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

This rendering does not include the entire published text

The full text is available to download as pdf at:
https://read.84000.co/data/toh257_84000-the-quintessence-of-the-sun.pdf

ཉི་མའི་སྙིང་པོ།

The Quintessence of the Sun
Colophon

Sūryagarbha
Translated into Tibetan by
  • Bandé Zangkyong
  • Bandé Kawa Paltsek
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
84000 logo

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 1.0.12 (2023)
Generated by 84000 Reading Room v2.19.1

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:


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?55 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:

9.­4
“Sentient beings go for refuge in that spiritual practitioner
Just by hearing about him.
They do so by merely hearing such words,
Not to mention seeing him!

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
Roberts, Peter Alan. trans., The White Lotus of Compassion, Toh 112 (84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2018).
n.­3
Roberts, Peter Alan. trans., The King of Samādhis Sūtra, Toh 127 (84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2018).
n.­4
See Mahamegha Translation Team, trans. The Great Cloud (1), Toh 232.
n.­5
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.­6
Ed. Bhikkhu Pāsādika 1989, pp. 79–82.
n.­7
Cutler 2002, pp. 231–32 and 253.
n.­8
Lévi 1905, pp. 256–58; Lévi 1904, pp. 546–47 and 565.
n.­55
Based on the following section of the text, it is unclear what those fifteen dangers are.

b.

Bibliography

Tibetan Sources

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

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

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

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

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

snying rje pad+ma dkar po (Karuṇā­puṇḍarīka). Toh 112, Degé Kangyur vol. 50 (mdo sde, cha), folios 129.a–297.b. English translation in Roberts 2023. [Full citation listed in secondary sources]

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

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

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

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

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

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

Chinese Sources

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

Secondary Sources

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

‍—‍—‍—(2023), trans. The White Lotus of Compassion (Karuṇā­puṇḍarīka­nāma­mahā­yāna­sūtra), Toh 112. 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2023.

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


g.

Glossary

Types of attestation for Sanskrit names and terms

AS

Attested in source text

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

AO

Attested in other text

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

AD

Attested in dictionary

This term is attested in Tibetan-Sanskrit dictionaries.

AA

Approximate attestation

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

RP

Reconstruction from Tibetan phonetic rendering

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

RS

Reconstruction from Tibetan semantic rendering

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

SU

Source Unspecified

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

g.­1

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
  • 4.­117-118
  • 7.­47
  • g.­62
  • g.­266
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.­39
  • g.­1
g.­5

absorption

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

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

53 passages contain this term:

  • 1.­28-29
  • 2.­4-5
  • 2.­14
  • 2.­29
  • 2.­34
  • 2.­49
  • 2.­70
  • 2.­73
  • 2.­76-77
  • 2.­79
  • 4.­2
  • 4.­26-27
  • 4.­32
  • 4.­34-35
  • 4.­37
  • 4.­44-45
  • 4.­51
  • 4.­62
  • 4.­96
  • 4.­121
  • 4.­124
  • 5.­1-2
  • 5.­8
  • 5.­10
  • 6.­1
  • 6.­5-6
  • 6.­17
  • 6.­25
  • 7.­39
  • 7.­53
  • 8.­34
  • 9.­22-23
  • 9.­27
  • 9.­29-30
  • 10.­34
  • 12.­33
  • 12.­38
  • 12.­40
  • 12.­42
  • 12.­57
  • g.­80
  • g.­241
  • g.­242
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
  • 4.­3-5
  • 4.­7-8
  • 4.­23
  • 4.­51
  • 4.­79
  • 4.­85
  • 4.­87
  • 6.­4
  • 10.­32
  • 11.­25
  • 12.­1
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
  • 4.­107-108
  • 4.­118-119
  • 4.­122-123
  • 5.­1
  • 6.­12
  • 6.­18
  • 7.­39
  • 10.­11-12
  • 10.­24-25
  • 11.­1
  • 12.­36-37
  • 12.­40
  • 12.­58
  • 12.­69
g.­24

bhūta

  • ’byung po
  • འབྱུང་པོ།
  • bhūta

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

This term in its broadest sense can refer to any being, whether human, animal, or nonhuman. However, it is often used to refer to a specific class of nonhuman beings, especially when bhūtas are mentioned alongside rākṣasas, piśācas, or pretas. In common with these other kinds of nonhumans, bhūtas are usually depicted with unattractive and misshapen bodies. Like several other classes of nonhuman beings, bhūtas take spontaneous birth. As their leader is traditionally regarded to be Rudra-Śiva (also known by the name Bhūta), with whom they haunt dangerous and wild places, bhūtas are especially prominent in Śaivism, where large sections of certain tantras concentrate on them.

