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རྒྱ་ཆེར་རོལ་པ།

The Play in Full

Lalitavistara

འཕགས་པ་རྒྱ་ཆེར་རོལ་པ་ཞེས་བྱ་བ་ཐེག་པ་ཆེན་པོའི་མདོ།

’phags pa rgya cher rol pa zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo

The Noble Great Vehicle Sūtra “The Play in Full”

Āryalalitavistaranāmamahāyānasūtra

Toh 95

Degé Kangyur, vol. 46 (mdo sde, kha), folios 1.b–216.b

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

First published 2013
Current version v 4.48.9 (2022)
Generated by 84000 Reading Room v2.16.15

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.

This work is provided under the protection of a Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND (Attribution - Non-commercial - No-derivatives) 3.0 copyright. It may be copied or printed for fair use, but only with full attribution, and not for commercial advantage or personal compensation. For full details, see the Creative Commons license.

co.

Summary

s.1

The Play in Full tells the story of how the Buddha manifested in this world and attained awakening, as perceived from the perspective of the Great Vehicle. The sūtra, which is structured in twenty-seven chapters, first presents the events surrounding the Buddha’s birth, childhood, and adolescence in the royal palace of his father, king of the Śākya nation. It then recounts his escape from the palace and the years of hardship he faced in his quest for spiritual awakening. Finally the sūtra reveals his complete victory over the demon Māra, his attainment of awakening under the Bodhi tree, his first turning of the wheel of Dharma, and the formation of the very early saṅgha.

ac.

Acknowledgments

ac.1

This text was translated by the Dharmachakra Translation Committee under the supervision of Chökyi Nyima Rinpoche.

Cortland Dahl, Catherine Dalton, Hilary Herdman, Heidi Koppl, James Gentry, and Andreas Doctor translated the text from Tibetan into English. Andreas Doctor and Wiesiek Mical then compared the translations against the original Tibetan and Sanskrit, respectively. Finally, Andreas Doctor edited the translation and wrote the introduction.

The Dharmachakra Translation Committee would like to thank Chökyi Nyima Rinpoche for blessing this project, and Khenpo Sherap Sangpo for his generous assistance with the resolution of several difficult passages.

This translation has been completed under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.

ac.2

The generous sponsorship of 簡源震及家人江秀敏，簡暐如，簡暐丞 Chien YuanChen (Dharma Das) and his wife, daughter, and son for work on this sūtra is gratefully acknowledged.

Introduction

i.1

The Play in Full (Lalitavistara) is without a doubt one of the most important sūtras within Buddhist Mahāyāna literature. With parts of the text dating from the earliest days of the Buddhist tradition, this story of the Buddha’s awakening has captivated the minds of devotees, both ordained and lay, as far back as the beginning of the common era.

i.2

In brief, The Play in Full tells the story of how the Buddha manifested in this world and attained awakening. The sūtra, which is structured in twenty-seven chapters, begins with the Buddha being requested to teach the sūtra by several gods, as well as the thousands of bodhisattvas and hearers in his retinue. The gods summarize the sūtra in this manner (chap. 1):

The Translation

The Noble Great Vehicle Sūtra

The Play in Full

Chapter 2

The Inspiration

2.1

Now, monks, what is this extensive discourse on the Dharma known as The Play in Full?

Monks, the Bodhisattva dwelt in the supreme realm of the Heaven of Joy, where he was honored by offerings, received consecration, and was praised and revered by one hundred thousand gods. [8] He had achieved his goal and was elevated by his former aspirations. His intelligence was such that he had attained the entire range of the Buddhadharma. Indeed his eye of wisdom was at once both vast and utterly pure. Radiating with mindfulness, intelligence, realization, modesty, and joyfulness, his mind was extremely powerful. He had mastered the perfections of generosity, discipline, patience, diligence, mental stability, knowledge, and skillful means, and was adept in the fourfold path of Brahmā: great love, great compassion, great joy, and great equanimity. With great awareness, he was free of obscurations and had manifested the vision of wisdom free from attachment. Likewise he had perfected each and every quality of awakening: the applications of mindfulness, the thorough relinquishments, the bases of miraculous power, [F.6.a] the faculties, the powers, the branches of awakening, and the path.

Chapter 3

The Purity of the Family

3.1

Monks, in this way the Bodhisattva was exhorted that the time for the Dharma had come. Emerging from that great celestial palace, [F.9.b] the Bodhisattva went to the great Dharmoccaya Palace, where he taught the Dharma to the gods in the Heaven of Joy. In the palace, he seated himself upon a lion throne known as Sublime Dharma. He was joined in the palace by a group of gods whose good fortune equaled that of the Bodhisattva, and who had entered the same vehicle. Bodhisattvas with similar conduct to the Bodhisattva gathered from throughout the ten directions. Retinues with equally pure intentions accompanied the gods, without the assembly of divine maidens and even without ordinary gods. Altogether a retinue of 680 million entered the palace, each sitting on a lion throne according to rank.

Chapter 4

The Gateways to the Light of the Dharma

4.1

Monks, while the Bodhisattva was seeing the family of his birth, he dwelt in the Heaven of Joy in Uccadhvaja, a great celestial palace measuring sixty-four leagues around, where he taught the Dharma to the gods of the Heaven of Joy. The Bodhisattva had come to this great celestial palace where he now addressed all the gods of the Heaven of Joy. “Come, gather here,” he said. “Come listen to the Bodhisattva’s final teaching on the Dharma, a recollection of the Dharma entitled ‘The Application of Passing.’ ” [30]

Chapter 5

Setting Out

5.1

Monks, in that way the Bodhisattva taught this Dharma discourse to the large congregation of gods, [F.24.a] instructed them, inspired them, delighted them, and caused them to be receptive. He then said to that assembly of fortunate gods:

“Friends, I will now proceed to Jambudvīpa. In the past when I practiced the conduct of a bodhisattva, I attracted sentient beings through the four activities of giving, pleasant speech, beneficial activity, and demonstrating consistency in speech and aims. But friends, I would be acting without gratitude, and it would be inappropriate, if I were not now to achieve unexcelled, perfect, and complete awakening.”

