The Play in Full

A group of eight vows taken for one day on certain days of the month to emphasize purity.

See “five powers.”

A buddha in the past.

One of the four goddesses who attended and kept guard over Prince Siddhārtha while he was in the womb of his mother.

A god.

A place in ancient India.

The lord of the guhyakas.

Name of a ruler of Ujjayinī.

One of the sixteen gods guarding the seat of awakening.

One of Māra’s sons who developed faith in Prince Siddhārtha and tried to dissuade Māra from attacking him on the evening of his awakening.

One of the gods of the pure realms.

A god.

One of the bodhisattvas attending this teaching in Śrāvastī, at Jeta’s Grove.

One of the gods of the pure realms.

One of the bodhisattvas attending this teaching in Śrāvastī, at Jeta’s Grove.

Literally “I king.” Arrogance or egocentrism.

A member of the Indian priestly caste, a brahmin.

One of the eight goddesses in the north, called upon to grant protection.

One of the eight goddesses in the west, called upon to grant protection.

One of Māra’s sons who developed faith in Prince Siddhārtha and tried to dissuade Māra from attacking him on the evening of his awakening.

One of the Buddha’s former rebirths.

The five Pure Abodes are the highest heavens of the Form Realm (rūpadhātu). They are called “pure abodes” because ordinary beings (pṛthagjana; so so’i skye bo) cannot be born there; only those who have achieved the fruit of a non-returner (anāgāmin; phyir mi ’ong) can be born there. A summary presentation of them is found in the third chapter of Vasubandhu's Abhidharmakośa, although they are repeatedly mentioned as a set in numerous sūtras, tantras, and vinaya texts.

The five Pure Abodes are the last five of the seventeen levels of the Form Realm. Specifically, they are the last five of the eight levels of the upper Form Realm‍—which corresponds to the fourth meditative concentration (dhyāna; bsam gtan)‍—all of which are described as “immovable” (akopya; mi g.yo ba) since they are never destroyed during the cycles of the destruction and reformation of a world system. In particular, the five are Abṛha (mi che ba), the inferior heaven; Atapa (mi gdung ba), the heaven of no torment; Sudṛśa (gya nom snang), the heaven of sublime appearances; Sudarśana (shin tu mthong), the heaven of the most beautiful to behold; and Akaniṣṭha (’og min), the highest heaven.

Yaśomitra explains their names, stating: (1) because those who abide there can only remain for a fixed amount of time, before they are plucked out (√bṛh, bṛṃhanti) of that heaven, or because it is not as extensive (abṛṃhita) as the others in the pure realms, that heaven is called the inferior heaven (abṛha; mi che ba); (2) since the afflictions can no longer torment (√tap, tapanti) those who reside there because of their having attained a particular samādhi, or because their state of mind is virtuous, they no longer torment (√tap, tāpayanti) others, this heaven, consequently, is called the heaven of no torment (atapa; mi gdung ba); (3) since those who reside there have exceptional (suṣṭhu) vision because what they see (√dṛś, darśana) is utterly pure, that heaven is called the heaven of sublime appearances (sudṛśa; gya nom snang); (4) because those who reside there are beautiful gods, that heaven is called the heaven of the most beautiful to behold (sudarśana; shin tu mthong); and (5) since it is not lower (na kaniṣṭhā) than any other heaven because there is no other place superior to it, this heaven is called the highest heaven (akaniṣṭha; ’og min) since it is the uppermost.

One of the monks attending this teaching in Śrāvastī, at Jeta’s Grove.

One of the monks attending this teaching in Śrāvastī, at Jeta’s Grove.

A constellation in the north.

One of the four main continents that surround Sumeru, the central mountain in classical Buddhist cosmology. It is the eastern continent, characterized as “sublime in physique,” and it is semicircular in shape. The humans who live there are twice as tall as those from our southern continent, and live for 250 years. It is known as Videha and Pūrva­videha.

A buddha in the past.

A buddha in the past.

A thus-gone one.

A buddha in the past.

A thus-gone one to whom the Bodhisattva made offerings in a past life.

A constellation in a section of the east.

The servant of the village girl Sujātā.

A powerful asura, said to cause eclipses.

One of the monks attending this teaching in Śrāvastī, at Jeta’s Grove.

