Notes

n.1Pagel 1995, pp. 3–4, 101–2, 110.

n.2The King of Samādhis Sūtra (Samādhi­rāja­sūtra, Toh 127).

n.3Unraveling the Intent (Saṃdhi­nirmocana, Toh 106).

n.4The Jewel Cloud (Ratnamegha, Toh 231).

n.5The Ten Bhūmis (Daśabhūmika, Toh 44-31).

n.6Harrison 2003, pp. 136−38. See also Young 1999, pp. 139−40.

n.7See the introduction (i.5) and milestones 1.42–52 of Determining the Vinaya: Upāli’s Questions (Vinaya­viniścayopāli­paripṛcchā, Toh 68). The reference to the Three Sections in The Teachings on Dreams should not be confused with the sūtra with the same title, The Sūtra of the Three Heaps, Toh 284 (Skt. Triskandhakasūtra; Tib. phung po’i gsum pa’i mdo). See also Harrison 2003, p. 137.

n.8See Lancaster, The Korean Buddhist Canon: A Descriptive Catalogue. On the Chinese translation, see Campany 2020, pp. 87–90. According to Campany, the attribution of the Chinese translation to Dharmarakṣa is most likely incorrect and all we can say with certainty is that the translation was produced by 598 (p. 88).

n.9See dkar chag ’phang thang ma, p. 11, and Kawagoe 2005, p. 11.

n.10Denkarma f.295.b; see also Hermann-Pfandt 2008, p. 19.

n.11Esler 2012, pp. 320–23. See also the English translation in Esler 2022, pp. 126–60.

n.12Sakya Pandita Kunga Gyaltshen 2002, p. 148. Note that although the section in The Teaching on Dreams (see 1.­4) is in prose, Sakya Paṇḍita’s quotation of the passage is in verse.

n.13It is unclear what the term “eightfold assembly” (’khor brgyad) refers to. More common is the “fourfold assembly” (’khor bzhi), which includes monks, nuns, laymen, and laywomen.

n.14Here we understand the Tib. term bltams pa in the sense of “filled with,” rather than “born.” This reading is suggested by syntax, as well as the variant reading gtams pa found in the Stok Palace and Lhasa versions of the translation.

n.15Narthang reads “who is unconfused in the three worlds” (srid gsum ’khrul mi mnga’).

n.16Tib. ’dzem, which is here understood to correspond to the Skt. lajjā. The Tib. term can alternatively be interpreted to mean “revulsed” (Skt. √ṛt). The Phukdrak version of the Tib. translation uniquely reads mdzes, “beautiful.”

n.17Tentative for thugs mi gnas.

n.18Referring to bodhisattvas.

n.19In the description of this dream sign that follows below, two different signs are described. The first concerns a vision of the Tathāgata walking away, and the second concerns a set of visions seen by bodhisattvas when walking in various locations.

n.20In this and many of the signs listed below, the phrase “in a dream” (rmi lam na) is included in the brief description of the sign, while in others it is not. As is clear in the lengthier descriptions of each sign that comprise the rest of the sūtra, all are dream signs, whether explicitly indicated as such in this list or not.

n.21This does not match the teaching on dream sign 26, below.

n.22Referring to the northeast, southeast, southwest, and northwest.

n.23Tib. che ge mo. This term, which typically translates the Skt. amukam, is used to mark the place in the text where a specific name can be inserted by the reader or reciter. Here it seems to be used to indicate that the monk in question can have any name, the main criterion being that a monk by that name wasn’t previously known.

n.24tshigs su bcad pa; gāthā. This is one of the twelve divisions of scripture (gsung rab yan lag bcu gnyis; dvādaśāṅgapravacana).

n.25Here we follow the Yongle, Stok Palace, and Phukdrak versions of the translation in omitting bdag, “oneself.”

n.26Referring to a solar or lunar eclipse.

n.27Tib. gru sbyor ba. The description of this sign below uses the phrase gru ’dren pa, “piloting a boat.”

n.28The two arms, two legs, and head.

n.29Typically, this refers to a prediction or prophecy about the circumstances of their awakening to buddhahood.

n.30Tib. ’di ni shes bzhin du spyod pa ma yin no zhes. This translation is tentative, and takes shes bzhin du spyod pa as equivalent to the Sanskrit term samprajānavihārita or a similar phrase.

n.31Body, speech, and mind.

n.32Tib. bkod pa dag la mos par bya. This translation is tentative.

n.33Translation tentative.

n.34Reading gzhan dag gi bsam pa following the Lhasa, Narthang, Kangxi, Stok Palace, and Yongle versions. Degé reads gzhan dag gis bsam pa.

