See also “immaturity” and n.­272.

A meditative stability.

Fifth of the sixteen god realms of form that correspond to the four meditative concentrations, meaning “Radiance.”

Eighth of the sixteen god realms of form that correspond to the four meditative concentrations, meaning “Inner Radiance.” See also n.­89.

Lit. “cannot be measured.” An incredibly large number, higher than aparyanta.

Name that the hundred billion trillion beings in this assembly will bear when they become buddhas.

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability.

A synonym for emptiness, and the realm of phenomena (dharmadhātu).

Alslo rendered as “abiding nature of phenomena.”

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability.

The Sanskrit literally means “attainment,” and is used to refer specifically to meditative attainment and to particular meditative states. The Tibetan translators interpreted it as sama-āpatti, which suggests the idea of “equal” or “level”; however, they also parsed it as sam-āpatti, in which case it would have the sense of “concentration” or “absorption,” much like samādhi, but with the added sense of “attainment.”Also rendered here as “meditative absorption.”

The bodhisattvas’ realization that all phenomena are unproduced and empty. It sustains them on the difficult path of benefiting all beings so that they do not succumb to the goal of personal liberation. Different sources link this realization to the first or eighth bodhisattva level (bhūmi).

Seventh of the twelve branches of the scriptures.

A meditative stability.

Lit. “inconceivable.” An incredibly large number, higher than asaṃkhya.

See “five acquisitive aggregates.”

See “afflicted mental state.”

The essentially pure nature of mind is obscured and afflicted by various psychological defilements, which destroy the mind’s peace and composure and lead to unwholesome deeds of body, speech, and mind, acting as causes for continued existence in saṃsāra. Included among them are the primary afflictions of desire (rāga), anger (dveṣa), and ignorance (avidyā). It is said that there are eighty-four thousand of these negative mental qualities, for which the eighty-four thousand categories of the Buddha’s teachings serve as the antidote. Kleśa is also commonly translated as “negative emotions,” “disturbing emotions,” and so on. The Pāli kilesa, Middle Indic kileśa, and Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit kleśa all primarily mean “stain” or “defilement.” The translation “affliction” is a secondary development that derives from the more general (non-Buddhist) classical understanding of √kliś (“to harm,“ “to afflict”). Both meanings are noted by Buddhist commentators.

See “five aggregates.”

First of the five undefiled aggregates.

Fourth of the five undefiled aggregates.

Second of the five undefiled aggregates.

Fifth of the five undefiled aggregates.

Third of the five undefiled aggregates.

Twelfth of the twelve links of dependent origination.

Lit. “Highest.”The eighth and highest level of the Realm of Form (rūpadhātu), the last of the five pure abodes (śuddhāvāsa); it is only accessible as the result of specific states of dhyāna. According to some texts this is where non-returners (anāgāmin) dwell in their last lives. In other texts it is the realm of the enjoyment body (saṃbhoga­kāya) and is a buddhafield associated with the Buddha Vairocana; it is accessible only to bodhisattvas on the tenth level.

The translation of his name in this sūtra differs from the usual translations, which are either mi ’khrugs pa, mi skyod pa, or mi bskyod pa Lit. “Not Disturbed” or “Immovable One.” The buddha in the eastern realm of Abhirati. A well-known buddha in Mahāyāna, regarded in the higher tantras as the head of one of the five buddha families, the vajra family in the east.

Thirteenth of the eighteen distinct qualities of the buddhas.

Fifteenth of the eighteen distinct qualities of the buddhas.

Fourteenth of the eighteen distinct qualities of the buddhas.

This key term in the Prajñā­pāramitā literature refers to the omniscience of a buddha, and is not to be confused with the “knowledge of the aspects of the path” of bodhisattvas, or with the knowledge of all the dharmas (thams cad shes pa, lit. “omniscience”) of śrāvakas. The “all-aspect” (sarvākāra) part of the term refers to the different aspects that it comprises, and is explained in two ways in The Long Explanation (Toh 3808, 4.­78–4.­80). One way identifies the “aspects” as being qualities such as nonarising and unproduced, unceasing, primordially at peace, naturally in nirvāṇa, without intrinsic nature, emptiness, signlessness, wishlessness, etc. The other way identifies them as being the collections of the wholesome, unwholesome, and neutral, and the collection of those destined for error and those of uncertain destiny. All-aspect omniscience is also the first of the eight progressive stages of clear realization.

Name of a bodhisattva.

Lit. “inexpressible.” An incredibly large number, higher than abhāṣya.

Lit. “inexpressibly inexpressible.” An incredibly large number, higher than anabhilāpya.

Second of the seven branches of enlightenment.

A major śrāvaka disciple and personal attendant of the Buddha Śākyamuni during the last twenty-five years of his life. He was a cousin of the Buddha (according to the Mahāvastu, he was a son of Śuklodana, one of the brothers of King Śuddhodana, which means he was a brother of Devadatta; other sources say he was a son of Amṛtodana, another brother of King Śuddhodana, which means he would have been a brother of Aniruddha).Ānanda, having always been in the Buddha’s presence, is said to have memorized all the teachings he heard and is celebrated for having recited all the Buddha’s teachings by memory at the first council of the Buddhist saṅgha, thus preserving the teachings after the Buddha’s parinirvāṇa. The phrase “Thus did I hear at one time,” found at the beginning of the sūtras, usually stands for his recitation of the teachings. He became a patriarch after the passing of Mahākāśyapa.

Lit. “unbounded.” An incredibly large number, higher than atulya.

Name of a bodhisattva.

Name of a bodhisattva.

Name of a bodhisattva.

Name of a bodhisattva.

Name of a bodhisattva.

Lit. “completely unbounded.” An incredibly large number, higher than ananta.

Second of the four applications of mindfulness.

Fourth of the four applications of mindfulness.

First of the four applications of mindfulness.

Third of the four applications of mindfulness.

See “four applications of mindfulness.”

dmigs (pa) translates a number of Sanskrit terms, including ālambana, upalabdhi, and ālambate. These terms commonly refer to the apprehending of a subject, an object, and the relationships that exist between them.Also translated here as “focus on.”

See “apprehend.”

Seventh of the sixteen god realms of form that correspond to the four meditative concentrations, meaning “Immeasurable Radiance.”

Eleventh of the sixteen god realms of form that correspond to the four meditative concentrations, meaning “Immeasurable Virtue.”

Literally meaning “Immeasurably Great,” the name used in this text and in the Twenty-Five Thousand for what is, in the Prajñāpāramitā literature, the fifteenth of the sixteen levels of the god realm of form that correspond to the four meditative concentrations. The Sanskrit equivalent is attested in the Sanskrit of the Hundred Thousand, while the name Puṇyaprasava (q.v.) is used in the later Sanskrit manuscripts that correspond more closely to the eight-chapter Tengyur version of this text. In other genres, this is the eleventh of twelve levels corresponding to the four meditative concentrations.

Lit. “ immeasurable.” An incredibly large number.

According to Buddhist tradition, one who is worthy of worship (pūjām arhati), or one who has conquered the enemies, the mental afflictions (kleśa-ari-hata-vat), and reached liberation from the cycle of rebirth and suffering. It is the fourth and highest of the four fruits attainable by śrāvakas. Also used as an epithet of the Buddha.See also “śrāvaka.”

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability.

Indian commentator on the Abhisamayālaṃkāra (fl. early sixth century).

A simile that describes an undistracted, unmoving, but all-encompassing gaze. See also n.­156.

Lit. “uncountable.” An incredibly large number, higher than aprameya.

Indian commentator (fl. fourth century); closely associated with the works of Maitreya and the Yogācāra philosophical school.

Name of a buddha in the southern direction, residing in the world system called Sarva­śokāpagata.

A meditative stability.

A type of nonhuman being whose precise status is subject to different views, but is included as one of the six classes of beings in the sixfold classification of realms of rebirth. In the Buddhist context, asuras are powerful beings said to be dominated by envy, ambition, and hostility. They are also known in the pre-Buddhist and pre-Vedic mythologies of India and Iran, and feature prominently in Vedic and post-Vedic Brahmanical mythology, as well as in the Buddhist tradition. In these traditions, asuras are often described as being engaged in interminable conflict with the devas (gods).See also “gods.”

Second of the five Śuddhāvāsa realms, meaning “Painless.”

Second of the five fetters associated with the superior.

First of the five fetters associated with the superior.

Also translated here as “turn the attention toward,” “pay attention to,” “attention connected with,” “direct the attention to,” and so on.

Lit. “unparalleled.” An incredibly large number, higher than acintya.

Name of the present eon of time, during which one thousand buddhas appear in succession, Śākyamuni being the fourth and Maitreya the fifth.

One of the “eight close sons of the Buddha,” he is also known as the bodhisattva who embodies compassion. In certain tantras, he is also the lord of the three families, where he embodies the compassion of the buddhas. In Tibet, he attained great significance as a special protector of Tibet, and in China, in female form, as Guanyin, the most important bodhisattva in all of East Asia.

First of the five Śuddhāvāsa realms, meaning “Slightest.”

The term is applied to actions, describing those that are negative in the sense either of being naturally wrong or of transgressing a formal rule or commitment. It is often translated as “wrongdoing,” “unwholesome,” etc.

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability. See also n.­311.

Name of a bodhisattva.

Head of the “sixteen excellent men” (ṣoḍaśasatpuruṣa), a group of householder bodhisattvas present in the audience of many sūtras. He appears prominently in certain sūtras, such as The Samādhi of the Presence of the Buddhas (Pratyutpannabuddha­saṃmukhāvasthita­samādhisūtra, Toh 133) and is perhaps also the merchant of the same name who is the principal interlocutor in The Questions of Bhadrapāla the Merchant (Toh 83).

The king of Magadha and a great patron of the Buddha. His birth coincided with the Buddha’s, and his father, King Mahāpadma, named him “Essence of Gold” after mistakenly attributing the brilliant light that marked the Buddha’s birth to the birth of his son by Queen Bimbī (“Goldie”). Accounts of Bimbisāra’s youth and life can be found in The Chapter on Going Forth (Toh 1-1, Pravrajyāvastu).King Śreṇya Bimbisāra first met with the Buddha early on, when the latter was the wandering mendicant known as Gautama. Impressed by his conduct, Bimbisāra offered to take Gautama into his court, but Gautama refused, and Bimbisāra wished him success in his quest for awakening and asked him to visit his palace after he had achieved his goal. One account of this episode can be found in the sixteenth chapter of The Play in Full (Toh 95, Lalitavistara). There are other accounts where the two meet earlier on in childhood; several episodes can be found, for example, in The Hundred Deeds (Toh 340, Karmaśataka). Later, after the Buddha’s awakening, Bimbisāra became one of his most famous patrons and donated to the saṅgha the Bamboo Grove, Veṇuvana, at the outskirts of the capital of Magadha, Rājagṛha, where he built residences for the monks. Bimbisāra was imprisoned and killed by his own son, the prince Ajātaśatru, who, influenced by Devadatta, sought to usurp his father’s throne.

Eleventh of the twelve links of dependent origination.

See “Blessed One.”

In Buddhist literature, this is an epithet applied to buddhas, most often to Śākyamuni. The Sanskrit term generally means “possessing fortune,” but in specifically Buddhist contexts it implies that a buddha is in possession of six auspicious qualities (bhaga) associated with complete awakening. The Tibetan term‍—where bcom is said to refer to “subduing” the four māras, ldan to “possessing” the great qualities of buddhahood, and ’das to “going beyond” saṃsāra and nirvāṇa‍—possibly reflects the commentarial tradition where the Sanskrit bhagavat is interpreted, in addition, as “one who destroys the four māras.” This is achieved either by reading bhagavat as bhagnavat (“one who broke”), or by tracing the word bhaga to the root √bhañj (“to break”).In this text, we have opted to translate the epithet bhagavat (bcom ldan ’das) as “the Blessed One” when it stands alone in narrative contexts, and as “Lord” when found in dialogue, as in the vocative expressions “Blessed Lord” (bhadanta­bhagavan, btsun pa bcom ldan ’das) and “Lord Buddha” (bhagavanbuddha, sangs rgyas bcom ldan ’das).

A meditative stability.

Name of a world system in the southeastern direction, where the buddha Padmottaraśrī teaches the perfection of wisdom to bodhisattva great beings.

A being who is dedicated to the cultivation and fulfilment of the altruistic intention to attain perfect buddhahood, traversing the ten bodhisattva levels (daśabhūmi, sa bcu). Bodhisattvas purposely opt to remain within cyclic existence in order to liberate all sentient beings, instead of simply seeking personal freedom from suffering. In terms of the view, they realize both the selflessness of persons and the selflessness of phenomena.See also “bodhisattva great being.”

The term can be understood to mean “great courageous one” or "great hero,” or (from the Sanskrit) simply “great being,” and is almost always found as an epithet of “bodhisattva.” The qualification “great” in this term, according to the majority of canonical definitions, focuses on the generic greatness common to all bodhisattvas, i.e., the greatness implicit in the bodhisattva vow itself in terms of outlook, aspiration, number of beings to be benefited, potential or eventual accomplishments, and so forth. In this sense the mahā- is closer in its connotations to the mahā- in “Mahāyāna” than to the mahā- in “mahāsiddha.” While individual bodhisattvas described as mahāsattva may in many cases also be “great” in terms of their level of realization, this is largely coincidental, and in the canonical texts the epithet is not restricted to bodhisattvas at any particular point in their career. Indeed, in a few cases even bodhisattvas whose path has taken a wrong direction are still described as bodhisattva mahāsattva.Later commentarial writings do nevertheless define the term‍—variably‍—in terms of bodhisattvas having attained a particular level (bhūmi) or realization. The most common qualifying criteria mentioned are attaining the path of seeing, attaining irreversibility (according to its various definitions), or attaining the seventh bhūmi.See also “bodhisattva.”

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability.

A high-ranking deity presiding over a divine world; he is also considered to be the lord of the Sahā world (our universe). Though not considered a creator god in Buddhism, Brahmā occupies an important place as one of two gods (the other being Indra/Śakra) said to have first exhorted the Buddha Śākyamuni to teach the Dharma. The particular heavens found in the form realm over which Brahmā rules are often some of the most sought-after realms of higher rebirth in Buddhist literature. Since there are many universes or world systems, there are also multiple Brahmās presiding over them. His most frequent epithets are “Lord of the Sahā World” (sahāṃpati) and Great Brahmā (mahābrahman).

First and lowest of the sixteen god realms of form that correspond to the four meditative concentrations, meaning “Stratum of Brahmā.”

A collective name for the first three heavens of the form realm, which correspond to the first concentration (dhyāna): Brahmakāyika, Brahmapurohita, and Mahābrahmā (also called Brahmapārṣadya). These are ruled over by the god Brahmā. According to some sources, it can also be a general reference to all the heavens in the form realm and formless realm. (Provisional 84000 definition. New definition forthcoming.)

