One of the five ascetics who later became the first five disciples of the Buddha.

One of the eight main bodhisattvas, the heart sons of the Buddha.

A major śrāvaka disciple and personal attendant of the Buddha Śākyamuni during the last twenty-five years of his life. He was a cousin of the Buddha (according to the Mahāvastu, he was a son of Śuklodana, one of the brothers of King Śuddhodana, which means he was a brother of Devadatta; other sources say he was a son of Amṛtodana, another brother of King Śuddhodana, which means he would have been a brother of Aniruddha).Ānanda, having always been in the Buddha’s presence, is said to have memorized all the teachings he heard and is celebrated for having recited all the Buddha’s teachings by memory at the first council of the Buddhist saṅgha, thus preserving the teachings after the Buddha’s parinirvāṇa. The phrase “Thus did I hear at one time,” found at the beginning of the sūtras, usually stands for his recitation of the teachings. He became a patriarch after the passing of Mahākāśyapa.

A king of the nāgas.

Four contemplations on: the body, feelings, mind, and phenomena. These are among the thirty-seven factors of awakening.

One of the ten perfections.

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.

An arhat disciple of the Buddha and one of the sixteen elders.

A ruler of the asuras.

Determination, discernment, diligence, and absorption. These are among the thirty-seven factors of awakening.

One of the first five disciples of the Buddha.

Fierce and terrifying Hindu goddess identified as the consort of Bhairava.

One of the bodhisattva great beings.

One of the bodhisattva great beings.

One of the disciples of the Buddha. One of the first ten to be ordained.

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.

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).

Recollection, analysis of the dharmas, diligence, joy, pliancy, absorption, equanimity. These are among the thirty-seven factors of awakening.

Lunar deity in Hindu mythology.

One of the bodhisattva great beings. He is also the principal interlocutor of The King of Samādhis Sūtra .

One of the six or ten perfections.

Bodhisattva great being, interlocutor of the Buddha in The Perfection of Generosity.

One of the disciples of the Buddha.

One of the bodhisattva great beings.

One of the bodhisattva great beings.

One of the four great kings.

One of the six or ten perfections.

One of the six or ten perfections.

One of the bodhisattva great beings.

One of the bodhisattva great beings.

One of the bodhisattva great beings.

A king of the kinnaras.

One of the bodhisattva great beings.

A Hindu goddess, unidentified. McCombs (p. 128) suggests that the Sanskrit name for this goddess might be Śūlinī (one of the names for Durgā) or Śaktidhārī.

One of the disciples of the Buddha. One of the first ten to be ordained.

The first of the six or ten perfections, often explained as the essential starting point and training for the practice of the others.

One of the bodhisattva great beings.

A female yakṣa, previously an eater of children but tamed and converted by the Buddha and seen as a protectress. Consort of Pāñcika.

The most severe among the eight hot hell realms. It is characterized as endless not only in terms of the torment undergone there, but also because of the ceaseless chain of actions and effects experienced, the long lifespan of its denizens, and their being so intensely crowded together that there is no physical space between them.

One of the six or ten perfections.

One of the bodhisattva great beings.

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.

An epithet for softness, usually applied to cloth, and probably in reference, directly or metaphorically, to the down of the kācilindika bird. See Lamotte, Etienne. La Concentration de la Marche Héroïque. Bruxelles: Peeters (1975), p. 261, n. 321. The Mahāvyutpatti includes the term using the variant spelling kācalindika.

One of the bodhisattva great beings.

The capital city of the Śākya kingdom, where the Buddha grew up.

One of the disciples of the Buddha.

One of the bodhisattva great beings.

One of the four great kings, also known as Vaiśravaṇa.

Bird with beautiful eyes that lives on Mount Sumeru.

One of the disciples of the Buddha.

A ruler of the garuḍas.

One of the two closest disciples of the Buddha, known for his miraculous abilities.

Epithet of Lakṣmī, Hindu goddess of wealth and prosperity and consort of Viṣṇu.

Bodhisattva great being who represents the power of wisdom.

A ruler of the garuḍas.

Epithet of Śiva.

One of the bodhisattva great beings.

One of the eight main bodhisattvas, the heart sons of the Buddha.

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.

Personification of everything that functions as a hindrance to awakening.

One of the bodhisattva great beings.

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 Buddha’s half-brother and disciple.

An eminent gandharva.

A leader of the yakṣas.

