toh504

༄༅། །བམ་ན་འདས་ན་ི་་་་ད་ི་ན་ལམ་ི་ད་པར་ས་པ།
The Detailed Account of the Previous

Aspirations of the Blessed Bhaiṣajyaguru-
vaiḍūryaprabha
Bhagavānbhaiṣajyaguruvaiḍūryaprabhasya pūrvapraṇidhānaviśeṣa-
vistāra
འཕགས་པ་བམ་ན་འདས་ན་ི་་་་ད་ི་ན་ལམ་ི་ད་པར་ས་པ་ས་་བ་ག་པ་ན་ ་མ།
’phags pa bcom ldan ’das sman gyi bla bai Dur+ya’i ’od gyi smon lam gyi khyad par rgyas pa
zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo
The Noble Great Vehicle Sūtra “The Detailed Account of the Previous Aspirations of
the Blessed Bhaiṣajyaguruvaiḍūryaprabha”
Āryabhagavānbhaiṣajyaguruvaiḍūryaprabhasya pūrvapraṇidhānaviśeṣavistāranāmamahāyāna-
sūtra
· Toh 504 ·
Degé Kangyur, vol. 87 (rgyud ’bum, da), folios 274.a–283.b
ᴛʀᴀɴsʟᴀᴛᴇᴅ ɪɴᴛᴏ ᴛɪʙᴇᴛᴀɴ ʙʏ

· Jinamitra · Dānaśīla · Bandé Yeshé Dé ·
Translated by the Dharmachakra Translation Committee
under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha
First published 2021
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co. TABLE OF CONTENTS
ti. Title
im. Imprint
co. Contents
s. Summary
ac. Acknowledgements
i. Introduction
tr. The Translation
1. The Detailed Account of the Previous Aspirations of the Blessed
Bhaiṣajyaguruvaiḍūryaprabha
c. Colophon
ab. Abbreviations
n. Notes
b. Bibliography
· Tibetan Sources
· Sanskrit Sources
· Reference Works
· Secondary Sources
g. Glossary
s. SUMMARY
s.1 The Detailed Account of the Previous Aspirations of the Blessed Bhaiṣajyaguru-
vaiḍūryaprabha centers on the figure commonly known as the Medicine
Buddha. The text opens in Vaiśālī, where the Buddha Śākyamuni is seated
with a large retinue of human and divine beings. The bodhisattva Mañjuśrī
asks Śākyamuni to teach the names and previous aspirations of the buddhas,
along with the benefit that buddhas can bring during future times when the
Dharma has nearly disappeared. The Buddha gives a teaching on the name
and previous aspirations of the Buddha Bhaiṣajyaguruvaiḍūryaprabha, and
then details the benefits that arise from hearing and retaining this buddha’s
name.
ac. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
ac.1 This text was translated by the Dharmachakra Translation Committee. The
translation was produced by Adam Krug and edited by Andreas Doctor.
The translation was completed under the patronage and supervision of
84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.
ac.2 The generous sponsorship of May, George, Likai, and Lillian Gu, which
helped make the work on this translation possible, is most gratefully
acknowledged.
i. INTRODUCTION
i.1 The Detailed Account of the Previous Aspirations of the Blessed Bhaiṣajyaguru-
vaiḍūryaprabha opens in Vaiśālī, where the Buddha Śākyamuni is seated with
a saṅgha of eight thousand monks, thirty-six thousand bodhisattvas, and a
large gathering of gods, spirit beings, and humans. The bodhisattva
Mañjuśrī rises from his seat and asks the Buddha to give a Dharma teaching
about the names and previous aspirations of the buddhas, and to describe
the benefits that buddhas can bring to those who live in future times when
the Dharma has nearly vanished. In response, Śākyamuni discusses the
twelve aspirations of the Buddha Bhaiṣajyaguruvaiḍūryaprabha, his
buddhafield, and the benefits to be gained by those who hear and retain his
name.
i.2 The aspirations of Bhaiṣajyaguruvaiḍūryaprabha center on bringing
benefit to others. The sūtra relays that, first and foremost, Bhaiṣajyaguru-
vaiḍūryaprabha seeks to elevate all beings to the same level of realization
that he has achieved, and to illuminate the world with light capable of
dispelling the darkness that hinders spiritual progress. He aims to use his
wisdom and skillful means to bring immeasurable wealth to beings, and to
steer them away from mistaken paths, thus leading them to the Mahāyāna
and ensuring their ability to practice pure conduct and discipline. He aspires
also to cure beings of any ailments they may face, including the diseases that
may afflict them, promising good health so they can devote themselves to
spiritual practice. In short, he aims to assist all beings facing unfortunate
circumstances by freeing them from ailments, ultimately leading them to
liberation from the cycle of birth and death.
i.3 Having detailed these aspirations, Śākyamuni next turns to Bhaiṣajya-
guruvaiḍūryaprabha’s buddhafield, explaining that it is completely pure and
encouraging all Mahāyāna practitioners to make the aspiration to be born in
that realm. He then lists the benefits associated with simply hearing
Bhaiṣajyaguruvaiḍūryaprabha’s name.
i.4 Mañjuśrī responds by vowing to teach this sūtra in the future and
provides a short set of instructions on how to worship it as a written work.
Śākyamuni then turns to his disciple Ānanda and asks if he has any doubts
or reservations about what has just been taught. Ānanda assures Śākyamuni
that he does not doubt what he has heard, but then suggests that other
beings might have doubts. The Buddha assures Ānanda, and by extension
anyone who might read this sūtra, that it is impossible for anyone who has
heard the name Bhaiṣajyaguruvaiḍūryaprabha to be reborn in the lower
realms.
i.5 The text continues with a set of instructions from the bodhisattva
Trāṇamukta about how making offerings to Bhaiṣajyaguruvaiḍūryaprabha
can reverse the process of dying and call a dying or dead person’s
consciousness back to the body. Trāṇamukta outlines a ritual that is
performed over a forty-nine-day period and that begins with observing the
eightfold purification vows, providing support for the offering rite to the
monastic saṅgha, and contemplating Bhaiṣajyaguru’s name three times each
day and three times each night. Then saṅgha members recite the text forty-
nine times and offer oil lamps to seven statues of Bhaiṣajyaguru for a forty-
nine-day period. Trāṇamukta states that kings can also perform this rite to
avoid disaster and ensure the happiness of the kingdom. He concludes his
instructions with a brief enumeration of nine types of untimely death, telling
Ānanda that the problem of untimely death is the reason why Śākyamuni
has taught the use of mantras and medicines. The sūtra concludes with
Mañjuśrīkumārabhūta, the bodhisattvas, the Lord of Secrets Vajrapāṇi, and
indeed the entire world including its gods, humans, asuras, and gandharvas
rejoicing and praising what the Blessed One had said
i.6 This sūtra survives in Sanskrit, Chinese, and Tibetan. In Sanskrit, there are
three available editions, compiled and edited from the cache of Buddhist
Sanskrit manuscripts excavated from a stūpa in Gilgit in the early twentieth
century. Gregory Schopen notes that at least five manuscripts of this text
were found among the Gilgit collection,1 and his analysis of them shows that
there were at least two distinct recensions of the text circulating in Gilgit
during the fifth and sixth centuries ᴄᴇ.2 Some substantial passages in
Sanskrit have also survived as several citations in Śāntideva’s (685–783 ᴄᴇ)
Śikṣāsamuccaya,3 indicating that the text continued to be well known in the
Buddhist heartland of India in the eighth century ᴄᴇ.
i.7 Considerably earlier even than the Sanskrit manuscripts of Gilgit,
however, a Chinese translation very similar to the later versions of the text
was included as the twelfth and final fascicle of a longer work (Taishō 1331)
translated by Śrīmitra in the early fourth century ᴄᴇ.4 In the seventh century,
two new standalone Chinese translations were made, one in 616 ᴄᴇ by
Dharmagupta (Taishō 449) and one in 650 ᴄᴇ by Xuanzang (Taishō 450).5
i.8 The Tibetan translation has a colophon telling us that it was made by two
ninth-century Indian preceptors —Jinamitra and Dānaśīla—in conjunction
with Bandé Yeshé Dé (mid-eighth to early ninth century),6 placing the date
for its initial translation from Sanskrit into Tibetan in the early ninth century.
This date is confirmed by the text’s appearance in both the Denkarma7 and
Phangthangma8 royal Tibetan catalogs of translated works. Although both
royal Tibetan catalogs indicate that this text was originally classified as a
sūtra, Butön listed it in different works as both a sūtra and a tantra,9 and in
all Kangyurs it is placed with the tantras of the Action (kriyā) class. In the
Degé Kangyur it is presented among the texts of this category related to the
principal figure of the tathāgata family (de bzhin gshegs pa’i rigs kyi gtso bo) as
one work in a cycle of four that relate to the Buddha Bhaiṣajyaguruvaiḍūrya-
prabha. The first of the texts in this cycle, The Detailed Account of the Previous
Aspirations of the Seven Thus-Gone Ones (Toh 503),10 first describes the
aspirations of six other tathāgatas, and then reproduces almost verbatim the
content of the present text centered on Bhaiṣajyaguruvaiḍūryaprabha, a
passage that takes up half the length of the text. The historical relationship
of these two texts remains to be investigated, but the existence of fourth and
seventh century ᴄᴇ Chinese translations, as well as of fifth to sixth century
Sanskrit manuscripts, of the present work11—while the longer text only
appeared in China in the eighth century—strongly suggests that the present
work was the first to exist. It has no obvious tantric characteristics and it is
perhaps surprising that it is not at least duplicated in the General Sūtra
section, like many other works of its kind.
i.9 Bhaiṣajyaguruvaiḍūryaprabha is a widely known figure of the Buddhist
pantheon in all countries where the Mahāyāna is practiced, and he is
familiarly known as the Medicine Buddha or the Buddha of Healing, the
short form of his name in Tibetan being Sangyé Menla (sangs rgyas sman bla).
As this text demonstrates, his aspirations and activity are by no means
confined to the relief of suffering caused by illness, but his popularity stems
no doubt from this universally experienced need. A large number of liturgies
in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition were written for the purpose of invoking,
visualizing, and praying to him, and in these texts as well as in many
paintings and murals he is depicted as a blue-colored buddha, holding in his
alms bowl a sprig of myrobalan to represent medicinal plants. He is often
visualized or depicted surrounded by the other six tathāgatas with which he
is associated, accompanied by the two bodhisattvas mentioned in 1.22, and
sometimes by the twelve great yakṣa generals mentioned in 1.53. Practices
dedicated to him often involve the recitation of the dhāraṇī included in the
third text of the cycle, The Dhāraṇī of the Tathāgata Vaiḍūryaprabha (Toh 505),12
and of the homage and short mantra that compose the fourth, untitled text
that we have numbered Toh 505a.13
i.10 This translation is based on the Tibetan translation from the Tantra Section
in the Degé Kangyur, in consultation with the Tibetan translations in the
Stok Palace Kangyur and the Comparative Kangyur (Tib. dpe bsdur ma). It was
checked against the Sanskrit editions of the Gilgit manuscripts prepared by
Dutt, Vaidya, and Schopen.
The Noble Great Vehicle Sūtra
The Detailed Account of the Previous Aspirations of
the Blessed Bhaiṣajyaguruvaiḍūryaprabha
1. The Translation
[F.274.a]
1.1 Homage to all buddhas and bodhisattvas.
1.2 Thus did I hear at one time. The Blessed One was wandering through the
provinces and came to Vaiśālī. There in Vaiśālī, at the base of the musical
tree,14 he was accompanied by a great saṅgha of eight thousand monks, and
with him, too, were thirty-six thousand bodhisattvas and all manner of kings,
ministers, brahmins, householders, gods, asuras, garuḍas, kinnaras, and
mahoragas, all of whom encircled and venerated him as he taught the
Dharma.
1.3 Then, through the Buddha’s power, the bodhisattva great being and
Dharma prince Mañjuśrī rose from his seat, adjusted his upper robe on one
shoulder, knelt with his right knee on the ground, bowed to the Blessed One
with his palms together, and made this request to the Blessed One:
1.4 “May the Blessed One please teach a detailed account of the names and
previous aspirations of the thus-gone ones, so that beings who hear them15
may be purified of their karmic obscurations and be guided, later in future
times when only an imitation of the holy Dharma remains.”
1.5 “Very well, Mañjuśrī, very well,” the Blessed One replied to
Mañjuśrīkumārabhūta. “It is good, Mañjuśrī, that the boundless compassion
you have generated has led you to make this request for the benefit, aid, and
happiness [F.274.b] of all those divine and human beings who are enveloped
by all kinds of karmic obscurations. Listen well and keep in mind what I say,
Mañjuśrī, and I shall explain.
1.6 “Mañjuśrī, to the east of this buddhafield, past as many buddhafields as