Chapter 6

Entering the Womb

6.1

Monks, the cold season had passed and it was the third month of spring. It was the finest season, when the moon enters the constellation Viśākhā. The leaves of trees unfurled and the most exquisite flowers blossomed. It was neither cold nor hot, and there was no fog or dust in the air. Fresh green grass covered the grounds everywhere.

6.2

The Lord of the Three Worlds, [55] revered by all the worlds, now judged that the time had come. On the fifteenth day, during the full moon, while his future mother was observing the poṣadha precepts during the constellation of Puṣya, the Bodhisattva moved, fully conscious and aware, from the fine realm of the Heaven of Joy to the womb of his mother. [F.32.a]

Chapter 7

The Birth

7.1

Monks, in this way ten months passed, and the time came for the Bodhisattva to take birth. At that time thirty-two omens occurred in King Śuddhodana’s parks:

All flowers budded and blossomed. In the ponds, all the blue, red, and white lotus flowers also budded and blossomed. New fruit and flower trees sprung from the earth, budded, and came into blossom. Eight trees of precious gems appeared. Twenty thousand great treasures emerged and remained on the grounds. [F.42.b] Inside the women’s quarters, jeweled shoots sprouted forth. Scented water, saturated with fragrant oils, flowed forth. Lion cubs descended from the snow mountains. They joyfully circled the sublime city of Kapilavastu and then rested by the gates without harming anyone. Five hundred young white elephants arrived, stroking King Śuddhodana’s feet with the tips of their trunks, and then settling down next to him. Divine children, wearing sashes, [77] were seen moving back and forth between the laps of the women in the retinue of King Śuddhodana’s queen.

Chapter 8

Going to the Temple

8.1

Monks, on the very evening of the Bodhisattva’s birth, there were twenty thousand girls born among the ruling class, the priestly class, the merchants, and the householders, such as the landowners. All of them were offered to the Bodhisattva by their parents to serve and honor him. King Śuddhodana also gave twenty thousand girls to the Bodhisattva to serve and honor him. His friends, his ministers, his [118] kinfolk, and his blood relatives also offered twenty thousand girls to serve and honor the Bodhisattva. [F.63.a] Finally the members of ministerial assemblies also offered twenty thousand girls to serve and honor the Bodhisattva.

Chapter 9

The Ornaments

9.1

Monks, at the time of the constellation of Citrā, after the constellation of Hastā had passed, the chief priest of the king, who was called Udayana, the father of Udāyin, [F.64.b] went before King Śuddhodana surrounded by some five hundred priests and said, “Your Majesty, please know that it is now proper for ornaments to be made for the prince.”

The king replied, “Very well, then do it.”

9.2

At that time King Śuddhodana had five hundred types of ornaments made by five hundred Śākyas. He commissioned bracelets, anklets, crowns, necklaces, rings, earrings, armbands, golden belts, golden threads, nets of bells, nets of gems, shoes bedecked with jewels, garlands adorned with various gems, jeweled bangles, chokers, and diadems. When the ornaments were completed the Śākyas went before King Śuddhodana at the time of the constellation of Puṣya and said, “King, please ornament the prince.”

10.

Chapter 10

The Demonstration at the Writing School

10.1

Monks, when the young child had grown a little older, he was taken to school. He went there amid hundreds of thousands of auspicious signs, and he was surrounded and attended by tens of thousands of boys, along with ten thousand carts filled with hard food, soft food, and condiments, and ten thousand carts filled with gold coins and gems. These were distributed in the streets and road junctions, and the entrances to the markets of the city of Kapilavastu. At the same time a symphony of eight hundred thousand cymbals was sounded, and a heavy rain of flowers fell.

11.

Chapter 11

The Farming Village

11.1

Monks, on another occasion when the prince had grown a little older, he went with the sons of the ministers and some other boys to visit a farming village. After seeing the village, he entered a park at the edge of the fields. The Bodhisattva wandered around there in complete solitude. As he was strolling through the park, he saw a beautiful and pleasant rose apple tree, and he decided to sit down cross-legged under its shade. Seated there, the Bodhisattva attained a one-pointed state of mind. [129]

12.

Chapter 12

Demonstrating Skill in the Arts

12.1

Monks, one time, when the prince had grown older, King Śuddhodana was sitting in the meeting hall together with the assembly of Śākyas. There some of the Śākya elders spoke to King Śuddhodana:

“Your Majesty, you know that the priests who are skilled in making predictions, as well as the gods who have definite knowledge, have foretold that if Prince Sarvārthasiddha renounces the household, he will become a thus-gone one, a worthy one, a completely perfect buddha. Yet if he does not renounce the household, he will become a universal monarch, a righteous Dharma king who has conquered the four quarters and is equipped with the seven treasures. The seven treasures that will be his are the precious wheel, the precious elephant, the precious horse, the precious wife, the precious jewel, [F.71.b] the precious steward, and the precious minister. He will have one thousand sons, all of them full, fierce warriors with well-built bodies that destroy the armies of the enemy. He will conquer the entire earth without the use of violence or weapons, and then he will rule [137] according to the Dharma. Therefore we must arrange a marriage for the prince. Once he is surrounded by a group of women, he will discover pleasure and not renounce the household. In that way the line of our universal monarchy will not be cut, and we will be irreproachably respected by all the kings of the realm.”