Third of the sixteen god realms of form that correspond to the four meditative concentrations, meaning “Retinue of Brahmā.”

Second of the sixteen god realms of form that correspond to the four meditative concentrations, meaning “Brahmā Priest.”

A member of the highest of the four castes in Indian society, which is closely associated with religious vocations.

See “seven branches of enlightenment.”

A meditative stability.

This term denotes the operational field of a specific buddha, spontaneously arising as a result of his altruistic aspirations.

A meditative stability.

Tibetan scholar and historian (1290–1364) based at the monastery of Zhalu. His list of translated texts was one of several influences on the compilation of the first Kangyurs, and he was directly involved in the establishment of the Tengyur.

The expression “by way of apprehending” implies that ordinary persons perceive phenomena as inherently existing, whereas bodhisattvas are said to act and teach “without apprehending anything.” On the latter term, see its respective glossary entry. See also “apprehend.”

The Tibetan translates both stūpa and caitya with the same word, mchod rten, meaning “basis” or “recipient” of “offerings” or “veneration.” Pali: cetiya.A caitya, although often synonymous with stūpa, can also refer to any site, sanctuary or shrine that is made for veneration, and may or may not contain relics.A stūpa, literally “heap” or “mound,” is a mounded or circular structure usually containing relics of the Buddha or the masters of the past. It is considered to be a sacred object representing the awakened mind of a buddha, but the symbolism of the stūpa is complex, and its design varies throughout the Buddhist world. Stūpas continue to be erected today as objects of veneration and merit making.

A meditative stability.

Name of a bodhisattva.

Name of a bodhisattva from a distant world system in the western direction called Upaśāntā, who comes to this world to pay homage to the Buddha.

Lit. “Abode of the Four Great Kings.” For consistency rgyal chen bzhi’i ris is rendered Cāturmahārājika (“[gods] belonging to the group of the Four Great Kings”), even though there are a number of Skt. forms (Edg says the forms are cāturmahā­rāja­kāyika and less often Cāturmahārājika, and Cāturmahārājika and less often caturmahā­rājika) and slight differences are encountered in the Tib. translation. “Gods” is sometimes rendered explicitly and is sometimes implicit in the Tib. One of the heavens of Buddhist cosmology, lowest among the six heavens of the desire realm (kāmadhātu, ’dod khams). Dwelling place of the Four Great Kings (caturmahārāja, rgyal chen bzhi), traditionally located on a terrace of Sumeru, just below the Heaven of the Thirty-Three. Each cardinal direction is ruled by one of the Four Great Kings and inhabited by a different class of nonhuman beings as their subjects: in the east, Dhṛtarāṣṭra rules the gandharvas; in the south, Virūḍhaka rules the kumbhāṇḍas; in the west, Virūpākṣa rules the nāgas; and in the north, Vaiśravaṇa rules the yakṣas.

A meditative stability.

Third of the four truths of the noble ones.

A Tibetan author and translator dated to the late eighth and early ninth centuries ᴄᴇ. As well as being listed by Butön among the translators of this text, he is the author of three treatises on Sanskrit grammar in the Tengyur (Toh 4350, Toh 4351, and Q 5838).

Manu being the archetypal human, the progenitor of humankind, in the Mahā­bhārata, the Purāṇas, and other Indian texts, “child of Manu” (mānava) or “born of Manu” (manuja) is a synonym of “human being” or humanity in general.

An important early Tibetan translator and editor who was also one of the twenty-five principal disciples of Guru Padmasambhava.

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability.

Fourth of the four kinds of disease.

Common phenomena from the perspective of ordinary persons include the following: the four meditative concentrations, the four immeasurable attitudes, the four formless meditative absorptions, and the five extrasensory powers.

Second of the four immeasurable attitudes.

A meditative stability.

Conditioned phenomena are listed at 8.­87. See also n.­129.

See “inspired eloquence.”

Fifth of the five aggregates; also third of the twelve links of dependent origination. In the context‌ of the present discourse, there are six types of consciousness, namely, visual consciousness, auditory consciousness, olfactory consciousness, tactile consciousness, and mental consciousness.

See also n.­641.

Literally, “to flow” or “to ooze.” Mental defilements or contaminations that “flow out” toward the objects of cyclic existence, binding us to them. Vasubandhu offers two alternative explanations of this term: “They cause beings to remain (āsayanti) within saṃsāra” and “They flow from the Summit of Existence down to the Avīci hell, out of the six wounds that are the sense fields” (Abhidharma­kośa­bhāṣya 5.40; Pradhan 1967, p. 308). The Summit of Existence (bhavāgra, srid pa’i rtse mo) is the highest point within saṃsāra, while the hell called Avīci (mnar med) is the lowest; the six sense fields (āyatana, skye mched) here refer to the five sense faculties plus the mind, i.e., the six internal sense fields.

Contaminated phenomena include the following: the five aggregates encompassed in the three realms, the twelve sense fields, the eighteen sensory elements, the four meditative concentrations, the four immeasurable attitudes, and the four formless meditative absorptions. See also n.­129.

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability. In Dutt 198 there appears to be no corresponding item.

Fourth factor of the noble eightfold path.

Sixth factor of the noble eightfold path.

See four correct exertions.

Fifth factor of the noble eightfold path.

Eighth factor of the noble eightfold path.

Seventh factor of the noble eightfold path.

Third factor of the noble eightfold path.

Second factor of the noble eightfold path. ”

First factor of the noble eightfold path.

Eighth of the ten nonvirtuous actions; first of the four knots.

Eighth of the twelve links of dependent origination; fourth of the four torrents.

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability.

The term, depending on context, can refer either to bodhisattvas who remain celibate, or to bodhisattvas at the advanced level of “crown prince” who are awaiting the final stages before buddhahood that include regency and consecration.

A meditative stability.

Kashmiri scholar, probably of the eighth or ninth century, thought to be the author of the Long Commentary on the Hundred Thousand Line Prajñā­pāramitā (Toh 3807) and possibly of the Long Commentary on the Hundred Thousand, Twenty-Five Thousand, and Eighteen Thousand Line Prajñā­pāramitās (Toh 3808) as well.

A term meaning defilement, impurity, and pollution, broadly referring to cognitive and emotional factors that disturb and obscure the mind. As the self-perpetuating process of affliction in the minds of beings, it is a synonym for saṃsāra. It is often paired with its opposite, vyavadāna, meaning “purification.”

Fifth of the ten powers of the tathāgatas.

Fourth of the ten powers of the tathāgatas.

Seventh of the ten powers of the tathāgatas.

Second of the ten powers of the tathāgatas. See also n.­506.

Sixth of the ten powers of the tathāgatas.

Third of the ten powers of the tathāgatas. See also n.­507.

First of the ten powers of the tathāgatas.

Fourth of the seven branches of enlightenment.

A meditative stability.

One of the three poisons (dug gsum) along with aversion, or hatred, and attachment, or desire, which perpetuate the sufferings of cyclic existence. It is the obfuscating mental state which obstructs an individual from generating knowledge or insight, and it is said to be the dominant characteristic of the animal world in general. Commonly rendered as confusion, delusion, and ignorance, or bewilderment.

The principle of dependent origination asserts that nothing exists independently of other factors, the reason for this being that things and events come into existence only by dependence on the aggregation of causes and conditions. In general, the processes of cyclic existence, through which the external world and the beings within it revolve in a continuous cycle of suffering, propelled by the propensities of past actions and their interaction with afflicted mental states, originate dependent on the sequential unfolding of twelve links, commencing from ignorance and ending with birth , aging, and death. It is only through deliberate reversal of these twelve links that one can succeed in bringing the whole cycle to an end. See also “twelve links of dependent origination.”

First of the five fetters associated with the inferior. Also one of the three poisons (dug gsum) along with hatred and delusion which perpetuate the sufferings of saṃsāra.

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability.

The term dhāraṇī has the sense of something that “holds” or “retains,” and so it can refer to the special capacity of practitioners to memorize and recall detailed teachings. It can also refer to a verbal expression of the teachings‍—an incantation, spell, or mnemonic formula‍—that distills and “holds” essential points of the Dharma and is used by practitioners to attain mundane and supramundane goals. The same term is also used to denote texts that contain such formulas.

As a magical formula, a dhāraṇī constitutes a gateway to the infinite qualities of awakening, the awakened state itself, and the various forms of buddha activity. See also “dhāraṇī.”

A meditative stability.

The term dharma conveys ten different meanings, according to Vasubandhu’s Vyākhyā­yukti. The primary meanings are as follows: the doctrine taught by the Buddha (Dharma); the ultimate reality underlying and expressed through the Buddha’s teaching (Dharma); the trainings that the Buddha’s teaching stipulates (dharmas); the various awakened qualities or attainments acquired through practicing and realizing the Buddha’s teaching (dharmas); qualities or aspects more generally, i.e., phenomena or phenomenal attributes (dharmas); and mental objects (dharmas).

In distinction to the form body (rūpakāya) of a buddha, this is the eternal, imperceptible realization of a buddha.

A meditative stability.

The previous buddha who gave Śākyamuni the prophecy of his buddhahood. In depictions of the buddhas of the three times, he represents the buddhas of the past, while Śākyamuni represents the present, Maitreya the future.

First of the twelve branches of the scriptures.

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability.

See “eighteen distinct qualities of the buddhas.”

A meditative stability.

Twelfth of the eighteen distinct qualities of the buddhas.

Tenth of the eighteen distinct qualities of the buddhas.

Ninth of the eighteen distinct qualities of the buddhas.

Eighth of the eighteen distinct qualities of the buddhas.

Seventh of the eighteen distinct qualities of the buddhas.

Eleventh of the eighteen distinct qualities of the buddhas.

A meditative stability.

Second of the three fetters, and fifth of the five fetters associated with the inferior.

A measurement traditionally equivalent to five hundred arm spans.

A series of progressively more subtle states of meditative realization or attainment. There are several presentations of these found in the canonical literature. One of the most common is as follows: (1) One observes form while the mind dwells at the level of the form realm. (2) One observes forms externally while discerning formlessness internally. (3) One dwells in the direct experience of the body’s pleasant aspect. (4) One dwells in the realization of the sphere of infinite space by transcending all conceptions of matter, resistance, and diversity. (5) Transcending the sphere of infinite space, one dwells in the realization of the sphere of infinite consciousness. (6) Transcending the sphere of infinite consciousness, one dwells in the realization of the sphere of nothingness. (7) Transcending the sphere of nothingness, one dwells in the realization of the sphere of neither perception nor nonperception. (8) Transcending the sphere of neither perception nor nonperception, one dwells in the realization of the cessation of conception and feeling.For a list of the eight in this text, see 8.­82 and 9.­49.

Eight transformations that ensue for someone who meditatively masters eight specific perceptual states. For a complete list, see Twenty-Five Thousand, 62.­57 .

As enumerated in the Śata­sāhasrikā­prajñā­pāramitā­bṛhaṭṭīkā, Toh 3807 (Degé Tengyur vol. 91, F.40.b-41.a) they comprise (1) the notion when one reflects on the ability to dispel all the suffering of all beings (nam zhig sems can thams cad kyi sdug bsngal thams cad sel nus snyam du rnam par rtog pa); (2) the notion when one reflects on the ability to secure great endowments for beings afflicted by poverty (nam zhig dbul bas sdug bsngal ba’i sems can rnams ’byor pa chen po la ’jog nus snyam du rnam par rtog pa); (3) the notion when one reflects on the ability to engage in acts of benefit for beings through one’s body of flesh and blood (nam zhig sha khrag dang bcas pa’i lus kyis sems can rnams kyi don byed nus snyam du rnam par rtog pa); (4) the notion when one reflects on acts exclusively for the benefit for beings, even though they remain for a long time as denizens of the hells (sems can dmyal ba na yun ring por gnas pas kyang / nam zhig sems can rnams la phan pa byed pa ’ba’ zhig tu ’gyur snyam du rnam par rtog pa); (5) the notion when one reflects that the hopes of all worlds might be seen to be perfected through mundane and supramundane endowments (nam zhig ’jig rten dang / ’jig rten las ’das pa’i ’byor bas ’jig rten thams cad kyi re ba yongs su rdzogs pa mthong bar ’gyur snyam du rnam par rtog pa); (6) the notion when one reflects that one might become a buddha and then genuinely deliver all beings from all the sufferings of saṃsāra (nam zhig bdag sangs rgyas su gyur nas sems can thams cad ’khor ba’i sdug bsngal thams cad las yang dag par ’byin par ’gyur snyam du rnam par rtog pa); (7) the notion when one reflects that one should not resort over successive lives to births that are disadvantageous to all beings, thoughts that do not engage in the benefit of beings, conduct that concerns the sole savor of ultimate reality, words that do not bring happiness to all beings, livelihoods that do not benefit others, bodies that cannot benefit others, minds that are unclear about benefiting others, wealth that does not benefit beings, authority that does not act for the sake of living beings, or delight in harming others (sems can thams cad la phan ’dogs pa med pa’i skye ba dang / sems can gyi don dulha’i mig sbyor ba med pa’i sems dang / don dam pa’i ro gcig pu la spyod pa dang / skye bo thams cad sim par byed pa ma yin pa’i tshig dang // gzhan la mi phan pa’i ’tsho ba dang / gzhan la phan pa byed mi nus pa’i lus dang / gzhan la phan ’dogs pa la mi gsal ba’i blo dang / sems can la phan par mi spyod pa’i nor dang / ’gro ba rnams kyi don spyod pa med pa’i dbang phyug dang / gzhan la gnod pa byed pa’i dga’ bar tshe rabs tshe rabs su ma gyur cig snyam du rnam par rtog pa); and (8) the notion when one wishes that all the negative deeds of all living creatures should ripen in oneself and that all the fruits of one’s own positive actions should ripen in all beings (srog chags thams cad kyi sdig pa’i las thams cad kyi ’bras bu bdag la smin la/ bdag gis legs par spyad pa’i ’bras bu thams cad sems can thams cad la smin par gyur cig snyam du rnam par rtog pa).

To refrain from (1) killing, (2) stealing, (3) sexual activity, (4) false speech, (5) intoxication, (6) singing, dancing, music, and beautifying oneself with adornments or cosmetics, (7) using a high or large bed, and (8) eating at improper times. Typically, this observance is maintained by lay people for twenty-four hours on new moon and full moon days, as well as other special days in the lunar calendar.