there are grains of sand in ten Gaṅgā rivers, lives the blessed Buddha
Bhaiṣajyaguruvaiḍūryaprabha, in the world Vaiḍūryanirbhāsa. He is a thus-
gone, worthy, and perfect buddha, someone endowed with knowledge and
good conduct, a well-gone one, a knower of the world, a charioteer who
tames people, unsurpassed, and a teacher of gods and humans.
1.7 “Mañjuśrī, long ago, when he was practicing bodhisattva conduct, the
blessed Thus-Gone Bhaiṣajyaguruvaiḍūryaprabha proclaimed the following
twelve great aspirations:
1.8 “For his first great aspiration, he proclaimed, ‘In the future, when I have
attained awakening as a perfect buddha who has manifested unsurpassed
and perfect awakening, may my body’s radiance illuminate innumerable,
limitless, and immeasurable worlds, warm them, and make them shine. May
all beings be adorned with the thirty-two marks of a great person and the
eighty minor marks, just as I am.’
1.9 “For his second great aspiration, he proclaimed, ‘In the future, when I
have attained awakening as a perfect buddha who has manifested
unsurpassed and perfect awakening, may my body be like a precious blue
beryl gem—pure inside and out and radiating a stainless light. [F.275.a] May
I manifest a broad and tall body that stands firm, is ablaze with glory and
splendor, and is adorned with a halo of light so bright that it outshines the
sun and moon. May my light allow any beings who are born in the dark
spaces between worlds, and those here in the human world who travel to
various places during the dark of night, to proceed joyfully, and may they
perform virtuous deeds.’
1.10 “For his third great aspiration, he proclaimed, ‘In the future, when I have
and perfect awakening, may my boundless wisdom and skillful means
furnish immeasurable realms of beings with inexhaustible wealth, and may
no one lack anything.’
1.11 “For his fourth great aspiration, he proclaimed, ‘In the future, when I have
and perfect awakening, may any beings who have set out on the wrong path
be set upon the path to awakening. May all those who have entered the path
of the hearers and who have entered the path of the solitary buddhas be led
to the Great Vehicle.’
1.12 “For his fifth great aspiration, he proclaimed, ‘In the future, when I have
and perfect awakening, may any beings who are close to me practice pure
conduct. Likewise, may a limitless and boundless number of other beings
hear my name, and may my power cause them to be bound by the three
vows and have uncorrupted discipline. May no one [F.275.b] engage in
incorrect discipline and proceed to the lower realms.’
1.13 “For his sixth great aspiration, he proclaimed, ‘In the future, when I have
and perfect awakening, may beings who have weak constitutions, impaired
faculties, or poor complexions; who are dumb, lame, hunchbacked, or have
vitiligo; who have only one eye or are blind, deaf, or mentally ill; and whose
bodies are otherwise affected by illness hear my name. When they do, may
all their faculties become whole and their bodies intact.’
1.14 “For his seventh great aspiration, he proclaimed, ‘In the future, when I
unsurpassed and perfect awakening, may beings whose bodies are afflicted
by various types of illnesses, who are vulnerable, who are defenseless, who
lack necessities and medicines, who have no one to care for them, who are
poor, and who suffer hear my name, and may all their illnesses be quelled.
May they be healthy and live free from harm for as long as it takes them to
attain awakening.’
1.15 “For his eighth great aspiration, he proclaimed, ‘In the future, when I have
and perfect awakening, may any women who are afflicted by the hundreds
of disadvantages of being a woman, who dislike being of the female gender,
and who want to be free from the condition of being a woman, leave behind
their female gender and be born as a man for as long as it takes them to
attain awakening.’
1.16 “For his ninth great aspiration, he proclaimed, ‘In the future, when I
[F.276.a] have attained awakening as a perfect buddha who has manifested
unsurpassed and perfect awakening, may I release all beings from Māra’s
bonds. May I establish in the correct view those who are in opposition due to
their divergent, contrasting, and disturbed views. In due order, may I teach
them the conduct of a bodhisattva.’
1.17 “For his tenth great aspiration, he proclaimed, ‘In the future, when I have
and perfect awakening, may the power of my merit free from all manner of
harm any beings who are terrified because they fear their king, and who are
bound, beaten, tortured, sentenced to death, persecuted by many acts of
treachery, dishonored, and pained by bodily, verbal, or mental suffering.’
1.18 “For his eleventh great aspiration, he proclaimed, ‘In the future, when I
unsurpassed and perfect awakening, may I provide food that is vibrant,
aromatic, and savory, in order to satiate the bodies of any beings who are
scorched by the fire of hunger and thirst, who expend great effort searching
for food, and who commit sinful actions. Then, may I make them even
happier with the taste of the Dharma.’
1.19 “That thus-gone one’s twelfth great aspiration was, ‘In the future, when I
unsurpassed and perfect awakening, [F.276.b] may I provide with clothes
that suit their needs and are dyed in bright colors those sentient beings who
are naked, who have no clothes, who are poor, who are suffering, and who
are miserable day and night due to cold, heat, flies, and biting insects. May I
fulfill all the wishes of beings with whatever types of jewelry, ornaments,
garlands, perfumes, ointments, music, instruments, and drums they desire.’
1.20 “Mañjuśrī, those are the twelve great aspirations that the blessed, thus-
gone, worthy, and perfect Buddha Bhaiṣajyaguruvaiḍūryaprabha proclaimed
long ago, when he was practicing bodhisattva conduct.
1.21 “Mañjuśrī, the aspirations of the Thus-Gone Bhaiṣajyaguruvaiḍūrya-
prabharāja and the array of good qualities of his buddhafield cannot be
exhausted over the course of an eon or even longer than an eon. His
buddhafield is utterly pure. There are no stones, pebbles, or gravel; there are
no faults related to desire; there are no cries of suffering and the lower
realms; and there is no such thing as the female gender. The foundation,
walls, fences, archways, latticework windows, and turrets are made of blue
beryl, and the parapets are made of the seven precious substances. The array
of good qualities of the world Vaiḍūryanirbhāsa is equal to that of the world
Sukhāvatī.
1.22 “There are two bodhisattva great beings who are foremost among the
immeasurable and innumerable bodhisattvas in that world. The first is
named Sūryavairocana, and the second is named Candravairocana. These
two maintain the treasury of the holy Dharma of the blessed Thus-Gone
Bhaiṣajyaguruvaiḍūryaprabha. Mañjuśrī, that is why a faithful son or
daughter of good family should make the aspiration [F.277.a] to be born in
that buddhafield.”
1.23 The Blessed One continued to address Mañjuśrīkumārabhūta, saying,

