༄༅། །་བན་གགས་པ་་ས་་ག་་ང་་འན།

The Absorption of the Thus-Gone One’s

Wisdom Seal

Tathāgatajñānamudrāsamādhi
 འཕགས་པ་་བན་གགས་པ་་ས་་ག་་ང་་འན་ས་་བ་ག་པ་ན་ ་མ།
’phags pa de bzhin gshegs pa’i ye shes kyi phyag rgya’i ting nge ’dzin ces bya ba theg pa chen
po’i mdo

The Noble Great Vehicle Sūtra “The Absorption of the Thus-Gone One’s Wisdom
Seal”

Āryatathāgatajñānamudrāsamādhināmamahāyānasūtra

· Toh 131 ·
Degé Kangyur, vol. 55 (mdo sde, da), folios 230.b–253.b

ᴛʀᴀɴsʟᴀᴛᴇᴅ ɪɴᴛᴏ ᴛɪʙᴇᴛᴀɴ ʙʏ

· Jinamitra · Munivarman · Dānaśīla · Yeshé Dé ·
 Translated by the Dharmachakra Translation Committee
under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.

First published 2020

Current version v 1.5.27 (2024)

Generated by 84000 Reading Room v2.26.1

84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha is a global non-profit initiative to translate all the
Buddha’s words into modern languages, and to make them available to everyone.

This work is provided under the protection of a Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND (Attribution - Non-
commercial - No-derivatives) 3.0 copyright. It may be copied or printed for fair use, but only with full
attribution, and not for commercial advantage or personal compensation. For full details, see the Creative
Commons license.
This print version was generated at 8.51pm on Thursday, 28th November 2024 from the online
version of the text available on that date. If some time has elapsed since then, this version may
have been superseded, as most of 84000’s published translations undergo significant updates
from time to time. For the latest online version, with bilingual display, interactive glossary
entries and notes, and a variety of further download options, please see
https://84000.co/translation/toh131.
co. TABLE OF CONTENTS
ti. Title
im. Imprint
co. Contents
s. Summary
ac. Acknowledgements
i. Introduction
tr. The Translation
1. The Absorption of the Thus-Gone One’s Wisdom Seal
c. Colophon
n. Notes
b. Bibliography
g. Glossary
s. SUMMARY
s.1 In The Absorption of the Thus-Gone One’s Wisdom Seal, a vast number of
bodhisattvas request the Buddha Śākyamuni to teach them about his state of
meditative absorption. In his responses to various interlocutors, including
the bodhisattvas Mañjuśrī and Maitreya, the Buddha expounds on this
profound state, exhorting them to accomplish it themselves. The sūtra also
describes the qualities of bodhisattvas and their stages of development.
ac. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
ac.1 This sūtra was translated by the Dharmachakra Translation Committee
under the supervision of Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche. Joseph McClellan
produced the translation and wrote the introduction. Andreas Doctor
compared the draft translation with the Tibetan, and edited the text.
The translation was completed under the patronage and supervision of
84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.
i. INTRODUCTION
i.1 The Absorption of the Thus-Gone One’s Wisdom Seal is a sūtra significant in the
canon of the Great Vehicle for its rich description of the highest levels of
Buddhist absorption, as well as for its unique discussion of the stages of a
bodhisattva’s journey and the qualities that pertain to them.
i.2 It is a scripture that appears to have enjoyed a measure of sustained
popularity in Asia. Of the three Chinese translations 1 the earliest was
completed by the translator Zhi Qian sometime between 223 and 253 ᴄᴇ,
while the Tibetan translation was produced almost six centuries later during
the great imperial translation project of the early ninth century. In between
these two notable efforts to propagate the sūtra outside India, we also know
of citations of this text in the works of at least two Indian scholars: in the
sixth century by Bhāviveka2 and in the eighth century by Kamalaśīla.3 We
have evidence, therefore, of the continuing relevance of this sūtra during the
formative centuries of the Great Vehicle tradition in India.
i.3 Nevertheless, to our knowledge this scripture has until now remained
unexplored by modern scholars, and no translation of the text has been
made since the Tibetan translation was produced in the early ninth century.
There is no extant Sanskrit manuscript and, while a comparison with the
Chinese translations remains a desirable future goal, our translation is based
entirely on the Tibetan source texts, the Tibetan Degé block print with
reference to the Comparative Edition (dpe bsdur ma) and the Stok Palace
manuscript.

i.4 The sūtra is one of eleven sūtras in the Kangyur with titles including the
term “The Absorption of…” (Sanskrit samādhi, Tibetan ting nge ’dzin). In the
Degé Kangyur and other Kangyurs of the Tshalpa (tshal pa) lineage these
texts are grouped together, and although that might seem to suggest that
they could be construed as forming an unofficial subgenre of sūtra literature,
the sharing of a common term in the title is simply one of several organizing
principles used to order the titles in these Kangyurs without implying that
 the common term in question necessarily constitutes a common theme as
such.4 Indeed, the significance of the term “absorption” or samādhi clearly
varies from sūtra to sūtra within this group of texts. For example, in the
famous King of Samādhis Sūtra (Samādhirājasūtra, Toh 127),5 samādhi does not
appear to refer to an altered state of mind, or to meditative absorption.
Instead, the term is used to encapsulate a whole range of practices and
qualities that the sūtra presents in a detailed list, with no explicit mention of
states of deep meditative concentration. Nevertheless, in most other sūtras
within this group of texts,6 the term seems to lean more toward referring to
specific meditative states to be accessed and accomplished.7
i.5 It is in that respect that the current sūtra resembles some of these other
works, describing as it does a particular meditative absorption that the rest
of the title qualifies as “the thus-gone one’s wisdom seal.” Here, thus-gone
one (Skt. tathāgatha) is a common epithet of a fully awakened being. We have
translated this term from the Tibetan de bzhin gshegs pa, “one who has thus
gone,” whereas the Chinese equivalent, ru lai, reads closer to “thus-come
one.” The final term, wisdom seal (Skt. jñānamudrā), qualifies the absorption in
which the thus-gone one dwells. Seal (Skt. mudrā) has a rich and varied usage
in Buddhist literature. Generally, it refers to a stamp or brand, like a royal
seal that is used to mark property. Since the thus-gone one’s absorption is
infinite and unimpeded, all of reality falls into its domain. Thus, all of reality
is subsumed in, or sealed by, the wisdom actualized in this absorption.
i.6 Like many Great Vehicle sūtras, The Absorption of the Thus-Gone One’s
Wisdom Seal situates ancient India and Buddha Śākyamuni in a much larger,
cosmic context. The opening scene takes place in the famous Veṇuvana
(Bamboo Grove) monastic compound, near Rājagṛha, the capital of the
former kingdom of Magadha (present-day Bihar). Here the Buddha is
dwelling with a vast retinue of monks and bodhisattvas when he enters into
an exalted state of absorption called the thus-gone one’s wisdom seal,
indescribable except in ways that suggest its sheer ineffability: it is
“formless, indefinable, ungraspable, unimpeded, and not apparent.”
i.7 The power of this state of absorption affects the entire trichiliocosm,
inspiring buddhas and bodhisattvas dwelling in faraway realms to intensify
their spiritual activity. Cosmic buddhas exhort their innumerable bodhisattva
disciples to seize the opportunity to go to the Veṇuvana and learn about this
absorption, which will be the culmination of their training. Accordingly, the
bodhisattvas magically travel there, eager to receive teachings about this
exalted state. Countless gods and nonhuman beings, hearers, and monks
join them in their quest. When they arrive, however, the Buddha is nowhere
to be seen, as their perceptions are not attuned to the state in which he is
absorbed. In dismay, the assembly, led by a group of close disciples
 including Mahāmaudgalyāyana and Subhūti, turns to the great bodhisattva
Mañjuśrī for advice on how to communicate with the Buddha. He simply
tells them to look inward: they will find the Buddha within their own
absorptions.
i.8 Thus, a line of communication is established with the Buddha, who now
begins to teach them about this absorption, which is the hallmark of all thus-
gone ones. The teaching follows an extensive apophatic methodology, in
which the Buddha negates any proposition that may be made about this
most profound state of absorption: “This absorption is formless, indefinable,
ungraspable, unimpeded, and not apparent. It is beyond knowledge and not
an object of knowledge.” Upon concluding his teaching about the absorption
of the thus-gone one’s wisdom seal, all those in attendance purify negative karma
accumulated over innumerable eons and ensure that their progress to
unsurpassed and perfect awakening is irreversible.
i.9 The discourse then shifts, and the Buddha addresses Maitreya, explaining
seven ways in which bodhisattvas arouse the mind of awakening. He also
lists two sets of five qualities that characterize a nonregressing bodhisattva,
as well as five that mark an incorrigible, flawed individual on the
bodhisattva path. To illustrate the exemplary bodhisattva, the Buddha
recounts a past-life memory of the deeds of a great king named Puṇyodgata,
who was a devotee of the buddha Śaśiketu.
i.10 Following this discourse, countless female devotees, led by one of the
queens of King Bimbisāra and one of his daughters, promise their service to
the Dharma in all subsequent lives. This delights the Buddha, who beams a
smile at them. The women, captivated, eloquently enjoin the Buddha to give
them a teaching about the causes, qualities, and implications of his smile. In
response, the Buddha recounts more past-life memories, this time about the
noble deeds of an ancient ruler named Puṇyaraśmi, who was an exemplary
guardian of the Dharma. The Buddha also describes the degenerate age, in
which the influence of the Dharma will wane. During this time, he explains, it
will be especially important for those who follow him to train in the sūtra of
The Absorption of the Thus-Gone One’s Wisdom Seal, and to master the absorption
it describes. The Buddha then highlights differences between bodhisattvas
based on whether they have aroused the mind of awakening and the roots of
virtue in the presence of hundreds, of thousands, or of millions of buddhas.
In short, the latter have the greatest resolve to traverse the path and are least
susceptible to any kind of regression. However, they will still suffer. The
sūtra explains that whatever negative karma remains for these bodhisattvas
will be purified through instances of ordinary human misfortune: they will
be criticized, they will suffer bouts of depression, they will be born into
 dysfunctional families, they will face adverse economic conditions, and so
forth. Bodhisattvas of the highest order will bear these pains and persevere
on the path; others will falter.
i.11 Toward the end of the sūtra, the Buddha addresses Mañjuśrī, Maitreya,
and an assembly of distinguished disciples who ask him to explain the
meaning of the term Dharma itself. Thus begins a long synonymic chain of
significant Buddhist terms: inexhaustible, unborn, uninterrupted,
uncollected, ungraspable, nonabiding, and groundless, until the final term
nirvāṇa. This list echoes the terms used earlier in the sūtra to describe the
absorption of the thus-gone one’s wisdom seal. Given this definition of the Dharma,
the disciples wonder how they should act as its protectors. The Buddha
explains that if they indeed realize the meaning of what he has taught them,
“ultimately we find nothing at all—no Dharma and no conflict with the
Dharma.” Then, in a set of philosophically rich verses, he instructs them
further in the ultimate truth, beyond concepts and characteristics. The sūtra
concludes with another exhortation to the gathered assembly to accomplish
the absorption of the thus-gone one’s wisdom seal.
 The Noble Great Vehicle Sūtra
The Absorption of the Thus-Gone One’s Wisdom
Seal
1. The Translation
[B1] [F.230.b]

