Notes

n.1Cornu (2006) says sixth to seventh century; Conze (1973) places them in the “tantric period” between 600 and 1200 ᴄᴇ.

n.2Sherab Rhaldi (2002).

n.3Indo-Tibetan Studies Translation Group, Visva-Bharati, trans., The Candragarbha Perfection of Wisdom , Toh 27 (84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2023).

n.4Chomden Rigpai Raltri, F.7.b; see also Schaeffer and van de Kuijp 3.14, p. 117.

n.5Butön, F.146.a.7–146.b.2.

n.6See The Perfection of Wisdom for Candragarbha, Toh 27 (F.177.a).

n.7See The Stem Array, Toh 44–45, 56.49–57 and 56.72–133 (Roberts 2021).

n.8See The Stem Array, Toh 44-45, 56.62 (Roberts 2021).

n.9https://www.ymfz.org/library/kangyur_translated/toh0028/

n.10H: ma ga dha’i dgon pa; Z: ma ga dha dgon par; N: ma ga ta dgon par; D, J, He: ma ga dha dgon pa; Y: ma ga ta dgon pa.

n.11The sequence of phrases describing the place, places, or states in which the Blessed One was staying could be interpreted in several different ways. Conze translates this as “in a remote forest called the ‘Pith of Dharma,’ ” and Driessens as “at the hermitage Essence of the Doctrine” (translated from French). We have chosen to translate chos kyi snying po (as in D and J, but chos kyi snying por in Z and N) as the essence of Dharma but the essence of phenomena or the essence of the teachings would also be possible renderings. This phrase may be either simply descriptive, or a place name, or the name of a meditative stability; if either of the latter two, one might expect the marker zhes bya ba, but its absence is not conclusive.

n.12We followed D, J, Z, N: phyogs bcu’i sangs rgyas; He: phyogs bcu sangs rgyas.

n.13We followed D, H, Z, He: zhugs; L, N, C: bzhugs.

n.14thams cad rnam par mi rtog pa bstan pa. We followed D, J, Z, H: bstan, while N, He read brtan. We translate bstan pa here as “display,” while Conze (using the Narthang Kangyur) uses “firm,” brtan pa.

n.15We followed D, J, Z, N: mi’i; C: ma’i.

n.16We followed D, J, Z, N: ’gro khyod kyis sgrol. The Hemis manuscript presents a variant: ’gro ba rab tu sgrol.

n.17We followed D, J, Z, N: bslab par bya; He: brlab par bya.

n.18The title given here at the end of the sūtra, like in most of the Kangyurs, is ’phags pa kun tu bzang po theg pa chen po’i mdo, and differs from the main title at the beginning. The Hemis Kangyur mirrors the title at the beginning: ’phags pa shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa kun tu bzang po theg pa chen po’i mdo.