“Mañjuśrī, there are ordinary beings who do not know about virtue and
nonvirtue. They are overcome by greed and do not understand generosity
and the ripened result of generosity. They are childish and foolish, lacking
the capacity for faith. As they strive to accumulate and maintain wealth, their
minds are not disposed toward generosity and sharing. When it is time to
give a gift, they become dejected as if they were cutting the flesh from their
own bodies. Many of those beings do not even allow themselves to enjoy
material wealth,16 let alone provide for their parents, wives, sons, and
daughters, for their male and female servants and employees, and for
beggars.
1.24 “When such beings pass away, they are reborn in the hungry ghost realm
or as animals. For those among them who have heard the name of the
blessed Thus-Gone Bhaiṣajyaguruvaiḍūryaprabha in their previous lives as
humans —whether they find themselves in the world of Yama or in the
animal realm—that Thus-gone One’s name will appear there before them.
Simply by recollecting it, after they eventually pass away, they will once
again be born in the human realm. They will remember their former lifetimes,
grow anxious out of fear of the lower realms, and no longer concern
themselves with sense pleasures. They will delight in generosity, promote
generosity, and give away everything they own. Eventually, they will even
give their own head, hands, feet, eyes, flesh, and blood to anyone who asks,
let alone other things like accumulated wealth.
1.25 “Moreover, Mañjuśrī, there are beings [F.277.b] who undermine the
precepts of the thus-gone ones,17 violating discipline and engaging in
wrong views. There are those who are disciplined and may maintain their
discipline, but do not seek erudition, and so do not understand the profound
meaning of the discourses that the Thus-Gone One has taught. There are
those who do become erudite but develop excessive pride, and because they
are overcome by their pride, they act with jealousy toward others and misuse
and forsake the holy Dharma. Such foolish people who side with Māra
pursue a bad path themselves and cause many billions of other beings to fall
into the great abyss. Those beings are reborn amidst the horrors of hell.
1.26 “For those who have heard the name of the blessed Thus-Gone Bhaiṣajya-
guruvaiḍūryaprabha in a previous life as a human being, even those who
live in the hell realms, the power of the Buddha will cause the name of that
thus-gone one to appear before them. Then, when they pass away, they will
be reborn in the human realm. They will maintain the correct view, they will
be diligent, and their minds will be predisposed toward virtue. They will
leave home, go forth in the teaching of the Thus-Gone One, and finally
practice bodhisattva conduct.
1.27 “Moreover, Mañjuśrī, there are beings who praise themselves and
denigrate others out of jealousy. Beings who sing their own praises and
denigrate others will suffer in the three lower realms for many thousands of
years. After many thousands of years have passed, they will pass away and
be reborn in the animal realm as cows, horses, camels, donkeys, and so forth.
They will be beaten with whips and rods, their bodies will be afflicted by
hunger and thirst, [F.278.a] and they will have to carry great loads as they
move along the road. Even if they do attain human birth, they will always be
born into families of low standing, be servants, and be under other people’s
control.
1.28 “Those who have heard the name of the blessed, thus-gone, worthy, and
perfect Buddha Bhaiṣajyaguruvaiḍūryaprabha in a previous life as a human
being will be liberated from all manner of suffering due to that root of virtue.
They will be intelligent, learned, bright,18 prudent, and focused on pursuing
virtue, and they will always find company with a spiritual teacher. They will
cut Māra’s bonds, crush the eggshell of ignorance, and dry up the river of
the afflictions. They will be liberated from birth, old age, death, anguish,
lamentation, suffering, unhappiness, and conflict.
1.29 “Mañjuśrī, there are also those beings who delight in slander and beings
who instigate fights, arguments, and disputes with one another. Such
contentious beings commit various types of nonvirtuous actions with their
body, speech, and mind. They do not wish to benefit one another and
constantly try to harm one another. They summon a forest deity, tree deity,
or mountain deity, or they summon the various spirits in the charnel
grounds. They kill beings who have taken birth as animals and offer them to
the yakṣas and rākṣasas who eat flesh and blood. They utter the name of
their enemy or create an effigy, cast a violent spell at them, and enlist a
kākhorda or vetāla to create obstacles in their life with the hope [F.278.b] that
they will destroy their enemy’s body. However, no one can create obstacles
for those who have heard the name of the blessed Thus-Gone Bhaiṣajya-
guruvaiḍūryaprabha. Such people are loving to one another, beneficent, free
from ill will, and satisfied with their own possessions.
1.30 “Moreover, Mañjuśrī, among the fourfold assembly of monks, nuns, male
lay practitioners, and female lay practitioners, as well as among other faithful
sons or daughters of good family who observe the eightfold precepts, there
are some who maintain the precepts for one year or three months. If they
develop an aspiration, saying, ‘Due to my root of virtue, may I be reborn in
the west in Sukhāvatī, the world where the Thus-Gone Amitāyus resides,’
they will hear the name of the blessed Thus-Gone Bhaiṣajyaguruvaiḍūrya-
prabha. Then, at the moment of death, the eight bodhisattvas will
miraculously appear and show them the way, and they will take miraculous
birth there upon brightly colored lotuses.
1.31 “Some will be born in the god realms, and after they are born there, their
previous roots of virtue will never be exhausted, and they will not proceed to
the lower realms. After they pass away, they will become universal emperors
with dominion over the four continents in this human realm, and they will
establish many billions of beings on the path of the ten virtuous actions.
1.32 “Others will be born in great kṣatriya households, born in great brahmin
households, born in great landowning households, and born in households
whose treasuries and storehouses contain an abundance of riches and grain.
They will have excellent physiques, [F.279.a] be powerful, have attendants,
be courageous and heroic, and have the strength of a great champion. Any
woman who should hear the Thus-Gone One’s name and bear it in mind
should know that it is the last time she will be of the female gender.”19
1.33 At that point Mañjuśrīkumārabhūta told the Blessed One, “Blessed One, in
the future I will proclaim the name of the blessed Thus-Gone Bhaiṣajyaguru-
vaiḍūryaprabha in various ways to those faithful sons and daughters of
good family who hold this discourse, recite it, explain it, teach it correctly
and in detail to others, copy it, commission it to be copied, write it in a book,
and venerate it with flowers, incense, garlands, ointments, parasols, and
victory banners. I will proclaim it so that they will even hear that buddha’s
name in their dreams.
1.34 “They will wrap this discourse with cloths of the five different colors and
place it in a clean area. The Four Great Kings with their retinues and billions
of deities will gather wherever this discourse is located. Those who retain
the name of the blessed Thus-Gone Bhaiṣajyaguruvaiḍūryaprabha and this
discourse on the detailed account of his previous aspirations will not suffer
untimely death. No one will be able to steal their vital energy, and if it has
been stolen, they will take it back.”
1.35 The Blessed One replied, “It is so, Mañjuśrī. What you say is true.
Mañjuśrī, a faithful son or daughter of good family who makes offerings to
that thus-gone one should make a statue of that thus-gone one and [F.279.b]
observe the fast associated with the noble eightfold precepts for seven days
and seven nights. They should eat pure food and thoroughly wash their
body. They should wear fine, clean clothes. Then, in a clean area, they should
scatter the petals of various flowers and perfume the area with various
fragrances. They should then decorate the place with various cloths,
parasols, and banners. There, they should then cultivate a stainless mind, an
untainted mind, a mind free from ill intent, a benevolent mind, an impartial
mind, and an equanimous mind. They should then play music, play
instruments, and sing songs as they circumambulate the statue of that thus-
gone one.
1.36 “If they contemplate his previous aspirations and teach this discourse, all
their wishes and aspirations will be fulfilled. If they aspire to a long life, they
will have a long life. If they pray for wealth, they will have wealth. If they
pray to become a powerful ruler, they will achieve that with little trouble. If
they wish for a son, they will have a son.
1.37 “When someone has a bad dream, sees a crow or a bad omen somewhere,
or dwells in a location where the one hundred inauspicious things are
present, if that person venerates the blessed Thus-Gone Bhaiṣajyaguru-
vaiḍūryaprabha with the various types of offerings, then the bad dreams,
bad omens, and inauspicious things will no longer appear.
1.38 “If those who face dangers from fire, dangers from water, dangers from
weapons, dangers from poison, dangers from steep cliffs, dangers from
raging elephants, dangers from lions, dangers from tigers, dangers from
bears, hyenas, and poisonous snakes, and dangers from snakes, scorpions,
and centipedes, have made offerings 20 to that thus-gone one, they will be
freed from all manner [F.280.a] of dangers. Those who face dangers from
enemy armies, dangers from thieves, and dangers from bandits should also
make offerings to that thus-gone one.
1.39 “Moreover, Mañjuśrī, if any faithful sons or daughters of good family who
maintain taking refuge in the Three Jewels for as long as they live and have
no other tutelary deity, maintain the five precepts, maintain the ten precepts,
maintain the four hundred vows and precepts of a bodhisattva, are monks
who have left home and maintain the two hundred and fifty precepts, or are
nuns who maintain the five hundred precepts, should break any one of the
precepts among the vows and precepts they have taken and fear they are in
danger of falling into the lower realms, if they then make offerings to the
blessed Thus-Gone One Bhaiṣajyaguruvaiḍūryaprabha, they should know
that they will not suffer rebirth in the three lower realms.21
1.40 “If any woman giving birth who experiences intense, fierce, and
unbearable suffering makes offerings to the blessed Thus-Gone Bhaiṣajya-
guruvaiḍūryaprabha, she will immediately be liberated from that suffering.
The child will be born with all its limbs intact, and it will have a good
physique, be handsome and good looking, have sharp faculties, be
intelligent and healthy, and have few difficulties. Nonhuman beings will not
be able to steal its vital energy.”
1.41 At that point the Blessed One asked Venerable Ānanda, “Ānanda, do you
trust and believe in the good qualities of the blessed Thus-Gone Bhaiṣajya-
guruvaiḍūryaprabharāja that I have described? Are you uncertain, or do you
have any reservations or doubts about this profound buddha domain?”
[F.280.b]
1.42 “Respected Blessed One,” Venerable Ānanda replied, “I am not uncertain,
nor do I have any reservations or doubts about the qualities that the Thus-
Gone One has described, because the thus-gone ones have no impure
conduct of body, speech, and mind. Blessed One, even such miraculous and
powerful beings as the sun and the moon might fall to the earth, and even
Sumeru, the king of mountains, might move from its base, but the word of
the buddhas is never incorrect. Yet still, respected Blessed One, there are
beings who lack the capacity for faith, and when they hear about this
buddha domain of the buddhas 22 they will wonder, ‘How can such good
qualities and benefits come about by merely recollecting the name of that
thus-gone one?’ Because they have no faith, do not believe, and reject this,
for a long time they will suffer injuries, lack medicines, be unhappy, and fall
into the lower realms.”
1.43 The Blessed One replied, “Ānanda, it is untenable and impossible for
someone who has had the name of that thus-gone one resound in their ears
to be reborn in the lower realms. Ānanda, the domain of the buddhas is
difficult to believe. Ānanda, the faith and belief you have should be seen as
the power of the Thus-Gone One.23 This is something possessed only by
bodhisattva great beings who are one birth away from awakening —not by
hearers and solitary buddhas.24
1.44 “Ānanda, attaining a human life is rare, and faith and devotion toward the
Three Jewels [F.281.a] is rare, but hearing the name of that thus-gone one is
even more rare. Ānanda, the bodhisattva conduct of the blessed Thus-Gone
Bhaiṣajyaguruvaiḍūryaprabha is immeasurable, his skillful means is
immeasurable, and the detailed account of his aspirations is immeasurable. If
I wanted to explain that thus-gone one’s bodhisattva conduct accurately and
extensively for an eon or the remainder of an eon, the eon would come to an
end before I could complete that detailed account of the blessed Thus-Gone
Bhaiṣajyaguruvaiḍūryaprabharāja’s previous aspirations.”
1.45 At that point, from among the gathering a bodhisattva great being named
Trāṇamukta rose from his seat, adjusted his upper robe on one shoulder,
knelt with his right knee on the ground, bowed to the Blessed One with his
palms together, and said to the Blessed One, “Respected Blessed One, in the
future there will be beings whose bodies are tormented by various types of
illnesses. Their limbs will atrophy due to chronic illness, and their lips and
throats will be parched from hunger and thirst. They will be heading for their
demise surrounded by weeping friends, acquaintances, and relatives. They
will see darkness in all directions and be led by Yama’s servants.
1.46 “While such a person’s body is still lying there, the consciousness will be
brought before the Dharma King Yama. The god who was born with that
person25 and who has recorded all of that person’s virtuous and [F.281.b]
nonvirtuous actions in writing will then present them to the Dharma King
Yama. The Dharma King Yama will then question and interrogate the person
and issue his judgment based on how many of their actions were virtuous
and how many were nonvirtuous.
1.47 “If the friends, acquaintances, and relatives 26 of those who are ill take
refuge in the blessed Thus-Gone Bhaiṣajyaguruvaiḍūryaprabharāja and
perform the offering in this way to benefit them, their consciousness will
turn back and make its way, just as if they had been dreaming, to the place
where they had been. For some the consciousness will return on the seventh
day, for some on the twenty-first, thirty-fifth, or forty-ninth day, and they will
remember what happened to them. The ripening of virtuous and
nonvirtuous actions will now be clear to them, and they will no longer
commit unwholesome actions, even at the expense of their life. Therefore,
faithful sons or daughters of good family should make offerings to that thus-
gone one.”27
1.48 Venerable Ānanda then asked the bodhisattva Trāṇamukta, “Son of good
family, how should one perform such an offering to the blessed Thus-Gone
Bhaiṣajyaguruvaiḍūryaprabharāja?”
1.49 The bodhisattva Trāṇamukta replied, “Venerable Ānanda, those who want
to free someone from a grave illness should observe the eightfold
purification vows for seven days and seven nights to benefit the sick person.
They should make as many offerings as possible to the monastic saṅgha of
food, drink, and provisions, and offer service. They should focus on the
name of the blessed Thus-Gone Bhaiṣajyaguruvaiḍūryaprabharāja three
times each day and three times each night. They should recite this discourse
forty-nine times, offer oil lamps for forty-nine days, and make seven statues.
They should place seven oil lamps in front of each statue, and each of the oil
lamps should be as large as a chariot wheel to ensure that the oil lamps will
not go out during the forty-nine days. They should make more than forty-
nine five-colored flags. [F.282.a]
1.50 “Respected Ānanda, if anointed kṣatriya kings face a threat of injury,
disaster, and conflict that is related to an illness, their own or an enemy
army, a lunar asterism, a lunar eclipse, a solar eclipse, unseasonable winds
and rains, or drought, then those anointed kṣatriya kings 28 should be
benevolent toward all beings. If they release their prisoners and perform the
aforementioned offering to the blessed Thus-Gone Bhaiṣajyaguruvaiḍūrya-
prabharāja, the roots of virtue of those anointed kṣatriya kings and this
detailed account of the previous aspiration prayers of the blessed Thus-
Gone Bhaiṣajyaguruvaiḍūryaprabharāja will ensure that the country will be
happy, crops will be good, the winds and rains will come on time, and there
will be a successful harvest. All the beings who live in that country will be
healthy and happy and will abound in supreme joy. The wicked yakṣas,
rākṣasas, bhūtas, and piśācas in that country will not harm beings. No evil
omens will appear, and the lifespans, complexions, energy, health, and
power of those anointed kṣatriya kings will increase.”
1.51 Then Venerable Ānanda asked the bodhisattva Trāṇamukta, “Son of good
family, how is it that someone’s lifespan may be restored after it has been
exhausted?”
1.52 “Respected Ānanda,” the bodhisattva Trāṇamukta replied, “have you not
heard [F.282.b] from the Thus-Gone One that premature death may be of
nine types? It is for this reason that he has taught the use of mantras and
medicines. There are beings who contract an illness, and even though that
illness is not very severe, they either lack both medicine and nurses or the
doctors administer the wrong medicine. This is the first type of untimely
death. The second type of untimely death is when someone is executed as a
king’s punishment. The third type of untimely death is when someone is
extremely careless, for nonhuman beings steal the vital energy from those
who live carelessly. The fourth type of untimely death is when someone is
burned by fire and dies. The fifth type of untimely death is when someone
dies by drowning. The sixth type of untimely death is when someone dies
upon encountering a ferocious predator such as a lion, tiger, jackal, or snake.
The seventh type of untimely death is when someone falls off a
mountainside into an abyss. The eighth type of untimely death is when
someone is killed by poison, a kākhorda, or a vetāla. The ninth type of
untimely death is when someone cannot find food and drink and dies of
starvation and thirst. This is a brief account of the major types of untimely
death that the Thus-Gone One has taught, but there are an innumerable and
incalculable number of other kinds of untimely death.”
1.53 There were twelve great yakṣa generals 29 gathered in that assembly—the
great yakṣa general Kiṃbhīra, the great yakṣa general Vajra, the great yakṣa
general Mekhila, the great yakṣa general Antila, the great yakṣa general
Anila, the great yakṣa general Saṇṭhila, the great yakṣa [F.283.a] general
Indala, the great yakṣa general Pāyila, the great yakṣa general Mahāla, the
great yakṣa general Cidāla, the great yakṣa general Caundhula, and the
great yakṣa general Vikala.
1.54 Each great yakṣa general had seven hundred thousand yakṣa attendants,
and they all told the Blessed One with a single voice, “Blessed One, due to
the Buddha’s power, we have heard the name of the blessed Thus-Gone One
Bhaiṣajyaguruvaiḍūryaprabharāja, and we will no longer have any fear of
proceeding to the lower realms. All of us together, for as long as we live, take
refuge in the Buddha, we take refuge in the Dharma, and we take refuge in
the Saṅgha. We will diligently work for the benefit, aid, and happiness of all
beings. In particular, we will protect any being who practices this sūtra in
villages, towns, provinces, and forests, and who remembers the name of the
blessed Thus-Gone One Bhaiṣajyaguruvaiḍūryaprabharāja, makes offerings
to him, and serves him. They will be under our protection, they will be under
our care, they will be free from all manner of misfortunes, and we will fulfill
their every wish.”
1.55 “Very good, very good,” the Blessed One said in response to the great
yakṣa generals. “It is excellent that you great yakṣa generals are so grateful
toward the blessed Thus-Gone Bhaiṣajyaguruvaiḍūryaprabharāja, and that
you are so committed to recollecting him and working for the benefit
[F.283.b] of all beings.”30
1.56 Then Venerable Ānanda rose from his seat, adjusted his upper robe on one
shoulder, knelt with his right knee on the ground, bowed to the Blessed One
with his palms together, and asked, “Blessed One, what is the name of this
Dharma discourse? How should it be remembered?”
1.57 The Blessed One replied, “Ānanda, this Dharma discourse should be
remembered as The Detailed Account of the Previous Aspirations of the Thus-Gone
Bhaiṣajyaguruvaiḍūryaprabha. It should also be remembered as The Bodhisattva
Vajrapāṇi’s Vow. It should also be remembered as Purifying All Karmic
Obscurations and Fulfilling All Hopes. And it should also be remembered as The
Vows of the Twelve Great Yakṣa Generals.”
1.58 When the Blessed One had spoken, Mañjuśrīkumārabhūta, the
bodhisattvas, the Lord of Secrets Vajrapāṇi, the entire retinue, and the whole
world with its gods, humans, asuras, and gandharvas rejoiced and praised
what the Blessed One had said.
1.59 This concludes the Great Vehicle sūtra “The Detailed Account of the Blessed Bhaiṣajya-
guruvaiḍūryaprabha.”
c. Colophon
c.1 Translated, edited, and finalized according to the new language reform by
the Indian preceptors Jinamitra and Dānaśīla31 along with the chief editor
and translator Bandé Yeshé Dé.
ab. ABBREVIATIONS
Sigla for Tibetan Sources
D Degé Kangyur
K Kangxi Kangyur
S Stok Palace MS Kangyur
Y Yongle Kangyur
Sigla for Sanskrit Editions
G Bhaiṣajyagurusūtra in Dutt et al.