A sagely priest who hosts Prince Siddhārtha after he leaves his home.

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.

A person who hosts Prince Siddhārtha after he leaves his home.

A class of beings.

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.

Father to Rudraka (Udraka).

A thus-gone one to whom the Bodhisattva made offerings in a past life.

One of the daughters of Māra present on the eve of Siddhārtha’s awakening.

According to Monier-Williams: “amorous enjoyment, often personified as one of the two wives of Kāmadeva, together with Prīti.”

One of the sons of Māra present on the eve of Siddhārtha’s awakening.

A thus-gone one.

A bodhisattva who resides in the world Ratnavyūhā of the Thus-Gone One Ratnārcis’ buddha realm, and comes to venerate the Buddha.

A place in ancient India.

A bodhisattva who resides in the Samanta­vilokitā world of the Thus-Gone One Samantadarśin’s buddha realm, and comes to venerate the Buddha.

A buddha in the past.

A thus-gone one.

A world within the Thus-Gone One Ratnayaṣti’s buddha realm.

A bodhisattva who resides in the Ratnasambhava world of the Thus-Gone One Ratnayaṣti’s buddha realm, and comes to venerate the Buddha.

A thus-gone one to whom the Bodhisattva made offerings in a past life.

A world within the Thus-Gone One Ratnārcis’ buddha realm.

A thus-gone one.

The second god realm of form, this is the second of the three heavens that make up the first dhyāna heaven in the form realm. Also called Brahmā’s Entourage (Brahmā­pariṣadya).

A thus-gone one to whom the Bodhisattva made offerings in a past life.

One of the Buddha’s former rebirths.

One of the monks attending this teaching in Śrāvastī, at Jeta’s Grove.

A constellation in the north, personified as a semidivine being. Here called upon for protection.

A constellation in the east, personified as a semidivine being. Here called upon for protection.

A place the Buddha traveled to in the area of Gayā.

Wholesome actions that are conducive to happiness.

A buddha in the past.

A buddha in the past.

A wrathful form of Śiva.

A meditation teacher who was one of the Buddha’s teachers before he attained awakening. Although the spelling Rudraka is attested in the Sanskrit of this sūtra, in most other texts his name is Udraka, or Udraka Rāmaputra (“Udraka the son of Rāma”).

The name of Śakra’s highest consort.

Lit. “Ocean.” Name of one of the sixty-four scripts mentioned by Prince Siddhārtha to his school master Viśvāmitra.

A nāga king.

A thus-gone one to whom the Bodhisattva made offerings in a past life.

Indian sage, wise man (often a wandering ascetic or hermit). This term was also used to render muni (thub pa); see “Able One.”

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.

One of the five Pāṇḍava brothers. Son of the two Aśvins.

A king, one of the Buddha’s former rebirths.

A brahmin woman who briefly hosts Prince Siddhārtha after he leaves his home.

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

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

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

A thus-gone one to whom the Bodhisattva made offerings in a past life.

A hardwood tree that is widespread on the Indian subcontinent. Usually identified as Shorea robusta. It is usually known as the kind of tree under which the Buddha was born and passed away. However, according to this account, the Buddha was born under a fig tree, similar to the one under which he attained awakening.

A thus-gone one to whom the Bodhisattva made offerings in a past life.

A buddha in the past.

One of the eight goddesses dwelling in the Bodhi tree.

A thus-gone one to whom the Bodhisattva paid homage in a past life.

A god in the audience who asks the Buddha a question.

A world within the Thus-Gone One Samantadarśin’s buddha realm.

One of the three great divisions of Brahmanical philosophy.

A buddha in the past.

One of the four goddesses who attended and kept guard over Prince Siddhārtha while he was in the womb of his mother.

A god.

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

A god.

A place in ancient India that Prince Siddhārtha ruled in a previous life.

A god.

The principal deity in the paradise of Tuṣita.

A thus-gone one to whom the Bodhisattva made offerings in a past life.

One of the places in Magadha visited by the Buddha.

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.”

One of the monks attending this teaching.

One of Māra’s sons who developed faith in Prince Siddhārtha and tried to dissuade Māra from attacking him on the evening of his awakening.

A buddha in the past.

One of the sons of Māra present on the eve of Siddhārtha’s awakening.