6 passages contain this term:

  • 5.­1
  • 5.­7
  • 8.­16
  • 8.­19
  • 9.­28
  • 12.­38
g.­25

Bimbisāra

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

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

The king of Magadha and a great patron of the Buddha. His birth coincided with the Buddha’s, and his father, King Mahāpadma, named him “Essence of Gold” after mistakenly attributing the brilliant light that marked the Buddha’s birth to the birth of his son by Queen Bimbī (“Goldie”). Accounts of Bimbisāra’s youth and life can be found in The Chapter on Going Forth (Toh 1-1, Pravrajyāvastu).

King Śreṇya Bimbisāra first met with the Buddha early on, when the latter was the wandering mendicant known as Gautama. Impressed by his conduct, Bimbisāra offered to take Gautama into his court, but Gautama refused, and Bimbisāra wished him success in his quest for awakening and asked him to visit his palace after he had achieved his goal. One account of this episode can be found in the sixteenth chapter of The Play in Full (Toh 95, Lalitavistara). There are other accounts where the two meet earlier on in childhood; several episodes can be found, for example, in The Hundred Deeds (Toh 340, Karmaśataka).

Later, after the Buddha’s awakening, Bimbisāra became one of his most famous patrons and donated to the saṅgha the Bamboo Grove, Veṇuvana, at the outskirts of the capital of Magadha, Rājagṛha, where he built residences for the monks. Bimbisāra was imprisoned and killed by his own son, the prince Ajātaśatru, who, influenced by Devadatta, sought to usurp his father’s throne.

18 passages contain this term:

  • 1.­42
  • 1.­45
  • 1.­47
  • 1.­50
  • 1.­53-54
  • 1.­56
  • 1.­62
  • 1.­65
  • 1.­69
  • 1.­74
  • 2.­1
  • 2.­22
  • 2.­51
  • 2.­72
  • 3.­1
  • 6.­1
  • 6.­3
g.­32

Brahmā

  • tshangs pa
  • ཚངས་པ།
  • brahmā

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

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). Though not considered a creator god in Buddhism, Brahmā occupies an important place as one of two gods (the other being Indra/Śakra) said to have first exhorted the Buddha Śākyamuni to teach the Dharma. The particular heavens found in the form realm over which Brahmā rules are often some of the most sought-after realms of higher rebirth in Buddhist literature. Since there are many universes or world systems, there are also multiple Brahmās presiding over them. His most frequent epithets are “Lord of Sahā World” (Sahāṃpati) and Great Brahmā (Mahābrahmā).

21 passages contain this term:

