Notes

n.1The origin story in this sūtra for the 1,004 buddhas of our eon is one among several others. The sūtra The Good Eon (Bhadrakalpika, Toh 94) itself contains two origin stories for them (see Dharmachakra Translation Committee 2022, 2.­1 ff, and 2.C.­1019 ff.), The Secrets of the Realized Ones (Tathāgatācintya­guhya­nirdeśa, Toh 47, Degé Kangyur vol. 39, F.117.b–125.b) another, and The Teaching of Vimalakīrti (Vimala­kīrti­nirdeśa, Toh 176) yet another (see Thurman 2017, 12.­6 ff.)

n.2See Roberts, Peter Alan. trans., The White Lotus of the Good Dharma , Toh 113 (2018).

n.3Consequently, although the notion of multiple buddhas arising over time, as well as over space, is most fully developed in the Mahāyāna tradition, it is also a theme present in the texts of Nikāya Buddhism, including several in the Pali Canon and the Mahāvastu of the Lokottaravāda-Mahāsāṅghika. For a general survey of accounts of multiple buddhas, see The Good Eon i.­10–i.­18. See also Salomon 2018, pp. 265–293.

n.4In essence the process begins with a period in which an individual accumulates merit independently, followed by the first vow to attain awakening, made in the presence of a buddha; the subsequent prophecy of awakening, made by the same or another, later buddha; a long period of maturation during which the six (or more) perfections are practiced and the successive bodhisattva levels are traversed; the attainment of a stage of irreversible progress leading to inevitable awakening; being anointed as the next buddha to come by the preceding buddha; taking birth in the Heaven of Joy; and being reborn in the lifetime during which awakening as a tathāgata will occur. The stages of a bodhisattva’s practice are the topic of numerous scriptures, treatises, and commentaries, some in vast detail such as the Buddha­vataṃsaka­sūtra (Toh 44) and the Yogācārabhūmi (Toh 4035–4037). Perhaps the most succinct summary comes in the opening lines of the Mahāvastu, where four stages are described: (1) prakṛticaryā (“natural career”), (2) pranidhāna­caryā (“resolving stage”), (3) anulomacaryā (“conforming stage”), and (4) anivartana­caryā (“preserving career”). See Mahāvastu, vol. I, 1.2; the four stages are explained in more detail in vol. 1, ch. 5 and are a feature of other works including the Bahubuddhaka sūtras of Gandhāra. See also Jaini 2001, p. 453, and Salomon 2018, pp. 276–279.

n.5Taishō 158: 大乘悲分陀利經 (Dasheng beifen tuoli jing); Taishō 157: 悲華經 (Bei hua jing). A Chinese bibliography written in 730 by Zhi Seng claims that the sūtra was first translated by Dharmarakṣa (ca. 230–317), and that there was also another lost translation by Dao Gong made between 401 and 412. However, Yamada’s research shows the first attribution to have been a misunderstanding of the earlier Seng Min bibliography, which also records that the Dharmakṣema translation had been mistakenly ascribed to Dao Gong. See Yamada 1967, vol. 1, pp. 15–20.

n.6The opening section that features the Buddha Padmottara seems to have only a tenuous connection to the main body of the text. There are also some internal inconsistencies, such as an unexplained name change for King Araṇemin.

n.7Yamada 1967, 1:167–71.

n.8Denkarma, F.296.b.7. See also Herrmann-Pfandt 2008, p. 44, no. 78.

n.9Sakya Pandita Translation Group, trans., The Display of the Pure Land of Sukhāvatī , Toh 115 (84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2021).

n.10Roberts, Peter Alan. trans., The White Lotus of the Good Dharma , Toh 113 (84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2022).

n.11The buddhas are said to teach beings who have faith in Maheśvara by appearing to them in the form of Maheśvara. The sūtra seems to take a sympathetic view of Vaiṣṇavism in particular. For example, when Samudrareṇu makes his buddhahood contingent on a variety of good things occurring, he says, “If beings who have faith in Nārāyaṇa fall into the lower existences when they die, then may I be unable to accomplish all the deeds of a buddha.” Nārāyaṇa is also used as a positive example for power, as when King Araṇemin prays, “May those beings have the power of Nārāyaṇa.” The names of several samādhis and buddhas that are given also incorporate the name Nārāyaṇa, such as Nārāyaṇa­vijita­garbha.

n.12Mañjuśrīkīrti (Toh 3534), folio 217.a. Atiśa writes that he is quoting from it in one of his works (Toh 3930), but the actual text of his quotation resembles nothing in the sūtra and is nowhere to be found in the Kangyur. Cf. Dīpaṃkaraśrījñāna, folio 99.b.

n.13Mipham’s text has the title The White Lotus: Supporting Material for “A Treasury of Blessings, a Liturgy of the Muni” (thub chog byin rlabs gter mdzod kyi rgyab chos pad+ma dkar po); see bibliography.

n.14There are two ways to interpret this traditional beginning of a sūtra, with such Indian masters as Kamalaśīla claiming that both are equally correct: the version used in this translation, and the alternative interpretation “Thus did I hear: At one time, the Bhagavat…” The various traditional and modern arguments for both sides are given in Galloway (1991).

n.15Skt. ājāneya; Tib. cang shes. The term ājāneya was primarily used for thoroughbred horses but was also applied to people in a laudatory sense.

n.16From this point on, the Sanskrit version of the introduction is more elaborate.

n.17This paradise is not to be confused with the subterranean realm of Yama, the lord of death, which is inhabited by pretas.

n.18The four errors are mistaking the impermanent as permanent, the impure as pure, nonself as self, and suffering as happiness.

n.19The syntax of the Tibetan is awkward in this passage, for which there is no surviving Sanskrit equivalent. In the Sanskrit at this point there is a long passage where light rays from the Buddha reveal to the assembly other buddha realms and their buddhas and inhabitants.

n.20According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has parvata (“filled with precious mountains”) instead of padma (“filled with precious lotuses”).

n.21According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has sahasra (“one thousand”).

n.22According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has “one hundred and a quarter (i.e., 125) yojanas.”

n.23According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has “filled with lotuses made of the seven jewels.”

n.24A period or watch of three hours: the eighth part of a day.

n.25According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has “pleasant” (yid di ’ong ba).

n.26One would expect this to be describing the lotus’s distinctive pericarp, or seed pod, which forms a flat circular seat ringed by the stamens, but it is clearly in the plural.

n.27According to the Tibetan. The word kulaputra (“noble son”) is absent in the Sanskrit.

n.28According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has ṣaṣtiraśmi koṭinayutaśata­sahasrāṇi, which comes to six thousand million trillion.

n.29According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit does not have the description “who have transcended the levels of the śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas.”

n.30According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has, “Then the bodhisattvas who are in meditation arise from their samādhi and that entire assembly applies itself to making offerings to the Tathāgata,” which seems to be the better version.

n.31According to the Chinese. The Sanskrit has kṣetrābhayā, which is probably a scribal corruption. The Tibetan therefore translates this as zhing gi snang ba (“radiance of the realm”).