13.

Chapter 13

Encouragement

13.1

Monks, while the Bodhisattva was staying in the midst of his retinue of consorts, there were numerous gods, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, demigods, garuḍas, kinnaras, and mahoragas, as well as [160] Śakra and Brahmā and the guardians of the world, who were eager to make offerings to the Bodhisattva. They arrived calling out in joyous voices. However, monks, as time went on, many of these gods, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, demigods, garuḍas, kinnaras, and mahoragas, as well as Śakra, Brahmā, and the world protectors, began to think to themselves:

14.

Chapter 14

Dreams

14.1

Monks, while the god in this way was encouraging the Bodhisattva, a dream occurred to King Śuddhodana. As he was sleeping, King Śuddhodana dreamed that the Bodhisattva was leaving the palace in the quiet of the night, [186] surrounded by a host of gods. As the Bodhisattva left the palace, the king saw that he had become ordained and was wearing the saffron-colored robes.

As soon as the king awoke, he immediately asked the chamberlain, “Is the young prince with the consorts?”

15.

Chapter 15

Leaving Home

15.1

Monks, in the meantime the Bodhisattva thought to himself, “It would not be right if I did not share my plans with the great king Śuddhodana and simply left home without his permission. It would be very ungrateful of me.”

So that night when everything became quiet, he left his own quarters and entered the quarters of King Śuddhodana. As soon as the Bodhisattva stepped foot on the palace floor, the entire palace became illuminated with light. The king woke up and, when he saw the light, he promptly asked his chamberlain, “Did the sun rise? It is such a beautiful light!”

16.

Chapter 16

The Visit of King Bimbisāra

16.1

Monks, through the blessing of the Bodhisattva, Chanda told King Śuddhodana, the Śākya princess Gopā, the retinue of consorts, and everyone else among the Śākyas what had happened in order to alleviate their suffering. [238]

Monks, the Bodhisattva first gave his silken robes to a god in the form of a hunter, and then he donned the hunter’s saffron-colored robes. He adopted the lifestyle of a renunciant in order to act in agreement with the perception of worldly people, and also because he felt compassion for others and wished to mature them.

17.

Chapter 17

Practicing Austerities

17.1

Monks, at that time a son of Rāma by the name of Rudraka arrived in Rājagṛha, where he stayed with a large group of seven hundred of his students. He was teaching his students the principles of the disciplined conduct necessary for attaining the state where there is neither perception nor nonperception. [F.120.a]

Monks, the Bodhisattva saw that Rudraka, the son of Rāma, was in charge of a group, indeed a large group, and that as the head of the congregation, he was well-known, popular, venerated by the masses, and recognized by all scholars. Witnessing this, the Bodhisattva thought to himself:

18.

Chapter 18

The Nairañjanā River

18.1

Monks, during the six years that the Bodhisattva practiced austerities, he was continually followed by Māra, the evil one. Yet, although Māra tried his best to harm the Bodhisattva, he never found an opportunity. As it became apparent that it would be impossible to harm the Bodhisattva, Māra, sad and dejected, finally left. [261]

18.2

It is also expressed in this way:

There is a pleasant wilderness

With forest thickets full of herbs

To the east of Urubilvā,

Where the Nairañjanā River flows.

19.

Chapter 19

Approaching the Seat of Awakening

19.1

Monks, when the Bodhisattva bathed in the Nairañjanā River and enjoyed a meal, his physical strength came back to him. With a triumphant gait, he now began the walk toward the great Bodhi tree. This tree was the king of trees and was found at a place characterized by sixteen unique features.

19.2

He walked with the gait of a great being. It was an undisturbed gait, a gait of the nāga Indrayaṣṭi, a steadfast gait, a gait as stable as Mount Meru, the king of mountains. He walked in a straight line without stumbling, not too fast and not too slow, without stomping heavily or dragging his feet. It was a graceful stride, a stainless stride, a beautiful stride, a stride free from anger, a stride free from delusion, and a stride free from attachment. It was the stride of a lion, the stride of the king of swans, the stride of the king of elephants, the stride of Nārāyaṇa, the stride that floats above the surface, the stride that leaves an impression of a thousand-spoked wheel on the ground, the stride of he whose fingers are connected through a web and who has copper-colored nails, the stride that makes the earth resound, and the stride that crushes the king of the mountains.

20.

Chapter 20

The Displays at the Seat of Awakening

20.1

Monks, as the Bodhisattva sat down at the seat of awakening, the gods of the six classes within the desire realm decided to protect the Bodhisattva from obstacles. These gods therefore took position in the eastern direction. Likewise the southern, western, and northern directions were taken over by other classes of gods.

Monks, when the Bodhisattva sat down at the seat of awakening, he began to emit a light known as inspiring the bodhisattvas. The light shone in all the ten directions, illuminating all the boundless and immeasurable buddha realms‍—the realms that filled the entire field of phenomena.

21.

Chapter 21

Conquering Māra

21.1

Monks, in order to venerate the Bodhisattva, the other bodhisattvas manifested many such displays at the seat of awakening. The Bodhisattva himself, however, caused all the displays that ornamented all the seats of awakening of the past, present, and future buddhas in all the buddha realms in the ten directions to become visible right there at the seat of awakening.

