• The Collection
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  • Discourses
  • General Sūtra Section

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ཉི་མའི་སྙིང་པོ།

The Quintessence of the Sun
The Travel to Mount Sumeru

Sūryagarbha
འཕགས་པ་ཤིན་ཏུ་རྒྱས་པ་ཆེན་པོའི་སྡེ་ཉི་མའི་སྙིང་པོ་ཞེས་བྱ་བའི་མདོ།
’phags pa shin tu rgyas pa chen po’i sde nyi ma’i snying po zhes bya ba’i mdo
The Noble Very Extensive Sūtra “The Quintessence of the Sun”
Ārya­sūryagarbha­nāma­mahāvaipulya­sūtra
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Toh 257

Degé Kangyur, vol. 66 (mdo sde, za), folios 91.b–245.b

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

First published 2022
Current version v 1.0.6 (2023)
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. Acknowledgements
i. Introduction
tr. The Translation
+ 12 chapters- 12 chapters
1. Protection of the Sacred Dharma
2. The Messengers
3. The Dhāraṇī Mantras
4. The Purification of Karmic Actions
5. The Protection
6. Chapter Six
7. The Presentation of the Conjunctions of the Lunar Mansions
8. Chapter Eight
9. The Recollection of the Buddha
10. The Travel to Mount Sumeru
11. The Going for Refuge of the Nāgas
12. Conclusion
c. Colophon
n. Notes
b. Bibliography
+ 3 sections- 3 sections
· Tibetan Sources
· Chinese Sources
· Secondary Sources
g. Glossary

s.

Summary

s.­1

The Quintessence of the Sun is a long and heterogeneous sūtra in eleven chapters. At the Veṇuvana in the Kalandakanivāpa on the outskirts of Rājagṛha, the Buddha Śākyamuni first explains to a great assembly the severe consequences of stealing what has been offered to monks and the importance of protecting those who abide by the Dharma. The next section tells of bodhisattvas sent from buddha realms in the four directions to bring various dhāraṇīs as a way of protecting and benefitting this world. While explaining those dhāraṇīs, the Buddha Śākyamuni presents various meditations on repulsiveness and instructions on the empty nature of phenomena. On the basis of another long narrative involving Māra and groups of nāgas, detailed teachings on astrology are also introduced, as are a number of additional dhāraṇīs and a list of sacred locations blessed by the presence of holy beings.


ac.

Acknowledgements

ac.­1

This text was translated by the Dharmachakra Translation Committee under the supervision of Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche. Benjamin Collet-Cassart translated the text from Tibetan into English and wrote the introduction. Andreas Doctor compared the draft translation with the original Tibetan and edited the text.

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


The generous sponsorship of Jamyang Sun and Manju Sun, which helped make the work on this translation possible, is most gratefully acknowledged.


i.

Introduction

i.­1

The Quintessence of the Sun, which belongs to the General Sūtra section of the Kangyur, is a long and heterogeneous sūtra containing eleven chapters. At the Veṇuvana in the Kalandakanivāpa on the outskirts of Rājagṛha, the Buddha Śākyamuni first explains to a great assembly the severe consequences of stealing what has been offered to monks and the importance of protecting those who abide by the Dharma. The next section tells of bodhisattvas sent from buddha realms in the four directions to bring various dhāraṇīs as a way of protecting and benefitting this world. While explaining those dhāraṇīs, the Buddha Śākyamuni presents various meditations on repulsiveness and instructions on the empty nature of phenomena. On the basis of another long narrative involving Māra and groups of nāgas, detailed teachings on astrology are also introduced, as are a number of additional dhāraṇīs and a list of sacred locations blessed by the presence of holy beings.


The Translation
The Noble Very Extensive Sūtra
The Quintessence of the Sun

1.
Chapter One

Protection of the Sacred Dharma

[B1] [F.91.b]


1.­1

Homage to all buddhas and bodhisattvas!


Thus did I hear at one time. The Blessed One was residing in the Veṇuvana at the Kalandakanivāpa near Rājagṛha, surrounded and attended by an innumerable, limitless, and indescribable number of bodhisattva great beings who had arrived from countless other buddha realms of the ten directions. He was also surrounded and attended by an innumerable, limitless, and indescribable number of great hearers who had gathered there from different buddha realms of the ten directions. In the same way, an innumerable, limitless, and indescribable number of other beings who had arrived there from the various buddha realms of the ten directions‍—Śakra, Lord Brahmā, the rulers of the gods, the rulers of the nāgas, the rulers of the yakṣas, the rulers of the gandharvas, the rulers of the asuras, the rulers of the garuḍas, the rulers of the kinnaras, and the rulers of the mahoragas‍—filled all the pathways on the ground and in the sky throughout the entire buddha realm of Sahā. There also arrived an innumerable and limitless number of different gods from the desire and form realms, of nāgas, yakṣas, and rākṣasas, and of asuras, garuḍas, kinnaras, and mahoragas. Sitting in silence, they looked up at the Blessed One as he revealed how bodhisattva conduct quickly brings perfection and manifests like space and as he gave teachings on the mindfulness of breathing, which is the gateway to immortality, and the sublime states. [F.92.a] They filled all the pathways on the ground and in the sky throughout the entire buddha realm of Sahā.


2.
Chapter Two

The Messengers

2.­1

When the Blessed One had begun this discourse with King Bimbisāra on how to protect all those monks who abide by the Dharma, in the eastern direction, beyond countless buddha realms as numerous as the grains of sand in the Ganges, there was a world called Absence of Torment, where the thus-gone, worthy, perfect Buddha Campaka Color was residing, thriving, living well, and teaching the Dharma. In that buddha realm, the bodhisattva great being named Quintessence of the Sun’s Energy was sitting in the assembly of the blessed thus-gone Campaka Color in order to listen to the Dharma. At one point, as the bodhisattva great being Quintessence of the Sun’s Energy looked upward, he saw in the sky above that innumerable and countless bodhisattva great beings were departing from the east and proceeding toward the west. When he looked toward the west where those bodhisattva great beings were going, he saw a brilliant light. At that moment, he bowed down with his palms joined together in the direction of the Buddha Campaka Color and asked, “Respected Blessed One, I have seen in the sky above that innumerable and countless bodhisattva great beings are departing from the east and proceeding toward the west. I have also seen a brilliant light in the western direction. Why is this so?” [F.107.b]


3.
Chapter Three

The Dhāraṇī Mantras

3.­1

When King Bimbisāra saw the unprecedented sight of innumerable and limitless numbers of mahābrahmās, Śakras, Nārāyaṇas, and universal monarchs ruling over the four continents, he was utterly amazed. He stood up and went close to them. Next, together with their retinues, the bodhisattva great beings‍—the four messengers of the buddhas‍—sat down and bowed with their palms joined together in the direction of the thus-gone Śākyamuni. [F.137.a] The bodhisattva great being Quintessence of the Sun’s Energy then tossed garlands of campaka flowers in the direction of the thus-gone Śākyamuni and uttered these verses:


4.
Chapter Four

The Purification of Karmic Actions

4.­1

The Blessed One then said to the four messengers and the other bodhisattva great beings, “Noble sons, abide in this buddha realm by your individual virtues!”

4.­2

So, together with their retinues, those bodhisattva great beings sat cross-legged in their respective places. Then, those beings who had thoroughly cultivated the absorption of the dhāraṇī of acceptance entered into their respective states of absorption. From the bodies of some of those beings dwelling in equipoise radiated lights like the light emitted by oil lamps. From the bodies of some others radiated lights like the light emitted by trillions of suns and moons.


5.
Chapter Five

The Protection

5.­1

Then, together with their respective retinues, all the rulers of the gods, the rulers of the nāgas, the rulers of the yakṣas, the rulers of the asuras, the rulers of the garuḍas, the rulers of the kinnaras, the rulers of the mahoragas, the rulers of the pretas, the rulers of the piśācas, and the rulers of the pūtanas bowed with their palms joined together in the direction of the Blessed One and said, “Respected Blessed One, in all the places where monks, nuns, male and female lay practitioners, or faithful sons or daughters of noble family observe this initial practice of repulsiveness up to the absorption of cessation while contemplating the virtuous factors that have just been described, we shall regard them‍—up to the faithful daughters of noble family‍—together with their retinues as the teachers of their own respective classes. [F.178.b] We shall serve all of them through body, speech, and mind, and we shall ensure that they never lack Dharma robes, alms, bedding, medicine, and requisites. We shall liberate them from the fifteen unsettling dangers. What are those fifteen?54 We shall liberate them from the unsettling dangers related to the body. We shall liberate them from dirt, sticks, weapons, poison, stones, hostile beings, abusive beings, and faithless beings. We shall liberate them from disturbances in the elements. We shall protect those who serve them with offerings of delicious food and beverages, medicine, and requisites. We shall protect all such righteous sponsors, relatives, and benefactors from the unsettling dangers caused by diseases, enemies, bhūtas, and foes. We shall protect them from the unsettling dangers caused by poison, kings, civil war, invasion, and famine. Those are the fifteen unsettling dangers.


6.

Chapter Six

6.­1

At that time, [F.183.a] King Bimbisāra, who felt joyful and exhilarated, exclaimed, “Respected Blessed One, this buddha realm of Sahā is filled with bodhisattva great beings who exert themselves in concentration, and it is bathed in a brilliant light that has never been seen or heard of before. This is amazing! Respected Well-Gone One, this is truly amazing! Still, besides this buddha realm and its outer mountain range, nothing else whatsoever appears. Respected Blessed One, if this entire buddha realm of Sahā is perceived due to the light of those bodhisattva great beings, what would the light emitted by the thus-gone ones who have entered into absorption be like? Might we be able to perceive the arrays of qualities of other buddha realms through the light emitted by the Thus-Gone One?”


7.
Chapter Seven

The Presentation of the Conjunctions of the Lunar Mansions

7.­1

When the evil Māra saw all these thus-gone ones and retinues in their respective palaces present within the body of the Thus-Gone One, he became extremely unhappy. Dirt emerged from his entire body, and he began to weep out of distress. He started to run to and fro, to leave only to reappear, and to jump up, run and race around, gape, laugh, sigh, lick his mouth, close his eyes, stretch and contract his arms, [F.188.a] rest his head in his hands, and rub his throat and breast. When they saw this, all the sentient beings residing in the abode of Māra were unsettled. They became displeased and unhappy. One māra leader named Celestial Tree questioned the evil Māra with these verses:


8.

Chapter Eight

8.­1

Sāgara then said:

8.­2
“You remember past lives
Based on the placement of the lunar mansions in the sky.
Wise one, leader of the three realms,
Clear-minded one, glorious being,
8.­3
“As an example of your love and compassion,
And in accordance with your affection for everyone,
Please liberate all the nāgas from this place!
Your discipline and observances
8.­4
“Are unmatched in the three realms.
You bring satisfaction to all the nāgas.
You are the master of all sages, [F.212.b]
And you are worthy to be worshiped by the humans.

9.
Chapter Nine

The Recollection of the Buddha

9.­1

When the evil Māra saw that all the nāgas had taken refuge in the Blessed One, [F.215.a] he became exceedingly distressed and scared, and his body began to shake like the leaves of a jujube tree. Sweating, he raised his two hands and lamented:

9.­2
“The nāgas have gone for refuge.
All beings have become deluded
And placed on the path of immortality.
Look at this endless deceit!”
9.­3

The daughter of Māra named Free of Darkness said:


10.
Chapter Ten

The Travel to Mount Sumeru

10.­1

Then, the Blessed One said to the bodhisattva great being Jyotīrasa, “Noble son, tell me the message of that group of nāgas.”