n.35See the introduction (i.5) and milestones 1.42–52 of the UCSB Buddhist Studies Translation Group’s translation of Determining the Vinaya: Upāli’s Questions , Toh 68.

n.36Tib. mthsan nyid; Skt. lakṣaṇa. It is unclear what the characteristics specifically pertain to.

n.37From the context given in this description, the “other bhūmis” are the third bhūmi onward.

n.38A tentative translation of the Tib. sngon gyi sangs rgyas rnams kyi khri stan bshams shing bdag nyid kyis bshams pa yin.

n.39The description of dream sign 26 does not match the sign given in the initial list, above. There, dream sign 26 is “perceiving themselves to be fearless.”

n.40Tentative for mi rdzi bar gnas.

n.41Tib. chos gos bcags shing shin tu byi dor byas pa. This seems to refer to the common practice of washing by repeatedly beating wet clothing over a hard surface.

n.42As is clear from the next line, monastic robes traditionally consist of three pieces: an upper robe (uttarāsaṃga; bla gos), lower robe (antarvāsa; mthang gos), and shawl (saṃghātī; snam sbyar).

n.43This could refer to the Four Great Kings: Dhṛtarāṣṭra, Virūḍhaka, Virūpākṣa, and Vaiśravaṇa.

n.44This follows the reading gro ga’i gdugs in the Lhasa, Narthang, and Phukdrak versions. Degé reads gro ba gdugs.

n.45Tentative for the Tib. de bzhin gshegs pa’i ’chags dag. Given the different associations in the passage that follows, the term appears to refer to places where the Tathāgata has “stepped,” and therefore “visited.”

n.46Tib. srog yongs su gtong bas yongs su gdung bar mi ’gyur. This statement perhaps refers to the view that bodhisattvas should unhesitatingly give up their life in order to help other beings through their bodhisattva training.

n.47Tib. rnam pa gsum bsdams pa. The “three aspects” could be a synonym for the “three doors” (sgo gsum): body, speech, and mind.

n.48Tib. chos ma yin pa; Skt. adharma.

n.49Reading nub par ’gyur following the Lhasa, Narthang, Phukdrak, Stok Palace, and Yongle versions. Degé reads nur bar ’gyur.

n.50Tentative for mi gnas pa la spyad par bya.

n.51Tentative for sgrib pa med pa’i mtha’. This appears to be a term for the awakened state of buddhahood.

n.52This translation follows the Lhasa, Narthang, and Stok Palace versions in reading byang chub sems yang dag par ’dzin du gzhug par bya. Degé reads byang chub sems dpa’ rnams yang dag par ’dzin du gzhug par bya.

n.53Tentative for glags lta ba med pa, which is understood as the equivalent of the Skt. avatāraprekṣin.

n.54Tentative for sangs rgyas kyi bkod pa sgrub pa.

n.55Tib. che ge mo. This term, which typically translates the Skt. term amukam, is used to mark the place in the text where a specific name can be inserted by the reader or reciter.

n.56Tentative for thabs kyi sdom pa.

n.57This translation follows the Kangxi, Stok Palace, and Yongle versions in reading sngon mthong ba’i dge slong. Degé reads sngon ma thos pa’i dge slong, “a monk they have not heard of before.”

n.58Tib. bzhi pa sgrub pa. We take this to be the title of a specific text, for which there are two potential references. The Tibetan title given here, bzhi pa sgrub pa, corresponds exactly to that of the Catuṣkanirhāra, a Mahāyāna sūtra that describes the conduct of a bodhisattva in forty-three topics, each divided into four subtopics (see The Fourfold Accomplishment , Toh 252). While this is perhaps the most likely reference based on its title, it is also possible that this is a reference to the The Accomplishment of the Sets of Four Qualities: The Bodhisattvas’ Prātimokṣa (Bodhisattva­prātimokṣa­catuṣkanirhāra, Toh 248), a work that was important in Indian Buddhist circles. The Bodhisattva­prātimokṣa­catuṣkanirhāra was cited once by Śāntideva in his Śikṣāsamuccaya, and seven times by Atiśa Dīpaṅkaraśrījñāna in his Mahā­sūtrasamuccaya. Because the remaining lines of this section refer to categories or topics of texts and specific sūtras, it is also possible this is not intended as a title, but rather is a reference to the common feature of structuring Mahāyāna topics into sets of four. This feature can be seen in a number of works in the Tibetan canon, and specifically in a cluster of Mahāyāna sūtras cataloged as Toh 248–252.

