The fifth of the thousand sons of King Araṇemin, who becomes the bodhisattva Gaganamudra and is prophesied to become the Buddha Padmottara.

One of the hundred names prophesied by the Buddha Ratnagarbha for 2,500 buddhas, presumably the name of twenty-five of those buddhas.

A southern buddha realm that the Buddha Śākyamuni sees.

One of the hundred names prophesied by the Buddha Ratnagarbha for 2,500 buddhas, presumably the name of twenty-five of those buddhas.

The eastern realm where the ninth son of King Araṇemin has become the Buddha Akṣobhya, and after Akṣobhya’s nirvāṇa, where the tenth son will become the Buddha Suvarṇapuṣpa. It will be renamed Jayasoma when the eleventh son, Siṃha, becomes the Buddha Nāga­vinarditeśvara­ghoṣa there.

The name that the Buddha Ratnagarbha prophesies will be that of one of his eighty brothers (the forty-second) when he becomes a buddha.

One of the hundred names prophesied by the Buddha Ratnagarbha for 2,500 buddhas, presumably the name of twenty-five of those buddhas.

One of the hundred names prophesied by the Buddha Ratnagarbha for 2,500 buddhas, presumably the name of twenty-five of those buddhas.

A bodhisattva who comes from the realm of the Buddha Lokeśvararāja to the Buddha Ratnagarbha

A term also translated as “patience” and “forebearance” in this text, and in others sometimes as “receptivity”; here, often in the context of its association with dhāraṇī and samādhi, the term is probably to be understood as related to “forbearance that comes from realizing the birthlessness of phenomena” (q.v.).

The name of a buddha.

One of the hundred names prophesied by the Buddha Ratnagarbha for 2,500 buddhas, presumably the name of twenty-five of those buddhas.

A buddha in an eastern buddha realm.

The name that the bodhisattva Saṃrocana will have when he becomes a buddha.

The eastern realm where the sixth son of King Araṇemin will become a buddha.

The five aggregates of forms, sensations, identifications, mental activities, and consciousnesses.

The eastern realm in which the bodhisattva Vīryasaṃcodana became a buddha.

A religious tradition begun by a contemporary of Śākyamuni, Makkhali Gosāla (c. 500 ʙᴄᴇ). Though prominent for some centuries, it died out during the first millennium ᴄᴇ. None of their own literature survives. They have been criticized as believing that everything is predetermined and therefore the individual is helpless to control outcomes. However, they apparently believed that an individual could actively progress to liberation through the practice of an ascetic spiritual path that prevented the development of more karma and the predetermined fate that it creates.

One of the thousand sons of King Araṇemin.

The highest paradise in the form realm, and therefore the highest point in altitude within the universe.

One of the hundred names prophesied by the Buddha Ratnagarbha for 2,500 buddhas, presumably the name of twenty-five of those buddhas.

The buddha whom the bodhisattva Akṣobhya, the ninth son of King Araṇemin, is prophesied to become in the realm Abhirati. His name as a bodhisattva and buddha is the same. At the time when this sūtra appeared, he was already a well-known buddha and later become important as the head of one of the five buddha families in the higher tantras. Śākyamuni states that he can see Akṣobhya in the eastern buddha realm Abhirati.

The name that the Buddha Ratnagarbha prophesies will be that of one of his eighty brothers (the sixty-eighth) when he becomes a buddha.

One of the thousand sons of King Araṇemin, who becomes the bodhisattva Vairocana and is prophesied to become the Buddha Dharmavaśavarīśvararāja.

The name of a previous incarnation of Śākyamuni as a cakravartin who gives away everything including parts of his body.

The sixth son of King Araṇemin, who becomes the bodhisattva Vegavairocana and is prophesied to become the Buddha Dharma­vaśavartīśvara­rāja.

The eighth son of King Araṇemin, who becomes the bodhisattva Samantabhadra and is prophesied to become the Buddha Jñāna­vajra­vijṛmbhiteśvara­ketu.

The buddha of the western buddhafield of Sukhāvatī, where fortunate beings are reborn to make further progress toward spiritual maturity. Amitābha made his great vows to create such a realm when he was a bodhisattva called Dharmākara. In the Pure Land Buddhist tradition, popular in East Asia, aspiring to be reborn in his buddha realm is the main emphasis; in other Mahāyāna traditions, too, it is a widespread practice. For a detailed description of the realm, see The Display of the Pure Land of Sukhāvatī, Toh 115. In some tantras that make reference to the five families he is the tathāgata associated with the lotus family.Amitābha, “Infinite Light,” is also known in many Indian Buddhist works as Amitāyus, “Infinite Life.” In both East Asian and Tibetan Buddhist traditions he is often conflated with another buddha named “Infinite Life,” Aparimitāyus, or “Infinite Life and Wisdom,”Aparimitāyurjñāna, the shorter version of whose name has also been back-translated from Tibetan into Sanskrit as Amitāyus but who presides over a realm in the zenith. For details on the relation between these buddhas and their names, see The Aparimitāyurjñāna Sūtra (1) Toh 674, i.9.

The buddha in the realm of Sukhāvatī. Later and presently better known by his alternative name Amitābha, while Amitāyus is most commonly used as the short form of the Buddha Aparamitāyurjñāna’s name.

A bodhisattva present at the teaching of The White Lotus of Compassion Sūtra.

One of ten names of a thousand buddhas prophesied by the Buddha Ratnagarbha, with presumably a hundred buddhas having this name.

The name of King Araṇemin in the latter half of The White Lotus of Compassion Sūtra.

The ninth son of King Araṇemin, who becomes the bodhisattva Akṣobhya and is prophesied to become buddha Akṣobhya.

The Buddha Śākyamuni’s cousin, who was his attendant for the last twenty years of his life. He was the subject of criticism and opposition from the monastic community after the Buddha’s passing, but he eventually succeeded to the position of the patriarch of Buddhism in India after the passing of the first patriarch Mahākāśyapa.

The fourth of the thousand sons of King Araṇemin. He becomes the bodhisattva Vajraccheda­prajñā­vabhāsaśrī and is prophesied to become the Buddha Samantabhadra .

One of ten names of a thousand buddhas prophesied by Buddha Ratnagarbha, with presumably a hundred buddhas having this name.

One of the hundred names prophesied by the Buddha Ratnagarbha for 2,500 buddhas, presumably the name of twenty-five of those buddhas.

The seventh of the thousand sons of King Araṇemin who becomes the bodhisattva Siṃhagandha and is prophesied to become the Buddha Prabhāsavirarajaḥsamucchrayagandheśvararāja.

A realm in which the beings are only the height of a thumb, and the buddha there, Jyotīrasa, is seven thumbs in size.

The crown prince of King Araṇemin who becomes, in that lifetime, the bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara, and who is prophesied to succeed the Buddha Amitābha in Sukhāvatī as the Buddha Samantaraśmyabhyudgataśrīkūṭarāja.

The name of the eastern realm in which the fourth son of King Araṇemin is prophesied to become the Buddha Samantabhadra .

After Raśmi has passed into parinirvāṇa and his Dharma has come to an end, the buddha realm Virati will be named Aparā. The Tathāgata Ratneśvaraghoṣa will reside in this buddha realm and give teachings.

The name that the Buddha Ratnagarbha prophesies will be that of one of his eighty brothers (the twenty-first) when he becomes a buddha.

A class of celestial female beings known for their great beauty.

A name of the Sahā realm in an earlier eon.

A bodhisattva who comes from the realm of the Buddha Vigata­bhaya­paryutthāna­ghoṣa to the Buddha Ratnagarbha.

The name of the king in the distant past who eventually became Amitāyus. Later he is named Amṛtaśuddha.

The name of an eastern buddha realm.

One of the thousand sons of King Araṇemin.

According to Buddhist tradition, one who is worthy of worship (pūjām arhati), or one who has conquered the enemies, the mental afflictions (kleśa-ari-hata-vat), and reached liberation from the cycle of rebirth and suffering. It is the fourth and highest of the four fruits attainable by śrāvakas. Also used as an epithet of the Buddha.

One of the thousand sons of King Araṇemin.

The name that the Buddha Ratnagarbha prophesies will be that of one of his eighty brothers (the thirty-ninth) when he becomes a buddha

One of the thousand sons of King Araṇemin.

A buddha whom Śākyamuni sees in a western buddha realm.

One of the thousand sons of King Araṇemin.

One of the hundred names prophesied by the Buddha Ratnagarbha for 2,500 buddhas, presumably the name of twenty-five of those buddhas.

One of the hundred names prophesied by the Buddha Ratnagarbha for 2,500 buddhas, presumably the name of twenty-five of those buddhas.

A buddha whom Śākyamuni sees in a southern buddha realm.

A type of nonhuman being whose precise status is subject to different views, but is included as one of the six classes of beings in the sixfold classification of realms of rebirth. In the Buddhist context, asuras are powerful beings said to be dominated by envy, ambition, and hostility. They are also known in the pre-Buddhist and pre-Vedic mythologies of India and Iran, and feature prominently in Vedic and post-Vedic Brahmanical mythology, as well as in the Buddhist tradition. In these traditions, asuras are often described as being engaged in interminable conflict with the devas (gods).

A bodhisattva ṛṣi living on the island of jewels at the time of the Buddha’s previous life as the cakravartin Pradīpapradyota.

One of the “eight close sons of the Buddha,” he is also known as the bodhisattva who embodies compassion. In certain tantras, he is also the lord of the three families, where he embodies the compassion of the buddhas. In Tibet, he attained great significance as a special protector of Tibet, and in China, in female form, as Guanyin, the most important bodhisattva in all of East Asia.

A deva who made offerings to the Buddha Ratnagarbha.

The lowest hell, the eighth of the eight hot hells.

One of the hundred names prophesied by the Buddha Ratnagarbha for 2,500 buddhas, presumably the name of twenty-five of those buddhas.

A bodhisattva who praises the brahmin Samudrareṇu.

The realm in which the Buddha Ratnagarbha prophesies that Samudrareṇu’s oldest son will become the Buddha Ratnaketu, and that subsequently Samudrareṇu’s second son, Saṃbhava, will become the Buddha Vairocanakusuma.

Determination, diligence, intention, and examination.

“Venerable One.” A term of respect used for Buddhist monks.

Our present eon in which over a thousand buddhas will appear. The meaning is “good” because of the number of buddhas that will appear. In this sūtra it is usually called bhadraka.

A bodhisattva who comes from the realm of the Buddha Jitendriya­viśāla­netra to the Buddha Ratnagarbha.

One of the hundred names prophesied by the Buddha Ratnagarbha for 2,500 buddhas, presumably the name of twenty-five of those buddhas.

In Buddhist literature, this is an epithet applied to buddhas, most often to Śākyamuni. The Sanskrit term generally means “possessing fortune,” but in specifically Buddhist contexts it implies that a buddha is in possession of six auspicious qualities (bhaga) associated with complete awakening. The Tibetan term‍—where bcom is said to refer to “subduing” the four māras, ldan to “possessing” the great qualities of buddhahood, and ’das to “going beyond” saṃsāra and nirvāṇa‍—possibly reflects the commentarial tradition where the Sanskrit bhagavat is interpreted, in addition, as “one who destroys the four māras.” This is achieved either by reading bhagavat as bhagnavat (“one who broke”), or by tracing the word bhaga to the root √bhañj (“to break”).

The western realm in which the bodhisattva Prajñārciḥ­saṃkopita­daṣṭa became the Buddha Sūrya­garbhārci­vimalendra.

The bodhisattva name that the Buddha Ratnagarbha gives to Mahābalavegadhārin, the youngest of the Veda-reciting pupils of the brahmin Samudrareṇu. The Buddha Ratnagarbha prophesies that he will be the Buddha Roca, the thousand and fifth and the last buddha in the Bhadraka eon.

The term bhikṣu, often translated as “monk,” refers to the highest among the eight types of prātimokṣa vows that make one part of the Buddhist assembly. The Sanskrit term literally means “beggar” or “mendicant,” referring to the fact that Buddhist monks and nuns‍—like other ascetics of the time‍—subsisted on alms (bhikṣā) begged from the laity. In the Tibetan tradition, which follows the Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya, a monk follows 253 rules as part of his moral discipline. A nun (bhikṣuṇī; dge slong ma) follows 364 rules. A novice monk (śrāmaṇera; dge tshul) or nun (śrāmaṇerikā; dge tshul ma) follows thirty-six rules of moral discipline (although in other vinaya traditions novices typically follow only ten).

The term bhikṣuṇī, often translated as “nun,” refers to the highest among the eight types of prātimokṣa vows that make one part of the Buddhist assembly. The Sanskrit term bhikṣu (to which the female grammatical ending ṇī is added) literally means “beggar” or “mendicant,” referring to the fact that Buddhist nuns and monks‍—like other ascetics of the time‍—subsisted on alms (bhikṣā) begged from the laity. In the Tibetan tradition, which follows the Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya, a bhikṣuṇī follows 364 rules and a bhikṣu follows 253 rules as part of their moral discipline.For the first few years of the Buddha’s teachings in India, there was no ordination for women. It started at the persistent request and display of determination of Mahāprajāpatī, the Buddha’s stepmother and aunt, together with five hundred former wives of men of Kapilavastu, who had themselves become monks. Mahāprajāpatī is thus considered to be the founder of the nun’s order.

A level of enlightenment; typically the ten levels of a bodhisattva’s development into a fully enlightened buddha.

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

In the general Mahāyāna teachings the mind of awakening (bodhicitta) is the intention to attain the complete awakening of a perfect buddha for the sake of all beings. On the level of absolute truth, the mind of awakening is the realization of the awakened state itself.

A being who is dedicated to the cultivation and fulfilment of the altruistic intention to attain perfect buddhahood, traversing the ten bodhisattva levels (daśabhūmi, sa bcu). Bodhisattvas purposely opt to remain within cyclic existence in order to liberate all sentient beings, instead of simply seeking personal freedom from suffering. In terms of the view, they realize both the selflessness of persons and the selflessness of phenomena.

The name that the Buddha Ratnagarbha prophesies will be that of one of his eighty brothers (the thirty-fourth) when he becomes a buddha.

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

A celibate lifestyle focused on spiritual pursuits.

A buddha whom Śākyamuni sees in a western buddha realm.

The name that the Buddha Ratnagarbha prophesies will be that of one of his eighty brothers (the thirty-sixth) when he becomes a buddha

The name that the Buddha Ratnagarbha prophesies will be that of one of his eighty brothers (the fifty-seventh) when he becomes a buddha.

The four brahmaviharas are limitless love, compassion, rejoicing, and impartiality. Meditation on these alone is said to bring rebirth in the Brahmā realms.