SC Bhaiṣajyagurusūtra in Schopen
V Bhaiṣajyagurusūtra in Vaidya
n. NOTES
n.1 Schopen 1978, p. 1.
n.2 Schopen 1978, p. 22.
n.3 The passages quoted and their location in the present translation are
indicated in n.19, n.21, and n.24. One passage quoted in the Śikṣāsamuccaya
(Bendall 1902, p. 13) does not seem to be present in the text, at least not in
this version of it. See also Schopen 1978, pp. 26 and 126–7.
n.4 Foshuo guanding jing ( 佛說灌頂經, “The Sūtra on Empowerments,” Taishō

1331), whose twelfth fascicle has the subtitle Foshuo guanding ba chu guo
佛說灌頂拔除過罪⽣死得度經卷第⼗⼆,
zuisheng si de du jing juan dishi er (
“Section 12, The Sūtra on the Empowerment that Uproots Misdeeds and
Achieves Liberation from Life and Death”).
n.5 佛說藥師如來本願經, Taishō 449), and Yaoshi liuli

Yaoshi rulai benyuan jing (
guang rulai benyuan gongde jing (藥師琉璃光如來本願功德經, Taishō 450). For
more on the Chinese translations, see Lancaster, The Korean Buddhist Canon, K
176 (http://www.acmuller.net/descriptive_catalogue/files/k0176.html) and
K 177 (http://www.acmuller.net/descriptive_catalogue/files/k0177.html).
See also n.10.
n.6 The Degé dkar chag also mentions Śīlendrabodhi in addition to these
translators.
n.7 Yoshimura 1950, 131.
n.8 dkar chag ’phang thang ma 2003, 11.
n.9 See his chos ’byung F.152.b; and Eimer 1989, text no. 134.
n.10 See Dharmachakra Translation Committee, 2021
(https://read.84000.co/translation/toh503.html). This text was also
translated into Chinese in 707 ᴄᴇ by Yijing as Yaoshi liuli guang qi fo benyuan
gongde jing ( 藥師琉璃光七佛本願功德經, Taishō 451).
n.11 See i.6 and i.7.
n.12 84000 Translation Team. trans., The Vaiḍūryaprabha Dhāraṇī

