• The Collection
  • The Kangyur
  • Discourses
  • General Sūtra Section

This rendering does not include the entire published text

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ཉི་མའི་སྙིང་པོ།

The Quintessence of the Sun
The Dhāraṇī Mantras

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

84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha is a global non-profit initiative to translate all the Buddha’s words into modern languages, and to make them available to everyone.

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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:

3.­2
“Sublime human, you hold the light that illuminates beings,
And you show the path to those who have corrupt views.
Endowed with the view of sameness, you benefit beings
And swiftly subjugate māras and nāgas.
3.­3
“You liberate from their afflictions beings who are hard to tame,
And you cause the light of the Dharma to blaze for a long time in this world.
Supreme being, you beautify all the many realms
With these gateways of concentration.
3.­4
“Victor, supreme being, many wise ones
Speak about this realm from far away.
This time for beings to receive the Dharma is hard to attain;36
Seeing this, we have joined this assembly for the sake of the Dharma.
3.­5
“It is difficult to achieve a human birth,
And even those who have obtained a human body for a very long time
Are seized by severe afflictions;
Great sage, please quickly sever the web of the afflictions!
3.­6
“Like a great elephant, you liberate beings who have fallen
Into the ocean of suffering and the river of the afflictions.
The victors have sent us here as messengers
As they rejoice in your Dharma treasure.37
3.­7

“Respected Blessed One, in the eastern direction, beyond countless buddha realms as numerous as the grains of sand in countless Ganges Rivers, there is a world called Absence of Heat,38 where the thus-gone, worthy, perfect Buddha Campaka Color resides, thrives, lives well, and teaches the Dharma. That thus-gone one has sent me here. He puts faith in the practice of the Dharma of The Quintessence of the Sun, the section on the light rays that destroy the domain of the nāgas, the dhāraṇī mantra expounded by you that cleanses the karmic actions of sentient beings, and he enquires whether you have any ills or problems and whether you are healthy and well. [F.137.b] Respected Blessed One, are you in good health and free from ills? Are the members of your retinue comfortable and free from ills? Are they eager to listen to the Dharma? Do they follow the Dharma persistently in the way they hear it? Do they abide by the Dharma? Are the domains of the māras and nāgas subjugated in your buddha realm? Is this your only buddha realm? Are you turning the Dharma wheel without obstruction in this place?

3.­8

“For the sake of those who will turn the wheel in this buddha realm, the thus-gone Campaka Color puts faith in you and in this practice of the Dharma of The Quintessence of the Sun, the dhāraṇī mantra of the section on the light rays that destroy the domain of the nāgas. He confers this powerful and beneficial dhāraṇī mantra that accords with the truth. It exhausts all forms of attachment associated with the desire realm, the form realm, and the formless realm, as well as pride, special pride, and pride that thinks ‘I am.’ This acceptance that accords with the truth annihilates all māras and vanquishes the nāgas. It pleases the gods, it satisfies the yakṣas, it overcomes the asuras, it pleases the vaiśyas, and it delights the śūdras. It liberates women from their desires, it induces weariness in the scholars, it delights the spiritual practitioners, it completely pacifies all diseases, quarrels, fights, famines, untimely sicknesses, [F.138.a] hostile armies, wind, rains, rivers, cold, heat, snow, and heat waves, and it softens unsavory tastes and substances that are harsh, rough, and hard to touch. It causes the way of the Dharma to blaze, it reveals the teachings of the buddhas, and it ensures that the lineage of the Three Jewels remains uninterrupted. It provides relief to those who are afraid of saṃsāra, generates the knowledge of exhaustion, causes one to realize the knowledge of the unborn, overcomes all the dense darkness of ignorance, removes the burden of suffering, and dries up the river of craving.

3.­9

tadyathā: vāyevayaparivāre vahevahaparivāre pṛthāviparivāre āve avaparivāre tejetejaparivāre mālemalaparivāre khagekhagaparivāre āloke ālokaparivāre sthama sthamaparivāre rājerājaparivāre silisilaparivāre gamegamaparivāre āvoca avocaparivāre malamalalamalamelama rālarālalama vidyājñāna­bhutaṃgame bhutaṅgama­parivāre cakṣugrahe cakṣugrahaparivāre śotragrahe śotragraha­parivāre ghrāṇagrahe ghrāṇagraha­parivāre jihvāgrahe jihva­grahāparivāre kāyagrahe kāyagraha­parivāre managrahe managraha­parivāre sparśagrahe sparśagraha­parivāre vedanagrahe vedana­graha­parivāre tṛṣṇāgraha tṛṣṇāgraha­parivāre upādāna­grahe upādānagraha­parivāre bhāvagrahe bhāva­grahāparivāre jātigrahe jātigraha­parivāre jaramaraṇgrahe jaramaraṇa­grahāparivāre duḥkha­santapāgrahe duḥkha­santapāgraha­parivāre ārāpārādvaje­grahe ārāpārādvaja­grahāparivāre ārāpārādhvajegrahe ārāpārādhvajaṃgrahāparivāre ārāpārādvijagrahe ārāpārādvijaṁgrahāparivāre avrtavivrtasya [F.138.b] avaramupamāsvasya vegavinivarta ārya­rasmisamvegana­śānati svāhā.

3.­10

“Respected Blessed One, this is the acceptance that accords with the truth, which was conferred by the thus-gone Campaka Color.”

The Blessed One expressed his approval of this, as did the entire retinue that had arrived in the buddha realm of Sahā‍—all but those who were absorbed in concentration.