With a mind devoid of afflictions, Jyotīrasa replied, “Blessed One, it is time for you to come! Blessed One, please perform your deeds!”

10.­2

The Blessed One replied, “Noble son, [F.220.a] it is time for the Thus-Gone One to reveal the inconceivable teaching on the nāgas’ karmic action‍—the teaching of purification.”

10.­3

At that moment, everyone‍—from all the gods to all the kumbhāṇḍas‍—showered rains of flowers, perfumes, precious gems, fine fabrics, Dharma robes, ornaments, embroideries, parasols, banners, and flags and offered music by playing myriads of instruments, and all the humans and nonhumans praised his qualities. Amid all this, the Blessed One stood up and departed toward the north, in the direction of Mount Sumeru.

10.­4

All the gods of the desire and the form realms understood that the Blessed One wanted to go to the summit of Mount Sumeru attended by his saṅgha of hearers and surrounded by his saṅgha of bodhisattvas. When he saw this, Brahmā, lord of the Sahā world, manifested a stairway for the Blessed One made of the seven precious substances and covered with various fine fabrics and divine precious flowers. He said, “Blessed One, please proceed on your way by using my stairway!”

10.­5

The gods of the Heaven of Making Use of Others’ Emanations also manifested for the Blessed One a stairway made of gold from the Jambū River and covered with various powders of the most precious types of sandalwood. They said, “Blessed One, please proceed on your way by using our stairway!”

10.­6

The gods of the Heaven of Delighting in Emanations also manifested for the Blessed One a stairway made of divine gold and covered with bright powders of white sandalwood. They said, “Blessed One, please proceed on your way by using our stairway!” [F.220.b]

10.­7

The supreme god of the Heaven of Joy also manifested for the Blessed One a stairway made of divine beryl and covered with bright powders of yellow sandalwood. He said, “Blessed One, please proceed on your way by using my stairway!”

10.­8

The supreme god of the Heaven Free from Strife also manifested for the Blessed One a stairway made of divine beryl and covered with bright divine powders. He said, “Blessed One, please proceed on your way by using my stairway!”

10.­9

Śakra, lord of the gods, also manifested for the Blessed One a stairway made of red pearls and covered with bright powders of divine sandalwood and garlands of precious gems. He said, “Blessed One, please proceed on your way by using our stairway!”

10.­10

The Four Great Kings also manifested for the Blessed One a stairway made of divine emeralds and covered with a variety of divine fabrics. They said, “Blessed One, please proceed to the summit of Mount Sumeru by using our stairway!”

10.­11

The four rulers of the asuras and their retinues also manifested for the Blessed One a stairway made of divine white coral and covered with bright divine golden powders. They said, “Blessed One, please proceed to the summit of Mount Sumeru by using our stairway!”

10.­12

Out of affection for them, the Blessed One agreed, and so he emanated six buddhas similar to himself. Then, through this great display of the Blessed One, those seven buddhas, attended by hearers and surrounded by saṅghas of bodhisattvas, arrived at the summit of Mount Sumeru in front of all the rulers of the gods and the asuras. Those seven buddhas sat on the summit of Mount Sumeru, shining through their sublime brilliance and radiance. [F.221.a] From the bodies of each of those buddhas radiated light like the light emitted by ten billion suns and moons.

10.­13

When they saw this, all the nāgas who had assembled at the sacred site of wise sages became curious and asked one another, “Where do those seven beings who dwell within that brilliant light on the summit of Mount Sumeru come from?”

10.­14

Nanda and Upananda said, “Those who dwell on the summit of Mount Sumeru together with the gods come from the Priests of Brahmā. They are the most supreme divine lords and have perfected the knowledge of the wisest beings. They are dwelling there out of love for us, and they bring us delight through their glorious brilliance. They will liberate us from our bondages, so you should all pay homage to them!”

10.­15

Anavatapta said, “It is not them! This is the evil Māra, the leader of beings, the lord of the desire realm gifted with magical powers. Out of affection for you, he is dwelling there surrounded by his sons and other beings. He will liberate all the sentient beings who are afraid68 of the sufferings of the desire realm‍—hunger, thirst, and disease. He will quickly liberate you from your sufferings.”

10.­16

Lord of the Earth said, “It is not him! These are the Great Kings, the rulers of the gods, and the gods of the Heaven Free from Strife, the Heaven of Joy, the Heaven of Delighting in Emanations, and the Heaven of Making Use of Others’ Emanations. They are dwelling on that mountain out of affection for you, and they look upon our group of nāgas. We should all call to them for help and shout with loud voices, ‘Please protect us!’ Since they are constantly blissful, they will liberate you from your prisons.”

10.­17

Sāgara said, “It is not them! This is the majestic and resplendent Śakra, lord of the gods, together with his retinue. He looks lovingly upon all those within this four-continent world who are following the Dharma. All of you, generate love in your minds and quickly let go of anger! [F.221.b] He will quickly liberate the nāgas‍—he will liberate you from this place and from all your fears.”

10.­18

Supratiṣṭhita said, “It is not him! These are hosts of majestic gods from the form realms who are endowed with concentration and bliss. They have ascended this sacred site of wise sages for the sake of sentient beings, and they are now sitting here. Out of love, they will quickly pacify the suffering of beings in all directions and will shower down a rain of Dharma. All of you, pay homage to them with divine minds! They will liberate us from this place.”

10.­19

The nāga Body-Piercing Needle said, “These are not the gods of the form realms! These are the four demon leaders‍—Kubera, Supreme Being, Nectar Drink, and Bound in Movement. Surrounded by groups of yakṣas, they protect the four directions and free sinful beings. When they see our weak69 minds, they will quickly liberate us.”

10.­20

The nāga Precious Protector said, “It is not them! They seem to be monks sitting there with shaved heads and saffron robes. All of you, look at them! They are sitting with their palms joined, like moons surrounded by stars. I70 see those seven as monks with shaved heads who have reached great accomplishments and are steady in their spiritual observances. I see those monks with saffron robes. They are adorned with the marks and worthy to be worshiped by all beings.”

10.­21

The nāga Body-Piercing Needle then said, “This is the great leader of the world himself! This is how it seems to me. He is the universal friend of sentient beings, the protector of beings who clears away the ocean of suffering. The other sages that appear together with him are his emanations. He is dwelling there out of love for us, and he will liberate you from your sufferings.”

10.­22

As soon as the Blessed One sat down on the summit of Mount Sumeru, a hundred thousand retinues took place along eighty-four leagues of that mountain. Above the Blessed One, [F.222.a] the gods of the desire and form realms emanated a storied mansion made of the divine seven precious substances that stretched all the way up to the divine abode of the Highest Heaven. It was multicolored, delightful to behold, and adorned all along its many hundreds of thousands of leagues. To worship the Blessed One, they also manifested a variety of divine fabrics, ornaments, embroideries, parasols, banners, flags, perfumes, and flowers to adorn him.

10.­23

Then, the Blessed One summoned Śakra, lord of the gods, and said to him, “Kauśika, I, buddhas, bodhisattva great beings, great hearers, sages, māras, gods renowned for their great power, nāgas, yakṣas, humans, and nonhumans have resided in the buddha realm of Sahā. Similarly, the Thus-Gone One himself now resides here on Mount Sumeru, as do those bodhisattva great beings who have come from all the buddha realms of the ten directions and those gods renowned for their great power. May the beings residing on the summit of Mount Sumeru bring you welfare and happiness!”

10.­24

Śakra replied, “Respected Blessed One, since you act out of affection for us, and since all of us‍—māras, Śakra, Brahmā, lords of the gods, lords of the nāgas, lords of the yakṣas, lords of the gandharvas, lords of the asuras, lords of the garuḍas, lords of the kinnaras, lords of the mahoragas, [F.222.b] sentient beings renowned for great power, divine sages, and human sages‍—have assembled here in this buddha realm of Sahā to pay homage to the Blessed One, revere him, and bring him enjoyment as he resides on Mount Sumeru, we will all meet with great welfare and happiness here!”

10.­25

While sitting there, the Blessed One smiled, and various blue, yellow, red, white, violet, and crystalline light rays radiated from his mouth. Those light rays spread out and pervaded all the buddha realms of the billions of abodes of Māra, Śakra, Brahmā, and everyone else, including the rulers of the gods, the asuras, and the sages. In those abodes, all the beings renowned for their great power who were given the names Māra up to sages were touched by the light. They all left their abodes and instantly arrived at the summit of Mount Sumeru before the Blessed One and his six buddha emanations.

10.­26

The Blessed One then ceased his emanations and declared, “Among all the billions of Mount Sumerus present in my buddha realm, I have explained that this Mount Sumeru is the most supreme and eminent. All the great assemblies reside on this Mount Sumeru‍—it is the king of all Mount Sumerus!”

10.­27

When they heard this, Śakra (Kauśika) and everyone else including Brahmā, lord of the Sahā world, became elated and overjoyed.

10.­28

Through the power of the Blessed One, the four great nāga kings then left the sacred site of wise sages. With his tail still resting in the great southern ocean, [F.223.a] the nāga king Sāgara stretched his head up to the summit of Mount Sumeru, where he gazed one-pointedly at the Blessed One. Similarly, with their tails resting respectively in the great western, northern, and eastern oceans, the nāga kings Precious Protector, Body-Piercing Needle, and Harsh to the Moon stretched their heads up to the summit of Mount Sumeru, where they all gazed one-pointedly at the Blessed One. The remaining countless trillions of nāgas were unable to leave, and so they supplicated stealthily, “Please protect us and liberate us from this prison!”

10.­29

The nāga kings Nanda and Upananda thought, “The Blessed One will descend to the ground from the summit of Mount Sumeru. He will then reside here and teach the Dharma to the nāgas.” With this in mind, they both stretched their own bodies from the ground all the way up to the summit of Mount Sumeru.

10.­30

Śakra thought, “Oh! The bodies of those nāgas are rough and dangerous to touch. It would be terrible if they were to harm the soles of the Blessed One’s feet!” With this in mind, he then draped the bodies of the nāgas in divine fabrics, and their heads with powders made of the finest sandalwood and leaves of tamāla trees. He also tossed divine flowers onto them.

10.­31

The Blessed One now expanded the size of the sacred site of wise sages to a width of eighty-four quintillion leagues, and in the middle of it Brahmā, lord of the Sahā world, spread cushions adorned with divine fabrics, ornaments, jewels, and precious gems.

10.­32

At that moment, while sitting on the summit of Mount Sumeru, the Blessed One said to Ājñātakauṇḍinya, [F.223.b] “I teach the Dharma through the magical and transformative power of the buddhas’ domain, so that everyone throughout the entire buddha realm of Sahā may hear it. Kauṇḍinya, clinging to the arising, continuation, origination, and appropriation of the eye is the arising of suffering. It is a disease and the perpetuation of the factors of existence. It is the manifestation of old age and death. Kauṇḍinya, clinging to the arising, continuation, origination, and appropriation of the ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind is the arising of suffering. It is a disease and the perpetuation of the factors of existence. It is the manifestation of old age and death. Kauṇḍinya, the cessation, pacification, disappearance, and pacification of the appropriation of the eye is the cessation of suffering. It is the pacification of the factors of existence and the disappearance of old age and death. Kauṇḍinya, the cessation, pacification, disappearance, and pacification of the appropriation of the ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind is the cessation of suffering. It is the pacification of the factors of existence and the disappearance of old age and death.