1.1 Homage to all buddhas and bodhisattvas!

1.2 Thus did I hear at one time: The Blessed One was in the Kalandakanivāpa, at
the Veṇuvana near Rājagṛha. He was there together with a great saṅgha of
twelve hundred fifty monks, and with three hundred million bodhisattvas,
all of whom had attained dhāraṇī, unobstructed eloquence, and mastery
over absorption. They dwelled in the absorption of emptiness, their domain
was free of marks, their aspiration was uncontrived, they dwelled in the
absence of wishes, and their conduct was natural. They had attained the
dhāraṇīs that accomplish limitless gateways. They had attained acceptance
regarding sameness, they had attained sameness, and they had attained
unobstructed dhāraṇī. They knew the higher or lower capacities of all beings
[F.231.a] and had precise knowledge of beings’ thoughts and actions.
1.3 At that time, the Blessed One settled into the absorption that is the
blessing of the thus-gone one, that enters the domain of all the buddhas.
This absorption is formless, indefinable, ungraspable, unimpeded, and not
apparent. It is beyond knowledge and not an object of knowledge. It is free
from mentation, mind, and consciousness. It is rootless, unsupported, and
beyond observation. It is an incomparable, unequaled, and matchless state. It
has no notion of “mine,” is free from grasping, is free from anything to avoid,
and is uncreated. It never went and never came. It does not go and does not
stay. It is without interruption, baseless, and without marks. It is free of all
marks. It is beyond accepting and rejecting. It is uncompounded and beyond
any accumulation. It is beyond assembling and beyond separating. It is
without mind and free from mind. It is unoriginated, beginningless,
unestablished, nonarising, and totally nonoccurring. It is utterly beyond
movement, perfectly without movement, totally empty, beyond association,
 and without superimpositions regarding any phenomenon. It is a dhāraṇī
gateway to enter the domain of all buddhas. It is known as the thus-gone one’s
wisdom seal.
1.4 As soon as he settled into that absorption, neither the Blessed One’s body
nor the characteristics of his body appeared; neither his mind nor the
characteristics of his mind appeared; neither his robes nor the characteristics
of his robes appeared; neither his cushion nor the characteristics of his
cushion appeared; neither his sleeping nor the characteristics of his sleeping
appeared; neither his walking nor the characteristics of his walking
appeared; neither his rising nor the characteristics of his rising appeared;
neither his remaining nor the characteristics of his remaining appeared;
neither his shadow nor the characteristics of his shadow appeared; neither
his sitting nor the characteristics of his sitting appeared; and neither his
sounds nor the characteristics of his sounds appeared.
1.5 At that point, through the power of this absorption, [F.231.b] and through
the blessings of the Buddha, a bright light filled the entire trichiliocosm. So
bright was this light that everywhere in the trichiliocosm the moonlight was
outshone, as was the sunlight and the light of stars, fire, jewels, and
lightning. The radiance of gandharvas, kinnaras, gods of the realms of desire
and form, constellations, and divine palaces was outshone. So too were that
of Śakra, Brahmā, and the protectors of the worlds.
1.6 Through the Buddha’s blessings and the power of his absorption, some of
the gods could no longer smell their divine fragrances, and the whole
trichiliocosm was suffused by an aroma sweeter than any other scent that
completely transcended the fragrances of the gods. All the dark spaces
between the worlds were brought into the light, as were the major and minor
mountain ranges that surround the worlds. Mount Meru and all the other
principal mountains like it were illuminated, as were the Black Peaks.
Subsequently, however, they did not appear to the eye faculties of sentient
beings.
1.7 The entire trichiliocosm was encompassed in a net of jewels. The entire
Sahā buddha realm was decorated with silk hangings, suffused with
frankincense, and strewn with a variety of flowers. Through the power of the
Buddha, the Kalandakanivāpa in the Veṇuvana, along with Vulture Peak
Mountain, became as level as the palm of a hand and were saturated with
the delicious and captivating scent of a giant hundred-thousand-petaled
lotus flower composed of various jewels the size of chariot-wheels. From the
sky, a lattice-like jeweled canopy appeared, which covered and adorned
everything. All of Magadha became soft to the touch, like kācilindika cloth.
1.8 Then in the east, in as many buddha realms as there are grains of sand in
the Ganges, the individual blessed buddhas exhorted a limitless,
innumerable, and immeasurable number of hundreds of thousands of
bodhisattva great beings who were just one life away from unexcelled and
perfect awakening, [F.232.a] “Sons of noble family, you should go into the
Sahā world. That is where the blessed one, the thus-gone one, the worthy
one, the perfect buddha Śākyamuni presently resides. He lives there and
teaches the Dharma. Now he has settled into the absorption that is a dhāraṇī
gateway to enter the domain of all buddhas known as the thus-gone one’s
wisdom seal. Sons of noble family, even engaging in the six perfections for a
hundred thousand eons, but without skillful means, bears no comparison to
the esteem bodhisattvas will feel merely hearing about this absorption.
Therefore, go and hear about this absorption.”
1.9 The bodhisattva great beings listened accordingly to the respective thus-
gone ones and paid these blessed ones homage. Then, in an instant, they all
disappeared from those buddha realms and, by giving rise to their magical
powers of superknowledge, they came to the Sahā world, to the four central
continents, to the continent of Jambudvīpa, to the town of Rājagṛha, to the
Veṇuvana, and into the Kalandakanivāpa, where the blessed one, the thus-
gone one, the worthy one, the perfect buddha Śākyamuni was. Upon
arriving, they bowed their heads to the feet of the blessed one, the thus-gone
one, the worthy one, the perfect buddha Śākyamuni. They then circled the
Blessed One three times and stood to one side. The Blessed One welcomed
them and they took their places cross-legged upon a great lotus composed of
various jewels.
1.10 The same thing happened in the south, west, north, below, above,
[F.232.b]—throughout the cardinal and intermediate directions, and
everywhere in between. In all the ten directions, in as many buddha realms
as there are grains of sand in the Ganges, individual blessed buddhas
exhorted a limitless, innumerable, and immeasurable number of hundreds of
thousands of bodhisattva great beings who were just one life away from
unexcelled and perfect awakening, “Sons of noble family, you should go into
the Sahā world. That is where the blessed one, the thus-gone one, the
worthy one, the perfect buddha Śākyamuni presently resides. He lives there
and teaches the Dharma. Now he has settled into the absorption that is a
dhāraṇī gateway to enter the domain of all buddhas, known as the thus-gone
one’s wisdom seal. Sons of noble family, even engaging in the six perfections
for a hundred thousand eons, but without skillful means, bears no
comparison to the esteem bodhisattvas will feel merely hearing about this
absorption. Therefore, go and hear about this absorption.”
1.11 The bodhisattva great beings listened accordingly to the respective thus-
gone ones and paid these blessed ones homage. Then, in an instant, they all
disappeared from those buddha realms and, by giving rise to their magical
powers of superknowledge, they came to the Sahā world, to the four central
continents, to the continent of Jambudvīpa, to the town of Rājagṛha, to the
Veṇuvana, and into the Kalandakanivāpa, where the blessed one, the thus-
gone one, the worthy one, the perfect buddha Śākyamuni was. Upon
arriving, they bowed their heads to the feet of the blessed one, the thus-gone
one, the worthy one, the perfect buddha Śākyamuni. They then circled the
Blessed One three times and stood to one side. The Blessed One welcomed
them and they took their places cross-legged upon a great lotus composed of
various jewels. [F.233.a]
1.12 Throughout this great trichiliocosm, all the monks —whether engaged
with the vehicle of the hearers, the vehicle of the solitary buddhas, or the
bodhisattva vehicle —each in their own individual realms, stirred and,
through the blessings and power of the Buddha, they all came to Vulture
Peak Mountain, where the Blessed One resided. Upon arriving, they could
not see the Blessed One anywhere. Not seeing him, they joined their palms
and paid homage to him.
1.13 Through the radiance of the absorption of the thus-gone one’s wisdom seal,
instantly, in that very moment, eight hundred million bodhisattvas gathered
at the Kalandakanivāpa in the Veṇuvana, where they sat down in the
Blessed One’s retinue. Three hundred thousand hearers also gathered
together and took their seats. Within this great trichiliocosm, many other
beings arrived at the Kalandakanivāpa in the Veṇuvana, where the Blessed
One was. They included Śakra, Brahmā, the guardians of the world,
Maheśvara, the gods of the pure realms, all gods including their lords, all
nāgas and their lords, all yakṣas and their lords, all gandharvas and their
lords, all asuras and their lords, all garuḍas and their lords, all kinnaras and
their lords, all mahoragas and their lords, as well as all suparṇis and their
lords. Each of these groups also brought with them many quadrillions of
servants. As they arrived at the Kalandakanivāpa in the Veṇuvana, where
the Blessed One was, no one could see the Blessed One anywhere. Not
seeing him, they joined their palms and paid homage to him. [F.233.b]
1.14 At that time the powerful and eminent bodhisattva great beings, hearers,
gods, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kinnaras, mahoragas,
humans, nonhumans, monks, nuns, and male and female lay practitioners
were all assembled. No place was left unfilled in this great trichiliocosm,
from the peak of existence on down. Not even the space for the tip of a hair
was left unfilled.
1.15 Then the elder Śāradvatīputra, Mahāmaudgalyāyana, the elder Kauṣṭhila,
Mahākātyāyana, Mahākāśyapa, the venerable Pūrṇa Maitrāyaṇīputra, and
the elder Subhūti—all those great hearers —turned to the youthful Mañjuśrī
and asked, “Mañjuśrī, where is the Thus-Gone One right now? What does
his body look like? How is he present?”
1.16 The youthful Mañjuśrī replied to the great hearers, “Venerable ones, you
are great hearers, and you possess insight and miraculous abilities. You are
powerful and mighty, you have mastered the absorptions of the erudite, and
you have long observed pure conduct. Venerable ones, you should enter
your own absorptions and search for the Thus-Gone One’s body and his
presence. You should strive to discover where the Thus-Gone One’s body is,
what his body is like, and how he is present.”
1.17 Thereupon the hearers settled into their own absorptions and investigated
this entire trichiliocosm. They looked, but they still could not see the Thus-
Gone One’s body, [F.234.a] nor could they see his presence. Then, when the
great hearers did not see the Thus-Gone One’s body nor his presence upon
completely investigating the trichiliocosm, they arose from their respective
absorptions and addressed the youthful Mañjuśrī as follows: “Mañjuśrī, we
fail to see the Thus-Gone One’s body or his presence.”
1.18 Mañjuśrī replied to the great hearers, “Then all you venerable great
hearers must silently join your palms and one-pointedly hold the Thus-Gone
One in your mind for a moment. Do this, and you will see his body and
witness his presence.”
1.19 Just then, the Blessed One, who was aware and cognizant of this, emerged
from his absorption. As soon as the Blessed One emerged from his
absorption, the entire trichiliocosm shook in six ways, with eighteen signs: it
quivered, trembled, and quaked; it wobbled, rocked, and swayed; it vibrated,
shuddered, and reeled; it rattled, shook, and convulsed; it clattered, rattled,
and clanged; and it boomed, thundered, and roared. The world became
exceedingly brilliant, open, and vivid.
1.20 As an offering to the Blessed One, a rain of divine flowers fell to the
accompaniment of divine cymbals and song. At that point venerable
Śāradvatīputra arose from his seat, draped his shawl over one shoulder, and
knelt on his right knee. Joining his palms, he bowed toward the Blessed One
and asked, [F.234.b] “Blessed One, in what kind of absorption did you abide
so that even the eye of insight of the great hearers was unable to see the
Thus-Gone One’s body? Blessed One, what is the Thus-Gone One’s
presence like?”
1.21 The Blessed One replied to venerable Śāradvatīputra, “Śāradvatīputra, this
absorption is not a stage of the hearers or solitary buddhas. Śāradvatīputra, it
is on the level of the thus-gone ones. This magical display and miracle of the
 buddhas is inconceivable. Nevertheless, Śāradvatīputra, listen well and keep
this in mind. I will now teach you a little bit about the body of the Thus-Gone
One.”
“Very well, Blessed One!” Venerable Śāradvatīputra replied, and he
listened as the Blessed One had instructed.

1.22 Then the Blessed One explained to him, “Śāradvatīputra, the true body of the
Thus-Gone One transcends any view, like the sky. It is incorporeal,
uncreated, unborn, and unceasing. It is nonoccurring, truly nonoccurring,
and utterly nonoccurring. It is unobtained, unimputed, nonengaging,
unestablished, boundless, and limitless. It is peaceful, placid, and absolutely
serene. It is nonabiding, nonarising, ineffable, beyond mind, and beyond
origination. It is unmoving, utterly unmoving, and free of movement. It is
totally pure. It is nothing whatsoever and exists in no way. It is beyond
appropriation and acceptance. It is without motion, without activity, and
without support. It is unborn, unarisen, without action, and without
ripening. It is unseen, unheard, uncognized, detached, not bound, and not
released. It does not exist. It is not recalled, not held, not experienced, and
not seen. [F.235.a] It is beyond cognition, is not an object of cognition, and is
characterized by absence of cognition.
1.23 “It is without mind. It is unfathomable and unimaginable. It is not mind. It
is devoid of mind. It possesses the mind of sameness. Nothing is the same as
it, and it cannot be comprehended by any act of mind. It has not gone
anywhere, does not go anywhere, is without going, and has eliminated any
going. It is uninterrupted, immeasurable, uninterruptible, boundless,
unobservable, and marvelous. It has no substance and is no substance. It is
insubstantial. It is not a distinction and has no distinctions. It is nonarising,
truly nonarising, unshakable, nondiscursive, nonconceptual, beginningless,
unestablished, and wholly unestablished. It is not accomplished, without
pervasion, and motionless. It is not clear, not tangible, and not a thing to be
desired. It has no light and does not appear. It is not apprehended and has
no appearance. It is without darkness, is not darkness, and is free of
darkness. It is not lucidity. It is without abode and free of abode. It is not at
peace, by no means at peace, without peace, and free from peace. It is the
same as peace. It is pure, totally pure, and wholly pure.
1.24 “It is nothing whatsoever, beyond appropriation, and without
perpetuation. It is without friendship, without strife, and free from strife. It is
present through its way of not being present. It is without ties, free from ties,
limpid, and unsullied. It does not die or take rebirth. It will not die or take
rebirth. It is without Dharma and without non-Dharma. It is without a field,
and also without anything other than a field. It is inexhaustible, not
something that can be exhausted, and free from exhaustion. It is without
 dust, instantaneous, and unshakable. It is beyond syllables, sounds, tones,
explanations, trainings, and mind. It is without logic and not illogical, and it
is not separate from logic. It does not possess anything and is without
possession. It is also not destitute. It is inexhaustible, [F.235.b] not
inexhaustible, immortal, and not immortal.
1.25 “It is not something to be pacified. It is without marks, not something
without marks, not limited, not unlimited, and not something to be
measured. It has not gone and has not come. It is nondual and not nondual.
It is not perceived, not here, and not there. It is baseless, without abode,
nonemerging, indestructible, nontransferable, and nothing to be heard. It
does not conquer enemies. It accepts nothing and rejects nothing. It is
without characteristics, free of characteristics, not a characteristic itself, and
it has abandoned characteristics. It is without action and not without action.
It is without marks, not without marks, and adorned with marks. It is
gateless, unattached, and free from attachments. It inspires faith. It is
without connections and free from connections. It causes delight and it
causes bliss. It is freed from the six sense sources and invisible.
1.26 “It is reality—thoroughly distinguished by suchness. It is suchness, which
liberates beings by not liberating. It liberates by not liberating sentient
beings. It purifies sentient beings by way of not purifying. It protects
sentient beings by way of not protecting. It teaches the Dharma to sentient
beings by way of nonduality. Nothing is the same as it, it is incomparable,
without likeness, and peerless. It is the same as that which is not present, the
same as space, and the same as that which does not remain. It is exceedingly
even, unborn, and the same as unborn. It does not apprehend and is the
same as nonapprehension. It is not at peace, is free from peace, and its peace
has waned. It is at peace, very much at peace, and thoroughly at peace. It is
gentle, supple, utterly stainless, utterly controlled, not permanent, and not
interrupted. It has withdrawn from activities. It is irreversibly brave. It has
vanquished fear. It is beyond return. [F.236.a] It has severed all grasping and
cut through all ties.
1.27 “It is clear, without distinctions, nondual, free from duality, and taught to
be without any duality. Its essence being unproduced, its nature is
luminosity that is utterly beyond occurring. Without any liberation, it is
liberated from activity. It is without meeting, without separating, not long,
not short, not round, not square, not spherical, and not substantial. It is not
perceived as the aggregates, elements, or sense sources. It cannot be
established as something conditioned, nor does it emerge from the
unconditioned. It is nonwaxing, nonwaning, nonaccumulating, and unborn.
 No one can see it, hear it, or be conscious of it. It is neither real nor unreal. It
is unborn. It does not die or transmigrate. It does not coexist with the world,
nor does it not coexist with the world.
1.28 “That body is unwavering, unmistaken, unexcited, motionless, and
undeviating. It is without cultivation and free from cultivation. It is
nonoccurring, not destroyed, not an essence, and not without essence. It is
without mind and indescribable. It is without connection and does not
connect, nor does it not connect. It has no attachment to desires, nor is it
without attachment to desires. It is nothing and it is not nothing. It is without
characteristics and is not without characteristics. It does not transcend
suffering and has not fully transcended suffering. It is not present, but it is
not without presence, either. Śāradvatīputra, can sentient beings who fixate
on characteristics and who have fallen into dualistic perception possibly
understand the way in which the body of the Thus-Gone One abides?”
1.29 “No, Blessed One, they cannot at all,” replied Śāradvatīputra. “That is
impossible. [F.236.b] And why? Because, Blessed One, the Thus-Gone One’s
body is free of any and all marks.”
1.30 “Śāradvatīputra, yes, that is correct. That is how it is,” the Blessed One
agreed. “The Thus-Gone One’s body is free from any and all marks.”
1.31 The Blessed One then proceeded to teach extensively about the
absorption of the thus-gone one’s wisdom seal. In order to be comprehensive and
thorough, he spoke these verses:

1.32 “This body is not a body, and it is completely free from a body.
Nobody has created it, nobody destroys it, and no one obtains it.
It is absolutely bereft of properties, yet it is not bereft.
Such are the terms applied to the body of the well-gone ones.

1.33 “It is without meeting, parting, abode, or substance.

It is neither grasped, nor freed, nor even, nor is it long.
It has no beginning, no impediment, nor is it present anywhere at all.
This is how the body of the well-gone ones is explained.

1.34 “It is not grasped, is not made, has no place, and is nothing at all.
It has no form and no mind, and it is neither two nor one.
It is unreal, not unreal, and not nonoccurring.
The body of the victorious ones is like this in its true state.

1.35 “It is without a core, not weak, and not interrupted.

It is not disrupted, nonoccurring, unoriginated, and without destruction.
It is without obtainment, purified of dust, and not destroyed.
The body of the stainless ones should be understood like this.
1.36 “It is not seen, heard, held, or touched.
It is not perceived and not analyzed; rather, it is like a hallucination.
When beings see it, they are delighted to apprehend it.
This is how the body of the buddhas is taught to be.

1.37 “It is not an aggregate, not an element, not false, and not true.
It is not pure, utterly not pure, and not encountered by the senses.
It is without concepts, utterly nonconceptual, and like the moon in water.
This is how we should hold the body of the well-gone ones to be.

1.38 “Since this body comes from causes and conditions, it has no intrinsic nature.
It is unborn, unceasing, not going, and unmoving.
Under analysis, the three worlds appear like an illusion. [F.237.a]
The body of the victorious ones must be seen nonconceptually like this.

1.39 “It has no peace, is not at peace, is free from peace, and unconnected.
It is without desire, without reason, and like an empty hand.
Moreover, it is naturally spacious.
Seeing it thus, one honors the Buddha day and night.

1.40 “You might fill billions of realms with jewels,

All the way up to the peak of existence,
And offer it to the buddhas until the end of time.
Yet that generosity cannot compare to copying this sūtra.

1.41 “You might cultivate loving kindness with equanimity toward all beings
For as many eons as there are grains of sand in the Ganges.
Yet that discipline cannot match the patience of someone
Who feels confidence in the supreme absorption of the wisdom seal.

1.42 “You might have forbearance toward every being for as many eons
As have passed in the infinity of cyclic existence.
Yet if you develop a single moment of trust in this seal of the victorious ones,
The former merit, compared to this, will seem like a mustard seed next to
Mount Meru.

1.43 “You might honor as many beings as there are in the three worlds,
By carrying them over your head for many eons,
Without ever feeling tired or bothered.
Still, such diligence cannot compare to this patience.

1.44 “You might practice concentration for more eons

Than there are dust motes in a hundred buddha realms.
Still, compared to applying yourself to this sūtra for a single day,
 That merit is no match for this patience.

1.45 “You might persevere in the insight that abandons the two extremes
For as many countless eons as there are particles in the world.
Still, if anyone realizes this wisdom, just as I have taught,
The former merit, compared to this, will seem like a drop of water next to the
ocean.

1.46 “When it comes to the Victorious One, do not look for forms or features.
Do not regard the Well-Gone One as would a child.
Whoever sees me as Subhūti sees me
Trains in every kind of generosity found anywhere in the trichiliocosm.”

1.47 After the Blessed One had spoken these verses, he continued to address the
elder Śāradvatīputra: [F.237.b] “Śāradvatīputra, this absorption of the thus-
gone one’s wisdom seal is the perfection of the stainless wisdom vision of all
bodhisattvas in the worlds throughout the ten directions. Śāradvatīputra,
whoever wants to see the blessed buddhas should train in this absorption
with an altruistic intention. Such bodhisattvas, practicing with altruistic
intention, are able to see the Thus-Gone One within the course of just a
single day.
1.48 “Moreover, Śāradvatīputra, bodhisattvas who desire to see the blessed
buddhas in all the buddha realms of the ten directions should train day and
night in this absorption. When bodhisattvas apply themselves with altruistic
intention, they come to see the blessed buddhas in all the buddha realms of
the ten directions. Śāradvatīputra, this absorption of the thus-gone one’s wisdom
seal accomplishes the dhāraṇī Dharma method that brings about infinite
gateways for bodhisattvas. It is the basis for all dhāraṇī gateways. From it
the dhāraṇī gateways emerge. This absorption will bring about for
bodhisattvas their great being’s thirty-two marks and complete their eighty
excellent signs. Whoever trains in this absorption of the bodhisattvas will
purify all karmic obscurations, overcome all kinds of demonic activity, and
will neither honor nor experience the Thus-Gone One as a regular being.
Whoever trains in this absorption of the bodhisattvas, no matter what they
say it will not be mistaken. All their physical actions, whatever they may be,
will be faultless. All their verbal actions, whatever they may be, will be free
from being the origin of suffering. All their mental activity, whatever it may
be, will be free of affliction.
1.49 “Śāradvatīputra, bodhisattvas who wish to understand the hidden
teaching of the thus-gone ones should train in this absorption. [F.238.a]
Wanting to understand Dharma teachings, they should train in this
absorption. Wanting to teach Dharma discourses, they should train in this
 absorption. Wanting to understand the way of truth, they should train in this
absorption. Wanting to actualize the limit of reality, they should train in this
absorption. Wanting to understand dependent origination, they should train
in this absorption. Wanting to know the inclinations of sentient beings, they
should train in this absorption. Wanting to apprehend the excellent display
of qualities in the buddha realms at will, they should train in this absorption.
Wanting to attain excellent luminosity, they should train in this absorption.
Wanting to perfect an excellent retinue, they should train in this absorption.
Wanting to perfect an excellent lifespan, they should train in this absorption.
Wanting to perfect an excellent arrangement, they should train in this
absorption. Wanting to perfect the excellent teaching, they should train in
this absorption. Wanting to fulfill the wishes of bodhisattva great beings and
others, they should train in this absorption. They should train in this
absorption in order to investigate, trust, write, read, remember, retain, and
meditate.
1.50 “Why is this? Because within this absorption, none of that is difficult.
Śāradvatīputra, this absorption is like a precious wish-fulfilling jewel that
provides for all wants. It is a wish-granting tree that fulfills all beings’
wishes. Śāradvatīputra, thus this absorption completely fulfills all the
intentions of bodhisattva great beings.” [F.238.b]
Then the Blessed One spoke these verses:

1.51 “This sūtra of the seal of infinite wisdom

Is a mass of wisdom, a distinguished and sublime wisdom,
A wisdom light, a wisdom treasury,
A wisdom source, and an entrance to the gateway to wisdom.

1.52 “It is powerful insight, the source of insight, the site of insight,
The lamp of insight, the light of insight that dispels darkness,
The inexhaustible insight, and the way of insight.
Like the sun, it accompanies the three worlds.

1.53 “It is sameness, abides in sameness,

Cuts through all grasping, and is the way of truth,
The gateway to all absorptions, and the seal of wisdom.
It is the vision of the buddhas’ discriminating awareness.

1.54 “It is an inexhaustible treasury that takes you to the other side.
It is miraculous insight, the source of insight, and a treasure.
It is the root of the happiness of having one’s wishes fulfilled.
This absorption seal is the well-gone ones’ wealth.

1.55 “It is the luxurious kingdom enjoyed by the king.

 It is the source of excellent, supreme jewels.
It clears away the dust of passion and the stain of aggression.
This sūtra teaching is the root of precious things.

1.56 “It is peaceful, at peace, and sets your mind in peace.

It makes you beautiful and purifies the belief in a self.
When you discover this dhāraṇī seal of the buddhas,
You destroy Māra with this heroic weapon.

1.57 “Its wisdom knows all beings in existence.

This insight is the source of wisdom, a wisdom fortune.
It is the light of wisdom, an infinite transcendence.
This sūtra is the source of the gateway to wisdom.

1.58 “It cuts through the two knots of discipline and training.
It purifies the sixty-two conceptual views.
It is the conqueror’s gateway; it obtains ambrosia.
It is the source of the thirty-two marks.

1.59 “It is awakening; it agrees with full awakening.

It reveals extremist positions and the cause of awakening.
This awakening rouses you from sleep.
This way of awakening is infinite and inexhaustible.

1.60 “It is the way of Dharma, which cultivates reason.

It accomplishes infinite dhāraṇīs.
It engages in the Dharma of the ten powers.
This dhāraṇī is like the ocean. [F.239.a]

1.61 “This is the accomplishment of the perfection of generosity.

This is the perfection of discipline and patience.
It is inexhaustible diligence, concentration, and insight.
To rest in it is the completion of all the perfections.

1.62 “Do not be afraid of karma and disturbing emotions.

Do not be afraid of the demon of wrong understanding.
For those who connect with this, there are no obstacles.8
Just as you wish, you will manifest awakening.

1.63 “Those who have traveled throughout the ten directions

To receive this discourse are certain vessels for awakening.
The offspring dwelling during this fortunate eon
Are all witnesses 9 to this.

1.64 “This is the mother of the buddhas of the past.

 This sūtra is the mother of those not yet come.
And all the present buddhas are born from it.
Therefore, kinsmen of the conqueror, apply yourselves to this!

1.65 “Those who live according to this sūtra

Attain the Thus-Gone One’s wealth.
They purify karma and perfect their conduct.
They become nonregressing and go beyond the swamp.”

1.66 When the Blessed One delivered this Dharma teaching, many hundreds of
billions of bodhisattvas, as numerous as the grains of sand in thirty Ganges
rivers, attained this absorption. Six trillion eight hundred billion bodhisattvas
purified the karmic obscurations accumulated over a hundred thousand
eons and their progress toward unsurpassed and perfect awakening became
irreversible. All of them attained the dhāraṇī called accomplishing the
inexhaustible moment. Six quintillion gods and humans who had previously
failed to arouse the mind set upon unsurpassed and perfect awakening now
aroused this mind and rejoiced in this absorption. Due to the roots of virtue
resulting from rejoicing in this absorption, their progress toward
unsurpassed and perfect awakening became irreversible. Then the Blessed
One prophesied that after three million eons, all of them would become thus-
gone ones, worthy ones, perfect buddhas known as Fearless One. [F.239.b]
Some among them would, after having made aspirations for a long time,
accomplish patience. For others among them, their aspirations would
quickly bring them to various buddha realms, there to awaken fully to
unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood. However, all of them would share
the name Fearless One.

1.67 The Blessed One now gazed out over this entire retinue and addressed
Mañjuśrī, saying, “Mañjuśrī, for these reasons you must remain without
apprehending anything, and by delighting in the absence of conceptual
thinking you must practice nonabiding. Not dwelling on any phenomenon,
you must maintain this accomplishment of unsurpassed and perfect
awakening over many countless quadrillions of eons. You must embrace it,
hold it, and teach it elaborately to others. You must delight in the absence of
conceptual thinking. You must practice nonabiding. You must not dwell
upon anything and be free from envy.”
1.68 Then Mañjuśrī rose from his seat, draped his shawl over one shoulder,
and knelt on his right knee. Joining his palms, he bowed toward the Blessed
One and said, “Blessed One, since there are no phenomena to be grasped, I
am happy to maintain and protect this unsurpassed and perfect awakening.
Blessed One, as for awakening, it is nothing at all. It comes from nowhere. It
 is found nowhere. It does not come about through anything. It is nothing
whatsoever. It does not appear. It is ungraspable, unattainable, and
inexhaustible.”
1.69 Then the three billion bodhisattvas in the retinue rose from their seats.
They joined their palms and addressed the Blessed One: [F.240.a] “Blessed
One, as for this accomplishment of the unsurpassed and perfect awakening
of the thus-gone ones that spans countless quadrillions of eons, we are
happy to maintain it, hold it, explain it, and teach it elaborately to others.”
1.70 All those bodhisattvas then offered their own robes for the body of the
Blessed One, and they made aspirations.