Eighteen special features of a buddha’s behavior, realization, activity, and wisdom that are not shared by other beings. They are generally listed as: (1) he never makes a mistake, (2) he is never boisterous, (3) he never forgets, (4) his concentration never falters, (5) he has no notion of distinctness, (6) his equanimity is not due to lack of consideration, (7) his motivation never falters, (8) his endeavor never fails, (9) his mindfulness never falters, (10) he never abandons his concentration, (11) his insight (prajñā) never decreases, (12) his liberation never fails, (13) all his physical actions are preceded and followed by wisdom (jñāna), (14) all his verbal actions are preceded and followed by wisdom, (15) all his mental actions are preceded and followed by wisdom, (16) his wisdom and vision perceive the past without attachment or hindrance, (17) his wisdom and vision perceive the future without attachment or hindrance, and (18) his wisdom and vision perceive the present without attachment or hindrance.

The eighteen emptinesses are listed here as: (1) emptiness of internal phenomena, (2) emptiness of external phenomena, (3) emptiness of external and internal phenomena, (4) emptiness of emptiness, (5) emptiness of great extent, (6) emptiness of ultimate reality, (7) emptiness of conditioned phenomena, (8) emptiness of unconditioned phenomena, (9) emptiness of the unlimited, (10) emptiness of that which has neither beginning nor end, (11) emptiness of nonexclusion, (12) emptiness of inherent nature, (13) emptiness of intrinsic defining characteristics, (14) emptiness of all phenomena, (15) emptiness of that which cannot be apprehended, (16) emptiness of nonentities, (17) emptiness of essential nature, and (18) emptiness of an essential nature of nonentities. See also The Long Explanation (Toh 3808), 4.­103–4.­161, for an explanation of each of the emptinesses.

The eighteen sensory elements, which appear in statements throughout the text either as just the name of the set or as a complete list, comprise (1) the sensory element of the eyes, (2) the sensory element of sights, and (3) the sensory element of visual consciousness; (4) the sensory element of the ears, (5) the sensory element of sounds, and (6) the sensory element of auditory consciousness; (7) the sensory element of the nose, (8) the sensory element of odors, and (9) the sensory element of olfactory consciousness; (10) the sensory element of the tongue, (11) the sensory element of tastes, and (12) the sensory element of gustatory consciousness; (13) the sensory element of the body, (14) the sensory element of touch, and (15) the sensory element of tactile consciousness; and (16) the sensory element of the mental faculty, (17) the sensory element of mental phenomena, and (18) the sensory element of mental consciousness.

Name of the third of the ten levels traversed by all practitioners, from the state of an ordinary person up to buddhahood, distinct from the ten bodhisattva levels. See “ten levels.”A person who is “eight steps” away in the arc of their development from becoming an arhat (Tib. dgra bcom pa). Specifically, this term refers to one who is on the cusp of becoming a stream enterer (Skt. srotaāpanna; Tib. rgyun du zhugs pa), and it is the first and lowest stage in a list of eight stages or classes of a noble person (Skt. āryapudgala). The person at this lowest stage in the sequence is still on the path of seeing (Skt. darśanamārga; Tib. mthong lam) and then enters the path of cultivation (Skt. bhāvanāmārga; Tib. sgom lam) upon attaining the next stage, that of a stream enterer (stage seven). From there they progress through the remaining stages of the śrāvaka path, becoming in turn a once-returner (stages six and five), a non-returner (stages four and three), and an arhat (stages two and one). This same “eighth stage” also appears in a set of ten stages (Skt. daśabhūmi; Tib. sa bcu) found in Mahāyāna sources, where it is the third out of the ten. Not to be confused with the ten stages of the bodhisattva’s path, these ten stages mark the progress of one who sequentially follows the paths of a śrāvaka, pratyekabuddha, and then bodhisattva on their way to complete buddhahood. In this set of ten stages a person “on the eighth stage” is similarly one who is on the cusp of becoming a stream enterer.

Eighty of the hundred and twelve identifying physical characteristics of both buddhas and wheel-turning emperors, in addition to the so-called “thirty-two major marks of a great person.” They are considered “minor” in terms of being secondary to the thirty-two major marks. For their enumeration see the Twenty-Five Thousand, 62.­79; the Eighteen Thousand, 73.­93; or the Ten Thousand, 2.­33.

Name of a buddha in the northwestern direction, residing in the world system called Vaśībhūtā.

A monk of seniority within the assembly of the śrāvakas.

A meditative stability.

These, as listed in 2.­10–2.­11, are (1) knowledge of suffering, (2) knowledge of the origin of suffering, (3) knowledge of the cessation of suffering, (4) knowledge of the path , (5) knowledge of the extinction of contaminants, (6) knowledge that contaminants will not arise again, (7) knowledge of phenomena, (8) knowledge of nonduality, (9) knowledge of the conventional, (10) knowledge of mastery, and (11) knowledge in accord with sound.

Third of the four immeasurable attitudes.

Emptiness denotes the ultimate nature of reality, the total absence of inherent existence and self-identity with respect to all phenomena. According to this view, all things and events are devoid of any independent, intrinsic reality that constitutes their essence. Nothing can be said to exist independent of the complex network of factors that gives rise to its origination, nor are phenomena independent of the cognitive processes and mental constructs that make up the conventional framework within which their identity and existence are posited. When all levels of conceptualization dissolve and when all forms of dichotomizing tendencies are quelled through deliberate meditative deconstruction of conceptual elaborations, the ultimate nature of reality will finally become manifest. It is the first of the three gateways to liberation.

First of the three gateways to liberation.

The fourteenth of the eighteen emptinesses.

The eighteenth of the eighteen emptinesses.

Third of the eighteen emptinesses.

The seventh of the eighteen emptinesses.

Fourth of the eighteen emptinesses.

Seventeenth of the eighteen emptinesses.

Second of the eighteen emptinesses.

The fifth of the eighteen emptinesses

The twelfth of the eighteen emptinesses. See also “inherent nature.”

First of the eighteen emptinesses.

The thirteenth of the eighteen emptinesses.

Sixteenth of the eighteen emptinesses.

The eleventh of the eighteen emptinesses.

Fifteenth of the eighteen emptinesses.

Tenth of the eighteen emptinesses.

Ninth of the eighteen emptinesses.

Sixth of the eighteen emptinesses.

The eighth of the eighteen emptinesses

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability. See also n.­402 and in the Twenty-Five Thousand, n.­231.

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability.

One of the four types of noble individuals, the first stage of the progression culminating in the state of an arhat. The term is often rendered “stream enterer.”

Something that is taken to be intrinsically existent.

One aspect of a set of forty-four syllables listed at 9.­70 as dhāraṇī gateways. See also “letters as gateways.”

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability.

A cosmic period of time, sometimes equivalent to the time when a world system appears, exists, and disappears. According to the traditional Abhidharma understanding of cyclical time, a great eon (mahākalpa) is divided into eighty lesser eons. In the course of one great eon, the universe takes form and later disappears. During the first twenty of the lesser eons, the universe is in the process of creation and expansion; during the next twenty it remains; during the third twenty, it is in the process of destruction; and during the last quarter of the cycle, it remains in a state of empty stasis. A fortunate, or good, eon (bhadrakalpa) refers to any eon in which more than one buddha appears.

An expression of ultimate excellence.

A meditative stability.

Fourth of the four immeasurable attitudes and seventh of the seven branches of enlightenment.

This term denotes the ontological status of phenomena, according to which they are said to possess existence in their own right‍—inherently, in and of themselves, objectively, and independent of any other phenomena such as our conception and labelling. The absence of such an ontological reality is defined as the true nature of reality, emptiness.

Eleventh of the twelve branches of the scriptures.

Morally virtuous or disciplined conduct and the abandonment of morally undisciplined conduct of body, speech, and mind. In a general sense, moral discipline is the cause for rebirth in higher, more favorable states, but it is also foundational to Buddhist practice as one of the three trainings (triśikṣā) and one of the six perfections of a bodhisattva. Often rendered as “ethics,” “discipline,” and “morality.”See also “six perfections.”

A reference either to Māra himself, or sometimes (in the plural) to a group of his kind.

See “four kinds of exact knowledge.”

Second of the four kinds of exact knowledge.

Fourth of the four kinds of exact knowledge.

Third of the four kinds of exact knowledge. See also “lexical explanations.”

First of the four kinds of exact knowledge.

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability.

The realms of higher rebirth comprising the different levels of the gods. In the canonical texts this term does not include the human realm.

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability.

The six extrasensory powers (miraculous ability, clairaudience, knowing beings’ minds, recollecting past lives, clairvoyance, and knowing the contaminants have ceased) are described fully in 2.­601-2.­613. The five extrasensory powers are the first five of these, the sixth being the only one attainable only by arhats.

Sixth of the six extrasensory powers. See 2.­611–2.­613.

Fifth of the six extrasensory powers. See 2.­610.

Second of the six extrasensory powers. See 2.­602.

First of the six extrasensory powers. See 2.­601

Third of the six extrasensory powers. See 2.­604.

Fourth of the six extrasensory powers. See 2.­607.

Second of the five eyes.

First of the five eyes.

Fifth of the five eyes.

Fourth of the five eyes.

Third of the five eyes.

See “thirty-seven factors conducive to enlightenment.“

See “five faculties.”

First of the three faculties. Elsewhere this is rendered as “faculty of coming to understand what one has not yet understood” (ma shes pa yongs su shes par bya ba’i dbang po).

First of the three faculties. Elsewhere this is rendered as “faculty of coming to fully understand what has not been fully understood” (yongs su ma shes pa yongs su shes par bya ba’i dbang po).

First of the five faculties.

Second of the three faculties. Elsewhere this is rendered as “faculty of understanding all” (kun shes pa’i dbang po).

Third of the three faculties. Elsewhere this is rendered as “faculty of knowing that one has fully understood” (kun shes pa rig pa’i dbang po).

Third of the three faculties. Elsewhere this is rendered as “faculty of knowing one has fully understood” (yongs su shes par rtogs pa’i dbang po).

Fourth of the five faculties.

Third of the five faculties.

Second of the five faculties.

Second of the three faculties. Elsewhere this is rendered as “faculty of fully understanding” (yongs su shes pa’i dbang po).

Fifth of the five faculties.

First of the three fetters; also third of the five fetters associated with the inferior. This concerns the superimposition of the notion of self upon the five aggregates.

Fourth of the ten nonvirtuous actions. Also rendered here as “lying.”

See “four fearlessnesses.”

Second of the five aggregates; also seventh of the twelve links of dependent origination. Also translated here as “sensation.”

Factors that bind one to rebirth in saṃsāra. See also “three fetters,” “five fetters associated with the inferior,” and “five fetters associated with the superior.”

This refers to what occurs at the end of an arhat’s or a buddha’s life. When nirvāṇa is attained at awakening, whether as an arhat or buddha, all suffering, afflicted mental states (kleśa), and causal processes (karman) that lead to rebirth and suffering in cyclic existence have ceased, but due to previously accumulated karma, the aggregates of that life remain and must still exhaust themselves. It is only at the end of life that these cease, and since no new aggregates arise, the arhat or buddha is said to attain parinirvāṇa, meaning “complete” or “final” nirvāṇa. This is synonymous with the attainment of nirvāṇa without remainder (anupadhiśeṣanirvāṇa). According to the Mahāyāna view of a single vehicle (ekayāna), the arhat’s parinirvāṇa at death, despite being so called, is not final. The arhat must still enter the bodhisattva path and reach buddhahood (see Unraveling the Intent, Toh 106, 7.14.) On the other hand, the parinirvāṇa of a buddha, ultimately speaking, should be understood as a display manifested for the benefit of beings; see The Teaching on the Extraordinary Transformation That Is the Miracle of Attaining the Buddha’s Powers (Toh 186), 1.32. The term parinirvāṇa is also associated specifically with the passing away of the Buddha Śākyamuni, in Kuśinagara, in northern India.

A collective name for the five contaminated aggregates (sāsravaskandha, zag bcas kyi phung po): (1) physical forms, (2) feelings, (3) perceptions, (4) formative predispositions, and (5) consciousness. These “appropriated” aggregates (upadānaskandha, nye bar len pa’i phung po) emerge through the primary cause of past actions and afflicted mental states, and become the primary cause for subsequent actions and afflicted mental states. They are the bases upon which a nonexistent self is mistakenly projected. That is, they are the basis of “appropriation” (upādāna) insofar as all grasping arises on the basis of the aggregates.

The ordinary mind-body complex is termed the “five aggregates,” which comprise physical forms, feelings, perceptions, formative predispositions, and consciousness. For a detailed exposition of the five aggregates in accord with Asaṅga’s Abhidharma­samuccaya, see Jamgon Kongtrul, Treasury of Knowledge, Book 6, Pt. 2: pp. 477–531.

These comprise gods and humans of the higher realms within saṃsāra, along with animals, anguished spirits, and the denizens of the hells, whose abodes are identified with the lower realms.

See “extrasensory power.”

These comprise (1) the eye of flesh, (2) the eye of divine clairvoyance, (3) the eye of wisdom, (4) the eye of the Dharma, and (5) the eye of the buddhas.

The five faculties comprise (1) the faculty of faith, (2) the faculty of perseverance, (3) the faculty of mindfulness, (4) the faculty of meditative stability, and (5) the faculty of wisdom.

The five fetters associated with the inferior comprise desire , hatred, inertia due to wrong views, attachment to moral and ascetic supremacy, and doubt.

The five fetters associated with the superior comprise attachment to the realm of form, attachment to the realm of formlessness, ignorance, pride, and gross mental excitement.

The “five inexpiable crimes,” or “crimes with immediate retribution” because they result in immediate rebirth in the hells without any intermediate state, are regarded as the most severe and consequently the most difficult negative actions to overcome by reparation. They are matricide (ma gsod pa), killing an arhat (dgra bcom pa gsod pa), patricide (pha gsod pa), creating a schism in the monastic community (dge ’dun gyi dbyen byas pa), and intentionally wounding a buddha (de bzhin gshegs pa’i sku la ngan sems kyis khrag ’byin pa).

The five powers comprise (1) the power of faith, (2) the power of perseverance, (3) the power of mindfulness, (4) the power of meditative stability, and (5) the power of wisdom.

To abstain from killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, telling lies, and intoxicants.

Also known as the five aggregates beyond the world (lokottaraskandha, ’jig rten las ’das pa’i phung po lnga). They consist of the aggregate of ethical discipline, the aggregate of meditative stability, the aggregate of wisdom, the aggregate of liberation, and the aggregate of the knowledge and seeing of liberation.

The five extrasensory powers are called “undiminished” in the sense of remaining present through death and all subsequent rebirths, whatever the form of life. See also The Long Explanation (Toh 3808), 4.­57.

See n.­611.

A meditative stability.

Third of the Buddha’s four fearlessnesses.

Fourth of the Buddha’s four fearlessnesses.