A buddha whom Śākyamuni sees in a western buddha realm.

A member of the highest of the four castes in Indian society, which is closely associated with religious vocations.

One of the hundred names prophesied by the Buddha Ratnagarbha for 2,500 buddhas, presumably the name of twenty-five of those buddhas.

The name that the Buddha Ratnagarbha prophesies will be that of one of his eighty brothers (the seventh) when he becomes a buddha.

The name that the Buddha Ratnagarbha prophesies will be that of one of his eighty brothers (the twentieth) when he becomes a buddha.

Literally, “circular mass.” There are at least three interpretations of what this name refers to. In the Kṣitigarbha Sūtra, it is a mountain that contains the hells. In that case it is equivalent to the Vaḍaba submarine mountain of fire, also said to be the entrance to the hells. More commonly it is the name of the outer ring of mountains at the edge of the flat disk that is the world, with Sumeru in the center. This is also equated with Vaḍaba, the heat of which evaporates the ocean so that it does not overflow. Jambudvīpa, the world of humans, is in this sea to Sumeru’s south. However, it is also used to mean the entire disk, including Meru and the paradises above it. The Tibetan here is just ’khor yug, but later on it is ’khor yug gi ri, which means the circle of mountains around the world.

An ideal monarch or emperor who, as the result of the merit accumulated in previous lifetimes, rules over a vast realm in accordance with the Dharma. Such a monarch is called a cakravartin because he bears a wheel (cakra) that rolls (vartate) across the earth, bringing all lands and kingdoms under his power. The cakravartin conquers his territory without causing harm, and his activity causes beings to enter the path of wholesome actions. According to Vasubandhu’s Abhidharmakośa, just as with the buddhas, only one cakravartin appears in a world system at any given time. They are likewise endowed with the thirty-two major marks of a great being (mahāpuruṣalakṣaṇa), but a cakravartin’s marks are outshined by those of a buddha. They possess seven precious objects: the wheel, the elephant, the horse, the wish-fulfilling gem, the queen, the general, and the minister. An illustrative passage about the cakravartin and his possessions can be found in The Play in Full (Toh 95), 3.3–3.13. Vasubandhu lists four types of cakravartins: (1) the cakravartin with a golden wheel (suvarṇacakravartin) rules over four continents and is invited by lesser kings to be their ruler; (2) the cakravartin with a silver wheel (rūpyacakravartin) rules over three continents and his opponents submit to him as he approaches; (3) the cakravartin with a copper wheel (tāmracakravartin) rules over two continents and his opponents submit themselves after preparing for battle; and (4) the cakravartin with an iron wheel (ayaścakravartin) rules over one continent and his opponents submit themselves after brandishing weapons.

One of the lower social classes that are outside, and beneath, the four castes.

One of the hundred names prophesied by the Buddha Ratnagarbha for 2,500 buddhas, presumably the name of twenty-five of those buddhas.

The name of a buddha in a northeastern realm that sends bodhisattvas to pay homage to Śākyamuni.

The distant southeastern realm of the Buddha Candrottama long ago in the past, which became Padmā in the time of the next Buddha, Padmottara.

A southern buddha realm that the Buddha Śākyamuni sees.

The deity of the moon. He represents the northeast direction.

The name of the head merchant in the story of Śākyamuni’s previous life as cakravartin Pradīpapradyota.

A bodhisattva who comes from the realm of the Buddha Ratnacandra to the Buddha Ratnagarbha.

One of the thousand sons of King Araṇemin.

A name of the Sahā realm in an earlier eon.

Unidentified flower.

The buddha preceding the Buddha Padmottara in a distant southeastern buddha realm.

A śakra deity who prays to be Samudrareṇu’s son when he is the Buddha Śākyamuni, i.e., Rahula.

The name that the Buddha Ratnagarbha prophesies will be that of one of his eighty brothers (the forty-fourth) when he becomes a buddha.

There are usually six clairvoyances: divine sight, divine hearing, knowing how to manifest miracles, remembering previous lives, knowing what is in the minds of others, and knowing that all defects have been eliminated.

One of the five trees of Indra’s paradise, its heavenly flowers often rain down in salutation of the buddhas and bodhisattvas and are said to be very bright and aromatic, gladdening the hearts of those who see them. In our world, it is a tree native to India, Erythrina indica or Erythrina variegata, commonly known as the Indian coral tree, mandarava tree, flame tree, and tiger’s claw. In the early spring, before its leaves grow, the tree is fully covered in large flowers, which are rich in nectar and attract many birds. Although the most widespread coral tree has red crimson flowers, the color of the blossoms is not usually mentioned in the sūtras themselves, and it may refer to some other kinds, like the rarer Erythrina indica alba, which boasts white flowers.

The mountain that the cakravartin Durdhana, a previous life of Śākyamuni, leaps from in order to make a gift of his body.

One of the thousand sons of King Araṇemin.

The relative nature of phenomena, which arises in dependence upon causes and conditions. Together with the four noble truths, this was the first teaching given by the Buddha.

In the most general sense the devas‍—the term is cognate with the English divine‍—are 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 the Buddha 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), form realm (rūpadhātu), and formless realm (ārūpyadhātu). A being attains rebirth among the devas either through meritorious deeds (in the desire realm) or the attainment of subtle meditative states (in the form and formless realms). While rebirth among the devas is considered favorable, it is ultimately a transitory state 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.

A southern buddha realm that the Buddha Śākyamuni sees.

The name that the Buddha Ratnagarbha prophesies will be that of one of his eighty brothers (the fifty-second) when he becomes a buddha.

The name of an eon in the distant past where most of the events in The White Lotus of Compassion Sūtra take place.

An eastern buddha realm that the Buddha Śākyamuni sees.

The term dhāraṇī has the sense of something that “holds” or “retains,” and so it can refer to the special capacity of practitioners to memorize and recall detailed teachings. It can also refer to a verbal expression of the teachings‍—an incantation, spell, or mnemonic formula‍—that distills and “holds” essential points of the Dharma and is used by practitioners to attain mundane and supramundane goals. The same term is also used to denote texts that contain such formulas.

One of only eight bodhisattvas in the past or future who equal the Buddha Śākyamuni’s generosity in his previous lives.

A bodhisattva who praises the brahmin Samudrareṇu but is not mentioned elsewhere in the sūtra.

A bodhisattva who comes from the realm of the Buddha Prasphulitakusuma­vairocana to the Buddha Ratnagarbha.

Speaker or reciter of scriptures. In early Buddhism a section of the saṅgha would consist of bhāṇakas, who, particularly before the teachings were written down and were only transmitted orally, were a key factor in the preservation of the teachings. Various groups of dharmabhāṇakas specialized in memorizing and reciting a certain set of sūtras or vinaya.

The name that the Buddha Ratnagarbha prophesies will be that of one of his eighty brothers (the thirty-eighth) when he becomes a buddha.

One of the hundred names prophesied by the Buddha Ratnagarbha for 2,500 buddhas, presumably the name of twenty-five of those buddhas.

One of the hundred names prophesied by the Buddha Ratnagarbha for 2,500 buddhas, presumably the name of twenty-five of those buddhas.

One of the hundred names prophesied by the Buddha Ratnagarbha for 2,500 buddhas, presumably the name of twenty-five of those buddhas.

A buddha in a southern buddha realm.

One of the hundred names prophesied by the Buddha Ratnagarbha for 2,500 buddhas, presumably the name of twenty-five of those buddhas.

One of the hundred names prophesied by the Buddha Ratnagarbha for 2,500 buddhas, presumably the name of twenty-five of those buddhas.

The buddha whom the sixth son of King Araṇemin is prophesied to become.

A buddha in a western buddha realm.

A buddha in a southern buddha realm.

One of the four mahārājas, he is the guardian deity for the east and traditionally lord of the gandharvas, though in this sūtra he appears to be king of the nāgas. There is a Dhṛtarāṣṭra in each four-continent world.

One of the hundred names prophesied by the Buddha Ratnagarbha for 2,500 buddhas, presumably the name of twenty-five of those buddhas.

A buddha realm that Prince Amigha makes an aspiration to enter.

One of the hundred names prophesied by the Buddha Ratnagarbha for 2,500 buddhas, presumably the name of twenty-five of those buddhas.

One of the hundred names prophesied by the Buddha Ratnagarbha for 2,500 buddhas, presumably the name of twenty-five of those buddhas.

Dhyāna is defined as one-pointed abiding in an undistracted state of mind, free from afflicted mental states. Four states of dhyāna are identified as being conducive to birth within the form realm. In the context of the Mahāyāna, it is the fifth of the six perfections. It is commonly translated as “concentration,” “meditative concentration,” and so on.

There are eighteen such qualities unique to a buddha, which consist of ten powers, four fearlessnesses, three mindfulnesses, and great compassion.

A brahmin who asks King Ambara, a previous life of Śākyamuni, for his eyes.

The thousandth of the 1,005 buddhas in the Bhadraka eon.

A southern buddha realm that the Buddha Śākyamuni sees.

One of the Buddha Śākyamuni’s previous lives as a cakravartin.

A series of progressively more subtle states of meditative realization or attainment. There are several presentations of these found in the canonical literature. One of the most common is as follows: (1) One observes form while the mind dwells at the level of the form realm. (2) One observes forms externally while discerning formlessness internally. (3) One dwells in the direct experience of the body’s pleasant aspect. (4) One dwells in the realization of the sphere of infinite space by transcending all conceptions of matter, resistance, and diversity. (5) Transcending the sphere of infinite space, one dwells in the realization of the sphere of infinite consciousness. (6) Transcending the sphere of infinite consciousness, one dwells in the realization of the sphere of nothingness. (7) Transcending the sphere of nothingness, one dwells in the realization of the sphere of neither perception nor nonperception. (8) Transcending the sphere of neither perception nor nonperception, one dwells in the realization of the cessation of conception and feeling.

A set of circumstances that do not provide the freedom to practice the Buddhist path: being born in the realms of (1) the hells, (2) hungry ghosts (pretas), (3) animals, or (4) long-lived gods, or in the human realm among (5) barbarians or (6) extremists, (7) in places where the Buddhist teachings do not exist, or (8) without adequate faculties to understand the teachings where they do exist.

Eighteen special features of a buddha’s behavior, realization, activity, and wisdom that are not shared by other beings. They are generally listed as: (1) he never makes a mistake, (2) he is never boisterous, (3) he never forgets, (4) his concentration never falters, (5) he has no notion of distinctness, (6) his equanimity is not due to lack of consideration, (7) his motivation never falters, (8) his endeavor never fails, (9) his mindfulness never falters, (10) he never abandons his concentration, (11) his insight (prajñā) never decreases, (12) his liberation never fails, (13) all his physical actions are preceded and followed by wisdom (jñāna), (14) all his verbal actions are preceded and followed by wisdom, (15) all his mental actions are preceded and followed by wisdom, (16) his wisdom and vision perceive the past without attachment or hindrance, (17) his wisdom and vision perceive the future without attachment or hindrance, and (18) his wisdom and vision perceive the present without attachment or hindrance.

A mountain in a previous eon where, according to this sūtra, medical knowledge was revealed.

Emptiness denotes the ultimate nature of reality, the total absence of inherent existence and self-identity with respect to all phenomena. According to this view, all things and events are devoid of any independent, intrinsic reality that constitutes their essence. Nothing can be said to exist independent of the complex network of factors that gives rise to its origination, nor are phenomena independent of the cognitive processes and mental constructs that make up the conventional framework within which their identity and existence are posited. When all levels of conceptualization dissolve and when all forms of dichotomizing tendencies are quelled through deliberate meditative deconstruction of conceptual elaborations, the ultimate nature of reality will finally become manifest. It is the first of the three gateways to liberation.

The eighty secondary physical characteristics of a buddha and of other great beings (mahāpuruṣa), which include such details as the redness of the fingernails and the blackness of the hair. They are considered “minor” in terms of being secondary to the thirty-two major marks or signs of a great being.

These are (1–4) the four mindfulnesses, which are of body, sensations, mind, and phenomena; (5–8) the four eliminations, which are eliminating the bad that has been created, not creating the bad that has not been created, creating good that has not been created, and increasing what good has been created; (9–12) the four bases of miracles, which are aspiration, diligence, contemplation, and analysis; (13–17) the five powers, which are faith, diligence, mindfulness, meditation, and wisdom; (18–22) the five strengths, which are also faith, diligence, mindfulness, meditation, and wisdom; (23– 29) the seven branches of awakening, which are mindfulness, wisdom, diligence, joy, being well trained, meditation, and equanimity; and (30–37) the eight branches of the noble path, which are right view, thought, speech, effort, livelihood, mindfulness, meditation, and action.

This refers to the four confidences or fearlessnesses of the Buddha: confidence in having attained realization; confidence in having attained elimination; confidence in teaching the Dharma; and confidence in teaching the path of aspiration to liberation.

The five actions that lead to going instantly to hell on death are killing one’s father, killing one’s mother, killing an arhat, splitting the saṅgha, and wounding a buddha so that he bleeds.

The degeneration of lifespan, view, kleśas, beings, and time.

These comprise gods and humans of the higher realms within cyclic existence, along with animals, starving spirits, and the hell dwellers, whose abodes are identified with the lower realms. It is also common to divide the god realm in two, the gods and the asuras, making up six realms or classes of beings (’gro ba drug, ṣaḍgati or rigs drug, ṣaṭkula).

These are five mental impediments that hinder meditation: impediments of desire (kāmacchanda), malice (vyāpāda), depression and sloth (styānamiddha), wildness and excitement (auddhatya­kaukṛtya), and doubt, or perplexity (vicikitsa).

The five tempos of classical music in southern India: chauka (one stroke per beat), vilamba (two strokes per beat), madhyama (four strokes per beat), dhuridha (eight strokes per beat), and adi dhuridha (sixteen strokes per beat).

This is often also interpreted as the acceptance that phenomena are birthless (or nonarising), but strictly speaking the acceptance is not so much an acquiescence regarding the view of nonarising itself as the forbearance regarding phenomena themselves (and the difficulties they may present) that is made possible by realizing that they are birthless. This is said to occur on the first, or in some texts the sixth, bhūmi. It enables bodhisattvas to bear any difficulties entailed by remaining within saṃsāra for eons, and is often said to coincide with the attainment of irreversibility in their progress toward enlightenment.

Buddhas attract disciples through generosity, speaking pleasantly, consistency in action, and acting altruistically.

The four types of fearlessness possessed by all buddhas: They have full confidence that (1) they are fully awakened; (2) they have removed all defilements; (3) they have taught about the obstacles to liberation; and (4) have shown the path to liberation.

Taking what is impermanent to be permanent, what is suffering to be happiness, what is unclean to be clean, and what is not self to be a self.

