The highest of the three paradises that are the second dhyāna paradises in the form realm.

A buddha countless eons in the past.

The realm of Buddha Akṣobhya, beyond countless buddha realms in the eastern direction.

The absence of any conceptual goal that one is focused upon achieving, knowing that all composite phenomena create suffering. One of the three doorways to liberation.

The absence of the conceptual identification of perceptions. Knowing that the true nature has no attributes, such as color, shape, etc. One of the three doorways to liberation.

A spiritual teacher, meaning one who knows the conduct or practice (ācāra) to be performed. It can also be a title for a scholar, though that is not the context in this sūtra.

A buddha countless eons in the past.

See “kleśa.”

One of the five undefiled aggregates (zag med kyi phung po lnga), the others being the aggregates of concentration (samādhi), discriminative awareness (prajñā), liberation (vimukti), and insight of the primordial wisdom of liberation (vimukti­jñāna­darśana).

Synonymous with Kubera, who, in this sūtra, is distinct from Vaiśravaṇa. The name Ailavila is derived from his mother, and means “the son of Ilavilā.”

The other name of Maitreya (or Maitraka), the bodhisattva who will be the fifth buddha of the Good Eon.

The highest of the seventeen paradises in the form realm. Within the form realm it is the highest of the eight paradises of the fourth dhyāna. Within the fourth dhyāna it is the highest of the five Śuddhāvāsika (pure abode) paradises.

The buddha in the eastern realm, Abhirati. Akṣobhya, who in the higher tantras is the head of one the five buddha families, the vajra family in the east, was well-known early in the Mahāyāna tradition.

The world of yakṣas ruled over by Kubera.

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, he is better known by his alternative name, Amitābha. Not to be confused with the buddha of long life, Aparimitāyus, whose name has been incorrectly back-translated into Sanskrit as Amitāyus also.

A bodhisattva who appears in Mahāyāna sūtras.

A celebrated text on the graduated path by Gampopa, also known as the Dakpo Thargyen (dwags po thar rgyan).

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 eventually succeeded to the position of the patriarch of Buddhism in India after the passing of the first patriarch, Mahākaśyapa.

One of the principal nāga kings. Also known as Śeṣa or Anataśeṣa. Considered the source of Patañjali grammar in Buddhism. In Vaiśnavism he is the serpent that Viṣṇu rests upon in between the creations of worlds.

The name of two separate buddhas from whom Śākyamuni received the Samādhirāja in previous lifetimes.

A nāga king whose domain is Lake Anavatapta. According to Buddhist cosmology, this lake is located near Mount Sumeru and is the source of the four great rivers of Jambudvīpa. It is often identified with Lake Manasarovar at the foot of Mount Kailash in Tibet.

The rishi who is said to have composed most of the fourth Veda, the Atharvaveda.

The Buddha’s cousin, and one of his ten principal pupils. Renowned for his clairvoyance.

Nāga king who became a pupil of the Buddha.

The second of the three paradises that are the second dhyāna paradises in the form realm.

The second of the three paradises that are the third dhyāna paradises in the form realm.

In this sūtra, “apsaras” (or “apsarases” in plural) is synonymous with devī, the female equivalent of deva . In Indian culture, it is also the name for goddesses of the clouds and water, and the wives of the gandharvas.

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.

This eon is literally called “incalculable” but nevertheless has a calculated span of time and therefore, to avoid confusion, its Sanskrit name is used here. The number of years in an asaṃkhyeya eon differs in various sūtras. Twenty “intermediate eons” are said to be one asaṃkhyeya eon, and four asaṃkhyeya eons are one great eon (mahākalpa). In that case those four asaṃkhyeya eons represent the eons of the creation, presence, destruction, and absence of a world. Therefore buddhas are often described as appearing in a second asaṃkhyeya eon.

Indian master of the fourth century ᴄᴇ, and a major founder of the Yogācāra school of Buddhism.

Saraca asoca. The aromatic blossoms of this plant are clustered together as orange, yellow, and red bunches of petals.

The qualities necessary as a method to attain the enlightenment of a śrāvaka, pratyekabuddha, or buddha. There are thirty-seven of these: (1–4) the four kinds of mindfulness: mindfulness of body, sensations, mind, and phenomena; (5–8) the four correct exertions: the intention to not do bad actions that are not done, to give up bad actions that are being done, to do good actions that have not been done, and increase the good actions that are being done; (9–12) the foundations for miraculous powers: intention, diligence, mind, and analysis; (13–17) five powers: faith, diligence, mindfulness, samādhi, and wisdom; (18–22) five strengths: an even stronger form of faith, diligence, mindfulness, samādhi, and wisdom; (23–29) seven limbs of enlightenment: correct mindfulness, correct wisdom of the analysis of phenomena, correct diligence, correct joy, correct serenity, correct samādhi, and correct equanimity; and (30–37) the eightfold noble path: right view, examination, speech, action, livelihood, effort, mindfulness, and samādhi.

This term has developed further meanings such as the ultimate bodhicitta of realizing emptiness, but in this sūtra it is used with its basic meaning.

The asuras, sometimes called the demi-gods or titans, are the enemies of the devas, fighting with them for supremacy. They are powerful beings who live around Mount Sumeru, and are usually classified as belonging to the higher realms.

The fourth highest of the seventeen paradises in the form realm, and therefore the fourth of the five Śuddhāvāsika (pure abode) paradises.

The Bengali Buddhist master (980–1054) who came to Tibet, and whose pupils founded the Kadampa tradition.

The Tibetan means literally “the lessening of requisites.”

Several species of finch belonging to the genus Amandava, part of the Estrildid finch family (Estrildidae). They are renowned as songbirds, and in Tibetan texts the Sanskrit kalaviṅka was sometimes simply transliterated ka la ping ka, sometimes translated as khu byug, “cuckoo.”

First appeared as a bodhisattva beside Amitābha in the Sukhāvatī Sūtra. The name has been variously interpreted. In “The lord of Avalokita,” Avalokita has been interpreted as “seeing,” although, as a past passive participle, it is literally “lord of what has been seen.” One of the principal sūtras in the Mahāsamghika tradition was the Avalokita Sūtra, which has not been translated into Tibetan, in which the word is a synonym for enlightenment, as it is “that which has been seen” by the buddhas. In the early tantras, he is one of the lords of the three families, as the embodiment of the compassion of the buddhas. The Potalaka Mountain in southern India became important in Southern Indian Buddhism as his residence in this world, but Potalaka does not yet feature in the Kāraṇḍavyūha Sūtra (Toh 116), which emphasized the preeminence of Avalokiteśvara above all buddhas and bodhisattvas and introduced the mantra oṃ maṇipadme hūṃ.

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

The fifth highest of the seventeen paradises in the form realm, and therefore the fifth of the five Śuddhāvāsika (pure abode) paradises.