Fourth of the five aggregates; also second of the twelve links of dependent origination. This term denotes the deep-seated predispositions inherited from past actions and experiences, some of which function in association with mind, while others do not. Formative predispositions are critical to the Buddhist understanding of the causal dynamics of karma and conditioned existence.

See “four formless meditative absorptions.”

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability.

The four applications of mindfulness are (1) the application of mindfulness to the body; (2) the application of mindfulness to feelings; (3) the application of mindfulness to the mind; and (4) the application of mindfulness to phenomena. For a description, see 9.­1.

This denotes the assemblies of fully ordained monks and nuns, along with laymen and laywomen.

According to Nordrang Orgyan 2008: p. 808, there are eight distinct enumerations. The commentarial tradition represented by the Abhidharmakośa identifies them with the four torrents.

According to traditional Buddhist cosmology, our universe consists of a central mountain, known as Mount Meru or Sumeru, surrounded by four island continents (dvīpa), one in each of the four cardinal directions. The Abhidharmakośa explains that each of these island continents has a specific shape and is flanked by two smaller subcontinents of similar shape. To the south of Mount Meru is Jambudvīpa, corresponding either to the Indian subcontinent itself or to the known world. It is triangular in shape, and at its center is the place where the buddhas attain awakening. The humans who inhabit Jambudvīpa have a lifespan of one hundred years. To the east is Videha, a semicircular continent inhabited by humans who have a lifespan of two hundred fifty years and are twice as tall as the humans who inhabit Jambudvīpa. To the north is Uttarakuru, a square continent whose inhabitants have a lifespan of a thousand years. To the west is Godānīya, circular in shape, where the lifespan is five hundred years.

The four correct exertions are (1) preventing negative states of mind from arising, (2) removing those that have already arisen, (3) giving rise to positive states that have not yet arisen, and (4) maintaining those that have already arisen. While the translation of this term here follows the Sanskrit, a literal translation from Tibetan would be “four correct abandonings,” a rendering often seen. It is possible that the Tibetan translators may originally have confused the meaning in Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit (BHS) of the term prahāṇa (“exertion”) with its meaning in classical Sanskrit (“elimination”). The classical Sanskrit equivalent of BHS prahāṇa is pradhāna.

The four fearlessnesses are proclaimed by the tathāgatas as: (1) “I claim to have attained perfectly complete buddhahood”; (2) “I claim I am one whose contaminants have ceased”; (3) “I claim to have explained those phenomena that cause obstacles”; (4) “I claim to have shown the path that leads to realizing the emancipation of the noble and that will genuinely bring an end to suffering for those who make use of it.” The listing of the four fearlessnesses is translated and analyzed in Konow 1941: pp. 39–40, with reconstructed Sanskrit on pp. 106–7. A full explanation of the fearlessnesses can be found in the passage at 2.­388–2.­425 in The Teaching on the Great Compassion of the Tathāgata (Tathāgata­mahā­karuṇā­nirdeśa, Toh 147), in which the four fearlessnesses are described as the eleventh to fourteenth of thirty-two actions of a tathāgata. See also Mahāvyutpatti 130–34 and the corresponding explanation in the Drajor Bamponyipa (sgra sbyor bam po gnyis pa); Dayal 1932: pp. 20–21; and Sparham 2012 (IV): pp. 80–81. The four are generally known by other names, as in the Mahāvyutpatti: the first is the “fearlessness in the knowledge of all phenomena” (sarva­dharmābhisambodhi­vaiśāradya, chos thams cad mkhyen pa la mi ’jigs pa), which the Buddha achieves for his own benefit; the second is the “fearlessness in the knowledge of the cessation of all contaminants” (sarvāśrava­kṣaya­jñāna­vaiśāradya, zag pa zad pa thams cad mkhyen pa la mi ’jigs pa), which the Buddha achieves for his own benefit; the third is the “fearlessness to declare that phenomena that obstruct the path will not engender any further negative outcomes” (anantarāyika­dharmān­anyathātva­viniścita­vyākaraṇa­vaiśāradya, bar du gcod pa’i chos rnams gzhan du mi ’gyur bar nges pa’i lung bstan pa la mi ’jigs pa), which the Buddha achieves for others’ benefit; and the fourth is the “fearlessness that the path of renunciation through which all excellent attributes are to be obtained has been thus realized” (sarva­sampadadhigamāya nairāṇika­pratipattathātva­vaiśāradya, phun sum tshogs pa thams cad thob par ’gyur bar nges par ’byung ba’i lam de bzhin du gyur ba la mi ’jigs pa), which the Buddha achieves for others’ benefit.

These comprise (1) the meditative absorption of the sphere of infinite space, (2) the meditative absorption of the sphere of infinite consciousness, (3) the meditative absorption of the sphere of nothing-at-all, and (4) the meditative absorption of neither perception nor nonperception. The four formless absorptions and their fruits are discussed in Jamgon Kongtrul, The Treasury of Knowledge, Book 6, Pt. 2: pp. 436–38.

These comprise (1) desire (rāga, ’dod pa), (2) views (dṛṣṭi, lta ba), (3) ethical disciple and asceticism (śīlavrata, tshul khrims brtul zhugs), and (4) self-promotion (ātmavāda, bdag tu smra ba).

Four gods who live on the lower slopes (fourth level) of Mount Meru in the eponymous Heaven of the Four Great Kings (Cāturmahā­rājika, rgyal chen bzhi’i ris) and guard the four cardinal directions. Each is the leader of a nonhuman class of beings living in his realm. They are Dhṛtarāṣṭra, ruling the gandharvas in the east; Virūḍhaka, ruling over the kumbhāṇḍas in the south; Virūpākṣa, ruling the nāgas in the west; and Vaiśravaṇa (also known as Kubera) ruling the yakṣas in the north. Also referred to as Guardians of the World or World Protectors (lokapāla, ’jig rten skyong ba).

These are (1) loving kindness, (2) compassion, (3) empathetic joy, and (4) equanimity. On training in the four immeasurable attitudes, see The Words of My Perfect Teacher 1994, pp. 195–217.

The four kinds of exact knowledge‍—the essentials through which the buddhas impart their teachings‍—comprise (1) exact knowledge of meanings, (2) exact knowledge of dharmas, (3) exact knowledge of lexical explanations, and (4) exact knowledge of inspired eloquence.

These comprise (1) covetousness (abhidhyā, brnab sems), (2) malice (vyāpāda, gnod sems), (3) moral supremacy (śīlaparāmarśa, tshul khrims mchog ’dzin) and (4) ascetic supremacy (vrataparāmarśa, brtul zhugs mchog ’dzin).

The four progressive levels of concentration associated with the form realm that culminate in pure one-pointedness of mind and are the basis for developing insight. These are part of the nine serial absorptions. For a description, see 9.­46. See also “meditative concentration.”

These comprise (1) the notion that what is impermanent is permanent (anitye nityasaṃjñā, mi rtag pa la rtag pa’i ’du shes), (2) the notion that what is suffering is happiness (duḥkhe sukhasaṃjñā, sdug bsngal ba la bde ba’i ’du shes), (3) the notion that nonself is self (anātmanyātma­saṃjñā, bdag med pa la bdag gi ’du shes), and (4) the notion that what is unpleasant is pleasant (aśubhe śubhasaṃjñā, mi sdug pa la sdug pa’i ’du shes).

These comprise: (1) the nourishment of food (kavaḍīkāra, kham), (2) the nourishment of sensory contact (sparśa, reg pa), (3) the nourishment of mentation (cetanā, sems pa), and (4) the nourishment of consciousness (vijñāna, rnam par shes pa), the first two of which are directed toward the present life and the last two to the subsequent life.

These concern (1) establishing the Dharma ( chos gdags pa rnam par dgod pa ), (2) establishing the truth ( bden pa gdags pa rnam par dgod pa ), (3) establishing reason ( rigs pa gdags pa rnam par dgod pa ), and (4) establishing the vehicles ( theg pa gdags pa rnam par dgod pa ). See the Śata­sāhasrikā­prajñā­pāramitā­bṛhaṭṭīkā, Toh 3807 (Degé Tengyur vol. 91, F.37.a); also Edgerton, p. 516.

See these four listed at 9.­25.

The four torrents, which are to be abandoned, comprise (1) the torrent of ignorance (avidyā, ma rig pa), (2) the torrent of wrong view (dṛṣṭi, lta ba), (3) the torrent of rebirth (bhava, srid pa), and (4) the torrent of craving (tṛṣṇā, sred pa). See Nyima and Dorje 2001: p. 1075.

The four truths of the noble ones comprise (1) the truth of suffering, (2) the truth of the origin of suffering, (3) the truth of the cessation of suffering, and (4) the truth of the path . (Strictly speaking, these should be translated “the truth of the noble ones concerning suffering,” and so on, but for brevity the widespread short form has been used.)

These are (1) generosity (sbyin pa, dāna), (2) pleasant speech (snyan par smra ba, priyavāditā), (3) beneficial activity (don du spyod pa, arthacaryā), and (4) harmonious activity (don ’thun par spyod pa, samānārthatā). The last of these is interpreted in Asaṅga’s works to mean “doing oneself what one preaches to others,” but the original meaning in this context according to some sources including the Mahāvastu may have been consonance, or empathy, in the sense of sharing the joys and sorrows of others (see Edgerton p. 569).

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability.

First of the four fruits attainable by śrāvakas, that of the first stage in which one has entered the “stream” of practice that leads to nirvāṇa. See also “entering the stream.”

Third of the four fruits attainable by śrāvakas. See “non-returner.”

Second of the four fruits attainable by śrāvakas. See “once-returner.”

A class of generally benevolent nonhuman beings who inhabit the skies, sometimes said to inhabit fantastic cities in the clouds, and more specifically to dwell on the eastern slopes of Mount Meru, where they are ruled by the Great King Dhṛtarāṣṭra. They are most renowned as celestial musicians who serve the gods. In the Abhidharma, the term is also used to refer to the mental body assumed by sentient beings during the intermediate state between death and rebirth. Gandharvas are said to live on fragrances (gandha) in the desire realm, hence the Tibetan translation dri za, meaning “scent eater.”

The Gaṅgā, or Ganges in English, is considered to be the most sacred river of India, particularly within the Hindu tradition. It starts in the Himalayas, flows through the northern plains of India, bathing the holy city of Vārāṇasī, and meets the sea at the Bay of Bengal, in Bangladesh. In the sūtras, however, this river is mostly mentioned not for its sacredness but for its abundant sands‍—noticeable still today on its many sandy banks and at its delta‍—which serve as a common metaphor for infinitely large numbers.According to Buddhist cosmology, as explained in the Abhidharmakośa, it is one of the four rivers that flow from Lake Anavatapta and cross the southern continent of Jambudvīpa‍—the known human world or more specifically the Indian subcontinent.

In Indian mythology, the garuḍa is an eagle-like bird that is regarded as the king of all birds, normally depicted with a sharp, owl-like beak, often holding a snake, and with large and powerful wings. They are traditionally enemies of the nāgas. In the Vedas, they are said to have brought nectar from the heavens to earth. Garuḍa can also be used as a proper name for a king of such creatures.

A meditative stability.

See “three gateways to liberation.”

In the context‌ of the perfections, generosity is the first of the six perfections. It is also the first of the four attractive qualities of a bodhisattva.

“Conceits” in most instances here has the meaning both of unjustified assumptions and fanciful imagination as well as of pride.

A meditative stability.

In the most general sense the devas‍—the term is cognate with the English divine‍—are a class of celestial beings who frequently appear in Buddhist texts, often at the head of the assemblies of nonhuman beings who attend and celebrate the teachings of the Buddha Śākyamuni and other buddhas and bodhisattvas. In Buddhist cosmology the devas occupy the highest of the five or six “destinies” (gati) of saṃsāra among which beings take rebirth. The devas reside in the devalokas, “heavens” that traditionally number between twenty-six and twenty-eight and are divided between the desire realm (kāmadhātu), form realm (rūpadhātu), and formless realm (ārūpyadhātu). A being attains rebirth among the devas either through meritorious deeds (in the desire realm) or the attainment of subtle meditative states (in the form and formless realms). While rebirth among the devas is considered favorable, it is ultimately a transitory state from which beings will fall when the conditions that lead to rebirth there are exhausted. Thus, rebirth in the god realms is regarded as a diversion from the spiritual path.

One of the four main continents that surround Sumeru, the central mountain in classical Buddhist cosmology. It is the western continent, characterized as “rich in the resources of cattle,” thus its Tibetan name “using cattle.” It is circular in shape, measuring about 7,500 yojanas in circumference, and is flanked by two subsidiary continents. Humans who live there are very tall, about 24 feet (7.3 meters) on average, and live for 500 years. It is known by the names Godānīya, Aparāntaka, Aparagodānīya, or Aparagoyāna.

The Sanskrit pravrajyā literally means “going forth,” with the sense of leaving the life of a householder and embracing the life of a renunciant. When the term is applied more technically, it refers to the act of becoming a male novice (śrāmaṇera; dge tshul) or female novice (śrāmaṇerikā; dge tshul ma), this being a first stage leading to full ordination.

Ninth of the twelve links of dependent origination.This term, although commonly translated as “appropriation,” also means “grasping” or “clinging,” but it has a particular meaning as the ninth of the twelve links of dependent origination, situated between craving (tṛṣṇā, sred pa) and becoming or existence (bhava, srid pa). In some texts, four types of appropriation (upādāna) are listed: that of desire (rāga), view (dṛṣṭi), rules and observances as paramount (śīla­vrata­parāmarśa), and belief in a self (ātmavāda).

The same Sanskrit term is rendered in the Tibetan of other sūtras as a simile (“like a great sal tree”) in similar passages, but the Tibetan in this text uses an interpretive adjectival phrase.

The same Sanskrit term is rendered in the Tibetan of other sūtras as a simile (“like a great sal tree”) in similar passages, but the Tibetan in this text uses an interpretive adjectival phrase.

The same Sanskrit term is rendered in the Tibetan of other sūtras as a simile (“like a great sal tree”) in similar passages, but the Tibetan in this text uses an interpretive adjectival phrase.

A vast universe comprising one thousand millionfold world systems, i.e., one billion world systems according to traditional Indian cosmology. See also n.­231.

First of the four immeasurable attitudes, called “great” in this context because a buddha’s immeasurable attitudes take as their object all beings.

Third of the four immeasurable attitudes, called “great” in this context because a buddha’s immeasurable attitudes take as their object all beings.

Fourth of the four immeasurable attitudes, called “great” in this context because a buddha’s immeasurable attitudes take as their object all beings.

Second of the four immeasurable attitudes, called “great” in this context because a buddha’s immeasurable attitudes take as their object all beings.

A meditative stability.