The same as the four āsrava (“outflows” or “contaminants”), namely (1) sensual desire, (2) conditioned existence, (3) wrong views, and (4) ignorance; also refers to birth, old age, sickness, and death.

The fourfold classification of ways in which beings are born: (1) birth from an egg, (2) birth from a womb, (3) birth from warmth and moisture, and (4) miraculous birth.

Four personifications: devaputramāra (lha’i bu’i bdud), the divine māra, which is the distraction of pleasures; mṛtyumāra (’chi bdag gi bdud) the māra of death; skandhamāra (phung po’i bdud) the māra of the aggregates, which is the body; and kleśamāra (nyon mongs pa’i bdud) māra of the afflictions.

The bodhisattva who was Abhaya, the fifth son of King Araṇemin. As prophesied, he became a pupil of the Buddha Candrottara. After Candrottara’s passing, he became the Buddha Padmottara in the southeastern buddha realm, Padmā, and he is present there during Śākyamuni’s lifetime.

One of the hundred names prophesied by the Buddha Ratnagarbha for 2,500 buddhas, presumably the name of twenty-five of those buddhas.

The bodhisattva who was Himaṇi, the tenth son of King Araṇemin.

A buddha in a previous eon when the Sahā realm was called Arajamerujugupsita.

One of ten names of a thousand buddhas prophesied by the Buddha Ratnagarbha, with presumably a hundred buddhas having this name.

One of ten names of a thousand buddhas prophesied by the Buddha Ratnagarbha, with presumably a hundred buddhas having this name.

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

The name that the Buddha Ratnagarbha prophesies will be that of one of his eighty brothers (the seventy-sixth) when he becomes a buddha.

One of the hundred names prophesied by the Buddha Ratnagarbha for 2,500 buddhas, presumably the name of twenty-five of those buddhas.

One of the hundred names prophesied by the Buddha Ratnagarbha for 2,500 buddhas, presumably the name of twenty-five of those buddhas.

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

A buddha in a southern buddha realm.

One of the hundred names prophesied by the Buddha Ratnagarbha for 2,500 buddhas, presumably the name of twenty-five of those buddhas.

The name that the Buddha Ratnagarbha prophesies will be that of one of his eighty brothers (the sixty-third) when he becomes a buddha.

King Araṇemin’s principal queen.

A particular kind of sandalwood, known as “ox-head,” that grows in southern India. It is reddish in color and has medicinal properties. It is said to have the finest fragrance of all sandalwood. The Sanskrit word go means “ox,” and śīrṣa means “head”; candana means “sandalwood.” The name of this sandalwood is said to derive from either the shape or the name of a mountain upon which it grew.

May refer to the species of coral tree called Erythrina stricta.

Mahānāga here could be a middle-Indic word possibly originating from the Sanskrit mahānagna, meaning “a great champion,” “a man of distinction and nobility.”

The time during which a world is created and destroyed.

One of the thousand sons of King Araṇemin.

One of the hundred names prophesied by the Buddha Ratnagarbha for 2,500 buddhas, presumably the name of twenty-five of those buddhas.

One of the hundred names prophesied by the Buddha Ratnagarbha for 2,500 buddhas, presumably the name of twenty-five of those buddhas.

One of the hundred names prophesied by the Buddha Ratnagarbha for 2,500 buddhas, presumably the name of twenty-five of those buddhas.

One of ten names of a thousand buddhas prophesied by the Buddha Ratnagarbha, with presumably a hundred buddhas having this name.

A southern buddha realm that the Buddha Śākyamuni sees.

The 1,004th of the 1,005th buddhas in the Bhadraka eon. His name in Tibetan is given at its second mention in a longer form. Note the attested Sanskrit does not exactly match the extant Tibetan translations.

A buddha in a western buddha realm.

The tenth son of King Araṇemin who becomes the bodhisattva Gandhahasti and is prophesied to become the Buddha Suvarṇapuṣpa.

The name that the Buddha Ratnagarbha prophesies will be that of one of his eighty brothers (the twenty-third) when he becomes a buddha

Permanently dark places in between the four continents.

The number of years in this eon differs in various sūtras that give a number. Also, twenty intermediate eons are said to be one incalculable eon, and four incalculable eons are one great eon. In that case, those four incalculable eons represent the eons of the creation, presence, destruction, and absence of a world. In this sūtra, buddhas are often described as appearing in a second “incalculable eon.”

The lord of the devas, a principal deity in the Vedas. With Brahma, he was one of the two most important deities during the Buddha’s lifetime. He was later eclipsed by the increasing importance of Śiva and Viṣṇu. See also Śakra.

The third of the thousand sons of King Araṇemin, who becomes bodhisattva Mañjuśrī, and is prophesied to become Buddha Samantadarśin.

The name of a buddha.

A yakṣa who lives in the hollow of a Sal tree where Śākyamuni meditates.

One of the thousand sons of King Araṇemin.

A buddha realm in which the Tathāgata Indra­ghoṣeśvara­rāja resides.

The lowest of the three realms of samsara: desire, form, and formless.

Beings living in the form realm rather than the desire or formless realms.

This eon is one cycle of the increase and decrease of the life span of beings. It is also called “a small eon.” It consists of four ages, or yugas, and the last is the kaliyuga.

A stage in the gradual progression toward buddhahood, from which one will no longer regress to lower states.

The third of the five young brahmin attendants of the brahmin Samudrareṇu. The Buddha Ratnagarbha prophesies that he will be the Buddha Sārthavādi, the 1,002nd of the 1,005 buddhas in the Bhadraka eon.

The best gold in the human world, said to be formed from the fruits of a mythical tree at the Himalayan source of north India’s major rivers.

One of ten names of a thousand buddhas prophesied by the Buddha Ratnagarbha, with presumably a hundred buddhas having this name.

The name that the Buddha Ratnagarbha prophesies will be that of one of his eighty brothers (the eighth) when he becomes a buddha.

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.

The name of an eastern buddha realm.

A southern buddha realm that the Buddha Śākyamuni sees.

“Rose-Apple Tree Park.” The name of the park in which the Buddha Ratnagarbha teaches King Araṇemin and his family and subjects.

Specifically, Jasminium grandiforum, known in English as Spanish, royal, or Catalonian jasmine.

One of the thousand sons of King Araṇemin.

One of the hundred names prophesied by the Buddha Ratnagarbha for 2,500 buddhas, presumably the name of twenty-five of those buddhas.

The future name of the eastern realm Abhirati when the Buddhas Akṣobhya and Suvarṇapuṣpa are succeeded by the Buddha Nāga­vinarditeśvara­ghoṣa.

The name of an eastern buddha realm.

A realm to the west of the Buddha Ratnagarbha’s realm in which resides the Buddha Jitendriya­viśāla­netra.

A common epithet of the buddhas, and also used by the Jains, hence their name. It means “the victorious one.”

Jinamitra was invited to Tibet during the reign of King Trisong Detsen (r. 742–98 ᴄᴇ) and was involved with the translation of nearly two hundred texts, continuing into the reign of King Ralpachen (r. 815–38 ᴄᴇ). He was among the small group of paṇḍitas responsible for the Mahā­vyutpatti Sanskrit–Tibetan dictionary.

A buddha in a western realm who sends bodhisattvas to make offerings to the Buddha Ratnagarbha and Mahākāruṇika.

A buddha in an eastern buddha realm. He is not mentioned anywhere else in the Kangyur.

A buddha in an eastern buddha realm.

One of the hundred names prophesied by the Buddha Ratnagarbha for 2,500 buddhas, presumably the name of twenty-five of those buddhas.

The name that the Buddha Ratnagarbha prophesies will be that of one of his eighty brothers (the nineteenth) when he becomes a buddha.

One of the hundred names prophesied by the Buddha Ratnagarbha for 2,500 buddhas, presumably the name of twenty-five of those buddhas.

A bodhisattva who praises the brahmin Samudrareṇu.

One of the hundred names prophesied by the Buddha Ratnagarbha for 2,500 buddhas, presumably the name of twenty-five of those buddhas.

A buddha during a kaliyuga in the eastern realm Jvālapratisaṃkhyā, who had passed into nirvana and whose Dharma had ended before the time of the Buddha Ratnagarbha.

One of the hundred names prophesied by the Buddha Ratnagarbha for 2,500 buddhas, presumably the name of twenty-five of those buddhas.

One of the hundred names prophesied by the Buddha Ratnagarbha for 2,500 buddhas, presumably the name of twenty-five of those buddhas.

One of the hundred names prophesied by the Buddha Ratnagarbha for 2,500 buddhas, presumably the name of twenty-five of those buddhas.

One of the hundred names prophesied by the Buddha Ratnagarbha for 2,500 buddhas, presumably the name of twenty-five of those buddhas.

One of the hundred names prophesied by the Buddha Ratnagarbha for 2,500 buddhas, presumably the name of twenty-five of those buddhas.

One of the hundred names prophesied by the Buddha Ratnagarbha for 2,500 buddhas, presumably the name of twenty-five of those buddhas.

One of the hundred names prophesied by the Buddha Ratnagarbha for 2,500 buddhas, presumably the name of twenty-five of those buddhas.

One of the hundred names prophesied by the Buddha Ratnagarbha for 2,500 buddhas, presumably the name of twenty-five of those buddhas.

One of the hundred names prophesied by the Buddha Ratnagarbha for 2,500 buddhas, presumably the name of twenty-five of those buddhas.

One of the hundred names prophesied by the Buddha Ratnagarbha for 2,500 buddhas, presumably the name of twenty-five of those buddhas.

The northern realm in which the bodhisattva Samantabhadra , the eighth son of King Araṇemin, is prophesied to become a buddha.

A bodhisattva who comes from the realm of the Buddha Siṃha­vijṛmbhiteśvara­rāja to the Buddha Ratnagarbha.

The buddha whom the bodhisattva Samantabhadra , the eighth son of King Araṇemin, is prophesied to become.

A buddha in a northeastern realm who sends bodhisattvas to pay homage to Śākyamuni.

One of the hundred names prophesied by the Buddha Ratnagarbha for 2,500 buddhas, presumably the name of twenty-five of those buddhas.

One of the hundred names prophesied by the Buddha Ratnagarbha for 2,500 buddhas, presumably the name of twenty-five of those buddhas.

The name of one thousand buddhas prophesied by the Buddha Ratnagarbha.

An eastern buddha realm where during a kaliyuga the Buddha Jñāna­kusumavi­raja­samucchraya­bodhīśvara appeared and passed into nirvāṇa before the time of the Buddha Ratnagarbha.

The name that the Buddha Ratnagarbha prophesies will be that of one of his eighty brothers (the third) when he becomes a buddha.

One of the hundred names prophesied by the Buddha Ratnagarbha for 2,500 buddhas, presumably the name of twenty-five of those buddhas.

The name that the Buddha Ratnagarbha prophesies will be that of one of his eighty brothers (the seventy-ninth) when he becomes a buddha.

The name of a buddha in a southern buddha realm.

The first of the thousand young Veda-reciting brahmins. The Buddha Ratnagarbha prophesies that he will be the Buddha Krakucchanda, the first buddha in the Bhadraka eon.

A type of crystal or quartz (sphaṭika) that may in some cases be blue in color.

A buddha who in accord with his prayers became a buddha in a kaliyuga at the time of the Buddha Ratnagarbha. He is only seven thumbs in size in the realm Aṅguṣṭhā where the beings are the height of a thumb.

A young brahmin who interacts with King Ambara.

A bodhisattva sent by the Buddha Vimalateja­guṇa­rāja to pay homage to Śākyamuni.

A buddha in an eastern buddha realm. He is not mentioned anywhere else in the Kangyur.

One of the hundred names prophesied by the Buddha Ratnagarbha for 2,500 buddhas, presumably the name of twenty-five of those buddhas.

A lord of the asuras who prays to be Samudrareṇu’s attendant when he is the Buddha Śākyamuni, i.e., Ānanda.

The Kāla Mountains of Bharatavarṣa (i.e., India).

The second of the traditional Buddhist list of eight hot hells‍—the “black cord” hell. Explanations vary as to whether these cords or wires cut through a person, burn them, or mark them for cutting up.

The fourth in a repeating cycle of four ages, in which the lives of beings are short and the world is afflicted by famine, illness, and war.

“The beneficial friend,” or “friend of virtue.” A title for a teacher of the spiritual path.

The name that the Buddha Ratnagarbha prophesies will be that of one of his eighty brothers (the fiftieth) when he becomes a buddha.

The name that the Buddha Ratnagarbha prophesies will be that of one of his eighty brothers (the twenty-ninth) when he becomes a buddha.

The second buddha in the Bhadraka eon. The Buddha Ratnagarbha specifically prophesies that the third of Ratnagarbha’s thousand Veda-reciting pupils will be this buddha.

The name that the Buddha Ratnagarbha prophesies will be that of one of his eighty brothers (the fifteenth) when he becomes a buddha.

One of the hundred names prophesied by the Buddha Ratnagarbha for 2,500 buddhas, presumably the name of twenty-five of those buddhas.

The first of the five young brahmin attendants of the brahmin Samudrareṇu. The Buddha Ratnagarbha prophesies that he will be the Buddha Dṛḍhasvara, the thousandth of the 1,005 buddhas in the Bhadraka eon.

A buddha in a western buddha realm.

A realm to the north of the Buddha Ratnagarbha’s realm in which resides the Buddha Lokeśvararāja.

The eastern realm in which Vāyuviṣṇu, the eldest of the thousand Veda-reciting pupils of Samudrareṇu, will become the Buddha Śalendrarāja.

The third buddha in the Bhadraka eon.

A subgroup of pūtanas, a class of disease-causing spirits associated with cemeteries and dead bodies. The name probably derives from the Skt. pūta, “foul-smelling,” as reflected also in the Tib. srul po. The smell of a pūtana is variously described in the texts as resembling that of a billy goat or a crow, and the smell of a kaṭapūtana, as its name suggests, could resemble a corpse, kaṭa being one of the names for “corpse.” The morbid condition caused by pūtanas comes in various forms, with symptoms such as fever, vomiting, diarrhea, skin eruptions, and festering wounds, the latter possibly explaining the association with bad smells.

The name that the Buddha Ratnagarbha prophesies will be that of one of his eighty brothers (the seventeenth) when he becomes a buddha.

A śakra deity who comes to Śākyamuni to have his life extended.

One of the thousand sons of King Araṇemin.

One of the hundred names prophesied by the Buddha Ratnagarbha for 2,500 buddhas, presumably the name of twenty-five of those buddhas.

The personal name of the Brahmā in the world and era of the Buddha Ratnagarbha.