n.59Tib. sngon gyi tshul, understood here as the equivalent of the Skt. pūrvayoga and to refer to the previous lives of the Buddha or other buddhas and bodhisattvas.

n.60This translation follows the Phukdrak and Stok Palace versions in reading a line break following sa gong mar yang ’gyur ro.

n.61The translation of this line is tentative because of ambiguities in the Tibetan syntax.

n.62Tentative for mngon par lta bar byed na.

n.63This refers to the seven great mountains that surround Mount Meru. For a description of Mount Meru and these seven mountains, see, for example, The Root Manual of the Rites of Mañjuśrī (Mañjuśrī­mūla­kalpa, Toh 543), 52.63.

n.64This is likely a reference to one of the other types of acceptance mentioned elsewhere in the text, including “acceptance that phenomena do not arise.”

n.65Tentative for ljongs kyi mi ’dus pa.

n.66The Lhasa, Narthang, and Phukdrak Kangyurs read “various flowers of the divine and human realms” (lha dang mi me tog sna tshogs kyi).

n.67Translation tentative. It is unclear how the term bkod pa (Skt. vyūha) is best understood in this context. The term typically means “arrangement, “ornaments,” or “array,” and frequently denotes the wonderous appearances of buddhafields.

n.68Translation tentative. The meaning of mtshan ma’i bya ba is unclear, as is the reference for the demonstrative pronoun de dag (“those”). The term byi dor, “cleared away,” is typically used to describe physical acts of cleaning, sweeping, or washing, rather than being used figuratively.

n.69A line pertaining to the fourth bhūmi is omitted in all versions of the text consulted.

n.70This translation follows the Lhasa and Narthang versions in reading gro ga’i gdugs. Degé has gro ba’i gdugs.

n.71This dream sign is phrased differently here than it is in the opening list. There, this sign is described as bdag grong gzhan du zhugs par kun tu shes pa, “perceiving themselves entering another city.” Here, the Tibetan reads bdag grong khyer na gnas par byed par kun tu shes.

n.72Translation tentative.

n.73Tib. sems kyi bar dag la, “in the two, including mind.” This follows from the previous statement which referred to physical (lus) pleasure, thus completing the standard set of body, speech, and mind.

n.74Translation tentative.

n.75This translation follows the Lhasa, Narthang, and Stok Palace versions in reading brten par bya. Degé reads bsten par bya.

n.76This translation follows the Degé in reading gshibs pa, which is understood here to refer to wood that is securely joined, and, as the term implies, arranged in rows. The Lhasa, Phukdrak, Narthang, Stok Palace, and Yongle versions all read sbyor ba, which also implies material that is “joined” or “fitted.”

n.77Tib. byi dor. It is unclear what the object of this verb is. As above, this verb is generally used to describe acts of physical cleaning, washing, or sweeping.

n.78Translation tentative.

n.79Narthang uniquely reads ’di ni nyan thos dang rang sangs rgyas kyi sa’i lam mo, “This is the path of the śrāvaka and pratyekabuddha bhūmis.”

n.80Possibly referring to body, speech, and mind.

n.81Tib. bdag gam yo’i lo tog. This translation is tentative. Choné, Kangxi, Lithang, and Phukdrak omit bdag. The obscure Tibetan term gam yo is here understood as synonymous with nye ’khor, “surroundings” or “neighborhood.”

n.82Degé: nyes bden. Lhasa, Narthang, and Stok Palace read nyes dben, “free of fault,” and Phukdrak reads nges dben.

n.83This translation follows Lhasa, Narthang, and Stok Palace in reading dkrongs. Kangxi reads the nearly synonymous dgrongs, Phukdrak and Yongle read dgongs, “think,” and Degé reads bgrongs, “count.”

n.84This is not a feature of the standard narrative of Ajātaśatru, which relates that despite Ajātaśatru’s piety and remorse late in life, the seriousness of his patricide, regicide, and attempts to kill the Buddha required that he spend sixty thousand years in the hell realms. It is said that he will eventually attain liberation as a pratyekabuddha.

n.85Degé: lus bems. Lhasa, Narthang, Phukdrak, and Stok Palace all read lus sems, “body and mind.”

n.86Tib. bdag nyid chen po. From the context it appears this term is being used generically to describe the ease with which a child of high status plays with people of other high-status social groups.

n.87Translation tentative.

n.88In Indic lore the ocean is considered a great source of gemstones.

n.89Translation tentative.

n.90This colophon is found only in the Lhasa, Narthang, and Stok Palace Kangyurs.