Monks, as the Bodhisattva now sat at the seat of awakening, he thought to himself, “Māra is the supreme lord who holds sway over the desire realm, the most powerful and evil demon. [F.147.b] [300] There is no way that I could attain unsurpassed and complete awakening without his knowledge. So I will now arouse that evil Māra. Once I have conquered him, all the gods in the desire realm will also be restrained. Moreover, there are some gods in Māra’s retinue who have previously created some basic goodness. When they witness my lion-like display, they will direct their minds toward unsurpassed and complete awakening.”

22.

Chapter 22

Perfect and Complete Awakening

22.1

Monks, once the Bodhisattva had destroyed his demonic opponents, vanquished his enemies, triumphed in the face of battle, and raised high the parasols, standards, and banners of conquest, he settled into the first meditative concentration. That state is free from desires, free of factors connected with evil deeds and nonvirtues, accompanied by thought and analysis, and imbued with the joy and pleasure born of discernment.

23.

Chapter 23

Exaltation

23.1

Then the gods from the pure realms circumambulated the Thus-Gone One, who sat at the seat of awakening. They showered him with a rain of divine sandalwood powder and praised him with these fitting verses: [358]

23.2

“You are a light that has dawned upon this world!

Illuminating Lord of the World,

You have given eyes for abandoning afflictions

To this world gone blind!

23.3

“You are victorious in battle!

Through merit you have fulfilled your aim!

Replete with virtuous qualities,

You will satisfy beings!

24.

Chapter 24

Trapuṣa and Bhallika

24.1

Monks, while the Thus-Gone One was being praised by the gods after he had reached perfect and complete awakening, he stared at the king of trees without blinking and without getting out of his cross-legged position. Seven days passed in this way while he was at the foot of the Bodhi tree experiencing bliss from the sustenance of concentration and joy.

24.2

Then, once the seven days had passed, the gods from the desire realm approached the Thus-Gone One, carrying tens of thousands of vases containing scented water. The gods from the form realm also approached the Thus-Gone One, carrying tens of thousands of vases containing scented water. When they arrived, they bathed the Bodhi tree and the Thus-Gone One with the scented water. Innumerable gods, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, demigods, garuḍas, kinnaras, and mahoragas anointed their own bodies with the scented water that had come into contact with the body of the Thus-Gone One. This engendered among them the intention set on unexcelled, perfect, and complete awakening. Even after the gods and the others had returned to their respective realms, they did not part from the scented water and desired no other scent. [370] Through the joy and the supreme joy that are born from respectfully taking to heart the Thus-Gone One, they became irreversible from unexcelled, perfect, and complete awakening.

25.

Chapter 25

Exhortation

25.1

Monks, while the Thus-Gone One was seated at the foot of the Bodhi tree, in the privacy of solitude after he had first attained perfect and complete awakening, he had the following thought about the conventions of the world: [F.187.b]

25.2

“Alas! This truth that I realized and awakened to is profound, peaceful, tranquil, calm, complete, hard to see, hard to comprehend, and impossible to conceptualize since it is inaccessible to the intellect. Only wise noble ones and adepts can understand it. It is the complete and definitive apprehension of the abandonment of all aggregates, the end of all sensations, the absolute truth, and freedom from a foundation. It is a state of complete peace, free of clinging, free of grasping, unobserved, undemonstrable, uncompounded, beyond the six sense fields, inconceivable, unimaginable, and ineffable. It is indescribable, inexpressible, and incapable of being illustrated. It is unobstructed, beyond all references, a state of interruption through the path of tranquility, and imperceptible like emptiness. It is the exhaustion of craving and it is cessation free of desire. It is nirvāṇa. If I were to teach this truth to others, they would not understand it. Teaching the truth would tire me out and be wrongly contested, and it would be futile. Thus I will remain silent and keep this truth in my heart.”

26.

Chapter 26

Turning the Wheel of Dharma

26.1

Monks, at that point the Thus-Gone One had accomplished everything he had to do. [F.193.a] With nothing more to achieve, all his fetters had been cut. All negative emotions had been cleared away, along with his mental stains. He had conquered Māra and all hostile forces, and [403] now he joined the Dharma-way of all awakened ones. He had become omniscient and perceived everything. He possessed the ten powers and had discovered the fourfold fearlessness. All the eighteen unique qualities of a buddha had unfolded within him. Equipped with the fivefold vision, he surveyed the entire world with the unobscured eye of an awakened one and began to reflect:

27.

Chapter 27

Epilogue

27.1

The gods, who had requested this Dharma teaching from the Thus-Gone One, were now gathered for the turning of the wheel of Dharma. In total there were more than 18,000 divine beings from the Pure Realms, led by such beings as Maheśvara, Nanda, Sunanda, Candana, Mahita, Śānta, Praśānta, and Vinīteśvara. At that point the Thus-Gone One addressed the divine beings, headed by Maheśvara, who had come from the pure realms, in the following way: [F.213.b]

Colophon

Colophon to the Sanskrit Edition

c.1

The Thus-Gone One explained the causes

Of those dharmas that have a cause

And also their cessation.

This is the teaching of the Great Ascetic.

May there be good goodness! May there be goodness in every way!

Colophon to the Tibetan Translation

c.2

This was taught and translated by the Indian preceptors Jinamitra, Dānaśīla, and Munivarman, and the translator-editor Bandé Yeshé Dé, who proofed and finalized the translation.