10.­33

“Within the world with its gods, Brahmā, spiritual practitioners, brāhmaṇas, gods, and humans, I have presented the Dharma and so have become renowned as the most eminent being. Through my great love I have become renowned as the most supreme being. Through my great compassion I have become renowned as a holy being. By transcending saṃsāra I have become renowned as the unsurpassed one. Through my generosity, discipline, and restraint I have become renowned as the one who is impartial toward all beings. That Dharma is the outcome of the cultivation of such generosity, discipline, and restraint, as well as sublime states and the eightfold path of the noble ones. [F.224.a] That Dharma I have taught and elucidated to all beings on a vast scale. Since the affectionate Teacher wishes to benefit others, I have performed my deeds toward the hearers. Now it is your turn to act! Make sure you do not have any regrets in the future! Therefore, in order to eradicate old age and death, you must practice and exert yourselves in the wilderness, under trees, in charnel grounds, in the mountains, in hermitages, and in secluded places! This is my teaching.”

10.­34

When the Blessed One delivered this Dharma teaching, myriads of sentient beings in each of the four continents in all the billions of four-continent worlds in this buddha realm of Sahā generated a variety of roots of virtue. Some settled within states of absorption, retention, and acceptance. Likewise, some gave rise to the Dharma eye with respect to phenomena. In some the karmic obscurations that would have led them to the hell realms were purified. In others the karmic obscurations that would have led them to be born into the hell realms, as animals or destitute yakṣas, or as poor humans were purified. Those who were afflicted by diseases recovered their health, and sentient beings were liberated from their prisons.

10.­35

The nāga king Sāgara then uttered these verses to the Blessed One:

10.­36
“You are endowed with an abundance of virtue,
Pure golden conduct, and immaculate compassion.
Sublime among gods, humans, and nāgas,
You clear away the mud of their afflictions.
10.­37
You fully establish all sentient beings
On the paths of discipline, erudition, and knowledge.
Please liberate those groups of nāgas!
With your firm compassion, remember your past commitments!
10.­38
“For the sake of other beings’ minds,
You relinquish71 their suffering. [F.224.b]
Just so, the nāgas in this place are endlessly afflicted
By much suffering caused by delusion.
10.­39
“Your enemies pay homage to you, your diligence is firm,
And you are free from the jungle of birth.
Please satisfy all the nāgas
With the water of wisdom!”
10.­40

This concludes the chapter called “The Travel to Mount Sumeru,” the tenth among the eleven chapters included in “The Quintessence of the Sun,” the noble Great Vehicle discourse of The Great Assembly. [B12]


11.
Chapter Eleven

The Going for Refuge of the Nāgas

11.­1

While showering rains of flowers, precious gems, and Dharma robes, playing instruments and drums, and singing melodious songs, all the gods, nāgas, yakṣas, and asuras present there departed from the summit of Mount Sumeru together with the Blessed One. Attended by his saṅgha of hearers and surrounded by his saṅgha of bodhisattvas, the Blessed One then took a seat on the cushions that had been prepared for him at the center of the sacred site of wise sages. To worship the Blessed One, all the gods, nāgas, yakṣas, asuras, and kinnaras showered rains of various ornaments, powders, flowers, and precious gems from the sky. The nāgas also offered the Blessed One different kinds of flowers, perfumes, precious gems, silken clothes, fine fabrics, Dharma robes, and ornaments. They circumambulated him three times, prostrated to his feet, and sat in front of him to listen to the Dharma. The nāga king Sāgara then asked, “Respected Blessed One, what are the deeds through which sentient beings are born as nāgas?”


12.

Conclusion

12.­1

Then the elder Ājñātakauṇḍinya said to the Blessed One, “Blessed One, please bless the nāgas! Please make this Dharma teaching, which involves the conduct of teaching about the inconceivable karmic action, blaze for a long time!”

12.­2

The Blessed One said, “As long as the great stūpas in this four-continent world still contain beings who diligently engage in practice, this Dharma teaching will continue to be practiced on the four continents. What are those great stūpas? Here in Jambudvīpa, many past buddhas, bodhisattvas, solitary buddhas, and hearers have continuously resided at this stūpa‍—the sacred site of wise sages called Complete Support‍—and they will continue to reside here in the future. The perfect buddhas of the past have entrusted this sacred site of wise sages called Complete Support to Varuṇa, to ensure that the great teachings remain for a long time. I also entrust it to him. He will joyfully ripen those persons who abide by the Dharma and diligently engage in practice. He will also protect those donors and benefactors who strive to serve those who abide by the Dharma.”


c.

Colophon

c.­1

This was translated by the Indian preceptors Sarvajñadeva, Vidyākaraprabha, and Dharmākara and the translator Bandé Zangkyong. It was then edited and finalized by the translator-editor Bandé Kawa Paltsek.


n.

Notes

n.­1
Hoernle 1916, pp. 121–25.
n.­2
Peter Alan Roberts, trans., The King of Samādhis Sūtra, Toh 127 (84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2018).
n.­3
See Mahamegha Translation Team, trans. The Great Cloud (1), Toh 232.
n.­4
Denkarma, folio 297.b; note that the title in the Denkarma is ’phags pa ’dus pa chen po’i sde nyi ma’i snying po The Denkarma is dated to c. 812 ᴄᴇ. In this catalog, The Quintessence of the Sun is included among the “Miscellaneous Mahāyāna Sūtras” (theg pa chen po’i mdo sde sna tshogs) with a length of thirteen sections (bam po). See also Herrmann-Pfandt 2008, p. 46, no. 81.
n.­5
Ed. Bhikkhu Pāsādika 1989, pp. 79–82.
n.­6
Cutler 2002, pp. 231–32 and 253.
n.­7
Lévi 1905, pp. 256–58; Lévi 1904, pp. 546–47 and 565.
n.­8
Kotyk 2017, pp. 58–64; Mak 2015, pp. 64–66.
n.­54
Based on the following section of the text, it is unclear what those fifteen dangers are.
n.­68
Translated based on Yongle, Kangxi, Narthang, Lhasa, and Stok: ’jigs. Degé: ’jig (“destroyed”).
n.­69
Translated based on Stok: sems zhan. Degé: sems can gzhan (“other sentient beings”).
n.­70
Translated based on Stok: bdag. Degé: dag (plural particle).
n.­71
Translation based on Yongle, Narthang, Choné, Lhasa, and Stok: btang. Degé: gtar (“to bleed”).

b.

Bibliography

Tibetan Sources

nyi ma’i snying po (Sūryagarbha). Toh 257, Degé Kangyur vol. 66 (mdo sde, za), folios 91.b–245.b.

nyi ma’i snying po. bka’ ’gyur (dpe bsdur ma) [Comparative Edition of the Kangyur], krung go’i bod rig pa zhib ’jug ste gnas kyi bka’ bstan dpe sdur khang (The Tibetan Tripitaka Collation Bureau of the China Tibetology Research Center). 108 volumes. Beijing: krung go’i bod rig pa dpe skrun khang (China Tibetology Publishing House), 2006–9, vol. 66, pp. 262–616.

nyi ma’i snying po. Stok Palace Kangyur vol. 63 (mdo sde, na), folios 161.b–394.b.

glang ru lung bstan pa (Gośṛṅgavyākaraṇa). Toh 357, Degé Kangyur vol. 76 (mdo sde, aH), folios 220.b–232.a. English translation in Dharmachakra Translation Committee 2021. [Full citation listed in secondary sources]

zla ba’i snying po (Candragarbha). Toh 356, Degé Kangyur vol. 76 (mdo sde, aH), folios 216.a–229.b.

snying rje pad+ma dkar po (Karuṇā­puṇḍarīka). Toh 112, Degé Kangyur vol. 50 (mdo sde, cha), folios 129.a–297.b.

ting nge ’dzin gyi rgyal po (Samādhirāja). Toh 127, Degé Kangyur vol. 55 (mdo sde, da), folios 1.b–170.b. English translation in Roberts 2018. [Full citation listed in secondary sources]

sprin chen po (Mahāmegha). Toh 232, Degé Kangyur vol. 64 (mdo sde, wa), folios 113.a–214.b. English translation in Mahamegha Translation Team 2022. [Full citation listed in secondary sources]

blo gros mi zad pas bstan pa (Akṣayamati­nirdeśa). Toh 175, Degé Kangyur vol. 60 (mdo sde, ma), folios 79.a–174.b. English translation in Braarvig and Welsh 2020. [Full citation listed in secondary sources]

Nāgārjuna. mdo kun las btus pa (Sūtrasamuccaya). Toh 3934, Degé Tengyur vol. 110 (dbu ma, ki), folios 148.b–215.a. See also Bhikkhu Pāsādika 1989.

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

Chomden Rikpai Raltri (bcom ldan rig pa’i ral gri). bstan pa rgyas pa rgyan gyi nyi ’od. In bka’ gdams gsung ’bum phyogs bsgrigs thengs gsum pa, 1:191–266. Chengdu: si khron mi rigs dpe skrun khang, 2009. BDRC W1PD153536.

Chinese Sources

Rizang fen 日藏分. Taishō 397-14. (Translation of the Sūryagarbhasūtra by Narendrayaśas [Naliantiyeshe 那連提耶舍]).

Secondary Sources

Bhikkhu Pāsādika, ed. Nāgārjuna’s Sūtrasamuccaya: A Critical Edition of the Mdo kun las btus pa. Fontes Tibetici Havnienses 2. Copenhagen: Akademisk Forlag, 1989.

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

Braarvig, Jens, and David Welsh, trans. The Teaching of Akṣayamati (Akṣayamati­nirdeśa, Toh 175). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2020.

Cutler, Joshua W. C., ed. The Great Treatise on the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment. Vol. 3. Translated by The Lamrim Chenmo Translation Committee. Ithaca, NY: Snow Lion, 2002.

Demiéville, Paul. Choix d’études bouddhiques. Leiden: Brill, 1973.

Dharmachakra Translation Committee, trans. The Prophecy on Mount Gośṛṅga (Gośṛṅgavyākaraṇa, Toh 357). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2021.

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

Hoernle, A. F. Rudolph. Manuscript Remains of Buddhist Literature Found in Eastern Turkestan. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1916.

Kotyk, Jeffrey Theodore. “Buddhist Astrology and Astral Magic in the Tang Dynasty.” PhD diss., Leiden University, 2017.

Lévi, Sylvain (1904). “Notes chinoises sur l’Inde: IV. Le pays de Kharoṣṭra et l’écriture kharoṣṭrī.” Bulletin de l’Ecole française d’Extrême-Orient 4 (1904): 543–79.

‍—‍—‍—(1905). “Notes chinoises sur l’Inde: V. Quelques documents sur le bouddhisme indien dans l’Asie centrale (première partie).” Bulletin de l’Ecole française d’Extrême-Orient 5 (1905): 253–305.

Mahamegha Translation Team (2022), trans. The Great Cloud (1) (Mahāmegha, Toh 232). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2018.

Mak, Bill M. “Indian Jyotiṣa through the Lens of Chinese Buddhist Canon.” Journal of Oriental Studies 48, no. 1 (June 2015): 1–19.

Martin, Dan. Unearthing Bon Treasures: Life and Contested Legacy of a Tibetan Scripture Revealer, with a General Bibliography of Bon. Brill’s Tibetan Studies Library 1. Leiden: Brill, 2001. 