Sometimes translated “sense-fields” or “bases of cognition,” the term usually refers to the six sense faculties and their corresponding objects, i.e. the first twelve of the eighteen dhātu. Along with skandha and dhātu, one of the three major categories in the taxonomy of phenomena in the sūtra literature.

A yakṣa lord.

A leader of the asuras.

A term of respect for Buddhist monks: bandé in Tibet and Nepal, bhante in the Pali tradition. A middle-Indic word, it is said to be derived from vande, the BHS vocative form of the Sanskrit vanda, meaning praiseworthy or venerable, although bhante is said to be a contraction of the vocative bhadante, derived from a respectful salutation.

Four qualities of the samādhi that have the activity of eliminating negative factors: aspiration, diligence, contemplation, and analysis.

The Tibetan is literally “the view of the destructible accumulation,” and the Sanskrit is “the view of the existing body.” They mean the view that identifies the existence of a self in relation to the skandhas.

Head of the “sixteen excellent men” (ṣoḍaśasatpuruṣa), a group of householder bodhisattvas present in the audience of many sūtras. He appears prominently in certain sūtras, such as The Samādhi of the Presence of the Buddhas (Pratyutpannabuddha­saṃmukhāvasthita­samādhisūtra, Toh 133) and is perhaps also the merchant of the same name who is the principal interlocutor in The Questions of Bhadrapāla the Merchant (Toh 83).

Supreme among the upper-class monks. He became an arhat in the first rainy season. One of the first group of Śākya princes to become a monk. He is said to have been a king in many successive previous lifetimes, which is why the title of “king” is added after his name in the sūtra. He is not to be confused with the Bhadrika who was one of the Buddha’s first five pupils.

A conical or bowl-shaped kettledrum, with an upper surface that is beaten with sticks.

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.

The name of both a previous life of Buddha Śākyamuni as a king (translated as ’jigs pa’i bla ma) and the name of one of the buddhas (translated as ’jigs mchog) that Śākyamuni received the samādhi teaching from in a previous life.

One of the seven great rishis of ancient India. The founder of Indian astrology.

Literally “grounds” in which qualities grow, and also it means “levels.” Bhūmi refers specifically to levels of enlightenment, especially the ten levels of the enlightened bodhisattvas. Also translated here as “level.”

Bignonia suaveolens. The Indian species of bigonia. They have trumpet-shaped flowers and the small trees are common throughout India.

The tree beneath which every buddha in this world will manifest the attainment of buddhahood.

The place where the Buddha Śākyamuni achieved awakening and where every buddha will manifest the attainment of buddhahood. In our world this is understood to be located under the Bodhi tree, the Vajrāsana, in present-day Bodhgaya, India. It can also refer to the state of awakening 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 personification of the universal force of Brahman, the deity in the form realm, who was, during the Buddha’s time, considered in India to be the supreme deity and creator of the universe.

A monk who was a previous incarnation of Buddha Dīpaṃkara.

A tathāgata.

The lowest of the three paradises that are the paradises of the first dhyāna in the form realm. The class of devas who live in the paradise of Brahmā.

The second of the three paradises that are the paradises of the first dhyāna in the form realm.

The four qualities that are said to result in rebirth in the paradise of Brahmā, and were a practice already prevalent before Śākyamuni’s teaching, are limitless love, compassion, rejoicing, and equanimity.

Name of two past buddhas from whom Śākyamuni received the samādhi teachings.

Both the deity of the planet Jupiter and the guru of the devas.

The fourth bodhisattva bhūmi.

A respectful form of address between monks and also lay companions of equal standing. Literally: one who has a [long] life.

The specific qualities of a buddha; may sometimes be used as a general term, and sometimes referring to sets such as the ten strengths, the four fearlessnesses, the four discernments, the eighteen distinct qualities of a buddha, and so forth; or, more specifically, to another set of eighteen: the ten strengths; the four fearlessnesses; mindfulness of body, speech, and mind; and great compassion.Alternatively, in the context of this sūtra, see 3.­2-3.­4.

Sometimes synonymous with stūpa, but can refer to a temple that may or may not contain a stūpa, or any place or thing that is worthy of veneration. The Tibetan translation is identical for stūpa and caitya.

“Circular mass.” There are at least three interpretations of what this name refers to. In the Kṣitigarbha Sutra it is a mountain that contains the hells, in which 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 Sumeru and the paradises above it.

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.

A prominent seventh-century master of the Madhyamaka (Middle Way) tradition.

The young man of Rājagrha who is the principal interlocutor for the Samādhirājasūtra. He is frequently addressed as “youth” or “young man,” (Skt. kumāra; Tib. gzhon nu); see “the youth Candraprabha.”

One of the heavens of Buddhist cosmology, lowest among the six heavens of the desire realm (kāmadhātu, ’dod khams). Dwelling place of the Four Great Kings (caturmahārāja, rgyal chen bzhi), traditionally located on a terrace of Sumeru, just below the Heaven of the Thirty-Three. Each cardinal direction is ruled by one of the Four Great Kings and inhabited by a different class of nonhuman beings as their subjects: in the east, Dhṛtarāṣṭra rules the gandharvas; in the south, Virūḍhaka rules the kumbhāṇḍas; in the west, Virūpākṣa rules the nāgas; and in the north, Vaiśravaṇa rules the yakṣas.

Also known as Wild Himalayan Cherry, Sour Cherry, and Costus Speciosus.

The tenth bodhisattva bhūmi.

Literally “signs,” or attributes.

An etymologically obscure term, which can mean elaboration, diffusion, or expansion, but is basically describing the mind’s conceptualization, and is always connected to the words for notions and ideas, and mental fabrications.

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.

There are four kinds: the intention to not do bad actions that have not been done, to give up bad actions that are being done, to do good actions that have not been done, and to increase the good actions that are being done. Exertion is in accordance with the meaning in Buddhist Sanskrit. The Tibetan is translated as “abandonment” as in classical Sanskrit, which does not fit the context.

A rishi of ancient India, the son of Rishi Bhṛgu, known for having become a youth again after he had reached an old age.

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 cousin of Buddha Śākyamuni who broke with him and established his own community. His tradition was still continuing during the first millennium ᴄᴇ. He is portrayed as engendering evil schemes against the Buddha and even succeeding in wounding him. He is usually identified with wicked beings in accounts of previous lifetimes.

Another name for Śakra, aka Indra.

See “retention.”

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

In distinction to the rūpakāya, or “form body” of a buddha, this is the eternal, imperceivable realization of a buddha. In origin it was a term for the presence of the Dharma, and has come to be synonymous with the true nature.

A tathāgata.

The 9th century Tibetan translator of this text.

