Notes

n.1Sullivan 1999, pp. 1–13, 27–56.

n.2This issue is discussed in greater detail in n.­12.

n.3For more bibliographical information on this text, see The Korean Buddhist Canon: A Descriptive Catalogue, K 22(49).

n.4For more information on this text, see The Korean Buddhist Canon: A Descriptive Catalogue, K 55.

n.5Denkarma, folio 296.b.4. See also Herrmann-Pfandt 2008, pp. 40–41, number 72. Phangthangma 2003, p. 12.

n.6Toh 4146, folio 242.b. The sūtra’s title does not appear in the corresponding list in the Chinese version (Taishō 2030), which differs in a number of other details. For studies and translations of the Nandi­mitrāvadāna focusing on its Chinese version, see Lévi and Chavannes 1916, and also Shih 2002.

n.7Toh 3933, folio 129.a.

n.8Toh 3961, folios 187.a–188.a.

n.9Tib. thub pa’i dgongs gsal. See translation by David Jackson in Roesler, Holmes, and Jackson 2015, p. 419ff.

n.10D bakku la; S, Y, K, N ba ku la. Both orthographical variants occur in canonical texts.

n.11D, S zhugs kyi ’od zer. It is also possible that this is a corrupted form of the term zhugs kyi ’obs (Skt. agnikhadā). If we adopt this amended reading the line translates “casting light like a fire pit.”

n.12D, S dri nag ma’i bu drang srong. The Sanskrit rendering of the name Kṛṣṇagandhavatīputra (lit. “Son of a Pleasant-Smelling, Dark-Complexioned Woman”) is a back-translation from the Tibetan dri nag ma’i bu. It is clear that the Vyāsa who acts as interlocutor in this sūtra is not Vedavyāsa, the ancient seer who is famous for compiling and organizing the Vedas and teaching the Mahābhārata. However, the name of this Vyāsa’s mother does preserve a possible allusion to the story of Vedavyāsa’s mother Satyavatī in the Mahābhārata, where she is born from the belly of a fish, lives the early years of her life in a fishing village, and is thus referred to as “smelling like a fish,” or matsyagandhā. Later, through her demonstration of virtue, she is granted a boon of always emitting a pleasant fragrance and given the epithets Gandhavatī (lit. “Having a Pleasant Fragrance”) and Yojanāgandhā (lit. “She Whose Sweet Fragrance Reaches One League Away”).

n.13N, H me lha. The alternate reading preserved here by the Narthang and Lhasa Kangyurs translates as “Agni” or “Fire God.”

n.14ri dags mo may refer more generally to a wild female hooved or game animal; alternatively, this could be translated as “Son of a [Woman Named] Doe.”

n.15Here, sgra byed is likely a name or epithet of the ascetic’s parent, but it cannot be reconstructed with certainty in Sanskrit; alternatively, it could be translated as “sound maker” (i.e., “musician,” rol mo’i sgra byed pa). One of the six non-Buddhist (tīrthika) teachers who were criticized by the Buddha, and who were bested by him in the performance of miracles at Śrāvastī, was named Sañjaya Vairāṭīputra (sgra byed kyi bu mo yang dag rgyal ba can, according to the Mahāvyutpatti). Vairāṭī may be a patronymic from Virāṭa, king of the Matsyas in the Mahābhārata.

n.16Alternatively, phur bu rna could be translated as “Dagger Nose.”

n.17The names listed here do not correspond with lists of named ascetics associated with Vyāsa in the Mahābhārata, where his five chief pupils are Sumantu, Jaimini, Paila, his own son Śuka, and Vaiśaṃpāyana (Sullivan 1999, p. 7). Whereas the Tibetan lists nine names, Taishō 310(49) apparently lists eight names, of which the latter six appear to be transliterations: 不白 (“Not White”), 天人 (“Celestial Person”), shan bo ye na 苫波野那, dan tu ye na 丹荼野那, jia mo ye na 迦摩野那, mi qia/qu na si 迷佉那斯, yi wei 疑味, du luo 度羅. Tentatively reconstructed, Taishō 354 has Asi the Young Seer 阿斯仙童子, na luo ti 那羅提 (Nara-?), suo pei ruo bo ye na 娑裴 若波耶那, na tu yan na 那荼延那, jia mo yan na 迦摩延那, shang zhi luo 商枳囉, suo bing ke 娑鞞軻, na suo 那娑, tu luo tuo 徒囉陀.

