.­168
  • g.­172
  • g.­214
  • g.­319

Links to further resources:

  • 10 related glossary entries
g.­117

Immaterial realm

  • gzugs med khams
  • གཟུགས་མེད་ཁམས།
  • ārūpyadhātu

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

The highest and subtlest of the three realms of saṃsāra in Buddhist cosmology. Here beings are no longer bound by materiality and enjoy a purely mental state of absorption. It is divided in four levels according to each of the four formless concentrations (ārūpyāvacaradhyāna), namely, the Sphere of Infinite Space (Ākāśānantyāyatana), the Sphere of Infinite Consciousness (Vijñānānantyāyatana), the Sphere of Nothingness (A­kiñ­canyāyatana), and the Sphere of Neither Perception nor Non-perception (Naiva­saṃjñā­nāsaṃjñāyatana). The formless realm is located above the other two realms of saṃsāra: the form realm (rūpadhātu) and the desire realm (kāmadhātu).

4 passages contain this term:

  • 2.­3
  • 5.­2
  • 6.­1
  • g.­323

Links to further resources:

  • 18 related glossary entries
g.­118

Incantation

  • gzungs
  • གཟུངས།
  • dhāraṇī

The incantations, or spells, are mnemonic formulas, possessed by advanced bodhisattvas, that contain a quintessence of their attainments, not simply magical charms‍—although the latter are included. The same term in Sanskrit and Tibetan also refers to a highly developed power present in bodhisattvas that is a process of memory and recall of detailed teachings, best translated “retention” in certain contexts.

11 passages contain this term:

  • 1.­4
  • 2.­1
  • 7.­8
  • 7.­21
  • 10.­16
  • 10.­17
  • 10.­20
  • 12.­11
  • 12.­15
  • n.­193
  • g.­316

Links to further resources:

  • 94 related glossary entries
g.­119

Incarnation

  • sprul pa
  • སྤྲུལ་པ།
  • nirmāṇa

See “emanated incarnation.”

11 passages contain this term:

  • 3.­18
  • 3.­19
  • 6.­33
  • 6.­37
  • 9.­13
  • 10.­12
  • 10.­17
  • g.­81
  • g.­148
  • g.­192
  • g.­236

Links to further resources:

  • 6 related glossary entries
g.­122

Inconceivability

  • bsam gyis mi khyab pa
  • བསམ་གྱིས་མི་ཁྱབ་པ།
  • acintyatā

Lit. “unthinkability,” (on the part of a mind whose thinking is conditioned and bound by conceptual terms). This is essentially synonymous with “incomprehensibility” (see entry).

5 passages contain this term:

  • i.­9
  • 10.­7
  • n.­36
  • n.­145
  • g.­82

Links to further resources:

  • 2 related glossary entries
g.­123

Inconceivable liberation

  • rnam par thar pa bsam gyis mi khyab pa
  • རྣམ་པར་ཐར་པ་བསམ་གྱིས་མི་ཁྱབ་པ།
  • acintyavimokṣa

Inconceivable liberation of the bodhisattvas, a name of the Avataṃsaka, and a subtitle of the Vimala­kīrti­nirdeśa.

20 passages contain this term:

  • i.­1
  • i.­5
  • i.­9
  • i.­13
  • i.­14
  • 5.­13
  • 5.­14
  • 5.­16
  • 5.­17
  • 5.­18
  • 5.­19
  • 5.­20
  • 5.­21
  • 5.­22
  • 9.­12
  • n.­111
  • n.­139
  • n.­141
  • g.­27
  • g.­172
g.­127

Instinct

  • bag chags
  • བག་ཆགས།
  • vāsanā

The subconscious tendencies and predilections of the psychosomatic conglomerate. This most obvious word is seldom used in this context because of the hesitancy of scholars to employ “scientific” terminology.

5 passages contain this term:

  • 1.­26
  • 4.­29
  • 6.­1
  • 6.­16
  • n.­124

Links to further resources:

  • 11 related glossary entries
g.­128

Intellect

  • ’du shes
  • འདུ་ཤེས།
  • samjñā

See “aggregate.”

7 passages contain this term:

  • 4.­1
  • 5.­2
  • 8.­18
  • 11.­1
  • g.­7
  • g.­74
  • g.­285

Links to further resources:

  • 28 related glossary entries
g.­136

Karma

  • las
  • ལས།
  • karman

Generally meaning “work,” or “action,” it is an important concept in Buddhist philosophy as the cumulative force of previous actions, which determines present experience and will determine future existences.

3 passages contain this term:

  • n.­28
  • n.­85
  • n.­196

Links to further resources:

  • 28 related glossary entries
g.­147

Liberation

  • mya ngan las ’das pa
  • rnam par grol ba
  • rnam par thar pa
  • མྱ་ངན་ལས་འདས་པ།
  • རྣམ་པར་གྲོལ་བ།
  • རྣམ་པར་ཐར་པ།
  • nirvāṇa
  • vimukti
  • vimokṣa

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

Literally “extinction,” the state beyond sorrow, it refers to the ultimate attainment of buddhahood, the permanent cessation of all suffering and of the afflicted mental states that lead to suffering. 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.

