The Eight Auspicious Ones

This sūtra belongs to the genre of Mahāyāna literature that emphasizes the transformative power of remembering and contemplating buddhas’ names. In this way it resembles some other short texts found in the same part of the Kangyur such as The Eight Buddhas (Aṣṭabuddhaka, Toh 271),1 The Ten Buddhas (Daśabuddhaka, Toh 272), and The Twelve Buddhas (Dvādaśa­buddhaka, Toh 273, 511, 853).2 While these other sūtras appear primarily to elucidate how the practice of remembering and contemplating buddhas’ names leads to the accomplishment of spiritual goals in this and future lives up to the attainment of buddhahood, The Eight Auspicious Ones emphasizes the practice’s worldly benefits.

The sūtra’s main interlocutor, a Licchavi youth named Superior Skill, is primarily concerned about warding off fear as well as physical, verbal, and mental harm he might experience in battle, at a royal palace, or in his dreams. In response to Superior Skill’s request to reveal those buddhas who can help dispel such obstacles, the Buddha teaches about eight buddhas residing in buddha realms in the eastern direction whose names embody the qualities of their former aspirations. The Buddha tells Superior Skill that by remembering the names of these buddhas and contemplating them when going to sleep, waking up, and before beginning any activity, he will not only develop these buddhas’ good qualities but also experience success in all his endeavors.

Subsequently, Śakra, lord of the gods, who is also present in the assembly, declares that he too has taken up this practice of contemplating the names of the eight buddhas. The Buddha exhorts Śakra to proclaim this discourse prior to engaging in battles with the asuras so that he will emerge victorious. The Buddha concludes with an explanation that those who proclaim this discourse on the names of these eight buddhas will become known for possessing various good qualities.

The names of these eight buddhas continue to be recited by Tibetan Buddhist practitioners today in a prayer popularly known as “The Verses for the Eight Noble Auspicious Ones,”3 composed in 1896 by Jamgön Mipham Gyatso (1846–1912). In his autocommentary to the verses,4 Jamgön Mipham Gyatso gives a summary of The Eight Auspicious Ones, emphasizing the Buddha’s instructions to remember and recite the names of these eight buddhas and the benefits that accrue from doing so. Contemporary Buddhist teachers from all the Tibetan schools thus encourage students to recite Jamgön Mipham Gyatso’s prayer daily, especially before commencing any new activity. Another prayer for auspiciousness with the same title as this sūtra, found in the tantra section of the Tengyur (bkra shis brgyad pa, Toh 3784) and said to have been spoken by Ārya Tārā, appears to be unrelated to this sūtra.

No Sanskrit version of this sūtra appears to be extant. It is listed in both the Denkarma5 and Phangthangma6 catalogs of the Tibetan imperial translations, which shows that the Tibetan translation was completed prior to the compilation and publication of the Denkarma catalog in 812 ᴄᴇ. While the colophon in the Degé Kangyur version attributes the Tibetan translation to Surendrabodhi and Yeshé Dé, the colophon in the Stok Palace (stog pho brang) Kangyur version attributes it to Prajñāvarman, Yeshé Dé, and others.7

This sūtra was translated from Sanskrit into Chinese in 542 ᴄᴇ by Gautama Prajñāruci, a monk from Vārāṇasī, with the title The Group of Eight Buddhas’ Names (Babu foming 八部佛名, Taishō 429).8 In the Taishō edition of the Chinese Tripiṭaka, this sūtra is found together with four translations of the Aṣṭa­buddhaka­sūtra (Taishō 427, 428, 430, 431) which is translated as The Eight Buddhas (Toh 271) in the Tibetan canon. The earliest Chinese translation of the Aṣṭa­buddhaka­sūtra (Taishō 427) dates to 222–29 ᴄᴇ, indicating that the materials presented in these sūtras have their roots in very early Indian Mahāyāna.

All the translations of the Aṣṭa­buddhaka­sūtra and Maṅgalāṣṭakasūtra feature buddha realms located in the east. While the Chinese and Tibetan translations of each sūtra share similar narrative frameworks, their lists of the eight buddhas and their buddha realms differ completely. This is the case even across the four Chinese translations of the Aṣṭa­buddhaka­sūtra. There is also no mention of “auspiciousness” in the Chinese translation of the Maṅgalāṣṭakasūtra; the title The Eight Auspicious Ones (Bajixiang 八吉祥, Taishō 430) is instead given to the Chinese translation of the Aṣṭa­buddhaka­sūtra by Saṅghabhadra produced between 506–20 ᴄᴇ.

This English translation was prepared based on the Tibetan translation in the Degé Kangyur in consultation with the Comparative Edition (dpe bsdur ma) and the Stok Palace Kangyur.