3.­11

Then, the Blessed One said to the bodhisattva great being Quintessence of the Sun’s Energy, “Noble son, while sitting here on this seat, I shall teach extensively to sentient beings, with both meaning and letter and without adding or omitting anything, this acceptance that accords with the truth. Noble son, please reveal also the dhāraṇī mantra hollow lotus stalk of the sun’s eye,39 which the thus-gone Campaka Color gave to protect you when you were coming here, the dhāraṇī mantra that accomplishes everything from the unique features of the body up to parinirvāṇa.”

3.­12

At that moment, the bodhisattva great being Quintessence of the Sun’s Energy uttered these words:

3.­13

syād yathedaṃ: siddhamate vilokamate alegetariśe rucesuruce buddhe vibuddhe mahābuddhe unmadte unmadtapratiṣedhane ragadhruvapratiṣedhane bindubindumate citacitavatiṣedhane arkecandra ardhe hataciti hatanirmi hatakāmavege hatapaunabhaviraje hatacakṣusamate hatavimatamudre hatayāghe hatayāghe hatasamudrajave hatavimanarāje hatahite hatacitaṭe hatadharmarāje hatavahurāje hatavarjamati hata upagamate hataroparasmi hatadharmasiddhi hatasarvonamad [F.139.a] jñājñājñā vijñājñājñā sarvamārgajñājñā eṣonadasaṁsaraduḥkhe svāhā.

3.­14

“Respected Blessed One, this is the dhāraṇī mantra lotus of the sun’s eye, which the thus-gone Campaka Color gave to protect me when I departed.”

3.­15

The blessed Śākyamuni then said to Venerable Yaśas, “Yaśas, remember this dhāraṇī mantra lotus of the sun’s eye! Yaśas, it is rare for thus-gone, worthy, perfect buddhas to appear in the world, but it is much more difficult to obtain this dhāraṇī mantra lotus of the sun’s eye. Noble son, the thus-gone ones or their hearers could describe the qualities and the benefits related to Mount Sumeru or the great ocean, but they could never fully express the qualities and benefits of this dhāraṇī mantra lotus of the sun’s eye, even if they were to endeavor for eons or more. This dhāraṇī mantra lotus of the sun’s eye is therefore profound! Noble son, you must remember this dhāraṇī mantra lotus of the sun’s eye! Comprehend it and teach it on a vast scale to the four assemblies! Thereby, sentient beings’ attachments related to the desire realm will be abandoned, [. . .] all their defilements will be exhausted, and they will experience the happiness of emancipation.”

3.­16

Then the bodhisattva great being Gandhahastin uttered these verses:

3.­17
“In front of the king of the trees, you defeated Māra
And achieved supreme awakening on your own.
Alone, you have subjugated gods, humans, and yakṣas.
Victor, you are the light rays of the sun’s supreme liberated wisdom. [F.139.b]
3.­18
“You alone outshine the non-Buddhists in this world,
And you beautify the entire world, like the sun compared to a firefly.
Great sage, you liberate sentient beings within your assembly,
And you ensure that the lineage of the Three Jewels and the Dharma way endure for a long time.
3.­19
“Bodhisattvas who have arrived to worship you alone
Strive for the Dharma in the pursuit of virtue and awakening.
Victor, you teach the Dharma that eliminates all suffering,
And you reveal the supreme conduct of awakened wisdom.
3.­20
“You alone appease sentient beings through your pacifying nectar,
And you liberate hundreds of millions of beings to free them from new births.40
Your defilements are exhausted, you are free from views, you have abandoned afflictions,
And you have reached the city of peace, where there is no sorrow.
3.­21
“In the entire world, you are the sole doctor,
And the victors have sent us as messengers to ask you questions.
You abide by an ocean of knowledge and impartial compassion;
Great sage, listen to this moon-like Dharma, and I will confer a dhāraṇī.
3.­22

“Respected Blessed One, in the southern direction, beyond buddha realms as numerous as the grains of sand needed to fill a city about a league in size, in a place ripe with the five degenerations, there is a world called Banner of Degeneration, where the thus-gone King of the Lord of Mountains resides, thrives, lives well, and teaches the Dharma. That thus-gone one has sent me here. He puts faith in you and in this practice of the Dharma of The Quintessence of the Sun, the section on the light rays that destroy the domain of the nāgas, the dhāraṇī mantra you expound that cleanses the karmic actions of sentient beings. [F.140.a] He enquires whether you have any ills or problems and whether you are healthy and well. Respected Blessed One, are you healthy and free from ills? Are the members of your retinue comfortable and in good health? Are they eager to listen to the sacred Dharma? Do they follow the Dharma persistently in the way they hear it? Do they abide by the Dharma? Are the domains of the māras and nāgas subjugated in your buddha realm? Is this your only buddha realm? Are you turning the Dharma wheel without obstruction in this place? For the sake of those who will turn the wheel in this buddha realm, the thus-gone King of the Lord of Mountains puts faith in you and in this practice of the Dharma of The Quintessence of the Sun, the section on the light rays that destroy the domain of the nāgas, the dhāraṇī mantra that cleanses the karmic actions of sentient beings. Then, he confers this powerful and beneficial dhāraṇī mantra that accords with emptiness. It exhausts all forms of attachment associated with the desire realm, the form realm, and the formless realm. It exhausts pride, special pride, and pride that thinks ‘I am,’ [. . .] and it removes the burden of suffering.

3.­23

tadyathā: dhumate dhumate akṣidhumate prabhāsadhumate sarvākāśadhumate avaikhagha vaimetakhaga avaikṣakhaga amohakhaga ananyakhaga vyāvṛttikhaga saṁrucakhaga anaimakhaga locanakhaga śikhikhaga [F.140.b] vitimirakkhaga ukṣomakhaga urokhaga akṣikhaga yāvadmanokhaga rūbakhaga yāvadvijñānakhaga cakṣudhātukhaga yāvadmanovijñānadhātukhaga pṛthavīdhātukhaga yāvadvijñānadhātukhaga catusmṛtyupasthānakhaga yāvadāvonakakhaga duḥkhakhaga yāvadmārgakhaga vipavana vikṣapa ananasamudranana sarvakāranana sarvasaṅsthanana viśūpanana akincananana kṣa bhakṣa i le i i le i i le mi le svāhā.