Often translated “element,” commonly in the context of the eighteen elements of sensory experience (the six sense faculties, their six respective objects, and the six sensory consciousnesses), although the term has a wide range of other meanings. Along with skandha and āyatana, one of the three major categories in the taxonomy of phenomena in the sūtra literature.

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. It is also the name of a goose king that was one of the Buddha’s previous lives, and in that instance it is translated into Tibetan as ngang skya.

Sometimes translated as “absorption” or “meditative absorption,” this is one of several similar but specific terms for particular states of mind to be cultivated. Dhyāna is the term often used in the context of eight successive stages, four of form and four formless.

The fifth bodhisattva bhūmi.

A previous buddha who gave Śākyamuni the prophecy of his buddhahood.

A previous buddha in the distant past.

There are four: the discernments of meaning, phenomena, definitions, and eloquence.

Ascetic practices that are optional for monks and nuns or undertaken only for a defined time period. They are traditionally listed as being twelve in number: (1) wearing rags (pāṃśukūlika, phyag dar khrod pa), (2) (in the form of only) three religious robes (traicīvarika, chos gos gsum), (3) (coarse in texture as) garments of felt (nāma[n]tika, ’phyings pa pa), (4) eating by alms (paiṇḍapātika, bsod snyoms pa), (5) having a single mat to sit on (aikāsanika, stan gcig pa), (6) not eating after noon (khalu paścād bhaktika, zas phyis mi len pa), (7) living alone in the forest (āraṇyaka, dgon pa pa), (8) living at the base of a tree (vṛkṣamūlika, shing drungs pa), (9) living in the open (ābhyavakāśika, bla gab med pa), (10) frequenting cemeteries (śmāśānika, dur khrod pa), (11) sleeping sitting up (naiṣadika, cog bu pa), and (12) accepting whatever seating position is offered (yāthāsaṃstarika, gzhi ji bzhin pa); this last of the twelve is sometimes interpreted as not omitting any house on the almsround, i.e. regardless of any reception expected. Mahāvyutpatti, 1127-39.

Emptiness, absence of attributes, and absence of aspiration.

A king in the time of Buddha Ghoṣadatta. Also the father of the rebirth of King Śirībala in the time of Buddha Narendraghoṣa.

A king in the distant past.

The name of all the buddhas who had been followers of King Mahābala in a previous lifetime.

A measure of capacity or volume, and sometimes of weight, roughly equivalent to 5 liters or 9.5 kilograms. It can also be used to denote a vessel or container of that capacity, hence the Tibetan translation here sgrom, “box” or “chest,” which is a little misleading in the passage in this text.

King of the kinnaras.

A bodhisattva who only appears in Mahāyāna sūtras. It is also a name for various buddhas, including an alternative name for Buddha Amoghasiddhi. Incorrectly translated as mngon par ’byung dka’

Name of a bodhisattva only mentioned in one other sūtra.

Ancient Indian sage, known primarily for tales of his short temper and the curses he inflicted, hence the meaning of his name: “difficult to live with.”

Being reborn in hell, or as a preta, an animal, or a long-lived deity (of the formless realms), or being a human in a time without a Buddha’s teaching, in a land without the teaching, with a defective mind, or without faith.

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 nāga king who in the lifetime of the previous buddha had cut down a tree and had therefore been reborn as a nāga. Residing in Taxila, he is said to have miraculously extended himself to where the Buddha was present. This tale is found represented in ancient sculpture.

Vachellia farnesiana. The common English name is “needle bush,” because of its numerous thorns

The Tibetan word literally means “confidence” or “courage” but it refers to confident speech, to being perfectly eloquent.

In the Mahāyāna this is the term for how phenomena are devoid of any nature of their own. One of the three doorways to liberation along with the absence of aspiration and the absence of attributes.

A bacterial infection of the skin, also called Ignis Sacer and St. Anthony’s Fire. The Tibetan means “fireflames.” Its worst form as described in the sūtra is “necrotizing fasciitis,” when the skin and flesh beneath blacken and die; it can lead quickly to death.

Defined in the commentary as the ultimate nature of phenomena, or the supreme among phenomena. Also defined as the essence of the Dharma. Literally “the element of phenomena, or the Dharma.” This term is also used to mean “the realm of phenomena,” meaning all phenomena.

A particular kind of mirage in which buildings, mountains, and so on can appear in the sky above the horizon. In India, called the “city of gandharvas,” as it was believed to be a glimpse of the residences of these divine beings.

This refers to the four confidences or fearlessnesses of the Buddha: confidence in having attained realization, confidence in having fully eliminated all defilements, confidence in teaching the Dharma, and confidence in teaching the path of aspiration to liberation.

A simile for rarity, as fig trees do not have discernible blossoms. In Tibet the udumbara (Ficus glomerata), being unknown, became portrayed as a gigantic lotuslike flower. The Chinese adds the adjective “rare” and, like the Tibetan, simply transliterates udumbara.

The five strengths are a stronger form of the five powers: faith, mindfulness, diligence, samādhi, and wisdom.

Male and female lay followers, and male and female monastic followers.

Gampopa Sonam Rinchen (sgam po pa bsod nams rin chen, 1079–1153). A disciple of Milarepa, and the founder of the monastic Kagyu tradition; also known as Dakpopa (dwags po pa) or Dakpo Lharjé (dwags po lha rje).

A principal bodhisattva in the Mahāyāna sūtras. He is described in this sūtra as coming from Akṣobhya’s realm.

A legendary mountain north of the Himalayas, with Lake Anavatapta, the source of the world’s great rivers, at its base. It is said to be south of Mount Kailash, though both have been identified with Mount Tise in west Tibet.

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.”

A name that appears twice in the list of buddhas from whom Śākyamuni in previous lifetimes received the Samādhirāja, and who is described in particular in chapter 38.

A powerful yakṣa of the Himalayas.

A famous Puranic rishi of India, who features particularly in the Vaishnavite literature.

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.

One of the seven great rishis of ancient India. Author of some of the vedas. His Dharmasūtra specified renunciation as yellow robes, shaved head, and being called a bhikṣu. Buddha Śākyamuni was his descendant.

A buddha in the distant past.

A nāga king who was a devotee of the Buddha. King Bimbisara once banished him and another nāga because they did not honor him. A drought occurred, and on the Buddha’s advice, he asked the nāgas for their forgiveness.

The seventh bodhisattva bhūmi.

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 the sūtra, it is usually called bhadraka.

A type of sandalwood that is reddish in color and has medicinal properties. It is said to have the finest fragrance of all sandalwood. In the Mahāvyutpatti it is translated as sa mchog, which means “supreme earth.” Later translations translate gośirṣa literally as “ox-head,” which is said to refer to the shape or name of the mountain where it grows. Appears to be red sandalwood, though that appears separately in the list of incenses.

See “Vulture Peak.”

A class of devas that, like the yakṣas, are ruled over by Kubera, but are also said to be his most trusted helpers.