(http://read.84000.co/translation/toh505.html), Toh 505 (84000: Translating the
Words of the Buddha, 2024).
n.13 Dalton, Catherine. trans., A Mantra for Incanting Medicines When Administering
Them (http://read.84000.co/translation/toh505a.html), Toh 505a (84000:
Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2023).
n.14 Tib. rol mo’i sgra can gyi shing ljon pa. Skt. vādyasvaravṛkṣa. The corresponding
term in the Chinese translation of this text is 樂⾳樹 (Chi. yue yin shu,
“musical tree”), a term that is commonly used to describe the trees in
Amitābha’s pure land.
n.15 V, G: vayam śrutvā; SC : taṃ śrutvā; Tib.: gang thos pas.
n.16 D, S, N, H: sems can de dag ni bdag nyid kyang du ma yongs su mi spyod na; V: aneke
ca sattvāḥ ye svayameva na paribhuñjanti; G: aneke ca sattvā ye svayameva na
paribhuñjanti; SC : aneke ca te satttvā ye svayam evātmana na paribhuṃjanti. The
Sanskrit suggests that the Tibetan term du ma (Skt. aneke) modifies sems can de
dag (Skt. sattvāḥ).
Toh 503 here reads bslab pa’i gnas ’dzin pa dag (“beings who hold the
n.17 precepts”) rather than bslab pa’i gnas ’jig pa dag (“beings who undermine the
precepts”).
n.18 Tib. gsal ba; Skt. vyakta. The Sanskrit vyakta comes from vyañj, which means “to
make evident.” Thus vyakta carries the sense of “clear,” “apparent,”
“evident,” which is close to what we mean in English when we say that
someone is “bright,” meaning that for them things are clear and evident and
that they have the ability to make other things apparent or evident, just as a
light makes things clear and evident.
n.19 The three paragraphs ending with this one are quoted in the Śikṣāsamuccaya;
see Bendall 1902, p. 175.
n.20 D, S: mchod pa byas na; V, G, SC : pūjā kartavyā.
n.21 This paragraph is quoted in the Śikṣāsamuccaya; see Bendall 1902, p. 174.
n.22 V, G, SC : idaṃ buddhagocaraṃ śrutvā; D: sangs rgyas rnams kyi sangs rgyas kyi spyod
yul ’di thos na; S, Y, K: sangs rgyas rnams kyi sangs rgyas kyis spyod yul ’di thos na.
The translation follows the Sanskrit editions of the Bhaiṣajyagurusūtra in this
instance.
n.23 V, G, SC : tathāgatasyaiṣo ’nubhāvo draṣṭavyaḥ; D: de bzhin gshegs pa’i mthu yin par
blta’o.
n.24 The three paragraphs ending with this one are quoted in the Śikṣāsamuccaya;
see Bendall 1902, pp. 174–5.
n.25 Tib: mi de dang lhan cig skyes pa’i lha; SC : puruṣasya sahajā pṛṣṭ[h]ānubaddha devatā;
G, V: sattvasya sahajānubaddham eva.
n.26 V, G: tatra ye te mitrajnātisālohitāḥ; SC : ye tasya. The Tibetan does not provide the
subject here, so our translation supplies it from the Vaidya and Dutt Sanskrit
editions.
n.27 This passage has been taken as referring to revival after actual death or,
alternatively, to recovery from coma or near-death. The paradox of
designating as having actually died someone who is subsequently revived is
no doubt part of what underlies Ānanda’s question below, in 1.51, and in the
passage on untimely death that follows. For a discussion of different
interpretations see Schopen 1978, pp. 354–7.
n.28 Both the Sanskrit and the Tibetan texts switch here to “kṣatriya king” in the
singular. The English translation reads this in the plural to maintain proper
subject agreement in number throughout this section.
n.29 Some of the names for these yakṣa generals that are provided in the Sanskrit
editions of the text do not seem to be standard Sanskrit and may reflect the
preservation of local, vernacular yakṣa traditions in the text. The Tibetan
renderings for these names, which may in fact offer the proper translation of
these nonstandard Sanskrit names, are provided in the glossary.
n.30 V, G: kṛtajñatām anusmaramāṇānāṃ sarvasattvānāṃ; SC : kṛtajñatām anusmaramāṇaḥ

sarvasatvānāṃ; D: byas pa g.zo zhing rjes su dran la sems can thams cad la; S: byas pa
g.zo zhing rjes su dran la /sems can thams cad la.
n.31 The Degé dkar chag adds Śīlendrabodhi to the Indian preceptors named here.
b. BIBLIOGRAPHY
· Tibetan Sources ·
’phags pa bcom ldan ’das sman gyi bla bai Dur+ya’i ’od gyi smon lam gyi khyad par
rgyas pa zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo (Āryabhagavānbhaiṣajyaguruvaiḍūrya-
prabhasya pūrvapraṇidhānaviśeṣavistāranāmamahāyānasūtra). Toh 504, Degé
Kangyur vol. 87 (rgyud ’bum, da), folios 274.a–283.b.
prabhasya pūrvapraṇidhānaviśeṣavistāranāmamahāyānasūtra). 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) 2006–9, vol. 87, pp. 814–36.
prabhasya pūrvapraṇidhānaviśeṣavistāranāmamahāyānasūtra). Stok Palace
Kangyur vol. 72 (mdo, zha), folios 268.a–282.a.
’phags pa de bzhin gshegs pa bdun gyi sngon gyi smon lam gyi khyad par rgyas pa
zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo (Āryasaptatathāgatapūrvapraṇidhānaviśeṣa-
vistāranāmamahāyānasūtra) [The Detailed Account of the Previous Aspirations of
the Seven Thus-Gone Ones]. Toh 503, Degé Kangyur vol. 87 (rgyud ’bum, da),
folios 248.b–273.b. English translation in Dharmachakra Translations
Committee (2021).
’phags pa de bzhin gshegs pa’i ting nge ’dzin gyi stobs bskyed pa bai DUr+ya’i ’od ces
bya ba’i gzungs (Āryatathāgatavaiḍūryaprabhanāmabalādhānasamādhidhāraṇī)
[The Dhāraṇī of the Tathāgata Vaiḍūryaprabha]. Toh 505, Degé Kangyur vol. 87
(rgyud ’bum, da), folios 284.a–286.a. English translation in 84000
Translation Team 2024 (https://read.84000.co/translation/toh505.html).
pho brang stod thang ldan dkar gyi chos kyi ’gyur ro cog gi dkar chag [Denkarma].
Toh 4364, Degé Tengyur vol. 206 (sna tshogs, jo), folios 294.b–310.a.
Śāntideva. bslab pa kun las btus pa’i mngon par rtogs pa (Śikṣāsamuccaya). Toh
3940, Degé Tengyur vol. 111 (dbu ma, khi), folios 3.a–194.b.
sman gtong ba’i tshe sman la sngags kyis gdab pa. Toh 505a, Degé Kangyur vol. 87
(rgyud ’bum, da), folio 286.a. English translation in Dalton 2023
(https://read.84000.co/translation/toh505a.html).
· Sanskrit Sources ·
Bendall, Cecil, ed. Çikshāsamuccaya: A Compendium of Buddhistic Teaching

Compiled by Çāntideva, Chiefly from Earlier Mahāyāna-Sūtras. Bibliotheca
Buddhica 1. St. Petersburg: Académie Impériale des Sciences, 1902.
Dutt, Nalinaksha, D. M. Bhattacharya, and Vidyavaridhi Shiv Nath Sharma,

eds. “Bhaiṣajyaguru-sūtram.” In Gilgit Manuscripts Vol. I, 1–32. Calcutta:
Calcutta Oriental Press, 1939.
Schopen, Gregory. “The Bhaiṣajyaguru-Sūtra and the Buddhism of Gilgit.”

PhD diss., Australian National University, 1978.
Vaidya, P. L., ed. Mahāyāna-sūtra-saṁgraha: Part I. Buddhist Sanskrit Texts 17.

Darbhanga: Mithila Institute, 1961.
· Reference Works ·
Butön Rinchen Drup (bu ston rin chen grub). chos ’byung (bde bar gshegs pa’i
bstan pa’i gsal byed chos kyi ’byung gnas gsung rab rin po che’i gter mdzod). In
gsung ’bum/ rin chen grub/ zhol par ma/ ldi lir bskyar par brgyab pa/, vol. 24 (ya),
pp. 633–1055. New Delhi: International Academy of Indian Culture, 1965–
71.
dkar chag ’phang thang ma. Beijing: mi rigs dpe skrun khang, 2003.
Eimer, Helmut. Der Tantra-Katalog des Bu ston im Vergleich mit der Abteilung
Tantra des tibetischen Kanjur: Studie, Textausgabe, Konkordanzen und Indices.
Bonn: Indica et Tibetica Verlag, 1989.
Lancaster, Lewis R. The Korean Buddhist Canon

(http://www.acmuller.net/descriptive_catalogue/index.html). Accessed April 23,
2019.
Yoshimura, Shyuki. The Denkar-Ma: An Oldest Catalogue of the Tibetan Buddhist
Canons. Kyoto: Ryukoku University, 1950.
· Secondary Sources ·
84000 Translation Team, trans. The Vaiḍūryaprabha Dhāraṇī

(https://read.84000.co/translation/toh505.html) (Vaiḍūryaprabhadharaṇī, Toh 505).
84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2024.
Dalton, Catherine. trans. A Mantra for Incanting Medicines When Administering

Them (https://read.84000.co/translation/toh505a.html) (sman gtong ba’i tshe sman
la sngags kyi gdab pa, Toh 505a). 84000: Translating the Words of the
Buddha, 2023.
Dharmachakra Translations Committee, trans. The Detailed Account of the

Previous Aspirations of the Seven Thus-Gone Ones
(https://read.84000.co/translation/toh503.html) (Saptatathāgatapūrvapraṇidhāna-
viśeṣavistāra, Toh 503). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2021.
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 acquaintance
nye du
་།
jñāti
g.2 aid
sman pa
ན་པ།
hita
g.3 Amitāyus
tshe dpag med
་དཔག་ད།
amitāyus
The buddha who presides over the buddhafield Sukhāvatī; also known as
Amitābha.
g.4 Ānanda
kun dga’ bo
ན་དགའ་།
ānanda
The Buddha Śākyamuni’s attendant who is celebrated for having recited all
the Buddha’s teachings by memory at the first council of the Buddhist
saṅgha, thus preserving the Buddha’s teachings after his parinirvāṇa.
g.5 Anila
rlung
ང་།
anila
One of the twelve great yakṣa generals who protect and serve those who
bear, read, recite, copy, or commission a copy of the Bhaiṣajyaguruvaiḍūrya-
prabharājasūtra.
g.6 Antila
gza’ ’dzin
གཟའ་འན།
antila
prabharājasūtra.
g.7 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.8 Bandé Yeshé Dé