  • 1.­1
  • 1.­30
  • 2.­12
  • 2.­28
  • 2.­31
  • 4.­33
  • 4.­118
  • 6.­18
  • 7.­95-96
  • 7.­99
  • 9.­27
  • 10.­4
  • 10.­24-25
  • 10.­27
  • 10.­31
  • 10.­33
  • 12.­66-67
  • g.­167
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
  • 1.­1-2
  • 1.­16
  • 1.­27-28
  • 1.­30-33
  • 1.­35
  • 1.­38
  • 1.­49
  • 1.­70
  • 1.­73
  • 2.­1-5
  • 2.­9-12
  • 2.­17
  • 2.­22-23
  • 2.­26-28
  • 2.­31
  • 2.­36-37
  • 2.­51-52
  • 2.­55-57
  • 2.­64-66
  • 2.­69
  • 2.­72-77
  • 2.­87
  • 2.­90-91
  • 2.­94-95
  • 2.­97
  • 3.­7-8
  • 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
  • 6.­12-13
  • 6.­18
  • 6.­25
  • 7.­38-39
  • 7.­57
  • 8.­32
  • 9.­21-23
  • 10.­23-26
  • 10.­32
  • 10.­34
  • 12.­27
  • 12.­31
  • 12.­36
  • 12.­56-57
  • 12.­69
  • n.­36
  • n.­39
  • n.­44
  • g.­1
  • g.­3
  • g.­12
  • g.­22
  • g.­66
  • g.­93
  • g.­106
  • g.­174
  • g.­175
  • g.­183
  • g.­210
  • g.­285
  • g.­296
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
  • 2.­9
  • 2.­11-12
  • 2.­14
  • 2.­20-22
  • 3.­7-8
  • 3.­10-11
  • 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
  • 12.­2-3
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
  • 2.­3-5
  • 2.­10
  • 2.­15
  • 2.­34
  • 2.­64
  • 2.­75-76
  • 2.­79
  • 3.­3
  • 3.­10
  • 3.­25
  • 3.­40
  • 3.­54
  • 4.­13
  • 4.­70
  • 4.­76
  • 4.­82
  • 4.­84
  • 4.­95-97
  • 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.­236
  • g.­243
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
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
  • 2.­78-79
  • 2.­84
  • 3.­52
  • 4.­47
  • 4.­104
  • 4.­114
  • 4.­119
  • 5.­1
  • 7.­50
  • 8.­32
  • 11.­25
  • 12.­49
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
g.­90

Free of Darkness

  • mun bral
  • མུན་བྲལ།
  • —

Name of a daughter of Māra.

3 passages contain this term:

  • 9.­3
  • 9.­8
  • 9.­30
g.­95

gandharva

  • dri za
  • དྲི་ཟ།
  • gandharva

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

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

4 passages contain this term:

  • 1.­1
  • 6.­12
  • 10.­24
  • 12.­69
g.­96

Ganges

  • gang gA
  • གང་གཱ།
  • gaṅgā

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

The Gaṅgā, or Ganges in English, is considered to be the most sacred river of India, particularly within the Hindu tradition. It starts in the Himalayas, flows through the northern plains of India, bathing the holy city of Vārāṇasī, and meets the sea at the Bay of Bengal, in Bangladesh. In the sūtras, however, this river is mostly mentioned not for its sacredness but for its abundant sands‍—noticeable still today on its many sandy banks and at its delta‍—which serve as a usual metaphor for infinitely large numbers.

According to Buddhist cosmology, as explained in the Abhidharmakośa, it is one of the four rivers that flow from Lake Anavatapta, and cross the southern continent of Jambudvīpa‍—the known human world or more specifically the Indian subcontinent.

27 passages contain this term:

  • 1.­31
  • 1.­33
  • 1.­35
  • 1.­69
  • 2.­1-2
  • 2.­9
  • 2.­29-30
  • 2.­35
  • 2.­52
  • 2.­55
  • 2.­63
  • 2.­73-74
  • 2.­87
  • 3.­7
  • 3.­37
  • 3.­41
  • 3.­45
  • 3.­52
  • 6.­6
  • 6.­12-13
  • 6.­17
  • 6.­25
  • 8.­32
g.­97

garuḍa

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

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

In Indian mythology, the garuḍa is an eagle-like bird that is regarded as the king of all birds, normally depicted with a sharp, owl-like beak, often holding a snake, and with large and powerful wings. They are traditionally enemies of the nāgas. In the Vedas, they are said to have brought nectar from the heavens to earth. Garuḍa can also be used as a proper name for a king of such creatures.

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
  • 4.­107-108
  • 4.­118-119
  • 4.­122-123
  • 5.­1
  • 6.­12
  • 7.­39
  • 8.­28
  • 10.­24
  • 12.­36
  • 12.­40
  • 12.­58
  • 12.­69
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.­190
g.­138

Jyotīrasa

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

Name of a sage.

18 passages contain this term:

  • 7.­67-73
  • 7.­84
  • 7.­105
  • 8.­6
  • 8.­31-35
  • 9.­12
  • 9.­21
  • 10.­1
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
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
g.­151

kinnara

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

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

A class of nonhuman beings that resemble humans to the degree that their very name‍—which means “is that human?”‍—suggests some confusion as to their divine status. Kinnaras are mythological beings found in both Buddhist and Brahmanical literature, where they are portrayed as creatures half human, half animal. They are often depicted as highly skilled celestial musicians.

