Notes

n.1This theme‍—the enormous merit accrued by creating even a miniature stūpa the size of a small fruit for the veneration of a perfect buddha‍—is also mentioned in The Sūtra on Dependent Arising (Toh 212, 1.6). See also the Knowledge Base article on stūpas.

n.2Denkarma, folio 299.b. See also Herrmann-Pfandt 2008, pp. 116–17, no. 220.

n.3Phangthangma, pp. 17 and 21.

n.4Vira and Chandra (eds.) 1959–74.

n.5Bentor 1988. Bentor’s edition has also been published online by Göttingen Register of Electronic Texts in Indian Languages (GRETIL).

n.6Fo shuo wei ceng you jing 佛說未曾有經 (Adbhuta­dharma­paryāya), Taishō 688 (CBETA; SAT).

n.7Shen xi you jing 甚希有經 (Adbhuta­dharma­paryāya), Taishō 689 (CBETA; SAT).

n.8The Great Rumble (translated 2022).

n.9Bentor 1988, p. 47.

n.10This homage is not in the Sanskrit.

n.11This refers to the ascetic practice (dhūtaguṇa, sbyangs pa’i yon tan) of eating only what can be consumed in one sitting. The ascetic practices are an optional set of practices that mendicants can adopt to cultivate greater detachment. The list of practices varies in different sources. When thirteen practices are listed, they consist of (1) wearing patched robes made from discarded cloth rather than from cloth donated by laypeople; (2) wearing only three robes; (3) going for alms; (4) not omitting any house while on the alms round, rather than begging only at those houses known to provide good food; (5) eating only what can be eaten in one sitting; (6) eating only food received in the alms bowl, rather than more elaborate meals presented to the Saṅgha; (7) refusing more food after indicating one has eaten enough; (8) dwelling in the forest; (9) dwelling at the root of a tree; (10) dwelling in the open air, using only a tent made from one’s robes as shelter; (11) dwelling in a charnel ground; (12) satisfaction with whatever dwelling one has; and (13) sleeping in a sitting position without ever lying down.

n.12The last sentence of this paragraph is not in the Sanskrit.

n.13Here the Sanskrit text includes “Excellent! Excellent!” This does not appear at this point in the Tibetan; instead, it appears several lines down.

n.14The phrase “stream enterers, once-returners, non-returners, arhats, pratyekabuddhas” is not in the Sanskrit.

n.15“And the eastern continent of Pūrvavideha” is not in the Sanskrit.

n.16The phrase “stream enterers, once-returners, non-returners, arhats, pratyekabuddhas” is not in the Sanskrit.

n.17In the Sanskrit text, the phrase “stream enterers, once-returners, non-returners, arhats, pratyekabuddhas” is replaced with the words “up to” (yāvat), which implies an ellipsis.

n.18The phrase “stream enterers, once-returners, non-returners, arhats, pratyekabuddhas” is not in the Sanskrit.

n.19“Generosity” is translated based on the Sanskrit. All Tibetan witnesses read “wisdom” (ye shes).

n.20In place of “immeasurable concentration, immeasurable insight,” the Sanskrit has “immeasurable renunciation” (tyāga). The Sanskrit tyāga can also mean “largess.”

n.21In the Sanskrit text, the phrase dharma­paryāyam adbhutam is reiterated in a compounded form, adbhuta­dharma­paryāya. This distinction is lost in the English translation, where the reiteration becomes a tautology.

n.22The Sanskrit version states only that the monks and the venerable Ānanda rejoiced in what the Blessed One said.