Notes

n.1See The Eight Buddhas (Toh 271), The Ten Buddhas (Toh 272), and The Twelve Buddhas (Toh 273, 511, 853).

n.2There is some ambivalence in the text about whether or not the dhāraṇīs of the seven buddhas can be effective in reversing or eliminating the negative effects of one’s previously accumulated karma. For a more thoroughgoing presentation of this issue see Krug (2019).

n.3Their existence is a natural consequence of the doctrine according to which a bodhisattva will become a buddha only after serving other buddhas, and eventually receiving vyākaraṇa (prediction of awakening) from one of them.

n.4Salomon (2018), pp. 265–293.

n.5In Pali, Mahāpadānasutta , Dīgha Nikāya 14. See also Davidson (2015), p. 132. In the same article, pp. 133–42, Davidson also speculates that the reason for the set of seven buddhas having become so widespread might be related to the brahmanical tradition whereby maintaining caste purity over the course of seven generations confers legitimacy on the status of ritual specialist.

n.6Davidson (2015), 129–30.

n.7Marshall (1918), p. 46 et seq.

n.8Davidson (2015), 130–31.

n.9sangs rgyas rabs bdun gyi bkra shis tshigs su bcad pa, Toh 821, 1104, and in the Tengyur 4412. For a translation, see Pearcey (2018).

n.10For example, in the Mahā­sāhasra­pramardanī (Destroyer of the Great Trichiliocosm, Toh 556) Dharmachakra Translation Committee (2016), 1.297, 1.409, and 1.418.

n.11Denkarma, folio 299.b. See also Yoshimura (1950), p. 135.

n.12dkar chag ’phang thang ma (2003), 25.

n.13Bodong Paṇchen Choklé Namgyal (1969–1981).

n.14Lewis R. Lancaster, “K346,” The Korean Buddhist Canon: A Descriptive Catalogue, accessed November 14, 2018, http://www.acmuller.net/descriptive_catalogue/files/k0346.html.

n.15Lewis R. Lancaster, “K338,” The Korean Buddhist Canon: A Descriptive Catalogue, accessed November 14, 2018, http://www.acmuller.net/descriptive_catalogue/files/k0338.html. The Sanskrit back-translations for these titles are provided from Ronald M. Davidson’s study of the text. See Davidson (2015), 149.

n.16Lewis R. Lancaster, “K1106,” The Korean Buddhist Canon: A Descriptive Catalogue, accessed November 14, 2018, http://www.acmuller.net/descriptive_catalogue/files/k1106.html.

n.17Note that there is a discrepancy among various databases for cataloging the Toh 852 version of this text within vol. 100 or 101 of the Degé Kangyur. See Toh 852, n.­17, for details.

n.18The correlating section from the eKangyur (based on the Degé) may be viewed by clicking on the folio references, which will be displayed according to the Toh number selected from the 84000 reading room: Toh 270, Toh 512, or Toh 852.

n.19In the Toh 512 version of the text there is a slight discrepancy in the folio numbering between the 1737 par phud printings and the late (post par phud) printings of the Degé Kangyur. Although the discrepancy is irrelevant here, further details concerning this may be found in n.­19 of the Toh 512 version of this text.

n.20S, D (Toh 512, Toh 852): lag pa bstod pa; D (Toh 270): lag pa stong pa.

n.21D (Toh 270): hulu hulu.

n.22D (Toh 270): hiliya.

n.23Tentative English translation: Homage to the Buddha. Homage to the Dharma. Homage to the Saṅgha. Tadyathā oṃ hala hala hili hili hilāya. Homage to the world and homage to the guide. Homage to you, svāhā .

n.24The Tibetan for fire (me) does not appear here in D (Toh 270).

n.25The Tibetan does not always make it explicit that the materia medica used to treat various illnesses in the text should be incanted with the vidyāmantra, so this has been rendered explicit by the translator throughout the text where it is appropriate.

n.26D (Toh 270, Toh 512): cchindaya.

n.27D (Toh 512, Toh 852): varaviānāṃ.

n.28Tentative English translation: Homage to the Buddha. Homage to the Dharma. Homage to the Saṅgha. Oṃ cook cook, cook them out cook out all the spirits. Pierce and pin down the enemy’s vidyā beings svāhā .

n.29S: kulotsādanaṃ; D (Toh 270): kula udsadhanaṃ; D (Toh 512): kulotsādhanānāṃ; D (Toh 852): kulotsādhanānāṃ. The Stok Palace Kangyur contains the only truly viable transliteration of a Sanskrit term, so the transliteration and translation of this mantra follows the Stok Palace Kangyur.

n.30Tentative English translation: Homage to the Buddha. Homage to the Dharma. Homage to the Saṅgha. Oṃ kala kala kili kili kulu kulu destroy the clans of all seizers svāhā .

n.31D (Toh 270): rājanāṃ; D (Toh 512, Toh 852), S: rājānāṃ. The term rājana is a patronymic derived from the Sanskrit term for king (rājan) and thus means “belonging to a king.” Here the term might be in the feminine singular accusative to signify the queen, or perhaps in a masculine plural accusative in which the nasal has been transcribed as anusvara. The context for the mantra and the inclusion of the phrase “or just the king” (rājāmātraṃ vā) indicates that the term rājanāṃ is likely meant here to signify the king’s army.