3.­24

“Blessed One, this is the dhāraṇī mantra that accords with emptiness conferred by the thus-gone King of the Lord of Mountains.”

3.­25

The blessed Śākyamuni expressed his approval of this, as did the entire retinue that had arrived in the buddha realm of Sahā‍—all but those who were absorbed in concentration.

3.­26

Then the Blessed One said to the bodhisattva great being Gandhahastin, “Noble son, while sitting here on this seat, I shall teach extensively, with both meaning and letter and without adding or omitting anything, this dhāraṇī mantra that accords with emptiness. Noble son, please reveal also the teaching of the inexhaustible core, which the thus-gone King of the Lord of Mountains gave to protect you before you came here. This teaching of the inexhaustible core subsumes the accomplishment of the intentions and feelings of all sentient beings; it causes one to achieve omniscient wisdom, it subjugates the four māras, it is the basis for accomplishment, and it establishes the Dharma way and the lineage of the Three Jewels.”

3.­27

At that moment, the bodhisattva great being Gandhahastin uttered these words:

3.­28

tadyathā: śraṇavyāya śikṣavyāya smṛtivyāya [F.141.a] prahīnavyāya ṛddhivyāya indriyavyāya balavyāya bodhyāṅgavyāya samadhivyāya dhāraṇīvyāya kṣāntivyāya dhyānavyāya arūpavyāya aninajavyāya mārgavyāya abhijñāvyāya pratisaṁvidvyāya bhūmivyāya vidyāvyāya mahāmaitrivyāya mahākaruṇavyāya pṛthivīvyāya satvavyāya dharmavyāya tamavyāya ālokavyāya pratibhāsavyāya pratiśrutkavyāya gaganavyāya māravyāya śūnyatāvyāya pratītyavyāya apraṇihitavyāya animidtavyāya rutavyāya ghoṣavyāya akincanvyāya abhisamaya anunu anona avaha cacāra cacacāravimu cacacakṣa cacacaravimuvyāya vimukṣaya vimu āpavyāya vimu asamudracaravimu cchedavimu ākāśavamu vyupaśmavimu anābhasavimu ahahavimu apāravimu upaśama salilavimu svāhā.

3.­29

“Respected Blessed One, this is the dhāraṇī mantra inexhaustible core, which the thus-gone King of the Lord of Mountains conferred in order to protect me when I departed.”

3.­30

The blessed Śākyamuni then said to Venerable Ājñātakauṇḍinya, “Kauṇḍinya, remember this dhāraṇī mantra inexhaustible core! Kauṇḍinya, it is rare for thus-gone, worthy, perfect buddhas to appear in the world, but it is much more difficult to obtain this teaching of the inexhaustible core. Noble son, the thus-gone ones or their hearers could enumerate all the moments of thoughts formed by all sentient beings for a hundred thousand eons, but no one could enumerate the eighteen unique qualities of the buddhas who have understood without obscuration this dhāraṇī mantra inexhaustible core. Therefore, Kauṇḍinya, you should teach the Dharma of this teaching of the inexhaustible core on a vast scale to the four assemblies, just as you have heard it! [F.141.b] By hearing that Dharma, they will reach the exhaustion of all their karmic actions, achieve unimpeded, undivided, and uninterrupted eloquence, and become thus-gone ones who are more exalted than the three realms.”

3.­31

At that moment, the bodhisattva great being Glorious Essence of Light bowed down with his palms joined together in the direction of the thus-gone Śākyamuni and uttered these verses:

3.­32
“Wise protector, having crossed over,
You liberate the six classes of beings
Who are carried away by suffering
And agitated by the diseases of their afflictions.
3.­33
“You reveal the correct path
To those who are deluded with regard to the six senses
And caught by Māra’s noose;
Within the worlds, your presence is extremely rare.
3.­34
“Wise humans will abandon the basis of the household,
Which is endowed with the six branches.
You are the friend of the entire world,
And you eliminate all Dharma famine.
3.­35
“Great practitioner, you possess the six higher perceptions41
And reveal the truths.
Great sage, you liberate beings circling in saṃsāra
From their tight fetters.
3.­36
“We have come to this realm
Out of faith in your mantra.
The protectors of the world have sent us here
As messengers, so please listen.
3.­37

“Respected Blessed One, in the western direction, beyond buddha realms as numerous as the grains of sand in forty-two Ganges Rivers, there is a world called Essence Banner, where the thus-gone one named Royal Mass of Glorious Wisdom resides, thrives, lives well, and teaches the Dharma. That thus-gone one has sent me here. He puts faith in the practice of the Dharma of The Quintessence of the Sun, the section on the light rays that destroy the domain of the nāgas, the dhāraṇī mantra expounded by you that cleanses the karmic actions of sentient beings. [F.142.a] He enquires whether you have any ills or problems and whether you are healthy and well. Respected Blessed One, are you healthy and free from ills? Are the members of your retinue comfortable and in good health? Are they eager to listen to the sacred Dharma? Do they follow the Dharma persistently in the way they hear it? Do they abide by the Dharma? Are the domains of the māras and nāgas subjugated in your buddha realm? Is this your only buddha realm? Are you turning the Dharma wheel without obstruction in this place? For the sake of those who will turn the wheel in this buddha realm, the thus-gone Royal Mass of Glorious Wisdom puts faith in you and in the practice of the Dharma of The Quintessence of the Sun, the section on the light rays that destroy the domain of the nāgas, the dhāraṇī mantra that cleanses the karmic actions of sentient beings. Then, he also confers this powerful and beneficial dhāraṇī mantra that accords with the absence of wishes. It exhausts all forms of attachment associated with the desire realm, the form realm, and the formless realm. It exhausts pride, special pride, and pride that thinks ‘I am,’ [. . .] it overcomes all the dense darkness of ignorance, and it removes the burden of suffering.