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
  • 4.­107-108
  • 4.­118-119
  • 4.­122-123
  • 5.­1
  • 6.­12
  • 7.­39
  • 7.­73
  • 10.­24
  • 11.­1
  • 12.­36
  • 12.­40
  • 12.­58
  • 12.­69
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
  • 2.­21-22
  • 3.­1
  • 7.­65
  • 9.­30
  • g.­104
g.­171

mahoraga

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

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

Literally “great serpents,” mahoragas are supernatural beings depicted as large, subterranean beings with human torsos and heads and the lower bodies of serpents. Their movements are said to cause earthquakes, and they make up a class of subterranean geomantic spirits whose movement through the seasons and months of the year is deemed significant for construction projects.

26 passages contain this term:

  • 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
  • 4.­107-108
  • 4.­118-119
  • 4.­122-123
  • 5.­1
  • 6.­12
  • 7.­39
  • 10.­24
  • 12.­36
  • 12.­58
  • 12.­69
g.­176

Māra

  • bdud
  • བདུད།
  • māra

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

(1) The demon who assailed Śākyamuni prior to his awakening. (2) The deities ruled over by Māra who do not wish any beings to escape from saṃsāra. (3) Any demonic force, the personification of conceptual and emotional obstacles. They are also symbolic of the defects within a person that prevent awakening. (Provisional 84000 definition. New definition forthcoming.)

91 passages contain this term:

  • s.­1
  • i.­1
  • 1.­33
  • 1.­35
  • 1.­64
  • 1.­67
  • 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
  • 3.­7-8
  • 3.­17
  • 3.­22
  • 3.­33
  • 3.­37
  • 3.­52
  • 4.­48
  • 4.­105
  • 4.­119
  • 7.­1
  • 7.­3
  • 7.­7-8
  • 7.­10
  • 7.­12
  • 7.­14
  • 7.­17
  • 7.­20
  • 7.­24
  • 7.­27-28
  • 7.­32-33
  • 7.­35
  • 7.­37
  • 7.­40-41
  • 7.­43
  • 7.­48-49
  • 7.­53-54
  • 7.­61
  • 7.­63-64
  • 8.­23
  • 8.­29
  • 8.­31
  • 8.­34
  • 9.­1
  • 9.­3
  • 9.­6
  • 9.­9
  • 9.­12-16
  • 9.­20
  • 9.­30
  • 10.­15
  • 10.­23-25
  • 12.­36-37
  • 12.­40
  • 12.­42-43
  • 12.­46-49
  • 12.­56
  • 12.­58
  • 12.­69
  • g.­86
  • g.­90
  • g.­217
g.­182

Mount Sumeru

  • ri rab
  • རི་རབ།
  • sumeru

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

According to ancient Buddhist cosmology, Meru is the great mountain forming the axis of the universe. At its summit lies Sudarśana, home of Śakra and his thirty-two gods, and on its flanks live the asuras. The mount has four sides facing the cardinal directions, each of which is made of a different precious stone. Surrounding it are several mountain ranges and the great ocean where the four great island continents lie: in the south, Jambudvīpa (our world); in the west, Godānīya; in the north, Uttarakuru; in the east, Pūrvavideha. Above it are the abodes of the gods of the realm of desire. Often also referred to as Mount Sumeru.

29 passages contain this term:

  • 3.­15
  • 6.­6
  • 7.­29
  • 7.­31
  • 7.­50
  • 10.­3-4
  • 10.­10-14
  • 10.­22-26
  • 10.­28-29
  • 10.­32
  • 10.­40
  • 11.­1
  • 11.­81
  • 12.­14
  • g.­84
  • g.­107
  • g.­181
  • g.­208
  • g.­223
g.­188

nāga

  • klu
  • ཀླུ།
  • nāga

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

A class of nonhuman beings who live in subterranean aquatic environments, where they guard wealth and sometimes also teachings. Nāgas are associated with serpents and have a snakelike appearance. In Buddhist art and in written accounts, they are regularly portrayed as half human and half snake, and they are also said to have the ability to change into human form. Some nāgas are Dharma protectors, but they can also bring retribution if they are disturbed. They may likewise fight one another, wage war, and destroy the lands of others by causing lightning, hail, and flooding.