n.18D gzugs ni shin tu ’bar bas na; S, N gzugs ni shin tu ’bar ba ste; K gzugs ni shin tu ’bar ba na.

n.19“Autumn sun” (ston gyi nyi ma) is one of the epithets of the Buddha in the Buddha­nāma­sahasrapañca­śatacatur­tripañcadaśa (Toh 262), folio 84.a.

n.20Cf. the Mahāvyutpatti, utkuṭukāsana.

n.21This translation follows the reading in the Stok Palace Kangyur (chu’i nang du ’dug pa). The reading in the Degé Kangyur (chu’i nang du ’jug pa) translates as “who plunge into water.”

n.22D gus pa skyes te. The phrase “toward the Buddha and his monks” is added to the English translation here for the sake of clarity.

n.23S, N zhi ba/ mkhas pa; D zhib pa mkhas pa.

n.24D, S nus can bu’i bstan bcos; N nus pa can bu’i bstan bcos. Cf. Taishō 354 po luo men fa 婆羅門法 (“the Brahmanical way”); Taishō 310(49) she jie luo jiao 賒羯羅教 (“the cakra(?) teachings”). The Tibetan suggests a back-translation into Sanskrit of *samarthika­śāstra. The correct Sanskrit reading may in fact be *smārtikaśāstra, which is supported by the Chinese translation in Taishō 354. This term refers to the treatises of those who uphold the traditional Brahmanical codes of conduct recorded in the smṛti literature. This tradition is referred to with the Sanskrit term smārta, a patronymic of the term smṛti.

n.25Note that the opening words ’byung ba dang (“[at] the arising”) seem incorrect, and we have not translated them.

n.26D, S yongs su ’dzin par ’gyur ba gang lags. The term “gifts” is provided in the English translation for the sake of clarity.

n.27D, S sems dang po bskyed pa’i gtam khyod kyis dris pa ’di ni rtsing ngo. This translation of the Tibetan term rtsing ba remains tentative. It can correspond to the Sanskrit audārya, which means “generosity” or “magnanimity,” which fits well in this context. However, rtsing ba usually connotes something “coarse,” “clumsy,” or “rude,” so this is an unusual reading of this term. The more common reading of the term would suggest that Vyāsa’s questions are being called “coarse” or “unrefined,” which might also make sense given Śāriputra’s comments about Vyāsa that follow.

n.28D, S yul gzhan du song nas byed du bcug pa. The term “others” is supplied in the English translation for the sake of clarity.

n.29Note that these thirty-two kinds of impure generosity are summarized from this sūtra in Clarifying the Sage’s Intent by Sakya Paṇḍita, who cites this sūtra as his source. See Roesler, Holmes, and Jackson 2015, p. 419f.

n.30D gang brjod pa dang / sgra dang / tshigs su bcad pa’i phyir sbyin pa sbyin pa dang; S gang brjod pa dang / sgra dang / tshigs su bcad pa’i phyir sbyin pa byin pa dang. The text omits the specific recipient of the gift, but given the parallel structure between this section and the line that immediately follows it, we might assume that the intended recipient is someone who recites and/or composes texts.

n.31D, S phyid pa dang. The translation of this term is tentative.

n.32See Aṅguttara Nikāya III 41 for partial overlap; see also Majjhima Nikāya 142 for different breakdowns.

n.33D, S ’bras bu chen po yin no; Y, K sbyin pa chen po yin no. This translation follows the reading in the Yongle and Kangxi Kangyurs. The alternate reading in the Degé and Stok Palace Kangyurs translates as “there will be a great result.”

n.34Tib. de bas na len pas sbyin pa shes par byed do. Translation tentative.

n.35D, S rnyi rnyi po ma yin pa. The translation of this term is tentative.

n.36In this context, this is likely a reference to the formless realms. See the entry for aniñjya in Edgerton.

n.37D, S sna sgyur gnyis. The relatively obscure phrase translates literally as “the two led by the nose.”