ban+de ye shes sde
བ་་ས་།
—
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.
g.9 be restored
mngon par skye
མན་པར་།
abhivivardhate
g.10 beaten
brdeg pa
བག་པ།
prahāra
g.11 benevolent
byams pa la gnas pa
མས་པ་ལ་གནས་པ།
maitrīvihāra
g.12 Bhaiṣajyaguru
sman gyi lha
ན་ི་།
bhaiṣajyaguru
A short form of the name of Bhaiṣajyaguruvaiḍūryaprabha, the Medicine
Buddha.
g.13 Bhaiṣajyaguruvaiḍūryaprabha
sman gyi lha bai DUr+ya’i ’od
ན་ི་་་་ད།
bhaiṣajyaguruvaiḍūryaprabha
The Medicine Buddha, the thus-gone one residing in the buddhafield
Vaiḍūryanirbhāsa. Also called Bhaiṣajyaguruvaiḍūryaprabharāja.
g.14 Bhaiṣajyaguruvaiḍūryaprabharāja
sman gyi lha bai DUr+ya’i ’od kyi rgyal po
ན་ི་་་་ད་་ལ་།
bhaiṣajyaguruvaiḍūryaprabharāja
The Medicine Buddha, the thus-gone one residing in the buddhafield
Vaiḍūryanirbhāsa. Also called Bhaiṣajyaguruvaiḍūryaprabha.
g.15 bhūta
’byung po
འང་།
bhūta
This term in its broadest sense can refer to any being, whether human,
animal, or nonhuman. However, it is often used to refer to a specific class of
nonhuman beings, especially when bhūtas are mentioned alongside
rākṣasas, piśācas, or pretas. In common with these other kinds of
nonhumans, bhūtas are usually depicted with unattractive and misshapen
bodies. Like several other classes of nonhuman beings, bhūtas take
spontaneous birth. As their leader is traditionally regarded to be Rudra-Śiva
(also known by the name Bhūta), with whom they haunt dangerous and wild
places, bhūtas are especially prominent in Śaivism, where large sections of
certain tantras concentrate on them.
g.16 blessed one

bcom ldan ’das
བམ་ན་འདས།
bhagavān · bhagavat
In Buddhist literature, this is an epithet applied to buddhas, most often to
Śākyamuni. The Sanskrit term generally means “possessing fortune,” but in
specifically Buddhist contexts it implies that a buddha is in possession of six
auspicious qualities (bhaga) associated with complete awakening. The
Tibetan term—where bcom is said to refer to “subduing” the four māras, ldan
to “possessing” the great qualities of buddhahood, and ’das to “going
beyond” saṃsāra and nirvāṇa—possibly reflects the commentarial tradition
where the Sanskrit bhagavat is interpreted, in addition, as “one who destroys
the four māras.” This is achieved either by reading bhagavat as bhagnavat
(“one who broke”), or by tracing the word bhaga to the root √bhañj (“to
break”).
g.17 blind
long ba
ང་བ།
andha
g.18 blue beryl

bai DUr+ya
་།
vaiḍūrya
Although vaiḍūrya—particularly in the context of Bhaiṣajyaguru—has often
been translated as lapis lazuli, blue beryl is overall a better match for the
descriptions and references in the Sanskrit and Tibetan literature. The
equivalent Pāli form of vaiḍūrya is veḷuriya. The Prākrit form verulia is the
source for the English word “beryl.” There are white, yellow, and green
beryls (green beryl is generally called “emerald”), but in this case blue beryl
needs to be specified to match traditional descriptions. Vaiḍūrya may
nevertheless have been taken to designate different gems at different times
and places, and no single equivalent in English is entirely satisfactory.
g.19 body
kho lag · sku
་ལག · །
kāya
g.20 bound
bcing ba
བང་བ།
baddha
g.21 buddha domain

sangs rgyas kyi spyod yul
སངས་ས་་ད་ལ།
buddhagocara
g.22 Candravairocana
zla ba lter rnam par snang ba
་བ་ར་མ་པར་ང་བ།
candravairocana
One of the two primary bodhisattvas who accompany the Thus-Gone One
Bhaiṣajyaguruvaiḍūryaprabharāja in the buddhafield Vaiḍūryanirbhāsa.
g.23 Caundhula
g.yo ba ’dzin
ག་བ་འན།
caundhula
prabharājasūtra.
g.24 centipede
rkang lag brgya pa
ང་ལག་བ་པ།
—
g.25 Cidāla
bsam ’dzin
བསམ་འན།
cidāla
prabharājasūtra.
g.26 crops will be good

lo legs par ’gyur
་གས་པར་འར།
subhikṣa
g.27 Dānaśīla
dA na shI la
་ན་་ལ།
dānaśīla
An Indian preceptor and translator who lived in the ninth century.
g.28 deaf
’on pa
ན་པ།
badhira
g.29 desire
’dod chags
འད་ཆགས།
rāga
One of the three root afflictions that bind beings to cyclic existence.
g.30 dishonored
nga rgyal dang bral ba
ང་ལ་དང་ལ་བ།
vimānita
g.31 dumb
bems po
མས་།
jaḍa
g.32 eight bodhisattvas
byang chub sems dpa’ brgyad
ང་བ་མས་དཔའ་བད།
aṣṭabodhisattva
g.33 eightfold precepts

yan lag brgyad pa’i bsnyen gnas
ཡན་ལག་བད་པ་བན་གནས།
—
To refrain from (1) killing, (2) stealing, (3) sexual activity, (4) false speech, (5)
intoxication, (6) singing, dancing, music, and beautifying oneself with
adornments or cosmetics, (7) using a high or large bed, and (8) eating at
improper times. Typically, this observance is maintained by lay people for
twenty-four hours on new moon and full moon days, as well as other special
days in the lunar calendar.
g.34 eighty minor marks

dpe byad bzang po brgyad cu
ད་ད་བཟང་་བད་།
aśītyanuvyañjana
A set of eighty bodily characteristics and insignia borne by both buddhas
and universal emperors. They are considered “minor” in terms of being
secondary to the thirty-two marks of a great person.
g.35 five precepts

bslab pa’i gzhi lnga po
བབ་པ་ག་་།
pañcaśikṣāpada
Five fundamental precepts of abstaining from (1) killing, (2) stealing, (3)
sexual misconduct, (4) lying, and (5) intoxication.
g.36 forest deity

nags tshal gyi lha
ནགས་ཚལ་ི་།
vanadevatā
A class of spirit being.
g.37 Four Great Kings
rgyal po chen po bzhi
ལ་་ན་་བ།
caturmahārāja
Four gods who live on the lower slopes (fourth level) of Mount Meru in the
eponymous Heaven of the Four Great Kings (Cāturmahārājika, rgyal chen bzhi’i
ris) and guard the four cardinal directions. Each is the leader of a nonhuman
class of beings living in his realm. They are Dhṛtarāṣṭra, ruling the
gandharvas in the east; Virūḍhaka, ruling over the kumbhāṇḍas in the south;
Virūpākṣa, ruling the nāgas in the west; and Vaiśravaṇa (also known as
Kubera) ruling the yakṣas in the north. Also referred to as Guardians of the
World or World Protectors (lokapāla, ’jig rten skyong ba).
g.38 gandharva
dri za
་ཟ།
gandharva
A class of generally benevolent nonhuman beings who inhabit the skies,
sometimes said to inhabit fantastic cities in the clouds, and more specifically
to dwell on the eastern slopes of Mount Meru, where they are ruled by the
Great King Dhṛtarāṣṭra. They are most renowned as celestial musicians who
serve the gods. In the Abhidharma, the term is also used to refer to the
mental body assumed by sentient beings during the intermediate state
between death and rebirth. Gandharvas are said to live on fragrances
(gandha) in the desire realm, hence the Tibetan translation dri za, meaning
“scent eater.”
g.39 Gaṅgā
gang gA
གང་།
gaṅgā
The Gaṅgā, or Ganges in English, is considered to be the most sacred river
of India, particularly within the Hindu tradition. It starts in the Himalayas,
flows through the northern plains of India, bathing the holy city of Vārāṇasī,
and meets the sea at the Bay of Bengal, in Bangladesh. In the sūtras,
however, this river is mostly mentioned not for its sacredness but for its
abundant sands —noticeable still today on its many sandy banks and at its
delta—which serve as a common metaphor for infinitely large numbers.
According to Buddhist cosmology, as explained in the Abhidharmakośa, it is

one of the four rivers that flow from Lake Anavatapta and cross the southern
continent of Jambudvīpa—the known human world or more specifically the
Indian subcontinent.
g.40 garuḍa
nam mkha’ lding
ནམ་མཁའ་ང་།
garuḍa
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.41 giving birth

bu btsa’ ba’i dus na
་བཙའ་བ་ས་ན།
prasavanakāla
g.42 god
lha
།
deva
In the most general sense the devas —the term is cognate with the English
divine—are a class of celestial beings who frequently appear in Buddhist
texts, often at the head of the assemblies of nonhuman beings who attend
and celebrate the teachings of the Buddha Śākyamuni and other buddhas
and bodhisattvas. In Buddhist cosmology the devas occupy the highest of
the five or six “destinies” (gati) of saṃsāra among which beings take rebirth.
The devas reside in the devalokas, “heavens” that traditionally number
between twenty-six and twenty-eight and are divided between the desire
realm (kāmadhātu), form realm (rūpadhātu), and formless realm (ārūpyadhātu). A
being attains rebirth among the devas either through meritorious deeds (in
the desire realm) or the attainment of subtle meditative states (in the form
and formless realms). While rebirth among the devas is considered favorable,
it is ultimately a transitory state from which beings will fall when the
conditions that lead to rebirth there are exhausted. Thus, rebirth in the god
realms is regarded as a diversion from the spiritual path.
g.43 god who was born with that person

mi de dang lhan cig skyes pa’i lha
་་དང་ན་ག་ས་པ་།
puruṣasya sahajā pṛṣṭhānubaddhā devatā
The deity who is born alongside and accompanies a being and is responsible
for recording good and bad deeds to present before the Lord of Death Yama
when that being dies.
g.44 grain
’bru
འ།
śasya · sasya
g.45 great aspiration

smon lam chen po
ན་ལམ་ན་།
mahāpraṇidhāna
The term for aspirations such as helping all beings, generating a
buddhafield, bringing all beings to perfect awakening, and so forth that a
bodhisattva makes while practicing bodhisattva conduct.
g.46 great household

shing sA la chen po
ང་་ལ་ན་།
mahāśāla
g.47 great yakṣa general

gnos sbyin gyi sde dpon chen po
གས་ན་ི་་དན་ན་།
mahāyakṣasenāpati
g.48 have only one eye

zhar ba
ཞར་བ།
kāṇa
g.49 hunchbacked
sgur po
ར་།
kubja
g.50 hungry ghost realm

yi dags kyi ’jig rten
་དགས་་འག་ན།
pretaloka
g.51 hyena
dred
ད།
tarakṣu
g.52 illness
bro nad
་ནད།
vyādhi
g.53 illuminate
lham me gyur
མ་་ར།
bhrājeran
g.54 impaired faculties