A term meaning acceptance, forbearance, or patience. As the third of the six perfections, patience is classified into three kinds: the capacity to tolerate abuse from sentient beings, to tolerate the hardships of the path to buddhahood, and to tolerate the profound nature of reality. As a term referring to a bodhisattva’s realization, dharmakṣānti (chos la bzod pa) can refer to the ways one becomes “receptive” to the nature of Dharma, and it can be an abbreviation of anutpattikadharmakṣānti, “forbearance for the unborn nature, or nonproduction, of dharmas.”

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.

One of the ten perfections.

Faith, diligence, mindfulness, absorption, and knowledge. These are among the thirty-seven factors of awakening.

A Bengali paṇḍita resident in Tibet during the late eighth/early ninth centuries. Arriving in Tibet at the invitation of the Tibetan king, he assisted in the translation of numerous canonical scriptures. He is also the author of a few philosophical commentaries included in the Tibetan Tengyur (bstan ’gyur) collection.

One of the bodhisattva great beings.

At least five different disciples of the Buddha in the canonical texts have this name, but the Pūrṇa in this text is likely to be the eminent disciple of the Buddha from Kapilavastu, nephew of Ājñātakauṇḍinya who ordained him, and described as the foremost disciple in explaining the doctrine.

A ruler of the asuras.

The Buddha’s son and disciple.

One of the bodhisattva great beings.

One of the bodhisattva great beings.

One of the bodhisattva great beings.

One of the bodhisattva great beings.

One of the bodhisattva great beings.

One of the bodhisattva great beings.

One of the bodhisattva great beings.

One of the bodhisattva great beings.

One of the bodhisattva great beings.

A post set up as a marker to which offerings may be presented. Described in the Maitreyāvadāna (“The Story of Maitreya”), which in the Kangyur is found within the Bhaiṣajya­vastu (in Vinayavastu, Toh 1, Degé Kangyur vol. kha, folios 29a-32b), see Yao (2021), 3.139 (the term is translated as “divine pillar”); a matching passage from the Divyāvadāna is translated in Rotman (2008), pp. 121–24.

A king of the nāgas.

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 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.

One of the eight main bodhisattvas, the heart sons of the Buddha.

A Hindu goddess.

Mythical eight-legged lion.

One of the principal śrāvaka disciples of the Buddha, he was renowned for his discipline and for having been praised by the Buddha as foremost of the wise (often paired with Maudgalyā­yana, who was praised as foremost in the capacity for miraculous powers). His father, Tiṣya, to honor Śāriputra’s mother, Śārikā, named him Śāradvatīputra, or, in its contracted form, Śāriputra, meaning “Śārikā’s Son.”

Hindu goddess of art and wisdom, consort of Brahmā.

The seven precious things comprise the symbols of royal dominion, namely, the wheel, gem, queen, minister, elephant, general, and horse. More generally‌, they may also comprise the seven precious metals and stones, namely, gold, silver, turquoise, coral, pearl, emerald, and sapphire.

One of the main Hindu gods.

One of the ten perfections.

One of the bodhisattva great beings.

One of the bodhisattva great beings.

One of the bodhisattva great beings.

Faith, diligence, mindfulness, absorption, and knowledge. These are among the thirty-seven factors of awakening. Although the qualities referred to are the same as the powers , they are termed strengths due to their greater strength.

One of the closest disciples of the Buddha.

King of Kapilavastu and father of the Buddha.

One of the bodhisattva great beings.

One of the disciples of the Buddha.

One of the bodhisattva great beings.

One of the bodhisattva great beings.

Relinquishing negative acts in the present and future and enhancing positive acts in the present and future. These are among the thirty-seven factors of awakening. The term is often translated “true relinquishments,” which is the literal meaning of both the Sanskrit and Tibetan, but does not fit the third and fourth; Dayal, p. 102 ff. suggests the use of “effort” (samyak­pradhāna) instead of lit. “abandonment” (samyak­prahāna).

Epithet of Pārvatī, consort of Śiva.

One of the disciples of the Buddha.

One of the four great kings, also known as Kubera.

Vajrapāṇi means “Wielder of the Vajra.” In the Pali canon, he appears as a yakṣa guardian in the retinue of the Buddha. In the Mahāyāna scriptures he is a bodhisattva and one of the “eight close sons of the Buddha.” In the tantras, he is also regarded as an important Buddhist deity and instrumental in the transmission of tantric scriptures.

One of the guardian deities.

One of the four great kings.

One of the four great kings.

One of the bodhisattva great beings.

One of the ten perfections.

The lord of death.

A Hindu goddess, unidentified. McCombs (p. 128) suggests that the Sanskrit name for this goddess might be Pītā or Vāruṇī.

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.