n.38D, S ’jing chu; Y, K mjing chu. This translation remains tentative. This obscure Tibetan term translates literally as “the fluid of the neck” but is taken here as a reference to the major arteries of the neck and, by extension, the major arteries in a more general sense.

n.39Note that the Buddha actually answers a different question, the seer’s original question.

n.40D, S rma; Y, K pad ma. This translation follows the reading in the Yongle and Kangxi Kangyurs. The reading in the Degé and Stok Palace Kangyurs is obscure but may be interpreted as a shortened form of the term rma bya, which would indicate that these flowers resemble the feathers of a peacock.

n.41D, S bil ba. The fruit of the wood apple tree (Aegle marmelos).

n.42Tib. pu shu (Skt. harmya/harmikā).

n.43Note that Tib. rgyags dregs is rgyags pas dregs pa in Negi. In Monier-Williams, madamatta or mada means “sexual desire/passion,” and matta, “excited/drunk.”

n.44D zas kham gyi za ba can; N, Y, K, H zas kham gyi zas can.

n.45Here it is better to correct rnams ni to rnams na.

n.46D rmad par gyur; S, H rmod par gyur.

n.47Tib. sems pas kun du khyab pa’i lus. Translation tentative. Alternatively, sems pas might be read with the verb in this sentence (rig pa), rendered “realizes,” in which case kun du khyab pa’i lus would be rendered “all-pervading body,” which makes little sense in this context.

n.48D, S ’tshor ba skye bar mi ’gyur. The term “feeling” (Tib. ’tshor ba, Skt. vedanā) likely refers in this case specifically to a “painful feeling.”

n.49S, Y, J, K, N, C, H bsten pa; D bstan pa.

n.50D, S rnam par mnyam ’phrul. The translation of this term remains tentative.

n.51Tib. kha dog gcig tu ’dra bar kha dog rgyas pa mchog dang ldan pa gcig pa. Translation tentative.

n.52This list of the “twelve classifications of the teachings” (Tib. gsung rab yan lag bcu gnyis; Skt. dvādaśa­dharma­pravacana) differs somewhat from the list we find in the Mahāvyutpatti. The standard classification of “stories or narratives” (Tib. rtogs par brjod pa’i sde; Skt. avadāna) is omitted, and the final category of “discourses” (Tib. gtan la dbabs pa; Skt. upadeśa) is rendered in Tibetan as lung gi phyogs and divided into the two classifications of vinaya and sūtra, for a total of twelve classifications of teachings.

n.53D, S cod pan chags shing ’byor pas mdzes par byas pa yod do. The translation of this line remains tentative, and the subject “beings” has been provided in the English translation of this line for the sake of clarity.

n.54Tib. dbang po’i brda sprod pa ’dod. Translation tentative. Most literally, the Tib. dbang po’i brda sprod pa refers to the ancient Aindra school of Sanskrit grammar, possibly the oldest and traditionally associated with Indra himself.

n.55D, S ’dun par ’gyur ba. This is an obscure use of this term, and this translation remains tentative.

n.56D ri rab la yod pa’i gzhal med khang dang / shing gel pa dang ’khri shing gi bla res khebs par byas pa las byung ba’i ’dod pa skyes pas byung ba. It is unclear which particular episode in Śacī’s mythology is referred to here, but it may be the story of Nahuṣa, who in the Udyoga-parvan of the Hindu epic the Mahābhārata is said to have won Indra’s throne, ruling from Mānasa Lake at the base of Sumeru, but then lost it due to an offense he committed against Indra’s wife Indrāṇī or Śacī.

n.57D rnyis; S brnyings; Y, K, N, H rnyings. The term in this passage translated as “wilt” or “wear out” is consistently rendered in the Degé Kangyur as rnyis, and the other Kangyurs consulted for this passage render this verb in various ways.

n.58The word “finally” is added to the English translation to clarify that this is the fifth and final sign in this list of five signs that a god of the Heaven of the Thirty-Three has reached the end of his lifespan.

n.59D, S mig stong pa. This is a common epithet for the god Indra.

n.60D, S skye bo thams cad dga’ dang; N, H skye bo thams cad dang. This translation follows the reading preserved in the Narthang and Lhasa Kangyurs.