n.32According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has “for the benefit, welfare, and happiness.”

n.33According to the Tibetan. “The bodhisattvas arise from their samādhis” is absent in the Sanskrit.

n.34According to the Tibetan ’od dpag tshad brgya pa. The Sanskrit has yojanaprabhā (“[one] yojana[-wide] light”). The Tibetan brgya pa could be a corruption of rgya pa (“wide”).

n.35According to the Sanskrit snigdhacittā. The Tibetan translated this with its alternative meaning of snum pa’i sems (lit. “oily mind”). It also means “sticky” and “adhering,” but the essential meaning is “friendly and affectionate.”

n.36According to the Sanskrit pratyaya, which could be translated as “condition,” “circumstances,” “factor,” or “cause.” The Tibetan has rkyen.

n.37According to the Tibetan. “The power of courage” is absent in the Sanskrit.

n.38According to the Tibetan. “Mahāsattvas” is absent in the Sanskrit.

n.39According to the Tibetan. “Mahāsattvas” is absent in the Sanskrit.

n.40According to the Sanskrit gandhāhārās. Translated into Tibetan as dri za, which would normally be understood to be the translation of gandharva , a specific class of deities, but this is not what is meant here.

n.41According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has priyāpriya (“pleasant and unpleasant”).

n.42According to the Tibetan de bzhin du sbyar and the BHS usage of peyālaṃ.

n.43According to the Sanskrit durgandha and the Tibetan thog dri nga ba yang. The Narthang and Lhasa versions have the corruption dri ma’ang; the Urga and Degé have dri ma yang (“stain”).

n.44According to the Tibetan. In the Sanskrit “gentle” and “pleasing” are adjectives for the birds and not their songs.

n.45According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has the height as 68,000 yojanas, aṣṭaṣaṣṭhi­yojana­sahasrāṇi.

n.46According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan translates caraṇa as “feet.”

n.47The Sanskrit has “said” instead of “thought.”

n.48According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has “in the first period of the night.”

n.49According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has “we wish to remain.”

n.50According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has “past and future.”

n.51According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has “will teach this entranceway into the dhāraṇī that is the form of omniscience to the bodhisattvas whom they have consecrated to be their regents.”

n.52Tadyathā (“it is thus”) is taken in the Tibetan to be the beginning of the dharāṇī. Nearly every word has variations in the various editions of the Kangyur. Here we follow the critical edition of the Sanskrit by Yamada.

n.53According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit here adds “came to this Sahā world realm.”

n.54According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has “by a great assembly of bodhisattvas.”

n.55According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has “8,400,000.”

n.56According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has, “Solely to obtain this samādhi, a bodhisattva mahāsattva has to realize the thirty-seven factors of enlightenment and attain the knowledge of an omniscient one.”

n.57According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has gāḍhakarmāni (“strong karma”). The Tibetan has dang po’i las (“initial karma”).

n.58According to the Sanskrit paṭṭaṃ bandhati. The Tibetan translates this as “binding silk,” but toward the end of the sūtra translates it as thod bcings (“turban”).

n.59According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit adds “by passing on their diadem turban.”

n.60According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit omits dharmabhāṇaka (“Dharma reciter”).

n.61The Sanskrit bhakṣyānna just means “food” and does not specify “cooked rice.”

n.62The Tibetan gtams (“filled”) seems to be an early scribal corruption from gdams. The Sanskrit has avādata (“to be addressed,” “to be spoken to”).

n.63According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit āmantrayate could also mean “greeted.”

n.64According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit omits “bhagavat.”

n.65According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan omits Candrottama.

n.66According to the Sanskrit avakrāmanti. The Tibetan translates here as las ’das (“passing beyond,” “transcending”), although when this same phrase occurs later in the sūtra, the verb is translated as gnon par byed (“ascend to”).

n.67“Tenth” is not specified in this passage but is said to be the result of listening to the dhāraṇī further on.

n.68According to the Tibetan. In the Sanskrit, “bodhisattvas” is in the genitive case, so that the passage reads: “and he planted good roots for those bodhisattva mahāsattvas for ten intermediate eons.”

n.69According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has “established many hundred thousand million trillion hundreds of thousands of millions of trillions of beings in irreversible progress toward the highest, most complete enlightenment.”

n.70According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has Ratnacandravairocana.

n.71This line is abridged in the Tibetan, but has been rendered in full here.

n.72Dravidian is the term used for the people, language, and culture of South India, and here the mantra is identified as being linguistically Dravidian.

n.73According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has “all his other karmic obscurations.”

n.74According to the Sanskrit syntax.

n.75According to the Sanskrit avaropya. The Tibetan has bsrungs (“protected,” “guarded”).

n.76The Sanskrit has atulya (“unequaled”).

n.77The Sanskrit repeats aprameyāṇi, while Tibetan has first tshad ma mchis pa and second dpag tu ma mchis pa, which means the Sanskrit must have had aparimāṇa, as later in the sūtra.

n.78According to the Sanskrit. As a result of the ambiguity of the Sanskrit here, the Tibetan associates these qualities with the buddhas to whom the bodhisattvas made offerings.

n.79According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has gzhol (“enter into”).

n.80According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has “pretas and piśācas.”

n.81According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has translated the Sanskrit eta as “come here!”

n.82According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan omits “…‘and you will always have this kind of bliss.’ Then those pretas placed their palms together and recited, ‘Homage to the Buddha! Homage to the Dharma! Homage to the Saṅgha.’ ”

n.83According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has “a buddha realm with the five degeneracies.”

n.84According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has “inferior buddha realm with the five degeneracies.”

n.85The length from the fingertips of one arm outstretched sideways to the other.

n.86According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has “many powers.”

n.87According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has “touched his feet and bowed with palms together toward the Tathāgata Ratnagarbha.”

n.88The Sanskrit reads “alms bowls” instead of “food.”

n.89According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has “mightiest soldiers.”

n.90The precious householder is one of the seven precious possessions, or treasures, of the cakravartin, which, in the more widespread version of the seven treasures, is replaced by the precious minister.

n.91According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has “doors in the four directions.”

n.92Four legs, two tusks, and the trunk.

n.93According to the Sanskrit.

n.94According to the Sanskrit singular. The Tibetan has the plural “those parklands.”

n.95According to the Sanskrit puruṣamātrapramāṇam. The Tibetan could be interpreted as meaning “floating at the height of a man.”

n.96According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan omits “uragasāra.”

n.97Infantry, chariots, cavalry, and elephants.

n.98According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan omits “eaten.”

n.99According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has “400,000.”

n.100According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has Devī.

n.101According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan uses two words for “incense” and one for “incense smoke.”

n.102According to the Sanskrit.

n.103According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit is obscure and varies between manuscripts, and there is repetition of the sentence later in the text.

n.104According to the Sanskrit.

n.105Skt. bherī; Tib. rnga bo che. There are many kinds of kettledrums. The bherī is described as a conical or bowl-shaped kettledrum, with an upper surface that is beaten with sticks.