248 passages contain this term:

  • s.­1
  • i.­1
  • 1.­1
  • 1.­28
  • 1.­33
  • 1.­35
  • 2.­3-4
  • 2.­6-7
  • 2.­9
  • 2.­12
  • 2.­15
  • 2.­24
  • 2.­26
  • 2.­28-29
  • 2.­32
  • 2.­53
  • 2.­55
  • 2.­57-59
  • 2.­70
  • 2.­75
  • 2.­78-79
  • 2.­81
  • 2.­87
  • 2.­95
  • 3.­2
  • 3.­7-8
  • 3.­22
  • 3.­37
  • 3.­52
  • 4.­48
  • 4.­50
  • 4.­107-108
  • 4.­118
  • 4.­122-123
  • 5.­1
  • 5.­5
  • 6.­5
  • 6.­12
  • 6.­18
  • 7.­17-19
  • 7.­21
  • 7.­23
  • 7.­27-32
  • 7.­34
  • 7.­36
  • 7.­38-39
  • 7.­55
  • 7.­58
  • 7.­61-62
  • 7.­65
  • 7.­68-73
  • 7.­76
  • 7.­78
  • 7.­85
  • 7.­97
  • 7.­105
  • 8.­3-6
  • 8.­16
  • 8.­19
  • 8.­30-31
  • 8.­33-34
  • 9.­1-2
  • 9.­12-13
  • 9.­18
  • 10.­1-2
  • 10.­13
  • 10.­16-17
  • 10.­19-21
  • 10.­23-24
  • 10.­28-30
  • 10.­35-39
  • 11.­1-10
  • 11.­16
  • 11.­18
  • 11.­23
  • 11.­26-27
  • 11.­34-35
  • 11.­38
  • 11.­47
  • 11.­50
  • 11.­52
  • 11.­55
  • 11.­57
  • 11.­61-64
  • 11.­67-72
  • 11.­75-76
  • 11.­89
  • 11.­91
  • 12.­1
  • 12.­3-26
  • 12.­28
  • 12.­31-32
  • 12.­34-37
  • 12.­40-42
  • 12.­56
  • 12.­58-60
  • 12.­62
  • 12.­64
  • 12.­68-69
  • 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.­179
  • g.­184
  • g.­185
  • g.­186
  • g.­189
  • g.­195
  • g.­201
  • g.­215
  • g.­221
  • g.­227
  • g.­251
  • g.­252
  • g.­258
  • g.­259
  • g.­262
  • g.­274
  • g.­279
  • g.­288
  • g.­290
  • g.­300
g.­191

Nārāyaṇa

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

An alternate name for Viṣṇu (khyab ’jug).

6 passages contain this term:

  • 2.­28
  • 2.­71-72
  • 3.­1
  • 6.­18
  • 9.­27
g.­200

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
  • 4.­122-123
  • 5.­1
  • 7.­39
  • 11.­23
  • 12.­41
  • 12.­58
  • 12.­69
g.­202

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
  • 4.­122-123
  • 5.­1
  • 7.­39
  • 8.­13
  • 11.­2-4
  • 11.­6-7
  • 11.­23
  • 11.­46
  • 11.­48
  • 11.­50
  • 11.­52
  • 11.­55
  • 11.­61
  • 12.­41
  • 12.­58
  • 12.­69
  • g.­53
  • g.­268
  • g.­302
g.­209

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
  • 4.­123-124
  • 5.­1
  • 7.­39
  • 12.­69
g.­210

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
  • 2.­10-11
  • 2.­14
  • 2.­18
  • 2.­20
  • 2.­22
  • 3.­1
  • 3.­11-12
  • 4.­33
  • 4.­47
  • 4.­51
g.­212

Rājagṛha

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

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

The ancient capital of Magadha prior to its relocation to Pāṭaliputra during the Mauryan dynasty, Rājagṛha is one of the most important locations in Buddhist history. The literature tells us that the Buddha and his saṅgha spent a considerable amount of time in residence in and around Rājagṛha‍—in nearby places, such as the Vulture Peak Mountain (Gṛdhrakūṭaparvata), a major site of the Mahāyāna sūtras, and the Bamboo Grove (Veṇuvana)‍—enjoying the patronage of King Bimbisāra and then of his son King Ajātaśatru. Rājagṛha is also remembered as the location where the first Buddhist monastic council was held after the Buddha Śākyamuni passed into parinirvāṇa. Now known as Rajgir and located in the modern Indian state of Bihar.