The higher cognitions are listed as either five or six. The first five are: clairvoyance (divine sight), divine hearing, knowing how to manifest miracles, remembering previous lives, knowing what is in the minds of others. A sixth, knowing that all defects have been eliminated, is often added. The first five are attained through dhyāna, and are sometimes described as worldly, as they can be attained to some extent by non-Buddhist yogis; while the sixth is supramundane and attained only by realization‍—by bodhisattvas, or according to some accounts only by buddhas.

Synonymous with Himavat. This “mountain” is actually the entire Himalayan range.

Synonymous with Himagiri. This “mountain” is actually the entire Himalayan range.

The mental process of identifying various perceived phenomena. One of the five skandhas.

This is a family lineage that many royal families claimed adherence to. It is the name of an early royal dynasty in India, which is said to be a solar dynasty. Though there are many versions of how the dynasty received its name, they all relate it to the sugar cane (ikṣu). In Buddhism he was said to have been miraculously born from the rishi Gautama’s semen and blood when it was heated by the sun, and subsequently hid among sugar cane. Buddha Śākyamuni was also considered to be in this family line.

A yakṣa lord.

A buddha in the distant past, who is not mentioned in any other sūtra.

Mesua ferrea, specifically “Ceylon ironwood,” also called Indian rose chestnut, Cobra’s saffron, and nāgakesara. The flowers are large and fragrant, with four white petals and a yellow center.

A rishi of ancient India, who was said to have swallowed the Ganges when it first appeared, and then on being supplicated allowed it to come out of his ear.

A rishi who was a pupil of Vyāsa, the first master of the Sāmaveda and the source of the Mīmāṃsā tradition.

One of the seven great rishis of ancient India. Also known as the father of Paraśurāma, the sixth incarnation of Viṣṇu.

Legendary river carrying the remains of the golden fruit of a legendary jambu (rose apple) tree.

An alternative name for Jambudvīpa (rose-apple continent), which means “rose-apple banner.”

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 most common epithet of the buddhas, and also common among the Jains, hence their name. It means “the victorious one.”

“Son of the Jina,” a synonym for bodhisattva .

A cakravartin king countless eons in the past.

A buddha countless eons in the past.

A buddha countless eons in the past.

A past buddha who eons previously had been King Mahābala. Also the name of one of the two hundred buddhas Śākyamuni had received the samādhi teaching from in previous lifetimes.

A princess countless eons ago.

Phanera variegata. One of the most beautiful and aromatic of Indian trees, also known as orchid tree, mountain ebony, and camel’s foot tree.

Kāla was the son of Anāthapiṇḍada (Pali: Anāthapindika), the merchant who donated to the Buddha the land for the Jetavana Monastery.

A nāga king who became a pupil of the Buddha. Gandhara scultpures represent his conversion.

A title for a teacher of the spiritual path, often translated “spiritual friend.”

Indian Buddhist master (713–763) who came to Tibet in the late 8th century. Said to have been assassinated after a debate with the representatives of Chinese Buddhism. A later legend has him return to India and come back in another body in the eleventh century as the master Padampa Sangye.

Appears to mean “a person from Kañci.” Unidentified. Possibly a description of Pūrna, who is next in the list of the Buddha’s disciples. Alternatively this may be Kaccāna, also known as Kaccāyana, but principally as Katyayāna, one of the Buddha’s ten principal pupils.

The Buddha’s home town.

A principal teacher of the monastic saṅgha during the Buddha’s lifetime. Described as pale skinned and with a prominent nose.

Successive incarnations as the heads of the Karma Kagyu tradition, beginning with Dusum Khyenpa (dus gsum mkhyen pa, 1110–1193).

Pterospermum acerifolium. Other names include bayur, muchakunda, muchalinda, and dinner-plate tree.

One of the three classes of yakṣas at the base of Sumeru, below the paradises of the mahārājas, as part of the lowest class of paradises in the desire realm. Their name means “those who have basins in their hands.” They are said to be at the very base of Sumeru, and worry that the rising ocean is going to flood them. Because they are continually bailing out water with the basins, they are unable to follow the path to enlightenment.

The lunar month in autum which falls in October-November, which in general Indian tradition was considered the most powerful time to perform good actions.

The name of King Mahā­karuṇā­cintin as given in verse.

One of the Buddha’s principal pupils, who became the Buddha’s successor on his passing. Also the name of the preceding Buddha, the third in this eon, with Śākyamuni as the fourth. Also one of the seven great rishis of ancient India at the origin of Vedic culture. He is portrayed in this sūtra as coming to make offerings to the Buddha along with the other great rishis.

The court priest in the Buddha’s father’s kingdom, he predicted the Buddha’s enlightenment, and was the first of the Buddha’s pupils to become an arhat.

A rishi, usually said to be identical with Viśvamati, but his son and descendants also carried this name.

Foremost among the Buddha’s pupils in analytic reasoning.

One of the principal pupils of Tsongkhapa, the founder of the Gelug tradition. Also retrospectively know as the first Panchen Lama (b. 1385−d. 1438).

A race of beings said to live in the Himalayas who have bodies of lions and human heads.

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.

Literally “pain,” “torment,” or “affliction.” In Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit it means literally “impurity” or “depravity.” In its technical use in Buddhism it means any negative quality in the mind that causes continued existence in saṃsāra. The basic three kleśas are ignorance, attachment, and aversion. Also rendered here as “affliction.”

Another name of Maudgalyāyana, one of the Buddha’s two principal pupils. Kolita was the name of his home village, or was (according to The Chapter on Going Forth) a name given by his relatives meaning “born from the lap” [of the gods].

A quarter of a yojana , a distance that could be between one and over two miles. The milestones or kos-stones along the Indian trunk road were just over two miles apart. The Tibetan means “earshot.”

A nāga king.

The royal, noble, or warrior caste in the four-caste system of India.

A bodhisattva in the distant past.

Dwarf spirits said to have either large stomachs or huge, amphora-sized testicles.

See “bhūmi.”

This can include any method for liberation. The most commonly listed are the eight liberations: (1) form viewing form: the view of dependent origination and emptiness; (2) the formless viewing form: having seen internal emptiness, seeing the emptiness of external forms; (3) the view of the pleasant: seeing pleasant appearances as empty and contemplating the unpleasant; (4) seeing the emptiness of the formless meditation of infinite space; (5) seeing the emptiness of the formless meditation of infinite consciousness; (6) seeing the emptiness of the formless meditation of nothingness; (7) seeing the emptiness of the formless meditation of neither perception nor nonperception; and (8) seeing the emptiness of the state of cessation.

There are seven limbs of enlightenment: correct mindfulness, correct wisdom of the analysis of phenomena, correct diligence, correct joy, correct serenity, correct samādhi, and correct equanimity.