dbang po ma tshang ba
དབང་་མ་ཚང་བ།
vikalendriya
g.55 incorrect discipline

tshul khrims log par zhugs
ལ་མས་ག་པར་གས།
śīlavipanna
g.56 Indala
dbang ’dzin
དབང་འན།
indala
prabharājasūtra.
g.57 Jinamitra
dzi na mi tra
་ན་་།
jinamitra
An Indian preceptor and translator who lived in the ninth century.
g.58 kākhorda
byad
ད།
kākhorda
A class of spirit beings typically associated with violent sorcery rites.
g.59 karmic obscuration

las kyi sgrib pa
ལས་་བ་པ།
karmāvaraṇa
The emotional and cognitive veils that create impediments in one’s life and
prevent one from seeing the nature of reality.
g.60 Kiṃbhīra
ci ’jigs
་འགས།
kiṃbhīra
prabharājasūtra.
g.61 kinnara
mi’am ci
འམ་།
kinnara
A class of shapeshifting beings.
g.62 kṣatriya
rgyal rigs
ལ་གས།
kṣatriya
The ruling caste in the traditional four-caste hierarchy of India, associated
with warriors, the aristocracy, and kings.
g.63 lame
yan lag skyon can
ཡན་ལག་ན་ཅན།
laṅga
g.64 lunar eclipse

gza’ zla ba
གཟའ་་བ།
candragraha
g.65 Mahāla
smra ’dzin
་འན།
mahāla
prabharājasūtra.
g.66 mahoraga
lto ’phye chen
་འ་ན།
mahoraga
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.67 manifest
legs par gnas pa
གས་པར་གནས་པ།
pratyupasthita
g.68 Mañjuśrī
’jam dpal
འཇམ་དཔལ།
mañjuśrī
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.
In this text:
Also known here as Mañjuśrīkumārabhūta.
g.69 Mañjuśrīkumārabhūta
’jam dpal gzhon nur gyur pa
འཇམ་དཔལ་གན་ར་ར་པ།
mañjuśrīkumārabhūta
See “Mañjuśrī.”
g.70 Māra
bdud
བད།
māra
The being who orchestrates and perpetuates the illusion of cyclic existence.
g.71 Mekhila
rgyan ’dzin
ན་འན།
mekhila
prabharājasūtra.
g.72 mentally ill

smyon pa
ན་པ།
unmatta
g.73 moon
gdung zla
གང་།
candra
g.74 mountain deity

ri’i lha
་།
giridevatā
g.75 musical tree

rol mo’i sgra can gyi shing ljon pa
ལ་ ་་ཅན་ི་ང་ན་པ།
vādyasvaravṛkṣa
A tree in Vaiśālī at whose base the Buddha Śākyamuni taught The Detailed
Account of the Previous Aspirations of the Blessed Bhaiṣajyaguruvaiḍūryaprabha.
g.76 necessities
yo byad
་ད།
upakaraṇa
g.77 nurse
rim gro byed pa
མ་ོ་ད་པ།
upastāpaka
g.78 one hundred inauspicious things

bkra mi shis pa brgya
བ་་ས་པ་བ།
amaṅgalaśata · śatam alakṣmīṇām
g.79 overcome by greed

chags pas zil gyis non pa
ཆགས་པས་ཟིལ་ིས་ན་པ།
lobhābhibhūta
g.80 overcome by pride

nga rgyal gyis non pa
ང་ལ་ིས་ན་པ།
mānastabdha
g.81 Pāyila
btung ’dzin
བང་འན།
pāyila
prabharājasūtra.
g.82 persecuted by many acts of treachery

sgyu du mas kun du btses pa
་་མས་ན་་བས་པ།
anekamāyābhir upadrutaḥ
g.83 piśāca
sha za
ཤ་ཟ།
piśāca
A class of nonhuman beings that, like several other classes of nonhuman
beings, take spontaneous birth. Ranking below rākṣasas, they are less
powerful and more akin to pretas. They are said to dwell in impure and
perilous places, where they feed on impure things, including flesh. This
could account for the name piśāca, which possibly derives from √piś, to carve
or chop meat, as reflected also in the Tibetan sha za, “meat eater.” They are
often described as having an unpleasant appearance, and at times they
appear with animal bodies. Some possess the ability to enter the dead bodies
of humans, thereby becoming so-called vetāla, to touch whom is fatal.
g.84 poor complexion

mdog ngan pa · mdog mi sdug pa
མག་ངན་པ། · མག་་ག་པ།
durvarṇa
g.85 practice pure conduct

tshangs par spyad pa
ཚངས་པར་ད་པ།
brahmacarya
Brahman is a Sanskrit term referring to what is highest (parama) and most
important (pradhāna); the Nibandhana commentary explains brahman as
meaning here nirvāṇa, and thus the brahman conduct is the “conduct toward
brahman,” the conduct that leads to the highest liberation, i.e., nirvāṇa. This
is explained as “the path without outflows,” which is the “truth of the path”
among the four truths of the noble ones. Other explanations (found in the
Pāli tradition) take “brahman conduct” to mean the “best conduct,” and also
the “conduct of the best,” i.e., the buddhas. In some contexts, “brahman
conduct” refers more specifically to celibacy, but the specific referents of this
expression are many.
g.86 precept
bslab pa’i gnas · bslab pa’i gzhi
བབ་པ་གནས། · བབ་པ་ག།
śikṣāpada
These basic precepts are five in number for the laity: (1) not killing, (2) not
stealing, (3) chastity, (4) not lying, and (5) avoiding intoxicants. For monks,
there are three or five more; avoidance of such things as perfumes, makeup,
ointments, garlands, high beds, and afternoon meals. (Provisional 84000
definition. New definition forthcoming.)
g.87 province
grong rdal
ོང་ལ།
janapada
g.88 prudent
yid bzhungs pa
ད་བངས་པ།
medhāvin
A term describing the quality of a being’s intellect.
g.89 Purifying All Karmic Obscurations and Fulfilling All Hopes

las kyi sgrub pa thams cad rnam par sbyong zhing re ba thams cad yongs su skong ba
ལས་་བ་པ་ཐམས་ཅད་མ་པར་ང་ང་་བ་ཐམས་ཅད་ངས་་ང་བ།
—
An alternate title for The Detailed Account of the Previous Aspirations of the Thus-
Gone Bhaiṣajyaguruvaiḍūryaprabha.
g.90 rākṣasa
srin po
ན་།
rākṣasa
A class of nonhuman beings that are often, but certainly not always,
considered demonic in the Buddhist tradition. They are often depicted as
flesh-eating monsters who haunt frightening places and are ugly and evil-
natured with a yearning for human flesh, and who additionally have
miraculous powers, such as being able to change their appearance.
g.91 riches
dbyig
དག
vasu
g.92 Sangyé Menla

sangs rgyas sman bla
སངས་ས་ན་།
—
Tibetan short form of Bhaiṣajyaguruvaiḍūryaprabha, also known as the
Medicine Buddha.
g.93 Saṇṭhila
gnas bcas
གནས་བཅས།
saṇṭhila
prabharājasūtra.
g.94 Śāntideva
zhi ba’i lha · zhi ba lha
་བ་། · ་བ་།
śāntideva
Indian commentator from the eighth century (685–783 ᴄᴇ) renowned for his
work The Way of the Bodhisattva (Bodhicaryāvatāra).
g.95 scorpion
sdig
ག
vṛścika
g.96 sense pleasures

’dod pa’i yon tan
འད་པ་ན་ཏན།
kāmaguṇa
g.97 sentenced to death

gsad par ’os pa
གསད་པར་ས་པ།
vadhārha
g.98 seven precious substances
rin po che sna bdun
ན་་་་བན།
saptaratna
The set of seven precious materials or substances includes a range of
precious metals and gems, but their exact list varies. The set often consists of
gold, silver, beryl, crystal, red pearls, emeralds, and white coral, but may also
contain lapis lazuli, ruby, sapphire, chrysoberyl, diamonds, etc. The term is
frequently used in the sūtras to exemplify preciousness, wealth, and beauty,
and can describe treasures, offering materials, or the features of architectural
structures such as stūpas, palaces, thrones, etc. The set is also used to
describe the beauty and prosperity of buddha realms and the realms of the
gods.
In other contexts, the term saptaratna can also refer to the seven precious
possessions of a cakravartin or to a set of seven precious moral qualities.
g.99 skillful means

thabs mkhas
ཐབས་མཁས།
upāyakauśalya
The special methods that enlightened beings use to lead other beings to
awakening.
g.100 solar eclipse

gza’ nyi ma
གཟའ་་མ།
sūryagraha
g.101 Spaces between worlds

’jig rten gyi bar
འག་ན་ི་བར།
lokāntarikā
The places between adjacent world systems, outside their defining ring of
mountains, that are said to be miserable and in utter darkness as the suns
and moons of the world systems can shed no light there. They are
nevertheless said to be inhabited by numerous beings and are sometimes
counted among the hell realms.
g.102 Śrīmitra
—
—
śrīmitra
Śrīmitra (d. 343), a prince from Kucha ( ⿔茲, Qiuci, in the Tarim Basin on the
Silk Road, present-day Kuqa in Xinjiang), who lived one generation before
the other famous Kuchean translator, Kumārajīva. Kucha at the time was a
culturally Indic, Tocharian-speaking kingdom. Śrīmitra abdicated the throne
in favor of his younger brother and became a monk and translator, traveling
to China. He spent 307–312 in Luoyang ( 洛陽) where he translated Taishō
1331 mentioned here, later moving to Jiankang (建康). He was responsible
for introducing a number of other Buddhist texts and dhāraṇīs to China.
g.103 statue
sku gzugs
་གགས།
pratimā
g.104 strength of a great champion

tshan po che chen po’i stobs
ཚན་་་ན་ ་བས།
mahānagnabala
g.105 Sukhāvatī
bde ba can
བ་བ་ཅན།
sukhāvatī
The buddhafield of the Thus-Gone Amitābha.
g.106 Sumeru
ri rab
་རབ།
sumeru
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.107 sun
nyi ma · gdugs
་མ། · གགས།
sūrya
g.108 Sūryavairocana
nyi ma ltar rnam par snang byed
་མ་ར་མ་པར་ང་ད།
sūryavairocana
One of the two primary bodhisattvas who accompany the Thus-Gone One
Bhaiṣajyaguruvaiḍūryaprabharāja in the buddhafield Vaiḍūryanirbhāsa.
g.109 ten precepts