78 passages contain this term:

  • 1.­4
  • 1.­40
  • 2.­10
  • 3.­2
  • 3.­13
  • 3.­15
  • 3.­17
  • 3.­19
  • 3.­38
  • 3.­50
  • 3.­58
  • 3.­69
  • 3.­75
  • 4.­10
  • 4.­11
  • 4.­14
  • 4.­17
  • 4.­21
  • 4.­22
  • 4.­24
  • 4.­26
  • 4.­29
  • 4.­30
  • 5.­4
  • 5.­13
  • 6.­1
  • 6.­6
  • 6.­17
  • 6.­18
  • 6.­19
  • 6.­20
  • 6.­21
  • 6.­23
  • 7.­8
  • 7.­21
  • 7.­27
  • 7.­40
  • 8.­14
  • 8.­22
  • 8.­30
  • 9.­1
  • 9.­24
  • 10.­15
  • 10.­19
  • 10.­20
  • 10.­23
  • 11.­1
  • 11.­21
  • 12.­3
  • 12.­12
  • 12.­14
  • 12.­15
  • 12.­25
  • n.­34
  • n.­64
  • n.­71
  • n.­102
  • n.­109
  • n.­145
  • n.­156
  • n.­184
  • n.­193
  • n.­200
  • g.­63
  • g.­75
  • g.­78
  • g.­81
  • g.­96
  • g.­130
  • g.­148
  • g.­165
  • g.­193
  • g.­197
  • g.­207
  • g.­287
  • g.­319
  • g.­332
  • g.­350
g.­148

Liberative art

  • thabs
  • ཐབས།
  • upāya

This is the expression in action of the great compassion of the Buddha and the bodhisattvas‍—physical, verbal, and mental. It follows that one empathetically aware of the troubles of living beings would, for his very survival, devise the most potent and efficacious techniques possible to remove those troubles, and the troubles of living beings are removed effectively only when they reach liberation. “Art” was chosen over the usual “method” and “means” because it has a stronger connotation of efficacy in our technological world; also, in Buddhism, liberative art is identified with the extreme of power, energy, and efficacy, as symbolized in the vajra (adamantine scepter): The importance of this term is highlighted in this sūtra by the fact that Vimalakīrti himself is introduced in the chapter entitled “Inconceivable Skill in Liberative Art”; this indicates that he, as a function of the nirmāṇakāya (incarnation-body), just like the Buddha himself, is the very incarnation of liberative art, and every act of his life is therefore a technique for the development and liberation of living beings. The “liberative” part of the translation follows “salvifique” in Lamotte’s phrase “moyens salvifique.”

31 passages contain this term:

  • i.­4
  • i.­12
  • i.­14
  • 1.­4
  • 1.­41
  • 1.­44
  • 2.­1
  • 2.­6
  • 2.­7
  • 2.­10
  • 3.­58
  • 3.­69
  • 4.­1
  • 4.­22
  • 4.­23
  • 4.­24
  • 4.­25
  • 4.­26
  • 4.­27
  • 5.­21
  • 5.­22
  • 6.­3
  • 7.­5
  • 7.­33
  • 7.­55
  • 10.­18
  • 10.­22
  • n.­128
  • n.­139
  • g.­77
  • g.­86

Links to further resources:

  • 21 related glossary entries
g.­149

Licchavi

  • lid tsa bI
  • ལིད་ཙ་བཱི།
  • Licchavi

Name of the tribe and republican city-state whose capital was Vaiśālī, where Vimalakīrti lived, and the main events of this sūtra take place.

88 passages contain this term:

  • i.­3
  • i.­4
  • 1.­13
  • 1.­15
  • 1.­31
  • 1.­32
  • 1.­54
  • 2.­1
  • 2.­6
  • 2.­12
  • 3.­1
  • 3.­2
  • 3.­4
  • 3.­12
  • 3.­15
  • 3.­18
  • 3.­21
  • 3.­24
  • 3.­25
  • 3.­27
  • 3.­30
  • 3.­31
  • 3.­37
  • 3.­38
  • 3.­40
  • 3.­41
  • 3.­47
  • 3.­48
  • 3.­55
  • 3.­63
  • 3.­65
  • 3.­66
  • 3.­67
  • 3.­71
  • 3.­73
  • 3.­74
  • 4.­1
  • 4.­4
  • 4.­5
  • 5.­1
  • 5.­6
  • 5.­8
  • 5.­9
  • 5.­10
  • 5.­12
  • 5.­13
  • 5.­21
  • 6.­1
  • 6.­43
  • 7.­1
  • 7.­9
  • 7.­16
  • 8.­1
  • 8.­34
  • 9.­1
  • 9.­2
  • 9.­4
  • 9.­5
  • 9.­6
  • 9.­7
  • 9.­8
  • 9.­9
  • 9.­16
  • 9.­17
  • 9.­19
  • 9.­22
  • 9.­23
  • 9.­27
  • 9.­29
  • 10.­1
  • 10.­2
  • 10.­3
  • 10.­9
  • 10.­10
  • 10.­17
  • 11.­1
  • 11.­5
  • 11.­10
  • 11.­13
  • 11.­14
  • 11.­15
  • 11.­19
  • 11.­20
  • 12.­29
  • n.­20
  • g.­45
  • g.­238
  • g.­336

Links to further resources:

  • 15 related glossary entries
g.­151

Lokapāla

  • ’jig rten skyong
  • འཇིག་རྟེན་སྐྱོང་།
  • Lokapāla

Lit. “World-Protectors.” They are the same as the four Mahārājas, the great kings of the quarters (rgyal chen bzhi), namely, Vaiśravaṇa, Dhṛtarāṣṭra, Virūḍhaka, and Virūpākṣa, whose mission is to report on the activities of mankind to the gods of the Trāyastriṃśa heaven and who have pledged to protect the practitioners of the Dharma. Each universe has its own set of four.