1.71 The Blessed One then said to the bodhisattva great being Maitreya,
“Maitreya, remember your intention to uphold the Dharma in a future life, in
the future, during the final five hundred years! This will be your task!”
1.72 At this the bodhisattva great being Maitreya rose from his seat, draped his
shawl over one shoulder, and knelt on his right knee. Joining his palms, he
bowed toward the Blessed One and said, “Blessed One, I remember my
intention to uphold the sacred Dharma!”
1.73 The Blessed One said to the bodhisattva great being Maitreya, “Maitreya,
among the three billion bodhisattvas, eight thousand of them uphold the
holy Dharma and will continue to do so. As for the other bodhisattvas, they
are incorrigibly attached to grasping at objective perceptions. They will not
uphold the holy Dharma. In the future, during the final five hundred years,
they will abandon my unsurpassed and perfect awakening, which I have
accomplished over countless quadrillions of eons. They will go against it.
They will not teach it. They will not uphold it. They will not uphold it at all.
1.74 “Why is this? Maitreya, bodhisattvas arouse the mind of awakening in
seven ways. [F.240.b] What are these seven? Bodhisattvas arouse the mind of
awakening inspired by the blessed buddhas. Bodhisattvas arouse the mind
of awakening in order to protect the holy Dharma when that holy Dharma is
disappearing. Bodhisattvas arouse the mind of awakening when they feel
great compassion on seeing the realms of beings afflicted by so many pains.
Bodhisattvas arouse the mind of awakening inspired by other bodhisattvas.
Bodhisattvas arouse the mind of awakening themselves when they have
respectfully given beautiful gifts to bodhisattvas who have aroused the mind
of awakening. Bodhisattvas arouse the mind of awakening when they see
others arouse the mind of awakening. Bodhisattvas arouse the mind of
awakening on hearing perfect praises sung about the qualities of the various
ornaments of the thus-gone ones’ body, such as the excellent marks and
signs. Maitreya, these are the seven ways in which bodhisattvas arouse the
mind of awakening.
1.75 “Maitreya, as I have just mentioned, there are those bodhisattvas who
arouse the mind of awakening because of the blessed buddhas, and those
bodhisattvas who arouse the mind of awakening in order to preserve the
holy Dharma at a time when it is disappearing, and those bodhisattvas who
arouse the mind of awakening due to feelings of great compassion caused
by witnessing the realms of sentient beings afflicted with all kinds of
suffering. Maitreya, those bodhisattvas who arouse the mind of awakening
in these three ways are maintaining the blessed buddhas’ awakening. Their
progress toward unsurpassed and perfect awakening quickly becomes
irreversible. The four other ways of arousing the mind of awakening are for
incorrigible bodhisattvas who do not uphold the holy Dharma.
1.76 “Maitreya, there are five qualities that bodhisattvas must have for their
progress to become irreversible. [F.241.a] What are the five? They have the
same attitude toward all sentient beings. They do not envy the success and
prestige of others. Even if their lives are threatened, they will speak nothing
but praise of monks who uphold the sacred Dharma. They are not attached to
worldly success sought through knowledge of the Dharma, nor to
acquisitions, prestige, or compliments. They are devoted to the profound
Dharma, and without interest in any kind of mundane activity keep the
profound Dharma with them in all situations. Maitreya, if bodhisattvas
possess these five qualities, know that their progress will be irreversible.
1.77 “Maitreya, if bodhisattvas possess five other qualities, know them to be
incorrigible. What are the five? They have little charisma and do not follow
any advice. They are interested in base things and give degraded teachings
to others. They are attached to worldly success sought through knowledge
of the Dharma, acquistions, and prestige, and behave enviously in the
patron’s household. They are fraudulent and deceitful. Their verbal
professions do not lead toward emptiness. Maitreya, if bodhisattvas possess
these five qualities, know them to be incorrigible.
1.78 “Maitreya, if bodhisattvas possess the following five qualities, know them
to be irreversible in their progress. What are they? They do not perceive a self,
and they do not extol a self. They do not perceive any sentient beings. They
do not use concepts to teach about the realm of reality. They do not perceive
awakening. They do not regard the Thus-Gone One’s body as having the
characteristics of form. Maitreya, if bodhisattvas possess these five qualities,
know that they will not regress from unsurpassed and perfect awakening.”
1.79 Then the Blessed One spoke the following verses:

“Those who are envious, who covet worldly success through knowledge,
Who harm, who are fraudulent and insulting, and
Those who are all talk and whose conduct is petty
Are not able to guard the awakening of the well-gone ones. [F.241.b]
1.80 “Yet those who delight in solitude and live in desolate wildernesses,
Paying more than lip service and persevering in what is profound,
Are like the rhinoceros, shun the pleasure of worldly success through
knowledge,
And guard against awakening’s destruction.

1.81 “Far away from crowds, they are intent on absolute peace.
Like antelopes, they are skittish and wander homelessly.
Like the wind in the sky, they are not attached to property.
Such are those who uphold the teachings of the victorious ones.

1.82 “As they have no regard for their bodies, and make no efforts to survive,
Surely they have also renounced worldly success.
Their efforts are not for themselves in any way.
In the future, they will be vessels of awakening.

1.83 “In the future, there will appear beings,

Who proclaim, ‘We are awakened.’
Their haughty and pretentious ways will be marred by afflictions.
Such people will be unable to uphold this teaching.

1.84 “Billions of eons before

The teacher Dīpaṃkara,
I remember that the buddha called Śaśiketu appeared.
He taught this absorption to beings.

1.85 “That victorious one’s first retinue

Consisted of eighty trillion irreversible beings.
The second, seven trillion.
The third, seven trillion three hundred billion.

1.86 “That victorious one’s lifespan lasted many millions of eons,

And his light shone over sixty-three leagues.
His saṅgha was ninety-nine million strong,
And all of them were powerful worthy ones.

1.87 “At that time there was a king,

A wheel-turning sovereign named Puṇyodgata.
His realm was as vast as Jambudvīpa,
Some twenty thousand leagues.

1.88 “It was as large as the four continents.

The king had six hundred million queens
And at least one thousand sons.
 The name of his palace was Pleasing Light.

1.89 “His realm contained eight hundred million towns,

Each situated within lush and beautiful parks.
With bountiful harvests, this realm was delightful and enjoyable.
It was like the Vaijayanta Palace in the Heaven of the Thirty-Three.

1.90 “In a dream, the king heard

That the buddha Śaśiketu had come.
With six hundred million servants and attendants,
He sought him out.

1.91 “The king prayed, ‘After hearing the teaching of this sūtra
On the profound absorption that is the body of the Victorious One,
May I experience emptiness, precisely as intended.’10 [F.242.a]
Then he offered his entire kingdom to that buddha.

1.92 “In all the cities, he commissioned

Temples to11 the Thus-Gone One made of sandalwood.
He offered them with joy and delight,
And covered the ground he tread upon with gold leaf.

1.93 “For a full eighty thousand years

The king did nothing but make offerings,
Never wearying or sleeping.
Without succumbing to12 desire, he did not crave 13 his kingdom.

1.94 “All the arrays of things he offered

To the Thus-Gone One each day,
In order that this absorption would be disclosed,14
Cannot be described in words.

1.95 “Still, since it remained hidden, the king began to think,

‘Since this absorption is extremely profound,
It is impossible to accomplish this absorption, the wisdom seal,
While clinging to worldly goods.’

1.96 “Thus, he went forth as a monk and renounced his kingdom.

He dressed in hemp robes and collected alms.
For a full eighty thousand years,
He did not succumb to sleep and trained in absorption.

1.97 “During that time, he retained whatever

Teachings that buddha gave.
When the Well-Gone One passed into the space of nirvāṇa,
 He built six hundred forty million stūpas.

1.98 “To each, he offered five hundred parasols

Adorned and beautified with the seven precious substances.
To each, a hundred cymbals were rung,
And a hundred thousand lamps were offered.

1.99 “For seven hundred thirty billion years

He lived his life with few possessions.
Having thus abided, free from worldly distractions,
He taught this absorption to his retinue.

1.100 “He did not desire even praise,

Let alone any success gained through knowledge.
Wishing to preserve the Dharma,
He renounced all invitations to meals for the monastics.

1.101 “He then pleased thus-gone ones

Numbering seven trillion eight hundred million.
He offered such arrays to them all,
And he obtained this absorption from each of them.

1.102 “Whoever wishes to preserve this awakening

Should meditate devotedly, without desire,
And with unwavering altruistic motivation,
Just like that king trained. [F.242.b]

1.103 “Yet there are others who strive for wealth, without concern for the Dharma;
Such undisciplined beings may claim to train in awakening.
In the future, people with such claims will appear.
They will delight in chattering and say that everything is empty.

1.104 “Yet they will not understand things to be empty in the way of emptiness
itself.
Their lives will be full of desire, harshness, and afflictions.
Encouraging emptiness to be grasped through words,
They will say, ‘I am awakened—beyond the shadow of a doubt.’

1.105 “At that time, the supreme king’s lifespan will become infinite.
His thousand children of this fortunate eon
And the many in the retinue seated in front of him
Will all take vows and go forth.

1.106 “Recollecting the myriad victorious ones

Under whom I went forth,
 All the words I have taught are only what they taught,
And remaining in that, I also cultivated emptiness.

1.107 “While adhering for infinite eons to such a method,

I made offerings to all the buddhas,
Yet I did not attain awakening thereby
Until, because I had remained in it,

1.108 “As soon as I saw Dīpaṃkara

I cast away uncertainties, beheld sameness,
And the Guide then gave me the prophecy:
‘You will become the buddha named Śākyasiṃha.’ ” [B2]

1.109 At that point King Bimbisāra’s true queen, Śrībhadrā,15 who was the mother
of Ajātaśatru, and Suvarṇottamaprabhāsā, who was the daughter of
Kṣemavatī,16 also a true queen of King Bimbisāra, were seated as members of
that very assembly. Queen Śrībhadrā and Suvarṇottamaprabhāsā both rose
from their seats and approached the Blessed One. They draped their shawls
over their left shoulders and knelt on their right knees. Joining their palms,
they bowed toward the Blessed One. With reverence and respect, they each
offered to the Blessed One’s body a gift of priceless woven fabrics. Then,
setting forth five hundred bowls of the flowers of the seven precious
substances, [F.243.a] they made the following promise:
1.110 “Blessed One, in the future, during the final five hundred years, we two
shall be devoted to this precious absorption. We shall ensure that others
trust it, appreciate it, remember it, study it, understand it, and teach it
extensively to others, by serving and venerating those Dharma teachers who
uphold discourses such as this, with offerings of clothing, food, bedding,
healing medicines, and other necessities. We shall work to mature sentient
beings into unsurpassed and perfect awakening. We shall not abandon
emptiness. We shall not be occupied with words but practice sincerely.
Blessed One, never mind any outer material concerns, we shall do so without
regard even for our bodies and lives.”
1.111 Following the two queens’ example, the retinue of King Bimbisāra’s
queens, which consisted of a hundred thousand girls, rose from their seats
and joined their palms. Those who had embarked on the path to
unsurpassed and perfect awakening rejoiced in this absorption and said,
“Blessed One, in the future, during the final five hundred years, we too shall
gladly embrace the sacred Dharma.” The sixty thousand female lay
practitioners of Magadha who had also embarked for unsurpassed and
perfect awakening rejoiced in this absorption. Rejoicing, they said, “In the
future, during the final five hundred years, we too shall gladly embrace the
sacred Dharma.”
1.112 Then the Blessed One smiled. As is the nature of the blessed buddhas,
when he smiled, light radiated from the Blessed One’s mouth in hundreds of
thousands of distinct, manifold colors —blue, [F.243.b] yellow, red, white,
violet, crystalline, and silver. This light beamed from his mouth and
illuminated boundless, infinite world systems. It subdued all demonic
abodes and extended even up to the world of Brahmā. Its brilliance outshone
the light of the sun and the moon and pacified the painful feelings of all
beings born in hell, the animal realm, and the world of the Lord of Death.
Returning back, it swirled around the Blessed One hundreds of thousands of
times and disappeared back into the crown of his head.
1.113 At this point Śrībhadrā and Suvarṇottamaprabhāsā, who was the daughter
of Kṣemavatī, rose from their seats, draped their shawls over their left
shoulders, and knelt on their right knees. Joining their palms, they bowed
toward the Blessed One. They praised him with these melodious verses and
asked him about the purpose behind his smile:

1.114 “Supreme being with so many qualities, unlike anyone in the three
existences,
Your hundreds of qualities radiate like the moon in the sky.
Your smile is so beautiful and your speech so sweet!
With your ten powers, please tell us why you smiled.

1.115 “Foremost being, please survey the world with your smiling face, which is
like the moon.
Your voice is so gentle —the beautiful and clear voice of Brahmā.
It soothes the mind and pleases the body, fully satisfying our minds.
O Teacher, best of men, please reveal the cause of your lion-like smile.

1.116 “Your speech is untroubled, unsullied, and not lacking in any way.
It is exceedingly rich, even-toned, and beautifully sweet.
Differentiating between the trillions of differing attitudes among people,
You who possess every kind of precious quality, please explain your smile.

1.117 “Your speech possesses the eight factors and sixty branches;
Your voice contains seven hundred languages and six hundred million
syllables.17 [F.244.a]
The Buddha’s voice has one hundred eighty billion applications.
Please declare the true and boundless causes 18 behind your smile.

1.118 “Like the supreme mountain, others do not sway you.

You discern a hundred differing attitudes and totally dismantle ambivalence.
You pacify the suffering of existence and grant beings happiness.
Please explain in detail about your lovely smile.
1.119 “Your body is like a jeweled offering pillar, delightful like a golden
mountain.
Your face has the appearance of a hundred-petaled lotus in full bloom.
You have the overwhelming power of a lion, the roar of the lord of beasts.
Please reveal the meaning of your laughing smile.