Notes

n.1

The Sanskrit here has Kauṇḍinya, who (with his title Ajñāta-) has already been mentioned. However, Negi cites this and one another instance to suggest the possibility that the Tibetan gsus po che is sometimes used to refer to Kauṇḍinya.

n.2

The four rivers is a technical term for the streams (ogha) that are identical to the four “outflows” (āśrava), namely, sensual desires, desire for cyclic existence, wrong views, and ignorance.

n.3

Translation is based on the Sanskrit.

n.4

The translation of the verses in the following section is primarily based on the Sanskrit.

n.5

This is the first time the text shifts to the first person.

n.6

The translation is based on the Tibetan tsa sha (Skt. cāṣa), the Sanskrit has apsaras.

n.7

The following six verses are missing in the Sanskrit text.

n.8

The first three lines of this verse are missing in the Sanskrit text.

Bibliography

Source Texts

’phags pa rgya cher rol pa zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo (Āryalalitavistaranāmamahāyānasūtra). Toh 95, Degé Kangyur vol. 46 (mdo sde, kha), folios 1b–216b.

’phags pa rgya cher rol pa zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo. 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), 2006–2009, vol 46, pp. 3–434.

Lefmann, Salomon (1874). Lalitavistara: Erzählung von dem Leben und der Lehre des Çâkya Simha. Berlin: Dümmler, 1874.

Secondary Sources

Bays, Gwendolyn. The Voice of the Buddha, The Beauty of Compassion: The Lalitavistara Sutra. Tibetan Translation Series, vol. 2. Berkeley, CA: Dharma Publishing, 1983.

Foucaux, Édouard. Le Lalitavistara : l’histoire traditionnelle de la vie du Bouddha Çakyamuni. Les Classiques du bouddhisme mahāyāna, Musée National des Arts Asiatiques Guimet, vol. 19. Paris: Ernest Leroux, 1892.

Lefmann, Salomon. Lalita Vistara. Halle: Verlag der Buchhandlung des Waisenhauses, 1883.

Mitra, R. L. (1875) The Lalita Vistara. Delhi: Sri Satguru Publications, 1998.

Vaidya, P. L. Lalitavistara. Buddhist Sanskrit Texts, vol. 1. Darbhanga: The Mithila Institute, 1958.

Winternitz, Maurice (1927). A History of Indian Literature. 3rd ed. Delhi: Munshiram Manoharlal, 1991, 2:249–56.

Further Resources

Goswami, Bijoya. Lalitavistara. Bibliotheca Indica Series, vol. 320. Calcutta: The Asiatic Society, 2001.

Khosla, Sarla. Lalitavistara and the Evolution of Buddha Legend. New Delhi: Galaxy Publications, 1991.

Thomas, E. J. “The Lalitavistara and Sarvastivada.” Indian Historical Quarterly 16:2 (1940): 239–45.

Glossary

g.1

Ābhāsvara

’od gsal

འོད་གསལ།

Ābhāsvara

One of the gods gathered at King Śuddhodana's residence before Siddhārth's birth.

g.2

Able One

thub pa

ཐུབ་པ།

muni

An ancient title given to ascetics, monks, hermits, and saints, namely, those who have attained the realization of truth through their own contemplation and not by divine revelation. Here also used as a specific epithet of the Buddha Śākyamuni.

g.3

Absorption

ting nge ’dzin

ཏིང་ངེ་འཛིན།

samādhi

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

In a general sense, samādhi can describe a number of different meditative states. In the Mahāyāna literature, in particular in the Prajñāpāramitā sūtras, we find extensive lists of different samādhis, numbering over one hundred.

In a more restricted sense, and when understood as a mental state, samādhi is defined as the one-pointedness of the mind (cittaikāgratā), the ability to remain on the same object over long periods of time. The sgra sbyor bam po gnyis pa commentary on the Mahāvyutpatti explains the term samādhi as referring to the instrument through which mind and mental states “get collected,” i.e., it is by the force of samādhi that the continuum of mind and mental states becomes collected on a single point of reference without getting distracted.

g.10

Ājñātakauṇḍinya

kun shes kau N+Di nya

ཀུན་ཤེས་ཀཽ་ཎྜི་ཉ།

Ājñātakauṇḍinya

One of the monks attending this teaching in Śrāvastī at Jeta Grove.

g.17

Amogharāja

don yod rgyal po

དོན་ཡོད་རྒྱལ་པོ།

Amogharāja

One of the monks attending this teaching in Śrāvastī at Jeta Grove.

g.19

Ānanda

kun dga’ bo

ཀུན་དགའ་བོ།

Ānanda

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

A major śrāvaka disciple and personal attendant of the Buddha Śākyamuni during the last twenty-five years of his life. He was a cousin of the Buddha (according to the Mahāvastu, he was a son of Śuklodana, one of the brothers of King Śuddhodana, which means he was a brother of Devadatta; other sources say he was a son of Amṛtodana, another brother of King Śuddhodana, which means he would have been a brother of Aniruddha).

Ānanda, having always been in the Buddha’s presence, is said to have memorized all the teachings he heard and is celebrated for having recited all the Buddha’s teachings by memory at the first council of the Buddhist saṅgha, thus preserving the teachings after the Buddha’s parinirvāṇa. The phrase “Thus did I hear at one time,” found at the beginning of the sūtras, usually stands for his recitation of the teachings. He became a patriarch after the passing of Mahākāśyapa.

g.21

Anāthapiṇḍada

mgon med zas sbyin

མགོན་མེད་ཟས་སྦྱིན།

Anathapiṇḍada

g.24

Aniruddha

ma ’gags pa

མ་འགགས་པ།

Aniruddha

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

Lit. “Unobstructed.” One of the ten great śrāvaka disciples, famed for his meditative prowess and superknowledges. He was the Buddha's cousin‍—a son of Amṛtodana, one of the brothers of King Śuddhodana‍—and is often mentioned along with his two brothers Bhadrika and Mahānāma. Some sources also include Ānanda among his brothers.