Nakamura, Hajime. Indian Buddhism: A Survey with Biographical Notes. Intercultural Research Institute Monograph Series 9. Tokyo: KUFS Publication, 1980.

Nattier, Jan. Once Upon a Future Time: Studies in a Buddhist Prophecy of Decline. Berkeley: Asian Humanities Press, 1991.

Roberts, Peter Alan, trans. The King of Samādhis Sūtra (Samādhi­rājasūtra, Toh 127). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2018.

Silk, Jonathan A. Managing Monks: Administrators and Administrative Roles in Indian Buddhist Monasticism. New York: Oxford University Press, 2008.


g.

Glossary

g.­1

Absence of Heat

  • ma dros pa
  • མ་དྲོས་པ།
  • —

A buddha realm located in the eastern direction during the time of the Buddha Śākyamuni. Also called Absence of Torment.

2 passages contain this term:

  • 3.­7
  • g.­3
g.­2

Absence of marks

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

The absence of the conceptual identification of perceptions, knowing that the true nature has no attributes, such as color or shape. One of the three gateways of liberation.

10 passages contain this term:

  • 2.­14
  • 4.­51
  • 4.­75
  • 4.­104
  • 4.­115
  • 4.­117
  • 4.­118
  • 7.­47
  • g.­62
  • g.­267

Links to further resources:

  • 36 related glossary entries
g.­3

Absence of Torment

  • yongs su gdung ba med pa
  • ཡོངས་སུ་གདུང་བ་མེད་པ།
  • —

A buddha realm located in the eastern direction during the time of the Buddha Śākyamuni. Also called Absence of Heat.

4 passages contain this term:

  • 2.­1
  • 2.­9
  • n.­38
  • g.­1
g.­5

Absorption

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

A synonym for meditation, this refers to the state of deep meditative immersion that results from different modes of Buddhist practice.

53 passages contain this term:

  • 1.­28
  • 1.­29
  • 2.­4
  • 2.­5
  • 2.­14
  • 2.­29
  • 2.­34
  • 2.­49
  • 2.­70
  • 2.­73
  • 2.­76
  • 2.­77
  • 2.­79
  • 4.­2
  • 4.­26
  • 4.­27
  • 4.­32
  • 4.­34
  • 4.­35
  • 4.­37
  • 4.­44
  • 4.­45
  • 4.­51
  • 4.­62
  • 4.­96
  • 4.­121
  • 4.­124
  • 5.­1
  • 5.­2
  • 5.­8
  • 5.­10
  • 6.­1
  • 6.­5
  • 6.­6
  • 6.­17
  • 6.­25
  • 7.­39
  • 7.­53
  • 8.­34
  • 9.­22
  • 9.­23
  • 9.­27
  • 9.­29
  • 9.­30
  • 10.­34
  • 12.­33
  • 12.­38
  • 12.­40
  • 12.­42
  • 12.­57
  • g.­80
  • g.­242
  • g.­243

Links to further resources:

  • 76 related glossary entries
g.­11

Ājñātakauṇḍinya

  • kun shes kau Di n+ya
  • ཀུན་ཤེས་ཀཽ་ཌི་ནྱ།
  • Ājñāta­kauṇḍinya

Another name for Kauṇḍinya. As he was the first to understand the Buddha Śākyamuni’s teaching on the four truths of the noble ones, he received the name Ājñātakauṇḍinya (Kauṇḍinya Who Understood).

15 passages contain this term:

  • 3.­30
  • 4.­3
  • 4.­4
  • 4.­5
  • 4.­7
  • 4.­8
  • 4.­23
  • 4.­51
  • 4.­79
  • 4.­85
  • 4.­87
  • 6.­4
  • 10.­32
  • 11.­25
  • 12.­1

Links to further resources:

  • 11 related glossary entries
g.­13

Anavatapta

  • ma dros pa
  • མ་དྲོས་པ།
  • Anavatapta

A nāga king.

3 passages contain this term:

  • 7.­30
  • 10.­15
  • 12.­17

Links to further resources:

  • 21 related glossary entries
g.­18

Asura

  • lha ma yin
  • ལྷ་མ་ཡིན།
  • —

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

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

40 passages contain this term:

  • 1.­1
  • 1.­28
  • 1.­33
  • 2.­7
  • 2.­12
  • 2.­15
  • 2.­28
  • 2.­32
  • 2.­36
  • 2.­64
  • 2.­79
  • 2.­84
  • 2.­90
  • 3.­8
  • 3.­50
  • 3.­52
  • 3.­58
  • 4.­48
  • 4.­50
  • 4.­105
  • 4.­107
  • 4.­108
  • 4.­118
  • 4.­119
  • 4.­122
  • 4.­123
  • 5.­1
  • 6.­12
  • 6.­18
  • 7.­39
  • 10.­11
  • 10.­12
  • 10.­24
  • 10.­25
  • 11.­1
  • 12.­36
  • 12.­37
  • 12.­40
  • 12.­58
  • 12.­69

Links to further resources:

  • 106 related glossary entries
g.­24

Bhūta

  • ’byung po
  • འབྱུང་པོ།
  • bhūta

A generic term for spirits or ghosts.

6 passages contain this term:

  • 5.­1
  • 5.­7
  • 8.­16
  • 8.­19
  • 9.­28
  • 12.­38

Links to further resources:

  • 37 related glossary entries
g.­25

Bimbisāra

  • gzugs can snying po
  • གཟུགས་ཅན་སྙིང་པོ།
  • Bimbisāra

King of Magadha who lived at the time of the Buddha Śākyamuni.

18 passages contain this term:

  • 1.­42
  • 1.­45
  • 1.­47
  • 1.­50
  • 1.­53
  • 1.­54
  • 1.­56
  • 1.­62
  • 1.­65
  • 1.­69
  • 1.­74
  • 2.­1
  • 2.­22
  • 2.­51
  • 2.­72
  • 3.­1
  • 6.­1
  • 6.­3

Links to further resources:

  • 17 related glossary entries
g.­29

Body-Piercing Needle

  • lus ’bigs pa’i khab
  • ལུས་འབིགས་པའི་ཁབ།
  • —

A nāga king.

7 passages contain this term:

  • 7.­30
  • 8.­33
  • 10.­19
  • 10.­21
  • 10.­28
  • 12.­8
  • 12.­9
g.­31

Bound in Movement

  • rgyu bar btags pa
  • རྒྱུ་བར་བཏགས་པ།
  • —

A demon leader.

1 passage contains this term:

  • 10.­19
g.­32

Brahmā

  • tshangs pa
  • ཚངས་པ།
  • Brahmā

A high-ranking deity, presiding over a divine world where other beings consider him the creator; he is also considered to be the “Lord of the Sahā World” (our universe).

21 passages contain this term:

  • 1.­1
  • 1.­30
  • 2.­12
  • 2.­28
  • 2.­31
  • 4.­33
  • 4.­118
  • 6.­18
  • 7.­95
  • 7.­96
  • 7.­99
  • 9.­27
  • 10.­4
  • 10.­24
  • 10.­25
  • 10.­27
  • 10.­31
  • 10.­33
  • 12.­66
  • 12.­67
  • g.­167

Links to further resources:

  • 125 related glossary entries
g.­33

Brāhmaṇa

  • bram ze
  • བྲམ་ཟེ།
  • brāhmaṇa

The highest of the four classes in the Indian caste system, it is most closely associated with religious vocations.

25 passages contain this term:

  • 1.­41
  • 1.­43
  • 1.­44
  • 1.­48
  • 1.­61
  • 1.­63
  • 1.­67
  • 1.­68
  • 1.­69
  • 1.­70
  • 1.­72
  • 1.­73
  • 2.­7
  • 2.­12
  • 2.­15
  • 2.­28
  • 2.­31
  • 3.­52
  • 4.­48
  • 4.­105
  • 4.­119
  • 5.­2
  • 9.­21
  • 10.­33
  • 11.­20

Links to further resources:

  • 25 related glossary entries
g.­37

Buddha realm

  • 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. “Buddha realm” indicates, in regard to any type of universe, that it is the field of influence of a particular buddha.

114 passages contain this term:

  • s.­1
  • i.­1
  • 1.­1
  • 1.­2
  • 1.­16
  • 1.­27
  • 1.­28
  • 1.­30
  • 1.­31
  • 1.­32
  • 1.­33
  • 1.­35
  • 1.­38
  • 1.­49
  • 1.­70
  • 1.­73
  • 2.­1
  • 2.­2
  • 2.­3
  • 2.­4
  • 2.­5
  • 2.­9
  • 2.­10
  • 2.­11
  • 2.­12
  • 2.­17
  • 2.­22
  • 2.­23
  • 2.­26
  • 2.­27
  • 2.­28
  • 2.­31
  • 2.­36
  • 2.­37
  • 2.­51
  • 2.­52
  • 2.­55
  • 2.­56
  • 2.­57
  • 2.­64
  • 2.­65
  • 2.­66
  • 2.­69
  • 2.­72
  • 2.­73
  • 2.­74
  • 2.­75
  • 2.­76
  • 2.­77
  • 2.­87
  • 2.­90
  • 2.­91
  • 2.­94
  • 2.­95
  • 2.­97
  • 3.­7
  • 3.­8
  • 3.­10
  • 3.­22
  • 3.­25
  • 3.­37
  • 3.­40
  • 3.­52
  • 3.­54
  • 4.­1
  • 4.­3
  • 4.­13
  • 4.­15
  • 4.­77
  • 4.­112
  • 4.­121
  • 4.­123
  • 5.­12
  • 6.­1
  • 6.­6
  • 6.­12
  • 6.­13
  • 6.­18
  • 6.­25
  • 7.­38
  • 7.­39
  • 7.­57
  • 8.­32
  • 9.­21
  • 9.­22
  • 9.­23
  • 10.­23
  • 10.­24
  • 10.­25
  • 10.­26
  • 10.­32
  • 10.­34
  • 12.­27
  • 12.­31
  • 12.­36
  • 12.­56
  • 12.­57
  • 12.­69
  • n.­35
  • n.­38
  • n.­43
  • g.­1
  • g.­3
  • g.­12
  • g.­22
  • g.­66
  • g.­93
  • g.­106
  • g.­174
  • g.­175
  • g.­184
  • g.­211
  • g.­286
  • g.­297

Links to further resources:

  • 25 related glossary entries
g.­38

Campaka Color

  • tsam pa ka’i mdog
  • ཙམ་པ་ཀའི་མདོག
  • —

A buddha residing in the eastern direction at the time of the Buddha Śākyamuni.

16 passages contain this term:

  • 2.­1
  • 2.­2
  • 2.­9
  • 2.­11
  • 2.­12
  • 2.­14
  • 2.­20
  • 2.­21
  • 2.­22
  • 3.­7
  • 3.­8
  • 3.­10
  • 3.­11
  • 3.­14
  • 4.­33
  • 4.­47
g.­40

Celestial Tree

  • nam mkha’i shing
  • ནམ་མཁའི་ཤིང་།
  • —

Name of a mercenary demon.

6 passages contain this term:

  • 7.­1
  • 7.­8
  • 7.­12
  • 7.­16
  • 7.­22
  • 7.­24
g.­45

Complete Support

  • kun rten
  • ཀུན་རྟེན།
  • —

A holy site blessed by the presence of sages.

