Notes

n.1On rakṣā literature, a term introduced by Peter Skilling to describe this kind of apotropaic and performative literature, see Skilling 1992 and, more recently, the brief but clear overview in Strauch 2014, 64–67. See also Skilling 1997, 15, 63–88 (on the Mahāsūtras as rakṣā literature) and 78–84 (on the general problem of the classification of the Mahāsūtras).

n.2However, the Denkarma (ldan dkar ma) catalog of the early phase of translation in Tibet (up to the ninth century) classifies Auspicious Night‍—“mistakenly,” according to Skilling, “since it is a Śrāvaka text” (Skilling 1997, 82)‍—as a sūtra of the Mahāyāna (see Herrmann-Pfandt 2008, 120–21). For more details on the problems of the classification and formation, nature, and later citations of Auspicious Night, see Skilling 1997, 81–84.

n.3For some features thought by contemporary scholars to distinguish Mahāyāna sūtras from non-Mahāyāna sūtras, see Drewes 2010b, 66–74. See also Davidson 2009 and Drewes 2010a. Also, the association of dhāraṇīs and mantras exclusively with the Mahāyāna is not conclusive; Skilling (1997, 74–78) has shown that a number of texts of the Śrāvakayāna contain mantras and dhāraṇīs (see also Hidas 2015, 130).

n.4Denkarma, folio 299.b; see also Herrmann-Pfandt 2008, 120-21. Phangthangma 2003, p.26.

n.5See Pawo Tsuklak Trengwa’s commentary on Śāntideva’s Bodhicaryāvatāra (byang chub sems dpa’i spyod pa la ’jug pa’i rnam bshad theg chen chos kyi rgya mtsho), in chos tshan sna tshogs (Kathmandu: Karma Leksheyling, 2012), BDRC W3JT13346: eText search “mtshan mo bzang po’i mdo.” For Tai Situ Chökyi Jungné’s quotation of the first two verses, see Chökyi Jungné, nges don phyag rgya chen po smon lam gyi ’grel pa grub pa mchog gi zhal lung, folios 27.b.5–6. For a translation of this, see Roberts 2010, 238.

n.6They are the first four suttas of chapter fourteen of the Vibhaṅgavagga: Bhaddekarattasutta (MN 131), Ānandabhaddekarattasutta (MN 132), Mahākaccānabhaddekarattasutta (MN 133), and Lomasakaṅgiyabhaddekarattasutta (MN 134).

n.7This fragment was published in the series Sanskrithandschriften aus den Turfanfunden (see Sander and Waldschmidt 1971).

n.8This fragment was first edited by the Russian Indologist Sergej Fedorovič Oldenburg (1863–1934) and was published in Minayeff and Oldenburg 1983, 242–43.

n.9This information was compiled from Lewis R. Lancaster and Sung-bae Park, The Korean Buddhist Canon: A Descriptive Catalogue , and Anālayo 2012, 755–67. The English translations of the Chinese titles are Bhikkhu Anālayo’s.

n.10Like the Tibetan translations, Taishō 1362 is set in the hot springs in Rājagṛha, does not give a name to the monk to whom the deity Candana appears, and has the Buddha explain the identity of the deity as a general in the Heaven of the Thirty-Three. Additionally, Taishō 1362 preserves lines from the core verses that are only otherwise attested in the Tibetan translation.

n.11Note that there is a discrepancy among various databases for cataloging the Toh 974 version of this text within vol. 101 or 102 of the Degé Kangyur. See Toh 974, n.­11, for details.

n.12Syntax according to D phyin nas. Y and K read phyi nas (“later on”). The reading in D seems preferable since it faithfully reproduces the syntax of a well-known stock phrase in Sanskrit and Pali expressing that someone approaches another person (yena … tena).

n.13According to A, D, D617, D974 de nas dge slong de nang par langs nas; S just reads de nas dge slong de nas langs nas (“Then, the monk, having departed/left from there”) without specifying the time.