4 passages contain this term:

  • s.­1
  • i.­1
  • 1.­1
  • g.­292
g.­213

rākṣasa

  • srin po
  • སྲིན་པོ།
  • rākṣasa

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

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 with a yearning for human flesh, and who additionally have miraculous powers, such as being able to change their appearance.

10 passages contain this term:

  • 1.­1
  • 1.­28
  • 2.­78
  • 4.­50
  • 4.­107
  • 12.­40-41
  • 12.­58
  • 12.­69
  • g.­214
g.­221

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
g.­222

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:

  • 1.­9-10
  • 1.­67
  • 2.­15
  • 3.­5
  • 3.­18
  • 3.­21
  • 3.­35
  • 4.­51
  • 7.­25
  • 7.­29-32
  • 7.­38
  • 7.­55
  • 7.­67-69
  • 7.­71-74
  • 7.­77
  • 7.­84
  • 7.­94
  • 7.­97-98
  • 7.­100
  • 7.­104-105
  • 8.­4
  • 8.­6-9
  • 8.­11
  • 8.­27
  • 8.­30-33
  • 8.­35
  • 9.­7
  • 9.­12
  • 10.­13
  • 10.­18
  • 10.­21
  • 10.­23-25
  • 10.­28
  • 10.­31
  • 11.­1
  • 11.­70
  • 12.­2-3
  • 12.­5
  • 12.­7-33
  • 12.­36-37
  • 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.­204
  • g.­205
  • g.­207
  • g.­211
  • g.­220
  • g.­239
  • g.­247
  • g.­248
  • g.­264
  • g.­277
  • g.­280
  • g.­282
  • g.­289
g.­223

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:

  • 1.­1-2
  • 1.­27
  • 1.­30-31
  • 1.­33
  • 1.­35
  • 2.­2-6
  • 2.­9-11
  • 2.­17
  • 2.­22-24
  • 2.­26-27
  • 2.­40
  • 2.­48
  • 2.­51-53
  • 2.­55-57
  • 2.­65-66
  • 2.­69-70
  • 2.­72
  • 2.­74-77
  • 2.­87
  • 2.­91
  • 2.­94-95
  • 2.­97
  • 3.­10
  • 3.­25
  • 3.­40
  • 3.­54
  • 4.­3
  • 4.­15
  • 4.­121
  • 6.­1
  • 6.­6
  • 6.­12-13
  • 6.­18
  • 6.­25
  • 9.­22
  • 10.­4
  • 10.­23-24
  • 10.­27
  • 10.­31-32
  • 10.­34
  • 12.­56
  • g.­32
g.­224

Śakra

  • brgya byin
  • བརྒྱ་བྱིན།
  • śakra

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

The lord of the gods. Alternatively known as Indra, the deity that is called “lord of the gods” dwells on the summit of Mount Sumeru and wields the thunderbolt. The Tibetan translation brgya byin (meaning “one hundred sacrifices”) is based on an etymology that śakra is an abbreviation of śata-kratu, one who has performed a hundred sacrifices. Each world with a central Sumeru has a Śakra. Also known by other names such as Kauśika, Devendra, and Śacipati.

27 passages contain this term:

  • 1.­1-2
  • 1.­30
  • 2.­12
  • 2.­28
  • 2.­31
  • 2.­50-51
  • 3.­1
  • 4.­118
  • 6.­18
  • 7.­65
  • 7.­95-96
  • 7.­99
  • 9.­27
  • 10.­9
  • 10.­17
  • 10.­23-25
  • 10.­27
  • 10.­30
  • 12.­66-67
  • g.­119
  • g.­147
g.­226