n.106According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has, “Then the chief prince, Animiṣa, honored the Bhagavat and his saṅgha of bhikṣus for three months in the same way that King Araṇemin had. King Araṇemin also came on some days to see the bhagavat and his saṅgha of bhikṣus and to listen to his teaching.”

n.107According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit instead reads “and completely golden and divine cities.”

n.108According to the Sanskrit.

n.109The paṭaha is a cylindrical drum hung from the body and usually played standing up by beating the upper surface with drumsticks.

n.110According to the Sanskrit. Most Kangyur editions, such as the Lithang, Narthang, and Choné, have yang dag skyes (“truly born”). The Comparative Edition has yan lag skyes, which could be a translation of aṅgaja .

n.111In most Sanskrit manuscripts and in Chinese it is “Middha,” but some Sanskrit manuscripts have the corruption “Siddha,” which the Tibetan follows.

n.112According to Sanskrit and most Tibetan editions, but not the Comparative Edition.

n.113According to Sanskrit and most Tibetan editions, but not the Comparative Edition.

n.114According to the Tibetan.

n.115According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit and Chinese have more aspirations: “Some of them prayed to be a deva, some to become Śakra, some to become Māra, some to become Brahmā, some to become a cakravartin, some to have great wealth, some to be in the Śrāvakayāna, and some to be in the Pratyekabuddhayāna.”

n.116According to the Sanskrit.

n.117According to the Tibetan; “tathāgata arhat samyaksam­buddha Ratnagarbha” is absent in the Sanskrit.

n.118The Sanskrit repeats “robes, food, beds, seats, medicines, and necessities.”

n.119According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has “to be a deva, or to be Śakra, or to be Māra, or to have great wealth, or for the way of the śrāvaka.”

n.120According to the Sanskrit.

n.121This time the Tibetan transliterates rather than translates eraṇḍa.

n.122According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has, “I have seen a great sight in my dream. I have seen the buddhas, the bhagavats, in the ten directions.”

n.123According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit is more elaborate in this passage.

n.124According to the Sanskrit.

n.125According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has “and carried it to.”

n.126According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan translates the compound as three nouns: “fame and sound and verse.”

n.127According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit adds “not even Brahmā and the other deities.”

n.128According to the Sanskrit.

n.129According to the Sanskrit.

n.130According to the Sanskrit.

n.131According to the Sanskrit kṣaṇasaṃpat, which is translated into Tibetan as an alternative, meaning dal ba (“leisure”).

n.132The Sanskrit is udumbara. The fig tree never flowers. It also became the name for a legendary lotus in Tibet, as there are no fig trees there.

n.133According to the Sanskrit.

n.134According to the Tibetan yang dag par sbyor pa. The Sanskrit has sumṛdu (“very gentle”).

n.135According to the Sanskrit śītala, which can also mean “cold” or “cool,” as in the Tibetan translation bsil ba.

n.136According to the Sanskrit. This line is missing in the Tibetan.

n.137According to the Sanskrit sadānandita. The Tibetan translates as “the attainment of perfect joy.”

n.138According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has akliṣṭa (“the path is unafflicted”).

n.139According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit omits “great.”

n.140According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has “in the care of all the tathāgatas.”

n.141According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has “dust,” one of the meanings of rajas.

n.142Sanskrit: gamanīya. The Tibetan has mchi ba la sman pa (“medicine for going”) likely in error for mchi ba la phan pa (“benefit for going”).

n.143According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has “bodhisattvas.”

n.144According to the Tibetan sku, presumably translating from a manuscript that had kāya . The Sanskrit has āśraya (“shelter,” “refuge,” “location”).

n.145According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit also has, “Through what karma do bodhisattva mahāsattvas obtain a pure buddha realm? Through what karma will it be completely an impure one? Through what karma will there be superior beings? And so on, until through what karma will beings have long lifespans?”

n.146According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit also has, “Through what karma do bodhisattva mahāsattvas obtain a pure buddha realm? Through what karma do they obtain an impure one? Through what karma will there be superior beings?…Through what karma will beings have long lifespans?”

n.147According to the Sanskrit upanimantrita. The Tibetan has translated it with its alternative but more frequent meaning of spyan drangs (“invite”), which is not as appropriate here.

n.148According to the Sanskrit upakaraṇa, which the Tibetan has translated with an alternative meaning of yo byad (“commodities”).

n.149The Sanskrit has, “I will make offerings to the Bhagavat, so you also should be eager to make offerings.”

n.150According to the Sanskrit pratiśrutya, translated into Tibetan with the meaning mnyan (“listened”).

n.151According to the Sanskrit. Missing in the Tibetan.

n.152According to the Tibetan.

n.153According to the Chinese. The Tibetan and Sanskrit make the last two names into one.

n.154Although all Sanskrit, Tibetan, and Chinese versions have these beings as hell beings, at this point one would expect reference to pretas, the beings in Yama’s realm, who are freed of hunger and thirst.

n.155This prince does not appear in the earlier list, even though he is second in importance. At this point the Sanskrit has his name as Nimu, but in all later instances it is Nimi.

n.156According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has nirhārapati (“lord of accumulation”).

n.157According to the Tibetan. “Silver” is absent in the Sanskrit.

n.158A conical or bowl kettledrum, also called a nagada. The upper surface is beaten with sticks; often in pairs one larger than the other.

n.159A variety of kettledrum. The mṛḍaṅga is wider in the middle with skin at both ends played horizontally using one’s hands. One drumhead is smaller than the other. The mṛḍaṅga is a South Indian drum and is often used to maintain the rhythm in Carnatic music.

n.160A large cylindrical drum, its upper surface played with sticks, and played standing, hung from the body.

n.161According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has kathayati ca (“and he recited”).

n.162According to the Tibetan. Literally “as fast and wavering as the strength of the wind.” The Sanskrit has drutavāyuvegacapalām (“wavering like a swift gust of wind”).

n.163According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan appears to take the bhagavad in the compound bhagavadgandha as a vocative.

n.164According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit pratibhāna covers the qualities of being quick-witted, eloquent, and confident.

n.165According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan appears to have a scribal corruption of sgra (“word”) to sgrib (“obscuration”).

n.166The last clause is absent in the Sanskrit.

n.167According to the Sanskrit.

n.168Sanskrit: “all buddha realms.”

n.169According to the Sanskrit and the Chinese. The Tibetan has “bodhisattvas” instead of “beings” (sattva).

n.170According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit omits “karmic.”

n.171There are several enumerations of patience. The list of two kinds of patience usually includes the worldly patience of forbearance and the supramundane patience of the realization of the illusory nature of phenomena. The list of three kinds is usually patience in response to harm caused by others, patience in response to suffering, and patience in relation to the profound meaning of the Dharma, in that one is not frightened by it.

n.172According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has “supreme joy, delight, and happiness.”

n.173See n.­171.

n.174According to the Tibetan. The Chinese has “for thirty-five intermediate eons,” whereas the Sanskrit has “for the same number of intermediate eons.”