3.­38

tadyathā: śanaśara śamanaśava apakṣavaśa cakṣubhavaśava śotraśava ghrāṇaśava jihvaśava kāyaśava manāśava kṣatividyacakṣupṛthavīkṣabha śrotra avakṣabha jihvavāyukṣabha manojakṣabha ālokajñānakṣabha vījasaṅgramakṣabha [F.142.b] aṅkurakhaghakṣabha śamkarukṣabha kṣayarāsakṣabha śāntivyasrakṣabha natonatainatona avanyeratona nayāvanayinatoneṣa antaduḥkhasya svāhā.

3.­39

“Blessed One, this is the dhāraṇī mantra that accords with the absence of wishes conferred by the thus-gone Royal Mass of Glorious Wisdom.”

3.­40

The blessed Śākyamuni expressed his approval, as did all the sentient beings present within the buddha realm of Sahā‍—except for those who were absorbed in concentration.

3.­41

Then the Blessed One said to the bodhisattva great being Glorious Essence of Light, “Noble son, while sitting here on this seat, I shall teach extensively to sentient beings, with excellent meaning and words and without adding or omitting anything, this dhāraṇī mantra that accords with emptiness. Noble son, please reveal also the teaching of the fundamental vidyā mantra that the thus-gone Royal Mass of Glorious Wisdom gave to protect you before you came here. That teaching completely pacifies and pulverizes the causes of saṃsāra‍—sentient beings’ lesser, moderate, and intense cravings as well as their afflictions associated with the form and the formless realms‍—accumulated for eons as numerous as the grains of sand in the Ganges. It cleanses their karmic actions, and it perfects all their virtues.”

3.­42

“Respected Blessed One, I shall do so:

3.­43

tadyathā: vegapariccheda garbhasakṣase garbharevidyāprabhagakṣekṣaya yogepratihareśamannasikathe samameghajhaṣe akṣaya natekṣabhavaje niddhajhaṣe samanajhaṣe adhyaśayajhaṣe viprabhajhaṣe śaikṣajhaṣe senyajavajhaṣe saliguhyajhaṣe saliguhabhaikṣivanakośe sādhanakonosivadhananathye vitapavidte [F.143.a] upakramapathe anacchedyaprakhe pratikramena sakaṅthyaśaisalocanavame krodhadhare kāmasaśe ākāśakhagenāgakunje vidyavane klanavane ucavane samamakere śariyavane meghajaveharikonova nayanamukhe sārakṣakole narāyaṇacare indravāsane o a ava ārāva ā vara avāra sāramegha duḥkhanastiraninirvāhe svāhā.

3.­44

“Respected Blessed One, this is the teaching of the fundamental vidyā mantra that the thus-gone Royal Mass of Glorious Wisdom conferred to protect me when I departed.”

3.­45

The blessed Śākyamuni then said to Venerable Śāriputra, “Śāriputra, remember this fundamental dhāraṇī mantra! Śāriputra, it is rare for thus-gone, worthy, perfect buddhas to appear in the world, but it is much more difficult to obtain this fundamental dhāraṇī mantra. Śāriputra, the thus-gone ones or their hearers could count or evaluate the number of smallest particles in the earth element present in the world with its four continents over a hundred eons. However, even if they were to try for a hundred thousand eons, they could never describe the scope of this fundamental dhāraṇī mantra. This fundamental dhāraṇī mantra is therefore very profound. Śāriputra, you must remember this fundamental dhāraṇī mantra. You must comprehend it and teach it on a vast scale to the four assemblies! When sentient beings hear it, the causes of saṃsāra that exist within them‍—their lesser, moderate, and intense cravings as well as their afflictions associated with the form and the formless realms‍—will be completely pacified, and they will turn their backs on them for eons as numerous as the grains of sand in the Ganges. [F.143.b] Women’s karmic obscurations associated with the five acts of immediate retribution and their other causes of saṃsāra will be exhausted without any remainder; all their defilements will be exhausted, and they will be endowed with the happiness of emancipation.”

3.­46

At that moment, the bodhisattva great being Ākāśagarbha bowed down with his palms joined in the direction of the Blessed One and uttered these verses:

3.­47
“You are the sole guide,
And you have gained certainty with respect to all phenomena.
Since devotion arises in them upon seeing this,
Even the glorious spiritual friends worship you.
3.­48
“You are worshiped by delightful spiritual friends
Replete with the most supreme aspects.
They make offerings to the Thus-Gone One
By offering flowers and incense.
3.­49
“Since you have gathered this great assembly
Instantly in this place,
All the gods are praising you,
And the glorious spiritual friends worship you.
3.­50
“O protector of the world,
You only demonstrate this on one occasion.
The wise asuras and the glorious spiritual friends
Are continuously worshiping you.
3.­51
“Glorious Essence of Flowers
Is adorned with all aspects of glory;
He has sent us here as messengers
To ask you these questions.
3.­52