3 passages contain this term:

  • 7.­29
  • 12.­2
  • 12.­3
g.­47

Concentration

  • bsam gtan
  • བསམ་གཏན།
  • dhyāna

The fifth of the six perfections. Generally one of the synonyms for meditation, referring to a state of mental stability. The specific four concentrations are four successively subtler states of meditation that are said to lead to rebirth into the corresponding four levels of the form realm.

44 passages contain this term:

  • 1.­30
  • 1.­33
  • 1.­35
  • 2.­3
  • 2.­4
  • 2.­5
  • 2.­10
  • 2.­15
  • 2.­34
  • 2.­64
  • 2.­75
  • 2.­76
  • 2.­79
  • 3.­3
  • 3.­10
  • 3.­25
  • 3.­40
  • 3.­54
  • 4.­13
  • 4.­70
  • 4.­76
  • 4.­82
  • 4.­84
  • 4.­95
  • 4.­96
  • 4.­97
  • 4.­121
  • 6.­1
  • 6.­6
  • 7.­17
  • 8.­11
  • 8.­20
  • 9.­22
  • 10.­18
  • 11.­49
  • 12.­32
  • 12.­37
  • 12.­56
  • g.­55
  • g.­56
  • g.­65
  • g.­81
  • g.­237
  • g.­244

Links to further resources:

  • 49 related glossary entries
g.­49

Dharmākara

  • d+harmA ka ra
  • དྷརྨཱ་ཀ་ར།
  • Dharmākara

Butön includes the Kashmiri abbot Dharmākara in his list of ninety-three paṇḍitas invited to Tibet to assist in the translation of the Buddhist scriptures. Tāranātha dates Dharmākara to the rule of *Vanapāla, son of Dharmapāla. With Paltsek, he translated two of Kalyāṇamitra’s works on Vinaya, the Vinaya­praśnakārikā (’dul ba dri ba’i tshig le’ur byas pa, Toh 4134) and the Vinaya­praśnaṭīkā (’dul ba dri ba rgya cher ’grel pa, Toh 4135).

2 passages contain this term:

  • i.­2
  • c.­1

Links to further resources:

  • 3 related glossary entries
g.­56

Eightfold path of the noble ones

  • ’phags pa’i lam yan lag brgyad pa
  • འཕགས་པའི་ལམ་ཡན་ལག་བརྒྱད་པ།
  • āryāṣṭāṅ­gamārga

Right view, intention, speech, actions, livelihood, effort, mindfulness, and concentration.

6 passages contain this term:

  • 4.­39
  • 4.­77
  • 4.­98
  • 4.­107
  • 4.­112
  • 10.­33

Links to further resources:

  • 40 related glossary entries
g.­59

Element

  • khams
  • ཁམས།
  • dhātu

One way of describing experience and the world in terms of eighteen elements (eye and form, ear and sound, nose and smell, tongue and taste, body and physical objects, and mind and mental phenomena, to which the six consciousnesses are added). Also refers here to the “four great elements.”

15 passages contain this term:

  • 1.­23
  • 2.­6
  • 2.­78
  • 2.­79
  • 2.­84
  • 3.­52
  • 4.­47
  • 4.­104
  • 4.­114
  • 4.­119
  • 5.­1
  • 7.­50
  • 8.­32
  • 11.­25
  • 12.­49

Links to further resources:

  • 56 related glossary entries
g.­65

Equipoise

  • mnyam par bzhag pa
  • mnyam par gzhag pa
  • མཉམ་པར་བཞག་པ།
  • མཉམ་པར་གཞག་པ།
  • samāhita
  • samāpatti

A state of mental equipoise derived from deep concentration.

7 passages contain this term:

  • 1.­30
  • 1.­59
  • 4.­2
  • 4.­69
  • 4.­71
  • 4.­104
  • 6.­25

Links to further resources:

  • 11 related glossary entries
g.­84

Four Great Kings

  • rgyal po chen po bzhi
  • རྒྱལ་པོ་ཆེན་པོ་བཞི།
  • caturmahārāja

Four deities on the base of Mount Sumeru, each the guardian of his direction: Vaiśravaṇa in the north, Dhṛtarāṣṭra in the east, Virūpākṣa in the west, and Virūḍhaka in the south.

6 passages contain this term:

  • 6.­18
  • 7.­65
  • 9.­27
  • 10.­10
  • 12.­66
  • g.­156

Links to further resources:

  • 44 related glossary entries
g.­90

Free of Darkness

  • mun bral
  • མུན་བྲལ།
  • —

Name of a daughter of Māra.

3 passages contain this term:

  • 9.­3
  • 9.­8
  • 9.­30
g.­95

Gandharva

  • dri za
  • དྲི་ཟ།
  • gandharva

A class of semidivine beings sometimes referred to as “heavenly musicians.”

4 passages contain this term:

  • 1.­1
  • 6.­12
  • 10.­24
  • 12.­69

Links to further resources:

  • 114 related glossary entries
g.­96

Ganges

  • gang gA
  • གང་གཱ།
  • Gaṅgā

The sacred river of North India.

27 passages contain this term:

  • 1.­31
  • 1.­33
  • 1.­35
  • 1.­69
  • 2.­1
  • 2.­2
  • 2.­9
  • 2.­29
  • 2.­30
  • 2.­35
  • 2.­52
  • 2.­55
  • 2.­63
  • 2.­73
  • 2.­74
  • 2.­87
  • 3.­7
  • 3.­37
  • 3.­41
  • 3.­45
  • 3.­52
  • 6.­6
  • 6.­12
  • 6.­13
  • 6.­17
  • 6.­25
  • 8.­32

Links to further resources:

  • 43 related glossary entries
g.­97

Garuḍa

  • nam mkha’ lding
  • ནམ་མཁའ་ལྡིང་།
  • garuḍa

A class of divine being described as an eagle-type bird with a gigantic wingspan. They were traditionally enemies of the nāgas. In the Vedas, they were thought to have brought nectar from the heavens to earth

30 passages contain this term:

  • 1.­1
  • 1.­28
  • 1.­33
  • 2.­7
  • 2.­12
  • 2.­32
  • 2.­36
  • 2.­57
  • 2.­78
  • 2.­84
  • 3.­52
  • 3.­58
  • 4.­48
  • 4.­50
  • 4.­105
  • 4.­107
  • 4.­108
  • 4.­118
  • 4.­119
  • 4.­122
  • 4.­123
  • 5.­1
  • 6.­12
  • 7.­39
  • 8.­28
  • 10.­24
  • 12.­36
  • 12.­40
  • 12.­58
  • 12.­69

Links to further resources:

  • 79 related glossary entries
g.­114

Harsh to the Moon

  • zla ba la rtsub pa
  • ཟླ་བ་ལ་རྩུབ་པ།
  • —

A nāga king.

2 passages contain this term:

  • 8.­33
  • 10.­28
g.­115

Heaven Free from Strife

  • ’thab bral
  • འཐབ་བྲལ།
  • Yāma

The lowest of the heavenly realms, it is characterized by freedom from difficulty.

3 passages contain this term:

  • 7.­65
  • 10.­8
  • 10.­16

Links to further resources:

  • 40 related glossary entries
g.­116

Heaven of Delighting in Emanations

  • ’phrul dga’
  • འཕྲུལ་དགའ།
  • Nirmāṇarati

The fifth (counting from the lowest) of the six heavens in the desire realm.

3 passages contain this term:

  • 7.­65
  • 10.­6
  • 10.­16

Links to further resources:

  • 41 related glossary entries
g.­117

Heaven of Joy

  • dga’ ldan
  • དགའ་ལྡན།
  • Tuṣita

The fourth level of the heavens of the realm of desire, it is the last stopping place of a buddha-to-be before his descent and reincarnation on earth; at present it is the abode of the future Buddha Maitreya.

3 passages contain this term:

  • 7.­65
  • 10.­7
  • 10.­16

Links to further resources:

  • 66 related glossary entries
g.­118

Heaven of Making Use of Others’ Emanations

  • gzhan ’phrul dbang byed
  • གཞན་འཕྲུལ་དབང་བྱེད།
  • Paranirmita­vaśavartin

The highest heaven in the desire realm.

3 passages contain this term:

  • 7.­65
  • 10.­5
  • 10.­16

Links to further resources:

  • 43 related glossary entries
g.­130

Highest Heaven

  • ’og min
  • འོག་མིན།
  • Akaniṣṭha

The highest heaven of the form realm, where a buddha always receives the anointment of the ultimate wisdom, proceeding there mentally from his seat of awakening under the Bodhi tree.

3 passages contain this term:

  • 9.­22
  • 10.­22
  • g.­118

Links to further resources:

  • 41 related glossary entries
g.­136

Jambū River

  • ’dzam bu’i chu bo
  • འཛམ་བུའི་ཆུ་བོ།
  • Jambūnadī

A legendary river carrying the remains of the golden fruit of a legendary rose-apple (jambu) tree.

2 passages contain this term:

  • 2.­72
  • 10.­5

Links to further resources:

  • 33 related glossary entries
g.­137

Jambudvīpa

  • ’dzam bu’i gling
  • འཛམ་བུའི་གླིང་།
  • Jambudvīpa

The name of the southern continent in Buddhist cosmology, which can mean the known world of humans or more specifically the Indian subcontinent. A gigantic, miraculous rose-apple (jambu) tree at the source of the great Indian rivers is said to give the continent its name.

6 passages contain this term:

  • 7.­30
  • 7.­40
  • 9.­13
  • 12.­2
  • 12.­15
  • g.­191

Links to further resources:

  • 79 related glossary entries
g.­138

Jyotīrasa

  • skar ma la dga’ ba
  • སྐར་མ་ལ་དགའ་བ།
  • Jyotīrasa

Name of a sage.

18 passages contain this term:

  • 7.­67
  • 7.­68
  • 7.­69
  • 7.­70
  • 7.­71
  • 7.­72
  • 7.­73
  • 7.­84
  • 7.­105
  • 8.­6
  • 8.­31
  • 8.­32
  • 8.­33
  • 8.­34
  • 8.­35
  • 9.­12
  • 9.­21
  • 10.­1

Links to further resources:

  • 3 related glossary entries
g.­139

Kalandakanivāpa

  • ka lan da ka gnas
  • ཀ་ལན་ད་ཀ་གནས།
  • Kalandakanivāpa

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

3 passages contain this term:

  • s.­1
  • i.­1
  • 1.­1

Links to further resources:

  • 19 related glossary entries
g.­146

Kauṇḍinya

  • kau Di n+ya
  • ཀཽ་ཌི་ནྱ།
  • Kauṇḍinya

The first monk that the Buddha Śākyamuni recognized as having understood his teachings.

44 passages contain this term:

  • 3.­30
  • 4.­5
  • 4.­6
  • 4.­8
  • 4.­9
  • 4.­11
  • 4.­13
  • 4.­14
  • 4.­22
  • 4.­28
  • 4.­52
  • 4.­53
  • 4.­54
  • 4.­55
  • 4.­56
  • 4.­57
  • 4.­65
  • 4.­66
  • 4.­67
  • 4.­73
  • 4.­79
  • 4.­85
  • 4.­86
  • 4.­88
  • 4.­89
  • 4.­90
  • 4.­91
  • 4.­92
  • 4.­93
  • 4.­94
  • 4.­95
  • 4.­97
  • 4.­98
  • 4.­100
  • 4.­101
  • 4.­102
  • 4.­103
  • 4.­104
  • 4.­105
  • 6.­4
  • 10.­32
  • 11.­25
  • 11.­90
  • g.­11

Links to further resources:

  • 12 related glossary entries
g.­147

Kauśika

  • kau shi ka
  • ཀཽ་ཤི་ཀ
  • Kauśika

Another name for Indra. Kauśika, Śakra, and Indra all refer to the same god, of central importance in the Vedas, who in Buddhist cosmology is regarded as the king of gods in the realm of desire.