When the Buddhist teachings are classified according to their power to lead beings to an awakened state, a distinction is made between the teachings of the Lesser Vehicle (Hīnayāna), which emphasizes the individual’s own freedom from cyclic existence as the primary motivation and goal, and those of the Great Vehicle (Mahāyāna), which emphasizes altruism and has the liberation of all sentient beings as the principal objective. As the term “Great Vehicle” implies, the path followed by bodhisattvas is analogous to a large carriage that can transport a vast number of people to liberation, as compared to a smaller vehicle for the individual practitioner.

Fifth of the five fetters associated with the superior.

Name of a bodhisattva, sometimes also found as Guhyagupta; the Tibetan rendering in the Eighteen Thousand is phug sbas.

A place and monastery next to Zhalu (zhwa lu) in Lower Nyang, and therefore associated with canonical translation and compilation. Sakya Pandita was ordained there by Śākyaśrībhadra.

Indian exegete of the Prajñāpāramitā and its commentary, the Abhisamayālaṃkāra (fl. late eighth century).

Sixth of the ten nonvirtuous actions. Also rendered as “verbal abuse.”

Second of the five fetters associated with the inferior; one of the three poisons (dug gsum) that, along with attachment and delusion, perpetuate the sufferings of saṃsāra. Its subtle manifestation is aversion, and its coarse manifestations are hatred and fear.

The first meditative stability in chapters 6 and 8, also mentioned in other chapters.

An important form of Buddhist meditation focusing on developing insight into the nature of phenomena. Often presented as part of a pair of meditation techniques, the other being “stilling.”

Second of the Buddha’s four fearlessnesses.

First of the Buddha’s four fearlessnesses.

First of the twelve links of dependent origination; first of the four torrents; third of the five fetters associated with the superior.

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability.

With respect to bodhisattva great beings, “immaturity” (āma, skyon) suggests rawness‍—something that is uncooked, unrefined, and flawed‍—while “maturity” (niyāma, skyon med) implies certitude, refinement, cooking, softening, and flawlessness.

See “four immeasurable attitudes.”

A meditative stability. See also n.­316.

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability.

Indeterminate phenomena include the following: indeterminate physical, verbal, and mental actions; the indeterminate four primary elements (earth, water, fire, and wind); the indeterminate five sense organs; the indeterminate aggregates, sense fields, sensory elements; and the indeterminate maturations of past actions.

The enlightenment of a pratyekabuddha.

The lord of the Trāyastriṃśa heaven on the summit of Mount Sumeru. As one of the eight guardians of the directions, Indra guards the eastern quarter. In Buddhist sūtras, he is a disciple of the Buddha and protector of the Dharma and its practitioners. He is often referred to by the epithets Śatakratu, Śakra, and Kauśika.

Name of a bodhisattva.

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability.

See “inherent nature.”

The Tibetan term rang bzhin (also rendered here as “inherent existence”) literally means “own-being” and can be used in an ordinary sense to denote the most fundamental or characteristic quality, property, or nature of things. In Mahāyāna literature it is also used in several different ways in the examination of the ontological status of phenomena, most frequently in statements denying that phenomena may ultimately possess any such existence or nature, objectively in their own right, apart from ignorantly attributed concepts and designations. See an exception to the attested Sanskrit source at n.­447.

Initial mental application” is one of the factors in the first meditative concentration that is absent in those that follow. See also n.­101

The ability (particularly of bodhisattvas) to express the Dharma eloquently, clearly, brilliantly, and in an inspiring way, as the result of their realization. See also “exact knowledge of inspired eloquence.”

A meditative stability.

Sixth of the twelve branches of the scriptures.

Seventh of the ten nonvirtuous actions.

A stage on the bodhisattva path at which the practitioner will never turn back, or be turned back, from progress toward the full awakening of a buddha.

The name of the southern continent in Buddhist cosmology, which can signify either the known human world, or more specifically the Indian subcontinent, literally “the jambu island/continent.” Jambu is the name used for a range of plum-like fruits from trees belonging to the genus Szygium, particularly Szygium jambos and Szygium cumini, and it has commonly been rendered “rose apple,” although “black plum” may be a less misleading term. Among various explanations given for the continent being so named, one (in the Abhidharmakośa) is that a jambu tree grows in its northern mountains beside Lake Anavatapta, mythically considered the source of the four great rivers of India, and that the continent is therefore named from the tree or the fruit. Jambudvīpa has the Vajrāsana at its center and is the only continent upon which buddhas attain awakening.

Name of a world system in the northern direction, where the buddha Jayendra teaches the perfection of wisdom to bodhisattva great beings.

Name of a bodhisattva from a world system in the northern direction called Jayā, who comes to this world to pay homage to the Buddha.

Name of a buddha in the northern direction, residing in the world system called Jayā.

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability.

A frequent simile for softness, thought to refer either (1) to the down of the kācilindika or kācalindika bird (see Lamotte 1975, p. 261, n. 321), or (2) to a tropical tree bearing silken pods, similar to kapok, from which garments were made, and identified (Monier-Williams p. 266) with Abrus precatorius.

Meaning “action” in its most basic sense, karma is an important concept in Buddhist philosophy as the cumulative force of previous physical, verbal, and mental acts, which determines present experience and will determine future existences.Also translated here as “past action.”

“One who belongs to the Kuśika lineage.” An epithet of the god Śakra, also known as Indra, the king of the gods in the Trāyastriṃśa heaven. In the Ṛgveda, Indra is addressed by the epithet Kauśika, with the implication that he is associated with the descendants of the Kuśika lineage (gotra) as their aiding deity. In later epic and Purāṇic texts, we find the story that Indra took birth as Gādhi Kauśika, the son of Kuśika and one of the Vedic poet-seers, after the Puru king Kuśika had performed austerities for one thousand years to obtain a son equal to Indra who could not be killed by others. In the Pāli Kusajātaka (Jāt V 141–45), the Buddha, in one of his former bodhisattva lives as a Trāyastriṃśa god, takes birth as the future king Kusa upon the request of Indra, who wishes to help the childless king of the Mallas, Okkaka, and his chief queen Sīlavatī. This story is also referred to by Nāgasena in the Milindapañha.

An important early Tibetan translator and editor who was also one of the twenty-five principal disciples of Guru Padmasambhava.

First of the ten nonvirtuous actions.

A fruit that looks appealing and has a delicious taste, but is poisonous when eaten. According to Chandra Das, it is the cucurbitaceous plant Trichosanthes palmata; also possibly Cucumis colocynthis.

A meditative stability.

A class of nonhuman beings that resemble humans to the degree that their very name‍—which means “is that human?”‍—suggests some confusion as to their divine status. Kinnaras are mythological beings found in both Buddhist and Brahmanical literature, where they are portrayed as creatures half human, half animal. They are often depicted as highly skilled celestial musicians.

Ninth of the ten powers of the tathāgatas.

Eleventh of the eleven knowledges.

A type of incantation or spell used to accomplish a ritual goal. This can be associated with either ordinary attainments or those whose goal is awakening.

Literally “knowledge of all” or “all-knowing,” but here rendered “knowledge of all the dharmas” rather than “omniscience.” In the Prajñāpāramitā literature, this is a technical term that refers to the full extent of knowledge realized by arhats and pratyekabuddhas, comprising particularly their understanding of the absence of a self in the aggregates, sense fields, and sensory elements.The term might intertextually refer to a discourse found in the Saṁyutta Nikāya/Saṁyuktāgama (SN 35:23/SĀ 319) in which the Buddha describes “the all” as the twelve sense fields. It is the third of the eight main topics or “clear realizations” of The Ornament of Clear Realization.

Tenth of the eleven knowledges.

Eighth of the eleven knowledges.

Seventh of the eleven knowledges.

First of the eleven knowledges.

A key term in the Prajñā­pāramitā texts denoting the form of omniscience (‘knowing all’) that bodhisattvas progressively attain, the knowledge of all paths, including knowledge not only of their own path but also of the paths of śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas. However, note that although this term is used with this meaning (and can be glossed as the second of the eight topics elucidated in the Abhisamayālaṃkāra), in the original formulation of the eight topics in the Abhisamayālaṃkāra the term used is simply mārgājñāta (lam shes pa nyid), “knowledge of the paths.”

Third of the eleven knowledges.

Ninth of the eleven knowledges.

Fifth of the eleven knowledges.

Second of the eleven knowledges.

Fourth of the eleven knowledges.

Sixth of the eleven knowledges.

The continent to the north of Sumeru according to Buddhist cosmology. In the Abhidharmakośa, it is described as square in shape. Its human inhabitants enjoy a fixed lifespan of a thousand years and do not hold personal property or marry.

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability.

An early Tibetan monk and translator, active in the late eighth century, said in traditional histories to have memorized the Hundred Thousand in India and first translated it into Tibetan. Also known as Lang Khampa Lotsāwa.

The latent impulses are seven subconscious impulses or tendencies, namely attachment to sense pleasures (’dod pa’i ’dod chags), hatred (khong khro), attachment to existence (srid pa’i ’dod chags), pride (nga rgyal), ignorance (ma rig pa), views (lta ba), and doubt (the tshom).

An unordained male practitioner who observes the five trainings not to kill, lie, steal, be intoxicated, or commit sexual misconduct.

An unordained female practitioner who observes the five trainings not to kill, lie, steal, be intoxicated, or commit sexual misconduct.

One aspect of a set of forty-four syllables listed at 9.­70 as dhāraṇī gateways. See also “entrance through letters.”

Name of the seventh of the ten levels traversed by all practitioners, from the state of an ordinary person up to buddhahood, distinct from the ten bodhisattva levels. See “ten levels.”

Name of the fifth of the ten levels traversed by all practitioners, from the state of an ordinary person up to buddhahood, distinct from the ten bodhisattva levels. See “ten levels.”

Name of the first of the ten levels traversed by all practitioners, from the state of an ordinary person up to buddhahood, distinct from the ten bodhisattva levels. In this text, it seems to equivalent to the level of ordinary people. See “ten levels.”

Name of the fourth of the ten levels traversed by all practitioners, from the state of an ordinary person up to buddhahood, distinct from the ten bodhisattva levels. It is equivalent to entering the stream to nirvāṇa. See “ten levels.”

Name of the sixth level of the ten levels traversed by all practitioners, from the state of an ordinary person up to buddhahood, distinct from the ten bodhisattva levels. It is the level from which point there is no more rebirth in the desire realm. See “ten levels.”

Name of the first of the ten levels traversed by all practitioners, from the state of an ordinary person up to buddhahood, distinct from the ten bodhisattva levels. In this text, it seems to equivalent to the level of bright insight. See “ten levels.”

Name of the ninth of the ten levels traversed by all practitioners, from the state of an ordinary person up to buddhahood, distinct from the ten bodhisattva levels. See “ten levels.”

The tenth and last of the ten levels traversed by all practitioners, from the state of an ordinary person up to buddhahood, distinct from the ten bodhisattva levels. Also rendered here as “level of the perfectly complete buddhas.” See “ten levels.”

The tenth and last of the ten levels traversed by all practitioners, from the state of an ordinary person up to buddhahood, distinct from the ten bodhisattva levels. Also rendered here as “level of the buddhas.” See “ten levels.”

Name of the eighth of the ten levels traversed by all practitioners, from the state of an ordinary person up to buddhahood, distinct from the ten bodhisattva levels. See “ten levels.”

Name of the second of the ten levels traversed by all practitioners, from the state of an ordinary person up to buddhahood, distinct from the ten bodhisattva levels. See “ten levels;” see also “ spiritual family .”

A son of the king Mutik Tsenpo (Senalek), probably the eldest (born 800?); he may have been exiled to Bhutan, and did not reign himself.

See “eight liberations.”

The people of the city and region of Vaiśālī. The Licchavi were one of the clans making up the Vṛji confederacy, an early republic at the time of the Buddha.

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability.

See “Blessed One.”

First of the four immeasurable attitudes.

A collective name for the realms of animals, anguished spirits, and denizens of the hells.

In the context of the nature of mind, luminosity refers to the subtlest level of mind, i.e., the fundamental, essential nature of all cognitive events. Though ever present within all beings, this luminosity becomes manifest only when the gross mind has ceased to function. It is said that such a dissolution is experienced by ordinary beings, naturally, at the time of death, but it can also be experientially cultivated through certain meditative practices.

Fourth of the ten nonvirtuous actions.

Fourth of the sixteen god realms of form that correspond to the four meditative concentrations, meaning “Great Brahmā.”

Name of a bodhisattva.

One of the Buddha’s principal śrāvaka disciples, he became a leader of the saṅgha after the Buddha’s passing.

One of the foremost śrāvaka disciples of the Buddha, he was renowned for his ability to expound upon the Buddha’s discourses.

One of the foremost śrāvaka disciples of the Buddha, known for his analytical reasoning.

One of the principal śrāvaka disciples of the Buddha, paired with Śāriputra. He was renowned for his miraculous powers. His family clan was descended from Mudgala, hence his name Maudgalyā­yana, “the son of Mudgala’s descendants.” Respectfully referred to as Mahā­maudgalyā­yana, “Great Maudgalyāyana.”

The Buddha’s aunt and stepmother, the first bhikṣuṇī, who later attained the state of an arhat.

Name that three hundred monks will bear when they attain buddhahood.

Along with Avalokiteśvara, he is one of the two main bodhisattvas in the realm of Sukhāvatī.

Name of a bodhisattva.

Literally “great serpents,” mahoragas are supernatural beings depicted as large, subterranean beings with human torsos and heads and the lower bodies of serpents. Their movements are said to cause earthquakes, and they make up a class of subterranean geomantic spirits whose movement through the seasons and months of the year is deemed significant for construction projects.

The bodhisattva Maitreya is an important figure in many Buddhist traditions, where he is unanimously regarded as the buddha of the future era. He is said to currently reside in the heaven of Tuṣita, as Śākyamuni’s regent, where he awaits the proper time to take his final rebirth and become the fifth buddha in the Fortunate Eon, reestablishing the Dharma in this world after the teachings of the current buddha have disappeared. Within the Mahāyāna sūtras, Maitreya is elevated to the same status as other central bodhisattvas such as Mañjuśrī and Avalokiteśvara, and his name appears frequently in sūtras, either as the Buddha’s interlocutor or as a teacher of the Dharma. Maitreya literally means “Loving One.” He is also known as Ajita, meaning “Invincible.”For more information on Maitreya, see, for example, the introduction to Maitreya’s Setting Out (Toh 198).

A meditative stability.

See “thirty-two major marks.”

Ninth of the ten nonvirtuous actions; second of the four knots.