One of the hundred names prophesied by the Buddha Ratnagarbha for 2,500 buddhas, presumably the name of twenty-five of those buddhas.

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

The name that the Buddha Ratnagarbha prophesies will be that of one of his eighty brothers (the seventy-third) when he becomes a buddha.

One of the hundred names prophesied by the Buddha Ratnagarbha for 2,500 buddhas, presumably the name of twenty-five of those buddhas.

A buddha in an eastern buddha realm.

The essentially pure nature of mind is obscured and afflicted by various psychological defilements, which destroy the mind’s peace and composure and lead to unwholesome deeds of body, speech, and mind, acting as causes for continued existence in saṃsāra. Included among them are the primary afflictions of desire (rāga), anger (dveṣa), and ignorance (avidyā). It is said that there are eighty-four thousand of these negative mental qualities, for which the eighty-four thousand categories of the Buddha’s teachings serve as the antidote. Kleśa is also commonly translated as “negative emotions,” “disturbing emotions,” and so on. The Pāli kilesa, Middle Indic kileśa, and Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit kleśa all primarily mean “stain” or “defilement.” The translation “affliction” is a secondary development that derives from the more general (non-Buddhist) classical understanding of √kliś (“to harm,“ “to afflict”). Both meanings are noted by Buddhist commentators.

A deva who made offerings to the Buddha Ratnagarbha.

The fourth of the seven buddhas with Śākyamuni as the seventh. Also the first of the buddhas in this Bhadraka eon, with Śākyamuni as the fourth.

One of the hundred names prophesied by the Buddha Ratnagarbha for 2,500 buddhas, presumably the name of twenty-five of those buddhas.

The name of an eastern buddha realm.

One of the thousand sons of King Araṇemin.

A realm with the five degeneracies in which the bodhisattvas Saṃrocana and Prahasitabāhu, both pupils of the Buddha Śākyamuni, are prophesied to become buddhas.

One of the hundred names prophesied by the Buddha Ratnagarbha for 2,500 buddhas, presumably the name of twenty-five of those buddhas.

A mendicant who asks King Ambara, a previous life of Śākyamuni, for his hands.

A class of dwarf beings subordinate to Virūḍhaka, one of the Four Great Kings, associated with the southern direction. The name uses a play on the word aṇḍa, which means “egg” but is also a euphemism for a testicle. Thus, they are often depicted as having testicles as big as pots (from kumbha, or “pot”).

One of the hundred names prophesied by the Buddha Ratnagarbha for 2,500 buddhas, presumably the name of twenty-five of those buddhas.

The name of an eastern buddha realm.

The name of an eastern buddha realm.

Distinctive Indian assembly hall or temple with one ground-floor room and a high ornamental roof, sometimes a barrel shape with apses but more usually a tapering roof, tower, or spire, it contains at least one additional upper room within the structure. Kūṭāgāra literally means “upper chamber” and is short for kūṭāgāraśala, “hall with an upper chamber or chambers.” The Mahābodhi temple in Bodhgaya is an example of a kūṭāgāra.

One of the hundred names prophesied by the Buddha Ratnagarbha for 2,500 buddhas, presumably the name of twenty-five of those buddhas.

A buddha in the distant past with whom the past Buddha Jñāna­kusumavi­raja­samucchraya­bodhīśvara first developed the aspiration to enlightenment.

A buddha in a northern realm who sends bodhisattvas to make offerings to the Buddha Ratnagarbha and Mahākāruṇika.

Honorific term for a Tibetan translator.

One of the thousand sons of King Araṇemin.

An ancient Indian kingdom that lay to the south of the Ganges River in what today is the state of Bihar. Magadha was the largest of the sixteen “great states” (mahājanapada) that flourished between the sixth and third centuries ʙᴄᴇ in northern India. During the life of the Buddha Śākyamuni, it was ruled by King Bimbisāra and later by Bimbisāra's son, Ajātaśatru. Its capital was initially Rājagṛha (modern-day Rajgir) but was later moved to Pāṭaliputra (modern-day Patna). Over the centuries, with the expansion of the Magadha’s might, it became the capital of the vast Mauryan empire and seat of the great King Aśoka.This region is home to many of the most important Buddhist sites, including Bodh Gayā, where the Buddha attained awakening; Vulture Peak (Gṛdhra­kūṭa), where the Buddha bestowed many well-known Mahāyāna sūtras; and the Buddhist university of Nālandā that flourished between the fifth and twelfth centuries ᴄᴇ, among many others.

The youngest of the thousand young Veda-reciting pupils of the brahmin Samudrareṇu. The Buddha Ratnagarbha names him the bodhisattva Bhaiṣajya­rāja­jyotirvi­mala and prophesies that he will be the Buddha Roca, the last buddha in the Bhadraka eon, the 1,005th buddha of the eon.

Name of a mountain range in Buddhist cosmology.

Literally “The Peaceful Illumination of Great Compassion.”A bodhisattva who was the kalyāṇamitra and benefactor of the tathāgata Ratnagarbha. He now resides in the world realm Aṅguṣṭhā.

The bodhisattva name given to the brahmin Samudrareṇu (who would eventually become the Buddha Śākyamuni) on account of his great compassion for beings. It means “One Who Has Great Compassion.”

One of the hundred names prophesied by the Buddha Ratnagarbha for 2,500 buddhas, presumably the name of twenty-five of those buddhas.

The maternal aunt and adoptive mother of the Buddha as well as the first woman to be ordained.

One of the hundred names prophesied by the Buddha Ratnagarbha for 2,500 buddhas, presumably the name of twenty-five of those buddhas.

Deities on the base of Mount Meru, each one the guardian of his direction: Vaiśravaṇa in the north, Dhṛtarāṣṭra in the east, Virūpākṣa in the west, and Virūḍhaka in the south.

The fourth of the hot hells in Buddhism. The name in Tibetan means “weeping and wailing.”

The term can be understood to mean “great courageous one” or "great hero,” or (from the Sanskrit) simply “great being,” and is almost always found as an epithet of “bodhisattva.” The qualification “great” in this term, according to the majority of canonical definitions, focuses on the generic greatness common to all bodhisattvas, i.e., the greatness implicit in the bodhisattva vow itself in terms of outlook, aspiration, number of beings to be benefited, potential or eventual accomplishments, and so forth. In this sense the mahā- (“great”) is close in its connotations to the mahā- in “Mahāyāna.” While individual bodhisattvas described as mahāsattva may in many cases also be “great” in terms of their level of realization, this is largely coincidental, and in the canonical texts the epithet is not restricted to bodhisattvas at any particular point in their career. Indeed, in a few cases even bodhisattvas whose path has taken a wrong direction are still described as bodhisattva mahāsattva.Later commentarial writings do nevertheless define the term‍—variably‍—in terms of bodhisattvas having attained a particular level (bhūmi) or realization. The most common qualifying criteria mentioned are attaining the path of seeing, attaining irreversibility (according to its various definitions), or attaining the seventh bhūmi.In chapter 4 of this text (see 4.­513) the Buddha Ratnagarbha states that bodhisattvas who have vowed to attain awakening under relatively easier circumstances do not deserve the title mahāsattva, which should be reserved for those like Mahākāruṇika who have vowed to attain awakening only in the most degenerate and difficult times and places. However, this statement is best taken as highlighting a specific point of perspective rather than as a general gloss, since throughout the text the term is nevertheless used‍—just as it is in most Mahāyāna sūtras‍—as an epithet for bodhisattvas in general regardless of their individual status, qualities, or aspirations.

One of the two principal bodhisattvas in Sukhāvatī and prominent in Chinese Buddhism. In Tibetan Buddhism he is identified with Vajrapāṇi, though they are separate bodhisattvas in the sūtras. The second of the thousand sons of King Araṇemin, on becoming a bodhisattva, is given the name Mahāsthāmaprāpta, and as such in the future will be in Sukhāvatī as that bodhisattva when his father becomes the Buddha Amitābha. He will eventually become the Buddha Supra­tiṣṭhita­guṇa­maṇikūṭa­rāja in that realm.

One of the hundred names prophesied by the Buddha Ratnagarbha for 2,500 buddhas, presumably the name of twenty-five of those buddhas.

When the Buddhist teachings are classified according to their power to lead beings to an awakened state, a distinction is made between the teachings of the Lesser Vehicle (Hīnayāna), which emphasizes the individual’s own freedom from cyclic existence as the primary motivation and goal, and those of the Great Vehicle (Mahāyāna), which emphasizes altruism and has the liberation of all sentient beings as the principal objective. As the term “Great Vehicle” implies, the path followed by bodhisattvas is analogous to a large carriage that can transport a vast number of people to liberation, as compared to a smaller vehicle for the individual practitioner.

The name that the Buddha Ratnagarbha prophesies will be that of one of his eighty brothers (the twenty-fifth) when he becomes a buddha.

One of the most frequently used names for Śiva.

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

The bodhisattva who became Śākyamuni’s regent and is prophesied to be the next buddha, the fifth buddha in the Bhadraka eon. In early Buddhism he appears as the human disciple sent to pay his respects by his teacher, and the Buddha gives him the gift of a robe and prophesies he will be the next Buddha, while his companion Ajita will be the next cakravartin. As a bodhisattva he has both of these names. In The White Lotus of Compassion Sūtra, the Buddha Ratnagarbha prophesies that Vimalavaiśayana, the fourth of the thousand young Veda-reciting pupils of Samudrareṇu, will be the Buddha Maitreya.

One of the thousand sons of King Araṇemin.

An unidentified flower.

One of the thousand sons of King Araṇemin.

The name that the Buddha Ratnagarbha prophesies will be that of one of his eighty brothers (the sixtieth) when he becomes a buddha

A southern buddha realm that the Buddha Śākyamuni sees.

Unidentified soft white flowers said to bloom in the deva realms.

Mañjuśrī is one of the “eight close sons of the Buddha” and a bodhisattva who embodies wisdom. He is a major figure in the Mahāyāna sūtras, appearing often as an interlocutor of the Buddha. In his most well-known iconographic form, he is portrayed bearing the sword of wisdom in his right hand and a volume of the Prajñā­pāramitā­sūtra in his left. To his name, Mañjuśrī, meaning “Gentle and Glorious One,” is often added the epithet Kumārabhūta, “having a youthful form.” He is also called Mañjughoṣa, Mañjusvara, and Pañcaśikha.

An epithet of Mañjuśrī, the “Ever-Youthful.”

One of the hundred names prophesied by the Buddha Ratnagarbha for 2,500 buddhas, presumably the name of twenty-five of those buddhas.

A buddha in a southern buddha realm.

Māra, literally “death” or “maker of death,” is the name of the deva who tried to prevent the Buddha from achieving awakening, the name given to the class of beings he leads, and also an impersonal term for the destructive forces that keep beings imprisoned in saṃsāra: (1) As a deva, Māra is said to be the principal deity in the Heaven of Making Use of Others’ Emanations (paranirmitavaśavartin), the highest paradise in the desire realm. He famously attempted to prevent the Buddha’s awakening under the Bodhi tree‍—see The Play in Full (Toh 95), 21.1‍—and later sought many times to thwart the Buddha’s activity. In the sūtras, he often also creates obstacles to the progress of śrāvakas and bodhisattvas. (2) The devas ruled over by Māra are collectively called mārakāyika or mārakāyikadevatā, the “deities of Māra’s family or class.” In general, these māras too do not wish any being to escape from saṃsāra, but can also change their ways and even end up developing faith in the Buddha, as exemplified by Sārthavāha; see The Play in Full (Toh 95), 21.14 and 21.43. (3) The term māra can also be understood as personifying four defects that prevent awakening, called (i) the divine māra (devaputra­māra), which is the distraction of pleasures; (ii) the māra of Death (mṛtyumāra), which is having one’s life interrupted; (iii) the māra of the aggregates (skandhamāra), which is identifying with the five aggregates; and (iv) the māra of the afflictions (kleśamāra), which is being under the sway of the negative emotions of desire, hatred, and ignorance.

A buddha in a northeastern realm who sends bodhisattvas to pay homage to Śākyamuni.

One of the hundred names prophesied by the Buddha Ratnagarbha for 2,500 buddhas, presumably the name of twenty-five of those buddhas.

The twelfth of the thousand sons of King Araṇemin. No details are given of the prophecy given to him.

The name that the Buddha Ratnagarbha prophesies will be that of one of his eighty brothers (the sixty-first) when he becomes a buddha.

One of the hundred names prophesied by Buddha Ratnagarbha for 2,500 buddhas, presumably the name of twenty-five of those buddhas.

One of the principal śrāvaka disciples of the Buddha, paired with Śāriputra. He was renowned for his miraculous powers. His family clan was descended from Mudgala, hence his name Maudgalyā­yana, “the son of Mudgala’s descendants.” Respectfully referred to as Mahā­maudgalyā­yana, “Great Maudgalyāyana.”

The queen who was the mother of Śākyamuni Buddha.

According to ancient Buddhist cosmology, this is the great mountain forming the axis of the universe. At its summit is 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 principal island continents lie: in the south, Jambudvīpa (our world); in the west, Godānīya; in the north, Uttarakuru; and in the east, Pūrvavideha. Above it are the abodes of the desire realm gods. It is variously referred to as Meru, Mount Meru, Sumeru, and Mount Sumeru.

The name of an eastern buddha realm that the Buddha Śākyamuni can see.

Sixty intermediate eons after Indraghoṣeśvararāja has passed into parinirvāṇa and his dharma has come too an end, the buddha realm Indrasuvirājitā will be named Meruprabhā. The Tathāgata Acintyamatiguṇarāja will reside in this buddha realm and give teachings.

A southern buddha realm that the Buddha Śākyamuni sees.

A yakṣa ṛṣi who promises Śākyamuni that he will promulgate The White Lotus of Compassion Sūtra in the future.

A buddha in a northeastern realm who sends bodhisattvas to pay homage to Śākyamuni.

The name of a bodhisattva who had prayed to be a buddha in a kaliyuga and by the time of the Buddha Ratnagarbha had become the Buddha Jñāna­kusumavi­raja­samucchraya­bodhīśvara and passed into nirvana.

One of the hundred names prophesied by the Buddha Ratnagarbha for 2,500 buddhas, presumably the name of twenty-five of those buddhas.

A buddha in an eastern buddha realm. He is not mentioned anywhere else in the Kangyur.

One of the thousand sons of King Araṇemin. The Tibetan translates the term siddha.

Unidentified mountains.

One of the thousand sons of King Araṇemin.

One of the thousand sons of King Araṇemin.

A southern buddha realm that the Buddha Śākyamuni sees.

The name that the Buddha Ratnagarbha prophesies will be that of one of his eighty brothers (the sixteenth) when he becomes a buddha.