n.14C, H repeat lha (“Deva”) here; A, D add lta; D974 omitted; D617, S do not add lta or lha. Translated according to D974 and S.

n.15Translating A, D sde dpon. D617, D974, S read ded dpon. Although the semantic range of the two terms partly overlaps‍—both designate a leader of some kind‍—a sde dpon is typically a military leader, such as a general, whereas ded dpon can refer to a civic leader, such as the head of a merchant caravan or ship captain.

n.16The reason for the appearance of the general Candana can be explained by referring to MN 134, the initial portions of which bear a considerable resemblance to the beginning of Auspicious Night: in the Pali version, the deity Candana recalls the stanzas of the discourse of Auspicious Night in his meeting with the monk Lomasakaṅgiya. To the monk’s question about how and why he remembers it, the deity replies, “Bhikkhu, once the Blessed One was living among the gods of the heaven of the Thirty-three, on the Red Marble Stone at the root of the Pāricchattaka tree. There the Blessed One recited the summary and exposition of ‘One Who Has Had a Single Excellent Night’ to the gods of the heaven of the Thirty-three” (translation taken from Bhikkhu Ñāṇamoli and Bhikkhu Bodhi 2005, 1050).

n.17The Tibetan of A, D313, D617, D974 here reads rjes su phrad, which is very unusual (as far as we were able to ascertain, this is the only occurrence in the Kangyur) and poses text-critical difficulties. S is unclear, and reads either rjes su phrad or phrod. The Sanskrit of SI 2044 reads anvāgamayed, meaning “to follow,” “walk,” or “go along,” a term often rendered in Tibetan as rjes su ’brang. Therefore, and specifically in the light of the extant Sanskrit parallel, we read rjes su ’brang for rjes su phrad and have translated it accordingly with the English verb “to follow.” It should be pointed out, however, that a survey of all available scans of Kangyurs on the University of Vienna’s Resources for Kanjur and Tanjur Studies site shows that the reading rjes su phrad (and the variants rjes su ’phrad and rjes su phrang) is found in all the recensions and editions. Thus, the curious reading rjes su phrad may either have its origin in a textual corruption or is just a graphically unusual form. It may furthermore be worth noting that Taishō 1362 reads, in the first half-pada of the first verse, 過去不應念 – 過去(“What is past one should not remember”). The reading nian 念 (“mindfulness,” “memory”) here suggests that we should expect a form of Sanskrit anu+smṛ in the Sanskrit/Prakrit original. Similarly, Taishō 77 reads 過去當不憶, with yi 憶 likewise meaning “to recollect,” “to remember.” The obvious candidate in the Tibetan would be rjes su dran.

n.18Translation according to A, D, D617, D974, S re ba; N, K, Y read reg pa (“to touch” or “contact”).

n.19The Pali MN 131 explains the meaning of this as follows: Remembering a past state of any one of one’s five constituents (Sanskrit skandha), e.g., “in the past my form was thus,” one wishes oneself or the past state of affairs to return. The explanation is similar with regard to the future: one wishes one’s body/form etc. to be a certain way in the future.

n.20According to the Tibetan in D617, D974, S de dag mkhas pas; A, D, N read de dag thams cad (“those all”).

n.21According to S shi’am sus shes kyis. A, D, N, S read shi yang; A, D shi yang su shes kyis; D617 ’chi’am su shes kyis; D974 ’chi’am sus shes kyis.

n.22We interpret Tibetan sde here to be short for dmag sde (“army,” “platoon”). Cf. the Pali mahāsenena maccunā (“death, whose army is mighty”).

n.23We have translated according to A, D, S bdag tu [S rtag tu] bshes pa ma yin no. D617, D974 read bdag tu shes pa ma yin no.

n.24According to A, D, S bzang po; D617, D974 read thams cad bzang por mthong gyur te (“having come to see that all is good”).

n.25According to A, D gang yang; D617, D974, S gang dag.

n.26This stanza, which is longer than the other stanzas (six padas instead of four), is absent in the Pali version and its Madhyamāgama parallel (MĀ 165; see Anālyo 2008, 12). Only SI 2044 preserves a similar passage.