1.120 “In the three worlds, you are unequaled and have none of the three stains.
Acting beautifully, you thoroughly pacify and delight the hundreds of
existences.
Your smile illuminates all within the ten directions.
Tell us swiftly and in detail about the nectar that clears away darkness.

1.121 “The lute, clay drum, one-string, three-string, conch, and flute;
kinnaras, nightingales, and cuckoos;
Swans, cranes, large drums, and tabors —
Even if resounding together, they would not equal a fraction of the Buddha’s
speech.

1.122 “In these vast assemblies, which have come here from the ten directions,
Are a great number of intelligent beings, as well as some with poor
intelligence.
They have come from many places, having gained results and accomplished
their training.19
Please explain how these beings will eliminate 20 the vine of craving.

1.123 “This boundless and sacred assembly comes from millions of realms.
The best of men from the ten directions sent forth these beings who desire
the Dharma.
Surely, having heard of this accomplishment, they will be delighted.21
So please bring down a rain of Dharma that explains the reasons for your
smile.”

1.124 In reply, the Blessed One spoke these verses to queen Śrībhadrā and
Suvarṇottamaprabhāsā:

“I remember, innumerable eons ago, as many as the grains of sand in the

Ganges,
There was a guide of the world called Puṇyaraśmi.
That teacher’s life spanned seven hundred million years.
That Dharma king’s saṅgha of hearers was infinite. [F.244.b]

1.125 “Then appeared a wheel-turning king, Prajñāsārathi.

His two wives, Keturājñī and Arcī, were utterly free from attachment.
Desiring the Dharma, they went forth
 And kept their precepts for millions of years.

1.126 “During those days, they maintained the precepts

Of six hundred three million guides.
In the future, when the precepts of the world protectors —as many as there
are grains of sand
In thirty Ganges rivers —weaken, they will preserve them together.

1.127 “Throughout those lives, you two were together as those beings,
And eventually, you became the wives of the king Prajñāsārathi.
Through having preserved the Dharma, in the future you will cast off your
female forms
And behold the thus-gone one Amitābha in Sukhāvatī.

1.128 “Moreover, during the end times, all other followers

Will set out with the intent to safeguard awakening.
They will become the victors’ sons, adorned with the thirty signs,
Seated upon blooming lotus flowers in Sukhāvatī.

1.129 “In that realm they will devotedly pay homage to the teacher,
And in the eon without enemies called Vyūharāja,
All of them will attain the highest awakening of buddhahood.
They will remain, so that all gods and humans can practice the Dharma.

1.130 “In that buddha realm there will be no demonic activity,

And at that time, hearers will be unheard of.
All actions will be flawless; there will be no lower realms, and no one will
enter the womb.
Infinite numbers of bodhisattvas will always congregate there.

1.131 “Those who give up their lives to guard the awakening of the victorious
ones,
Who desire no profit and have no regard for their own lives,
Will soon abide in the highest awakening of buddhahood.
Just as they desire, they will travel to the buddha realms.

1.132 “In this way, during the time of great quarrels, you must get along,
Delight in the buddhas, and, respectfully and without envy, preserve my
awakening!
In that future time of divisions, [F.245.a]
Do not follow those who long for wealth.

1.133 “As I pursued the meaningful qualities of buddhahood for millions of eons,
I relinquished my wives, sons, daughters, kingdoms, heads, and eyes.
 Those senseless ones will destroy my Dharma with a lust for wealth.
For the sake of profit and gain, they will be hostile to one another.

1.134 “During the end times, you will guard awakening with your sincere
intention.
To that end you will act, impelled by the tears of eight hundred million
beings.
The trichiliocosm will stir, and the gods will rain down flowers.
Whoever delights in this sūtra will discover a treasure.

1.135 “All the guides in the ten directions will be delighted.

The gods will praise them in wonderful garlands of song.
In the future, whoever hears and trains in this sūtra of the wisdom seal
Will receive the offerings of the gods and the protection of the yakṣas.

1.136 “One may fill with gold as many buddha realms as there are grains of sand
in the Ganges,
And offer it all to the guides for as many eons as there are grains of sand in
the Ganges.
Yet this would not approach the accumulation of merit
Of those who accept this discourse of the wisdom seal, and apply it.

1.137 “Awakening should not be forced upon those who do not want it.
Instead, let them arouse the mind of awakening by hearing of the Buddha’s
splendor.
When this teaching is applied just as it is explained in the discourse,
They will soon become protectors of the world.

1.138 “Those who want to reach the vast and sacred awakening of buddhahood
Should stay in hermitages and devotedly take the vows of individual
liberation.
Because of the three vows, they will see all beings like a mother sees her son.
They joyfully honor22 them and see them as teachers.

1.139 “Those who record this absorption of the wisdom seal,

Who hold it, show it, read it, and teach it to others,
Will accrue limitless and unfathomable merit.
Such children of the victorious ones will travel to the world of Sukhāvatī.”

1.140 Then the bodhisattva great being Maitreya asked the Blessed One,
“Venerable Blessed One, in the future, during the final five hundred years,
[F.245.b] what will happen to those who receive and hold this absorption of
the thus-gone one’s wisdom seal?”
1.141 The Blessed One replied to the bodhisattva great being Maitreya,
“Maitreya, in future times, they will suffer, suffer immensely. They will be
false, totally false. They will have little patience or interest, and they will
destroy their roots of virtue. Maitreya, even if I were to explain to you how
bodhisattvas will be destroyed in the future, Maitreya, you could not
comprehend it.”
1.142 The bodhisattva great being Maitreya beseeched the Blessed One, “Please
consider us all compassionately! Blessed One, please teach us! Well-Gone
One, please teach us! Blessed One, those bodhisattvas who endeavor to
learn, once they hear your teaching, will train in suchness. Once they train in
suchness, they will gain accomplishment in suchness. From then on, their
progress toward unsurpassed and perfect awakening will be irreversible.
This will be their accomplishment.”
1.143 The Blessed One responded to the bodhisattva great being Maitreya,
“Maitreya, beings who previously aroused the mind of awakening and
engendered roots of virtue in the presence of a hundred buddhas will, in
future times, allow the mind of awakening to deteriorate. They will no longer
have any interest in the extremely vast, but renounce it.
1.144 “Maitreya, even beings who have previously aroused the mind of
awakening and produced roots of virtue in the presence of a thousand
buddhas will, in future times, no longer have any interest in the extremely
vast, but renounce it, even though they aroused the mind of awakening.
They will not commit it to writing, [F.246.a] receive it, hold it, teach it, or trust
it.
1.145 “Maitreya, beings who have previously aroused the mind of awakening
and produced roots of virtue in the presence of a hundred thousand
buddhas will, in future times, arouse the mind of awakening, feel interest in
the extremely vast, and not renounce it. However, they will not proclaim it,
and they will not understand its meaning.
1.146 “Maitreya, beings who have previously aroused the mind of awakening
and produced roots of virtue in the presence of ten million buddhas will, in
future times, arouse the mind of awakening, hear about the extremely vast,
commit it to writing, retain it, stay interested, proclaim it, and understand its
meaning. However, they will not gain acceptance of awakening, will not
attain this absorption, and will not gain eloquence.
1.147 “Maitreya, beings who have previously aroused the mind of awakening
and produced roots of virtue in the presence of a hundred million buddhas
will, in future times, arouse the mind of awakening, hear about the extremely
vast, feel interested in it, commit it to writing, retain it, proclaim it, and gain
acceptance of it. Yet, they will not attain this absorption and will not gain
eloquence.
1.148 “Maitreya, beings who have previously aroused the mind of awakening
and produced roots of virtue in the presence of three hundred million
buddhas will, in future times, arouse the mind of awakening, hear about the
extremely vast, feel interested in it, not renounce it, trust it, recite it, commit it
to writing, read it, and chant it. They will master it, retain it, retain it
thoroughly, realize its meaning, and teach it extensively to others. They will
train in it, gaining acceptance of awakening. However, they will not attain
this absorption of the thus-gone one’s wisdom seal, [F.246.b] and they will not
gain eloquence.
1.149 “Maitreya, beings who have previously aroused the mind of awakening
and produced roots of virtue in the presence of eight hundred million
buddhas and heard from these buddhas about this absorption that is the
wisdom seal of the thus-gone ones, and who grasp it and understand it will, in
future times, arouse the mind of awakening, hear about the extremely vast,
feel interested in it, trust it, and not renounce it. They will recite it, trust it,
chant it, commit it to writing, read it, and master it. They will retain it, retain it
thoroughly, realize its meaning, and teach it extensively to others. They will
train in it, gaining acceptance of awakening. Furthermore, they will also
attain this absorption that is the wisdom seal of the thus-gone ones. They will
reveal the awakening of the buddhas by means of the indivisibility and
nonapprehension of all phenomena. They will not be swept away by
demonic activity. They will not be swept away by the obscurations of
phenomena. Whatever negative karma they have accumulated over
countless prior lifetimes, in future times, it will all be purified merely by a
headache. It will all be purified merely by a moment of worry. It will all be
purified merely by criticism. It will all be purified merely by scorn. It will all
be purified merely by disparagement. It will all be purified merely by
belittlement. It will all be purified merely by their having few possessions. In
just one life, everything will be purified.
1.150 “Maitreya, in future times, those bodhisattvas who are not discouraged
from the mind of awakening, who teach the resolve, and who have
resolutely set out for awakening will have thereby venerated countless
buddhas. [F.247.a] Maitreya, the negativity accumulated by those
bodhisattvas that otherwise leads to the lower realms will, in future times, be
purified by ugliness of appearance. It will be purified by lack of refinement. It
will be purified by sickness. It will be purified by lack of charisma. It will be
purified by birth into a lowly family. It will be purified by birth into an
obscure family. It will be purified by birth into a disrespected family. It will
be purified by birth into a poor family. It will be purified by being born into a
family on the borderlands. It will be purified by birth into a wretched family.
It will be purified by birth into a ruined family. It will be purified by birth into
 a family with wrong view. It will be purified by birth into a family of slaves or
barbarians. It will be purified by encounters with unfortunate beings. It will
be purified by meetings with ignoble beings. It will be purified by their
minds being beset by many sorrows.
1.151 “Their karmic obscurations will be purified by experiences of troubles in
the kingdom, regions, provinces, towns, cities, villages, countryside, royal
palace, and their homes. Their karmic obscurations will be purified by
experiences of separation from loved ones, famine, not encountering a
teacher, and not being able to continuously listen to the Dharma, as well as
by long periods without clothing, food, bedding, medicine, or possessions.
They will also be purified by receiving only things of poor quality, or too few
things. They will also be purified by admiration of the mediocre, and through
lack of interest in those who are excellent. Their karmic obscurations will
also be purified by obstacles to persevering in the roots of virtue, meager
comprehension, straying concentration, the inability to settle the mind, not
achieving the factors of awakening, and failing to comprehend the true
meaning of the Dharma. Their obscurations will even be purified by
witnessing negative actions in dreams.
1.152 “If karmic obscurations afflict them, they will be overcome by the evil
Māra. [F.247.b] If the evil Māra overcomes them, they will not understand
Māra’s faults. Because they do not fully understand Māra’s faults, those who
have possessions will despise those who are without. Those who are
handsome will despise those who are not handsome. Those who are lovely
will despise those who are not lovely. Those who are delightful to behold
will despise those who are not so. The learned will despise the ignorant.
Those who are eloquent will despise those who are not so. Those who like
giving will despise the stingy. The disciplined will despise those with no
restraint. Those with a mere modicum of patience will despise those who are
malicious. The diligent will despise the lazy. Those with concentration will
despise those who are distracted. Those with insight will despise those with
erroneous insight. The skillful will despise the unskillful. No matter what
beautiful quality they obtain, they will distort it to despise others. Maitreya,
when even those who have previously created roots of virtue in the
presence of a hundred buddhas —and who now agree, stand together, and
are united—become divided in future times, then how could it not be so for
other irresolute beings with wild minds who have not produced any such
roots of virtue? Maitreya, in that way, the world will one day become a
terrifying place.
1.153 “Thus, Maitreya, a bodhisattva such as you must don great and solid
armor. You must practice selflessly with the power of patience. You must
master the wisdom that engages in the profound Dharma. You must have a
 view free of any objective reference. [F.248.a] Your mind must be firm, as
must your diligence. Your resolve and endeavor must be firm. In future
times, you must take up the sacred Dharma. You must uphold the sacred
Dharma. You must guard the sacred Dharma. You must delight in making the
sacred Dharma endure for a long time. You must engender diligence, remain
diligent, and keep others in mind.”
1.154 When Prāmodyarāja, Mañjuśrī, and the rest of the sixty incomparable
beings, as well as Maitreya, Siṃhapradyota, and all the other bodhisattva
great beings of the fortunate eon, had listened to the teaching on upholding
the sacred Dharma delivered by the Blessed One, they were delighted by the
prospect of upholding the sacred Dharma, so they promised the Blessed
One, “Blessed One, all of us agree to renounce all deceit and artifice. We
renounce all pride, conceit, and arrogance. We eliminate all likes, dislikes,
and cravings.23 We are dedicated to the profound state beyond any objective
reference, and we will maintain this awakening of the buddhas —the thus-
gone ones —accomplished over the course of countless quintillions of eons.
We will protect it. We will teach it extensively to others. Paying no heed to
our bodies or lives, we will preserve this awakening of the buddhas.”
1.155 Then, in order to instruct them, the Blessed One spoke these verses to
Prāmodyarāja, Mañjuśrī, and the other sixty incomparable beings, and to
Maitreya, Siṃhapradyota, and all the other bodhisattva great beings of the
fortunate eon:

1.156 “Be without deceit, artifice, ego, or rigidity.

Remain mindful, intelligent, and without a home.
Accept the profound and rest without distraction,
And guard the wealth of the ten powers! [F.248.b]

1.157 “Be honest, artless, without desire, and free from ego;
Delight in absence of grasping, and be totally free from clinging.
Keep to sameness like a path in the open sky.
Practicing like this, you will accomplish this absorption.