2 passages contain this term:

  • 10.­23
  • 10.­27

Links to further resources:

  • 23 related glossary entries
g.­148

Kawa Paltsek

  • dpal brtsegs
  • དཔལ་བརྩེགས།
  • —

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

Paltsek (eighth to early ninth century), from the village of Kawa north of Lhasa, was one of Tibet’s preeminent translators. He was one of the first seven Tibetans to be ordained by Śāntarakṣita and is counted as one of Guru Rinpoche’s twenty-five close disciples. In a famous verse by Ngok Lotsawa Loden Sherab, Kawa Paltsek is named along with Chokro Lui Gyaltsen and Zhang (or Nanam) Yeshé Dé as part of a group of translators whose skills were surpassed only by Vairotsana.

He translated works from a wide variety of genres, including sūtra, śāstra, vinaya, and tantra, and was an author himself. Paltsek was also one of the most important editors of the early period, one of nine translators installed by Trisong Detsen (r. 755–797/800) to supervise the translation of the Tripiṭaka and help catalog translated works for the first two of three imperial catalogs, the Denkarma (ldan kar ma) and the Samye Chimpuma (bsam yas mchims phu ma). In the colophons of his works, he is often known as Paltsek Rakṣita (rak+Shi ta).

2 passages contain this term:

  • i.­2
  • c.­1

Links to further resources:

  • 18 related glossary entries
g.­151

Kinnara

  • mi ’am ci
  • མི་འམ་ཅི།
  • kinnara

A class of semidivine beings that resemble humans to the degree that their very name‍—which means “Is that a human?”‍—suggests some confusion as to their identity.

29 passages contain this term:

  • 1.­1
  • 1.­28
  • 1.­33
  • 2.­7
  • 2.­12
  • 2.­32
  • 2.­36
  • 2.­78
  • 2.­84
  • 3.­52
  • 4.­48
  • 4.­50
  • 4.­105
  • 4.­107
  • 4.­108
  • 4.­118
  • 4.­119
  • 4.­122
  • 4.­123
  • 5.­1
  • 6.­12
  • 7.­39
  • 7.­73
  • 10.­24
  • 11.­1
  • 12.­36
  • 12.­40
  • 12.­58
  • 12.­69

Links to further resources:

  • 79 related glossary entries
g.­156

Kubera

  • lus ngan
  • ལུས་ངན།
  • Kubera

In this instances, the name of a demon leader. This name generally belongs to Vaiśravaṇa, one of the four great kings.

1 passage contains this term:

  • 10.­19

Links to further resources:

  • 22 related glossary entries
g.­157

Kumbhāṇḍa

  • grul bum
  • གྲུལ་བུམ།
  • kumbhāṇḍa

A class of beings subordinate to the great king of the south, Virūḍhaka. The name is a play on the word āṇḍa, which means “egg” but is a euphemism for testicle, as they are often depicted as having testicles as big as pots (from khumba, or “pot”).

14 passages contain this term:

  • 2.­78
  • 2.­94
  • 4.­50
  • 4.­107
  • 4.­123
  • 7.­39
  • 7.­97
  • 10.­3
  • 11.­23
  • 12.­34
  • 12.­40
  • 12.­41
  • 12.­58
  • 12.­69

Links to further resources:

  • 30 related glossary entries
g.­163

Lord of the Earth

  • sa yi dbang phyug
  • ས་ཡི་དབང་ཕྱུག
  • —

A nāga.

1 passage contains this term:

  • 10.­16
g.­167

Mahābrahmā

  • tshangs pa chen po
  • ཚངས་པ་ཆེན་པོ།
  • mahābrahmā

Beings from the third heaven of the realm of form, meaning “great Brahmā.”

8 passages contain this term:

  • 1.­3
  • 1.­12
  • 2.­21
  • 2.­22
  • 3.­1
  • 7.­65
  • 9.­30
  • g.­104

Links to further resources:

  • 125 related glossary entries
g.­171

Mahoraga

  • lto ’phye chen po
  • ལྟོ་འཕྱེ་ཆེན་པོ།
  • mahoraga

A class of nonhuman beings shaped like enormous serpents.

26 passages contain this term:

  • 1.­1
  • 1.­2
  • 1.­28
  • 1.­33
  • 2.­7
  • 2.­32
  • 2.­78
  • 2.­84
  • 3.­52
  • 3.­58
  • 4.­48
  • 4.­50
  • 4.­105
  • 4.­107
  • 4.­108
  • 4.­118
  • 4.­119
  • 4.­122
  • 4.­123
  • 5.­1
  • 6.­12
  • 7.­39
  • 10.­24
  • 12.­36
  • 12.­58
  • 12.­69

Links to further resources:

  • 71 related glossary entries
g.­176

Māra

  • bdud
  • བདུད།
  • māra

A class of beings related to the demon Māra. See also the “four māras.”

53 passages contain this term:

  • 1.­33
  • 1.­35
  • 2.­2
  • 2.­7
  • 2.­9
  • 2.­14
  • 2.­17
  • 2.­23
  • 2.­52
  • 2.­55
  • 2.­74
  • 2.­79
  • 2.­84
  • 2.­87
  • 2.­92
  • 2.­94
  • 3.­2
  • 3.­7
  • 3.­8
  • 3.­22
  • 3.­37
  • 3.­52
  • 4.­48
  • 4.­105
  • 4.­119
  • 7.­1
  • 7.­7
  • 7.­8
  • 7.­12
  • 7.­17
  • 7.­33
  • 7.­37
  • 7.­40
  • 7.­41
  • 7.­43
  • 7.­48
  • 7.­49
  • 7.­53
  • 7.­54
  • 8.­31
  • 8.­34
  • 9.­9
  • 9.­15
  • 9.­16
  • 10.­23
  • 10.­24
  • 12.­36
  • 12.­37
  • 12.­40
  • 12.­49
  • 12.­56
  • 12.­58
  • 12.­69

Links to further resources:

  • 115 related glossary entries
g.­177

Māra

  • bdud
  • བདུད།
  • Māra

An obstacle maker; a personification of evil.

44 passages contain this term:

  • s.­1
  • i.­1
  • 1.­64
  • 1.­67
  • 3.­17
  • 3.­33
  • 7.­1
  • 7.­3
  • 7.­8
  • 7.­10
  • 7.­14
  • 7.­20
  • 7.­24
  • 7.­27
  • 7.­28
  • 7.­32
  • 7.­35
  • 7.­37
  • 7.­48
  • 7.­54
  • 7.­61
  • 7.­63
  • 7.­64
  • 8.­23
  • 8.­29
  • 9.­1
  • 9.­3
  • 9.­6
  • 9.­12
  • 9.­13
  • 9.­14
  • 9.­20
  • 9.­30
  • 10.­15
  • 10.­25
  • 12.­42
  • 12.­43
  • 12.­46
  • 12.­47
  • 12.­48
  • 12.­49
  • g.­90
  • g.­176
  • g.­218

Links to further resources:

  • 115 related glossary entries
g.­183

Mount Sumeru

  • ri rab
  • རི་རབ།
  • Sumeru

In Buddhist cosmology, the sacred mountain at the center of the world.

29 passages contain this term:

  • 3.­15
  • 6.­6
  • 7.­29
  • 7.­31
  • 7.­50
  • 10.­3
  • 10.­4
  • 10.­10
  • 10.­11
  • 10.­12
  • 10.­13
  • 10.­14
  • 10.­22
  • 10.­23
  • 10.­24
  • 10.­25
  • 10.­26
  • 10.­28
  • 10.­29
  • 10.­32
  • 10.­40
  • 11.­1
  • 11.­81
  • 12.­14
  • g.­84
  • g.­107
  • g.­182
  • g.­209
  • g.­224

Links to further resources:

  • 70 related glossary entries
g.­189

Nāga

  • klu
  • ཀླུ།
  • nāga

A semidivine class of beings who live in subterranean aquatic environments and are known to hoard wealth and esoteric teachings. They are associated with snakes and serpents.

248 passages contain this term:

  • s.­1
  • i.­1
  • 1.­1
  • 1.­28
  • 1.­33
  • 1.­35
  • 2.­3
  • 2.­4
  • 2.­6
  • 2.­7
  • 2.­9
  • 2.­12
  • 2.­15
  • 2.­24
  • 2.­26
  • 2.­28
  • 2.­29
  • 2.­32
  • 2.­53
  • 2.­55
  • 2.­57
  • 2.­58
  • 2.­59
  • 2.­70
  • 2.­75
  • 2.­78
  • 2.­79
  • 2.­81
  • 2.­87
  • 2.­95
  • 3.­2
  • 3.­7
  • 3.­8
  • 3.­22
  • 3.­37
  • 3.­52
  • 4.­48
  • 4.­50
  • 4.­107
  • 4.­108
  • 4.­118
  • 4.­122
  • 4.­123
  • 5.­1
  • 5.­5
  • 6.­5
  • 6.­12
  • 6.­18
  • 7.­17
  • 7.­18
  • 7.­19
  • 7.­21
  • 7.­23
  • 7.­27
  • 7.­28
  • 7.­29
  • 7.­30
  • 7.­31
  • 7.­32
  • 7.­34
  • 7.­36
  • 7.­38
  • 7.­39
  • 7.­55
  • 7.­58
  • 7.­61
  • 7.­62
  • 7.­65
  • 7.­68
  • 7.­69
  • 7.­70
  • 7.­71
  • 7.­72
  • 7.­73
  • 7.­76
  • 7.­78
  • 7.­85
  • 7.­97
  • 7.­105
  • 8.­3
  • 8.­4
  • 8.­5
  • 8.­6
  • 8.­16
  • 8.­19
  • 8.­30
  • 8.­31
  • 8.­33
  • 8.­34
  • 9.­1
  • 9.­2
  • 9.­12
  • 9.­13
  • 9.­18
  • 10.­1
  • 10.­2
  • 10.­13
  • 10.­16
  • 10.­17
  • 10.­19
  • 10.­20
  • 10.­21
  • 10.­23
  • 10.­24
  • 10.­28
  • 10.­29
  • 10.­30
  • 10.­35
  • 10.­36
  • 10.­37
  • 10.­38
  • 10.­39
  • 11.­1
  • 11.­2
  • 11.­3
  • 11.­4
  • 11.­5
  • 11.­6
  • 11.­7
  • 11.­8
  • 11.­9
  • 11.­10
  • 11.­16
  • 11.­18
  • 11.­23
  • 11.­26
  • 11.­27
  • 11.­34
  • 11.­35
  • 11.­38
  • 11.­47
  • 11.­50
  • 11.­52
  • 11.­55
  • 11.­57
  • 11.­61
  • 11.­62
  • 11.­63
  • 11.­64
  • 11.­67
  • 11.­68
  • 11.­69
  • 11.­70
  • 11.­71
  • 11.­72
  • 11.­75
  • 11.­76
  • 11.­89
  • 11.­91
  • 12.­1
  • 12.­3
  • 12.­4
  • 12.­5
  • 12.­6
  • 12.­7
  • 12.­8
  • 12.­9
  • 12.­10
  • 12.­11
  • 12.­12
  • 12.­13
  • 12.­14
  • 12.­15
  • 12.­16
  • 12.­17
  • 12.­18
  • 12.­19
  • 12.­20
  • 12.­21
  • 12.­22
  • 12.­23
  • 12.­24
  • 12.­25
  • 12.­26
  • 12.­28
  • 12.­31
  • 12.­32
  • 12.­34
  • 12.­35
  • 12.­36
  • 12.­37
  • 12.­40
  • 12.­41
  • 12.­42
  • 12.­56
  • 12.­58
  • 12.­59
  • 12.­60
  • 12.­62
  • 12.­64
  • 12.­68
  • 12.­69
  • g.­6
  • g.­10
  • g.­13
  • g.­14
  • g.­20
  • g.­21
  • g.­27
  • g.­28
  • g.­29
  • g.­30
  • g.­36
  • g.­44
  • g.­48
  • g.­57
  • g.­58
  • g.­60
  • g.­63
  • g.­64
  • g.­71
  • g.­92
  • g.­97
  • g.­100
  • g.­101
  • g.­102
  • g.­103
  • g.­111
  • g.­112
  • g.­114
  • g.­128
  • g.­131
  • g.­133
  • g.­135
  • g.­142
  • g.­154
  • g.­163
  • g.­164
  • g.­180
  • g.­185
  • g.­186
  • g.­187
  • g.­190
  • g.­196
  • g.­202
  • g.­216
  • g.­222
  • g.­228
  • g.­252
  • g.­253
  • g.­259
  • g.­260
  • g.­263
  • g.­275
  • g.­280
  • g.­289
  • g.­291
  • g.­301