Honorific term for a Tibetan translator.

Magnolia campaca.

A king in the time of Buddha Ghoṣadatta.

A prince who was a pupil of Buddha Abhāva­samudgata countless eons ago.

A bodhisattva in the audience.

An unidentified mountain mentioned in a number of sūtras, not apparently connected to the well known nāga of that name (who is also known as Mucilinda), but perhaps to the sacred mucilinda tree, known in English mainly as the bayur tree.

A nāga king.

Four 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.

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.

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.

A synonym for Maitreya.

The bodhisattva who became Śākyamuni’s regent and is prophesied to be the next buddha, the fifth buddha in the Good 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 that he will be the next buddha, and that his companion Ajita will be the next cakravartin. As a bodhisattva, he has both these names. In the White Lotus of Compassion Sūtra, Buddha Ratnagarbha prophesies that Vimalavaiśayana, the fourth of the thousand young Vedapāṭhaka pupils of Samudrareṇu, will be Buddha Maitreya.

One of the three classes of yakṣas at the base of Meru, below the paradises of the mahārājas, as part of the lowest class of paradises in the desire realm. Their name means “with māla beads in their hands,” and they are said to be constantly counting and therefore unable to follow the path to enlightenment.

The range of mountains in West India, also called the Western ghats, known for its sandalwood forests.

A nāga king.

The sixth bodhisattva bhūmi.

An alternative name for Mañjuśrī, meaning, “gentle or beautiful voice.”

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.Also known here as Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta, Mañjughoṣa or Pañcaśikha.

See “Mañjuśrī.”

In the Indian tradition, Manu, similar to Noah in the Biblical tradition, was the survivor of a flood that covered the world, and so is the ancestor of all humans. On divine advice, he built a boat in which he saved his family and all the plants, seeds, and animals necessary to reintroduce to the world after the flood had diminished.

Said to be the principal deity in Para­nirmita­vaśa­vartin, the highest paradise in the desire realm. He is also portrayed as attempting to prevent the Buddha’s enlightenment, as in early soteriological religions, the principal deity in saṃsāra, such as Indra, would attempt to prevent anyone’s realization that would lead to such a liberation. The name Māra is also used as a generic name for the deities in his realm, and also as an impersonal term for the factors that keep beings in saṃsāra.

The deities ruled over by Māra who attempted to prevent the Buddha’s enlightenment, and who do not wish any being to escape from saṃsāra. Also, they are symbolic of the defects within a person that prevent enlightenment. These four personifications are: Devaputra-māra (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), the Māra of the Afflictions.

A famous Puranic rishi of India, who features particularly in the Shaivite literature.

A prince who was a former life of Śākyamuni.

One of the two principal pupils of the Buddha, renowned for miraculous powers. He was assassinated during the Buddha’s lifetime. His family clan was descended from Mudgala, hence his name Maudgalyāyana, “the son of Mudgala’s descendants.” See also under Kolita, his other name.

Buddha Śākyamuni’s mother.

The meaning of this term varies according to context; as one of the skandhas it means the entire array of negative, positive, and neutral mental activities.

Early Mahāyāna sūtras identify this as separate from Sumeru, the mountain at the center of the world. This refers to a legendary mountain in such epics as the Mahābhārata that while sacred is not situated at the world’s center.

A bodhisattva.

A bodhisattva.

(The rendering Merugāja is according to Dutt.)

There are four kinds of mindfulness: those of body, sensations, mind, and phenomena.

Literally, “gait” or “way of moving,” but also more metaphorically “demeanour,” “stance;” and abstractly “manner,” “type,” “mode.”

A kettledrum played horizontally, wider in the middle, with the skin at both ends played by the hands. One drumhead is smaller than the other. It is a South Indian drum, and maintains the rhythm in Karnataka music.

An unidentified mountain mentioned in a number of sūtras, not apparently connected to the well-known nāga of that name, but perhaps to the sacred mucilinda tree, known in English mainly as the bayur tree.

Nāga king, particularly known for sheltering the Buddha from a storm in Bodhgaya.

A specific kind of ancient Indian ornament, probably meaning “flower on the front” or “face with a flower.” It was made by metallurgists, presumably from gold. The Tibetan has a definition which involves a woman’s face. It is probably a central feature of a necklace, in which there is a face and a flower‍—possibly a face within a flower as is seen on ancient stūpa railings such as those in Bodhgaya.

This appears to be a small version of the mṛdaṅga drum.

A kettledrum with ends played horizontally. Unlike the mṛdaṅga, one half of the drum is wider than the other. Another description says that the heads of the drum are smaller than those of the mṛdaṅga.

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.

Second- or third-century Indian master whose writings formed the basis for the Madhyamaka tradition. In following centuries there were other masters and authors of the same name, and in Tibet all their works became attributed to one person.

Female nāga.

1011–1064. His personal name was Tsultrim Gyalwa (tshul khrims rgyal ba). A translator who brought Atiśa to Tibet and wrote an important record of his travels to India.

Literally “name and form” means the mental and physical consituents of a being. It is a synonym for the five skandhas, with the four aggregates of the mind being called “names.” In the context of the twelve phases of dependent origination the term is also used specifically to refer to the embryonic phase of an individual’s existence where the mental aggregates are undeveloped and have only a nominal presence, and therefore are called “names.”

Originally the name of Indra’s principal enemy among the asuras. In early Buddhism he appears as a drought-causing demon and eventually his name becomes that of Māra, the principal opponent of the Buddhadharma.

The Buddha’s half-brother, who became one of his principal pupils. Also the name for the nāga king usually associated with Upananda.

A famous South Indian rishi who also appears in the Ramayana and is credited with writing the first judicial text.

Nymphaea pubescens. This night-blossoming water lily, which can be red, pink, or white, is not actually a lotus, since it does not have the lotus’s distinctive pericarp. Nevertheless it is commonly called the “night lotus.” It is also known as hairy water lily, because of the hairs on the stem and the underside of the leaves.

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

Sanskrit: “extinguishment,” for the causes for saṃsāra are “extinguished”; Tibetan: “the transcendence of suffering.”

The Sanskrit ārya generally has the common meaning of a noble person, one of a higher class or caste. In Dharma terms it means one who has gained the realization of the path and is superior for that reason.

In this sūtra it is stated that there are five obscurations. This must be referring to the list in the early Mahāyāna sūtra The Patience Trained by the Color of Space Sūtra: (1) desire’s craving; (2) malice; (3) dullness and sleepiness; (4) laziness and agitation; and (5) doubt.

A term of Jain origin. It refers to uncontrolled thoughts, being distracted by objects, and hence its meaning of “leaks.”

A nāga king.

A buddha who appears in other sūtras as a contemporary of Śākyamuni in another universe. In this sūtra, King Dṛḍhabala, the bhikṣu Supuṣpacandra, and King Varapuṣpasa are said to be his previous lives.