g.33

Applications of mindfulness

dran pa nye bar bzhag pa

དྲན་པ་ཉེ་བར་བཞག་པ།

smṛtyupasthāna

Four contemplations on: (1) the body, (2) feelings, (3) mind, and (4) phenomena. These four contemplations are part of the thirty-seven branches of awakening.

g.46

Aspiration

smon lam

སྨོན་ལམ།

praṇidhāna

g.48

Aśvajit

rta thul

རྟ་ཐུལ།

Aśvajit

One of the monks attending this teaching in Śrāvastī at Jeta Grove.

g.55

Awakened one

sangs rgyas

སངས་རྒྱས།

buddha

Also rendered “buddha.”

g.59

Bases of miraculous power

rdzu ’phrul gyi rkang pa

རྫུ་འཕྲུལ་གྱི་རྐང་པ།

ṛddhipāda
ṛddhipada

Determination, discernment, diligence, and meditative concentration.

g.60

Bāṣpa

rlangs pa

རླངས་པ།

Bāṣpa

One of the monks attending this teaching in Śrāvastī at Jeta Grove.

g.62

Beneficial activity

don spyad pa

དོན་སྤྱད་པ།

arthakriyā

g.64

Bhadraṃkara gem

rin po che bzang byed

རིན་པོ་ཆེ་བཟང་བྱེད།

ratnabhadraṃkara

g.66

Bhadrika

bzang po

བཟང་པོ།

Bhadrika

One of the monks attending this teaching in Śrāvastī at Jeta Grove.

g.76

Blessed one

bcom ldan ’das

བཅོམ་ལྡན་འདས།

bhagavān

Sometimes also translated “Lord.”

g.78

Bodhi

byang chub

བྱང་ཆུབ།

bodhi

g.79

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.

g.86

Buddha

sangs rgyas

སངས་རྒྱས།

buddha

Sometimes also translated “awakened one.”

g.90

Candana

tsan dan

ཙན་དན།

Candana

A god.

g.96

Celestial palace

gzhal med khang

གཞལ་མེད་ཁང་།

vimāna

The Sanskrit term vimāna can refer to a multi-storied mansion or palace, or even an estate, but is more often used in the sense of a celestial chariot of the gods, sometimes taking the form of a multi-storied palace.

g.97

Chanda

dun pa

དུན་པ།

Chanda

Prince Siddhārtha's charioteer.

g.98

Citrā

ga pa

ག་པ།

Citrā

A constellation in the south.

g.103

Craving

sred pa

སྲེད་པ།

tṛṣṇā

g.107

Cunda

skul byed

སྐུལ་བྱེད།

Cunda

One of the monks attending this teaching in Śrāvastī at Jeta Grove.

g.108

Dānaśīla

dA na shI la

དཱ་ན་ཤཱི་ལ།

Dānaśīla

g.113

Demigod

lha ma yin

ལྷ་མ་ཡིན།

asura

The traditional adversaries of the devas (gods) who are frequently portrayed in the Brahmanical mythology as having a disruptive effect on cosmological and social harmony.

g.114

Demon

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.)

g.132

Dharmoccaya

chos kyis mtho ba

ཆོས་ཀྱིས་མཐོ་བ།

Dharmoccaya

A palace in the Heaven of Joy, where the Bodhisattva taught the Dharma to gods.

g.135

Diligence

brtson ’grus

བརྩོན་འགྲུས།

vīrya

g.139

Discipline

tshul khrims

ཚུལ་ཁྲིམས།

śīla

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

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

g.140

Disciplined conduct

brtul zhugs

བརྟུལ་ཞུགས།

vrata

g.156

Eighteen unique qualities of a buddha

sangs rgyas kyi chos ma ’dres pa bco brgyad

སངས་རྒྱས་ཀྱི་ཆོས་མ་འདྲེས་པ་བཅོ་བརྒྱད།

aṣṭādaśāveṇikabuddhadharma

Eighteen special features of a buddha’s physical state, realization, activity, and wisdom that are not shared by ordinary beings.

g.163

Equanimity

btang snyoms

བཏང་སྙོམས།

upekṣā

The antidote to attachment and aversion; a mental state free from bias toward sentient beings.

g.172

Fivefold vision

spyan lnga

སྤྱན་ལྔ།

pañcacakṣuḥ

g.177

Fortunate

bkra shis dang ldan pa

བཀྲ་ཤིས་དང་ལྡན་པ།

maṅgalya

g.183

Fourfold fearlessness

mi ’jigs pa bzhi

མི་འཇིགས་པ་བཞི།

caturabhaya

Fearlessness in declaring that one has (1) awakened, (2) ceased all illusions, (3) taught the obstacles to awakening, and (4) shown the way to liberation.

g.186

Gandharva

dri za

དྲི་ཟ།

gandharva

Lower class of divine being, under the control of the Guardian King of the East. Capable of flight, they are often described as “celestial musicians.”

g.189

Garuḍa

nam mkha’ lding

ནམ་མཁའ་ལྡིང་།

garuḍa

Lower 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.

g.193

Gavāṃpati

ba lang bdag

བ་ལང་བདག

Gavāṃpati

One of the monks attending this teaching in Śrāvastī at Jeta Grove.

g.195

Gayākāśyapa

ga y’a ’od srung

ག་ཡའ་འོད་སྲུང་།

Gayākāśyapa

One of the monks attending this teaching in Śrāvastī at Jeta Grove.