bslab pa’i gzhi bcu po
བབ་པ་ག་བ་།
daśaśikṣāpada
In addition to the five precepts of abstaining from (1) killing, (2) stealing, (3)
sexual misconduct, (4) lying, and (5) intoxication, the ten precepts often
include (the list varies) abstaining from (6) eating after the midday meal, (7)
dancing, singing, or engaging in other forms of entertainments, (8) wearing
jewelry or adorning oneself with cosmetics, (9) using high or luxurious beds
or seats, and (10) handling money.
g.110 ten virtuous actions

dge ba bcu
ད་བ་བ།
daśakuśala
Abstaining from killing, taking what is not given, sexual misconduct, lying,
uttering divisive talk, speaking harsh words, gossiping, covetousness, ill
will, and wrong views.
g.111 The Bodhisattva Vajrapāṇi’s Vow

byang chub sems dpa’ lag na rdo rjes dam bcas pa
ང་བ་མས་དཔའ་ལག་ན་་ས་དམ་བཅས་པ།
—
g.112 The Vows of the Twelve Great Yakṣa Generals

gnod sbyin gyi sde dpon chen po bcu gnyis kyis dam bcas pa
གད་ན་ི་་དན་ན་་བ་གས་ས་དམ་བཅས་པ།
—
g.113 thirty-two marks of a great person

skyes bu chen po’i mtshan sum cu rtsa gnyis
ས་་ན་ ་མཚན་མ་་་གས།
dvātriṃśanmahāpuruṣalakṣaṇa
Thirty-two of the 112 identifying physical characteristics of both buddhas
and universal emperors, in addition to the eighty minor marks.
g.114 three vows

sdom pa gsum
མ་པ་གམ།
trisaṃvara
There are two common sets of “the three vows.” The first set refers to the
pratimokṣa, bodhicitta, and mantra vows, and this schema was perhaps most
famously promoted in Tibet by the thirteenth-century Tibetan polymath
Sakya Paṇḍita. The second set, which is likely the set of three vows referred
to here, consists of (1) the pratimokṣa vows (Tib. so thar gyi sdom pa) of the
desire realm, (2) the dhyāna vows (Tib. sam gtan gyi sdom pa) of the form realm,
and (3) the uncontaminated vows (Tib. zag med kyi sdom pa) maintained by
those who have transcended the three realms and are at the level of a noble
being.
g.115 thus-gone one
de bzhin gshegs pa
་བན་གགས་པ།
tathāgata
A frequently used synonym for buddha. According to different explanations,
it can be read as tathā-gata, literally meaning “one who has thus gone,” or as
tathā-āgata, “one who has thus come.” Gata, though literally meaning “gone,”
is a past passive participle used to describe a state or condition of existence.
Tatha(tā), often rendered as “suchness” or “thusness,” is the quality or
condition of things as they really are, which cannot be conveyed in
conceptual, dualistic terms. Therefore, this epithet is interpreted in different
ways, but in general it implies one who has departed in the wake of the
buddhas of the past, or one who has manifested the supreme awakening
dependent on the reality that does not abide in the two extremes of existence
and quiescence. It is also often used as a specific epithet of the Buddha
Śākyamuni.
g.116 to make shine

lhang nger gyur
ང་ར་ར།
viroceran
g.117 to warm
lhan ner gyur
ན་ར་ར།
tapyeran
g.118 tortured
go rar gzhug pa
་རར་གག་པ།
avaruddha
g.119 town
grong khyer
ོང་ར།
nagara
g.120 Trāṇamukta
skyabs grol
བས་ོལ།
trāṇamukta
A bodhisattva.
g.121 tree deity

shing gi lha
ང་་།
vṛkṣadevatā
g.122 turret
ba gam
བ་གམ།
niryūha
g.123 uncorrupted discipline

tshul khrims nyams pa med pa
ལ་མས་ཉམས་པ་ད་པ།
akhaṇḍaśīla
g.124 universal emperor

’khor los sgyur ba’i rgyal po
འར་ས་ར་བ་ལ་།
cakravartin
An ideal monarch or emperor who, as the result of the merit accumulated in
previous lifetimes, rules over a vast realm in accordance with the Dharma.
Such a monarch is called a cakravartin because he bears a wheel (cakra) that
rolls (vartate) across the earth, bringing all lands and kingdoms under his
power. The cakravartin conquers his territory without causing harm, and his
activity causes beings to enter the path of wholesome actions. According to
Vasubandhu’s Abhidharmakośa, just as with the buddhas, only one
cakravartin appears in a world system at any given time. They are likewise
endowed with the thirty-two major marks of a great being
(mahāpuruṣalakṣaṇa), but a cakravartin’s marks are outshined by those of a
buddha. They possess seven precious objects: the wheel, the elephant, the
horse, the wish-fulfilling gem, the queen, the general, and the minister. An
illustrative passage about the cakravartin and his possessions can be found
in The Play in Full (Toh 95), 3.3–3.13.
Vasubandhu lists four types of cakravartins: (1) the cakravartin with a

golden wheel (suvarṇacakravartin) rules over four continents and is invited by
lesser kings to be their ruler; (2) the cakravartin with a silver wheel
(rūpyacakravartin) rules over three continents and his opponents submit to
him as he approaches; (3) the cakravartin with a copper wheel
(tāmracakravartin) rules over two continents and his opponents submit
themselves after preparing for battle; and (4) the cakravartin with an iron
wheel (ayaścakravartin) rules over one continent and his opponents submit
themselves after brandishing weapons.
g.125 untimely death

dus ma yin par ’chi ba
ས་མ་ན་པར་འ་བ།
akālamaraṇa
g.126 Vaiḍūryanirbhāsa
bai DUr+ya ra snang ba · bai DUr+ya snang ba
་་ར་ང་བ། · ་་ང་བ།
vaiḍūryanirbhāsa
The buddhafield of the Thus-Gone Bhaiṣajyaguruvaiḍūryaprabharāja.
g.127 Vaiśālī
yangs pa can
ཡངས་པ་ཅན།
vaiśālī
One of a number of towns where the Buddha Śākyamuni is said to have
taught.
g.128 Vajra
rdo rje
་།
vajra
prabharājasūtra.
g.129 Vajrapāṇi
lag na rdo rje
ལག་ན་་།
vajrapāṇi
Vajrapāṇi means “Wielder of the Vajra.” In the Pali canon, he appears as a
yakṣa guardian in the retinue of the Buddha. In the Mahāyāna scriptures he
is a bodhisattva and one of the “eight close sons of the Buddha.” In the
tantras, he is also regarded as an important Buddhist deity and instrumental
in the transmission of tantric scriptures.
g.130 vetāla
ro langs
་ལངས།
vetāla
A class of spirit beings typically associated with violent sorcery rites, the
vetāla is most often described as a reanimated corpse or zombie.
g.131 Vikala
rdzogs byed
གས་ད།
vikala
prabharājasūtra.
g.132 village
grong
ོང་།
grāma
g.133 vital energy

mdangs
མདངས།
ojas
The principle of vital warmth and action throughout the body.
g.134 vitiligo
sha bkra
ཤ་བ།
śvitra
g.135 weak constitution

lus ngan pa
ས་ངན་པ།
hīnakāya
g.136 wealth
longs spyod
ངས་ད།
bhoga
g.137 world of Yama

gshin rje’i ’jig rten
གན་་འག་ན།
yamaloka
The world of the Lord of Death.
g.138 yakṣa
gnod sbyin
གད་ན།
yakṣa
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.139 Yama
gshin rje
གན་།
yama
The Lord of Death.

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༄༅། །བམ་ན་འདས་ན་ི་་་་ད་ི་ན་ལམ་ི་ད་པར་ས་པ།

The Detailed Account of the Previous

ᴛʀᴀɴsʟᴀᴛᴇᴅ ɪɴᴛᴏ ᴛɪʙᴇᴛᴀɴ ʙʏ

First published 2021

Current version v 1.1.18 (2024)

Generated by 84000 Reading Room v2.26.1

1.1 Homage to all buddhas and bodhisattvas.

1.6 “Mañjuśrī, to the east of this buddhafield, past as many buddhafields as

1.23 The Blessed One continued to address Mañjuśrīkumārabhūta, saying,

Sigla for Sanskrit Editions

G Bhaiṣajyagurusūtra in Dutt et al.

n.2 Schopen 1978, p. 22.

n.4 Foshuo guanding jing ( 佛說灌頂經, “The Sūtra on Empowerments,” Taishō

n.5 佛說藥師如來本願經, Taishō 449), and Yaoshi liuli

n.7 Yoshimura 1950, 131.

n.8 dkar chag ’phang thang ma 2003, 11.

n.12 84000 Translation Team. trans., The Vaiḍūryaprabha Dhāraṇī

n.15 V, G: vayam śrutvā; SC : taṃ śrutvā; Tib.: gang thos pas.

n.20 D, S: mchod pa byas na; V, G, SC : pūjā kartavyā.

n.30 V, G: kṛtajñatām anusmaramāṇānāṃ sarvasattvānāṃ; SC : kṛtajñatām anusmaramāṇaḥ

Bendall, Cecil, ed. Çikshāsamuccaya: A Compendium of Buddhistic Teaching

Dutt, Nalinaksha, D. M. Bhattacharya, and Vidyavaridhi Shiv Nath Sharma,

Schopen, Gregory. “The Bhaiṣajyaguru-Sūtra and the Buddhism of Gilgit.”

Vaidya, P. L., ed. Mahāyāna-sūtra-saṁgraha: Part I. Buddhist Sanskrit Texts 17.

Lancaster, Lewis R. The Korean Buddhist Canon

84000 Translation Team, trans. The Vaiḍūryaprabha Dhāraṇī

Dalton, Catherine. trans. A Mantra for Incanting Medicines When Administering

Dharmachakra Translations Committee, trans. The Detailed Account of the

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

AS Attested in source text

AO Attested in other text

RP Reconstruction from Tibetan phonetic rendering

RS Reconstruction from Tibetan semantic rendering

g.8 Bandé Yeshé Dé

g.16 blessed one

g.18 blue beryl

g.21 buddha domain

g.26 crops will be good

g.33 eightfold precepts

g.34 eighty minor marks

g.35 five precepts

g.36 forest deity

According to Buddhist cosmology, as explained in the Abhidharmakośa, it is

g.41 giving birth

g.43 god who was born with that person

g.45 great aspiration

g.46 great household

g.47 great yakṣa general

g.48 have only one eye

g.50 hungry ghost realm

g.54 impaired faculties

g.55 incorrect discipline

g.59 karmic obscuration

g.64 lunar eclipse

g.72 mentally ill

g.74 mountain deity

g.75 musical tree

g.78 one hundred inauspicious things

g.79 overcome by greed

g.80 overcome by pride