The personal name of the Buddha, meaning “one who accomplishes all aims.” Siddhārtha is a shorter form of this name.

One of the Buddha’s former rebirths.

One of the sons of Māra present on the eve of Prince Siddhārtha’s awakening.

A constellation in the north, personified as a semidivine being. Here called upon for protection.

A thus-gone one to whom the Bodhisattva made offerings in a past life.

A buddha in the past.

One of the eight goddesses dwelling in the Bodhi tree.

One of the Buddha’s former rebirths.

A buddha in the past.

Commentarial texts.

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

A village near Urubilvā.

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.

The set of seven factors or aspects that characteristically manifest on the path of seeing: (1) mindfulness (smṛti, dran pa), (2) discrimination between dharmas (dharmapravicaya, chos rab tu rnam ’byed/shes rab), (3) diligence (vīrya, brtson ’grus), (4) joy (prīti, dga’ ba), (5) mental and physical ease (praśrabdhi, shin sbyangs), (6) meditative absorption (samādhi, ting nge ’dzin), and (7) equanimity (upekṣā, btang snyoms).

For an explanation of each branch, see 4.25.

One of the sixteen gods guarding the seat of awakening.

Lit. “One Who Accomplished His Aim.” The birth name given to the Bodhisattva by his father, King Śuddhodana. Siddhārtha is a short form of the name Sarvārthasiddha.

One of Māra’s sons who developed faith in Prince Siddhārtha and tried to dissuade Māra from attacking him on the evening of his awakening.

One of the eight goddesses in the east, called upon to grant protection.

One of the bodhisattvas attending this teaching in Śrāvastī, at Jeta’s Grove.

A priest who inspired the merchant brothers, Trapuṣa and Bhallika.

A buddha in the past.

One of the sixteen gods guarding the seat of awakening.

A thus-gone one to whom the Bodhisattva made offerings in a past life.

Prince Siddhārtha’s grandfather.

A demon in Māra’s army.

A thus-gone one to whom the Bodhisattva made offerings in a past life.

One of the bodhisattvas attending this teaching in Śrāvastī, at Jeta’s Grove.

One of Māra’s sons who developed faith in Prince Siddhārtha and tried to dissuade Māra from attacking him on the evening of his awakening.

One of Māra’s sons who developed faith in Prince Siddhārtha and tried to dissuade Māra from attacking him on the evening of his awakening.

One of the eight goddesses in the north, called upon to grant protection.

One of the eight goddesses in the west, called upon to grant protection.

Major deity in the pantheon of the classical Indian religious traditions.

The trainings of the bodhisattva path: generosity, discipline, patience, diligence, concentration, and knowledge, or wisdom.

A god.

The concept of skillful or expedient means is central to the understanding of the Buddha’s enlightened deeds and the many scriptures that are revealed contingent on the needs, interests, and mental dispositions of specific types of individuals. It is, therefore, equated with compassion and the form body of the buddhas, the rūpakāya.

According to the Great Vehicle, training in skillful means collectively denotes the first five of the six perfections when integrated with wisdom, the sixth perfection. It is therefore paired with wisdom (prajñā), forming the two indispensable aspects of the path. It is also the seventh of the ten perfections. (Provisional 84000 definition. New definition forthcoming.)

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

One of the eight goddesses in the north, called upon to grant protection.

A constellation in the west, personified as a semidivine being. Here called upon for protection.

During the life of the Buddha, Śrāvastī was the capital city of the powerful kingdom of Kośala, ruled by King Prasenajit, who became a follower and patron of the Buddha. It was also the hometown of Anāthapiṇḍada, the wealthy patron who first invited the Buddha there, and then offered him a park known as Jetavana, Prince Jeta’s Grove, which became one of the first Buddhist monasteries. The Buddha is said to have spent about twenty-five rainy seasons with his disciples in Śrāvastī, thus it is named as the setting of numerous events and teachings. It is located in present-day Uttar Pradesh in northern India.

One of the eight goddesses dwelling in the Bodhi tree.

One of the eight goddesses dwelling in the Bodhi tree.

A buddha in the past.

One of the eight goddesses in the south, called upon to grant protection.

A park in the city of city of Kapilavastu.

A type of precious jewels offered by the great king Kubera.