11 passages contain this term:

  • 1.­11
  • 2.­1
  • 2.­6
  • 4.­2
  • 4.­3
  • 5.­8
  • 5.­18
  • 6.­24
  • 6.­27
  • 9.­21
  • 10.­4

Links to further resources:

  • 22 related glossary entries
g.­152

Lord

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

“Lord” is chosen to translate the title Bhagavān because it is the term of greatest respect current in our “sacred” language, as established for the Deity in the Elizabethan version of the Bible. Indeed, the Skt. Bhagavān was given as a title to the Buddha, although it also served the non-Buddhist Indians of the day and, subsequently, it served as an honorific title of their particular deities. As the Buddha is clearly described in the sūtras as the “Supreme Teacher of Gods and Men,” there seems little danger that he may be confused with any particular deity through the use of this term [as indeed in Buddhist sūtras various deities, creators, protectors, etc., are shown in their respective roles]. Thus I feel it would compromise the weight and function of the original Bhagavān to use any less weighty term than “Lord” for the Buddha.

88 passages contain this term:

  • 1.­2
  • 1.­12
  • 1.­14
  • 1.­15
  • 1.­18
  • 1.­25
  • 1.­31
  • 1.­32
  • 1.­47
  • 1.­49
  • 1.­51
  • 1.­52
  • 1.­55
  • 2.­7
  • 3.­2
  • 3.­3
  • 3.­4
  • 3.­11
  • 3.­12
  • 3.­14
  • 3.­15
  • 3.­18
  • 3.­20
  • 3.­21
  • 3.­24
  • 3.­25
  • 3.­26
  • 3.­27
  • 3.­30
  • 3.­31
  • 3.­35
  • 3.­37
  • 3.­40
  • 3.­41
  • 3.­42
  • 3.­43
  • 3.­47
  • 3.­48
  • 3.­54
  • 3.­55
  • 3.­62
  • 3.­63
  • 3.­73
  • 3.­74
  • 3.­81
  • 3.­83
  • 4.­1
  • 4.­21
  • 5.­8
  • 7.­39
  • 9.­8
  • 9.­9
  • 9.­10
  • 9.­11
  • 9.­14
  • 9.­15
  • 9.­22
  • 10.­1
  • 10.­2
  • 10.­6
  • 10.­7
  • 10.­8
  • 10.­12
  • 10.­13
  • 10.­17
  • 10.­18
  • 11.­1
  • 11.­4
  • 11.­9
  • 11.­15
  • 11.­18
  • 11.­20
  • 12.­1
  • 12.­4
  • 12.­6
  • 12.­10
  • 12.­18
  • 12.­19
  • 12.­23
  • 12.­24
  • 12.­25
  • 12.­26
  • 12.­27
  • 12.­29
  • n.­31
  • n.­33
  • g.­37
  • g.­190

Links to further resources:

  • 116 related glossary entries
g.­165

Mahāyāna

  • theg pa chen po
  • ཐེག་པ་ཆེན་པོ།
  • Mahāyāna

The “Great Vehicle” of Buddhism, called “great” because it carries all living beings to enlightenment of Buddhahood. It is distinguished from the Hinayāna, including the Śrāvāka­yāna (Śrāvaka Vehicle) and Pratyeka­buddha­yāna (Solitary Sage Vehicle), which only carries each person who rides on it to their own personal liberation.

59 passages contain this term:

  • s.­1
  • i.­2
  • i.­12
  • i.­15
  • 1.­36
  • 2.­1
  • 2.­4
  • 3.­14
  • 3.­23
  • 6.­3
  • 7.­23
  • 9.­3
  • 9.­27
  • 10.­20
  • 12.­30
  • n.­6
  • n.­14
  • n.­19
  • n.­20
  • n.­23
  • n.­24
  • n.­40
  • n.­48
  • n.­53
  • n.­57
  • n.­70
  • n.­72
  • n.­85
  • n.­90
  • n.­91
  • n.­94
  • n.­124
  • n.­128
  • n.­144
  • n.­145
  • n.­159
  • n.­165
  • n.­198
  • g.­11
  • g.­22
  • g.­27
  • g.­47
  • g.­49
  • g.­62
  • g.­73
  • g.­77
  • g.­85
  • g.­111
  • g.­161
  • g.­191
  • g.­197
  • g.­251
  • g.­267
  • g.­281
  • g.­289
  • g.­297
  • g.­300
  • g.­343
  • g.­348

Links to further resources:

  • 18 related glossary entries
g.­171

Mañjuśrī

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

The eternally youthful crown prince (kumārabhūta), so called because of his special identification with the Prajñā­pāramitā, or Transcendence of Wisdom. He is the only member of the Buddha’s retinue who volunteers to visit Vimalakīrti, and he serves as Vimalakīrti’s principal interlocutor throughout the sūtra. Traditionally regarded as the wisest of bodhisattvas, in Tibetan tradition he is known as rgyal ba’i yab gcig, the “sole father of buddhas,” as he inspires them in their realization of the profound. He is represented as bearing the sword of wisdom in his right hand and a volume of the Prajñā­pāramitā­sūtra in his left. He is always youthful in appearance, like a boy of sixteen.