One of the hundred names prophesied by the Buddha Ratnagarbha for 2,500 buddhas, presumably the name of twenty-five of those buddhas.

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

The name that the Buddha Ratnagarbha prophesies will be that of one of his eighty brothers (the seventy-first) when he becomes a buddha.

A buddha in an eastern buddha realm.

The buddha who succeeds the Buddhas Akṣobhya and Suvarṇapuṣpa in the realm Abhirati, by then renamed Jayasoma, as prophesied of King Araṇemin’s eleventh son, Siṃha.

One of ten names of a thousand buddhas prophesied by the Buddha Ratnagarbha, with presumably a hundred buddhas having this name.

One of the two names prophesied by the Buddha Ratnagarbha for a group of a thousand buddhas, with presumably five hundred buddhas having this name.

One of the hundred names prophesied by the Buddha Ratnagarbha for 2,500 buddhas, presumably the name of twenty-five of those buddhas.

A buddha in a southern buddha realm.

One of the thousand sons of King Araṇemin.

One of the eight great nāga kings.

The name that the Buddha Ratnagarbha prophesies will be that of one of his eighty brothers (the twenty-seventh) when he becomes a buddha.

An alternate name for Viṣṇu (khyab ’jug).

The name that the Buddha Ratnagarbha prophesies will be that of one of his eighty brothers (the thirteenth) when he becomes a buddha.

The name that the Buddha Ratnagarbha prophesies will be that of one of his eighty brothers (the seventy-eighth) when he becomes a buddha.

One of the hundred names prophesied by the Buddha Ratnagarbha for 2,500 buddhas, presumably the name of twenty-five of those buddhas.

The name given for a buddha in a southern buddha realm.

A southern buddha realm that the Buddha Śākyamuni sees. Note that the Tibetan zla bsgrags would better match the Sanskrit nardacandra, but the attested Sanskrit instead reads Nardaścoca, which we have chosen to preserve here.

One of the thousand sons of King Araṇemin.

A previous life of Śākyamuni as a nāga king.

Nyctanthes arbor tristis. Also known as coral jasmine, parijat, parijatha, and shephalika.

The eastern realm in which the seventh son of King Araṇemin will become a buddha.

The second of the thousand sons of King Araṇemin, who in becoming a bodhisattva is given the name Mahāsthāmaprāpta, and as such in the future will be in Sukhāvatī as that bodhisattva when his father becomes the Buddha Amitābha. He will eventually become in that realm the Buddha Supra­tiṣṭhita­guṇa­maṇikūṭa­rāja.

The fifth (counting from the lowest) of the six paradises in the desire realm.

In Sanskrit, the term nirvāṇa literally means “extinguishment” and the Tibetan mya ngan las ’das pa literally means “gone beyond sorrow.” As a general term, it refers to the cessation of all suffering, afflicted mental states (kleśa), and causal processes (karman) that lead to rebirth and suffering in cyclic existence, as well as to the state in which all such rebirth and suffering has permanently ceased.More specifically, three main types of nirvāṇa are identified. (1) The first type of nirvāṇa, called nirvāṇa with remainder (sopadhiśeṣanirvāṇa), is the state in which arhats or buddhas have attained awakening but are still dependent on the conditioned aggregates until their lifespan is exhausted. (2) At the end of life, given that there are no more causes for rebirth, these aggregates cease and no new aggregates arise. What occurs then is called nirvāṇa without remainder ( anupadhiśeṣanirvāṇa), which refers to the unconditioned element (dhātu) of nirvāṇa in which there is no remainder of the aggregates. (3) The Mahāyāna teachings distinguish the final nirvāṇa of buddhas from that of arhats, the nirvāṇa of arhats not being considered ultimate. The buddhas attain what is called nonabiding nirvāṇa (apratiṣṭhitanirvāṇa), which transcends the extremes of saṃsāra and nirvāṇa, i.e., existence and peace. This is the nirvāṇa that is the goal of the Mahāyāna path.

A realm to the south of the Buddha Ratnagarbha’s realm in which resides the Buddha Siṃhavijṛṃbhiteśvararāja.

The name that the Buddha Ratnagarbha prophesies will be that of one of his eighty brothers (the twenty-eighth) when he becomes a buddha.

Literally, “to flow” or “to ooze.” Mental defilements or contaminations that “flow out” toward the objects of cyclic existence, binding us to them. Vasubandhu offers two alternative explanations of this term: “They cause beings to remain (āsayanti) within saṃsāra” and “They flow from the Summit of Existence down to the Avīci hell, out of the six wounds that are the sense fields” (Abhidharma­kośa­bhāṣya 5.40; Pradhan 1967, p. 308). The Summit of Existence (bhavāgra, srid pa’i rtse mo) is the highest point within saṃsāra, while the hell called Avīci (mnar med) is the lowest; the six sense fields (āyatana, skye mched) here refer to the five sense faculties plus the mind, i.e., the six internal sense fields.

The southeastern realm of the Buddha Padmottara.

The buddha whom the bodhisattva Gaganamudra becomes, who is a contemporary of Śākyamuni and seen in his southeastern realm by many of Śākyamuni’s bodhisattva disciples.

A buddha in a northeastern realm who sends bodhisattvas to pay homage to Śākyamuni.

A southern buddha realm that Buddha Śākyamuni sees.

Unidentified mountains.

An ājīvika ascetic who asks King Puṇyabala, a previous life of the Buddha Śākyamuni, for his eyes and skin.

A gandharva prominent in early Buddhism who is featured on early stūpa reliefs playing a lute and singing.

An official title for a learned scholar in India.

One of the thousand sons of King Araṇemin.

A śakra deity who prays to be Samudrareṇu’s disciple with miraculous powers when he is the Buddha Śākyamuni, i.e., Maudgalyāyana.

The principal deity in the Para­nirmitavaśavartin paradise, which is the highest in the desire realm.

This refers to what occurs at the end of an arhat’s or a buddha’s life. When nirvāṇa is attained at awakening, whether as an arhat or buddha, all suffering, afflicted mental states (kleśa), and causal processes (karman) that lead to rebirth and suffering in cyclic existence have ceased, but due to previously accumulated karma, the aggregates of that life remain and must still exhaust themselves. It is only at the end of life that these cease, and since no new aggregates arise, the arhat or buddha is said to attain parinirvāṇa, meaning “complete” or “final” nirvāṇa. This is synonymous with the attainment of nirvāṇa without remainder (anupadhiśeṣanirvāṇa). According to the Mahāyāna view of a single vehicle (ekayāna), the arhat’s parinirvāṇa at death, despite being so called, is not final. The arhat must still enter the bodhisattva path and reach buddhahood (see Unraveling the Intent, Toh 106, 7.14.) On the other hand, the parinirvāṇa of a buddha, ultimately speaking, should be understood as a display manifested for the benefit of beings; see The Teaching on the Extraordinary Transformation That Is the Miracle of Attaining the Buddha’s Powers (Toh 186), 1.32. The term parinirvāṇa is also associated specifically with the passing away of the Buddha Śākyamuni, in Kuśinagara, in northern India.

The six perfections of generosity, conduct, patience, diligence, meditation, and wisdom.

A class of nonhuman beings that, like several other classes of nonhuman beings, take spontaneous birth. Ranking below rākṣasas, they are less powerful and more akin to pretas. They are said to dwell in impure and perilous places, where they feed on impure things, including flesh. This could account for the name piśāca, which possibly derives from √piś, to carve or chop meat, as reflected also in the Tibetan sha za, “meat eater.” They are often described as having an unpleasant appearance, and at times they appear with animal bodies. Some possess the ability to enter the dead bodies of humans, thereby becoming so-called vetāla, to touch whom is fatal.

A collection of canonical texts according to subject, the piṭakas are usually Vinaya, Sūtra and Abhidharma. There is also, as in this sūtra, the collection of Mahāyana teachings known as the bodhisattvapiṭaka. Originates from the term “baskets” originally used to contain these collections.

The five powers: faith, mindfulness, diligence, samādhi, and wisdom.

One of the hundred names prophesied by the Buddha Ratnagarbha for 2,500 buddhas, presumably the name of twenty-five of those buddhas.

A buddha in an eastern buddha realm.

The buddha whom the seventh son of King Araṇemin is prophesied to become.

Śākyamuni’s previous life as a cakravartin who gave away everything including parts of his body.

The seventh buddha of the Bhadraka eon. The Buddha Ratnagarbha prophesies that an unnamed Veda-reciting pupil of Samudrareṇu will be the Buddha Pradyota.

A pupil of the Buddha Śākyamuni who is one of only eight bodhisattvas in the past or future who equal Śākyamuni’s generosity in his previous lives.

The name of one thousand buddhas prophesied by the Buddha Ratnagarbha.

A bodhisattva who comes from the realm of the Buddha Lokeśvararāja to the Buddha Ratnagarbha.

One of only eight bodhisattvas in the past or future who equal the Buddha Śākyamuni’s generosity in his previous lives.

The name that the Buddha Ratnagarbha prophesies will be that of one of his eighty brothers (the twenty-fourth) when he becomes a buddha.

An Indian scholar who came to Tibet during the reign of Tri Songdetsen and was involved in the translation of this text. He is listed as a translator of seventy-seven works.

The name that the Buddha Ratnagarbha prophesies will be that of one of his eighty brothers (the thirty-seventh) when he becomes a buddha.

A vajra seat. “A Congregation of the Aromas of Variegated Wisdom and Tranquil Patience.”

A buddha in a realm in the upward direction who sends bodhisattvas to make offerings to the Buddha Ratnagarbha.

The “very hot” hell; the seventh of the eight hot hells.

The regulations and rules that constitute Buddhist discipline. The number and scope of the vows differs depending on one’s status (whether lay, novice monastic, or full monastic) and whether one is a monk or a nun.

Literally, “buddha for oneself” or “solitary realizer.” Someone who, in his or her last life, attains awakening entirely through their own contemplation, without relying on a teacher. Unlike the awakening of a fully realized buddha (samyaksambuddha), the accomplishment of a pratyeka­buddha is not regarded as final or ultimate. They attain realization of the nature of dependent origination, the selflessness of the person, and a partial realization of the selflessness of phenomena, by observing the suchness of all that arises through interdependence. This is the result of progress in previous lives but, unlike a buddha, they do not have the necessary merit, compassion or motivation to teach others. They are named as “rhinoceros-like” (khaḍgaviṣāṇakalpa) for their preference for staying in solitude or as “congregators” (vargacārin) when their preference is to stay among peers.

The way of the pratyekabuddha, particularly characterized by contemplation on the twelve phases of dependent origination.

A name of the Sahā realm in an earlier eon.

The name that the Buddha Ratnagarbha prophesies will be that of one of his eighty brothers (the forty-fifth) when he becomes a buddha.

One of the five or six classes of sentient beings, into which beings are born as the karmic fruition of past miserliness. As the term in Sanskrit means “the departed,” they are analogous to the ancestral spirits of Vedic tradition, the pitṛs, who starve without the offerings of descendants. It is also commonly translated as “hungry ghost” or “starving spirit,” as in the Chinese 餓鬼 e gui.They are sometimes said to reside in the realm of Yama, but are also frequently described as roaming charnel grounds and other inhospitable or frightening places along with piśācas and other such beings. They are particularly known to suffer from great hunger and thirst and the inability to acquire sustenance.

The 1,003rd of the 1,005 buddhas in the Bhadraka eon.

The Buddha Śākyamuni’s previous life as a caṇḍāla who became a cakravartin.

One of the hundred names prophesied by the Buddha Ratnagarbha for 2,500 buddhas, presumably the name of twenty-five of those buddhas. It is also the name given for a buddha in a southern buddha realm.

The name of a māra who becomes a disciple of the Buddha.

The name that the Buddha Ratnagarbha prophesies will be that of one of his eighty brothers (the ninth) when he becomes a buddha.

A class of disease-causing spirits associated with cemeteries and dead bodies. The name probably derives from the Skt. pūta, “foul-smelling,” as reflected also in the Tib. srul po. The smell is variously described in the texts as resembling that of a billy goat or a crow. The morbid condition caused by the spirit shares its name and comes in various forms, with symptoms such as fever, vomiting, diarrhea, skin eruptions, and festering wounds, the latter possibly explaining the association with bad smells.

One of the thirty million brahmin pupils of the brahmin Samudrareṇu, whom the Buddha Ratnagarbha prophesies will become the Buddha Ratna­cchatrābhyudgata­raśmi in the realm Rutasañcaya.

One of the thousand sons of King Araṇemin.

A bodhisattva sent by the Buddha Vimalateja­guṇa­rāja to pay homage to Śākyamuni.

One of the thousand sons of King Araṇemin.

One of the thousand sons of King Araṇemin.

One of the thousand sons of King Araṇemin.

Son of Prince Siddhārtha Gautama, who, when the latter attained awakening as the Buddha Śākyamuni, became a monk and eventually one of his foremost śrāvaka disciples

One of the thousand sons of King Araṇemin.

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

One of the thousand sons of King Araṇemin.

A class of nonhuman beings that are often, but certainly not always, considered demonic in the Buddhist tradition. They are often depicted as flesh-eating monsters who haunt frightening places and are ugly and evil-natured with a yearning for human flesh, and who additionally have miraculous powers, such as being able to change their appearance.

One of the thousand sons of King Araṇemin.

One of the thousand sons of King Araṇemin.

The name of a buddha.

One of ten names of a thousand buddhas prophesied by the Buddha Ratnagarbha, with presumably a hundred buddhas having this name.

One of the hundred names prophesied by the Buddha Ratnagarbha for 2,500 buddhas, presumably the name of twenty-five of those buddhas.

The name that the Buddha Ratnagarbha prophesies will be that of one of his eighty brothers (the seventieth) when he becomes a buddha.

The name of an eastern buddha realm.

A buddha in an eastern buddha realm.

The buddha in the eastern realm Ratnavicayā at the time of the Buddha Ratnagarbha.

The name that the Buddha Ratnagharba prophesies that Radiant Bull, one of the thirty million pupils of Samudrareṇu, will have at buddhahood.

A buddha in the distant past in whose presence many beings, including the Buddha Jyotīrasa, developed the aspiration to become a buddha during a kaliyuga. Note that the Tibetan translation of the name differs from the Sanskrit form found in the available Sanskrit manuscripts.

One of the hundred names prophesied by the Buddha Ratnagarbha for 2,500 buddhas, presumably the name of twenty-five of those buddhas.

One of the eighty-one sons of Samudrareṇu, the chief court priest of King Araṇemin. The Buddha Ratnagarbha prophesies the buddhahood of Samudrareṇu’s thirty million pupils.

A buddha in a western buddha realm.