“Respected Blessed One, in the northern direction, beyond buddha realms as numerous as the grains of sand in eighty Ganges Rivers, in a place ripe with the five degenerations, there is a world called Manifestation of All Perfumes, where the thus-gone, worthy, perfect Buddha Glorious Essence of Flowers resides and teaches the Dharma. That thus-gone one has sent me here. He puts faith in the practice of the Dharma of The Quintessence of the Sun, the section on the light rays that destroy the domain of the nāgas, the dhāraṇī mantra expounded by you that cleanses the karmic actions of sentient beings. He enquires whether you have any ills or problems and whether you are healthy and well. [F.144.a] Respected Blessed One, are you healthy and free from ills? Are the members of your retinue comfortable and in good health? Are they eager to listen to the sacred Dharma? Do they follow the Dharma persistently in the way they hear it? Do they abide by the Dharma? Are the domains of the māras and nāgas subjugated in your buddha realm? Is your buddha realm unique? Are you turning the Dharma wheel without obstruction in this place? For the sake of those who will turn the wheel in this buddha realm, the thus-gone Royal Mass of Glorious Wisdom puts faith in you and in the practice of the Dharma of The Quintessence of the Sun, the section on the light rays that destroy the domain of the nāgas, the dhāraṇī mantra that cleanses the karmic actions of sentient beings. Moreover, he also confers this powerful and beneficial dhāraṇī mantra peaceful core of knowledge. It benefits all sentient beings, completely cures all diseases, and completely subdues all afflictions. It generates complete knowledge of all the aggregates and elements, causes one to discern all phenomena, reveals all the skillful means, and causes one to experience the entirety of the happiness of emancipation. It induces sincere faith in all sentient beings, causes one to attain happiness related to all phenomena, eradicates all māras and enemies in accordance with the Dharma, and subjugates all the domains of the māras. This great teaching of the peaceful core of knowledge annihilates all māras and vanquishes enemies. It pleases the gods, delights the yakṣas, [F.144.b] overcomes the asuras, pleases the garuḍas, generates faith in the kinnaras, and puts the mahoragas to flight. It subdues all enemies, delights the members of the kṣatriya class, induces comprehension in the brāhmaṇas, overcomes the vaiśyas, and utterly pleases the śūdras. It frees women from their desires, easily releases pregnant women, induces recollection in the scholars, and delights the spiritual practitioners. It completely pacifies all sicknesses, quarrels, fights, famines, epidemics, diseases, hostile armies, untimely winds, rains, rivers, cold, heat, snow, and heat waves, and it softens substances that are harsh, rough, and hard to touch. It causes the way of the Dharma to blaze, it reveals the teachings of the buddhas, and it ensures that the lineage of the Three Jewels remains uninterrupted. It provides relief to those who are afraid of saṃsāra, generates the knowledge of exhaustion, causes one to realize directly the knowledge of the unborn, overcomes all the aggregates associated with darkness, and removes the burden of suffering. It is very powerful.

3.­53

tadyathā: manākṣa anākṣa ghasākṣa jālakṣa mānākṣa kṣavakṣa mandhākṣa naḍakṣa naḍararahuvisanāta khaghanāṭa āṭanāṭakunāṭa parikusanāṭa nāṭanāṭa purikṣanāṭa utaranāṭa kavināṭa kunjanāṭa amakhanāṭa cavamabhanāṭa khagamabhanāṭa pukṣaranāṭa hisadudrānāṭa samalayanāṭa śirakumaṅkautaṭamatugurava [F.145.a] tvehukṣa vanirajū dhvanamarajū vaghanapute santiravajava mahoragajala atrinā atrinā atrinānava atrinākṣa avahamārgatrinākṣa eṣonatauduḥkhabharasya svāhā.

3.­54

“Respected Blessed One, the thus-gone Glorious Essence of Flowers confers here this powerful and beneficial great teaching of the peaceful core of knowledge.”

The blessed Śākyamuni expressed his approval, as did all the sentient beings who had assembled in the buddha realm of Sahā‍—except for those who were exerting themselves in concentration.

3.­55

Then the Blessed One said to the bodhisattva great being Ākāśagarbha, “Noble son, while sitting here on this seat, I shall teach extensively to sentient beings, with both meaning and words and without adding or omitting anything, this dhāraṇī mantra peaceful core of knowledge. Noble son, please also reveal the mantra that the thus-gone Glorious Essence of Flowers gave when you departed, the dhāraṇī mantra that is the outcome of the sublime states free from concepts and through which all hostile beings develop faith, become pacified, and fall asleep.”

3.­56

“Respected Blessed One, I shall do so:

3.­57

tadyathā: vovṛhabubura talarava ilasaha haṭūhaṭū gaganākṣaśamamitra cakravrtitilesāgara tiledūnahile hilehavahe narajaṭe yavanamitre kṣitimitre paramitre śikhimitre marutramitre khagamitre sarva ujamitre sarvakāmamitre manaparumitre dhanaśvaramitre svāhā.”

3.­58

Oh! As this teaching that pacifies hostile beings and puts them to sleep was being uttered by the bodhisattva great being Ākāśagarbha, [F.145.b] all hostile snakes‍—except for those who had reached acceptance and those who had reached the level of nonregression on the path to unsurpassed and perfect awakening‍—left for their respective places and fell asleep. Besides the bodhisattvas who had reached acceptance and the level of nonregression, all hostile yakṣas, asuras, garuḍas, mahoragas, pretas, piśācas, pūtanas, and kaṭapūtanas in saṃsāra also left for their respective places and fell asleep. Upon hearing this teaching that pacifies and puts to sleep all the hostile humans who are impetuous, harsh, devoid of affection, and in conflict with one another, as well as those who constantly manifest aggressive behavior, commit the five acts of immediate retribution, reject the sacred Dharma, denigrate the noble ones, and are endowed with the roots of nonvirtue, everyone developed a sincere attitude of love, compassion, and affection and became free of malice and anxiety. Everyone focused on the Dharma, began to fear the afterlife, developed sincere respect for the Three Jewels, observed the Dharma, and manifested a peaceful mindset. [F.146.a]

3.­59

“Respected Blessed One, this is the dhāraṇī mantra that pacifies hostile beings that the thus-gone Glorious Essence of Flowers conferred to protect me when I departed.”