Listed among Indian instruments as an hourglass drum, played in the hand, and the ancestor of the present day huḍukka, somewhat larger than the ḍamaru. See Saṅgītaśiromaṇi: A Medieval Handbook of Indian Music, edited by Emmie Te Nijenhuis, p. 549. However, Dutt describes it as a drum made of bell metal, which matches the Tibetan translation as “bronze drum,” but he may have been influenced by the Tibetan translation of chapter 30. In an earlier chapter paṇava is simply transcribed into Tibetan. An example of a bell metal drum would be the ceṇṇala, a small flat gong of bell metal that is hit with a stick and used to keep time in South Indian music. Other instruments mentioned are of the South Indian tradition.

A gandharva who was very prominent in early Buddhism and is featured on early stupa reliefs playing a lute and singing. He would come to Buddha Śākyamuni, who was not portrayed as omniscient, to inform him of what was occuring in the paradises. He also accompanies Indra on a visit to the Buddha and plays music to bring the Buddha out of his meditation. He performs the same role in the Mahāyāna sūtra The White Lotus of Compassion (Toh 112). He was portrayed as living on a five-peaked mountain, and appears to be the basis for Mañjuśrī, first known as Mañjughoṣa (Beautiful Voice) with Pañcaśikha still being one of Mañjuśrī’s alternate names. In this sūtra he is clearly distinct from Bodhisattva Mañjuśrī.

Traditionally the head of the yakṣa army serving Vaiśravaṇa, and the consort of Hariti.

The highest paradise in the desire realm.

One of the vedic sages who revealed some of the Vedas, and is believed to have written the first puraṇa.

The second of the three paradises that are the third dhyāna paradises in the form realm.

The lowest of the three paradises that are the third dhyāna paradises in the form realm.

Chukar partridge (Alectoris chukar, also known as the Greek partridge). In later times in China and Tibet this became a legendary half-human bird, or a two-headed bird.

A barrel drum that can be hung by a strap from the body and played sitting or standing by beating the upper surface, or both surfaces, with two curved drumsticks. There is also an identification of this term with a disk-shaped drum with the skin on one side only, similar to a tambourine, and also a drum like the mṛdaṅga with a thick middle and one end smaller than the other.

A common description of buddhas. According to some explanations, “wisdom” refers to awakening, and “conduct” to the three trainings (bslab pa gsum) by means of which a buddha attains that awakening; according to others, “wisdom” refers to right view, and “conduct” to the other seven elements of the eightfold path.

The first bodhisattva bhūmi.

The ninth bodhisattva bhūmi.

A leading nāga.

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, containing 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.

A collection of canonical texts according to subject, the piṭakas are usually Vinaya, Sūtra, and Abhidharma. It can also refer, as in this sūtra, to the collection of the Mahāyana teachings, which is known as the bodhisattva-piṭaka. The word originates from the term “baskets,” originally used to contain these collections.

The fortnightly ceremony during which ordained monks and nuns gather to recite the Prātimokṣa vows and confess faults and breaches. The term is also sometimes used in reference to the taking of eight vows by a layperson for just one day, a full-moon or new-moon day.

(950−1030) One of the main masters in Vikramaśila monastery.

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

“Prātimokṣa” is the name given to the code of conduct binding on monks and nuns. The term can be used to refer both to the disciplinary rules themselves and to the texts from the Vinaya that contain them. There are multiple recensions of the Prātimokṣa , each transmitted by a different monastic fraternity in ancient and medieval India. Three remain living traditions, one of them the Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya of Tibetan Buddhism. Though the numbers of rules vary across the different recensions, they are all organized according to the same principles and with the same disciplinary categories. It is customary for monastics to recite the Prātimokṣa Sūtra fortnightly.

“Solitary buddha.” Someone who has attained liberation entirely through their own contemplation, hence their alternate epithet, pratyayajina, which means one who has become a jina, or buddha, through dependence [on external factors that were contemplated upon]. This is the result of progress in previous lives but, unlike a buddha, they do not have the necessary accumulated merit nor the motivation to teach others.

Literally “the departed” and analagous to the ancestral spirits of the Vedic tradition, the pitṛs, who starve without the offerings of descendants. They live in the realm of Yama, the Lord of Death, analogous to the underworld of Pluto in Greek mythology. In Buddhism they are said to suffer intensely, particularly from hunger and thirst.

The thirty-two primary physical characteristics of a “great being,” a mahāpuruṣa, which every buddha possesses.

A prince in the distant past.

A pupil of the Buddha who was preeminent in teaching.

A spirit that is said to cause physical illnesses.

A powerful asura, said to cause eclipses.

The name of Śākyamuni’s son. Also the name of the sons of all the buddhas that Śākyamuni had received the Samādhirāja from in previous lifetimes.

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.

A race of ugly, evil-natured supernatural beings with a yearning for human flesh.

A king of Tibet who reigned from 815 to 838.

Synonym for Subāhu, translated as if it was Subāhu into Tibetan.

A bodhisattva.

A bodhisattva.

According to the commentary, an alternative name for Ratnapāṇi

A buddha countless eons in the past.

Absent in Tibetan (phyag na rin po che).

A palace in a past eon.

The ability to remember all Dharma teachings that are heard. In other contexts, a dhāraṇi is a powerful recitation that is a precursor of mantras and is usually in the form of intelligible sentences or phrases that preserve or retain the essence of a teaching. There are two sets of “four retentions” in relation to this text. (A) As explained in the sūtra itself in chapter 24 (24.­63): the retention, respectively, of teachings on composites, on sounds, on kleśas, and on purifications. (B) As explained in the commentary to the opening of the sūtra (1.2, see n.­13 ): the recited dhāraṇī sentences and phrases themselves, the retention of the memory of the words of all teachings given, the retention of the memory of the meaning of these teachings, and the retention of the realization gained through meditation on that meaning.

The youngest brother of Śāriputra.

Sage. An ancient Indian spiritual title especially for divinely inspired individuals credited with creating the foundations for all Indian culture.

“Form body.” The visible form of a buddha that is perceived by other beings, in contrast to his “Dharma body,” the dharmakāya, which is his enlightenment.

One of the three classes of yakṣas at the base of Meru, below the paradises of the mahārājas, as part of the lowest class of paradises in the desire realm. Their name means “constantly intoxicated or insane” and because of their condition they are unable to follow the path to enlightenment.

The principal nāga king; in this sūtra another name for Vaṛuna.

A title that, like buddha, is given to someone who has attained the realization of a truth through his own contemplation and not by divine revelation.