g.196

Generosity

sbyin pa

སྦྱིན་པ།

dāna

g.197

God

lha
lha’i bu

ལྷ།
ལྷའི་བུ།

Kauṇḍinyadeva
devaputra

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

Cognate with the English term divine, the devas are most generally a class of celestial beings who frequently appear in Buddhist texts, often at the head of the assemblies of nonhuman beings who attend and celebrate the teachings of Śākyamuni and other buddhas and bodhisattvas. In Buddhist cosmology the devas occupy the highest of the five or six “destinies” (gati) of saṃsāra among which beings take rebirth. The devas reside in the devalokas, “heavens” that traditionally number between twenty-six and twenty-eight and are divided between the desire realm (kāmadhātu), material realm (rūpadhātu), and immaterial realm (arūpyadhātu). A being attains rebirth among the devas either through meritorious deeds (in the desire realm) or the attainment of subtle meditative states (in the material and immaterial realms). While rebirth among the devas is considered favorable, it is ultimately a transitory from which beings will fall when the conditions that lead to rebirth there are exhausted, Thus, rebirth in the god realms is regarded as a diversion from the spiritual path.

g.199

Goddess

lha’i bu mo
lha mo

ལྷའི་བུ་མོ།
ལྷ་མོ།

devakanyā
apsaras

Sometimes also translated “celestial maiden.”

g.201

Gopā

sa ’tsho ma

ས་འཚོ་མ།

Gopā

One of the wives of Prince Siddhārtha, prior to his leaving his kingdom and attaining awakening as the Buddha.

g.203

Great being

sems dpa’ chen po

སེམས་དཔའ་ཆེན་པོ།

mahāsattva

An alternate name for a bodhisattva.

g.206

Guardians of the world

’jig rten skyong ba

འཇིག་རྟེན་སྐྱོང་བ།

lokapāla

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

g.214

Hastā

དབོ།

Hastā

A constellation.

g.216

Hearer

nyan thos

ཉན་ཐོས།

śrāvaka

A follower of the early teachings of the Buddha, focusing on the monastic lifestyle. Also translated as “listener.”

g.223

Heaven of Joy

dga’ ldan

དགའ་ལྡན།

Tuṣita

g.238

Householder

khyim bdag

ཁྱིམ་བདག

gṛhapati

g.248

Indrayaṣṭi

dbang po’i mchod sdong

དབང་པོའི་མཆོད་སྡོང་།

Indrayaṣṭi

g.249

Intelligence

blo gros

བློ་གྲོས།

mati

g.252

Jambudvīpa

’dzam bu’i gling

འཛམ་བུའི་གླིང་།

Jambudvīpa

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

The name of the southern continent in Buddhist cosmology, which can signify either the known human world, or more specifically the Indian subcontinent, literally “the jambu island/continent.” Jambu is the name used for a range of plum-like fruits from trees belonging to the genus Szygium, particularly Szygium jambos and Szygium cumini, and it has commonly been rendered “rose apple,” although “black plum” may be a less misleading term. Among various explanations given for the continent being so named, one (in the Abhidharmakośa) is that a jambu tree grows in its northern mountains beside Lake Anavatapta, mythically considered the source of the four great rivers of India, and that the continent is therefore named from the tree or the fruit. Jambudvīpa has the vajrāsana at its center and is the only continent upon which buddhas attain awakening.

g.257

Jeta Grove

rgyal bu rgyal byed kyi tshal

རྒྱལ་བུ་རྒྱལ་བྱེད་ཀྱི་ཚལ།

jetavana

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

A park in Śrāvastī, the capital of the ancient kingdom of Kośala in northern India. It was owned by Prince Jeta, and the wealthy merchant Anāthapiṇḍada, wishing to offer it to the Buddha, bought it from him by covering the entire property with gold coins. It was to become the place where the monks could be housed during the monsoon season, thus creating the first Buddhist monastery. It is therefore the setting for many of the Buddha's discourses.

g.258

Jinamitra

dzi na mi tra

ཛི་ན་མི་ཏྲ།

Jinamitra

g.264

Joy

dga’ ba

དགའ་བ།

muditā
tuṣṭi
nandana
rati

g.269

Kampila

’ug pa

འུག་པ།

Kampila

The name of one of the Buddha’s arhat disciples, a former king, renowned as foremost among those who teach monks. This spelling is attested in the present text but in other texts his name is spelled Mahākapphiṇa, Kapphiṇa, Kapphina, Kaphiṇa, Kasphiṇa, Kaṃphina, Kaphilla, or Kaphiṇḍa.

g.272

Kapilavastu

ser skya

སེར་སྐྱ།

Kapilavastu

The capital city of the Śākya kingdom, where the Bodhisattva grew up.

g.276

Kauṇḍinya

kau N+Di n+ya

ཀཽ་ཎྜི་ནྱ།

Kauṇḍinya

Kauṣṭhila

gsus po che

གསུས་པོ་ཆེ།

Kauṣṭhila

One of the monks attending this teaching in Śrāvastī at Jeta Grove.

g.282

Khadiravaṇika

seng ldeng nags pa

སེང་ལྡེང་ནགས་པ།

Khadiravaṇika

One of the monks attending this teaching in Śrāvastī at Jeta Grove.

g.284

Kinnara

mi’am ci

མིའམ་ཅི།

kinnara
kiṃnara

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

g.299

League

dpag tshad

དཔག་ཚད།

yojana

g.316

Mahākapphiṇa

ka pi la na chen po

ཀ་པི་ལ་ན་ཆེན་པོ།

Mahākapphiṇa

One of the monks attending this teaching in Śrāvastī at Jeta Grove.

g.319

Mahākāśyapa

’od srung chen po

འོད་སྲུང་ཆེན་པོ།

Mahākāśyapa

One of the monks attending this teaching in Śrāvastī at Jeta Grove.