60 passages contain this term:

  • s.­1
  • i.­5
  • i.­6
  • 1.­10
  • 4.­1
  • 4.­2
  • 4.­3
  • 4.­4
  • 4.­5
  • 4.­7
  • 4.­8
  • 4.­9
  • 4.­10
  • 4.­11
  • 4.­12
  • 4.­13
  • 4.­14
  • 4.­15
  • 4.­20
  • 4.­27
  • 4.­28
  • 4.­31
  • 5.­6
  • 5.­7
  • 5.­9
  • 6.­1
  • 6.­2
  • 6.­3
  • 6.­4
  • 6.­5
  • 6.­6
  • 6.­7
  • 6.­8
  • 6.­9
  • 6.­10
  • 6.­11
  • 7.­1
  • 7.­2
  • 7.­8
  • 7.­9
  • 7.­10
  • 7.­13
  • 7.­15
  • 8.­33
  • 8.­34
  • 9.­4
  • 9.­5
  • 9.­29
  • 10.­1
  • 10.­2
  • 12.­1
  • 12.­29
  • n.­6
  • n.­114
  • n.­116
  • n.­147
  • n.­162
  • n.­184
  • g.­47
  • g.­85

Links to further resources:

  • 109 related glossary entries
g.­172

Māra

  • bdud
  • བདུད།
  • Māra

The devil, or evil one, who leads the forces of the gods of the desire-world in seeking to tempt and seduce the Buddha and his disciples. But according to Vimalakīrti he is actually a bodhisattva who dwells in the inconceivable liberation and displays evil activities in order to strengthen and consolidate the high resolve of all bodhisattvas.

27 passages contain this term:

  • i.­13
  • 1.­20
  • 3.­17
  • 3.­38
  • 3.­63
  • 3.­64
  • 3.­65
  • 3.­66
  • 3.­67
  • 3.­69
  • 3.­70
  • 3.­71
  • 3.­72
  • 3.­73
  • 4.­11
  • 4.­29
  • 5.­20
  • 5.­21
  • 7.­5
  • 7.­28
  • 7.­33
  • 7.­46
  • 10.­12
  • 12.­11
  • 12.­14
  • n.­145
  • g.­131

Links to further resources:

  • 115 related glossary entries
g.­179

Matter

  • gzugs
  • གཟུགས།
  • rūpa

See “aggregate.”

10 passages contain this term:

  • 3.­38
  • 5.­2
  • 6.­1
  • 8.­18
  • 11.­1
  • n.­202
  • g.­7
  • g.­74
  • g.­75
  • g.­323

Links to further resources:

  • 19 related glossary entries
g.­181

Means of unification

  • bsdu ba’i dngos po
  • བསྡུ་བའི་དངོས་པོ།
  • saṃgrahavastu

Four ways in which a bodhisattva forms a group of people united by the common aim of practicing the Dharma: giving (dāna); pleasant speech (priyavaditā); accomplishment of the aims (of others) by teaching Dharma (arthacaryā); and consistency of behavior with the teaching (samānārthatā).

7 passages contain this term:

  • 1.­40
  • 3.­58
  • 3.­78
  • 7.­20
  • 9.­27
  • 10.­20
  • g.­77

Links to further resources:

  • 9 related glossary entries
g.­182

Meditation

  • —
  • —
  • —

See “absorption.”

33 passages contain this term:

  • 1.­4
  • 1.­39
  • 2.­2
  • 2.­3
  • 2.­10
  • 3.­56
  • 3.­69
  • 3.­76
  • 3.­77
  • 3.­78
  • 4.­22
  • 6.­1
  • 7.­26
  • 8.­21
  • 10.­20
  • 11.­21
  • 12.­1
  • n.­4
  • n.­24
  • n.­30
  • n.­53
  • n.­104
  • n.­120
  • g.­1
  • g.­5
  • g.­7
  • g.­77
  • g.­90
  • g.­155
  • g.­184
  • g.­316
  • g.­319
  • g.­326
g.­187

Morality

  • tshul khrims
  • ཚུལ་ཁྲིམས།
  • śīla

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

Morally virtuous or disciplined conduct and the abandonment of morally undisciplined conduct of body, speech, and mind. In a general sense, moral discipline is the cause for rebirth in higher, more favorable states, but it is also foundational to Buddhist practice as one of the three trainings (triśikṣā) and one of the six perfections of a bodhisattva. Often rendered as “ethics,” “discipline,” and “morality.”

19 passages contain this term:

  • 1.­4
  • 1.­37
  • 2.­2
  • 2.­10
  • 3.­56
  • 3.­69
  • 3.­76
  • 6.­3
  • 7.­27
  • 7.­53
  • 8.­21
  • 9.­20
  • 9.­27
  • 10.­15
  • 11.­3
  • n.­171
  • g.­1
  • g.­77
  • g.­294

Links to further resources:

  • 31 related glossary entries
g.­188

Motivation

  • ’du byed
  • འདུ་བྱེད།
  • saṃskāra

See “aggregate.”

6 passages contain this term:

  • 5.­2
  • 6.­3
  • 8.­18
  • g.­7
  • g.­74
  • g.­215

Links to further resources:

  • 40 related glossary entries
g.­194

Narrow-minded teachings

  • nyi tshe ba’i chos
  • ཉི་ཚེ་བའི་ཆོས།
  • pradeśika­dharma

I.e. the teachings of the Disciple Vehicle (śrāvakayāna). See “narrow-minded attitudes.”

1 passage contains this term:

  • 10.­22
g.­197

Nirvāṇa

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

Final liberation from suffering. In the Hinayāna it is believed attainable by turning away from the world of living beings and transcending all afflictions and selfishnesses through meditative trances. In the Mahāyāna, it is believed attainable only by the attainment of buddhahood, the nondual realization of the indivisibility of life and liberation, and the all-powerful compassion that establishes all living beings simultaneously in their own liberations.