1.158 “Make your constant aspiration for awakening firm,

And meditate on the profound, as the victorious ones did.
If you disregard all loved ones and acquaintances,
That is the way you attain this precious absorption.

1.159 “By equalizing the mind that always likes or dislikes,

By perceiving supreme beings as teachers,
And by delighting in what is delightful,
You will quickly realize this absorption.
1.160 “Here are presented a billion paths to the seal of eloquence:
A treasure trove of inexhaustible light.
This is the way to enter wisdom,
As sunlight clears away darkness.

1.161 “You must uphold this sūtra,

For it is like the sun, the moon, the stars,
The earth, the snowy mountains,
The lords of the four continents, Śakra, Brahmā, and a healer.

1.162 “It purifies the mind and exhausts karma.

It is nectar and it tames the demons.
It is a magical eye that sees the minds of others.
It is a roar that causes realization in all beings.

1.163 “It makes you remember billions of eons.

It entirely exhausts all entrapments.
This seal of the buddhas is praised by the well-gone ones.
Awakening is in the hand of the one who holds it.

1.164 “One realizes emptiness

According to how one abides in this empty nature.
By abandoning the conceptual thinking
Of both thoughts and concepts, you uphold the Dharma.

1.165 “After I pass into nirvāṇa, some people will say

That this teaching should be seen as a dream.
The Dharma that is unarisen and uncreated
Is conceptualized by some according to their own understanding.

1.166 “Emptiness is unborn and not created by anyone.

It is not seen, does not come, and does not change place.
So when those who dwell on objective references say ‘We know how to train
well in emptiness,’
It is a statement made by thieves of the Dharma.

1.167 “It may be said, of those for whom receiving this teaching
Causes tears to well up and all their pores to tingle,
That their progress toward awakening is irreversible,
But they will later be spoken of with multiple insults.

1.168 “For the sake of well-being, those from humble households will go forth
After their family wealth has run out, [F.249.a]
And find every kind of happiness in this teaching,
 And yet they will become hostile toward my offspring.

1.169 “Some who long for awakening will go forth in this teaching.
They will speak of awakening, yet not abide in it.
For those not secured in awakening,
It is as distant as the far shore of an ocean.24

1.170 “They will say, ‘Because we rely on households with wealth and friends,
We genuinely go forth.
We are pure in terms of our conduct and hermitage,
And with respect to our preceptor and friends.’

1.171 “Whoever goes forth in my teaching

Stays in worldly life like a lotus stays in water.
Those who persevere in this sūtra in this way
Will preserve my awakening.

1.172 “Prāmodyarāja, now that I have taught you this,

Do not train like those with low intelligence!
Attain the qualities of buddhahood in earnest!
Apply yourself to it without concepts!

1.173 “Imagine that every person in billions of buddha realms

Were to sow as many seeds
As there are grains of sand in the Ganges,
And that each seed were to grow fruits.

1.174 “Imagine next that by skillful means,

All the grains were multiplied by a thousand,
Thus filling up all the infinite realms,
And that the ensuing set were counted as one.

1.175 “Imagine then that each such collection

Were multiplied by the previous number of sand grains,
And that all the ten directions
Were filled with that many victorious ones.

1.176 “Imagine further that each of those buddhas had that many heads,
And each head had that many tongues,
And each tongue called out praises of this sūtra
For as many eons as there are grains of sand in the Ganges.

1.177 “Such descriptions of this sūtra’s qualities

Would be like a mustard seed compare to Mount Meru,
 Like a blade of grass compared to the sky, or like a single drop from the
ocean.
Thus, it must be approached in a way that transcends concepts.”

1.178 Then Prāmodyarāja, Mañjuśrī, and the other sixty incomparable beings, as
well as Maitreya, Siṃhapradyota, and all the other bodhisattva great beings
of the fortunate eon, asked the Blessed One, “Blessed One, when we say
Dharma, to what does that term refer?” [F.249.b]
1.179 The Blessed One replied to Prāmodyarāja, Mañjuśrī, and the other sixty
incomparable beings, and to Maitreya, Siṃhapradyota, and all the other
bodhisattva great beings of the fortunate eon, “Noble sons, Dharma refers to
that which is unchanging and nonconceptual.”
1.180 “Blessed One, to what do the terms unchanging and nonconceptual refer?”
“Noble sons, unchanging and nonconceptual refer to nonreferential.”
“Blessed One, to what does nonreferential refer?”
“Noble sons, nonreferential refers to inexhaustible.”
1.181 “Blessed One, to what does inexhaustible refer?”
“Noble sons, inexhaustible refers to unborn.”
“Blessed One, to what does unborn refer?”
“Noble sons, unborn refers to uninterrupted.”
1.182 “Blessed One, to what does uninterrupted refer?”
“Noble sons, uninterrupted refers to uncollected.”
“Blessed One, to what does uncollected refer?”
“Noble sons, uncollected refers to ungraspable.”
1.183 “Blessed One, to what does ungraspable refer?”
“Noble sons, ungraspable refers to nonabiding.” [F.250.a]
“Blessed One, to what does nonabiding refer?”
“Noble sons, nonabiding refers to unchanging.”
1.184 “Blessed One, to what does unchanging refer?”
“Noble sons, unchanging refers to uncompounded.”
“Blessed One, to what does uncompounded refer?”
“Noble sons, uncompounded refers to unquantifiable.”
1.185 “Blessed One, to what does unquantifiable refer?”
“Noble sons, unquantifiable refers to free from thought.”
“Blessed One, to what does free from thought refer?”
“Noble sons, free from thought refers to unknowable.”
1.186 “Blessed One, to what does unknowable refer?”
“Noble sons, unknowable refers to unassembled.”
“Blessed One, to what does unassembled refer?”
“Noble sons, unassembled refers to without separation.”
1.187 “Blessed One, to what does without separation refer?”
 “Noble sons, without separation refers to sameness.”
“Blessed One, to what does sameness refer?” [F.250.b]
“Noble sons, sameness refers to without difference.”
1.188 “Blessed One, to what does without difference refer?”
“Noble sons, without difference refers to nonabiding.”
“Blessed One, to what does nonabiding refer?”
“Noble sons, nonabiding refers to immaterial.”
1.189 “Blessed One, to what does immaterial refer?”
“Noble sons, immaterial refers to essenceless.”
“Blessed One, to what does essenceless refer?”
“Noble sons, essenceless refers to groundless.”
1.190 “Blessed One, to what does groundless refer?”
“Noble sons, groundless refers to nirvāṇa.”
1.191 Then Prāmodyarāja, Mañjuśrī, and the other sixty incomparable beings, as
well as Maitreya, Siṃhapradyota, and all the other bodhisattva great beings
of the fortunate eon, inquired of the Blessed One, “Blessed One, if the
Dharma has such characteristics, how can it be that the Dharma ever
vanishes? What is it that we should protect?”
1.192 The Blessed One replied to Prāmodyarāja, Mañjuśrī, and the other sixty
incomparable beings, and to Maitreya, Siṃhapradyota, and all the other
bodhisattva great beings of the fortunate eon, [F.251.a] “Noble sons, what
childish ordinary beings perceive to be the Dharma and understand to be the
Dharma are conceptual elaborations of the Dharma. Because they
conceptually impute and elaborate on the Dharma, they teach it dualistically.
Those who teach it dualistically are in conflict with the Dharma. However,
noble sons, ultimately we find nothing at all—no Dharma and no conflict
with the Dharma.”
1.193 When the Blessed One had explained the meaning to them, he spoke
these verses:

“Some say that what is created is compounded,

While others say that it is uncompounded.
However, as both apprehend phenomena, both are concepts.
Such conceptual elaborations are called impure.

1.194 “Phenomena are not created by anyone, nor does anything destroy them.
No one sees them, knows them, or is close to them.
Such untenable domains of imputed thought—
All are designated empty.

1.195 “The thought that something is empty is untenable,

Because the unarisen is imputed through such concepts.
 All concepts are demonic nooses,
And immutability is called the seal of Dharma.

1.196 “When they imagine nonexistent things,

The childish are bound by those movements of thought.
All concepts are like echoes,
Yet the childish conceptualize about them dualistically.

1.197 “The wise never discover knowledge,

And from the wise no knowledge arises.
It is taught in dependence on the relative;
Yet here, no knowledge or knower is observed.

1.198 “If phenomena had essences,

Then, because they perish, their cessation would be nirvāṇa.
If phenomena did abide,
Then nirvāṇa would be completely permanent.

1.199 “Childish beings engage in abandonment and attainment.

Childish beings create nirvāṇa, though it has no characteristics.
Those who perceive a self attain the compounded,
While the wise are free from notions of existence and absence.

1.200 “Knowing and not knowing are not different.

They are mere conventions and have no core.
Those who engage with constructs and marks
Declare nirvāṇa to be a destruction of entities.

1.201 “The mind does not know the essence of mind. [F.251.b]
Neither does the essence know the mind.
All phenomena are essentially dreams.
This is what some call the two truths.

1.202 “Birth is not real,

Nor does cessation have any reality.
None of the buddhas are subject to birth.
They become real through skillful means.

1.203 “The buddhas have not attained any wisdom,

And the Dharma that has been taught—they did not teach at all.
Nobody liberates any beings whatsoever.
In this way the buddhas are unborn buddhas.

1.204 “If they had an essence that passed beyond suffering,

The victorious ones would go there together with the hearers.
 But solid phenomena do not pass beyond suffering,
And the nonconceptual will never be known.

1.205 “Those who do not see beings for what they actually are
Teach beings according to the relative world;
But those who see beings as they actually are
Rest in groundless nirvāṇa.

1.206 “Some say that the aggregates are true.

Some say that existence, cessation, and the path are true.
Although the unborn is a single truth,
Some speak of four truths.

1.207 “At the seat of awakening I did not accomplish or see 25

Even a single truth, so how could there be four?
Thus, many of low intelligence go forth
And destroy my teaching.

1.208 “Spiritual practitioners who want to pursue positive qualities

In order to practice this absorption
Should not associate with such wild beings;
Instead, like the rhinoceros, they should stay in solitude.

1.209 “This was intended to be practiced

By eight hundred million excellent humans.
The many gods who behold this truth
Guard it day and night.

1.210 “Whoever meditates on this absorption, so hard to see,

In that person’s dream the Buddha will appear—
Clear, limitless, and inexhaustible —
And grant them entrance into the gateway of attainment.”

1.211 Then the Blessed One said to youthful Mañjuśrī, “Mañjuśrī, bodhisattva
great beings who wish to realize the buddhas’ awakening should strive in
this absorption. [F.252.a] Bodhisattvas who wish to accomplish the excellent
marks and signs should strive in this absorption. Bodhisattvas who wish to
attain the eighteen unique qualities of a buddha should strive in this
absorption. Bodhisattvas who wish to attain the powers, the fearlessnesses,
great love, and great compassion should strive in this absorption.
Bodhisattvas who wish to attain the buddha eye, the self-arisen state, the
excellent buddha realm, the excellent lifespan, and the excellent array should
strive in this absorption. Bodhisattvas who wish to attain the excellent
retinue, the excellent form, the excellent bodhisattva name, as well as the
 excellent hearers should strive in this absorption. Bodhisattvas who wish to
attain illumination, wisdom, dhāraṇī, the conventions of beings’ languages,
reason, methods, and gateways should strive in this absorption.
Bodhisattvas who wish to attain skill in entering the path, the perfection of
light, the generation of the power of correct understanding, and the
generation of the power of conviction should strive in this absorption.
Bodhisattvas who wish to attain excellent eloquence, unmistaken view, and
the realization of sameness should strive in this absorption.
1.212 “Why is that? Because when bodhisattvas strive in this absorption, they
attain all these advantageous qualities. And when bodhisattvas have these
advantageous qualities, they are called buddhas. They are called guides,
leaders, great leaders, teachers, omniscient ones, victorious ones, protectors
of the world, self-arisen ones, thus-gone ones, those who practice what they
preach, [F.252.b] peerless ones, unequaled ones, and incomparable ones.
They are called those who speak supremely, those who speak correctly,
those who speak the truth, those who speak at the right time, and those who
propound the vinaya. They are called unsurpassed, and they are called the
most excellent persons. Why is this? Mañjuśrī, as I rested in this absorption
and beheld the thus-gone one Dīpaṃkara, I immediately attained
awakening.”
1.213 Mañjuśrī then asked, “If you discovered awakening upon seeing the
blessed thus-gone one Dīpaṃkara, then, Blessed One, why did you continue
to circle in saṃsāra for countless eons?”
1.214 “Mañjuśrī,” replied the Blessed One, “I was circling in saṃsāra for
countless eons in order to perform buddha activities, ripen beings, and
accomplish excellent former aspirations. However, Mañjuśrī, all the while I
sustained awakening and nirvāṇa.”
1.215 Then, in order to explain this meaning more extensively, the Blessed One
spoke these verses:

“With this, you become a leader with boundless and supreme intelligence,
Esteemed by billions of buddhas in the ten directions.
It discloses the methods of a hundred sūtras, beyond imagination and limit.
Applying this sūtra, you will accomplish inexhaustible dhāraṇī.

1.216 “This wisdom absorption is surely the gateway to all languages.

It brings realization, liberation, nonattachment, and an end to all clinging.
It is beyond birth, interruption, or basis; it is nirvāṇa, free of afflictions.
It brings power, noble marks and signs, and all the victors’ qualities.

1.217 “It purifies all melodious speech and any form of language.
It brings realization, satisfaction, purification,26 and freedom from clinging.
It knows very well, is beyond any doubt, and exhausts all afflictions.
 To practice this discourse is to stand before awakening. [F.253.a]

1.218 “Apply yourself to this —one-pointedly, directly, and properly.