One of the five trees of Indra’s paradise, its heavenly flowers often rain down in salutation of the buddhas and bodhisattvas and are said to be very bright and aromatic, gladdening the hearts of those who see them. In our world, it is a tree native to India, Erythrina indica or Erythrina variegata, commonly known as the Indian coral tree, mandarava tree, flame tree, and tiger’s claw. In the early spring, before its leaves grow, the tree is fully covered in large flowers, which are rich in nectar and attract many birds. Although the most widespread coral tree has red crimson flowers, the color of the blossoms is not usually mentioned in the sūtras themselves, and it may refer to some other kinds, like the rarer Erythrina indica alba, which boasts white flowers.

One of the five trees of Indra’s paradise, its heavenly flowers often rain down in salutation of the buddhas and bodhisattvas and are said to be very bright and aromatic, gladdening the hearts of those who see them. In our world, it is a tree native to India, Erythrina indica or Erythrina variegata, commonly known as the Indian coral tree, mandarava tree, flame tree, and tiger’s claw. In the early spring, before its leaves grow, the tree is fully covered in large flowers, which are rich in nectar and attract many birds. Although the most widespread coral tree has red crimson flowers, the color of the blossoms is not usually mentioned in the sūtras themselves, and it may refer to some other kinds, like the rarer Erythrina indica alba, which boasts white flowers.

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability.

Mañjuśrī is one of the “eight close sons of the Buddha” and a bodhisattva who embodies wisdom. He is a major figure in the Mahāyāna sūtras, appearing often as an interlocutor of the Buddha. In his most well-known iconographic form, he is portrayed bearing the sword of wisdom in his right hand and a volume of the Prajñā­pāramitā­sūtra in his left. To his name, Mañjuśrī, meaning “Gentle and Glorious One,” is often added the epithet Kumārabhūta, “having a youthful form.” He is also called Mañjughoṣa, Mañjusvara, and Pañcaśikha.The famous bodhisattva is said in this text to reside in the world system of Padmavatī , the buddhafield of the Buddha Samantakusuma.

See “Mañjuśrī.”

Māra, literally “death” or “maker of death,” is the name of the deva who tried to prevent the Buddha from achieving awakening, the name given to the class of beings he leads, and also an impersonal term for the destructive forces that keep beings imprisoned in saṃsāra: (1) As a deva, Māra is said to be the principal deity in the Heaven of Making Use of Others’ Emanations (paranirmitavaśavartin), the highest paradise in the desire realm. He famously attempted to prevent the Buddha’s awakening under the Bodhi tree‍—see The Play in Full (Toh 95), 21.1‍—and later sought many times to thwart the Buddha’s activity. In the sūtras, he often also creates obstacles to the progress of śrāvakas and bodhisattvas. (2) The devas ruled over by Māra are collectively called mārakāyika or mārakāyikadevatā, the “deities of Māra’s family or class.” In general, these māras too do not wish any being to escape from saṃsāra, but can also change their ways and even end up developing faith in the Buddha, as exemplified by Sārthavāha; see The Play in Full (Toh 95), 21.14 and 21.43. (3) The term māra can also be understood as personifying four defects that prevent awakening, called (i) the divine māra (devaputra­māra), which is the distraction of pleasures; (ii) the māra of Death (mṛtyumāra), which is having one’s life interrupted; (iii) the māra of the aggregates (skandhamāra), which is identifying with the five aggregates; and (iv) the māra of the afflictions (kleśamāra), which is being under the sway of the negative emotions of desire, hatred, and ignorance.

Name of a bodhisattva.

Tenth of the twelve branches of the scriptures.

Used with respect to bodhisattva great beings. While “immaturity” (āma, skyon) suggests rawness‍—something that is uncooked, unrefined, and flawed‍—here the term “maturity” implies certitude, refinement, cooking, softening, and flawlessness.This rendering of skyon med pa incorporates the creative etymology of nyāma from ni plus āma (“raw”) rather than niyāma (“certainty”).

One of the principal śrāvaka disciples of the Buddha, paired with Śāriputra. He was renowned for his miraculous powers. His family clan was descended from Mudgala, hence his name Maudgalyā­yana, “the son of Mudgala’s descendants.” Respectfully referred to as Mahā­maudgalyā­yana, “Great Maudgalyāyana.”

The Sanskrit literally means “attainment,” and is used to refer specifically to meditative attainment and to particular meditative states. The Tibetan translators interpreted it as sama-āpatti, which suggests the idea of “equal” or “level”; however, they also parsed it as sam-āpatti, in which case it would have the sense of “concentration” or “absorption,” much like samādhi, but with the added sense of “attainment.”Also rendered here as “absorption.”

Meditative concentration is defined as the one-pointed abiding in an undistracted state of mind free from afflicted mental states. Four states of meditative concentration are identified, which are identified as being conducive to birth within the realm of formour states of meditative concentration are identified as being conducive to birth within the realm of form, each of which has three phases of intensity. In the context of the Great Vehicle, meditative concentration is the fifth of the six perfections. See also “four meditative concentrations.”

In a general sense, samādhi can describe a number of different meditative states. In the Mahāyāna literature, in particular in the Prajñāpāramitā sūtras, we find extensive lists of different samādhis, numbering over one hundred.In a more restricted sense, and when understood as a mental state, samādhi is defined as the one-pointedness of the mind (cittaikāgratā), the ability to remain on the same object over long periods of time. The Drajor Bamponyipa (sgra sbyor bam po gnyis pa) commentary on the Mahāvyutpatti explains the term samādhi as referring to the instrument through which mind and mental states “get collected,” i.e., it is by the force of samādhi that the continuum of mind and mental states becomes collected on a single point of reference without getting distracted.Also included as sixth of the seven branches of enlightenment.

First of the first set of three meditative stabilities ; see 9.­41.

Third of the first set of three meditative stabilities ; see 9.­43.

Second of the first set of three meditative stabilities ; see 9.­42.

The faculty that perceives mental phenomena.

See “sign.”

In Buddhism more generally, merit refers to the wholesome karmic potential accumulated by someone as a result of positive and altruistic thoughts, words, and actions, which will ripen in the current or future lifetimes as the experience of happiness and well-being. According to the Mahāyāna, it is important to dedicate the merit of one’s wholesome actions to the awakening of oneself and to the ultimate and temporary benefit of all sentient beings. Doing so ensures that others also experience the results of the positive actions generated and that the merit is not wasted by ripening in temporary happiness for oneself alone.

Name of a bodhisattva.

According to traditional Indian cosmology, a universe comprising one thousand thousandfold world systems.

Third of the four supports for miraculous abilities.

Also included as first of the seven branches of enlightenment.

Ninth of the ten mindfulnesses.

Seventh of the ten mindfulnesses. In some texts (see Twenty-Five Thousand, n.­114) this item of the ten is replaced by the mindfulness of quiescence (vyupaśamānusmṛti, nye bar zhi ba rjes su dran pa).

Fourth of the ten mindfulnesses.

Fifth of the ten mindfulnesses.

Tenth of the ten mindfulnesses.

First of the ten mindfulnesses.

Second of the ten mindfulnesses.

Sixth of the ten mindfulnesses.

Eighth of the ten mindfulnesses.

Third of the ten mindfulnesses.

A person’s particular preceptor within the monastic tradition. They must have at least ten years of standing in the saṅgha, and their role is to confer ordination, to tend to the student, and to provide all the necessary requisites, therefore guiding that person for the taking of full vows and the maintenance of conduct and practice. This office was decreed by the Buddha so that aspirants would not have to receive ordination from the Buddha in person, and the Buddha identified two types: those who grant entry into the renunciate order and those who grant full ordination. The Tibetan translation mkhan po has also come to mean “a learned scholar,” the equivalent of a paṇḍita, but that is not the intended meaning in Indic Buddhist literature.

The term bhikṣu, often translated as “monk,” refers to the highest among the eight types of prātimokṣa vows that make one part of the Buddhist assembly. The Sanskrit term literally means “beggar” or “mendicant,” referring to the fact that Buddhist monks and nuns‍—like other ascetics of the time‍—subsisted on alms (bhikṣā) begged from the laity. In the Tibetan tradition, which follows the Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya, a monk follows 253 rules as part of his moral discipline. A nun (bhikṣuṇī; dge slong ma) follows 364 rules. A novice monk (śrāmaṇera; dge tshul) or nun (śrāmaṇerikā; dge tshul ma) follows thirty-six rules of moral discipline (although in other vinaya traditions novices typically follow only ten).

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability.

Twelfth of the twelve branches of the scriptures.

According to ancient Buddhist cosmology, this is the great mountain forming the axis of the universe. At its summit is Sudarśana, home of Śakra and his thirty-two gods, and on its flanks live the asuras. The mount has four sides facing the cardinal directions, each of which is made of a different precious stone. Surrounding it are several mountain ranges and the great ocean where the four principal island continents lie: in the south, Jambudvīpa (our world); in the west, Godānīya; in the north, Uttarakuru; and in the east, Pūrvavideha. Above it are the abodes of the desire realm gods. It is variously referred to as Meru, Mount Meru, Sumeru, and Mount Sumeru.

These comprise the five aggregates, the twelve sense fields, the eighteen sensory elements, the ten virtuous actions, the four meditative concentrations, the four immeasurable attitudes, the four formless absorptions, and the five extrasensory powers.

Born in 761, he reigned as king of Tibet from 804 to 814 or 815. A son of Tri Songdetsen and father of Tri Ralpachan, Gyalse Lharjé, and Langdarma. Also known as Senalek Jingyön (sad na legs mjing yon) and Tridé Songtsen (khri sde srong tsan).

A class of nonhuman beings who live in subterranean aquatic environments, where they guard wealth and sometimes also teachings. Nāgas are associated with serpents and have a snakelike appearance. In Buddhist art and in written accounts, they are regularly portrayed as half human and half snake, and they are also said to have the ability to change into human form. Some nāgas are Dharma protectors, but they can also bring retribution if they are disturbed. They may likewise fight one another, wage war, and destroy the lands of others by causing lightning, hail, and flooding.

Indian philosopher and commentator (fl. second century), founder of the Madhyamaka school from his writings based principally on the Prajñā­pāramitā sūtras, and traditionally said to have brought the Perfection of Wisdom in One Hundred Thousand Lines from the realm of the nāgas to the human realm.

One of Langdarma’s two sons, by his second wife (born 842?).

Fourth of the twelve links of dependent origination.

Name of a world system in the direction of the zenith, where the buddha Nandaśrī teaches the perfection of wisdom to bodhisattva great beings.

Name of a bodhisattva from a distant world system in the direction of the zenith called Nandā, who comes to this world to pay homage to the Buddha.

Name of a buddha in the direction of the zenith, residing in the world system called Nandā.

Name of a bodhisattva; in other texts his name in Tibetan is na las byin, mis byin, or mes byin.

Ninth of the twelve branches of the scriptures.

A meditative stability.

The real nature, true quality, or condition of things. Throughout Buddhist discourse this term is used in two distinct ways. In one, it designates the relative nature that is either the essential characteristic of a specific phenomenon, such as the heat of fire and the moisture of water, or the defining feature of a specific term or category. The other very important and widespread way it is used is to designate the ultimate nature of all phenomena, which cannot be conveyed in conceptual, dualistic terms and is often synonymous with emptiness or the absence of intrinsic existence.Also rendered here as “reality of phenomena.”

A Tibetan translator and influential scholar (1059–1110) who spent seventeen years studying in Kashmir in his youth and returned to Tibet to become the abbot of Sangphu Neuthok (gsang phu ne’u thog) monastery, an important study center in central Tibet.

The nine perceptions of impurity, as described in 2.­7, are as follows: (1) perception of a bloated corpse, (2) perception of a worm-infested corpse, (3) perception of a putrefied corpse, (4) perception of a bloodied corpse, (5) perception of a black-and-blue corpse, (6) perception of a chewed-up corpse, (7) perception of a dismembered corpse, (8) perception of bones, and (9) perception of an immolated corpse. For Pali and Sanskrit sources relevant to the nine perceptions of impurity, see Dayal 1932: 93–94.

The nine levels of meditative absorption that one may attain during a human life, namely the four meditative concentrations corresponding to the realm of form (caturdhyāna), the four formless meditative absorptions (caturārūpya­samāpatti), and the attainment of the state of cessation. For an explanation of the nine serial steps of meditative absorption in this text, see 8.­83. These are also summarized in Jamgon Kongtrul, The Treasury of Knowledge, Book 6, Pt. 2: pp. 428–29.

The nine states of beings comprise (1) human beings and certain gods exemplifying those who have different bodies and different perceptions (lus tha dad cing ’du shes tha dad pa dag dper na mi rnams dang lha kha cig); (2) the gods appearing in the first tier of the Brahmakāyika realms, exemplifying those who have different bodies and identical perceptions (lus tha dad pa la ’du shes gcig pa dag dper na tshangs ris kyi lha dag dang po ’byung ba); (3) the gods of the Ābhāsvara realms, exemplifying those who have identical bodies and different perceptions (lus gcig la ’du shes tha dad pa dag dper na ’od gsal ba rnams); (4) the gods of the Śubhakṛtsna realms, exemplifying those who have identical bodies and identical perceptions (lus gcig la ’du shes gcig pa dag dper na dge rgyas kyi lha rnams); (5) the sphere of infinite space (nam mkha’ mtha’ yas skye mched); (6) the sphere of infinite consciousness (rnam shes mtha’ yas skye mched); (7) the sphere of nothing-at-all (ci yang med pa’i skye mched); [(8) the sphere of neither perception nor nonperception (’du shes med ’du shes med min gyi skye mched)]; and (9) the sphere of nonperception (’du shes med pa’i skye mched). The missing one is included in Nordrang Orgyan, pp. 2034–35.

Fifth god realm of desire, meaning “Delighting in Emanation.”

In Sanskrit, the term nirvāṇa literally means “extinguishment” and the Tibetan mya ngan las ’das pa literally means “gone beyond sorrow.” As a general term, it refers to the cessation of all suffering, afflicted mental states (kleśa), and causal processes (karman) that lead to rebirth and suffering in cyclic existence, as well as to the state in which all such rebirth and suffering has permanently ceased.More specifically, three main types of nirvāṇa are identified. (1) The first type of nirvāṇa, called nirvāṇa with remainder (sopadhiśeṣanirvāṇa), is the state in which arhats or buddhas have attained awakening but are still dependent on the conditioned aggregates until their lifespan is exhausted. (2) At the end of life, given that there are no more causes for rebirth, these aggregates cease and no new aggregates arise. What occurs then is called nirvāṇa without remainder ( anupadhiśeṣanirvāṇa), which refers to the unconditioned element (dhātu) of nirvāṇa in which there is no remainder of the aggregates. (3) The Mahāyāna teachings distinguish the final nirvāṇa of buddhas from that of arhats, the nirvāṇa of arhats not being considered ultimate. The buddhas attain what is called nonabiding nirvāṇa (apratiṣṭhitanirvāṇa), which transcends the extremes of saṃsāra and nirvāṇa, i.e., existence and peace. This is the nirvāṇa that is the goal of the Mahāyāna path.