16 passages contain this term:

  • n.­26
  • n.­64
  • n.­135
  • n.­136
  • n.­171
  • n.­180
  • n.­194
  • n.­195
  • g.­48
  • g.­63
  • g.­77
  • g.­85
  • g.­94
  • g.­212
  • g.­251
  • g.­332

Links to further resources:

  • 31 related glossary entries
g.­202

Noble

  • ’phags pa
  • འཕགས་པ།
  • ārya

‍—

22 passages contain this term:

  • 1.­33
  • 3.­13
  • 3.­15
  • 3.­38
  • 3.­78
  • 4.­29
  • 5.­13
  • 10.­13
  • 11.­4
  • 11.­20
  • 12.­2
  • 12.­8
  • 12.­30
  • n.­30
  • n.­59
  • n.­66
  • n.­134
  • n.­184
  • n.­190
  • g.­48
  • g.­62
  • g.­238
g.­203

Noble disciple

  • ’phags pa nyan thos
  • འཕགས་པ་ཉན་ཐོས།
  • āryaśrāvāka

A practitioner of the Disciple Vehicle teaching who has reached at least the initial stages of realization.

2 passages contain this term:

  • 1.­1
  • n.­14
g.­204

Nonduality

  • gnyis su med pa
  • གཉིས་སུ་མེད་པ།
  • advayatvā

This is synonymous with reality, voidness, etc. But it must be remembered that nonduality does not necessarily mean unity, that unity is only one of the pair unity-duality; hence nonduality implies nonunity as well. This point is obscured by designating this nondual philosophy as “monism,” as too many modern scholars have done.

41 passages contain this term:

  • i.­12
  • 3.­25
  • 8.­1
  • 8.­2
  • 8.­3
  • 8.­4
  • 8.­5
  • 8.­6
  • 8.­7
  • 8.­8
  • 8.­9
  • 8.­10
  • 8.­11
  • 8.­12
  • 8.­13
  • 8.­14
  • 8.­15
  • 8.­16
  • 8.­17
  • 8.­18
  • 8.­19
  • 8.­20
  • 8.­21
  • 8.­22
  • 8.­23
  • 8.­24
  • 8.­25
  • 8.­26
  • 8.­27
  • 8.­28
  • 8.­29
  • 8.­30
  • 8.­31
  • 8.­32
  • 8.­33
  • 8.­34
  • 8.­35
  • n.­71
  • n.­157
  • n.­177
  • n.­184

Links to further resources:

  • 4 related glossary entries
g.­207

Omniscience

  • thams cad mkhyen pa
  • ཐམས་ཅད་མཁྱེན་པ།
  • sarvajñatā

This refers to the gnosis of the Buddha, with which there is nothing he does not know. However, not to confuse “omniscience” with the theistic conception of an omniscient god, the “everything” here is specifically everything about the source of the predicament of worldly life and the way of transcendence of that world through liberation. Since “everything” is only an abstract term without any particular referent, once we are clear about the implications of infinity, it does not refer to any sort of ultimate totality, since a totality can only be relative, i.e., a totality within a particular frame of reference. Thus, as Dharmakīrti has remarked, “it is not a question of the Buddha’s knowing the number of fish in the ocean,” i.e., since there are infinity of fish in infinity of oceans in infinity of worlds and universes. The Buddha’s omniscience, rather, knows how to develop and liberate any fish in any ocean, as well as all other living beings.

8 passages contain this term:

  • 3.­60
  • 3.­79
  • 4.­29
  • 7.­12
  • 8.­21
  • 10.­22
  • g.­77
  • g.­86

Links to further resources:

  • 21 related glossary entries
g.­213

Passion

  • nyon mongs
  • ཉོན་མོངས།
  • kleśa

Desire, hatred and anger, dullness, pride, and jealousy, as well as all their derivatives, said to number 84,000. Also translated “afflictions.”

30 passages contain this term:

  • i.­13
  • 1.­8
  • 2.­8
  • 2.­11
  • 3.­2
  • 3.­17
  • 3.­31
  • 3.­60
  • 4.­25
  • 4.­26
  • 6.­2
  • 6.­3
  • 6.­16
  • 7.­5
  • 7.­10
  • 7.­11
  • 7.­12
  • 7.­13
  • 7.­19
  • 10.­11
  • 10.­12
  • 10.­20
  • 10.­22
  • n.­6
  • n.­68
  • n.­124
  • n.­148
  • n.­155
  • g.­6
  • g.­20

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  • 60 related glossary entries
g.­214

Positive thought

  • bsam pa
  • བསམ་པ།
  • āśaya

In general, a joyous attitude to help living beings and accomplish virtue. This is also the first stirring in the bodhisattva’s mind of the inspiration to attain enlightenment (see “high resolve”). See Lamotte, Appendice, Note II.

10 passages contain this term:

  • 1.­35
  • 1.­37
  • 1.­44
  • 1.­50
  • 3.­55
  • 3.­78
  • 10.­22
  • n.­37
  • g.­113
  • g.­319

Links to further resources:

  • 8 related glossary entries
g.­220

Prajñā­pāramitā

  • shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa
  • ཤེས་རབ་ཀྱི་ཕ་རོལ་ཏུ་ཕྱིན་པ།
  • Prajñā­pāramitā

Transcendental wisdom, being the profound nondual understanding of the ultimate reality, or voidness, or relativity, of all things; personified as a goddess, she is worshiped as the “Mother of all Buddhas” (Sarva­jina­mātā).

