Notes

n.1Bhavya, Precious Lamp of the Middle Way (Madhyamaka­ratna­pradīpa, Toh 3854); Alaṁkārabhadra, bzang po spyod pa’i smon lam gyi rgyal po’i rgya cher ’grel pa (Bhadracaryā­praṇidhāna­rāja­ṭīkā, Toh 4014), 246.b.

n.2Dīpaṁkaraśrījñāna, byang chub lam gyi sgron ma’i dka’ ’grel (Bodhi­mārga­pradīpa­pañjikā, Toh 3948), 245.b.

n.3Dīpaṁkaraśrījñāna, dbu ma’i man ngag rin po che’i za ma tog kha phye ba zhes bya ba (Ratna­karaṇḍodghāṭa­nāma­madhyamakopadeśa, Toh 3930), 99.a, 107.b.

n.4The Sūtra of the Sublime Golden Light (3) (Suvarṇa­prabhāsottama­sūtra, Toh 557).

n.5The Sūtra of the Sublime Golden Light (2) (Suvarṇa­prabhāsottama­sūtra, Toh 556).

n.6The Sūtra of the Sublime Golden Light (1) (Suvarṇa­prabhāsottama­sūtra, Toh 555).

n.7Purification of Karmic Obscurations (Karmāvaraṇa­viśuddhi, Toh 218).

n.8Eliminating Ajātaśatru’s Remorse (Ajāta­śatru­kaukṛtya­vinodana, Toh 216).

n.9The Śrīgupta Sūtra (Śrīguptasūtra, Toh 217).

n.10Da sheng san ju chan hui jing 大乘三聚懺悔經 (Tri­skandhaka­pravartana­sūtra), Taishō 1493 (CBETA; SAT).

n.11This phrase is not repeated in The Sūtra of the Sublime Golden Light, but otherwise, from this point on until the concluding section, it is repeated word for word and in the same translation as in chapter 5 of The Sūtra of the Sublime Golden Light (Toh 556), and in a different translation in chapter 5 of Toh 555.

n.12Assuming that the Tibetan sman pa (“healing” or “doctor”) is the common error in transcription for phan pa (“benefit”), which are very similar in the dbu med script.

n.13This differs from the usual list of paradises, where there are only three Brahmā paradises and Brahmapariṣadya is a synonym for Brahmakāyika. This list is said to come from a Vibhajyavāda “Distinctionist” tradition, which held views on the existence of phenomena that differed from those of the Sarvāstivāda tradition, which is the early tradition primarily transmitted into Tibet.

n.14This paradise occurs only in the Vibhajyavāda cosmology. The corresponding passage in Toh 555, which was translated from the Chinese version, accords with the more common cosmology in Tibetan canonical texts.

n.15The order in the most common cosmology (as followed by Toh 555) is Avṛha, Atapa, Sudṛśa, and Sudarśana.

n.16According to Toh 555. Here and in Toh 556 the negative is missing with yin apparently written in error for min.

n.17Assuming that the Tibetan sman pa (“healing” or “doctor”) is the common error in transcription for phan pa (“benefit”), which are very similar in the dbu med script.

n.18Assuming that the Tibetan sman pa (“healing” or “doctor”) is the common error in transcription for phan pa (“benefit”), which are very similar in the dbu med script.

n.19Assuming that the Tibetan sman pa (“healing” or “doctor”) is the common error in transcription for phan pa (“benefit”), which are very similar in the dbu med script.

n.20Assuming that the Tibetan sman pa (“healing” or “doctor”) is the common error in transcription for phan pa (“benefit”), which are very similar in the dbu med script.

n.21Assuming that the Tibetan sman pa (“healing” or “doctor”) is the common error in transcription for phan pa (“benefit”), which are very similar in the dbu med script.

n.22Assuming that the Tibetan sman pa (“healing” or “doctor”) is the common error in transcription for phan pa (“benefit”), which are very similar in the dbu med script.

n.23Toh 555 has Amitāyus (tshe dpag tu med pa).

n.24seng ge. Toh 555 has seng ge’i ’od .

n.25Assuming that the Tibetan sman pa (“healing” or “doctor”) is the common error in transcription for phan pa (“benefit”), which are very similar in the dbu med script.

n.26Assuming that the Tibetan sman pa (“healing” or “doctor”) is the common error in transcription for phan pa (“benefit”), which are very similar in the dbu med script.

n.27Literally “a hundred thousand ten-millions.”

n.28Here is where this portion of the sūtra concludes in the two longer versions.

n.29This reform of the spelling of written Tibetan, which included, for example, eliminating the second suffix d, was made in 816, during the reign of Tritsuk Detsen, a.k.a. Ralpachen (born circa 806, reigned 815–838).