Introduction

i.1The Questions of Ratnajālin belongs to the General Sūtra (mdo sde) section of the Kangyur. It was translated into Tibetan some time during the late eighth or early ninth century ᴄᴇ by a certain Yeshé Nyingpo (of whom we know very little apart from his name) and the Indian preceptor Jñānagarbha, who participated in numerous translation projects in Tibet during the early translation period. The translation was subsequently edited during the same period by the prolific translator Kawa Paltsek. Therefore, the Tibetan translation, which we have rendered into English here, would have been completed during the early translation period, a dating that is also attested by the text’s inclusion in the early-ninth-century Denkarma (ldan dkar ma) catalogue.

i.2The original Sanskrit no longer seems to be extant, but a single translation was made into Chinese (Taishō vol. 14, no. 433). This Chinese translation was produced much earlier than the Tibetan, sometime during the end of the third century ᴄᴇ by the Indo-Scythian monk Dharmarakṣa (c. 233–310 ᴄᴇ). Dharmarakṣa was one of the most prolific translators of early Chinese Buddhism, producing more than 150 translations of canonical scriptures during his life. With this Chinese translation, we thus have a very early terminus ante quem for the composition of this discourse that places it right in the formative period of the literature of the Great Vehicle in India. The fact that it was translated into Chinese and Tibetan with more than five hundred years separating the two events also points to a certain popularity and longevity of the text in Buddhist India. In producing this translation, we have based our work on the Degé xylograph while consulting the Comparative Edition (dpe bsdur ma) as well as the Stok Palace manuscript. We have also occasionally consulted the Chinese translation and included any such influence on the translation in the annotations.

i.3The Questions of Ratnajālin is primarily concerned with the benefits that arise from knowing the names of various buddhas in different realms. Like many sūtras, this scripture begins with an interlocutor raising a question to the Buddha. In this case, it is the young boy Ratnajālin who asks whether or not there are buddhas whose very names carry such transformative power as to elevate the knower to buddhahood in addition to arousing virtually all other important spiritual qualities. The Buddha replies that there are, in fact, several buddhas whose names hold such power and he proceeds to describe and name these buddhas and their realms as well as declare the specific effects that knowledge of their names enacts. The notion that a devotee can become destined for awakening merely by hearing the names of buddhas who live in other realms is shared by a number of Great Vehicle sūtras. In the Degé Kangyur, however, since a number of organizing principles were at play when the editors structured the canon, the texts concerned with the liberating effects of the names of various buddhas ended up not being grouped together based on their shared subject matter but instead became dispersed throughout the different sūtra collections due to other editorial concerns. Therefore, we find The Questions of Ratnajālin grouped together with the twenty-six sūtras that all share a similar title element (The Questions of…).

i.4As for the events in the sūtra, the story begins in Vaiśālī with Ratnajālin, an eight-year-old boy of the Licchavi clan. Based on a dream, Ratnajālin leaves the city to invite the Buddha and the saṅgha to visit Vaiśālī for their daily alms round. The following day, the Buddha arrives in Vaiśālī as many miracles delight the people. At the proper time Ratnajālin asks the Buddha about the power inherent in the names of the buddhas, in particular whether there are buddhas whose names, simply upon being heard, have the efficacy to propel the listener forward on the path to awakening. In reply, the Buddha mentions six specific buddhas living in distant buddha realms in the four cardinal directions as well as in the directions above and below. He mentions them by name and declares that trust in their names and existence is the key factor that ensures a number of desired benefits, including the eventual attainment of awakening. Thus, as long as one trusts them, these buddha names have tremendous beneficial powers. Concluding his teaching, the Buddha describes the benefits that ensue from hearing this discourse‍—primarily that those who hear it will be able to attract many beings and propel them onto the path of awakening. Lastly, he advises the assembled community to uphold this discourse and offers Ratnajālin a prophecy of his future meeting with the Buddha Maitreya.