4 passages contain this term:

  • i.­1
  • n.­139
  • g.­171
  • g.­244

Links to further resources:

  • 20 related glossary entries
g.­229

Pratyekabuddha

  • rang sangs rgyas
  • རང་སངས་རྒྱས།
  • pratyekabuddha

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

Literally, “buddha for oneself” or “solitary realizer.” Someone who, in his or her last life, attains awakening entirely through their own contemplation, without relying on a teacher. Unlike the awakening of a fully realized buddha (samyaksambuddha), the accomplishment of a pratyeka­buddha is not final or ultimate. They attain realization of the nature of dependent origination, the selflessness of the person, and a partial realization of the selflessness of phenomena, by observing the suchness of all that arises through interdependence. This is the result of progress in previous lives but, unlike a buddha, they do not have the necessary merit, compassion or motivation to teach others. They are named as “rhinoceros-like” (khaḍgaviṣāṇakalpa) for their preference for staying in solitude or as “congregators” (vargacārin) when their preference is to stay among peers.

1 passage contains this term:

  • 1.­1

Links to further resources:

  • 79 related glossary entries
g.­252

Realm of desire

  • ’dod khams
  • འདོད་ཁམས།
  • kāmadhātu

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

In Buddhist cosmology, this is our own realm, the lowest and most coarse of the three realms of saṃsāra. It is called this because beings here are characterized by their strong longing for and attachment to the pleasures of the senses. The desire realm includes hell beings, hungry ghosts, animals, humans, asuras, and the lowest six heavens of the gods‍—from the Heaven of the Four Great Kings (Cāturmahā­rājika) up to the Heaven of Making Use of Others’ Emanations (Para­nirmita­vaśa­vartin). Located above the desire realm is the form realm (rūpadhātu) and the formless realm (ārūpyadhātu).

6 passages contain this term:

  • 2.­3
  • 5.­2
  • 9.­18
  • g.­7
  • g.­138
  • g.­330

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  • 24 related glossary entries
g.­253

Realm of pure matter

  • gzugs khams
  • གཟུགས་ཁམས།
  • rūpadhātu

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

One of the three realms of saṃsāra in Buddhist cosmology, it is characterized by subtle materiality. Here beings, though subtly embodied, are not driven primarily by the urge for sense gratification. It consists of seventeen heavens structured according to the four concentrations of the form realm (rūpāvacaradhyāna), the highest five of which are collectively called “the five pure abodes” (Śuddhāvāsa). The form realm is located above the desire realm (kāmadhātu) and below the formless realm (ārūpya­dhātu).

5 passages contain this term:

  • 2.­3
  • 5.­2
  • 9.­18
  • g.­37
  • g.­260

Links to further resources:

  • 20 related glossary entries
g.­254

Reconciliation of dichotomies

  • snrel zhi’i rgyud
  • snrel zhi ba
  • སྣྲེལ་ཞིའི་རྒྱུད།
  • སྣྲེལ་ཞི་བ།
  • yamaka­vyatyastāhāra

The twelfth of the eighteen special qualities of a bodhisattva.

8 passages contain this term:

  • i.­12
  • i.­13
  • 4.­1
  • 12.­20
  • n.­4
  • n.­44
  • n.­195
  • g.­77
g.­257

Sacrifice

  • mchod sbyin
  • མཆོད་སྦྱིན།
  • yajña

14 passages contain this term:

  • 3.­74
  • 3.­75
  • 3.­76
  • 3.­77
  • 3.­78
  • 3.­79
  • 3.­80
  • 3.­82
  • 4.­18
  • 10.­20
  • 11.­22
  • n.­104
  • n.­106
  • n.­112

Links to further resources:

  • 2 related glossary entries
g.­258

Sahā

  • mi mjed
  • མི་མཇེད།
  • Sahā

Universe and buddhafield of Śākyamuni; our world.

19 passages contain this term:

  • i.­7
  • i.­14
  • 9.­9
  • 9.­10
  • 9.­11
  • 9.­12
  • 9.­14
  • 9.­15
  • 9.­27
  • 9.­28
  • 10.­24
  • 11.­9
  • 11.­14
  • 11.­15
  • 11.­17
  • 11.­19
  • n.­212
  • g.­3
  • g.­39

Links to further resources:

  • 57 related glossary entries
g.­260

Śakra

  • brgya byin
  • བརྒྱ་བྱིན།
  • Śakra

In Buddhist texts, usual name for Indra, king of gods of the desire-realm (kāmadhātu) of a particular universe; hence a Śakra is lower in status than a Brahmā, who resides at the summit of the realm of pure matter (rūpadhātu). As in the case of Brahmā, a title, or status, rather than a personal name; each universe has its Śakra.

22 passages contain this term:

  • i.­8
  • 1.­11
  • 2.­1
  • 2.­6
  • 3.­63
  • 3.­65
  • 4.­2
  • 4.­3
  • 5.­8
  • 5.­18
  • 6.­24
  • 6.­27
  • 7.­39
  • 9.­21
  • 10.­4
  • 12.­1
  • 12.­2
  • 12.­4
  • 12.­6
  • g.­37
  • g.­45
  • g.­138

Links to further resources:

  • 107 related glossary entries
g.­262

Śākyamuni

  • shAkya thub pa
  • ཤཱཀྱ་ཐུབ་པ།
  • Śākyamuni

The “Sage of the Śākyas,” name of the Buddha of our era, who lived c. 563-483 B.C.

27 passages contain this term:

  • i.­7
  • i.­14
  • 1.­20
  • 1.­46
  • 1.­49
  • 3.­27
  • 6.­30
  • 9.­12
  • 9.­14
  • 9.­23
  • 9.­26
  • 10.­18
  • 10.­24
  • 11.­18
  • 12.­19
  • n.­100
  • n.­212
  • g.­30
  • g.­39
  • g.­73
  • g.­81
  • g.­141
  • g.­167
  • g.­211
  • g.­234
  • g.­258
  • g.­261

Links to further resources:

  • 52 related glossary entries
g.­269

Saṃsāra

  • ’khor ba
  • འཁོར་བ།
  • saṃsāra

The cycle of birth and death; that is, life as experienced by living beings under the influence of ignorance, not any sort of objective world external to the persons experiencing it.