3.­60

The thus-gone Śākyamuni then said to Venerable Maudgalyāyana, “Maudgalyāyana, remember this dhāraṇī mantra that pacifies and puts to sleep hostile beings and that is the outcome of the sublime states free from concepts! Maudgalyāyana, it is rare for thus-gone, worthy, perfect buddhas to appear in the world, but it is much more difficult to obtain this dhāraṇī mantra that is the outcome of the sublime states free from concepts and pacifies and puts to sleep hostile beings. Maudgalyāyana, even if one were to teach this mantra that pacifies and puts to sleep hostile beings for a hundred thousand eons without doing anything else, the world with its gods, and even the bodhisattva great beings who dwell on the levels, could not apprehend its meaning‍—only the thus-gone ones themselves could apprehend it. It is therefore very profound, valuable, and beneficial. It perfects the path to unsurpassed and perfect awakening, it fulfills all wishes, and it causes one to attain the great compassion that ripens sentient beings. Therefore, Maudgalyāyana, remember this dhāraṇī mantra that pacifies and puts to sleep hostile beings, and teach it extensively to sentient beings at the proper times. By the mere fact of hearing it, those beings who listen to it will gain many qualities and benefits. The results of the karmic ripening of much aggression, which would otherwise have led to undesired consequences, will vanish and become nonexistent. They will clearly understand the many defects of saṃsāra, [F.146.b] they will generate many roots of virtue, they will acquire much merit, and they will attend to, serve, and revere many virtuous friends. They will therefore not regress from unsurpassed and perfect awakening. Maudgalyāyana, this dhāraṇī mantra causes the light of the Dharma to blaze, and it ensures that the lineage of the Three Jewels remains uninterrupted.

3.­61

This concludes the chapter called “The Dhāraṇī Mantras,” the third chapter in “The Quintessence of the Sun,” the Great Vehicle discourse of The Great Assembly.


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.”


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.­36
This translation is tentative. Tibetan: ’gro ba’i chos kyi dus ’di dka’ ba ste.
n.­37
Translated based on Stok: khyod kyi chos kyi gter. Degé: khyod kyis chos kyi gter.
n.­38
Above this buddha realm was called Absence of Torment.
n.­39
In the previous section this dhāraṇī mantra was called lotus of sunlight.
n.­40
Translated based on Stok, Yongle, Kangxi, Narthang, and Lhasa: yang srid. Degé: yang sred.
n.­41
Translated based on Stok: mngon shes drug ldan sgom chen lags. Degé: mgon shes drug ldan sgom byed la.
n.­54
Based on the following section of the text, it is unclear what those fifteen dangers are.

b.

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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.­4

Absence of wishes

  • smon pa med pa
  • སྨོན་པ་མེད་པ།
  • apraṇihita

The absence of any conceptual goal that one is focused upon achieving, knowing that all composite phenomena create suffering. One of the three gateways of liberation.

17 passages contain this term:

  • 2.­53
  • 2.­55
  • 2.­56
  • 3.­37
  • 3.­39
  • 4.­65
  • 4.­66
  • 4.­73
  • 4.­76
  • 4.­87
  • 4.­104
  • 4.­105
  • 4.­106
  • 4.­118
  • 4.­121
  • g.­62
  • g.­267

Links to further resources:

  • 30 related glossary entries
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.­9

Aggregate

  • phung po
  • ཕུང་པོ།
  • skandha

The five aggregates of form, sensation, perception, formation, and consciousness. On the individual level the five aggregates refer to the basis upon which the mistaken idea of a self is projected.

14 passages contain this term:

  • 1.­23
  • 2.­6
  • 2.­28
  • 2.­84
  • 3.­52
  • 4.­34
  • 4.­47
  • 4.­48
  • 4.­104
  • 4.­119
  • 7.­50
  • 8.­32
  • g.­77
  • g.­86

Links to further resources:

  • 57 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.­12

Ākāśagarbha

  • nam mkha’i snying po
  • ནམ་མཁའི་སྙིང་པོ།
  • Ākāśagarbha

A bodhisattva residing in a buddha realm in the northern direction during the time of the Buddha Śākyamuni.

9 passages contain this term:

  • 2.­73
  • 2.­74
  • 2.­89
  • 2.­97
  • 3.­46
  • 3.­55
  • 3.­58
  • 4.­110
  • 4.­119

Links to further resources:

  • 11 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.­22

Banner of Degeneration

  • snyigs ma’i rgyal mtshan
  • སྙིགས་མའི་རྒྱལ་མཚན།
  • —

Name of a buddha realm located in the southern direction during the time of the Buddha Śākyamuni.

2 passages contain this term:

  • 2.­23
  • 3.­22
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.­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.­55

Eighteen unique qualities

  • ma ’dres pa bcwa brgyad
  • མ་འདྲེས་པ་བཅྭ་བརྒྱད།
  • aṣṭādaśāveṇika

Eighteen special features of a buddha’s behavior, realization, activity, and wisdom that are not shared by other beings. They are as follows: He never makes a mistake, he is never boisterous, he never forgets, his concentration never falters, he has no notion of distinctness, his equanimity is not due to lack of consideration, his will never falters, his energy never fails, his mindfulness never falters, he never abandons his concentration, his wisdom never decreases, his liberation never fails, all his physical actions are preceded and followed by wisdom, all his verbal actions are preceded and followed by wisdom, all his mental actions are preceded and followed by wisdom, his knowledge and vision perceive the past without any attachment or hindrance, his knowledge and vision perceive the future without any attachment or hindrance, and his knowledge and vision perceive the present without any attachment or hindrance.