n.175According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan could be read to mean “as many incalculable eons as there are grains of sand,” and “incalculable” could be taken as a general adjective rather than the name of the specific eon that is a quarter of a great eon. The Sanskrit, however, has the eon in the singular.

n.176According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has “who have first come.”

n.177According to the Sanskrit adhikāra, translated literally into Tibetan as lhag par bya ba.

n.178The Sanskrit for “seen” is avalokita, which here refers to the first part of Animiṣa’s bodhisattva name, Avalokiteśvara.

n.179According to the Sanskrit dṛṣṭigrāhagrasta. The Tibetan has “held by a makara view.”

n.180The Sanskrit svareṇa (“by voice”) here refers to the second half of Animiṣa’s bodhisattva name, Avalokiteśvara.

n.181Based on the language of this passage, avalokiteśvara can be understood to mean “Lord of That Which Has Been Viewed.”

n.182Literally “ninety-six times ten million (Skt. koṭi; Tib. bye ba) times a hundred thousand million (Skt. niyuta; Tib. khrag khrig) times a hundred thousand (Skt. śatasahasra; Tib. ’bum).” This meaning of niyuta is only found in Buddhist Sanskrit. Niyuta is translated in other texts into Tibetan as sa ya according to its classical meaning of “one million.”

n.183According to the Tibetan, literally “three times a hundred million, plus three times ten million,” or in other words, 330,000,000. The Sanskrit has 630,000,000.

n.184According to the Tibetan. “Treetops” is absent in the Sanskrit.

n.185According to the Sanskrit mahāsthāma. The Tibetan translates this as gnas chen (“great state”) and therefore may be translating from mahāsthāna. It may be translating sthāma from its alternative meaning of “place” or “station,” but that contradicts the Tibetan translation of sthāma in the name Mahāsthāmaprāpta as mthus chen thob (“One Who Has Attained Great Power”).

n.186This is assuming that sthāna in the Sanskrit is a scribal corruption of sthāma, as this passage is giving the reason for the name Mahāsthāmaprapta.

n.187Literally “One Who Has Attained Great Power” (mthu chen thob), although, as the preceding translations of Mahāsthāma were interpreted as gnas chen or were from texts in which sthāma was corrupted as sthāna, the reason for the name is not evident in Tibetan.

n.188According to the Sanskrit.

n.189According to the Tibetan “filled.” The Sanskrit has “purified.”

n.190The Sanskrit reads “pure bodhisattvas.”

n.191The Sanskrit reads “right hand.”

n.192According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has, literally, “unhappiness,” though this could be translated as “physical discomfort.”

n.193According to the Tibetan. The Chinese was also translated from a version that had tuṣita . The Sanskrit has so ’nyatra lokadhātāv uṣitvā (“after living in another world”).

n.194According to the Sanskrit mama and the Tibetan gi found in the Yongle and Kangxi versions.

n.195According to the Sanskrit, as the Tibetan syntax appears disordered: “May that buddha realm be filled with various divine, wonderful trees, with divine mandārava and mahāmandarava flowers, without any trees made of wood. May there be no evil smells there.”

n.196Literally “The Lovely Appearance of a Variety of the Seven Jewels.”

n.197Literally, “A Congregation of the Aromas of Variegated Wisdom and Tranquil Patience.”

n.198Literally, “when they think of the Buddha…”

n.199According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has gsal (“clear”).

n.200According to the Sanskrit. Here the Tibetan has translated mati as blo gros (“intelligence”).

n.201According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has “as many incalculable eons as the grains of sand in two Ganges Rivers.”

n.202According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has “those beings who hear your name, Mañjuśrī, will have their karmic obscurations destroyed.”

n.203Literally, “The Glorious Light of the Wisdom That Cuts Like a Vajra.”

n.204According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan translates caraṇa as “feet.”

n.205The Sanskrit lacks “valerian.” The Tibetan has rgya spod, which can refer specifically to Valeriana wallichii, known in India as tagar.

n.206Following the Sanskrit pratiprasrabdham, which is absent in the Tibetan.

n.207According to the Sanskrit and the Yongle, Lithang, Kangxi, Narthang, Choné, and Lhasa editions. The Comparative Edition has “conquer with a vajra.”

n.208According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has the plural “we”.

n.209The statement “the sky (gagana) was sealed (mudrita) with the lotuses” references the bodhisattva's name, Gaganamudra.

n.210According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has “buddha realms.”

n.211Literally “Swift Illumination,” according to the Sanskrit.

n.212According to the Sanskrit. Absent in the Tibetan.

n.213The word order reflects the Sanskrit.

n.214He is not mentioned in the earlier list.

n.215According to the Sanskrit. Absent in the Tibetan.

n.216According to the Sanskrit.

n.217According to the Sanskrit.

n.218According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has “intent to injure.”

n.219This sentence is not present in the Sanskrit.

n.220Skt. ārya; Tib. ’phags pa.

n.221Tib. chos kyi bzod pa; Skt. dharmakṣānti. The state of acceptance or patience that follows understanding the nature of phenomena, namely, that in fact they do not arise or cease.

n.222Literally “Lion Scent.”

n.223The Sanskrit reads “the zenith.”

n.224He does not appear in the earlier list of King Araṇemin’s sons.

n.225According to the word order of the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has “for as long as there are ten thousand afflicted buddha realms, I shall purify them so that they will be like the buddha realm Nīlagandha­prabhāsavi­raja…”

n.226The Tibetan translates as “who has no location” and takes it with “I” and not as the name of the samādhi.

n.227According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan translated vibhāvanā as rnam par ’jig pa, “destroying,” hence “the destroying all bodies samādhi,” which seems less appropriate here.

n.228According to the Sanskrit. The negation is not present in the Tibetan, which appears to be a corruption.

n.229According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit differs considerably: “May I engage in the conduct of a bodhisattva until I purify the continuums of the minds of all beings in ten thousand buddha realms, so that, without exception, they will not produce their former karma and kleśas. I will establish the ten thousand buddha realms in purity so that the four māras will not arise in the path of their mental continuums.”

n.230According to the Sanskrit and the Narthang, Lhasa, and Stok Palace versions. The Degé omits “realms.”

n.231According to the Sanskrit.

n.232According to the Tibetan. Otherwise, the numbers do not add up to ten thousand.

n.233According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has Jñānaghoṣa, which has already appeared in this list.

n.234This follows the Tibetan yon tan bdud rtsi gzi brjid rgyal po. The Sanskrit has amṛtaguṇatejarājakalpinami, which seems corrupt.

n.235According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has this and the preceding name joined as one.

n.236According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan translates nāga as klu, thus referring to the class of nonhuman, snake-like beings. It seems from context that the meaning “elephant” is more appropriate here.

n.237According to the Tibetan sdig med, which is attested as the name of the bodhisattva Anagha in other sources. The eighth prince is given as Amigha in all the Sanskrit manuscripts, but this is the same name as the preceding prince.

n.238According to the Tibetan. “Speak meaninglessly” occurs later in the Sanskrit.