The earth goddess who was present at the eve of Siddhārtha’s awakening.

A buddha in the past.

The king of the city of Mathurā around the time of Prince Siddhārtha’s birth.

One of the monks attending this teaching in Śrāvastī, at Jeta’s Grove.

A god who spoke verses in honor of Prince Siddhārtha when he was in school.

One of the Buddha’s former rebirths.

One of the monks attending this teaching in Śrāvastī, at Jeta’s Grove.

The fifteenth of the seventeen heavens of the form realm; also the name of the gods living there. In the form realm, which is structured according to the four concentrations and the pure realms, it is listed as the third of the five pure realms.

A divine king of the Brahma realm.

One of Māra’s sons who developed faith in Prince Siddhārtha and tried to dissuade Māra from attacking him on the evening of his awakening.

One of Māra’s sons who developed faith in Prince Siddhārtha and tried to dissuade Māra from attacking him on the evening of his awakening.

A nāga king who invited the Buddha to stay with him in Gayā.

A buddha in the past.

The king of the Śākyas, father of Prince Siddhārtha.

A buddha in the past.

One of the bullocks of the merchant brothers, Trapuṣa and Bhallika.

One of the ten girls who attended upon Prince Siddhārtha while he was practicing austerities.

A buddha in the past.

One of the four deities who were dwelling at the Bodhi tree.

A buddha in the past.

A thus-gone one to whom the Bodhisattva made offerings in a past life.

One of the Buddha’s former rebirths.

A king of the city of Mithilā, in ancient India.

One of the gods of the pure realms.

Half-brother of Prince Siddhārtha who later becomes his disciple.

A buddha in the past.

One of the ten girls who attended upon Prince Siddhārtha while he was practicing austerities.

One of Māra’s sons who developed faith in Prince Siddhārtha and tried to dissuade Māra from attacking him on the evening of his awakening.

The principal deity in the Nirmāṇarati paradise, the second highest paradise in the desire realm. Also called Sunirmāṇarati.

The sunstone is supposed to give out heat when exposed to the sun.

A king who is the father of Māyādevī, the Buddha’s mother.

One of the eight goddesses in the south, called upon to grant protection.

One of the eight goddesses in the south, called upon to grant protection.

One of the sixteen gods guarding the seat of awakening.

One of the ten girls who attended upon Prince Siddhārtha while he was practicing austerities.

A buddha in the past.

One of the sixteen gods guarding the seat of awakening.

One of the eight goddesses in the north, called upon to grant protection.

A buddha in the past.

The god of the sun; the sun personified.

A thus-gone one to whom the Bodhisattva made offerings in a past life.

A world within the Thus-Gone One Candra­sūrya­jihmī­kara­prabha’s buddha realm.

One of the Buddha’s former rebirths.

One of the sixteen gods guarding the seat of awakening.

One of the eight goddesses in the south, called upon to grant protection.

The chief queen of Kālika, the nāga king.

The chief god of the Heaven Free from Strife.

One of the monks attending this teaching in Śrāvastī, at Jeta’s Grove.

The boy, a grass seller, who offered Prince Siddhārtha grass for his seat on the eve of his awakening.

A constellation in the south, personified as a semidivine being. Here called upon for protection.

The name of the Bodhisattva during his life in the heaven of Heaven of Joy. This was the last rebirth of the Buddha before taking birth as Prince Siddhārtha.

A sage in the past.

A brahmin youth who was a former life of the Buddha.

The shrub Tabernaemontana coronaria from which a fragrant powder or perfume is obtained.

A thus-gone one to whom the Bodhisattva made offerings in a past life.

One of the eight goddesses dwelling in the Bodhi tree.

One set among the different qualities of a buddha. The ten strengths are (1) the knowledge of what is possible and not possible; (2) the knowledge of the ripening of karma; (3) the knowledge of the variety of aspirations; (4) the knowledge of the variety of natures; (5) the knowledge of the different levels of capabilities; (6) the knowledge of the destinations of all paths; (7) the knowledge of various states of meditation; (8) the knowledge of remembering previous lives; (9) the knowledge of deaths and rebirths; and (10) the knowledge of the cessation of defilements.

Abstaining from killing, taking what is not given, sexual misconduct, lying, uttering divisive talk, speaking harsh words, gossiping, covetousness, ill will, and wrong views.