7 passages contain this term:

  • 1.­29
  • 1.­32
  • 2.­3
  • 2.­75
  • 3.­30
  • 4.­52
  • 4.­119

Links to further resources:

  • 30 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.­62

Emptiness

  • stong pa nyid
  • སྟོང་པ་ཉིད།
  • śūnyatā

In the Mahāyāna this is the term for how phenomena are devoid of any nature of their own. One of the three gateways of liberation along with the absence of wishes and the absence of marks.

30 passages contain this term:

  • 1.­60
  • 2.­24
  • 2.­26
  • 2.­27
  • 3.­22
  • 3.­24
  • 3.­26
  • 3.­41
  • 4.­26
  • 4.­27
  • 4.­30
  • 4.­53
  • 4.­54
  • 4.­58
  • 4.­59
  • 4.­60
  • 4.­61
  • 4.­63
  • 4.­64
  • 4.­73
  • 4.­76
  • 4.­104
  • 4.­118
  • 4.­121
  • 5.­18
  • 5.­19
  • 5.­20
  • 8.­32
  • 9.­9
  • g.­267

Links to further resources:

  • 34 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.­66

Essence Banner

  • snying po’i rgyal mtshan
  • སྙིང་པོའི་རྒྱལ་མཚན།
  • —

Name of a buddha realm located in the western direction during the time of the Buddha Śākyamuni.

3 passages contain this term:

  • 2.­52
  • 2.­55
  • 3.­37
g.­75

Five degenerations

  • snyigs ma lnga
  • སྙིགས་མ་ལྔ།
  • pañcakaṣāya

Five aspects of life that indicate the degenerate nature of a given age. They are the impurities of views, of afflictions, of sentient beings, of lifespan, and of time.

13 passages contain this term:

  • 1.­38
  • 1.­49
  • 2.­2
  • 2.­23
  • 2.­52
  • 2.­55
  • 2.­73
  • 2.­74
  • 2.­87
  • 3.­22
  • 3.­52
  • 6.­13
  • 11.­66

Links to further resources:

  • 14 related glossary entries
g.­79

Four assemblies

  • ’khor bzhi po
  • འཁོར་བཞི་པོ།
  • catuḥparṣad

The assemblies of monks, nuns, laymen, and laywomen.

5 passages contain this term:

  • 2.­52
  • 2.­55
  • 3.­15
  • 3.­30
  • 3.­45

Links to further resources:

  • 17 related glossary entries
g.­86

Four māras

  • bdud bzhi
  • བདུད་བཞི།
  • caturmāra

Four symbols or personifications of the defects that prevent awakening. These four are devaputramāra (lha’i bu’i bdud), the divine māra, which is the distraction of pleasures; mṛtyumāra (’chi bdag gi bdud), the māra of death; skandhamāra (phung po’i bdud), the māra of the aggregates, which is the body; and kleśamāra (nyon mongs pa’i bdud), the māra of the afflictions.

4 passages contain this term:

  • 2.­29
  • 3.­26
  • 8.­32
  • g.­176

Links to further resources:

  • 5 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.­93

Gandhahastin

  • spos kyi glang po che
  • སྤོས་ཀྱི་གླང་པོ་ཆེ།
  • Gandhahastin

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

10 passages contain this term:

  • 2.­23
  • 2.­27
  • 2.­28
  • 2.­42
  • 2.­51
  • 3.­16
  • 3.­26
  • 3.­27
  • 4.­53
  • 4.­63

Links to further resources:

  • 6 related glossary entries
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.­105

Glorious Essence of Flowers

  • dpal me tog gi snying po
  • དཔལ་མེ་ཏོག་གི་སྙིང་པོ།
  • —

A buddha residing in the northern direction during the time of the Buddha Śākyamuni.

14 passages contain this term:

  • 2.­73
  • 2.­74
  • 2.­87
  • 2.­90
  • 2.­96
  • 2.­97
  • 3.­51
  • 3.­52
  • 3.­54
  • 3.­55
  • 3.­59
  • 4.­110
  • 4.­112
  • 4.­119
g.­106

Glorious Essence of Light

  • snang ba’i snying po dpal
  • སྣང་བའི་སྙིང་པོ་དཔལ།
  • —

A bodhisattva residing in a buddha realm in the western direction during the time of the Buddha Śākyamuni.

11 passages contain this term:

  • 2.­52
  • 2.­56
  • 2.­57
  • 2.­61
  • 2.­69
  • 2.­72
  • 3.­31
  • 3.­41
  • 4.­65
  • 4.­88
  • 4.­105
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.­145

Kaṭapūtana

  • lus srul po
  • ལུས་སྲུལ་པོ།
  • kaṭapūtana

Ugly spirits with rotting bodies.

5 passages contain this term:

  • 2.­77
  • 2.­78
  • 3.­58
  • 5.­5
  • 7.­39

Links to further resources:

  • 13 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.­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.­150

King of the Lord of Mountains

  • ri dbang gi rgyal po
  • རི་དབང་གི་རྒྱལ་པོ།
  • —

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

12 passages contain this term:

  • 2.­23
  • 2.­26
  • 2.­28
  • 2.­50
  • 2.­51
  • 3.­22
  • 3.­24
  • 3.­26
  • 3.­29
  • 4.­53
  • 4.­54
  • 4.­63
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.­155

Kṣatriya

  • rgyal rigs
  • རྒྱལ་རིགས།
  • kṣatriya

The second highest of the four classes in the Indian caste system, it is associated with warriors, the aristocracy, and kings.