n.239According to the Sanskrit. Here the Tibetan repeats “have doubt.”

n.240This means that he will not lie down, even to sleep.

n.241These first six qualities are from the traditional list of twelve or thirteen optional monastic asceticisms (dhūtaguṇa).

n.242The Sanskrit has dantavidarśanaṃ (“show the teeth”), whereas the Tibetan reads chos ston par bgyid par gyur cig (“teach the Dharma”).

n.243The Sanskrit has “with the speed of a buddha.”

n.244The Tibetan mdog is literally “color.” The Sanskrit varṇa can mean “color,” “physical form,” or “class/caste.” The next quality in the Sanskrit, vaimātra, is absent in the Tibetan, which might translate as “inequality.”

n.245The Sanskrit reads “from the doings of the māras.”

n.246According to the Tibetan. Sanskrit: “May those beings who have planted good roots be born in lotuses; may those beings who have not planted good roots be born from wombs.”

n.247According to the Sanskrit: “When that karma has come to an end, may females or wombs not be known in my buddha realm, and may those beings be bestowed with happiness only.”

n.248According to the Tibetan sgron ma dang ldan pa. The Sanskrit reads ulkavatī, which would mean “endowed with meteor” or “like a meteor.”

n.249According to the Sanskrit.

n.250The Sanskrit here adds, “May those following the Pratyekabuddhayāna achieve enlightenment individually.”

n.251Akṣobhya is the same name that this prince had been given as his bodhisattva name. The Tibetan translates the names differently: the bodhisattva name as mi skyod pa and the buddha name as mi ’khrugs pa.

n.252According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has “[you with an] unshakable mind.”

n.253According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has “those who have great thirst.”

n.254Himaṇi is not mentioned in the earlier introductory list of Araṇemin’s sons. One Sanskrit manuscript names him Himadhi, while the Tibetan names him gangs kyi nor bu, “Snow Jewel.”

n.255Gandhahasti is the BHS form of Gandhahastin. This name means “Elephant Scent,” and refers to the potent smell of a male elephant in musth.

n.256According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetans translators appear to have read pravaragaṇa, “supreme assembly,” where the extant Sanskrit reads pravaraguṇa.

n.257According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan omits “mind.”

n.258Literally “Jewel Top Ornament.”

n.259According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has “thirty million.”

n.260According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan omits “be first.”

n.261According to the Sanskrit, which means “Most Powerful.” The Tibetan has simply mchog (“Supreme”).

n.262The Tibetan divides this name into two (Vikasita and Ujjaya), but the Sanskrit and Chinese texts give them as one name.

n.263According to the Sanskrit and the Tibetan. The Chinese has Brahmasunda as one name.

n.264According to the Sanskrit and the Chinese. Some Sanskrit manuscripts and the Tibetan have the name split into two as Yaśas and Nandin.

n.265The name Sunetra has already occurred in the list. The Tibetan uses two variant translations of Sunetra: spyan bzang (“good eyes”) for the first, and spyan mdzes (“beautiful eyes”) for the second.

n.266According to the Sanskrit and the Chinese. The Tibetan has legs mthong lha, which in Sanskrit would be Sudarśanadeva.

n.267According to the Sanskrit and the Chinese long chi, most likely meaning “Elephant Tusk.” The Tibetan has klus byin, presumably having read the Sanskrit nāgadatta.

n.268The Sanskrit has Gandhasvara, “Scent-Sound.” The fifth-century Chinese translation by Dharmaksẹma has yin wang, “King of Sound,” presumably having read Ghoṣeśvara, a name that occurs earlier in the list. The other Chinese translation agrees with the Tibetan spos kyi dbang phyug in rendering the Sanskrit Gandheśvara.

n.269According to the Tibetan (sred med kyi bu’i snying po) and the Chinese. The Sanskrit has nārāyaṇagata.

n.270According to the Sanskrit and Chinese. The Tibetan omits the final rāja. Yamada (1967) has viagata, presumably a typographical error for vigata.

n.271This follows the Tibetan skar ma'i khyu mchog, suggesting that it was a translation of jyoti-ṛṣabha or a similar term. The Sanskrit reads jyotikṣabhaka.

n.272The Sanskrit differs: “And, young brahmin, the Tathāgata has taught the Dharma entranceway for transcending saṃsāra, which is called gathering the pure accumulations: the accumulation of generosity is when bodhisattvas engage in giving, and it leads to the ripening of guidable beings.” The Dharma entranceway in Tibetan is conjoined with the practice of generosity.

n.273The Sanskrit ājāneya means “high-born” or “noble,” and “thoroughbred” when it is related to animals.

n.274According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has “knowledge without doubt.”

n.275The seven limbs of an elephant are its four legs, two tusks, and trunk.

n.276According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan adds chung zad tsam, which could mean “a little way up,” which is absent in the Sanskrit and the Chinese.

n.277According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has “indolence.”

n.278Vipaśyin, Śikhin, and Viśvabhu are the first three buddhas in the traditional list of seven buddhas, Śākyamuni being the seventh. They lived in the eon prior to the current Bhadraka eon in which Śākyamuni is the fourth buddha after Krakucchanda, Kanakamuni, and Kāśyapa.

n.279The sūtra uses the name Bhadraka in most instances, but the shorter form Bhadra has become established in English. The name means “good.”

n.280The Sanskrit has the form Krakutsanda, reflecting the Mithila and Newari pronunciation of ca and cha, which became standard in Tibet.

n.281This sentence is absent in the Sanskrit. Note that it recurs at the end of this passage, where it makes more sense.

n.282According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has the negative: “When I will not receive that prophecy…”

n.283According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit differs: “There are the four purities of a bodhisattva. What are those four? They are the purity of correct conduct because there is no self; the purity of samādhi because there is no being; the purity of wisdom because there is no soul; and the purity of liberation because there is no individual and because of the vision of the knowledge of liberation.”

n.284According to the Sanskrit acintya and the Kangxi. The Comparative Edition has mi rtag pa (“impermanent”) instead of mi rtog pa.

n.285According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit dvirūṇaṃ sahasraṃ (“a thousand less two”) and the Chinese have 998. With the addition of the youngest of these brahmins to be the last buddha of the Bhadraka eon, this would result in only 999 young brahmins instead of a thousand. Mahābalavegadhārin is prophesied to be the last of the Bhadraka eon buddhas, and he is specifically stated to follow the 1,004th buddha but this is because he is preceded by buddhas who had been the five attendants of Samudrareṇu, who therefore would be the 1,000th to the 1,004th buddhas, preceded by the other 999 buddhas. The problem with 999 is that it leaves no room for Samudrareṇu to be Śākyamuni, the fourth buddha of the Bhadraka eon. One solution may be that when Ratnagarbha states that there will be 1,004 buddhas in the Bhadraka eon, Mahābalavegadhārin is added as the 1,005th on making his prayer. Therefore, when Samudrareṇu adds his aspiration and is prophesied to be Śākyamuni, this would bring the number of buddhas up to 1,006 with Mahābalavegadhārin as the last.