More commonly known in the West as Indra, the deity that is called “lord of the devas” dwells on the summit of Mount Sumeru and wields the thunderbolt. The Tibetan translation is based on an etymology that śakra is an abbreviation of śata-kratu, one who has performed a hundred sacrifices. The highest vedic sacrifice was the horse sacrifice, and there is a tradition that he became the lord of the gods through performing them. Each world with a central Sumeru has a Śakra; therefore this sutra mentions them in the plural.

The name of the historical Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama; he was a muni (sage) from the Śākya clan.

Literally, “the Bull of the Śākyas.” This is similar to Śākyamuni, “the Sage of the Śākyas,” the Śākyas being the Buddha’s clan.

A yakṣa that was the protective deity for the Śākya clan, which was the Buddha’s clan. The Śākyas had a temple devoted to him and he is represented in sculpture as being present at his birth.

The buddha from whom Śakyamuni received the Samādhirāja in a previous life.

A forest in a past eon.

A tathāgata.

One of the synonyms for the meditative state. The Tibetan translation interpreted it as sama-āpatti, which brings in the idea of “equal,” or “level,” whereas it may very well be like “samādhi,” sam-āpatti, with the similar meaning of concentration. Unlike samādhi, however, it also occurs with the meaning of “completion,” “attainment,” and “diligent practice.”

Meditation of peaceful stability.

A leader of the asuras.

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.

In the list of buddhas from whom Śākyamuni received the Samādhirāja, this name appears twice, perhaps in error.

In the list of buddhas from whom Śākyamuni received the Samādhirāja, this name appears twice, perhaps in error.

In the list of buddhas from whom Śākyamuni received the Samādhirāja, this name appears twice, perhaps in error. Translated the first time in Tibetan as zhi ba’i dbang po and the second time as zhi dbang.

Eighth-century Indian master within the Madhyamaka tradition.

In the list of buddhas from whom Śākyamuni received the Samādhirāja, this name appears twice, perhaps in error. Translated the first time in Tibetan as zhi ba dpa’ and the second time as zhi bar dpa’.

In the list of buddhas from whom Śākyamuni received the Samādhirāja, this name appears twice, perhaps in error.

“The son of Śāri.” The Buddha’s principal pupil, who passed away before the Buddha.

Synonym for Śāriputra.

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.

The second of the five skandhas: nonconceptual pleasant, unpleasant, or neutral sensations as a result of sensory experiences.

Sesamum indicum.

When associated with the seven heavenly bodies, and therefore the seven days of the week, they are: ruby for the sun, moonstone or pearl for the moon, coral for Mars, emerald for Mercury, yellow sapphire for Jupiter, diamond for Venus, and blue sapphire for Saturn. There are variant lists not associated with the heavenly bodies but retaining the number seven, which include gold, silver, and so on.

The third bodhisattva bhūmi.

Someone who has attained supernatural powers.

A buddha in the distant past when Śākyamuni was Prince Mati.

A king in the distant past.

The constituents that make up a being’s existence: forms, sensations, identifications, mental activities, and consciousnesses. Often translated “aggregate,” commonly in the context of the five aggregates. Along with dhātu and āyatana, one of the three major categories in the taxonomy of phenomena in the sūtra literature.

A brahmin priest who has completed his apprenticeship, and undergone a ritual ablution to mark his graduation.

The word, based on the verb “to hear,” means disciple, and is used in that general way, as well as for those who were followers of the non-Mahāyāna tradition of Buddhism, in contrast to the bodhisattvas.

A king in the distant past.

Literally “the favorite of the glorious one,” or (as translated into Tibetan) “the calf of the glorious one.” This is an auspicious mark that in Indian Buddhism was said to be formed from a curl of hair on the breast and was depicted in a shape that resembles the fleur-de-lis. In Tibet it is usually represented as an eternal knot. It is also one of the principal attributes of Viṣṇu.

Traditionally “one who is learned in the Vedas.” The Tibetan means “one who keeps pure and clean.”

The second bodhisattva bhūmi.

Trachelospermum jasminoides. It has its name because of its starlike white blossoms. In India it is used in speech as an example of whiteness, i.e., “as white as star jasmine.” Also called downy jasmine, Chinese jasmine, Chinese ivy, and trader’s compass.

Literally “one who is stable” and usually translated as “elder,” a senior teacher in the early Buddhist communities. Also became the name of the Buddhist tradition within which the Theravada developed.

A principal bodhisattva in the Mahāyāna sūtras.

The highest of the three paradises that are the third dhyāna paradises in the form realm.

A foremost pupil of the Buddha, known for his wisdom.

The shortened form of Suvicintitārtha within verse.

A yakṣa usually paired with Kharakarṇa.

In the list of buddhas from whom Śākyamuni received the Samādhirāja, this name appears twice, perhaps in error. Translated the first time in Tibetan as dul rab, and the second time as shin tu dul.

In the list of buddhas from whom Śākyamuni received the Samādhirāja this name appears twice, perhaps in error. Translated the first time in Tibetan as shin tu dul ba’i sems, and the second time as dul bar sems.

The second highest of the seventeen paradises in the form realm, and therefore the second highest of the five Śuddhāvāsika (pure abode) paradises.

The five highest of the paradises that consitute the realm of form, which is above the paradises of the realm of desire in which our world is situated.

Buddha Śākyamuni’s father.

The assembly hall in the center of Sudarśana, the city in the Trāyastriṃśa (“Thirty-three”) paradise, which has a central throne for Indra/Śakra and thirty-two thrones arranged to its right and left for the other thirty-two devas that make up the epnoymous thirty-three devas of Indra’s paradise. Indra’s own palace is to the north of this assembly hall.

The third highest of the seventeen paradises in the form realm, and therefore the third of the five Śuddhāvāsika (pure abode) paradises.

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

The mountain at the center of the disk of the world with the four continents around it.

A bodhisattva.

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

A king in the distant past.

A yakṣa lord.

Primarily within Buddhism it refers to the Buddha’s nontantric teachings in general. Literally it means “thread.” It is also used in other contexts for pithy statements, rules, and aphorisms, on which are strung a commentary and terms of the subdivisions of a sūtra into twelve aspects of the Dharma; in that case, sūtra then means only the prose part of a sūtra.

A buddha in the distant past who had previously been Prince Mahākaruṇācintī, a pupil of Buddha Abhāva­samudgata. In verse he is referred to as Sucintitārtha.

The principal deity in the paradise called Yāma.

Svāgata was a pupil of the Buddha, originally a destitute beggar, who, in particular, accidentally drank alcohol offered by villagers after he had tamed a nāga to end a drought. This resulted in the Buddha’s adding abstention from alcohol as part of the monastic rules.

A buddha in the distant past.

In later Tibetan translations, it is translated as g.yung-drung. In the early translations, it is bra shis and in the Mahāvyutpatti dictionary it is bkra shis ldan, while g.yung-drung translates nandyāvarta. It is an auspicious sign in Indian culture, and it is one of the auspicious marks on the chest of the Buddha, as well as the śrīvatsa.