Name of a bodhisattva.

Name of a bodhisattva.

Name of a bodhisattva.

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability.

The noble eightfold path comprises (1) correct view, (2) correct thought, (3) correct speech, (4) correct action, (5) correct livelihood, (6) correct effort, (7) correct mindfulness , and (8) correct meditative stability .

The Sanskrit ārya has the general meaning of a noble person, one of a higher class or caste. In Buddhist literature, depending on the context, it often means specifically one who has gained the realization of the path and is superior for that reason. In particular, it applies to stream enterers, once-returners, non-returners, and worthy ones (arhats) and is also used as an epithet of bodhisattvas. In the five-path system, it refers to someone who has achieved at least the path of seeing (darśanamārga).

The third of the four attainments of śrāvakas, this term refers to a person who will no longer take rebirth in the desire realm (kāmadhātu), but either be reborn in the Pure Abodes (śuddhāvāsa) or reach the state of an arhat in their current lifetime. (Provisional 84000 definition. New definition forthcoming.)

See “without apprehending anything.”

The initial meditative stability mentioned before the list in chapter 6, but not mentioned in chapter 8. This meditative stability appears to be equated with “all-aspect omniscience.”

A meditative stability.

See “entity.”

A meditative stability.

See “final nirvāṇa.”

The view that there is no inherently existent self, whether dependent on or independent of the five aggregates. Also translated here as “selflessness.”

See “ten nonvirtuous actions.”

Nonvirtuous phenomena, as listed in 8.­78, include the following: the killing of living creatures, stealing, sexual misconduct, lying, slander, verbal abuse, irresponsible chatter, covetousness, malice, wrong views, anger, enmity, hypocrisy, annoyance, violence, jealousy, miserliness, pride, and perverse pride.

Second of the eighteen distinct qualities of the buddhas.

The term bhikṣuṇī, often translated as “nun,” refers to the highest among the eight types of prātimokṣa vows that make one part of the Buddhist assembly. The Sanskrit term bhikṣu (to which the female grammatical ending ṇī is added) literally means “beggar” or “mendicant,” referring to the fact that Buddhist nuns and monks‍—like other ascetics of the time‍—subsisted on alms (bhikṣā) begged from the laity. In the Tibetan tradition, which follows the Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya, a bhikṣuṇī follows 364 rules and a bhikṣu follows 253 rules as part of their moral discipline.For the first few years of the Buddha’s teachings in India, there was no ordination for women. It started at the persistent request and display of determination of Mahāprajāpatī, the Buddha’s stepmother and aunt, together with five hundred former wives of men of Kapilavastu, who had themselves become monks. Mahāprajāpatī is thus considered to be the founder of the nun’s order.

An early Tibetan translator.

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability.

The eight obsessions are confusion, sleepiness, mental excitement, doubt, jealousy, miserliness, lack of embarrassment, and not having a sense a shame.

A meditative stability.

One who has achieved the second of the four levels of attainment on the śrāvaka path and who will attain liberation after only one more birth. (Provisional 84000 definition. New definition forthcoming.)

See “child of Manu.”

A meditative stability.

Second of the four truths of the noble ones.

A meditative stability.

Name of a world system in the direction of the nadir, where the buddha Padmaśrī teaches the perfection of wisdom to bodhisattva great beings.

Name of a bodhisattva from a distant world system in the southeastern direction called Bodhi­maṇḍalālaṃkāra­surucitā, who comes to this world to pay homage to the Buddha.

Name of a buddha in the direction of the nadir, residing in the world system called Padmā.

The buddhafield of the buddha Samantakusuma.

The name of a royal court in Rājagṛha.

Name of a bodhisattva from a distant world system in the direction of the nadir called Padmā, who comes to this world to pay homage to the Buddha.

Name of a buddha in the southeastern direction, residing in the world system called Bodhi­maṇḍalālaṃkāra­surucitā.

A great translator, scholar, and teacher of the early period; one of the first seven Tibetans to become a monk.

Sixth god realm of desire, meaning “Mastery over Transformations.”

Fifth of the sixteen god realms of form that correspond to the four meditative concentrations, meaning “Little Radiance.”

Tenth of the sixteen god realms of form that correspond to the four meditative concentrations, meaning “Little Virtue.”

Literally meaning “Small Great,” the name used in this text and in the Twenty-Five Thousand for what is, in the Prajñāpāramitā literature, the fourteenth of the sixteen levels of the god realm of form that correspond to the four meditative concentrations. The Sanskrit equivalent is attested in the Sanskrit of the Hundred Thousand, while the name Anabhraka (q.v.) is used in the later Sanskrit manuscripts that correspond more closely to the eight-chapter Tengyur version of this text. In other genres, this is the tenth of twelve levels of the god realm of form that correspond to the four meditative concentrations.

Meaning “action” in its most basic sense, karma is an important concept in Buddhist philosophy as the cumulative force of previous physical, verbal, and mental acts, which determines present experience and will determine future existences.Also rendered here as “karma.”

Fourth of the four truths of the noble ones.

These are the opposite of the ten nonvirtuous actions, i.e., refraining from engaging in the ten nonvirtuous actions and (in some contexts) doing the opposite.

The name for our world system, the universe of a thousand million worlds, or trichiliocosm, in which the four-continent world is located. Each trichiliocosm is ruled by a god Brahmā; thus, in this context, he bears the title of Sahāṃpati, Lord of Sahā. The world system of Sahā, or Sahālokadhātu, is also described as the buddhafield of the Buddha Śākyamuni where he teaches the Dharma to beings. The name Sahā possibly derives from the Sanskrit √sah, “to bear, endure, or withstand.” It is often interpreted as alluding to the inhabitants of this world being able to endure the suffering they encounter. The Tibetan translation, mi mjed, follows along the same lines. It literally means “not painful,” in the sense that beings here are able to bear the suffering they experience.

Also translated here as “calm.”

Fifth of the nine perceptions of impurity.

First of the nine perceptions of impurity.

Fourth of the nine perceptions of impurity.

Sixth of the nine perceptions of impurity.

Seventh of the nine perceptions of impurity.

Third of the nine perceptions of impurity.

Second of the nine perceptions of impurity.

Ninth of the nine perceptions of impurity.

Eighth of the nine perceptions of impurity.

Fifth of the six perceptions.

Second of the four misconceptions.

First of the six perceptions in chapter 2, and first of another list in chapter 58.

Third of the six perceptions in chapter 2, and third of another list in chapter 58.

First of the four misconceptions.

Fourth of the four misconceptions.

Third of the four misconceptions; the mistaken notion of a self existing independent of the five aggregates.

Second of the six perceptions in chapter 2, and second of another list in chapter 58.

Fourth of the six perceptions in chapter 2, and fourth of another list in chapter 58.

Sixth of the six perceptions.

The mental processes of recognizing and identifying the objects of the five senses and the mind. Third of the five aggregates.

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability.

Second of the six perfections.

First of the six perfections.

Fifth of the six perfections. See also “meditative concentration.”

Fourth of the six perfections.

Third of the six perfections.

The sixth of the six perfections, it refers to the profound understanding of the emptiness of all phenomena, the realization of ultimate reality. It is often personified as a female deity, worshiped as the “Mother of All Buddhas” (sarva­jina­mātā).

See “six perfections.”

The attainment of a buddha, who has gained total freedom from conditioned existence, overcome all tendencies imprinted on the mind as a result of a long association with afflicted mental states, and fully manifested all aspects of a buddha’s body, speech, and mind.

A meditative stability.

Third of the seven branches of enlightenment and fourth of the six perfections.

Second of the four supports for miraculous abilities.

A temple near Yangleshö in Pharping, Nepal, sacred to Vajrayoginī.

First of the five aggregates. Physical forms include the subtle and coarse forms derived from the primary material elements.

Fifth of the seven branches of enlightenment.

A meditative stability.

First of the five powers.

Fourth of the five powers.

Third of the five powers.

Second of the five powers.

Fifth of the five powers.

May refer either to the “five powers” (in lists after the five faculties) or the “ten powers of the tathāgatas.”

See “ten powers of the tathāgatas.”

Name of a god.

See “perfection of wisdom.”

King of Kośala and disciple-patron of the Buddha.

Literally, “buddha for oneself” or “solitary realizer.” Someone who, in his or her last life, attains awakening entirely through their own contemplation, without relying on a teacher. Unlike the awakening of a fully realized buddha (samyaksambuddha), the accomplishment of a pratyeka­buddha is not regarded as final or ultimate. They attain realization of the nature of dependent origination, the selflessness of the person, and a partial realization of the selflessness of phenomena, by observing the suchness of all that arises through interdependence. This is the result of progress in previous lives but, unlike a buddha, they do not have the necessary merit, compassion or motivation to teach others. They are named as “rhinoceros-like” (khaḍgaviṣāṇakalpa) for their preference for staying in solitude or as “congregators” (vargacārin) when their preference is to stay among peers.

A meditative stability.

Fourth of the five fetters associated with the superior.

The mundane process of rebirth within saṃsāra, impelled by the propensities of past actions. See also The Precious Discourse on the Blessed One’s Extensive Wisdom That Leads to Infinite Certainty (Toh 99), 3.­162, and n.­106.

See “prophetic declaration.”

In the evolution of bodhisattvas, the formal prophecy or prophetic declaration made by a buddha that they will attain awakening at a specified future time is a key event frequently described in the sūtras and other narrative accounts. It is also the third of the twelve branches of the scriptures.

A meditative stability.

This term denotes the two provisions of merit and wisdom that are gathered by bodhisattvas on the path to complete buddhahood. The fulfilment of the provision of merit (puṇyasambhāra, bsod nams kyi tshogs) and the provision of wisdom (jñānasambhāra, ye shes kyi tshogs) constitutes the fruition of the entire path according to the Great Vehicle, resulting in the maturation of the buddha body of form (rūpakāya)and the buddha body of reality (dharmakāya), respectively.

Literally meaning “Increasing Merit,” the more usual name for what is, in the Prajñāpāramitā literature, the fifteenth of the sixteen levels of the god realm of form that correspond to the four meditative concentrations, and in this text and in the Hundred Thousand is instead rendered Apramāṇabṛhat (q.v.). Puṇyaprasava is used in the later Sanskrit manuscripts that correspond more closely to the eight-chapter Tengyur version of this text. In other genres, it is the eleventh of twelve levels corresponding to the four meditative concentrations.

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability.

See “Pūrṇa Maitrāyaṇīputra.”

Name of an elder and senior disciple of the Buddha Śākyamuni, a brahmin from Kapilavastu who went forth and became an arhat under the guidance of his uncle Kauṇḍinya. He was declared by the Buddha to be “foremost in teaching the doctrine.” He is one of the interlocutors in this text. This Pūrṇa (as he was also known for short) is identified by the name of his mother, Maitrāyaṇī, and should be thus distinguished from several other disciples also named Pūrṇa.

A meditative stability.

Name of an eon.

The ancient capital of Magadha prior to its relocation to Pāṭaliputra during the Mauryan dynasty, Rājagṛha is one of the most important locations in Buddhist history. The literature tells us that the Buddha and his saṅgha spent a considerable amount of time in residence in and around Rājagṛha‍—in nearby places, such as the Vulture Peak Mountain (Gṛdhrakūṭaparvata), a major site of the Mahāyāna sūtras, and the Bamboo Grove (Veṇuvana)‍—enjoying the patronage of King Bimbisāra and then of his son King Ajātaśatru. Rājagṛha is also remembered as the location where the first Buddhist monastic council was held after the Buddha Śākyamuni passed into parinirvāṇa. Now known as Rajgir and located in the modern Indian state of Bihar.

Name of a bodhisattva.

Name of a bodhisattva.

Name of a buddha in the eastern direction, residing in the world system called Ratnavatī.

Name of a bodhisattva.

Name of a bodhisattva.

Name of a buddha in the western direction, residing in the world system called Upaśāntā.

Name of a world system in the eastern direction, where the buddha Ratnākara teaches the perfection of wisdom to bodhisattva great beings.

Name of a bodhisattva from a distant world system in the northwestern direction called Vaśībhūtā, who comes to this world to pay homage to the Buddha.

Literally, “thusness” or “suchness.” The ultimate nature of things, or the way things are beyond all concepts and duality, as opposed to the way they appear to unawakened beings.

The real nature, true quality, or condition of things. Throughout Buddhist discourse this term is used in two distinct ways. In one, it designates the relative nature that is either the essential characteristic of a specific phenomenon, such as the heat of fire and the moisture of water, or the defining feature of a specific term or category. The other very important and widespread way it is used is to designate the ultimate nature of all phenomena, which cannot be conveyed in conceptual, dualistic terms and is often synonymous with emptiness or the absence of intrinsic existence.Also rendered here as “nature of reality.”

In Buddhist cosmology, this is our own realm, the lowest and most coarse of the three realms of saṃsāra. It is called this because beings here are characterized by their strong longing for and attachment to the pleasures of the senses. The desire realm includes hell beings, hungry ghosts, animals, humans, asuras, and the lowest six heavens of the gods‍—from the Heaven of the Four Great Kings (cāturmahā­rājika) up to the Heaven of Making Use of Others’ Emanations (para­nirmita­vaśa­vartin). Located above the desire realm is the form realm (rūpadhātu) and the formless realm (ārūpyadhātu).

One of the three realms of saṃsāra in Buddhist cosmology, it is characterized by subtle materiality. Here beings, though subtly embodied, are not driven primarily by the urge for sense gratification. It consists of seventeen heavens structured according to the four concentrations of the form realm (rūpāvacaradhyāna), the highest five of which are collectively called “pure abodes” (śuddhāvāsa). The form realm is located above the desire realm (kāmadhātu) and below the formless realm (ārūpya­dhātu).

The highest and subtlest of the three realms of saṃsāra in Buddhist cosmology. Here beings are no longer bound by materiality and enjoy a purely mental state of absorption. It is divided in four levels according to each of the four formless concentrations (ārūpyāvacaradhyāna), namely, the Sphere of Infinite Space (ākāśānantyāyatana), the Sphere of Infinite Consciousness (vijñānānantyāyatana), the Sphere of Nothingness (a­kiñ­canyāyatana), and the Sphere of Neither Perception nor Non-perception (naiva­saṃjñā­nāsaṃjñāyatana). The formless realm is located above the other two realms of saṃsāra, the form realm (rūpadhātu) and the desire realm (kāmadhātu).