n.286This follows the Sanskrit.

n.287The Tibetan here reads gces spyod for the attested sārabhuja . Previously, the term snying po spyod had been used. These two terms are synonymous, and are almost surely intended to refer to the same person.

n.288These qualities are mentioned again at 232.b and 256.b. These appear be the six ways of gathering disciples: appropriate emblems, appropriate action, appropriate correct conduct, appropriate view, appropriate livelihood, and appropriate appearance.

n.289The Sanskrit adds “and not go and honor them,” which is also not present in the Chinese.

n.290According to the Sanskrit.

n.291According to the Sanskrit. Absent in the Tibetan.

n.292Following the Tibetan yang dag rtog, which translates as saṃtīraṇa . The Sanskrit here has saṃtaraṇa.

n.293According to the Sanskrit vikrīḍasi. The Tibetan, including the Stok Palace version, has rnam grol (“liberated”), which may be a scribal error for rnam rol.

n.294The Sanskrit reads samudravāri, “the waters of the sea”.

n.295According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit is śatru (“enemy”).

n.296The Sanskrit is naditāru and the Tibetan zam pa'i shing. Both terms suggest a tree that is used as a bridge.

n.297The Sanskrit reads, “the grass of knowing.”

n.298According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan may mean, “I am in the great battle with the kleśas of beings.”

n.299According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit lacks these vocatives.

n.300According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit adds viparītatattva­bodhino (“understanding reality the wrong way around”).

n.301According to the Sanskrit.

n.302According to the Sanskrit.

n.303According to the Tibetan bldag.

n.304According to Tibetan ’gron bu. The Sanskrit hiraṇya means “coins.” The meaning is apparently forms of money, as cowrie shells were used as units of currency.

n.305According to the Sanskrit śaṅkha. Absent in the Tibetan.

n.306According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has the obscure rdul chen.

n.307According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has riktamuṣṭisadṛśa (“like an empty fist”). This is also in the Chinese translation.

n.308According to the Sanskrit.

n.309According to the Sanskrit.

n.310According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit garbhāśaya­smṛti­pranaṣṭā could also be understood as “having lost mindfulness of their innermost disposition.”

n.311According to the Tibetan mnar. The Sanskrit ghāta can mean “to beat” or “to kill.”

n.312According to the Sanskrit dhānyarasa. The Tibetan has ’bru dang nor (“grain and wealth”).

n.313According to the Sanskrit kukṣi. The Tibetan has mchan khung (“armpit”).

n.314The order is according to the Sanskrit.

n.315The three highest of the ten bodhisattva bhūmis, beyond which there is buddhahood.

n.316According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has skad sna tshogs ston pa (“teaching languages”).

n.317According to the Sanskrit vajradhara. The Tibetan has rdo rje ting nge ’dzin (vajrasamādhi).

n.318The Sanskrit reads vajramayām…kleśaparvatām, “the adamantine mountain of the kleśas.”

n.319From the Sanskrit pravrajyopa­saṃpad bhavet. The Tibetan has taken upasaṃpad (a specific term for “ordination”) as phun sum tshogs, which usually renders the Sanskrit sampad.

n.320According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit would read, “May there be many people in my order.”

n.321According to the Sanskrit aśubha. The Tibetan has yang dag par ma lags pa (“incorrect” or invalid”).

n.322According to the Sanskrit kṣamaprayoga. The Tibetan zad pa’i sbyor ba appears to be from a corrupted kṣayaprayoga, “application to termination.”

n.323According to the Sanskrit paravadhe. The Tibetan has translated don dam (“ultimate”) from the Sanskrit paramarthe.

n.324According to the Tibetan gzhan dang gzhan dag gis chog par ’dzin. The Sanskrit parasparāsaṃtuṣṭa has the negative “dissatisfied.”

n.325One may mention that the Sanskrit apratihataraśmi is also the name of a samādhi described in the Exposition on the Universal Gateway (Toh 54, Dharmachakra Translation Committee, trans. 2021): “There is the unimpeded light rays samādhi. If that samādhi is attained, the bodhisattva will illuminate all buddha realms with light rays.”

n.326The Degé has rtogs pa. The Yongle has rtog. The Kangxi has rtog pa. The Sanskrit has ketu, the Tibetan for which is rtog.

n.327There is a samādhi of this name earlier in the sūtra as being taught to the bodhisattva Gaganamudra.

n.328There is a samādhi with this name mentioned in other sūtras, such as The Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines and The White Lotus of the Good Dharma. However, its source is probably the The Sūtra Requested by Gaganagañja, where it says, “The victory banner’s crest ornament samādhi illuminates all the Dharma of the Buddha” (folio 290.b).

n.329According to the Sanskrit ulkāpāta. The Tibetan has “possessing a lamp.”

n.330There is a samādhi called bhāskarapradīpa that appears earlier in this sūtra (folio 189b). It is possibly derived from The Sūtra Requested by Gaganagañja, which contains the line, “The lamp of the sun samādhi eliminates deep darkness” (folio 114.b).

n.331There is a samādhi called guṇākara that is previously mentioned in folio 231.b.

n.332Nārāyaṇa, another name for Viṣṇu, is referred to in sūtras as an example of power, strength, diligence, and invincibility.

n.333snying po dang ldan pa. There is a samādhi that is mentioned in The Sūtra Requested by Gaganagañja, which contains the line, “the endowed with the essence samādhi brings the experience of all commitments” (folio 291.a).

n.334The Sanskrit has avalokitamūrdha. The Tibetan has spyi gtsug bltar gda’ ba. Literally “whose crown of the head is looked upon,” which is both a sign of disrespect and indicative of inferiority.

n.335There is a samādhi with this name mentioned in The Sūtra Requested by Gaganagañja, where it says, “the Mount Meru’s victory banner samādhi causes all beings to be overpowered” (folio 291.b).

n.336This is in the list of samādhis given at folio 263.a.

n.337There is a samādhi with this name mentioned in The Sūtra Requested by Gaganagañja , where it says, “the endowed with virtuous conduct samādhi will bring engagement in virtuous conduct” (folio 291.a).

n.338There is a samādhi called entering signs and sounds that is mentioned later on 263.a.

n.339According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan omits the negative.

n.340According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has chos kyi tshogs bsgoms pa (“meditation on the collection of Dharma”). This can also be understood as a translation of the Sanskrit dharmakāyavibhāvana.

n.341It is mentioned in The Sūtra Requested by Gaganagañja that “the stainless wheel samādhi will bring a pure Dharma wheel” (folio 291.a).

n.342According to the Sanskrit subhāṣita­jñānāṃ pramuṣṭa­cittānāṃ, which literally means “those whose minds are robbed of the wisdom that was well-taught.” The Tibetan has “those who do not meditate on knowledge and have angry minds.”

n.343According to the Sanskrit triratnāprati­labdhaprasāda. The Tibetan omits the negative.

n.344From the Tibetan and the BHS meaning. In classical Sanskrit utsada means “destruction.”