Links to further resources:

  • 91 related glossary entries
g.­190

Nanda

  • dga’ bo
  • དགའ་བོ།
  • Nanda

One of the main nāga kings, usually associated with the nāga king Upananda.

6 passages contain this term:

  • 7.­28
  • 7.­55
  • 7.­56
  • 10.­14
  • 10.­29
  • g.­280

Links to further resources:

  • 16 related glossary entries
g.­192

Nārāyaṇa

  • sred med kyi bu
  • སྲེད་མེད་ཀྱི་བུ།
  • Nārāyaṇa

An alternate name for Viṣṇu (khyab ’jug).

6 passages contain this term:

  • 2.­28
  • 2.­71
  • 2.­72
  • 3.­1
  • 6.­18
  • 9.­27

Links to further resources:

  • 31 related glossary entries
g.­193

Nectar Drink

  • bdud rtsi’i skom
  • བདུད་རྩིའི་སྐོམ།
  • —

A demon leader.

1 passage contains this term:

  • 10.­19
g.­201

Piśāca

  • sha za
  • ཤ་ཟ།
  • piśāca

A class of nonhumans said to dwell in impure and perilous places, where they feed on impure things, including flesh.

12 passages contain this term:

  • 2.­78
  • 3.­58
  • 4.­50
  • 4.­107
  • 4.­122
  • 4.­123
  • 5.­1
  • 7.­39
  • 11.­23
  • 12.­41
  • 12.­58
  • 12.­69

Links to further resources:

  • 30 related glossary entries
g.­202

Precious Protector

  • rin chen skyong
  • རིན་ཆེན་སྐྱོང་།
  • —

A nāga king.

3 passages contain this term:

  • 8.­33
  • 10.­20
  • 10.­28
g.­203

Preta

  • yi dgas
  • ཡི་དགས།
  • preta

A class of sentient beings constantly suffering from hunger and thirst. They also represent one of the six realms of rebirth.

33 passages contain this term:

  • 1.­38
  • 1.­49
  • 2.­12
  • 2.­78
  • 3.­58
  • 4.­17
  • 4.­50
  • 4.­89
  • 4.­92
  • 4.­107
  • 4.­122
  • 4.­123
  • 5.­1
  • 7.­39
  • 8.­13
  • 11.­2
  • 11.­3
  • 11.­4
  • 11.­6
  • 11.­7
  • 11.­23
  • 11.­46
  • 11.­48
  • 11.­50
  • 11.­52
  • 11.­55
  • 11.­61
  • 12.­41
  • 12.­58
  • 12.­69
  • g.­53
  • g.­269
  • g.­303

Links to further resources:

  • 50 related glossary entries
g.­204

Priests of Brahmā

  • tshangs pa’i mdun na ’don pa
  • ཚངས་པའི་མདུན་ན་འདོན་པ།
  • Brahmapurohita

The second heaven in the realm of form. Also called Brahmapariṣadya.

1 passage contains this term:

  • 10.­14

Links to further resources:

  • 20 related glossary entries
g.­210

Pūtana

  • srul po
  • སྲུལ་པོ།
  • pūtana

A class of disease-causing spirits associated with cemeteries and dead bodies.

8 passages contain this term:

  • 2.­78
  • 2.­94
  • 3.­58
  • 4.­123
  • 4.­124
  • 5.­1
  • 7.­39
  • 12.­69

Links to further resources:

  • 11 related glossary entries
g.­211

Quintessence of the Sun’s Energy

  • nyi ma’i shugs kyi snying po
  • ཉི་མའི་ཤུགས་ཀྱི་སྙིང་པོ།
  • —

A bodhisattva residing in a buddha realm in the eastern direction at the time of the Buddha Śākyamuni.

14 passages contain this term:

  • 2.­1
  • 2.­2
  • 2.­10
  • 2.­11
  • 2.­14
  • 2.­18
  • 2.­20
  • 2.­22
  • 3.­1
  • 3.­11
  • 3.­12
  • 4.­33
  • 4.­47
  • 4.­51
g.­213

Rājagṛha

  • rgyal po’i khab
  • རྒྱལ་པོའི་ཁབ།
  • Rājagṛha

The capital of the ancient kingdom of Magadha.

4 passages contain this term:

  • s.­1
  • i.­1
  • 1.­1
  • g.­293

Links to further resources:

  • 79 related glossary entries
g.­214

Rākṣasa

  • srin po
  • སྲིན་པོ།
  • rākṣasa

A class of nonhuman beings that are often, but certainly not always, considered demonic in the Buddhist tradition. They are often depicted as flesh-eating monsters who haunt frightening places and are ugly and evil-natured.

10 passages contain this term:

  • 1.­1
  • 1.­28
  • 2.­78
  • 4.­50
  • 4.­107
  • 12.­40
  • 12.­41
  • 12.­58
  • 12.­69
  • g.­215

Links to further resources:

  • 47 related glossary entries
g.­222

Sāgara

  • rgya mtsho
  • རྒྱ་མཚོ།
  • Sāgara

A nāga king.

14 passages contain this term:

  • 7.­30
  • 7.­65
  • 8.­1
  • 8.­33
  • 10.­17
  • 10.­28
  • 10.­35
  • 11.­1
  • 11.­4
  • 11.­9
  • 12.­13
  • 12.­59
  • 12.­61
  • 12.­63

Links to further resources:

  • 19 related glossary entries
g.­223

Sage

  • drang srong
  • དྲང་སྲོང་།
  • ṛṣi

An ancient Indian spiritual title, especially for divinely inspired individuals credited with creating the foundations for all Indian culture.

115 passages contain this term:

  • 1.­9
  • 1.­10
  • 1.­67
  • 2.­15
  • 3.­5
  • 3.­18
  • 3.­21
  • 3.­35
  • 4.­51
  • 7.­25
  • 7.­29
  • 7.­30
  • 7.­31
  • 7.­32
  • 7.­38
  • 7.­55
  • 7.­67
  • 7.­68
  • 7.­69
  • 7.­71
  • 7.­72
  • 7.­73
  • 7.­74
  • 7.­77
  • 7.­84
  • 7.­94
  • 7.­97
  • 7.­98
  • 7.­100
  • 7.­104
  • 7.­105
  • 8.­4
  • 8.­6
  • 8.­7
  • 8.­8
  • 8.­9
  • 8.­11
  • 8.­27
  • 8.­30
  • 8.­31
  • 8.­32
  • 8.­33
  • 8.­35
  • 9.­7
  • 9.­12
  • 10.­13
  • 10.­18
  • 10.­21
  • 10.­23
  • 10.­24
  • 10.­25
  • 10.­28
  • 10.­31
  • 11.­1
  • 11.­70
  • 12.­2
  • 12.­3
  • 12.­5
  • 12.­7
  • 12.­8
  • 12.­9
  • 12.­10
  • 12.­11
  • 12.­12
  • 12.­13
  • 12.­14
  • 12.­15
  • 12.­16
  • 12.­17
  • 12.­18
  • 12.­19
  • 12.­20
  • 12.­21
  • 12.­22
  • 12.­23
  • 12.­24
  • 12.­25
  • 12.­26
  • 12.­27
  • 12.­28
  • 12.­29
  • 12.­30
  • 12.­31
  • 12.­32
  • 12.­33
  • 12.­36
  • 12.­37
  • 12.­42
  • g.­23
  • g.­35
  • g.­39
  • g.­45
  • g.­46
  • g.­61
  • g.­67
  • g.­68
  • g.­89
  • g.­127
  • g.­138
  • g.­160
  • g.­161
  • g.­165
  • g.­205
  • g.­206
  • g.­208
  • g.­212
  • g.­221
  • g.­240
  • g.­248
  • g.­249
  • g.­265
  • g.­278
  • g.­281
  • g.­283
  • g.­290

Links to further resources:

  • 23 related glossary entries
g.­224

Sahā

  • mi mjed
  • མི་མཇེད།
  • Sahā

This present universe of ours, usually referring to the whole trichiliocosm but at times only to our own world with its four continents surrounding Mount Sumeru. Sahā means “endurance,” as beings here have to endure suffering.

66 passages contain this term:

  • 1.­1
  • 1.­2
  • 1.­27
  • 1.­30
  • 1.­31
  • 1.­33
  • 1.­35
  • 2.­2
  • 2.­3
  • 2.­4
  • 2.­5
  • 2.­6
  • 2.­9
  • 2.­10
  • 2.­11
  • 2.­17
  • 2.­22
  • 2.­23
  • 2.­24
  • 2.­26
  • 2.­27
  • 2.­40
  • 2.­48
  • 2.­51
  • 2.­52
  • 2.­53
  • 2.­55
  • 2.­56
  • 2.­57
  • 2.­65
  • 2.­66
  • 2.­69
  • 2.­70
  • 2.­72
  • 2.­74
  • 2.­75
  • 2.­76
  • 2.­77
  • 2.­87
  • 2.­91
  • 2.­94
  • 2.­95
  • 2.­97
  • 3.­10
  • 3.­25
  • 3.­40
  • 3.­54
  • 4.­3
  • 4.­15
  • 4.­121
  • 6.­1
  • 6.­6
  • 6.­12
  • 6.­13
  • 6.­18
  • 6.­25
  • 9.­22
  • 10.­4
  • 10.­23
  • 10.­24
  • 10.­27
  • 10.­31
  • 10.­32
  • 10.­34
  • 12.­56
  • g.­32

Links to further resources:

  • 57 related glossary entries
g.­225

Śakra

  • brgya byin
  • བརྒྱ་བྱིན།
  • Śakra

Alternate name for Indra, the lord who rules the Heaven of the Thirty-Three.