3 passages contain this term:

  • n.­194
  • n.­195
  • g.­77

Links to further resources:

  • 30 related glossary entries
g.­271

Saṃyaksaṃbuddha

  • yang dag par rdzogs pa’i sangs rgyas
  • ཡང་དག་པར་རྫོགས་པའི་སངས་རྒྱས།
  • saṃyak­saṃbuddha

Lit. “perfectly accomplished Buddha.” Name of the Buddha.

2 passages contain this term:

  • 10.­15
  • 10.­16

Links to further resources:

  • 17 related glossary entries
g.­272

Saṅgha

  • dge ’dun
  • དགེ་འདུན།
  • Saṅgha

The third of the Three Jewels (Triratna) of Buddhism, the Buddha, the Teaching, and the Community. Sometimes narrowly defined as the community of mendicants, it can be understood as including lay practitioners.

14 passages contain this term:

  • 1.­5
  • 3.­16
  • 3.­17
  • 3.­69
  • 5.­2
  • 5.­18
  • 8.­23
  • n.­62
  • n.­83
  • n.­88
  • n.­198
  • g.­88
  • g.­157
  • g.­294

Links to further resources:

  • 32 related glossary entries
g.­274

Śāriputra

  • shA ri bu
  • ཤཱ་རི་བུ།
  • Śāriputra

One of the major śrāvaka disciples, paired with Maudgalyāyana, and noted for having been praised by the Buddha as foremost of the wise; hence, the most frequent target for Vimalakīrti’s attacks on the śrāvakas and on the Hinayāna in general.

(See also n.­40)

79 passages contain this term:

  • i.­5
  • i.­7
  • i.­8
  • 1.­46
  • 1.­47
  • 1.­48
  • 1.­49
  • 1.­50
  • 1.­52
  • 1.­53
  • 3.­2
  • 3.­3
  • 5.­1
  • 5.­2
  • 5.­3
  • 5.­4
  • 5.­5
  • 5.­10
  • 5.­11
  • 5.­12
  • 5.­13
  • 5.­14
  • 5.­16
  • 5.­19
  • 5.­20
  • 6.­13
  • 6.­14
  • 6.­15
  • 6.­16
  • 6.­17
  • 6.­18
  • 6.­19
  • 6.­20
  • 6.­21
  • 6.­22
  • 6.­23
  • 6.­24
  • 6.­25
  • 6.­26
  • 6.­27
  • 6.­28
  • 6.­29
  • 6.­30
  • 6.­31
  • 6.­32
  • 6.­33
  • 6.­34
  • 6.­36
  • 6.­37
  • 6.­38
  • 6.­39
  • 6.­40
  • 6.­41
  • 6.­42
  • 6.­43
  • 9.­1
  • 9.­19
  • 10.­6
  • 10.­8
  • 10.­9
  • 11.­4
  • 11.­5
  • 11.­6
  • 11.­7
  • 11.­8
  • 11.­9
  • 11.­10
  • 11.­11
  • 11.­12
  • 11.­20
  • n.­40
  • n.­56
  • n.­57
  • n.­157
  • n.­163
  • n.­164
  • n.­184
  • g.­159
  • g.­180

Links to further resources:

  • 63 related glossary entries
g.­275

Sarva­gandha­sugandhā

  • spos thams cad kyi dri mchog
  • སྤོས་ཐམས་ཅད་ཀྱི་དྲི་མཆོག
  • Sarva­gandha­sugandhā

Universe of the Buddha Gandhottama­kūṭa; a universe wherein the Dharma is taught through the medium of scent. According to Lamotte, p. 319, n. 2, this universe is mentioned in the Śikṣāsamuccaya, the Laṇkāvatāra, and the Prasannapadā. However, In the Prasannapadā, this universe is said to be ruled by Samantabhadra, not Gandhottama­kūṭa (see Lamotte, p. 320, n. 3).

11 passages contain this term:

  • 9.­2
  • 9.­7
  • 9.­10
  • 9.­16
  • 9.­21
  • 9.­27
  • 10.­9
  • 10.­18
  • 10.­24
  • g.­105
  • g.­106
g.­280

Seat of enlightenment

  • byang chub kyi snying po
  • བྱང་ཆུབ་ཀྱི་སྙིང་པོ།
  • bodhimaṇḍa

Haribhadra defines it as “a place used as a seat, where the maṇḍa, here ‘essence,’ of enlightenment is present.” See Lamotte, p. 198, n. 105. The main “seat of enlightenment” is the spot under the bo tree at Buddha Gaya, where the Buddha sat and attained unexcelled, perfect enlightenment. It is not to be confused with bodhimaṇḍala, “circle of enlightenment.”

8 passages contain this term:

  • 3.­55
  • 3.­61
  • 3.­69
  • 12.­1
  • 12.­12
  • n.­98
  • g.­10
  • g.­217

Links to further resources:

  • 32 related glossary entries
g.­282

Selfish reticence

  • slob dpon dpe mkhyud
  • སློབ་དཔོན་དཔེ་མཁྱུད།
  • ācāryamuṣṭi

Lit. “The tight fist of the [bad] teacher.”