n.345According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan omits the negative.

n.346According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan omits the negative.

n.347According to the Tibetan. The Chinese and some Sanskrit manuscripts have the negative: “Those who don’t have conviction…”

n.348Also mentioned at 214.b and 257.a.

n.349Tib. tog gi blo gros (“wisdom of the top-ornament”).

n.350According to the Sanskrit agninirbhāsa. Absent in the Tibetan.

n.351According to the Sanskrit. Absent in the Tibetan.

n.352According to the Sanskrit ananta­gandhānanta­prabha. The Tibetan has “infinite colors and infinite scents,” which contradicts what is given as the last description in this list further on.

n.353According to the Sanskrit. “Six” is absent in the Tibetan.

n.354According to the Tibetan.

n.355According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan joins this passage with the next.

n.356According to the Sanskrit samādhyagamaṇīya, which the Tibetan has probably incorrectly translated as “not bestowed through samādhi.”

n.357From the Sanskrit suduḥkha.

n.358Without explanation, King Araṇemin is here given another name in Sanskrit, and the Tibetan and Chinese translations. This is presumably his bodhisattva name as all the princes are then referred to by their bodhisattva names.

n.359According to the Tibetan and the Chinese. The extant Sanskrit has bhāṣiṣyase (“you will speak”).

n.360This follows the Sanskrit. The Tibetan reads, “For beings without fear.”

n.361The Tibetan has only snying rje for both kṛpā and karuṇā.

n.362According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has bsgom (“meditated”).

n.363In this passage and similar subsequent passages, the verb is literally “question” or “inquire” (Skt. pṛcchatha; Tib. dri ba mdzad) though no question is asked.

n.364From the Sanskrit upanītāni. The Tibetan has phul (“offered”).

n.365According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has Siṃhavijṛmbhitakāya.

n.366From the Tibetan ngur smig and the anonymous fourth-century Chinese translation zi mo. The Sanskrit has Jambu.

n.367According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has bsgom (“meditated”).

n.368From the Sanskrit upanītāni. The Tibetan has phul (“offered”).

n.369From the passage on the different words that were heard in the empty buddha fields up to this point, there appears to be a lacuna in the extant Sanskrit. Both the Tibetan and Chinese versions preserve the full narration here. After the phrase “the words a talk on the Mahāyāna ,” the extant Sanskrit only reads, “Those empty buddha realms in the ten directions were illuminated by light. All the beings, both human and nonhuman, transformed according to whatever aspect of goodness their minds were engaged in. Some appeared to be Yama; some appeared to be water…”

n.370From the Sanskrit kṣetra. The Tibetan has shing (“wood”), presumably in error for zhing.

n.371The Degé block print has both page numbers on a single page.

n.372The Degé block print has both page numbers on a single page.

n.373The Sanskrit lacks the term bodhisattva .

n.374This appears to be King Araṇemin’s bodhisattva name.

n.375The Tibetan takes it as a brahmin living in a place called Ketapuri. However, as mentioned earlier in the sūtra, this is the name of the brahmā in the realm that Buddha Ratnagarbha and the brahmin Samudrareṇu are in.

n.376This refers to the Buddha Śākyamuni’s father, Śuddhodana.

n.377This refers to the Buddha Śākyamuni’s mother, Māyādevī.

n.378According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan appears to break up the name as “a constellation goddess named Varuṇacāritra.”

n.379This refers to the Buddha Śākyamuni’s wet nurse, Mahāprajāpatī.

n.380There is a śakra ruling the paradise on Mount Meru in each four-world continent.

n.381This refers to the Buddha Śākyamuni’s two principal disciples, Śāriputra and Maudgalyāyana.

n.382This refers to the Buddha Śākyamuni’s son, Rāhula.

n.383The last of these would be as the Buddha Śākyamuni’s wife, Yaśodharā.

n.384This appears to refer to Ājñāta Kauṇḍinya, the first of the group of five who attained arhathood upon the Buddha’s Śākyamuni’s first teaching at Deer Park.

n.385According to Sanskrit auṣadhi. Absent in the Tibetan.

n.386According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has only Bhīṣma as his name.

n.387The Tibetan translates aprasannacitta as sems ma dad pa (“without faith”), suggesting that the translators read sems ma dang ba. A number of Kangyur readings (but not the Stok Palace) do not have the negative.

n.388According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has omitted “and so on, up to and including my head.”

n.389He is here given the title tathāgata, presumably retrospectively, even though he would still have been a bodhisattva at the time and obtained another name at buddhahood.

n.390From the Sanskrit.

n.391From the Sanskrit. “Dharma” and “Saṅgha” are absent in the Tibetan.

n.392This refers to pretas.

n.393According to the Sanskrit. “Bodhisattva mahāsattva” is absent in the Tibetan.

n.394According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has “bodhisattva mahāsattvas” instead of “beings.”

n.395According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has “in which all samādhis disappear.”

n.396According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has “through which all samādhis pervade through space.”

n.397According to the Tibetan rin chen rgyal ba, which appears to have translated from ratnajaya. There is some variation among the sources. The Sanskrit witnesses read either raṇaṃ jahena, which in BHS means “elimination of affliction,” and raṇaṃ jayena, which following classical Sanskrit would be “victory in battle.” The two Chinese versions seem to have translated from an equivalent of raṇaṃ jahena and ratna jahena. The description of the samādhi suggests that raṇaṃ jahena was the original reading.

n.398Tibetan gnas la mi brten pa (rten pa in the Degé). The Sanskrit animiṣa means “a steadfast, unblinking gaze,” and by extension “vigilance.”

n.399The Sanskrit is practically identical with the explanation of the previous samādhi. The Tibetan has translated jñāna as ye shes in the former and as shes pa in the latter.

n.400The Sanskrit has samādhi­śuddhasāra (“the pure vital essence samādhi”).

n.401According to the Tibetan mi zad, which probably translates akṣayatvaṃ. The Sanskrit has alakṣaṇatvaṃ, “characteristiclessness,” whereas the Chinese translations suggest akṣaṇatvaṃ (“momentary-lessness”).

n.402The Sanskrit has kāravihārakriyāṃ karoti (“one performs the action of dwelling in activity”).

n.403The Sanskrit ketu reveals the Yongle, Lithang, Peking, Narthang, Choné, and Stok Kangyurs to be correct in having rtog, while the Degé has rtogs (“realization”).

n.404According to the Tibetan.

n.405According to the Tibetan yi ge ma mnyam pa nyid, which appears to be a translation of asamākṣaratā. The Sanskrit reads asamārakṛtām, while the Chinese appears to have translated from andhakāra (“darkness”).

n.406According to the Tibetan.

n.407This follows the Tibetan, with which the Chinese agrees. The extant Sanskrit reads araṇena samadhinā (“through the samādhi that lacks affliction”).

n.408According to the Tibetan, translating from asaṅgatā (“without attachment” or alternatively “without impediment”). The present Sanskrit has saṃgatā (“conjoined [with space]”).

n.409According to the Tibetan yid byung. However, the Sanskrit has “lifelessness.”