g.320

Mahākātyāyana

ka tya ya na’i bu chen po

ཀ་ཏྱ་ཡ་ནའི་བུ་ཆེན་པོ།

Mahākātyāyana

One of the monks attending this teaching in Śrāvastī at Jeta Grove.

g.321

Mahāmaudgalyāyana

maud gal gyi bu chen po

མཽད་གལ་གྱི་བུ་ཆེན་པོ།

Mahāmaudgalyāyana

g.322

Mahānāma

ming chen

མིང་ཆེན།

Mahānāma

One of the monks attending this teaching in Śrāvastī at Jeta Grove.

g.323

Mahāpāraṇika

pha rol tu ’gro ba chen po

ཕ་རོལ་ཏུ་འགྲོ་བ་ཆེན་པོ།

Mahāpāraṇika

One of the monks attending this teaching in Śrāvastī at Jeta Grove.

g.330

Maheśvara

dbang phyug chen po

དབང་ཕྱུག་ཆེན་པོ།

Maheśvara

One of the most frequently used names for Śiva. A deity of the jungles, named Rudra in the Vedas, he rose to prominence in the Purāṇic literature at the beginning of the first millennium. Often synonymous with Īśvara, but sometimes presented as a separate deity.

g.332

Mahita

mchod byas

མཆོད་བྱས།

Mahita

A god.

g.333

Mahoraga

lto ’phye chen po

ལྟོ་འཕྱེ་ཆེན་པོ།

mahoraga

Human but nonhuman demons shaped like enormous serpents.

g.340

Māra

bdud

བདུད།

Māra

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

g.353

Mental stability

bsam gtan

བསམ་གཏན།

dhyāna

One-pointed concentration in which the mind is undistracted and untainted by the afflictions.

g.354

Merchants

tshong dpon

ཚོང་དཔོན།

śreṣṭhin

g.355

Merit

bsod nams

བསོད་ནམས།

puṇya

Positive activity that is conducive to happiness and freedom from suffering.

g.356

Meru

ri rab

རི་རབ།

Meru

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.

g.357

Mindfulness

dran pa

དྲན་པ།

smṛti

One of the most important trainings for the Buddhist practitioner. Traditionally taught within the teachings on the four applications of mindfulness.

g.358

Minister

blon po

བློན་པོ།

amātya

g.363

Modesty

khrel yod

ཁྲེལ་ཡོད།

hrī
lajjā

A mental state that induces one to avoid immoral behavior out of concern for what others will think or say about oneself if one misbehaves.

g.364

Monk

dge slong

དགེ་སློང་།

bhikṣu

This term refers specifically to a monk who has received full ordination, the highest level of ordination available in the Buddhist tradition.

g.372

Munivarman

mu ni bar ma

མུ་ནི་བར་མ།

Munivarman

g.376

Nadīkāśyapa

chu klung ’od srung

ཆུ་ཀླུང་འོད་སྲུང་།

Nadīkāśyapa

One of the monks attending this teaching in Śrāvastī at Jeta Grove.

g.377

Nāga

ཀླུ།

nāga

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

g.380

Nairañjanā

nai ran dzan na

ནཻ་རན་ཛན་ན།

Nairañjanā

The river where the Buddha used to meditate.

g.383

Nanda

dga’ bo

དགའ་བོ།

Nanda

One of the monks attending this teaching in Śrāvastī at Jeta Grove.

g.384

Nanda

dga’ bo

དགའ་བོ།

Nanda

A god.

g.387

Nandika

dga’ byed

དགའ་བྱེད།

Nandika

One of the monks attending this teaching in Śrāvastī at Jeta Grove. Also the name of Sujātā's father.

g.393

Nārāyaṇa

sred med kyi bu
sred med kyi bu phyed

སྲེད་མེད་ཀྱི་བུ།
སྲེད་མེད་ཀྱི་བུ་ཕྱེད།

Nārāyaṇa

Major deity in the pantheon of the classical Indian religious traditions, he is famous for his strength.

g.404

Omen

snga ltas

སྔ་ལྟས།

pūrvanimitta

Prognostication, foreshadowing.

g.418

Park

kun dga’ ra ba

ཀུན་དགའ་ར་བ།

ārāma

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

Generally found within the limits of a town or city, an ārāma was a private citizen’s park, a pleasure grove, a pleasant garden‍—ārāma, in its etymology, is somewhat akin to what in English is expressed by the term “pleasance.” The Buddha and his disciples were offered several such ārāmas in which to dwell, which evolved into monasteries or vihāras. The term is still found in contemporary usage in names of Thai monasteries.

g.421

Patience

bzod pa

བཟོད་པ།

kṣamā
kṣānti

Forbearance, tolerance, acceptance.

g.424

Perfection

pha rol tu phyin pa

ཕ་རོལ་ཏུ་ཕྱིན་པ།

pāramitā

To have transcended or crossed to the other side; typically refers to the practices of the bodhisattvas, which are embraced with knowledge.

g.430

Poṣadha

gso sbyong

གསོ་སྦྱོང་།

poṣadha

A group of eight vows taken for one day on certain days of the month to emphasize purity. They include the traditional five “lay precepts,” plus the vows not to sit on high cushions or thrones, not to eat at inappropriate times, not to wear adornments, and not to engage in or listen to song and dance.

g.439

Praśānta

rab zhi

རབ་ཞི།

Praśānta

A god.

g.446

Priest

bram ze

བྲམ་ཟེ།

brāhmaṇa

A member of the Indian priestly caste, a Brahmin.