Thirty-seven practices that lead the practitioner to the awakened state: the four applications of mindfulness, the four thorough relinquishments, the four bases of miraculous power, the five faculties, the five powers, the eightfold path, and the seven branches of awakening.

Thirty-two of the hundred and twelve identifying physical characteristics of both buddhas and universal monarchs, in addition to the so-called “eighty minor marks.” These can be found listed in 7.98.

Relinquishing negative acts in the present and the future, and enhancing positive acts in the present and the future.

Emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness.

The realms of hell beings, pretas, and animals.

The formless realm, the form realm, and the desire realm comprise the thirty-one planes of existence in Buddhist cosmology.

Anger, desire, and delusion.

In the context of the sūtras, the three vehicles are the Hearer, Solitary Buddha, and Bodhisattva Vehicles.

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.

Name of a buddha in the past, mentioned also as the name of a thus-gone one to whom the Bodhisattva made offerings in a past life. (It is possible these refer to the same buddha.)

One of the basic forms of Buddhist meditation, which focuses on calming the mind. Often presented as part of a pair of meditation techniques, with the other technique being “insight” (vipaśyanā). Also rendered here as “calm abiding.”

One of the two brother merchants, the other being Bhallika, who met and made offerings to the Buddha near the Bodhi tree, seven weeks after his awakening.

See “Bodhi tree.”

A river.

One of the daughters of Māra present on the eve of Siddhārtha’s awakening.

The twelve causal links that perpetuate life in cyclic existence, starting with ignorance and ending with death. Through a deliberate reversal of these twelve links one can succeed in bringing the whole cycle to an end. The twelve links are (1) ignorance, (2) formation, (3) consciousness, (4) name and form, (5) the six sense sources, (6) contact, (7) feeling, (8) craving, (9) grasping, (10) becoming, (11) birth, and (12) aging and death.

A palace in the Heaven of Joy, where the Bodhisattva taught the Dharma to gods of that heaven.

The chief priest of King Śuddhodana.

Son of Udayana, the chief priest of King Śuddhodana in Kapilavastu, the Buddha’s home town. Also called Kālodāyin (Black Udāyin) because of his dark skin. He and his wife Guptā became monk and nun. He became an arhat who was a skilled teacher. However, he also figures prominently in accounts of inappropriate sexual behavior that instigated vinaya rules. He and Guptā are also said to have conceived a son after their ordination.

A god who recommended that the Bodhisattva take the form of a great elephant when entering the womb of his mother.

A buddha in the past.

One of the sons of Māra present on the eve of Siddhārtha’s awakening.

A city in ancient India, corresponding to modern Ujjain.

One of the ten girls who attended upon Prince Siddhārtha while he was practicing austerities.

See “eight unfortunate states.”

The thirteenth of the seventeen heavens of the form realm; also the name of the gods living there. In the form realm, which is structured according to the four concentrations and the pure realms, it is listed as the first of the five pure realms. It is said to be the most common rebirth for the “non-returners” of the vehicle of listeners.

A buddha in the past.

One of eight mythological nāga kings. The story of the two nāga kings Upananda and Nanda and their taming by the Buddha and Maudgalyāyana is told in the Vinayavibhaṅga (Toh 3, Degé vol. 6, ’dul ba, ja, F.221.a–224.a).

One kind of Indian sandalwood (Santalum album) said to be “blue” on the inside. The name “essence of snakes” is said to come from snakes being particularly attracted to those trees.

A buddha in the past.

Known in Pali as Uruvela, Urubilvā is another name for Gayā. The Buddha inspired a group of one thousand dreadlocked ascetics to join his order of monks and ordained them there. Also spelled Uruvilvā.

One of the monks attending this teaching in Śrāvastī, at Jeta’s Grove.

One of the places the Buddha traveled to.

One of the four goddesses who attended and kept guard over Prince Siddhārtha while he was in the womb of his mother.

One of the sixteen gods guarding the seat of awakening.

One of Sujātā’s servants.

A constellation in the north.

A family in Magadha.

The palace of Śakra, an epithet for the god Indra, in the Heaven of the Thirty-Three.

A god of the blue class or realm.

A thus-gone one to whom the Bodhisattva felt devotion in a past life.