n.27In the Pali version of this verse, the person who thus maintains this mindfully day and night is called bhaddekaratto, “one who has had an auspicious night” The whole fourth, and last, stanza in the Pali Bhaddekarattasuttas in Bhikkhu Anālayo’s (2012, 758n15) translation reads, “dwelling diligently like this, day and night without laziness, to him, indeed, the night is auspicious, so the peaceful sage has explained” (evaṃ vihārim ātapiṃ, ahorattam atanditaṃ, taṃ ve bhaddekaratto ti, santo ācikkhate munī ti).

n.28According to D617, D974, S mtshan mo bzang po’i mdo sde ’di; A, D mdo ’di.

n.29According to A, D mtshan mo bzang po’i mdo sde ’di’i don. S instead reads mtshan mo bzang po’i don (“the meaning of (an?) auspicious night” [or simply “the meaning/contents of Auspicious Night”]); D617, D974 read mtshan mo bzang po’i mdo (“the sūtra Auspicious Night”).

n.30The Tibetan verb klog (“read”) most likely means to recite the text out loud.

n.31According to A, D dug gis mi tshugs pa yin; D617, D974, S dug gis ma yin (“not by poison”). D617, D974, and S also add “not [vulnerable] by the blade; not by water” (mtshon gyis ma yin| chus ma yin).

n.32Tibetan rgyal po’i chad pa literally means “punishment inflicted by the king.”

n.33Tibetan dbang phyug tu yang nges par ’gyur; dbang phyug is polysemous, and the exact sense of the word here is unclear. According to Mvy it usually renders the Sanskrit īśvara (“lord, master; king, ruler”). The Sanskrit word itself can also mean “almighty god” or refer to the supreme god (parameśvara) or the Supreme Being. The Tibetan dbang phyug can also be used as a synonym of the Sanskrit tathāgata and bodhisattva, or for the god Śiva. In the Buddhist doctrinal context, it often renders the Sanskrit aiśvarya, which designates the “sovereignty,” “self-mastery,” “supremacy,” or “superhuman powers” of a buddha.

n.34We have supplied the word “recitation” here. An alternative interpretation of the Tibetan lan cig gis may be “at once,” “immediately,” or “directly.” H lan gcig.

n.35According to A, D, S mya ngan; Y mang; K phan; H, N ngam.

n.36According to A, D, D617, D974 dus ma yin par ’chi las skyob; S dus ma yin ltas ’chi las skyob (“protects from omens of premature death”).

n.37Tibetan bzang po dran na. We have interpreted bzang po to be short for mtshan mo bzang po’i mdo, “the sūtra Auspicious Night,” but it may simply mean “remembering it well.” It is also possible that the wording here is deliberately ambiguous.

n.38This translates Tibetan rig pa bzang po ’di dang ni. As in the instance above, we have interpreted bzang po to be short for mtshan mo bzang po’i mdo (“the sūtra Auspicious Night”). Alternatively, it may be translated literally as “this auspicious incantation (Sanskrit vidyā)” or “this good incantation.” However, in light of what has been stated in the previous verses and their frequent reference to Auspicious Night, we interpret rig pa (vidyā) here to refer to the whole sūtra Auspicious Night itself.

n.39According to A, D dus kun tu; D617, D974, S gnas kun tu (“in all places” or “in all circumstances”).

n.40Tibetan bdag dang sems can thams cad lag na rdo rje dang lhan cig tu … The syntax in this sentence is not entirely clear.

n.41Here, the “four assemblies” (’khor bzhi) consisting of monks, nuns, and male and female lay followers are intended.

n.42The editions of D617, D974, S, and K preserve the following colophon: “The Indian preceptors Jinamitra and Dānaśīla, and the editor-translator, the venerable monk Yeshé Dé (ye shes sde), translated and edited [this text]. It was subsequently modified and then finalized in accordance with the reformed lexicon.”