A nāga king who is well known from his role in the Indian Mahābhārata epic. He dwells in the northwestern city of Taxila (Takṣaśilā), in present-day Pakistan.

The hell called “hot.” Traditionally the sixth of the eight hot hells.

One of the Buddha’s titles. “Gata,” though literally meaning “gone,” is a past passive participle used to describe a state or condition of existence. As buddhahood is indescribable it means “one who is thus.”

“The body of the tathāgata,” which in this sūtra is a synonym for the dharmakāya.

A buddha in the distant past.

Powers attained by bodhisattvas on the path: power over life, karma, materials, devotion, aspiration, miracles, birth, Dharma, mind, and wisdom. Not to be confused with the ten strengths ( bala , stobs) which are qualities of buddhahood.

One set among the different qualities of a tathāgata. The ten strengths are (1) the knowledge of what is possible and not possible; (2) the knowledge of the ripening of karma; (3) the knowledge of the variety of aspirations; (4) the knowledge of the variety of natures; (5) the knowledge of the different levels of capabilities; (6) the knowledge of the destinations of all paths; (7) the knowledge of various states of meditation (dhyāna, liberation, samādhi, samāpatti, and so on); (8) the knowledge of remembering previous lives; (9) the knowledge of deaths and rebirths; and (10) the knowledge of the cessation of defilements.

The young man of Rājagrha who is the principal interlocutor for the Samādhirājasūtra. He is frequently addressed as “youth” or “young man,” (Skt. kumāra; Tib. gzhon nu).

These three aspects, literally “circles” or “provinces,” are the doer, the action, and the object of the action. Their purity is variously described as being free of self-interest or free of conceptualization.

Knowledge through divine sight (lha’i mig gi shes pa), knowledge through remembering past lives (sngon gyi gnas rjes su dran pa’i rig pa), and the knowledge that defilements have ceased (zag pa zad pa’i rig pa).

Any non-Buddhist tradition in pre-Muslim India, both those Veda-based and not. The term has its origins among the Jains.

The paradise of Indra on the summit of Sumeru, where there are thirty-three leading deities, hence the name “thirty-three.” The second (counting from the lowest) of the six paradises in the desire realm.

The largest universe described in Buddhist cosmology. This term, in Abhidharma cosmology, refers to 1,000³ world systems, i.e., 1,000 “dichiliocosms” or “two thousand great thousand world realms” (dvi­sāhasra­mahā­sāhasra­lokadhātu), which are in turn made up of 1,000 first-order world systems, each with its own Mount Sumeru, continents, sun and moon, etc.

1357–1419. The founder of the Gelug tradition.

The fourth (counting from the lowest) of the six paradises in the desire realm. The paradise from which Śākyamuni descended to be born into his world.

The son of the court priest in Kapilavastu, the Buddha’s home town. Also called Kālodāyin (black Udāyin) because of his dark skin. He and his wife Guptā became monk and nun. He became an arhat who was a skilled teacher. However he also figures prominently in accounts of inappropriate sexual behavior that instigated vinaya rules. He and Guptā are also said to have conceived a son after their ordination.

Also means unmoving, immovable.

The eighth bodhisattva bhūmi.

A personal preceptor and teacher. In Tibet, the translation mkhan po also came to mean a learned scholar, the equivalent of a paṇḍita.

The Buddha’s pupil who was pre-eminent in knowing the monastic rules and recited them and their origins at the first council. He had been a low caste barber in Kapilavastu, the Buddha’s home town.

One of the main nāga kings, usually associated with the nāga king Nanda.

male lay practitioner

female lay practitioner

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.

A curled hair or ringlet between the eyebrows that is one of the thirty-two major signs of a “great being.”

One of the thirty-two signs of a great being, in its simplest form it is a pointed shape to the head (like a turban), or more elaborately a dome-shaped protuberance, or even an invisible protuberance of infinite height.

Ancient rishi, a pupil of Vyāsa and teacher of the Taittirīyasaṃhita.

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.

Ancient Indian rishi who is renowned as the author of the Rāmāyaṇa.

The dwarf incarnation of Viṣṇu, who deceived the king of the asuras.

A king in the distant past.

The principal nāga king; also the god of the sea in the Vedas. In this sūtra Sāgara is an alternative name and not another nāga.

One of the seven great rishis of ancient India, said to have composed part of the Rigveda.

Nāga king, well known in Indian mythology as being the serpent coiled around Meru that was used to churn the ocean at the origin of the world.

An alternative name for Nandika.

A rishi of ancient India, said to be the author of the Nyaysūtrabhāśya and the famous Kāmasūtra.

The king of the asuras.

A race of superhuman beings with magical powers who lived high in mountains, such as the Malaya range of southwest India. Also used for humans who have gained powers through their mantras.

A yakṣa lord.

A future buddha, who was Candraprabha in the time of Śākyamuni.

The section of the Buddha’s teachings that focuses on conduct.

A mountain range, actually a series of mountain ranges, which extends across central India.

Insight meditation.

A bodhisattva who only appears in passing in the Samādhirāja, and in no other sūtra.

One of the four mahārājas. He is the guardian of the southern direction and the lord of the kumbhāṇḍas.

One of the four mahārājas. He is the guardian of the western direction and traditionally the lord of the nāgas, though in this sūtra that appears to be Dhṛtarāṣṭra.

One of the early great rishis of India, who revealed part of the Vedas.

A king in the distant past.

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.Also rendered here as “Gṛdhrakūṭa.”

The rishi who is said to have divided the Vedas into four and to have compiled the Mahābhārata epic.

Nymphaea stellata; Nymphaea nouchali. Day-blossoming water lilies that may be blue, white, or red.

Water that has the eight qualities of being sweet, cool, pleasant, light, clear, pure, not harmful to the throat, and beneficial for the stomach.

Ficus infectoria. Full English name: White fruited wavy-leaf fig tree.

White coral is fossilized coral. It appears in one version of the list of seven jewels or treasures. Tibetan tradition describes it as being formed from ice over a long period of time. It is coral that has undergone millions of years of underwater pressure. It can also refer to tridacna (Tridacnidae) shell, which is also presently referred to by the name musaragalva. Attempts to identify musalagalva have included sapphire, cat’s eye, red coral, conch, and amber.

These are often listed as eight in number, as in the commentary: gain and no gain, happiness and suffering, praise and criticism, fame and lack of fame.

A class of supernatural beings, often represented as the attendants of the god of wealth, but the term is also applied to spirits. Although they are generally portrayed as benevolent, the Tibetan translation means “harm giver,” as they are also capable of causing harm.

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

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.”

“The one who is united,” a succesful practitioner who has attained realization. The Tibetan means “one who is united with the genuine nature.”

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.