n.32D (Toh 270): vaśikarotu; D (Toh 512, Toh 852): vaśikaratu; S: vāśikāratu. The transliteration preserved in D (Toh 270) is the proper imperative third person singular form of kṛ.

n.33Tentative English translation: Bend the king’s army (or just the king) to my will.

n.34D: me bus; this is taken here as a scribal error for me bud, which is a contracted compound for the Tibetan me bud pa’i gnas (Skt. agni­karaṇa­sthānam), a term that is commonly used to signify a fire altar.

n.35D (Toh 270 and Toh 512) repeat the line ’o ma can gyi shing gi sbar shing gis me bus la bsreg bya til dag lan stong sbyin sreg bya’o. It has only been rendered once in translation.

n.36D (Toh 270): na la da; D (Toh 512, Toh 852): na la. This translation follows D (Toh 270). Nalada is a medicinal plant that is attested in the Atharvaveda and Suśrutasaṃhitā .

n.37D (Toh 270): a mra’i mgo lcogs; D (Toh 512, Toh 852): a mra’i mgo thogs. This translation follows D (Toh 270), which is a Tibetan translation of the Sanskrit āmrastabaka.

n.38D: seng ldeng gi thur ma ba’i lci bar smyugs; S: seng ldeng gi phur ma spyi bor bsnyugs.

n.39D (Toh 270): gdon bsrung ba dang/ ’byung po la sogs pa’i; D (Toh 512): gdon dang / srung ba dang / ’byung po la sogs pa’i; D (Toh 852): gdon dang srung ba dang ’byung po la sogs pa’i; S: gdon dang / bsrung ba dang / ’byung po la sogs pa’i. This translation follows D (Toh 270). The variants in D (Toh 512, Toh 852) suggest that the term srung ba was read as another class of being in series with the terms gdon (graha) “seizer” and ’byung po (bhūta) “spirit.” This is taken as a scribal error based on lack of evidence for any class of being translated into Tibetan as srung ba. The tathāgata Viśvabhū’s mantra is also explicitly directed at grahas. It is also possible to read the phrase gdon bsrung ba as graharakṣā, which could refer to an amulet used to protect one from grahas. The translation here remains ambiguous on this point and allows for this interpretation.

n.40S, D (Toh 512): kiṭāpaya; D (Toh 270): kitāpaya; D (Toh 852): kiṭāvaya.

n.41Tentative English translation: Homage to the Buddha. Homage to the Dharma. Homage to the Saṅgha. Homage to the tathāgata, arhat, perfect and complete buddha Krakucchanda. oṃ kaṭa kaṭa kaṭha kaṭha kiṭi kiṭi kiṭhi kiṭhi kiṭāpaya. Homage to you svāhā.

n.42D (Toh 270): brjod par gyur; D (Toh 512): brjod ’byor par ’gyur; D (Toh 852): ’byong bar ’gyur; S: brjod par ’gyur.

n.43D (Toh 270): mchod rten gyi ’khor sar; D (Toh 512, Toh 852), S: ’jig rten gyi ’khor sar.

n.44D (Toh 852), S: yid la ci smos pa; D (Toh 270): yid la ci smon pa; D (Toh 512): yid la ci snos pa.

n.45D (Toh 270), S: sīrāya.

n.46D (Toh 512 and Toh 852) are missing the fourth occurrence of dhuma here, but it is attested in D (Toh 270) and S. This also fits the pattern established by the previous line of the mantra.

n.47Tentative English translation: Homage to the Buddha. Homage to the Dharma. Homage to the Saṅgha. Homage to the tathāgata, arhat, perfect and complete buddha Kanakamuni. tadyathā oṃ sara sara sara sara siri siri siri siri sirāya dhama dhama dhama dhama dhuma dhuma dhuma dhuma dhumāya. Homage to the tathāgata, arhat, perfect and complete buddha Kanakamuni svāhā .

n.48D (Toh 270): hara hara hara; S, D (Toh 512, Toh 852): hara hara hara hara.

n.49D (Toh 512): mantrapada; D (Toh 270): mantrapadaiḥ; D (Toh 852), S: mantrapāda. None of the Tibetan variants indicate the term mantrapada in the nominative plural, but the third person imperative plural verb sidhyantu requires a nominative plural, so the phrase mantrapada has been translated below as mantrapadāḥ.

n.50Tentative English translation: Homage to the Buddha. Homage to the Dharma. Homage to the Saṅgha. Dispel dispel dispel dispel ha ha ha. Homage to the tathāgata, arhat, perfect and complete buddha Kāśyapa. May these mantra verses be effective svāhā .

n.51D (Toh 270): sha bkra; D (Toh 512, Toh 852), S: sha gar. The Tibetan sha bkra translates the Sanskrit for several different skin diseases, all of which refer to a kind of white spot on the surface of the skin. This may account for the Tibetan variant sha gar. See glossary entry.

n.52D (Toh 270, Toh 512), S: lan stong rtsa brgyad; D (Toh 852): lan bdun.