n.43D bi [H, N bhi] ni bha ra di| bi ri ni| bi ra [H, N, K, Y ri] ni; D617, D974 bi ni bi ra ṇi| pa ni pū ra ni; S bi nā bi ni| bi na pūrani.

n.44Reading according to S; D bud dha ma har tā [C dā] na dhe; D617, D974 bud dha marte.

n.45Reading according to S mā ni ni mā ni ni (S has an additional, i.e., third, manini, which we omitted). D ma hi ni mi na ni; D617, D974 ma hi ni ma ni ni.

n.46Reading according to S. D ni ni ni ni| ti ti ti ti; D617, D974 ni ni ni ni| ṭi ṭi ṭi ṭi; C ni ni ni ni| hi ti hi ti.

n.47D bi [H, N bhi] ra ti; D617, D974 pa ra ṭi.

n.48D gan dha ri; S gan dha ra ri; D617, D974 gandha ri; N298 also transliterates gandha ri, although this was not noted by A.

n.49D tsan ḍa li; C, J, Y, K tsaṇ ḍa li; D617, D974, H, N, S tsaṇḍa li.

n.50D, D974, S ma taṃ gi; D617 ma tam̐ gi.

n.51D pu ka si; D617, D974 pukka si; S pūkka si.

n.52D bramha ni; D617, D974, S bha ma ni.

n.53D dra mi ḍi; D617, D974 dra mi dri; K, Y dra mi ṭi; S drā bi ḍi.

n.54D dra mi ḍi; D617, D974 dra mi dri; K, Y dra mi ṭi; S dri mi ḍi.

n.55D śā bha [K, Y bā] di; D617, D974, S śa ba ri.

n.56D sa dā lam bhe; D617, D974 sa ra lambhe; S sa ra laṃ bha.

n.57D hi nā ma tya [N dya] ma ud ta [N rta] ra ni; D617, D974 hī na ma dha ma dha tra ra ni; S hi na ma dha mo ra ta ni. See Oldenburg 1983, p. 243: folio y–id, b., line 3: hīna­madhyama­dhāriṇi.

n.58D, D617, D974 ma ho la na; S ma ho laṃ. See Oldenburg 1983, p. 243: folio y–id, b., line 3: maholani.

n.59According to D; H da la bha ni ne appears once; D617, D974 each repeat da la ba ni twice; S da la ba ni da la pa ti.

n.60According to D; D617 da la bad te; D974, S da la batte.

n.61According to D617, D974, S ma hā da li ni. D ma hā [K phā] da lā ni.

n.62D tsa lā ni; D617, D974, S tsa li ni.

n.63D u [A ā] śhe tsakra bha ki; D617, D974 muṣṭe tsakra bā ti; S muṣṭe| tsakra ba ti.

n.64D ma hā tsa kra bha ki; D617, D974 ma hā tsa kra pā ti; S ma hā tsakra ba ti.

n.65D, D617 mahā śa ba ri; S ma hā śā ba ri; D974 ma hā śa pa(?) ri (the scanned image is ambiguous).

n.66D617 bhū tsing gi ni; D974 bhū tsinggi ni; D bhu tsid gi ni; S bhu tsaṁ gi.

n.67D617, D974 bhū tsi rang gi ni; S bhu tsaṁ raṁ gi ni; H, N bhu tshid ring gi ni [C, J, K, Y na].

n.68Reading according to D. D617, D974 ni mi| ni mong gi ri; S ni mi ni mi gi ri.

n.69C na.

n.70Reading according to D. D617 ni min dhi ri| bhū bha ni swā hā; D974 ni min dhi ri| bhū dha ni swā hā; S ni miṁ dhi ri| bhu ta ni swā hā.

n.71Reading according to D617, D974, S. D e tu tu tu| na tu mi rni.

n.72D ke rni ing ku. Reading according to D617, D974: ki rṇi| eng [S eṁ] ku [D974 engku].

n.73D sud ta ri tsa la la; D617, D974 sid [D617 may have a tsheg after sid; the scanned image is unclear] da ta ri| tsa la lu; S si ta ta ri| tsa la lu.