One of the hundred names prophesied by the Buddha Ratnagarbha for 2,500 buddhas, presumably the name of twenty-five of those buddhas.

A buddha in a southern buddha realm.

The bodhisattva who received this name from the Buddha Ratnagarbha when he was the eleventh son of King Araṇemin. The Buddha Ratnagarbha prophesied he will succeed the buddhas Akṣobhya and Suvarṇapuṣpa as the Buddha Nāga­vinarditeśvara­ghoṣa.

The name of a bodhisattva who comes to the Buddha Ratnagarbha from the realm of the Buddha Ratnacandra.

The buddha that Samudrareṇu’s oldest son Samudreśvara is prophesied to become.

The name that the Buddha Ratnagarbha prophesies will be that of one of his eighty brothers (the eleventh) when he becomes a buddha.

The name that the Buddha Ratnagarbha prophesies will be that of one of his eighty brothers (the thirty-second) when he becomes a buddha.

A buddha in a southern buddha realm.

One of the hundred names prophesied by the Buddha Ratnagarbha for 2,500 buddhas, presumably the name of twenty-five of those buddhas.

The bodhisattva who asks the Buddha to teach about Buddha Padmottara.

The eastern realm of the Buddha Ratnacandra during the lifetime of the Buddha Ratnagarbha.

A southern buddha realm that the Buddha Śākyamuni sees.

One of the hundred names prophesied by the Buddha Ratnagarbha for 2,500 buddhas, presumably the name of twenty-five of those buddhas.

The name of a buddha.

One of the thousand sons of King Araṇemin.

Unidentified flowers.

The last buddha of the Bhadraka eon, which according to The White Lotus of Compassion Sūtra is the 1,005th buddha. The Buddha Ratnagarbha prophesied that the youngest of the thousand Veda-reciting pupils of the brahmin Samudrareṇu would be the Buddha Roca.

The brahmin who asks King Ambara for his feet.

A deva who made offerings to the Buddha Ratnagarbha.

For a monk these would be breaking the vows of not killing, not stealing, celibacy, and Dharma lies.

An ancient Indian spiritual title, often translated as “sage” or “seer.” The title is particularly used for divinely inspired individuals credited with creating the foundations of Indian culture. The term is also applied to Śākyamuni and other realized Buddhist figures.

A name of Jambudvīpa in an earlier eon.

The name of the eon in which, according to the prophecy of the Buddha Ratnagarbha, the young brahmin Radiant Bull will become the Buddha Ratna­cchatrābhyudgata­raśmi in the realm Rutasañcaya.

The realm in which the Buddha Ratnagarbha prophesies Samudrareṇu’s pupil Radiant Bull will become the Buddha Ratna­cchatrābhyudgata­raśmi.

A buddha in a northeastern realm who sends bodhisattvas to pay homage to Śākyamuni.

One of the hundred names prophesied by the Buddha Ratnagarbha for 2,500 buddhas, presumably the name of twenty-five of those buddhas.

The name for our world system, the universe of a thousand million worlds, or trichiliocosm, in which the four-continent world is located. Each trichiliocosm is ruled by a god Brahmā; thus, in this context, he bears the title of Sahāṃpati, Lord of Sahā. The world system of Sahā, or Sahālokadhātu, is also described as the buddhafield of the Buddha Śākyamuni where he teaches the Dharma to beings. The name Sahā possibly derives from the Sanskrit √sah, “to bear, endure, or withstand.” It is often interpreted as alluding to the inhabitants of this world being able to endure the suffering they encounter. The Tibetan translation, mi mjed, follows along the same lines. It literally means “not painful,” in the sense that beings here are able to bear the suffering they experience.

The name of the bodhisattva Sārakusumita on becoming a buddha.

The northern realm in which the bodhisattva Sārakusumita became the Buddha Sahetu­kṛṣṇa­vidhvaṃsana­rāja.

The name that the Buddha Ratnagarbha prophesies will be that of one of his eighty brothers (the thirtieth) when he becomes a buddha.

One of the hundred names prophesied by the Buddha Ratnagarbha for 2,500 buddhas, presumably the name of twenty-five of those buddhas.

The name that the Buddha Ratnagarbha prophesies will be that of one of his eighty brothers (the fifth) when he becomes a buddha

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

An epithet for the historical Buddha, Siddhārtha Gautama: he was a muni (“sage”) from the Śākya clan. He is counted as the fourth of the first four buddhas of the present Good Eon, the other three being Krakucchanda, Kanakamuni, and Kāśyapa. He will be followed by Maitreya, the next buddha in this eon.

A buddha in a southern buddha realm.

The name that the Buddha Ratnagarbha prophesies will be that of one of his eighty brothers (the seventy-seventh) when he becomes a buddha.

A buddha of the distant past of whom the bodhisattva Maitreya states he was a pupil.

The name of a buddha in a northeastern realm who sends bodhisattvas to pay homage to Śākyamuni.

The Buddha Ratnagarbha prophesies that Vāyuviṣṇu, the eldest of the thousand young Veda-reciting brahmins, will become a buddha with this name.

One of the hundred names prophesied by the Buddha Ratnagarbha for 2,500 buddhas, presumably the name of twenty-five of those buddhas.

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 Drajor Bamponyipa (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.

One of the eight principal bodhisattvas who figures strongly in the Gaṇḍavyūha, which is the final chapter of the Avataṃsaka Sūtra, and also in the Lotus Sūtra.

The name of the bodhisattva the eighth son of King Araṇemin will become.

The name of the buddha whom the fourth son of King Araṇemin will become. Distinct from the primordial buddha with the same name in the Nyingma tradition.

The buddha whom the bodhisattva Mañjuśrī is prophesied to become.

A buddha in a western buddha realm.

One of the hundred names prophesied by the Buddha Ratnagarbha for 2,500 buddhas, presumably the name of twenty-five of those buddhas.

The name of Avalokiteśvara when he succeeds the Buddha Amitābha as the next buddha in his realm.

One of the basic forms of Buddhist meditation, which focuses on calming the mind. Often presented as part of a pair of meditation techniques, with the other technique being vipaśyana.

The second of the brahmin Samudrareṇu’s eighty sons. The Buddha Ratnagarbha prophesies that he will become the Buddha Vairocanakusuma.

The name that the Buddha Ratnagarbha prophesies will be that of one of his eighty brothers (the sixty-sixth) when he becomes a buddha.

The third of the eight hot hells. The “crushing” hell.

An ājīvika ascetic who asks King Ambara, a previous life of Śākyamuni, for his genitalia. Also the name of an eastern buddha realm. The Sanskrit is also the name for one of the hells, which in Tibetan is rendered yang sos. In the traditional Buddhist list of eight hot hells, this is the “reviving” hell where beings are repeatedly killed.

The Sanskrit is the name for one of the hells, which in Tibetan is rendered yang sos. In the traditional Buddhist list of eight hot hells, this is the “reviving” hell where beings are repeatedly killed.

The name of an eastern buddha realm.

An ājīvika ascetic who prays to beg for everything from Samudrareṇu in his future lives and be his disciple when he is the Śākyamuni Buddha.

The name of the bodhisattva Dharaṇidatta when he became a buddha.

A realm to the south of the Buddha Ratnagarbha’s realm into which the Buddha Śākyamuni in his previous lives was repeatedly reborn as a caṇḍāla who becomes a cakravartin and gives away his body or parts of his body.

A realm above the Buddha Ratnagarbha’s realm in which resides the Buddha Prasphulitakusuma­vairocana.

The name of an eastern buddha realm.

A pupil of the Buddha Śākyamuni who is one of only eight bodhisattvas in the past or future who equal the Buddha Śākyamuni’s generosity in his previous lives.

A bodhisattva sent by the Buddha Vigata­saṃtāpodbhava­vaiśravaṇasāla­rāja to pay homage to Śākyamuni.

A state of involuntary existence conditioned by afflicted mental states and the imprint of past actions, characterized by suffering in a cycle of life, death, and rebirth. On its reversal, the contrasting state of nirvāṇa is attained, free from suffering and the processes of rebirth.

A previous eon, during which Śākyamuni was a cakravartin named Ambara.

The sixth of the hot hells. Usually called Tāpana.

The name of an eon in the distant past.

The realm in which the Buddha Ratnagarbha lived and gave his prophecies.

A previous eon, during which Śākyamuni was a brahmin named Sūryamālagandha.

The principal deity in the paradise of the same name, Saṃtuṣita. More commonly referred to in English, as elsewhere in the sūtra, as Tuṣita.

The son of the brahmin Samudrareṇu who became a buddha and was then known as Ratnagarbha.

The name that the Buddha Ratnagarbha prophesies will be that of one of his eighty brothers (the twelfth) when he becomes a buddha.

The past life of the Buddha Śākyamuni as a brahmin priest, who is the principal figure in The White Lotus of Compassion Sūtra. In this sūtra, he is the court priest of King Araṇemin and the father of the Buddha Ratnagarbha.

The eldest of the brahmin Samudrareṇu’s eighty sons and the brother of the Buddha Ratnagarbha.

The name that the Buddha Ratnagarbha prophesies will be that of one of his eighty brothers (the sixth) when he becomes a buddha

The name of one thousand buddhas prophesied by the Buddha Ratnagarbha.

A perfect buddha: a buddha who teaches the Dharma and brings it into a world, as opposed to a pratyekabuddha, who does not teach the Dharma or bring it into a world.

A Śakra deity who prays to be Samudrareṇu’s disciple with wisdom when he is the Buddha Śākyamuni, i.e., Śāriputra.

The name that the Buddha Ratnagarbha prophesies will be that of one of his eighty brothers (the seventy-fifth) when he becomes a buddha. The Tibetan divides this into two names: Sanetya and Jñānasaṃbhava.

Though often specifically reserved for the monastic community, this term can be applied to any of the four Buddhist communities‍—monks, nuns, laymen, and laywomen‍—as well as to identify the different groups of practitioners, like the community of bodhisattvas or the community of śrāvakas. It is also the third of the Three Jewels (triratna) of Buddhism: the Buddha, the Teaching, and the Community.

The name that the Buddha Ratnagarbha prophesies will be that of one of his eighty brothers (the twenty-sixth) when he becomes a buddha.

A bodhisattva present at the teaching of The White Lotus of Compassion Sūtra who asks the Buddha why he appeared in an impure realm.

A Bodhi tree, the name meaning “The Lovely Appearance of a Variety of the Seven Jewels.”

The fifth of the five young brahmin attendants of the brahmin Samudrareṇu. The Buddha Ratnagarbha prophesies that he will be the Buddha Haripatracūḍabhadra, the 1,004th of the 1,005 buddhas in the Bhadraka eon.

A brahmin who asks King Ambara, a previous life of Śākyamuni, for his ears.

A buddha in a northeastern realm who sends bodhisattvas to pay homage to Śākyamuni.

One of only eight bodhisattvas in the past or future who equal the Buddha Śākyamuni’s generosity in his previous lives.

Along with Mahā­maudgalyāyana, one of the Buddha Śākyamuni’s two main disciples, known as the foremost in terms of insight.

The thousand and second of the 1,005 buddhas in the Bhadraka eon.

The name that the Buddha Ratnagarbha prophesies will be that of one of his eighty brothers (the forty-seventh) when he becomes a buddha

The southern realm in which the bodhisattva Dharaṇidatta became the Buddha Saṃkaramardārci.

The buddha realm of the Buddha Sālendrarāja in the distant past. Maitreya was a disciple of that buddha.

The name given by the devas to the cakravartin Ambara, a previous life of Śākyamuni, on account of his generosity. It means “The One Who Gives Away Everything.”

Literally “An Accumulation of All Jewels.” Prince Avalokiteśvara will attain complete enlightenment and become the Tathāgata Samantaraśmyabhyudgataśrīkūṭarāja in this realm.

A southern buddha realm that the Buddha Śākyamuni sees.

The name that the Buddha Ratnagarbha prophesies will be that of one of his eighty brothers (the sixty-fourth) when he becomes a buddha.

A buddha in an eastern buddha realm.

A mountain goddess who prays to be Samudrareṇu’s wife when he is the Buddha Śākyamuni, i.e., Yaśodhara.

Śākyamuni’s previous life as a Śakra deity who terrifies people into good behavior.

One of the thousand sons of King Araṇemin.

These can be listed as twelve or as six sense sources (sometimes also called sense fields, bases of cognition, or simply āyatanas).In the context of epistemology, it is one way of describing experience and the world in terms of twelve sense sources, which can be divided into inner and outer sense sources, namely: (1–2) eye and form, (3–4) ear and sound, (5–6) nose and odor, (7–8) tongue and taste, (9–10) body and touch, (11–12) mind and mental phenomena.In the context of the twelve links of dependent origination, only six sense sources are mentioned, and they are the inner sense sources (identical to the six faculties) of eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind.

In the context of Buddhist philosophy, one way to describe experience in terms of eighteen elements (eye, form, and eye consciousness; ear, sound, and ear consciousness; nose, smell, and nose consciousness; tongue, taste, and tongue consciousness; body, touch, and body consciousness; and mind, mental phenomena, and mind consciousness).This also refers to the elements of the world, which can be enumerated as four, five, or six. The four elements are earth, water, fire, and air. A fifth, space, is often added, and the sixth is consciousness.

The set of seven precious materials or substances includes a range of precious metals and gems, but their exact list varies. The set often consists of gold, silver, beryl, crystal, red pearls, emeralds, and white coral, but may also contain lapis lazuli, ruby, sapphire, chrysoberyl, diamonds, etc. The term is frequently used in the sūtras to exemplify preciousness, wealth, and beauty, and can describe treasures, offering materials, or the features of architectural structures such as stūpas, palaces, thrones, etc. The set is also used to describe the beauty and prosperity of buddha realms and the realms of the gods.In other contexts, the term saptaratna can also refer to the seven precious possessions of a cakravartin or to a set of seven precious moral qualities.

The seven noble riches are faith, correct conduct, hearing the Dharma, generosity, a sense of shame, a conscience, and wisdom.

In early Buddhism the first of the seven buddhas, with Śākyamuni as the seventh. The first three buddhas‍—Vipaśyin, Śikhin, and Viśvabhu‍—are in an earlier eon than the Bhadraka eon, and therefore Śākyamuni is more commonly referred to as the fourth buddha. In The White Lotus of Compassion Sūtra, those three buddhas are the last of thirty of the countless buddhas preceding Śākyamuni, and when the Buddha Ratnagarbha prophesies the buddhahood of Samudrareṇu’s thirty million pupils, the last three pupils, unnamed, are prophesied by the Buddha Ratnagarbha to become the Buddhas Vipaśyin, Śikhin, and Viśvabhu.