1 passage contains this term:

  • 10.­20

Links to further resources:

  • 1 related glossary entry
g.­283

Sensation

  • tshor ba
  • ཚོར་བ།
  • vedanā

see “aggregates”

9 passages contain this term:

  • 4.­18
  • 4.­30
  • 5.­2
  • 8.­18
  • 11.­1
  • n.­98
  • g.­7
  • g.­74
  • g.­95

Links to further resources:

  • 21 related glossary entries
g.­284

Sense-media

  • skye mched
  • སྐྱེ་མཆེད།
  • āyatana

The twelve sense-media are eye-medium (cakṣurāyatana), form-medium (rūpa-), ear-medium (śrotra-), sound-medium (śabda-), nose-medium (ghrāna-), scent-medium (gandha-), tongue-medium (jihvā-), taste-medium (rasa-), body-medium (kāya-), texture-medium (spraṣṭavya), mental-medium (mana-), and phenomena-medium (dharmāyatana). In some passages they are enumerated as six, the object-faculty pair being taken as one, and it is this set of six that is the fifth member of the twelve links of dependent origination. The word āyatana is usually translated as “base,” but the Skt., Tib., and Ch. all indicate “something through which the senses function” rather than a basis from which they function; hence “medium” is suggested.

11 passages contain this term:

  • 2.­9
  • 3.­53
  • 3.­69
  • 5.­2
  • 7.­9
  • 10.­20
  • 11.­1
  • n.­98
  • n.­102
  • n.­167
  • g.­80

Links to further resources:

  • 58 related glossary entries
g.­287

Signlessness

  • mtshan ma med pa
  • མཚན་མ་མེད་པ།
  • animittatā

In ultimate reality, there is no sign, as a sign signals or signifies something to someone and hence is inextricably involved with the relative world. We are so conditioned by signs that they seem to speak to us as if they had a voice of their own. The letter “A” seems to pronounce itself to us as we see it, and the stop-sign fairly shouts at us. However, the configuration of two slanted lines with a crossbar has in itself nothing whatsoever to do with the phenomenon made with the mouth and throat in the open position, when expulsion of breath makes the vocal cords resonate “ah.” By extending such analysis to all signs, we may get an inkling of what is meant by “signlessness,” which is essentially equivalent to voidness, and to “wishlessness” (see entry). Voidness, signlessness, and wishlessness form the “Three Doors of Liberation.”

10 passages contain this term:

  • 1.­4
  • 3.­8
  • 3.­77
  • 4.­23
  • 4.­24
  • 4.­29
  • 8.­22
  • 10.­21
  • 12.­12
  • n.­34

Links to further resources:

  • 36 related glossary entries
g.­299

Śrāvakayāna

  • nyan thos kyi theg pa
  • ཉན་ཐོས་ཀྱི་ཐེག་པ།
  • śrāvakayāna

The vehicle comprising the teaching of the śrāvakas.

20 passages contain this term:

  • 1.­55
  • 3.­23
  • 6.­23
  • n.­30
  • n.­40
  • n.­48
  • n.­56
  • n.­57
  • n.­64
  • n.­187
  • n.­190
  • n.­195
  • n.­198
  • g.­20
  • g.­62
  • g.­85
  • g.­124
  • g.­193
  • g.­194
  • g.­203

Links to further resources:

  • 10 related glossary entries
g.­302

Stores of merit and wisdom

  • bsod nams dang ye shes kyi tshogs
  • བསོད་ནམས་དང་ཡེ་ཤེས་ཀྱི་ཚོགས།
  • puṇya­jñāna­saṃbhāra

The two great stores to be accumulated by bodhisattvas: the store of merit, arising from their practice of the first three transcendences, and the store of wisdom, arising from their practice of the last two transcendences. All deeds of bodhisattvas contribute to their accumulation of these two stores, which ultimately culminate in the two bodies of the Buddha, the body of form and the ultimate body.

4 passages contain this term:

  • 1.­6
  • 2.­10
  • 7.­2
  • 7.­6
g.­313

Superknowledges

  • mngon par shes pa
  • མངོན་པར་ཤེས་པ།
  • abhijñā

Special powers of which five, acquired through the meditative contemplations (dhyāna), are considered mundane (laukika) and can be attained to some extent by outsider yogis as well as Buddhist arhats and bodhisattvas; and a sixth‍—being acquired through a bodhisattva’s realization, or by buddhas alone according to some accounts‍—is supramundane (lokottara). The first five are: divine eye or vision (divyacakṣu), divine hearing (divyaśrotra), knowledge of others’ minds (paracittajñāna), knowledge of former (and future) lives (pūrva­[para]­nivāsānu­smṛti­jñāna), and knowledge of magical operations (ṛddhi­vidhi­jñāna). The sixth, supramundane one is knowledge of the exhaustion of defilements (āsravakṣaya­jñāna).

17 passages contain this term:

  • 1.­3
  • 2.­1
  • 2.­10
  • 3.­27
  • 3.­58
  • 4.­1
  • 4.­30
  • 5.­9
  • 6.­43
  • 7.­23
  • 7.­53
  • 10.­20
  • 10.­22
  • 12.­15
  • n.­131
  • g.­19
  • g.­71

Links to further resources:

  • 44 related glossary entries
g.­314

Sūtra

  • mdo
  • མདོ།
  • sūtra

In general Indian usage, the word for a highly condensed arrangement of verses that lends itself to memorization, serving as a basic text for a particular school of thought. In Buddhism, a scripture, in as much as it records either the direct speech of the Buddha, or the speech of someone manifestly inspired by him.

57 passages contain this term:

  • s.­1
  • i.­1
  • i.­2
  • i.­3
  • i.­8
  • i.­9
  • i.­11
  • i.­12
  • i.­14
  • i.­15
  • <