30 passages contain this term:

  • 1.­41
  • 1.­43
  • 1.­44
  • 1.­45
  • 1.­46
  • 1.­47
  • 1.­48
  • 1.­50
  • 1.­51
  • 1.­55
  • 1.­56
  • 1.­58
  • 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
  • 5.­3

Links to further resources:

  • 34 related glossary entries
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.­174

Manifestation of All Perfumes

  • spos thams cad yang dag par ’phags pa
  • སྤོས་ཐམས་ཅད་ཡང་དག་པར་འཕགས་པ།
  • —

Name of a buddha realm located in the northern direction during the time of the Buddha Śākyamuni. Also called Manifestation of All Sounds.

4 passages contain this term:

  • 2.­73
  • 3.­52
  • n.­35
  • g.­175
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.­179

Maudgalyāyana

  • maud gal gyi bu
  • མཽད་གལ་གྱི་བུ།
  • Maudgalyāyana

Alternate name for Mahāmaudgalyāyana, one of the closest disciples of the Buddha Śākyamuni, who was known for his miraculous abilities.

1 passage contains this term:

  • 3.­60

Links to further resources:

  • 63 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.­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.­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.­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.­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.­220

Royal Mass of Glorious Wisdom

  • ye shes dpal brtsegs rgyal po
  • ཡེ་ཤེས་དཔལ་བརྩེགས་རྒྱལ་པོ།
  • —

A buddha residing in the western direction during the time of the Buddha Śākyamuni.

15 passages contain this term:

  • 2.­52
  • 2.­55
  • 2.­57
  • 2.­61
  • 2.­71
  • 2.­72
  • 3.­37
  • 3.­39
  • 3.­41
  • 3.­44
  • 3.­52
  • 4.­65
  • 4.­73
  • 4.­87
  • 4.­105
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.­230

Śāriputra

  • shA ri’i bu
  • ཤཱ་རིའི་བུ།
  • Śāriputra

“The son of Śāri.” One of the Buddha Śākyamuni’s closest disciples, who was known for his wisdom.

7 passages contain this term:

  • 3.­45
  • 4.­110
  • 4.­111
  • 4.­112
  • 4.­113
  • 4.­118
  • 4.­119

Links to further resources:

  • 63 related glossary entries
g.­236

Six higher perceptions

  • mngon shes drug
  • མངོན་ཤེས་དྲུག
  • ṣaḍabhijñā

Divine sight, divine hearing, knowledge of the minds of others, remembrance of past lives, ability to perform miracles, and the knowledge that all mental defilements have been destroyed.

2 passages contain this term:

  • 3.­35
  • g.­129

Links to further resources:

  • 16 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.­256

Śūdra

  • dmangs rigs
  • དམངས་རིགས།
  • śūdra

The fourth and lowest of the classes in the Indian caste system, it generally encompasses the laboring class.

23 passages contain this term:

  • 1.­41
  • 1.­43
  • 1.­44
  • 1.­45
  • 1.­46
  • 1.­47
  • 1.­48
  • 1.­67
  • 1.­68
  • 1.­69
  • 1.­70
  • 1.­72
  • 1.­73
  • 2.­7
  • 2.­15
  • 2.­31
  • 3.­8
  • 3.­52
  • 4.­48
  • 4.­105
  • 4.­119
  • 5.­2
  • 7.­66

Links to further resources:

  • 12 related glossary entries
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.­268

Three Jewels

  • dkon mchog gsum
  • དཀོན་མཆོག་གསུམ།
  • triratna

The Buddha, Dharma, and Saṅgha.

36 passages contain this term:

  • 1.­28
  • 1.­33
  • 1.­35
  • 1.­39
  • 1.­67
  • 1.­72
  • 1.­73
  • 2.­2
  • 2.­7
  • 2.­14
  • 2.­23
  • 2.­29
  • 2.­52
  • 2.­65
  • 2.­66
  • 2.­67
  • 2.­74
  • 2.­84
  • 3.­8
  • 3.­18
  • 3.­26
  • 3.­52
  • 3.­58
  • 3.­60
  • 4.­48
  • 4.­105
  • 4.­109
  • 4.­119
  • 4.­123
  • 5.­6
  • 6.­5
  • 8.­6
  • 8.­32
  • 11.­76
  • 11.­77
  • 11.­89

Links to further resources:

  • 14 related glossary entries
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.­285

Vaiśya

  • rje’u rigs
  • རྗེའུ་རིགས།
  • vaiśya

The second lowest of the four classes in the Indian caste system, it generally includes the merchants and farmers.

19 passages contain this term:

  • 1.­41
  • 1.­43
  • 1.­44
  • 1.­48
  • 1.­67
  • 1.­68
  • 1.­69
  • 1.­70
  • 1.­72
  • 1.­73
  • 2.­7
  • 2.­15
  • 2.­31
  • 3.­8
  • 3.­52
  • 4.­48
  • 4.­105
  • 4.­119
  • 5.­2

Links to further resources:

  • 12 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.­294

Victor

  • rgyal ba
  • རྒྱལ་བ།
  • jina

An epithet for a buddha.

19 passages contain this term:

  • 1.­10
  • 1.­45
  • 1.­47
  • 3.­4
  • 3.­6
  • 3.­17
  • 3.­19
  • 3.­21
  • 11.­12
  • 11.­40
  • 11.­50
  • 11.­65
  • 11.­72
  • 12.­27
  • 12.­29
  • 12.­42
  • 12.­45
  • 12.­47
  • 12.­56

Links to further resources:

  • 14 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.­306

Yaśas

  • grags pa
  • གྲགས་པ།
  • Yaśas

The son of a wealthy merchant in Vārāṇasī. After the five excellent disciples, Yaśas was the next to go forth and receive ordination. He was followed in short order by Pūrṇa, Vimala, Gavāmpati, and Subāhu, all five together being referred to as the “five excellent companions.”

1 passage contains this term:

  • 3.­15

Links to further resources:

  • 3 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
0

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