n.74Reading according to S. D617, D974 naṁ tu; D nar ta.

n.75Reading according to S: nirma llu. D nar ma lu lu; D617, D974 nar la ma lu.

n.76Reading according to S gallu and D617, D974. D617, D974 gal lu; D ga lu lu.

n.77D a ba tra no ne (D might read pa here, but the scanned image is unclear, and A has printed ba); D617 ā ba tra no ne; D974 ā ba tra no no; S gallu a ba tra no ne.

n.78D sho ka ni ra| bha ra dha sa le; D617 she ku nir ba rad sa le; D974 she ku nir (or ni ra? the scanned image is unclear here) ba rad (or rang?) sa le; S she ku| ni rbu (or bā or bya? scanned image unclear) ra da sa le.

n.79D ta ra kre ta re dhā tu; D617, D974 ta ra ke| ta re| ta rod tu [S du].

n.80D nod tu ta la [K, Y ti instead of ta la] lā lu; D617, D974 nor tu| ti la la lu; S nod du| ti la la lu.

n.81D ba ta bha ti ya bha ti ye [K adds she]; D617, D974 bhū ta ba ti ya| ba ta yi ye; S bhu ta pa ti ya| ba ti yi ye.

n.82D a [H, N e] ra kā te; D617, D974 a ra gar ḍe; S a ra ga dhe.

n.83D na ra kā te; D617, D974 na ra ga rḍe; S omits.

n.84D bam̐ su ka; H, N, K, Y baṃ su ka; D617, D974 pam̐ su ka; S pāṃ su ka.

n.85D ba yai [K ye] ye; D617, D974, S pā yi ye.

n.86A ka po ta ka ba yai ye; D ka po ta ka pa yai [K ye] ye; D617, D974 ka po ta ka pa yi ye; S ka po ta ka pā yi ye.

n.87D ta bho ta ne; D617, D974 ye ta po (or bo? scanned image unclear) dha ne; S ta po dha ṇe.

n.88According to A, D, S; D617, D974 ni mi ni min dhi re [C, J, N, K, Y ri; H ra; although recorded differently in A’s list of variant readings, N298 seems to read dhi ra. However, the scanned image is unclear and difficult to read].

n.89D ti ming ga li; D617, D974 ti ming ming gi li; S ti miṃ gi li. See BHSD, s.v. “timiṅgala”: “more usually Skt. °gila, m., a kind of sea monster.”

n.90Reading according to D trai [K, Y tai] lo ka a ba lo ka ni; D617, D974 trai lo ki ni| a lo ki ni; S te lo ka ni| a lo ki ni.

n.91D tri shu [D617, D974 shū] la dha ra ṇi [K, Y ni]; S tri shū la dha ri ṇi.

n.92D a ku phi [D617, D974, S pi; H pha] ni| kri mī kri ti; D617, D974 a ku pi ṇi kri mi kri ti; S a ku pi ṇi| kri mi kri ti| a ku phi ni/a ku pi ṇi.

n.93Reading according to D; D617, D974, S ko li ko li.

n.94Reading according to D, D617, D974; S kutto kutto.

n.95Reading according to D; K, Y repeat kud to kud si; D617, D974 ku to ki si; S kutto| ku si.

n.96Reading according to D; D617, D974 ku ti| ku pi ti; S kā ti| ku pu ti; C ku rti.

n.97D617, D974 i li mi li.

n.98D pi sha tsi pārṇa [K, Y pā rnā] sha ba ri tsi li tsi li [Y omits li] swā hā; D617, D974 bi shī tsa na| parṇa sha ba ri; S pi shā tsi ni| parṇa sha ba ri tsi li tsi li swā hā. The identification of the Buddhist deity invoked here as Parṇaśavarī (= Tibetan ri khrod (ma) lo ma gyon ma) is confirmed by the reading in the Turfan Sanskrit fragment: tadyathā piśāci paṃnaśabhariḥ (SHT III 816, p. 33, R, line 4).