n.410According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has “limitless mind,” with which the Chinese agrees.

n.411According to sems nyid in the Yongle, Lithang, Kangxi, Narthang, Choné, Lhasa, and Stok Palace versions. This aligns with the attested Sanskrit ºcittatā. The Degé has mtshan nyid (“characteristics”).

n.412According to the Tibetan.

n.413According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has “five hundred yojanas.”

n.414According to the syntax of the Sanskrit.

n.415According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has kecinnara.

n.416According to the Tibetan that separates it from the preceding sentence, which would otherwise have “except for eight worthy beings” as its conclusion, which does not appear to make sense. There are only six worthy beings described below.

n.417The Chinese translations preserve the name of this tathāgata, which appears to have been lost from the Sanskrit manuscripts by the time of the Tibetan translation. Yamada (1967: 1:107) reconstructs it as Śataguṇa, “Having a Hundred Qualities,” from one Chinese manuscript, while another Chinese manuscript has only Śata.

n.418The previous five buddha realms mentioned were in the east, west, south, north, and above, and therefore the implication will be that this is in the sixth direction‍—below.

n.419These are the bodhisattvas Saṃrocana and Prahasitabāhu, who have not been previously mentioned in the sūtra but are now revealed to be present in this assembly.

n.420The syntax of the verses has been translated according to the Sanskrit for clearer meaning.

n.421According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has nāgānaradevayakṣā ye devatā, “you divinities–nāgas, humans, devas, and yakṣas…”.

n.422The four oceans are the oceans in the middle of which each of the four continents are situated.

n.423Here the ministers say deva , which literally means “deity” but was used in Sanskrit to address the king. It was translated literally into Tibetan as lha.

n.424According to the Tibetan lo tog and the Sanskrit śasyā. Yamada (1967: 1:373) has emended this to śaṣpā, “grasses.”

n.425According to the Sanskrit ojavatīpṛthivī. The Tibetan applies the adjective to the harvests.

n.426This passage in both the Tibetan and Sanskrit presents interpretive problems. Though the general meaning is clear, the syntax is ambiguous in places, leaving the precise meaning elusive. Specifically, while the context and syntax suggest that the term viḍacarakamūrdhani is the name of a place, it is not entirely implausible that it refers to the title of a specific treatise. This is how Yamada (1967, p. 111) seems to interpret it. As is clearer in the following paragraph, however, it is most likely a toponym. Whether it refers to a text or a place, the setting and terminology is significant. The term caraka (spyod pa) is also the name of the compiler of the eponymous classic work on Āyurveda, the Carakasaṃhitā. Additionally, the Carakasaṃhiṭā describes its own transmission as originating among a gathering of ṛṣis and devas in the Himalaya following a request to Indra (Śakra). The Carakasaṃhitā is, like the śāstra described in this passage, a work concerned with the treatment of disease and humoral imbalance, as well as the prevention and alleviation of afflictions cause by bhūtas and other supernatural beings.

n.427Following the Sanskrit glānapratyayopakaraṇārtham. The term glānapratyaya, “medical treatments,” refers to the fourth of the “four requisites” (pariṣkara; yo byad), the personal possessions a monastic is permitted to keep according to the rules of the early Buddhist saṅgha. The other three are: robes, alms bowl, and a bed/seat.

n.428Following the Sanskrit devaṛṣiyakṣasaṅghāḥ. The Tibetan parses this compound to mean, “the deva ṛṣis and yakṣas.”

n.429According to the Sanskrit pratyavarakāla. The Tibetan interprets this as “at a bad time” (dus ngan pa'i tshe).

n.430According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has vicitradoṣa here and the third time the realm is mentioned. However, the second time it agrees with the Tibetan, having Vijitaghoṣa.

n.431According to the Sanskrit and the fourth-century Chinese. The Tibetan is dga’ ba (“Joy”). Later in the Sanskrit text it is called Rūḍhavaḍa.

n.432According to the Sanskrit hiraṇyasuvarṇa, translated into Tibetan as dbyigs dang gser.

n.433According to the Tibetan gter ston byed pa. The early fifth-century Dharmakṣema Chinese translation also has this as a descriptive phrase. The Sanskrit has “nāga king named Nidhidarśaka” (lit. “Treasure Revealer”). Later in the Sanskrit his name is given as Nidhisaṃdarśana, which has the same meaning. The fourth-century Chinese also has this as his name, and therefore this could have been the original form.

n.434Here the Sanskrit has Vijitaghoṣa, unlike the earlier Vicitradoṣa.

n.435Literally, ten million times a hundred thousand million times a hundred thousand.

n.436Literally “The One Who Gives Away Everything.” The Tibetan has thams cad sbyin pa.

n.437The last part of the sentence, “if he does not give…,” is also in the Chinese. It was therefore in early Sanskrit manuscripts, but it is absent in the extant Sanskrit.

n.438Skt. pratyaṅga; Tib. nying lag. This refers to the nose, fingers, toes, ears, and so on.

n.439This means “the five clairvoyances.”

n.440According to the Sanskrit. Earlier referred to in Tibetan as Vaḍa. The Tibetan here has shing pa ta skye ba, whereas earlier it had dga’ ba; the Sanskrit they were translated from is uncertain. The fourth-century Chinese has ti li as before. See n.­431.

n.441According to the Tibetan; “or the Buddhayāna” is absent in the Sanskrit.

n.442According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has “beings.”

n.443According to the Sanskrit.

n.444According to the Tibetan nyi gdugs snying po. The Sanskrit has Sūryagarbha, which was already given in this list.

n.445According to the Sanskrit and Dharmakṣema’s Chinese translation as ju ji. The Tibetan has nam mkha’.

n.446According to the Tibetan and the Chinese. The Sanskrit has Jyotiśrī.

n.447According to the Sanskrit. “Bodhisattva” is absent in the Tibetan.

n.448According to the Tibetan. “Mahāsattvas” is absent in the Sanskrit.

n.449According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan, in contradiction with the previous number, multiplies it by another ten million.

n.450According to the syntax of the Sanskrit.

n.451Skt. sughoṣavairocanaketu; Tib. dbyangs snyan rnam par snang byed.

n.452The Tibetan has the phrase “my buddha realm.”

n.453According to the Tibetan. This sentence is not present in the Sanskrit.

n.454Tibetan dbang po mig.

n.455According to the Sanskrit nirīkṣante. The Tibetan translates as nges par rtogs.

n.456According to the Sanskrit. Not present in the Tibetan.

n.457The Tibetan merged the first and second, resulting in only nine aspects.

n.458According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit connects these first two qualities.

n.459According to the BHS jñapana; the Tibetan has “examine” (brtags).

n.460This passage is based on the Sanskrit, which the Tibetan interpreted as meaning “the bodhisattvas went to those realms to learn the praises, and so on, and listened to them.”

n.461According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit saṃvejayiṣyati appears to mean “who will frighten or agitate.”

n.462According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has “today, you must develop the aspiration for irreversibility.”