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
  • 2.­2-4
  • 2.­6
  • 2.­9
  • 2.­11
  • 2.­13
  • 2.­20-24
  • 2.­26
  • 2.­40
  • 2.­49
  • 2.­51-53
  • 2.­55
  • 2.­65
  • 2.­67
  • 2.­69-70
  • 2.­72
  • 2.­74-75
  • 2.­87
  • 2.­95
  • 2.­97
  • 3.­1
  • 3.­15
  • 3.­25
  • 3.­30-31
  • 3.­40
  • 3.­45
  • 3.­54
  • 3.­60
  • 6.­12-13
  • 6.­16-18
  • 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.­178
  • g.­210
  • g.­219
  • g.­225
  • g.­229
  • g.­231
  • g.­234
  • g.­254
  • g.­256
  • g.­280
  • g.­283
  • g.­287
  • g.­292
  • g.­299
g.­238

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.­21
  • g.­42
  • g.­273
  • g.­291
g.­253

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
  • 2.­65-66
  • 2.­74
  • 2.­82
  • 2.­92
  • 3.­55
  • 3.­60
  • 7.­48
  • 7.­70
  • 8.­32
  • 9.­21-23
  • 9.­27
  • 10.­33
g.­270

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.­51
g.­278

universal monarch

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

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

The term “universal monarch” denotes a just and pious king who rules over the universe according to the laws of Dharma. Such a monarch is called a cakravartin because he wields a disk (cakra) that rolls (vartana) over continents, worlds, and world systems, bringing them under his power. A universal monarch is often considered the worldly, political correlate of a buddha. (Provisional 84000 definition. New definition forthcoming.)

9 passages contain this term:

  • 2.­28
  • 2.­96-97
  • 3.­1
  • 6.­18
  • 6.­25
  • 9.­27
  • 11.­5
  • g.­265
g.­288

Varuṇa

  • chu lha
  • ཆུ་ལྷ།
  • varuṇa

A nāga king.

2 passages contain this term:

  • 12.­2-3
g.­292

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
g.­297

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
g.­301

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
g.­303

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
  • 2.­23
  • 2.­30
  • 2.­36
  • 2.­52
  • 2.­55
  • 2.­64
  • 2.­69
  • 2.­73-74
  • 2.­87
  • 3.­7
  • 3.­15
  • 3.­30
  • 3.­45
  • 3.­52
  • 3.­60
  • 4.­3
  • 4.­6
  • 4.­14
  • 4.­38-39
  • 4.­41
  • 4.­43-45
  • 4.­52
  • 4.­72
  • 4.­77
  • 4.­84
  • 4.­104
  • 8.­30
  • 11.­6
  • 11.­9
  • 11.­60
g.­304

yakṣa

  • gnod sbyin
  • གནོད་སྦྱིན།
  • yakṣa

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

A class of nonhuman beings who inhabit forests, mountainous areas, and other natural spaces, or serve as guardians of villages and towns, and may be propitiated for health, wealth, protection, and other boons, or controlled through magic. According to tradition, their homeland is in the north, where they live under the jurisdiction of the Great King Vaiśravaṇa.

Several members of this class have been deified as gods of wealth (these include the just mentioned Vaiśravaṇa) or as bodhisattva generals of yakṣa armies, and have entered the Buddhist pantheon in a variety of forms, including, in tantric Buddhism, those of wrathful deities.

58 passages contain this term:

  • 1.­1
  • 1.­28
  • 1.­33
  • 1.­35
  • 2.­7
  • 2.­15
  • 2.­28
  • 2.­32
  • 2.­36
  • 2.­77-79
  • 2.­84
  • 2.­94
  • 3.­8
  • 3.­17
  • 3.­52
  • 3.­58
  • 4.­11
  • 4.­48
  • 4.­50
  • 4.­105
  • 4.­107-108
  • 4.­118-119
  • 4.­122-123
  • 5.­1
  • 6.­5
  • 6.­12
  • 6.­18
  • 7.­38-39
  • 7.­70
  • 7.­73
  • 7.­97
  • 8.­5
  • 8.­16
  • 10.­19
  • 10.­23-24
  • 10.­34
  • 11.­1
  • 11.­23
  • 12.­29-31
  • 12.­33-34
  • 12.­36-37
  • 12.­40-41
  • 12.­58
  • 12.­66
  • 12.­69
  • g.­70
g.­306

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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    (tr.). The Quintessence of the Sun (Sūryagarbha, Toh 257). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2023:
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