Notes

n.1McCombs (2014), pp. 88–183. His thesis also includes an edited version of the full Tibetan text. Although McCombs’ study and translation of this sūtra only became available to us after we had completed our translation, we subsequently compared our translation to his and as a result were able to improve our rendering in several instances.

n.2See McCombs, “Mahāyāna and the Gift,” 94–95.

n.3See Denkarma, Degé Tengyur vol. 206 (sna tshogs, jo), F.298.a.5–6; also Lalou (1953), p. 322, n. 142. In the Denkarma, the sūtra is listed with the title ’phags pa sbyin pa’i pha rol tu phyin pa bstan pa.

n.4That text (Toh 183, Tib. sbyin pa’i phan yon bstan pa, Skt. Dānānuśaṃsā) is a short, two-page text that presents (like the present sūtra but with notable differences) the benefits associated with the practice of generosity by listing the karmic ripening generated by different types of offering. In the Stok Palace edition and other witnesses of the Thenpangma (them spangs ma) line of Kangyur collections, these two texts are cataloged disjointly, and this title is translated as sbyin pa’i legs pa, rather than sbyin pa’i phan yon bstan pa.

n.5In particular, Akṣayamati­nirdeśa­sūtra (Toh 175) and Bodhi­sattva­piṭaka­sūtra (Toh 56). See McCombs, “Mahāyāna and the Gift,” 98–99.

n.6The eight qualities of the best kind of water (a set frequently mentioned in the literature) are that it is cool, sweet, light, soft, clear, clean, pure, not upsetting to the stomach, and not irritatating to the throat.

n.7At this point the list of bodhisattvas continues and the names increase in length considerably. Although the text is clear that the following lines of this paragraph are indeed to be treated as a list of personal names, their meaning is somewhat unclear, and it is not evident precisely where individual names begin and end. Our rendering of the remainder of the bodhisattva names included in this section should therefore be viewed as tentative.

n.8S has no shad between those two elements, and mngon par shes pa is repeated in what follows: de bzhin gshegs pa thams cad kyi yul la ’jug pa shes pa la mkhas pa mngon par shes pa / mngon par shes pa dpa’ bar ’gro ba’i ting nge ’dzin gyi mtha’i sgo bsgrub pa’i gzungs thob pa.

n.9S reads: zla ba ma.

n.10We have been unable to identify this tree (Tib. u thi ka).

n.11It seems that “emerald” is repeated twice in this list under different names (Tib. rdo’i snying po and ma rgad).

n.12The translation here is based on S, which treats these as separate items: kha dog bzang po / rgyas pa / mchog dang ldan pa. D reads: kha dog bzang po / rgyas pa mchog dang ldan pa.

n.13The abandonments of killing and wrong views are, respectively, the first and the last of the ten virtuous actions.

n.14This chapter colophon appears to provide an alternative title for the sūtra. See also i.­5.

n.15Translated based on S. D reads: sbyor ba.

n.16Tentative translation (Tib. sgrib pa thams cad gtan spong ba’ ’phags pa dang / lha’i tshangs pa’i gnas de bzhin gshegs pa’i gzims mal dang / ’phangs sbyin pa’i tshigs bla dags yin gyis).

n.17Y, K, and S read: bstan. J and N read: stan.

n.18Following Y, J, K, N, C, and H: dka’. D reads dga’.

n.19The Buddha’s crown protuberance (Skt. uṣṇīṣa) is described in canonical sources as being invisible, either because the light it emanates is brighter than the light of the sun, or because there is no one above the Buddha, and therefore no one can look down on him.

n.20Following Y, K, N, C, and H: gsung. D reads gsang.