Interpreted variously‍—given the many connotations of both dharma and dhātu‍—as the realm, element, or nature of phenomena, reality, or truth. Also used as a synonym for other terms designating the ultimate. In Tibetan, instances of the Sanskrit dharmadhātu with this range of meanings (rendered chos kyi dbyings) are distinguished from instances of the same Sanskrit term with its rather different meaning related to mental perception in the context of the twelve sense fields and eighteen elements (rendered chos kyi khams).

See also n.­570.

A synonym of ultimate reality.

Tenth of the twelve links of dependent origination; third of the four torrents.

Eighth of the ten powers of the tathāgatas.

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability.

First of the four supports for miraculous abilities.

A great Sakya scholar (1367–1449), very influential for the tradition of Perfection of Wisdom studies in Tibet.

A place and monastery at the border of Ü and Tsang, between Tsurphu and Nyemo, figuring in the history of the early Sakya masters.

The lord of the gods in the Heaven of the Thirty-Three (trāyastriṃśa). Alternatively known as Indra, the deity that is called “lord of the gods” dwells on the summit of Mount Sumeru and wields the thunderbolt. The Tibetan translation brgya byin (meaning “one hundred sacrifices”) is based on an etymology that śakra is an abbreviation of śata-kratu, one who has performed a hundred sacrifices. Each world with a central Sumeru has a Śakra. Also known by other names such as Kauśika, Devendra, and Śacipati.

Name of the ancient tribe in which the Buddha was born as a prince; their kingdom was based to the east of Kośala, in the foothills near the present-day border of India and Nepal, with Kapilavastu as its capital.

An epithet for the historical Buddha, Siddhārtha Gautama: he was a muni (“sage”) from the Śākya clan. He is counted as the fourth of the first four buddhas of the present Good Eon, the other three being Krakucchanda, Kanakamuni, and Kāśyapa. He will be followed by Maitreya, the next buddha in this eon.

Name of a buddha in the northeastern intermediate direction, residing in the world system called Samādhyalaṅkṛta.

Name of a world system in the northeastern direction, where the buddha Samādhi­hastyuttara­śrī teaches the perfection of wisdom to bodhisattva great beings.

Name of a buddha.

Name of a bodhisattva from a distant world system in the eastern direction called Ratnavatī, who comes to this world to pay homage to the Buddha.

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability.

A state of involuntary existence conditioned by afflicted mental states and the imprint of past actions, characterized by suffering in a cycle of life, death, and rebirth. On its reversal, the contrasting state of nirvāṇa is attained, free from suffering and the processes of rebirth.

Name of the god presiding over the Tuṣita realm.

Though often specifically reserved for the monastic community, this term can be applied to any of the four Buddhist communities‍—monks, nuns, laymen, and laywomen‍—as well as to identify the different groups of practitioners, like the community of bodhisattvas or the community of śrāvakas. It is also the third of the Three Jewels (triratna) of Buddhism: the Buddha, the Teaching, and the Community.

One of the principal śrāvaka disciples of the Buddha, he was renowned for his discipline and for having been praised by the Buddha as foremost of the wise (often paired with Maudgalyā­yana, who was praised as foremost in the capacity for miraculous powers). His father, Tiṣya, to honor Śāriputra’s mother, Śārikā, named him Śāradvatīputra, or, in its contracted form, Śāriputra, meaning “Śārikā’s Son.”

See “Śāradvatīputra.”

Name of a world system in the southern direction, where the buddha Aśokaśrī teaches the perfection of wisdom to bodhisattva great beings.

Second of the twelve branches of the scriptures.

Fourth of the four supports for miraculous abilities.

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability. The Sanskrit from Dutt would suggest, rather, “Dhāraṇī seal,” as in the Ten Thousand (gzungs kyi phyag rgya).

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability.

The place where the Buddha Śākyamuni achieved awakening and where every buddha will manifest the attainment of buddhahood. In our world this is understood to be located under the Bodhi tree, the Vajrāsana, in present-day Bodhgaya, India. It can also refer to the state of awakening itself.

A meditative stability.

Selflessness denotes the lack of inherent existence in persons and also, more subtly, in all physical and mental phenomena. Also translated here as “nonself.””

Seventh of the twelve links of dependent origination. Also translated here as “feelings.”

The subjective and objective poles of sense perception. The fifth of the twelve links of dependent origination. These can be listed as twelve or as six sense sources (sometimes also called sense fields, bases of cognition, or simply āyatanas).In the context of epistemology, it is one way of describing experience and the world in terms of twelve sense sources, which can be divided into inner and outer sense sources, namely: (1–2) eye and form, (3–4) ear and sound, (5–6) nose and odor, (7–8) tongue and taste, (9–10) body and touch, (11–12) mind and mental phenomena.In the context of the twelve links of dependent origination, only six sense sources are mentioned, and they are the inner sense sources (identical to the six faculties) of eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind.

Third of the three fetters; also fourth of the five fetters associated with the inferior.

Sixth of the twelve links of dependent origination.

In the context of Buddhist philosophy, one way to describe experience in terms of eighteen elements (eye, form, and eye consciousness; ear, sound, and ear consciousness; nose, smell, and nose consciousness; tongue, taste, and tongue consciousness; body, touch, and body consciousness; and mind, mental phenomena, and mind consciousness).This also refers to the elements of the world, which can be enumerated as four, five, or six. The four elements are earth, water, fire, and air. A fifth, space, is often added, and the sixth is consciousness.See “eighteen sensory elements.”

Sixth of the eighteen sensory elements.

Twelfth of the eighteen sensory elements.

Eighteenth of the eighteen sensory elements.

Seventeenth of the eighteen sensory elements.

Eighth of the eighteen sensory elements.

Ninth of the eighteen sensory elements.

Second of the eighteen sensory elements.

Fifth of the eighteen sensory elements.

Fifteenth of the eighteen sensory elements.

Fourteenth of the eighteen sensory elements.

Eleventh of the eighteen sensory elements.

Thirteenth of the eighteen sensory elements.

Fourth of the eighteen sensory elements.

First of the eighteen sensory elements.

Sixteenth of the eighteen sensory elements.

Seventh of the eighteen sensory elements.

Tenth of the eighteen sensory elements.

Third of the eighteen sensory elements.

See “nine serial steps of meditative absorption.”

The setting of the mind on enlightenment for the sake of all beings, which marks the onset of the bodhisattva path and culminates in the actual attainment of buddhahood, distinguishes the bodhisattva path from that of the śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas, who are both focused on their own emancipation from saṃsāra.

These are (1) the branch of enlightenment that is correct mindfulness, (2) the branch of enlightenment that is correct analysis of phenomena, (3) the branch of enlightenment that is correct perseverance, (4) the branch of enlightenment that is correct delight, (5) the branch of enlightenment that is correct pliability, (6) the branch of enlightenment that is correct meditative stability, and (7) the branch of enlightenment that is correct equanimity.

As found in Ghoṣa, p. 138; Bṭ1, p. 758; and Bṭ3, 4.­259, they are the emptinesses of seven separate groups‍—aggregates, sensory elements, sense fields, truths of the noble ones, dependent origination, all conditioned phenomena, and all unconditioned dharmas. (Alternatively, the last two are all phenomena, and then all conditioned and unconditioned phenomena; Toh 3808 renders these “all compounded phenomena, and all uncompounded dharmas.”) Zacchetti, 21r3, says “ten emptinesses,” but a flaw in the material of the MS may have distracted the scribe at this point.

The set of seven precious materials or substances includes a range of precious metals and gems, but their exact list varies. The set often consists of gold, silver, beryl, crystal, red pearls, emeralds, and white coral, but may also contain lapis lazuli, ruby, sapphire, chrysoberyl, diamonds, etc. The term is frequently used in the sūtras to exemplify preciousness, wealth, and beauty, and can describe treasures, offering materials, or the features of architectural structures such as stūpas, palaces, thrones, etc. The set is also used to describe the beauty and prosperity of buddha realms and the realms of the gods.In other contexts, the term saptaratna can also refer to the seven precious possessions of a cakravartin or to a set of seven precious moral qualities.

These are enumerated in the Śata­sāhasrikā­prajñā­pāramitā­bṛhaṭṭīkā, Toh 3807 (Degé Tengyur vol. 91, F.40.b), as (1) faith (dad pa), (2) ethical discipline (tshul khrims), (3) study (thos pa), (4) liberality (gtong ba), (5) wisdom (shes rab), (6) conscience (hrī, ngo tsha shes pa), and (7) shame (apatrāpya, khrel yod).

Third of the ten nonvirtuous actions.

A meditative stability.

A sign or feature of an object which serves as the basis for its being generically named and thus conceptually categorized. A sign is usually imagined rather than being a real attribute of the object, and perception that operates by identifying distinguishing signs is therefore what defines coarse conceptuality. In some contexts nimitta can be translated as “mental image.”

The ultimate absence of marks and signs in perceived objects. One of the three gateways to liberation; the other two are emptiness and wishlessness.

Second of the three gateways to liberation.

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability.

See “extrasensory powers.”

The six inner sense fields comprise (1) the sense field of the eyes, (2) the sense field of the ears, (3) the sense field of the nose, (4) the sense field of the tongue, (5) the sense field of the body, and (6) the sense field of the mental faculty. These are included in the twelve sense fields.

The six mindfulnesses are (1) mindfulness of the Buddha, (2) mindfulness of the Dharma, (3) mindfulness of the Saṅgha, (4) mindfulness of ethical discipline, (5) mindfulness of giving away, and (6) mindfulness of the gods. See also “ten mindfulnesses.”

The five long sūtras‍—in One Hundred Thousand, Twenty-Five Thousand (Toh 9), Eighteen Thousand (Toh 10), Ten Thousand (Toh 11), and Eight Thousand (Toh 12) lines‍—plus the Verse Summary (Toh 13), so called because they are all complete, as defined by each including all eight topics of the Abhisamayālaṃkāra.

The six outer sense fields comprise (1) the sense field of sights, (2) the sense field of sounds, (3) the sense field of odors, (4) the sense field of tastes, (5) the sense field of touch, and (6) the sense field of mental phenomena. These are included in the twelve sense fields.

The practice of the six perfections, comprising generosity, ethical discipline, tolerance, perseverance, meditative concentration, and wisdom, is the foundation of the entire bodhisattva path. These six are known as “perfections” when they are motivated by an altruistic intention to attain full enlightenment for the sake of all beings.

The Long Explanation (Toh 3808, 4.­59) says these “are in the One Hundred Thousand” and lists them as “kindly physical action, kindly verbal action, kindly mental action, and a balanced morality, balanced view, and balanced livelihood.”

Fifth of the twelve links of dependent origination. See also “sense field.”

The sixty-two false views, as enumerated in the Brahma­jāla­sūtra (tshangs pa’i dra ba’i mdo, Toh 352), comprise eighteen speculations concerning the past, based on theories of eternalism, partial eternalism, extensionism, endless equivocation, and fortuitous origination, as well as forty-four speculations concerning the future, based on percipient immortality, non-percipient immortality, neither percipient nor non-percipient immortality, annihilationism, and the immediate attainment of nirvāṇa in the present life.

The concept of skillful or expedient means is central to the understanding of the Buddha’s enlightened deeds and the many scriptures that are revealed contingent on the needs, interests, and mental dispositions of specific types of individuals. It is, therefore, equated with compassion and the form body of the buddhas, the rūpakāya. According to the Great Vehicle, training in skillful means collectively denotes the first five of the six perfections when integrated with wisdom, the sixth perfection. It is therefore paired with wisdom (prajñā), forming the two indispensable aspects of the path. It is also the seventh of the ten perfections. (Provisional 84000 definition. New definition forthcoming.)

Fifth of the ten nonvirtuous actions. “Slander” means intentionally separating friends by speaking behind their back.

A universe comprising one thousand world systems each with its four continents etc., according to traditional Indian cosmology. The Tibetan term byur bu that forms part of the term used in this text, and also means “brimful,” may be a rendering of Skt. cūlakabaddha with the sense of this first-order world system being “bound,” i.e., relatively compact or limited when compared to the second- and third-order universes.

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability.

The second formless meditative absorption and its resultant formless realm of existence.

The first formless meditative absorption and its resultant formless realm of existence.

The fourth formless meditative absorption and its resultant formless realm of existence.

The third formless meditative absorption and its resultant formless realm of existence.

Literally, the class, caste or lineage. In this context, it is the basic disposition or propensity of an individual that determines which kind of vehicle (śrāvaka, pratyekabuddha, or bodhisattva) they will follow and therefore which kind of awakening they will obtain.

A spiritual teacher who can contribute to an individual’s progress on the spiritual path to enlightenment and act wholeheartedly for the welfare of students.

The Sanskrit term śrāvaka, and the Tibetan nyan thos, both derived from the verb “to hear,” are usually defined as “those who hear the teaching from the Buddha and make it heard to others.” Primarily this refers to those disciples of the Buddha who aspire to attain the state of an arhat seeking their own liberation and nirvāṇa. They are the practitioners of the first turning of the wheel of the Dharma on the four noble truths, who realize the suffering inherent in saṃsāra and focus on understanding that there is no independent self. By conquering afflicted mental states (kleśa), they liberate themselves, attaining first the stage of stream enterers at the path of seeing, followed by the stage of once-returners who will be reborn only one more time, and then the stage of non-returners who will no longer be reborn into the desire realm. The final goal is to become an arhat. These four stages are also known as the “four results of spiritual practice.”

A mendicant whose encounter with the Buddha and acceptance of him as the tathāgata features in the Prajñāpāramitā sūtras as evidence that the Buddha’s omniscience is not something to be understood through signs or characteristics. Also known as Śreṇika Vatsagotra. The three different renderings of his name in Tibetan‍—sde can, phreng ba can, and bzo sbyangs (which may correspond to Skt. Seniṣka, Prakniṣka, and Śaniṣka)‍—are taken as markers for three different Tibetan translations of the Aṣṭa­sāhasrikā­prajñā­pāramitā, as mentioned in the catalog of the Phukdrak (phug brag) Kangyur and the Thamphü (tham phud) of the Fifth Dalai Lama, Ngawang Lozang Gyatso.

Literally “the favorite of the glorious one,” or (as translated into Tibetan) “the calf of the glorious one.” This is an auspicious mark that in Indian Buddhism was said to be formed from a curl of hair on the breast and was depicted in a shape that resembles the fleur-de-lis. In Tibet it is usually represented as an eternal knot. It is also one of the principal attributes of Viṣṇu. Together with the svastika and nandyāvarta, it forms the eightieth minor sign or mark of a buddha and other great beings (mahāpuruṣa).

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability.

Fifth of the twelve branches of the scriptures. See also n.­155.

See “ten stations of complete suffusion.”

See “eight stations of mastery.”