27 passages contain this term:

  • 1.­1
  • 1.­2
  • 1.­30
  • 2.­12
  • 2.­28
  • 2.­31
  • 2.­50
  • 2.­51
  • 3.­1
  • 4.­118
  • 6.­18
  • 7.­65
  • 7.­95
  • 7.­96
  • 7.­99
  • 9.­27
  • 10.­9
  • 10.­17
  • 10.­23
  • 10.­24
  • 10.­25
  • 10.­27
  • 10.­30
  • 12.­66
  • 12.­67
  • g.­119
  • g.­147

Links to further resources:

  • 107 related glossary entries
g.­227

Śākyamuni

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

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

An epithet for the historical Buddha, Siddhārtha Gautama: he was a muni (“sage”) from the Śākya clan. He is counted as the fourth of the first four buddhas of the present Good Eon, the other three being Krakucchanda, Kanakamuni, and Kāśyapa. He will be followed by Maitreya, the next buddha in this eon.

89 passages contain this term:

  • s.­1
  • i.­1
  • 2.­2
  • 2.­3
  • 2.­4
  • 2.­6
  • 2.­9
  • 2.­11
  • 2.­13
  • 2.­20
  • 2.­21
  • 2.­22
  • 2.­23
  • 2.­24
  • 2.­26
  • 2.­40
  • 2.­49
  • 2.­51
  • 2.­52
  • 2.­53
  • 2.­55
  • 2.­65
  • 2.­67
  • 2.­69
  • 2.­70
  • 2.­72
  • 2.­74
  • 2.­75
  • 2.­87
  • 2.­95
  • 2.­97
  • 3.­1
  • 3.­15
  • 3.­25
  • 3.­30
  • 3.­31
  • 3.­40
  • 3.­45
  • 3.­54
  • 3.­60
  • 6.­12
  • 6.­13
  • 6.­16
  • 6.­17
  • 6.­18
  • 6.­25
  • 7.­38
  • 12.­57
  • g.­1
  • g.­3
  • g.­11
  • g.­12
  • g.­22
  • g.­25
  • g.­38
  • g.­50
  • g.­66
  • g.­93
  • g.­98
  • g.­99
  • g.­105
  • g.­106
  • g.­132
  • g.­139
  • g.­140
  • g.­144
  • g.­146
  • g.­150
  • g.­153
  • g.­166
  • g.­168
  • g.­172
  • g.­173
  • g.­174
  • g.­175
  • g.­179
  • g.­211
  • g.­220
  • g.­226
  • g.­230
  • g.­232
  • g.­235
  • g.­255
  • g.­257
  • g.­281
  • g.­284
  • g.­288
  • g.­293
  • g.­300

Links to further resources:

  • 52 related glossary entries
g.­233

Seven precious substances

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

The list of seven precious substances varies. They can be gold, silver, turquoise, coral, pearl, emerald, and sapphire; or they may be ruby, sapphire, beryl, emerald, diamond, pearls, and coral.

3 passages contain this term:

  • 7.­29
  • 10.­4
  • 10.­22

Links to further resources:

  • 43 related glossary entries
g.­239

Solitary buddha

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

Someone who has attained liberation without relying on a teacher in their final lifetime and as a result of progress in previous lives but, unlike a buddha, does not have the accumulated merit and motivation to teach others. Like śrāvaka (“hearer”), this term is also used to denote Buddhists who do not follow the Mahāyāna.

22 passages contain this term:

  • 1.­52
  • 2.­12
  • 2.­36
  • 2.­79
  • 4.­52
  • 4.­96
  • 4.­115
  • 4.­117
  • 4.­121
  • 5.­5
  • 5.­19
  • 6.­5
  • 6.­13
  • 6.­18
  • 6.­25
  • 12.­2
  • 12.­27
  • 12.­31
  • n.­20
  • g.­42
  • g.­274
  • g.­292

Links to further resources:

  • 79 related glossary entries
g.­254

Sublime states

  • tshangs pa’i gnas
  • ཚངས་པའི་གནས།
  • brahmavihāra

The four qualities of limitless love, compassion, joy, and equanimity.

20 passages contain this term:

  • 1.­1
  • 1.­5
  • 2.­2
  • 2.­23
  • 2.­52
  • 2.­65
  • 2.­66
  • 2.­74
  • 2.­82
  • 2.­92
  • 3.­55
  • 3.­60
  • 7.­48
  • 7.­70
  • 8.­32
  • 9.­21
  • 9.­22
  • 9.­23
  • 9.­27
  • 10.­33

Links to further resources:

  • 14 related glossary entries
g.­259

Supratiṣṭhita

  • shin tu brtan pa
  • ཤིན་ཏུ་བརྟན་པ།
  • Supratiṣṭhita

A nāga king.

2 passages contain this term:

  • 7.­30
  • 10.­18

Links to further resources:

  • 1 related glossary entry
g.­261

Supreme Being

  • skye mchog
  • སྐྱེ་མཆོག
  • —

A demon leader.

5 passages contain this term:

  • 3.­3
  • 3.­4
  • 10.­19
  • 10.­33
  • g.­134
g.­271

Three realms

  • srid pa gsum
  • srid pa gsum po
  • khams gsum
  • khams gsum pa
  • སྲིད་པ་གསུམ།
  • སྲིད་པ་གསུམ་པོ།
  • ཁམས་གསུམ།
  • ཁམས་གསུམ་པ།
  • tribhava
  • tridhātu

The desire realm, form realm, and formless realm.

17 passages contain this term:

  • 1.­5
  • 1.­30
  • 2.­14
  • 3.­30
  • 4.­25
  • 4.­33
  • 4.­51
  • 4.­61
  • 4.­72
  • 4.­76
  • 4.­98
  • 8.­2
  • 8.­4
  • 8.­11
  • 8.­16
  • 8.­30
  • n.­50

Links to further resources:

  • 27 related glossary entries
g.­279

Universal monarch

  • ’khor los sgyur ba
  • ’khor los sgyur ba’i rgyal po
  • འཁོར་ལོས་སྒྱུར་བ།
  • འཁོར་ལོས་སྒྱུར་བའི་རྒྱལ་པོ།
  • cakravartin

A cakravartin is a king who rules over at least one continent and gains his territory by rolling his magic wheel (cakra) over the land. This is as the result of the merit he has accumulated in previous lifetimes.

9 passages contain this term:

  • 2.­28
  • 2.­96
  • 2.­97
  • 3.­1
  • 6.­18
  • 6.­25
  • 9.­27
  • 11.­5
  • g.­266

Links to further resources:

  • 58 related glossary entries
g.­280

Upananda

  • nye dga’
  • ཉེ་དགའ།
  • Upananda

One of the main nāga kings, usually associated with the nāga king Nanda.

6 passages contain this term:

  • 7.­28
  • 7.­55
  • 7.­56
  • 10.­14
  • 10.­29
  • g.­190

Links to further resources:

  • 20 related glossary entries
g.­289

Varuṇa

  • chu lha
  • ཆུ་ལྷ།
  • Varuṇa

A nāga king.

2 passages contain this term:

  • 12.­2
  • 12.­3

Links to further resources:

  • 3 related glossary entries
g.­293

Veṇuvana

  • ’od ma’i tshal
  • འོད་མའི་ཚལ།
  • Veṇuvana

A forest monastery north of Rājagṛha where the Buddha Śākyamuni spent several monsoon retreats and delivered many Great Vehicle teachings.

4 passages contain this term:

  • s.­1
  • i.­1
  • 1.­1
  • g.­139

Links to further resources:

  • 22 related glossary entries
g.­298

Vidyākaraprabha

  • bid+yA ka ra pra b+ha
  • བིདྱཱ་ཀ་ར་པྲ་བྷ།
  • Vidyākara­prabha

According to Nyangral Nyima Öser’s history, Ralpachen invited the Indian abbot Vidyākaraprabha to Tibet along with Jinamitra, Surendrabodhi, and Dānaśīla in the first part of the ninth century. Vidyākaraprabha was the author of the Madhyamaka­nayasāra­samāsa­prakaraṇa, a work in the Yogācāra-Madhyamaka school pioneered by Śāntarakṣita, translated into Tibetan with Paltsek under the name dbu ma’i lugs kyi snying po mdor bsdus pa’i rab tu byed pa (Toh 3893). He worked with Paltsek on numerous other translations on topics as diverse as the Sphuṭārthā commentary to the Abhisamayālaṅkāra, an extract from the Vimuktimārga, and the early Vidyottamamahātantra.

2 passages contain this term:

  • i.­2
  • c.­1

Links to further resources:

  • 4 related glossary entries
g.­302

Well-gone one

  • bde bar gshegs pa
  • བདེ་བར་གཤེགས་པ།
  • sugata

An epithet for a buddha.

10 passages contain this term:

  • 1.­45
  • 1.­47
  • 1.­57
  • 1.­69
  • 4.­5
  • 4.­87
  • 6.­1
  • 11.­4
  • 11.­50
  • 11.­66

Links to further resources:

  • 60 related glossary entries
g.­304

Worthy one

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

Used both as an epithet of buddhas and to refer to the final accomplishment of the śrāvaka path.

37 passages contain this term:

  • 1.­74
  • 2.­1
  • 2.­2
  • 2.­23
  • 2.­30
  • 2.­36
  • 2.­52
  • 2.­55
  • 2.­64
  • 2.­69
  • 2.­73
  • 2.­74
  • 2.­87
  • 3.­7
  • 3.­15
  • 3.­30
  • 3.­45
  • 3.­52
  • 3.­60
  • 4.­3
  • 4.­6
  • 4.­14
  • 4.­38
  • 4.­39
  • 4.­41
  • 4.­43
  • 4.­44
  • 4.­45
  • 4.­52
  • 4.­72
  • 4.­77
  • 4.­84
  • 4.­104
  • 8.­30
  • 11.­6
  • 11.­9
  • 11.­60

Links to further resources:

  • 96 related glossary entries
g.­305

Yakṣa

  • gnod sbyin
  • གནོད་སྦྱིན།
  • yakṣa

A class of nonhuman beings that haunt or protect natural places and cities. They can be malevolent (hence the Tibetan translation gnod sbyin, meaning “harm giver”) or benevolent and are known for bestowing wealth and worldly boons.

58 passages contain this term:

  • 1.­1
  • 1.­28
  • 1.­33
  • 1.­35
  • 2.­7
  • 2.­15
  • 2.­28
  • 2.­32
  • 2.­36
  • 2.­77
  • 2.­78
  • 2.­79
  • 2.­84
  • 2.­94
  • 3.­8
  • 3.­17
  • 3.­52
  • 3.­58
  • 4.­11
  • 4.­48
  • 4.­50
  • 4.­105
  • 4.­107
  • 4.­108
  • 4.­118
  • 4.­119
  • 4.­122
  • 4.­123
  • 5.­1
  • 6.­5
  • 6.­12
  • 6.­18
  • 7.­38
  • 7.­39
  • 7.­70
  • 7.­73
  • 7.­97
  • 8.­5
  • 8.­16
  • 10.­19
  • 10.­23
  • 10.­24
  • 10.­34
  • 11.­1
  • 11.­23
  • 12.­29
  • 12.­30
  • 12.­31
  • 12.­33
  • 12.­34
  • 12.­36
  • 12.­37
  • 12.­40
  • 12.­41
  • 12.­58
  • 12.­66
  • 12.­69
  • g.­70

Links to further resources:

  • 97 related glossary entries
g.­307

Zangkyong

  • bzang skyong
  • བཟང་སྐྱོང་།
  • —

Tibetan translator of the ninth century.

2 passages contain this term:

  • i.­2
  • c.­1
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