Do not sleep or be lazy; do not obsess over profit or happiness.
Always be disciplined and free from jealousy, and have a loving mind.
In a state of delight, full of devotion, you will attain this supreme absorption.

1.219 “Keep an unbiased, disciplined, honest, and joyous mind.

Have no dwelling or relations; concerning profit and pleasure, be like a lotus
in a pond.
Whatever you do, be egoless and dedicated, without craving or deceit.
Then, in the future you will attain this king of supreme dhāraṇīs.

1.220 “The trichiliocosm will tremble, and the cymbals of a hundred gods will
sound.
From the sky will appear hundreds of ointments, clothing, powders, and
victory banners.
Lovely garlands, chokers, earrings, capes, conch shells, anklets, necklaces,
Jewels, pearls, armbands, crowns, and rings will be scattered all around.

1.221 “Hosts of gods, goddesses, nāgas, gandharvas, and garuḍas;

Several hundred garuḍa lords, asura lords, male lay practitioners, and
monks;
Along with many nuns and female lay practitioners, will all be delighted.
Offering their own clothing and jewelry, they will arouse the mind of
awakening.

1.222 “When this Dharma is taught, many beings will embark for awakening.
It is impossible to show or calculate how many will become nonregressing.
Those who become tamed as worthy ones will be as infinite as the grains of
sand in the Ganges.
To behold the Guide, they will joyfully assemble from hundreds of realms.”

1.223 When the Blessed One gave this Dharma teaching, countless beings set out
for unsurpassed and perfect awakening. The progress toward unsurpassed
and perfect awakening of eight trillion bodhisattvas became irreversible. Six
hundred million three hundred thousand bodhisattvas attained this
absorption that is the wisdom seal of the thus-gone ones. Innumerable monks,
nuns, male and female lay practitioners, and countless other beings attained
the state of a worthy one. [F.253.b] All bodhisattvas in all the worlds in the
ten directions attained this absorption that is the wisdom seal of the thus-gone
ones.
1.224 When the Blessed One had given this teaching, the great hearers;
Prāmodyarāja, Mañjuśrī, and the other sixty incomparable beings; as well as
Maitreya, Siṃhapradyota, and all the other bodhisattva great beings of the
fortunate eon up until Avabhāsakara, as well as all the bodhisattva great
beings who had gathered from the worlds in the ten directions, the royal
queen Śrībhadrā and Suvarṇottamaprabhāsā, the entire retinue, and the
whole world with its gods, humans, asuras, and gandharvas rejoiced and
praised what the Blessed One had said.

1.225 This completes the noble Great Vehicle sūtra “The Absorption of the Thus-Gone One’s
Wisdom Seal.”
c. Colophon
c.1 Translated, edited, and finalized, with revisions made according to the new
terminology, by the Indian preceptors Jinamitra, Munivarman, and Dānaśīla,
along with the chief editor and translator Bandé Yeshé Dé.
n. NOTES

n.1 Taishō 632, 佛說慧印三昧經 (Fo Shuo Hui Yin Sanmei Jing), third century;
Taishō 633, 佛說如來智印經 (Fo Shuo Rulai Zhi Yin Jing), translator unknown,
fifth century; and Taishō 634, 佛說⼤乘智印經 (Fo Shuo Dasheng Zhi Yin Jing),
translated by Zhi Jixiang in the Song.

n.2 In the Madhyamakaratnapradīpa (Toh 3854), folio 277.b; and according to Eckel
1994, p. 166, in the Tarkajvālā (Toh 3856).

n.3 In the first Bhāvanākrama (Toh. 3915), folio 24.a.

n.4 In the Degé Kangyur, this group consists of eleven sūtras (Toh 127–37), but
in Kangyurs of the Thempangma line they are scattered throughout the
General Sūtra section. Title elements used similarly to group texts in the
Tshalpa Kangyurs include “The Questions…” (Skt. paripṛcchā), “The
Prophecy…” (Skt. vyākaraṇa), “The Teaching…” (Skt. nirdeśa), “The Exemplary
Tales…” (Skt. avadāna), and others.

n.5 See Roberts (2018).

n.6 Such as, for example, the Praśāntaviniścayaprātihāryasamādhi

(https://read.84000.co/translation/toh129.html) (Toh 129, see Dharmachakra
Translation Committee 2020), Māyopamasamādhi
(https://read.84000.co/translation/toh130.html) (Toh 130, see Dharmachakra
Translation Committee 2016), and Sarvapuṇyasamuccayasamādhi
(https://read.84000.co/translation/toh134.html) (Toh 134, see Dharmachakra
Translation Committee 2016.a).

n.7 For further reading, see Skilton 2002.

n.8 Translated based on Stok: ’di la sbyor la bar du gcod med de. Degé reads: ’di la
sbyor la rab tu mchod med de. Narthang has spyod instead of sbyor.
n.9 Translated based on Stok: dpang. Degé reads: dbang.

n.10 Translated based on Stok: stong pa. Degé reads: ston pa.

n.11 Translated based on Stok: yi. Degé reads: yis.

n.12 Translated based on Stok: mi mthun. Degé reads: mi ’dun.

n.13 Translated based on Stok, Yongle, Kangxi, and Lhasa: sred ma yin. Degé reads:
srid ma yin.

n.14 Translated based on Stok: ’don pa. Degé reads: ’dod pa.

n.15 The name of Ajātaśatru’s mother is more typically given as Vaidehī (See
Edgerton, vol. II, 510) or Kośaladevī, given that she was from the region of
Kośala/Kosala.

n.16 The Tibetan for this name, bye ba ldan, has no variants in the Kangyur
collections consulted and appears nowhere else in the Degé Kangyur.
However, other sources (Kṣemavatīvyākaraṇa-sūtra, bde sdan ma lung bstan pa’i
mdo, Toh 192 (https://read.84000.co/translation/toh192.html)) give bde ldan
ma (*Kṣemavatī) as an attested name for one of Bimbisāra’s wives. In dbu med
manuscripts bde might be easily confused for bye, with the following ba
subsequently added to make some sense of the peculiar name resulting from
the initial scribal error. We have thus chosen to render this name
accordingly. This wife is also sometimes known as Kṣemā, and may be
identified with Khemā in the Pali literature.

n.17 Translation tentative. The Tibetan reads: skad ni bdun brgya dag dang yi ge bye
ba drug cu ldan.

n.18 Translated based on Stok: gleng gzhi. Degé reads: gling bzhi.

n.19 Translation tentative. The Tibetan reads: ci nas ’bras bcas brtul zhugs grub nas
phyogs phyogs mchi ’gyur pa.

n.20 Translated based on Stok: bsal ba. Degé reads: btsal ba.

n.21 Translated based on Stok: de nas ci nas dngos grub thos nas dga’ ste mchi ’gyur bar.
Degé reads: de dag ci nas dngos grub thob nas rga ste ’chi ’gyur bar.

n.22 Translated based on Stok: mdun du byas pa. Degé reads: mdun du byas dpa’.

n.23 Translated based on Yongle and Kangxi: sred. Degé reads: srid.
n.24 Translated based on Yongle, Lithang, Kangxi, Narthang, and Choné: rgya
mtsho tshur mtha’ pha mtha’. Degé reads: rgya mtsho chu mtha’ phyi mtha’.

n.25 Translated based on Stok: ma grub ma mthong. Degé reads: grub par ma mthong.

n.26 Translated based on Stok: yongs sbyong. Degé reads: spyod dang.
b. BIBLIOGRAPHY
’phags pa de bzhin gshegs pa’i ye shes kyi phyag rgya’i ting nge ’dzin ces bya ba thegs
pa chen po’i mdo (Tathāgatajñānamudrāsamādhi). Toh 131, Degé Kangyur vol.
55 (mdo sde, da), folios 230b4–253b5.

’phags pa de bzhin gshegs pa’i ye shes kyi phyag rgya’i ting nge ’dzin ces bya ba thegs
pa chen po’i mdo. bka’ ’gyur (dpe bsdur ma) [Comparative Edition of the
Kangyur], krung go’i bod rig pa zhib ’jug ste gnas kyi bka’ bstan dpe sdur
khang (The Tibetan Tripitaka Collation Bureau of the China Tibetology
Research Center). 108 volumes. Beijing: krung go’i bod rig pa dpe skrun
khang (China Tibetology Publishing House), 2006–2009, vol. 55, pp. 606–
63.

’phags pa de bzhin gshegs pa’i ye shes kyi phyag rgya’i ting nge ’dzin ces bya ba thegs
pa chen po’i mdo. Stok no. 214, stog pho brang bris ma, vol. 73 (mdo sde, za),
folios 43a5–74b2.

Bhāviveka. dbu ma rin po che’i sgron ma (Madhyamakaratnapradīpa, Toh 3854).

Degé Tengyur, vol. 97 (dbu ma, tsha), folios 21.b–41.b.

— — — —. dbu ma’i snying po’i ’grel pa rtog ge ’bar ba (Madhyamakahṛdayavṛttitarka-

jvālā, Toh 3856). Degé Tengyur, vol. 98 (dbu ma, dza), folios 40.b–329.b.

Kamalaśīla. bsgom pa’i rim pa (Bhāvanākrama I, Toh 3915). Degé Tengyur, vol.
102 (dbu ma, ki), folios 259.b–289.a.

Dharmachakra Translation Committee (2016). The Illusory Absorption

(https://read.84000.co/translation/toh130.html) (Māyopamasamādhi, Toh 130).
84000: Translating The Words of the Buddha, 2016.

— — — — (2016a). The Absorption That Encapsulates All Merit

(https://read.84000.co/translation/toh134.html) (Sarvapuṇyasamuccayasamādhi,
Toh 134). 84000: Translating The Words of the Buddha, 2016.
— — — — (2020). The Absorption of the Miraculous Ascertainment of Peace
(https://read.84000.co/translation/toh134.html) (Praśāntaviniścayaprātihārya-
samādhi, Toh 129). 84000: Translating The Words of the Buddha, 2020.

Eckel, Malcolm David. To See the Buddha: A Philosopher’s Quest for the Meaning of
Emptiness. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1994.

Edgerton, Franklin. Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Grammar and Dictionary –

Volume II: Dictionary. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1953.

Roberts, Peter Alan. The King of Samādhis Sūtra

(http://read.84000.co/translation/toh127.html) (Samādhirājasūtra, Toh 127). 84000:
Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2018.

Skilton, Andrew. “State or Statement? ‘Samādhi’ in Some Early Mahāyāna

Sutras.” The Eastern Buddhist, New Series, 34, no. 2 (2002): 51–93.
g. GLOSSARY

· Types of attestation for names and terms of the corresponding ·

source language

AS Attested in source text

This term is attested in a manuscript used as a source for this translation.

AO Attested in other text

This term is attested in other manuscripts with a parallel or similar context.

AD Attested in dictionary
This term is attested in dictionaries matching Tibetan to the corresponding
language.

AA Approximate attestation
The attestation of this name is approximate. It is based on other names
where the relationship between the Tibetan and source language is attested
in dictionaries or other manuscripts.

RP Reconstruction from Tibetan phonetic rendering

This term is a reconstruction based on the Tibetan phonetic rendering of the
term.

RS Reconstruction from Tibetan semantic rendering

This term is a reconstruction based on the semantics of the Tibetan
translation.

SU Source unspecified
This term has been supplied from an unspecified source, which most often
is a widely trusted dictionary.

g.1 Ajātaśatru
ma skyes dgra

མ་ས་ད།
ajātaśatru

g.2 Amitābha
 mtha’ yas ’od

མཐའ་ཡས་ད།
amitābha
Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:
The buddha of the western buddhafield of Sukhāvatī, where fortunate
beings are reborn to make further progress toward spiritual maturity.
Amitābha made his great vows to create such a realm when he was a
bodhisattva called Dharmākara. In the Pure Land Buddhist tradition, popular
in East Asia, aspiring to be reborn in his buddha realm is the main emphasis;
in other Mahāyāna traditions, too, it is a widespread practice. For a detailed
description of the realm, see The Display of the Pure Land of Sukhāvatī, Toh 115.
In some tantras that make reference to the five families he is the tathāgata
associated with the lotus family.