The Buddha Ratnagarbha prophesies that one of his eighty brothers (the fourteenth) will be a buddha with this name.

One of the hundred names prophesied by the Buddha Ratnagarbha for 2,500 buddhas, presumably the name of twenty-five of those buddhas.

The name of the eleventh son of King Araṇemin, who becomes the bodhisattva Ratnaketu and is prophesied to become the Buddha Nāga­vinarditeśvara­ghoṣa in the realm Abhirati, when it is renamed Jayasoma.

The sixth buddha of the Bhadraka eon. The Buddha Ratnagarbha prophesies that an unnamed Veda-reciting pupil of Samudrareṇu will be the Buddha Siṃha.

The bodhisattva who is the seventh son of King Araḅemi and is prophesied to become the Buddha Prabhāsavirajaḥ­samucchraya­gandheśvara­rāja.

One of ten names of a thousand buddhas prophesied by the Buddha Ratnagarbha, with presumably a hundred buddhas having this name.

One of the hundred names prophesied by the Buddha Ratnagarbha for 2,500 buddhas, presumably the name of twenty-five of those buddhas.

A bodhisattva present at the teaching of The White Lotus of Compassion Sūtra.

One of the hundred names prophesied by the Buddha Ratnagarbha for 2,500 buddhas, presumably the name of twenty-five of those buddhas.

A bodhisattva who comes from the realm of the Buddha Siṃhavijṛṃbhiteśvararāja to the realm of the Buddha Ratnagarbha to make offerings to Mahākāruṇika.

A bodhisattva who comes from the realm of the Buddha Jitendriya­viśāla­netra to the realm of the Buddha Ratnagarbha to make offerings to Mahākāruṇika.

A buddha in a southern buddha realm.

A buddha in a southern realm who sends bodhisattvas to make offerings to Mahākāruṇika.

The name that the Buddha Ratnagarbha prophesies will be that of one of his eighty brothers (the eighteenth) when he becomes a buddha.

Otherwise called Maheśvara, one of the principal deities of the Brahmanical tradition.

The Sanskrit term śrāvaka, and the Tibetan nyan thos, both derived from the verb “to hear,” are usually defined as “those who hear the teaching from the Buddha and make it heard to others.” Primarily this refers to those disciples of the Buddha who aspire to attain the state of an arhat seeking their own liberation and nirvāṇa. They are the practitioners of the first turning of the wheel of the Dharma on the four noble truths, who realize the suffering inherent in saṃsāra and focus on understanding that there is no independent self. By conquering afflicted mental states (kleśa), they liberate themselves, attaining first the stage of stream enterers at the path of seeing, followed by the stage of once-returners who will be reborn only one more time, and then the stage of non-returners who will no longer be reborn into the desire realm. The final goal is to become an arhat. These four stages are also known as the “four results of spiritual practice.”

The vehicle comprising the teaching of the śrāvakas, those disciples of the Buddha who aspire to attain the state of an arhat by seeking self-liberation. The śrāvakas are typically defined as “those who hear the teaching from the Buddha and make it heard by others.”

The name that the Buddha Ratnagarbha prophesies will be that of one of his eighty brothers (the sixty-fifth) when he becomes a buddha.

One of the hundred names prophesied by the Buddha Ratnagarbha for 2,500 buddhas, presumably the name of twenty-five of those buddhas.

The name that the Buddha Ratnagarbha prophesies will be that of one of his eighty brothers (the fifty-ninth) when he becomes a buddha.

The name that the Buddha Ratnagarbha prophesies will be that of one of his eighty brothers (the fifty-eighth) when he becomes a buddha.

The second level of the four levels of the formless realm and its meditation, when everything is perceived as consciousness.

The first of the four levels of the formless realm and its meditation, when all appears to be space.

The fourth and highest level in the formless realm and its meditation.

The third of the four levels of the formless realm and its meditation, when there is the perception of nothingness.

State when the power of meditation is more powerful than any perception, which therefore cannot disturb it.

State of meditation in which one can transform whatever is perceived.

The second of the five young brahmin attendants of the brahmin Samudrareṇu. The Buddha Ratnagarbha prophesies that he will be the Buddha Sukhendriyamati, the 1,001st of the 1,005 buddhas in the Bhadraka eon.

One of the thousand sons of King Araṇemin.

One who has achieved the first level of attainment on the path of the śrāvakas, and who has entered the “stream” of practice that leads to nirvāṇa. (Provisional 84000 definition. New definition forthcoming.)

The five strengths are a stronger form of the five powers.

A stūpa, literally “heap” or “mound,” is a mounded or circular structure usually containing relics of the Buddha or the masters of the past. It is considered to be a sacred object representing the awakened mind of a buddha, but the symbolism of the stūpa is complex, and its design varies throughout the Buddhist world. Stūpas continue to be erected today as objects of veneration and merit making.

The name that the Buddha Ratnagarbha prophesies will be that of one of his eighty brothers (the fifty-fourth) when he becomes a buddha. The Tibetan adds lha, which is not reflected in the Sanskrit.

The southern realm in which the bodhisattva Mañjuśrī will become a buddha.

The name of the Buddha Śākyamuni’s father.

The name that the Buddha Ratnagarbha prophesies will be that of one of his eighty brothers (the fifty-third) when he becomes a buddha.

The name that the Buddha Ratnagarbha prophesies will be that of one of his eighty brothers (the forty-third) when he becomes a buddha

One of ten names of a thousand buddhas prophesied by the Buddha Ratnagarbha, with presumably a hundred buddhas having this name.

One of the standard epithets of the buddhas. A recurrent explanation offers three different meanings for su- that are meant to show the special qualities of “accomplishment of one’s own purpose” (svārthasampad) for a complete buddha. Thus, the Sugata is “well” gone, as in the expression su-rūpa (“having a good form”); he is gone “in a way that he shall not come back,” as in the expression su-naṣṭa-jvara (“a fever that has utterly gone”); and he has gone “without any remainder” as in the expression su-pūrṇa-ghaṭa (“a pot that is completely full”). According to Buddhaghoṣa, the term means that the way the Buddha went (Skt. gata) is good (Skt. su) and where he went (Skt. gata) is good (Skt. su).

The realm of the Buddha Amitāyus, more commonly known as Amitābha, as first described in the Sukhāvatīvyūha Sūtra.

The 1,001st of the 1,005 buddhas in the Bhadraka eon.

The name that the Buddha Ratnagarbha prophesies will be that of one of his eighty brothers (the sixty-seventh) when he becomes a buddha.

The name that the Buddha Ratnagarbha prophesies will be that of one of his eighty brothers (the fourth) when he becomes a buddha.

A buddha in a southern buddha realm.

The name that the Buddha Ratnagarbha prophesies will be that of one of his eighty brothers (the forty-eighth) when he becomes a buddha.

According to ancient Buddhist cosmology, this is the great mountain forming the axis of the universe. At its summit is 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 principal island continents lie: in the south, Jambudvīpa (our world); in the west, Godānīya; in the north, Uttarakuru; and in the east, Pūrvavideha. Above it are the abodes of the desire realm gods. It is variously referred to as Meru, Mount Meru, Sumeru, and Mount Sumeru.

The name that the Buddha Ratnagarbha prophesies will be that of one of his eighty brothers (the thirty-fifth) when he becomes a buddha.

The name that the Buddha Ratnagarbha prophesies will be that of two of his eighty brothers (the thirty-third and the fifty-first) when he becomes a buddha. Note that this name appears twice in the Sanskrit version of this list of names, though it is translated differently in the Tibetan.

The name that the Buddha Ratnagarbha prophesies will be that of one of his eighty brothers (the forty-sixth) when he becomes a buddha.

The principal deity in the Nirmāṇarata paradise, the second highest paradise in the desire realm.

In Sanskrit their name means “sunstone” and in Tibetan “fire crystal.” The Indian sunstones are orange to gold-colored gems that exhibit aventurescence in that they are filled with speckles that appear to emit light.

One of the hundred names prophesied by the Buddha Ratnagarbha for 2,500 buddhas, presumably the name of twenty-five of those buddhas.

The name at buddhahood of the bodhisattva Mahāsthāmaprāpta when he becomes the buddha in Sukhāvatī. The White Lotus of Compassion Sūtra describes how he became a bodhisattva while being Prince Nimi.

One of the hundred names prophesied by the Buddha Ratnagarbha for 2,500 buddhas, presumably the name of twenty-five of those buddhas.

An Indian master who came to Tibet during the reign of King Ralpachen (r. 815–38 ᴄᴇ) and helped in the translation of forty-three Kangyur texts.

The deity of the sun.

A buddha in an eastern buddha realm. He is not mentioned anywhere else in the Kangyur. The name that the Buddha Ratnagarbha prophesies will be that of one of his eighty brothers (the sixty-ninth) when he becomes a buddha.

The name of the bodhisattva Prajñārciḥ­saṃkopita­daṣṭa when he became a buddha.

The name of five hundred buddhas prophesied by the Buddha Ratnagarbha.

Śākyamuni’s previous life as a brahmin who begins a tradition of medicine.

The name that the Buddha Ratnagarbha prophesies will be that of one of his eighty brothers (the thirty-first) when he becomes a buddha.

One of the thousand sons of King Araṇemin.

The name of an eastern buddha realm.

The Buddha that Himaṇi, the tenth son of King Araṇemin, is prophesied to become in Abhirati after the Buddha Akṣobhya has passed into nirvāṇa.

A southern buddha realm that the Buddha Śākyamuni sees.

The name of one thousand buddhas prophesied by the Buddha Ratnagarbha.

The principal deity in the Yāma paradise.

One of the hundred names prophesied by the Buddha Ratnagarbha for 2,500 buddhas, presumably the name of twenty-five of those buddhas.

One of the hundred names prophesied by the Buddha Ratnagarbha for 2,500 buddhas, presumably the name of twenty-five of those buddhas.

The name of an eastern buddha realm.

A buddha in a western buddha realm.

A bodhisattva who comes from the realm of the Buddha Vigata­bhaya­paryutthāna­ghoṣa to the Buddha Ratnagarbha.

A bodhisattva who comes from the realm of the Buddha Prasphulitakusuma­vairocana to the Buddha Ratnagarbha.

One of the thousand sons of King Araṇemin.

A frequently used synonym for buddha. According to different explanations, it can be read as tathā-gata, literally meaning “one who has thus gone,” or as tathā-āgata, “one who has thus come.” Gata, though literally meaning “gone,” is a past passive participle used to describe a state or condition of existence. Tatha­(tā), often rendered as “suchness” or “thusness,” is the quality or condition of things as they really are, which cannot be conveyed in conceptual, dualistic terms. Therefore, this epithet is interpreted in different ways, but in general it implies one who has departed in the wake of the buddhas of the past, or one who has manifested the supreme awakening dependent on the reality that does not abide in the two extremes of existence and quiescence. It is also often used as a specific epithet of the Buddha Śākyamuni.

A buddha in a southern buddha realm.

There are three physical unwholesome or nonvirtuous actions: killing, stealing, and illicit sex. There are four verbal nonvirtues: lying, backbiting, insulting, and babbling nonsense. And there are three mental nonvirtues: coveting, malice, and wrong view‍.

These are the opposite of the ten nonvirtuous courses of action, i.e., refraining from engaging in activities related to the ten nonvirtuous courses of action and doing the opposite. There are three physical virtues: saving lives, giving, and sexual propriety. There are four verbal virtues: truthfulness, reconciling disharmony, gentle speech, and religious speech. There are three mental virtues: a loving attitude, a generous attitude, and right views.

The ten powers of the tathāgatas are: (1) definitive knowledge that things which are possible are indeed possible; (2) definitive knowledge that things which are impossible are indeed impossible; (3) definitive knowledge, through possibilities and causes, of the maturation of past, future, and present actions, and of those who undertake such actions; (4) definitive knowledge of multiple world systems and diverse dispositions; (5) definitive knowledge of the diversity of inclinations and the multiplicity of inclinations that other sentient beings and other individuals have; (6) definitive knowledge of whether the acumen of other sentient beings and other individuals is supreme or not; (7) definitive knowledge of the paths that lead anywhere; (8) definitive knowledge of all the afflicted and purified mental states and their emergence, with respect to the faculties, powers, branches of enlightenment, aspects of liberation, meditative concentrations, meditative stabilities, and formless absorptions; (9) definitive knowledge of the recollection of multiple past abodes, and of the transference of consciousness at the death and birth of all sentient beings; and (10) definitive knowledge that through one’s own extrasensory powers one has actualized, achieved, and maintained in this very lifetime the liberation of mind and the liberation of wisdom in the state that is free from contaminants because all contaminants have ceased.

Virtuous actions of body, speech, and mind.

A name of the Sahā realm in an earlier eon.

Those of other religious or philosophical orders, contemporary with the early Buddhist order, including Jains, Jaṭilas, Ājīvikas, and Cārvākas. Tīrthika (“forder”) literally translates as “one belonging to or associated with (possessive suffix –ika) stairs for landing or for descent into a river,” or “a bathing place,” or “a place of pilgrimage on the banks of sacred streams” (Monier-Williams). The term may have originally referred to temple priests at river crossings or fords where travelers propitiated a deity before crossing. The Sanskrit term seems to have undergone metonymic transfer in referring to those able to ford the turbulent river of saṃsāra (as in the Jain tīrthaṅkaras, “ford makers”), and it came to be used in Buddhist sources to refer to teachers of rival religious traditions. The Sanskrit term is closely rendered by the Tibetan mu stegs pa: “those on the steps (stegs pa) at the edge (mu).”

The name of a future eon in which the bodhisattva Saṃrocana will become the Buddha Acintyarocana.

The paradise on the summit of Sumeru.

The second of the thousand young Veda-reciting brahmins. The Buddha Ratnagarbha prophesies that he will be the Buddha Kanakamuni, the second buddha in the Bhadraka eon.

One of the hundred names prophesied by the Buddha Ratnagarbha for 2,500 buddhas, presumably the name of twenty-five of those buddhas.

A person’s particular preceptor within the monastic tradition. They must have at least ten years of standing in the saṅgha, and their role is to confer ordination, to tend to the student, and to provide all the necessary requisites, therefore guiding that person for the taking of full vows and the maintenance of conduct and practice. This office was decreed by the Buddha so that aspirants would not have to receive ordination from the Buddha in person, and the Buddha identified two types: those who grant entry into the renunciate order and those who grant full ordination. The Tibetan translation mkhan po has also come to mean “a learned scholar,” the equivalent of a paṇḍita, but that is not the intended meaning in Indic Buddhist literature.

One of eight mythological nāga kings. The story of the two nāga kings Upananda and Nanda and their taming by the Buddha and Maudgalyāyana is told in the Vinayavibhaṅga (Toh 3, Degé vol. 6, ’dul ba, ja, F.221.a–224.a).

An unordained male practitioner who observes the five precepts not to kill, lie, steal, be intoxicated, or commit sexual misconduct.

A western buddha realm that the Buddha Śākyamuni sees.

An unordained female practitioner who observes the five precepts not to kill, lie, steal, be intoxicated, or commit sexual misconduct.

The eight vows kept by laypeople on the four sacred days of the month: the full-, new-, and half-moon days.

A variety of sandalwood. The name means “snake essence” because snakes were said to live in the forests of those trees because they were attracted to their scent.

One of the thirty-two marks of a great being. It consists of a soft, long, fine, coiled white hair between the eyebrows capable of emitting an intense bright light. Literally, the Sanskrit ūrṇā means “wool hair,” and kośa means “treasure.”

One of the thirty-two signs, or major marks, of a great being. In its simplest form it is a pointed shape of the head like a turban (the Sanskrit term, uṣṇīṣa, in fact means “turban”), or more elaborately a dome-shaped extension. The extension is described as having various extraordinary attributes such as emitting and absorbing rays of light or reaching an immense height.

The name for a past eon, in which Śākyamuni was a śakra deity.

A bodhisattva who praises the brahmin Samudrareṇu but is not mentioned elsewhere in the sūtra.

A bodhisattva who praises the brahmin Samudrareṇu but is not mentioned elsewhere in the Kangyur.

The name of the eon in which the Buddha Ratnagarbha’s eighty brothers will become buddhas in the realm named Baliṣṭhā.

One of the hundred names prophesied by the Buddha Ratnagarbha for 2,500 buddhas, presumably the name of twenty-five of those buddhas.

The name that the Buddha Ratnagarbha prophesies will be that of one of his eighty brothers (the tenth) when he becomes a buddha.

A name of a Jambudvīpa in an earlier eon.

The name of an eastern buddha realm.

The name that the bodhisattva Prahasitabāhu will have when he becomes a buddha.

The buddha that Saṃbhava, the second of Samudrareṇu’s eighty sons, is prophesied to become.

A bodhisattva present at the teaching of The White Lotus of Compassion Sūtra.

A bodhisattva present at the teaching of The White Lotus of Compassion Sūtra. The Buddha addresses him in particular at one point.

A bodhisattva who asks Śākyamuni for the title of The White Lotus of Compassion Sūtra. He appears nowhere else in the Kangyur.

As one of the four mahārājas, he is the lord of the northern region of the world and the northern continent, though in early Buddhism he is the lord of the far north of India and beyond. He is also the lord of the yakṣas and a lord of wealth. There is one in each four-continent world.

This term generally indicates indestructibility and stability. In the sūtras, vajra most often refers to the hardest possible physical substance, said to have divine origins. In some scriptures, it is also the name of the all-powerful weapon of Indra, which in turn is crafted from vajra material. In the tantras, the vajra is sometimes a scepter-like ritual implement, but the term can also take on other esoteric meanings.

The bodhisattva name given to Anaṅgaṇa, the fourth son of King Araṇemin.

One of the hundred names prophesied by the Buddha Ratnagarbha for 2,500 buddhas, presumably the name of twenty-five of those buddhas.

A buddha in an eastern buddha realm.

One of the thousand sons of King Araṇemin.

The name that the Buddha Ratnagarbha prophesies will be that of one of his eighty brothers (the seventy-second) when he becomes a buddha.

One of the hundred names prophesied by the Buddha Ratnagarbha for 2,500 buddhas, presumably the name of twenty-five of those buddhas.

The spot on which the buddha attained Buddhahood. Also Vajrāsana refers to the Bodhgayā area.

One of the hundred names prophesied by the Buddha Ratnagarbha for 2,500 buddhas, presumably the name of twenty-five of those buddhas.

One of the hundred names prophesied by the Buddha Ratnagarbha for 2,500 buddhas, presumably the name of twenty-five of those buddhas.

The name that the Buddha Ratnagarbha prophesies will be that of one of his eighty brothers (the forty-ninth) when he becomes a buddha.

A buddha in a western buddha realm.

The name of one of the oldest of the Vedic gods, associated with the waters.

The name of a bodhisattva present at the teaching of The White Lotus of Compassion Sūtra.

A goddess who prays to become the Buddha Śamudrareṇu’s wet nurse when he is the Buddha Śākyamuni, i.e., Mahāprajāpatī.

One of the hundred names prophesied by the Buddha Ratnagarbha for 2,500 buddhas, presumably the name of twenty-five of those buddhas.

The eldest of the thousand young Veda-reciting brahmins whom the Buddha Ratnagarbha prophesies will become the Buddha Śalendrarāja

Brahmins who memorize and chant the Vedas, the authoritative scriptures of the Brahmanical tradition.

The fourth of the five young brahmin attendants of the brahmin Samudrareṇu. The Buddha Ratnagarbha prophesies that he will be the Buddha Priyaprasanna, the 1,003rd of the 1,005 buddhas in the Bhadraka eon.

A bodhisattva, the sixth son of King Araṇemin, who will become the Buddha Dharmavaśavarīśvararāja. Note that the Tibetan translation does not reflect vega but only vairocana.

A deva who made offerings to the Buddha Ratnagarbha.

The bodhisattva name given to Viśvagupta, the third of the thousand young Veda-reciting brahmin pupils of Samudrareṇu.

One of the hundred names prophesied by the Buddha Ratnagarbha for 2,500 buddhas, presumably the name of twenty-five of those buddhas.

A buddha in a realm in the downward direction who sends bodhisattvas to make offerings to the Buddha Ratnagarbha.

The youngest of the Buddha Ratnagarbha’s eighty brothers, whom he prophesies will become the Buddha Vigata­raja­samudgatābhyudgata­rāja.

The last of the eighty buddhas in the Baliṣṭha realm during the Utpalasanīraṇa eon, as prophesied for Vigatabhyasaṃtāpa, the youngest of the Buddha Ratnagarbha’s brothers.

One of the hundred names prophesied by the Buddha Ratnagarbha for 2,500 buddhas, presumably the name of twenty-five of those buddhas.

One of the hundred names prophesied by the Buddha Ratnagarbha for 2,500 buddhas, presumably the name of twenty-five of those buddhas.

A buddha in a northeastern realm who sends bodhisattvas to pay homage to Śākyamuni.

A realm below the Buddha Ratnagarbha’s realm in which resides the Buddha Vigata­bhaya­paryutthāna­ghoṣa.

A bodhisattva sent by the Buddha Vigata­saṃtāpodbhava­vaiśravaṇasāla­rāja to pay homage to Śākyamuni.

One of the hundred names prophesied by the Buddha Ratnagarbha for 2,500 buddhas, presumably the name of twenty-five of those buddhas.

A buddha realm in the northeast.

A name of the Sahā realm in an earlier eon.

The name that the Buddha Ratnagarbha prophesies will be that of one of his eighty brothers (the twenty-second) when he becomes a buddha.

A buddha in a northeastern realm who sends bodhisattvas to pay homage to Śākyamuni.

The name of one thousand buddhas prophesied by the Buddha Ratnagarbha.

One of the hundred names prophesied by the Buddha Ratnagarbha for 2,500 buddhas, presumably the name of twenty-five of those buddhas.

The name of a buddha in an eastern buddha realm.

A buddha in an eastern buddha realm. He sends two bodhisattvas to pay homage to Śākyamuni.

The fourth of the thousand young Veda-reciting brahmins. The Buddha Ratnagarbha prophesies that he will be the Buddha Maitreya, the fifth buddha in the Bhadraka eon. Note that the Tibetan translation differs from the name found in the extant Sanskrit.

A bodhisattva who praises the brahmin Samudrareṇu.

One of the hundred names prophesied by the Buddha Ratnagarbha for 2,500 buddhas, presumably the name of twenty-five of those buddhas.

The vows and texts pertaining to monastic discipline. One of the three piṭakas, or “baskets,” of the Buddhist canon, the one dealing specifically with the code of monastic discipline.

A sea goddess who prays to become the Buddha Śamudrareṇu’s mother when he is the Buddha Śākyamuni, i.e., Māyādevī.

One of the hundred names prophesied by the Buddha Ratnagarbha for 2,500 buddhas, presumably the name of twenty-five of those buddhas.

An important form of Buddhist meditation focusing on developing insight into the nature of phenomena. Often presented as part of a pair of meditation techniques, the other being śamatha.

In early Buddhism the first of the seven buddhas, with Śākyamuni as the seventh. In The White Lotus of Compassion Sūtra, those three buddhas are the last of thirty of countless buddhas preceding Śakyamuni, and when the Buddha Ratnagarbha prophesies the buddhahood of Samudrareṇu’s thirty million pupils, the last three pupils, unnamed, are prophesied by the Buddha Ratnagarbha to become the Buddhas Vipaśyin, Śikhin, and Viśvabhu.

One of the hundred names prophesied by the Buddha Ratnagarbha for 2,500 buddhas, presumably the name of twenty-five of those buddhas.

One thousand intermediate eons after Acintyamatiguṇarāja has passed into parinirvāṇa and his dharma has come too an end, the buddha realm Meruprabhā will be named Virati. The Tathāgata Raśmi will reside in this buddha realm and give teachings.

The name that the Buddha Ratnagarbha prophesies will be that of one of his eighty brothers (the fifty-fifth) when he becomes a buddha.

One of the four mahārājas. He is the guardian of the southern direction and the lord of the kumbhāṇḍas. There is one in each four-continent world.

One of the four mahārājas. He is the guardian of the western direction and the lord of the nāgas. There is a Virūpākṣa in each four-continent world.

The name that the Buddha Ratnagarbha prophesies will be that of one of his eighty brothers (the fifty-sixth) when he becomes a buddha.

One of only eight bodhisattvas in the past or future who equal the Buddha Śākyamuni’s generosity in his previous lives.

A southern buddha realm.

One of the primary gods of the Brahmanical tradition, he is associated with the preservation and continuance of the universe.

One of the two names prophesied by the Buddha Ratnagarbha for a group of a thousand buddhas, with presumably five hundred buddhas having this name.

In early Buddhism the first of the seven buddhas, with Śākyamuni as the seventh. The first three buddhas‍—Vipaśyin, Śikhin, and Viśvabhu‍—are in an earlier eon than the Bhadraka eon, and therefore Śākyamuni is more commonly referred to as the fourth buddha. In The White Lotus of Compassion Sūtra, those three Buddhas are the last of thirty of countless buddhas preceding Śākyamuni, and when the Buddha Ratnagarbha prophesies the buddhahood of Samudrareṇu’s thirty million pupils, the last three pupils, unnamed, are prophesied by the Buddha Ratnagarbha to become the Buddhas Vipaśyin, Śikhin, and Viśvabhu.

The third of the thousand young Veda-reciting brahmins. The Buddha Ratnagarbha names him the bodhisattva Vidvagañja­karuṇāśraya and prophesies that he will be the Buddha Kāśyapa, the third buddha in the Bhadraka eon.

The Gṛdhra­kūṭa, literally Vulture Peak, was a hill located in the kingdom of Magadha, in the vicinity of the ancient city of Rājagṛha (modern-day Rajgir, in the state of Bihar, India), where the Buddha bestowed many sūtras, especially the Great Vehicle teachings, such as the Prajñāpāramitā sūtras. It continues to be a sacred pilgrimage site for Buddhists to this day.

The name that the Buddha Ratnagarbha prophesies will be that of one of his eighty brothers (the seventy-fourth) when he becomes a buddha.

A buddha in an eastern buddha realm.

One of the hundred names prophesied by the Buddha Ratnagarbha for 2,500 buddhas, presumably the name of twenty-five of those buddhas.

One of the hundred names prophesied by the Buddha Ratnagarbha for 2,500 buddhas, presumably the name of twenty-five of those buddhas.

One of the divisions of the night into four night-watches, each being approximately three hours long.

The land of the dead ruled over by the Lord of Death. In Buddhism it refers to the preta realm, where beings generally suffer from hunger and thirst, which in traditional Brahmanism is the fate of those departed without descendants to make ancestral offerings.

One of the thousand sons of King Araṇemin.

A class of nonhuman beings who inhabit forests, mountainous areas, and other natural spaces, or serve as guardians of villages and towns, and may be propitiated for health, wealth, protection, and other boons, or controlled through magic. According to tradition, their homeland is in the north, where they live under the rule of the Great King Vaiśravaṇa. Several members of this class have been deified as gods of wealth (these include the just-mentioned Vaiśravaṇa) or as bodhisattva generals of yakṣa armies, and have entered the Buddhist pantheon in a variety of forms, including, in tantric Buddhism, those of wrathful deities.

The lord of death who judges the dead and rules over the hells.

Third (counting from the lowest) of the six paradises in the desire realm.

One of the thousand sons of King Araṇemin.

A “way of going,” which primarily means a path or a way. It can also mean a conveyance or carriage, which definition within commentarial literature is represented in the Tibetan “carrier,” and therefore also translated into English as “vehicle.”

One of the thousand sons of King Araṇemin.

Daughter of Śākya Daṇḍadhara (more commonly Daṇḍapāṇi), sister of Iṣudhara and Aniruddha, she was the wife of Prince Siddhārtha and mother of his only child, Rāhula. After Prince Siddhārtha left his kingdom and attained awakening as the Buddha, she became his disciple and one of the first women to be ordained as a bhikṣunī. She attained the level of an arhat, a worthy one, endowed with the six superknowledges.

Divided into two names in the Tibetan but appears as one name in the Sanskrit and Chinese. The name that the Buddha Ratnagarbha prophesies will be that of one of his eighty brothers (the fortieth) when he becomes a buddha.

The name that the Buddha Ratnagarbha prophesies will be that of one of his eighty brothers (the forty-first) when he becomes a buddha.

One of the thousand sons of King Araṇemin.

One of the thousand sons of King Araṇemin.

Yeshé Dé (late eighth to early ninth century) was the most prolific translator of sūtras into Tibetan. Altogether he is credited with the translation of more than one hundred sixty sūtra translations and more than one hundred additional translations, mostly on tantric topics. In spite of Yeshé Dé’s great importance for the propagation of Buddhism in Tibet during the imperial era, only a few biographical details about this figure are known. Later sources describe him as a student of the Indian teacher Padmasambhava, and he is also credited with teaching both sūtra and tantra widely to students of his own. He was also known as Nanam Yeshé Dé, from the Nanam (sna nam) clan.

The longest unit of distance in classical India. The lack of a uniform standard for the smaller units means that there is no precise equivalent, especially as its theoretical length tended to increase over time. Therefore, it can mean between four and ten miles.

A mountain range that encircles Meru, between Meru and the continents.