Amitābha, “Infinite Light,” is also known in many Indian Buddhist works as

Amitāyus, “Infinite Life.” In both East Asian and Tibetan Buddhist traditions
he is often conflated with another buddha named “Infinite Life,”
Aparimitāyus, or “Infinite Life and Wisdom,”Aparimitāyurjñāna, the shorter
version of whose name has also been back-translated from Tibetan into
Sanskrit as Amitāyus but who presides over a realm in the zenith. For details
on the relation between these buddhas and their names, see The
Aparimitāyurjñāna Sūtra (1) Toh 674, i.9.

g.3 Arcī
’od ’phro

ད་འ།
*arcī RS
A wife of the ancient king Prajñāsārathi.

g.4 asura
lha ma yin

་མ་ན།
asura
Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:
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).

g.5 Avabhāsakara
snang byed

ང་ད།
*avabhāsakara RS
A bodhisattva in attendance as the Buddha delivers this teaching.

g.6 Bimbisāra
gzugs can snying po

གགས་ཅན་ང་།
bimbisāra
Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:
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.

g.7 Black Peaks

ri nag po

་ནག་།
 kālaparvata
The Nine Black Mountains found on the northern edge of the continent of
Jambudvīpa. There are three sets of three of these peaks, and behind them
lies the great snow mountain that is the source of the Ganges River. A
description of this cosmology can be found in chapter three of the
Abhidharmakośabhāṣya of Vasubandhu.

g.8 Brahmā
tshangs pa

ཚངས་པ།
brahmā
Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:
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).

g.9 correct understanding

so sor yang dag par rig pa

་ར་ཡང་དག་པར་ག་པ།
pratisaṃvid
Correct understanding of meaning, Dharma, language, and eloquence.

g.10 Dānaśīla
dA na shI la

་ན་་ལ།
dānaśīla
An Indian paṇḍita who was resident in Tibet during the late eighth and
early ninth centuries.

g.11 dhāraṇī
gzungs

གངས།
 dhāraṇī
Literally, “retention,” or “that which retains, contains, or encapsulates,” this
term refers to mnemonic formulas, or codes possessed by advanced
bodhisattvas that contain a quintessence of their attainments, as well as the
Dharma teachings that express them and guide beings toward their
realization. They are therefore often described in terms of “gateways” for
entering the Dharma and training in its realization, or “seals” that contain
condensations of truths and their expression. The term can also refer to a
statement, or incantation meant to protect or bring about a particular result.

g.12 Dīpaṃkara
mar me mdzad

མར་་མཛད།
dīpaṃkara
The former buddha who prophesied Buddha Śākyamuni’s awakening,
sometimes said to have been the fourth in a line of twenty-seven buddhas
preceding Śākyamuni.

g.13 gandharva
dri za

་ཟ།
gandharva
A class of semidivine beings known for their skills as musicians, sometimes
said to inhabit fantastic cities in the clouds but more usually on the slopes of
Mount Meru.

g.14 garuḍa
nam mkha’ lding

ནམ་མཁའ་ང་།
garuḍa
Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:
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.

g.15 hearer
 nyan thos

ཉན་ས།
śrāvaka
Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:
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.”

g.16 Heaven of the Thirty-Three

sum cu rtsa gsum

མ་་་གམ།
trāyastriṃśa
The second heaven of the desire realm located above Mount Meru and
reigned over by Indra, otherwise known as Śakra, and thirty-two other gods.

g.17 Jambudvīpa
’dzam bu gling

འཛམ་་ང་།
jambudvīpa
Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:
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.

g.18 Jinamitra
dzi na mi tra

་ན་་།
jinamitra
An Indian Kashmiri paṇḍita who was resident in Tibet during the late eighth
and early ninth centuries. He worked with several Tibetan translators on the
translation of several sūtras. He is also the author of the Nyāyabindupiṇḍārtha
(Toh 4233), which is contained in the Tibetan Tengyur (bstan ’gyur) collection.

g.19 kācilindika cloth

gos ka tsa lin di ka

ས་ཀ་ཙ་ན་་ཀ
kācilindika
A very soft substance. The Tibetan translators added “cloth” (gos) to the term.

g.20 Kalandakanivāpa
bya ka la da ka’i gnas

་ཀ་ལ་ད་ཀ་གནས།
kalandakanivāpa
Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:
A place where the Buddha often resided, within the Bamboo Park
(Veṇuvana) outside Rajagṛha that had been donated to him. The name is said
to have arisen when, one day, King Bimbisāra fell asleep after a romantic
liaison in the Bamboo Park. While the king rested, his consort wandered off.
A snake (the reincarnation of the park’s previous owner, who still resented
the king’s acquisition of the park) approached with malign intentions.
Through the king’s tremendous merit, a gathering of kalandaka—crows or
other birds according to Tibetan renderings, but some Sanskrit and Pali
sources suggest flying squirrels —miraculously appeared and began
squawking. Their clamor alerted the king’s consort to the danger, who
rushed back and hacked the snake to pieces, thereby saving the king’s life.
King Bimbisāra then named the spot Kalandakanivāpa (“Kalandakas’
Feeding Ground”), sometimes (though not in the Vinayavastu) given as
Kalandakanivāsa (“Kalandakas’ Abode”) in their honor. The story is told in
 the Saṃghabhedavastu (Toh 1, ch.17, Degé Kangyur vol.4, folio 77.b et seq.). For
more details and other origin stories, see the 84000 Knowledge Base article
Veṇuvana and Kalandakanivāpa.

g.21 Kauṣṭhila
gsus po che

གས་་།
kauṣṭhila
A senior student of Buddha Śākyamuni, famous for his analytical knowledge.

g.22 Keturājñī
tog gi rgyal po

ག་་ལ་།
*keturājñī RS
A wife of the ancient king Prajñāsārathi.

g.23 kinnara
mi’am ci

འམ་།
kinnara
Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:
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.

g.24 Kṣemavatī
bye ba ldan · bde ldan ma

་བ་ན། · བ་ན་མ།
*kṣemavatī RS · *kṣemā RS
The mother of Suvarṇottamaprabhāsā, who was married to King Bimbisāra.
She is likely to be the same person as Khemā in the Pali Canon, one of
Bimbisāra’s consorts who became an arhat and bhikṣuṇī. See also n.16.

g.25 Limit of reality

yang dag pa’i mtha’
 ཡང་དག་པ་མཐའ།
bhūtakoṭi
A synonym for ultimate reality and a way of describing the attainment of
perfection as the culmination of the spiritual path.

g.26 Lord of Death

gshin rje

གན་།
yama
Usually the Lord of Death who directs the departed into the next realm of
rebirth, but here refers to the Lord of the hungry ghost realm.

g.27 Magadha
ma ga dhA

མ་ག་།
magadha
Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:
An ancient Indian kingdom that lay to the south of the Ganges River in what
today is the state of Bihar. Magadha was the largest of the sixteen “great
states” (mahājanapada) that flourished between the sixth and third centuries
ʙᴄᴇ in northern India. During the life of the Buddha Śākyamuni, it was ruled
by King Bimbisāra and later by Bimbisāra's son, Ajātaśatru. Its capital was
initially Rājagṛha (modern-day Rajgir) but was later moved to Pāṭaliputra
(modern-day Patna). Over the centuries, with the expansion of the
Magadha’s might, it became the capital of the vast Mauryan empire and seat
of the great King Aśoka.

This region is home to many of the most important Buddhist sites, including
Bodh Gayā, where the Buddha attained awakening; Vulture Peak (Gṛdhra-
kūṭa), where the Buddha bestowed many well-known Mahāyāna sūtras; and
the Buddhist university of Nālandā that flourished between the fifth and
twelfth centuries ᴄᴇ, among many others.

g.28 Mahākāśyapa
’od srung chen po

ད་ང་ན་།
mahākāśyapa
A senior student of Buddha Śākyamuni, famous for his austere lifestyle.

g.29 Mahākātyāyana
 kA tyA’i bu chen po

་་་ན་།
mahākātyāyana
One of the hearers present during the delivery of the sūtra.

g.30 Mahāmaudgalyāyana
maud gal gyi bu chen po

ད་གལ་ི་་ན་།
mahāmaudgalyāyana
One of the closest disciples of the Buddha, known for his miraculous
abilities.

g.31 Maheśvara
dbang phyug chen po

དབང་ག་ན་།
maheśvara
An epithet of Śiva; sometimes refers specifically to one of the forms of Śiva or
to Rudra.

g.32 mahoraga
lto ’phye chen po

་འ་ན་།
mahoraga
Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:
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.

g.33 Maitreya
byams pa

མས་པ།
maitreya
Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:
 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).

g.34 Mañjuśrī
’jam dpal

འཇམ་དཔལ།
mañjuśrī
Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:
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.

g.35 Māra
bdud

བད།
māra
Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:
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.

g.36 Meru
ri rab

་རབ།
meru
Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:
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.

g.37 Munivarman
mu ni war+ma

་་ཝ།
munivarman
An Indian paṇḍita who was resident in Tibet during the late eighth and
early ninth centuries.
g.38 nāga
klu

།
nāga
Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:
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.

g.39 perfections
pha rol tu phyin pa

ཕ་ལ་་ན་པ།
pāramitā
The trainings of the bodhisattva path: generosity, discipline, patience,
diligence, concentration, and insight.

g.40 Pleasing Light

dga’ ba’i ’od

དགའ་བ་ད།
—
The palace of a king known as Puṇyodgata.

g.41 Prajñāsārathi
shes rab kha lo sgyur ba

ས་རབ་ཁ་་ར་བ།
*prajñāsārathi RS
An ancient king.

g.42 Prāmodyarāja
mchog tu dga’ ba’i rgyal po

མག་་དགའ་བ་ལ་།
*prāmodyarāja RS
 A bodhisattva in attendance as the Buddha delivers his teaching.

g.43 Puṇyaraśmi
bsod nams ’od zer

བད་ནམས་ད་ར།
*puṇyaraśmi RS
An ancient king.

g.44 Puṇyodgata
bsod nams ’phags

བད་ནམས་འཕགས།
*puṇyodgata RS
An ancient king.

g.45 Pūrṇa Maitrāyaṇīputra

byams ma’i bu gang po

མས་མ་་གང་།
pūrṇa maitrāyaṇīputra
One of the closest disciples of the Buddha.

g.46 Rājagṛha
rgyal po’i khab

ལ་ ་ཁབ།
rājagṛha
Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:
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.

g.47 realm of reality

chos kyi dbyings
 ས་་དངས།
dharmadhātu
A synonym for the nature of things, ultimate reality.

g.48 Sahā World

mi mjed ’jig rten

་མད་འག་ན།
sahāloka
Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:
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.

g.49 Śakra
brgya byin

བ་ན།
śakra
Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:
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.

g.50 Śākyamuni
shAkya thub pa

་བ་པ།
śākyamuni
 Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:
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.

g.51 Śākyasiṃha
shAkya seng ge

་ང་
śākyasiṃha
Literally, “Lion of the S̄ākyas,” this is the name under which Buddha
Śākyamuni was prophesied for awakening by Buddha Dīpaṃkara.

g.52 Śāradvatīputra
sha ra dwa ti’i bu

ཤ་ར་་་།
śāradvatīputra
Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:
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.”

g.53 Śaśiketu
zla ba’i tog

་བ་ག
*śaśiketu RS
An ancient buddha.

g.54 sense source

skye mched

་མད།
āyatana
Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:
 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.

g.55 Siṃhapradyota
seng ge rab snang

ང་་རབ་ང་།
*siṃhapradyota RS
A bodhisattva who is attending the Buddha’s teaching in this sūtra.

g.56 spaces between the worlds

’jig rten gyi bar

འག་ན་ི་བར།
lokāntarika
According to abhidharma cosmology, when different world systems form,
they drift near each other, but remain divided by the spaces (small according
to some descriptions, immense according to others) between the massive
rings of stone that surround each of them. These spaces are completely dark,
unreached by any light from the suns of the worlds they lie between. Often
classified as one kind of hell, these frigid and desolate places are populated
by beings brought there by very negative karma. They cling to the cliffs,
climbing around in darkness searching for sustenance. When they encounter
fellow sufferers, they fight and try to push each other off, and tumble into
the icy waters below.

g.57 Śrībhadrā
dpal bzang

དཔལ་བཟང་།
*śrībhadrā RS
One of King Bimbisāra’s queens. See also n.15.

g.58 Subhūti
 rab ’byor

རབ་འར།
subhūti
One of the closest disciples of the Buddha, known for his profound
understanding of emptiness.

g.59 Sukhāvatī
bde ba can

བ་བ་ཅན།
sukhāvatī
The buddha realm in which Buddha Amitābha lives.

g.60 suparṇi
’dab bzangs

འདབ་བཟངས།
suparṇi
A type of garuḍa: a divine creature with the body of a giant bird.

g.61 Suvarṇottamaprabhāsā
gser mchog snang ba

གར་མག་ང་བ།
*suvarṇottamaprabhāsā RS
One of King Bimbisāra’s daughters.

g.62 three worlds

srid gsum

ད་གམ།
trailokya
The desire realm, the form realm, and the formless realm.

g.63 Vaijayanta Palace

rnam rgyal khang

མ་ལ་ཁང་།
vaijayanta
The palace of Śakra, an epithet for the god Indra, in the Heaven of the Thirty-
Three.
g.64 Veṇuvana
’od ma’i tshal

ད་མ་ཚལ།
veṇuvana
The famous bamboo grove near Rājagṛha where the Buddha regularly
stayed and gave teachings. It was situated on land donated by King
Bimbisāra of Magadha, the first of several landholdings donated to the
Buddhist community during the time of the Buddha.

g.65 Vulture Peak Mountain

bya rgod phung po’i ri

་ད་ང་ ་།
gṛdhrakūṭaparvata
Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:
The Gṛdhrakūṭa, literally Vulture Peak, was a hill located in the kingdom of
Magadha, in the vicinity of the ancient city of Rājagṛha (modern-day Rajgir,
in the state of Bihar, India), where the Buddha bestowed many sūtras,
especially the Great Vehicle teachings, such as the Prajñāpāramitā sūtras. It
continues to be a sacred pilgrimage site for Buddhists to this day.

g.66 Vyūharāja
bkod pa’i rgyal po

བད་པ་ལ་།
vyūharāja
The name of a previous eon.

g.67 Yakṣa
gnod sbyin

གད་ན།
yakṣa
Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:
A class of nonhuman beings who inhabit forests, mountainous areas, and
other natural spaces, or serve as guardians of villages and towns, and may
be propitiated for health, wealth, protection, and other boons, or controlled
through magic. According to tradition, their homeland is in the north, where
they live under the rule of the Great King Vaiśravaṇa.
 Several members of this class have been deified as gods of wealth (these
include the just-mentioned Vaiśravaṇa) or as bodhisattva generals of yakṣa
armies, and have entered the Buddhist pantheon in a variety of forms,
including, in tantric Buddhism, those of wrathful deities.

g.68 Yeshé Dé
ye shes sde

་ས་།
—
Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:
Yeshé Dé (late eighth to early ninth century) was the most prolific translator
of sūtras into Tibetan. Altogether he is credited with the translation of more
than one hundred sixty sūtra translations and more than one hundred
additional translations, mostly on tantric topics. In spite of Yeshé Dé’s great
importance for the propagation of Buddhism in Tibet during the imperial era,
only a few biographical details about this figure are known. Later sources
describe him as a student of the Indian teacher Padmasambhava, and he is
also credited with teaching both sūtra and tantra widely to students of his
own. He was also known as Nanam Yeshé Dé, from the Nanam (sna nam)
clan.