The ancient capital of the Licchavi state. The Buddha visited this city on several occasions during his lifetime.

One of the Four Great Kings, he presides over the northern quarter and rules over the yakṣas. He is also known as Kubera.

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.

A buddha in the past.

One of the monks attending this teaching in Śrāvastī, at Jeta’s Grove.

One of the four deities who were dwelling at the Bodhi tree.

A buddha in the past.

The name of the deity of water, whose weapon is a noose. In the Vedas, Varuṇa is an important deity and in particular the deity of the sky, but in later Indian tradition he is the deity of water and the underworld. The Tibetan does not attempt to translate his name but instead has “god of water.” The Sanskrit name has ancient pre-Sanskrit origins, and, as he was originally the god of the sky, is related to the root vṛ, meaning “enveloping” or “covering.” He has the same ancient origins as the ancient Greek sky deity Uranus and the Zoroastrian supreme deity Mazda.

A buddha in the past.

A god.

The king of gods in the Heaven of Making Use of Others’ Emanations.

A god.

One of the sons of Māra present on the eve of Siddhārtha’s awakening.

One of the sixteen great kingdoms of ancient India.

The god of wind.

An demigod king.

Literally “long-lived.” A title referring to an ordained monk.

One of the four deities who were dwelling at the Bodhi tree.

An epithet of the Buddha.

One of the eight auspicious symbols, often in the form of a roof-top ornament, representing the Buddha’s victory over malign forces.

One of the eight goddesses dwelling in the Bodhi tree.

One of the eight goddesses in the east, called upon to grant protection.

One of the ten girls who attended upon Prince Siddhārtha while he was practicing austerities.

One of the sixteen gods guarding the seat of awakening.

A world within the Thus-Gone One Vimala­prabhāsa’s buddha realm.

One of the monks attending this teaching in Śrāvastī, at Jeta’s Grove.

A god who offered Prince Siddhārtha divine fabrics dyed in saffron-red color.

A thus-gone one.

A god.

A buddha in the past.

An epithet for the Buddha. Also the ideal man, a good or wise man.

One of the Four Great Kings, he is the guardian of the southern direction and the lord of the kumbhāṇḍas.

One of the Four Great Kings, he is the guardian of the western direction and traditionally the lord of the nāgas.

The southwestern constellation symbolizing earth.

One of the Buddha’s former rebirths.

One of the central gods in the Hindu pantheon today. He had not yet risen to an important status during the Buddha’s lifetime and only developed his own significant following in the early years of the common era. Vaishnavism developed the theory of ten emanations, or avatars, the ninth being the Buddha. His emanation as a dwarf plays an important role in this sūtra. The Sanskrit etymology of the name is uncertain, but it was already in use in the Vedas, where he is a minor deity, and has been glossed as “One Who Enters (Everywhere).”

A buddha in the past.

A buddha in the past.

The schoolmaster of Prince Siddhārtha.

One of the eight goddesses dwelling in the Bodhi tree.

A god.

A bodhisattva who resides in the Sūryāvartā world of the Thus-Gone One Candra­sūrya­jihmī­kara­prabha’s buddha realm, and comes to venerate the Buddha.

One of the four classes of the Indian caste system. Traditionally rulers and administrators belonged to this caste.

One of the standard epithets of the buddhas. A recurrent explanation offers three different meanings for su- that are meant to show the special qualities of “accomplishment of one’s own purpose” (svārthasampad) for a complete buddha. Thus, the Sugata is “well” gone, as in the expression su-rūpa (“having a good form”); he is gone “in a way that he shall not come back,” as in the expression su-naṣṭa-jvara (“a fever that has utterly gone”); and he has gone “without any remainder” as in the expression su-pūrṇa-ghaṭa (“a pot that is completely full”). According to Buddhaghoṣa, the term means that the way the Buddha went (Skt. gata) is good (Skt. su) and where he went (Skt. gata) is good (Skt. su).

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

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.

One of the eight goddesses in the south, called upon to grant protection.

One of the eight goddesses in the south, called upon to grant protection.

A buddha in the distant past.

One of the monks attending this teaching in Śrāvastī, at Jeta’s Grove.

One of the eight goddesses in the south, called upon to grant protection.

One of the ten thousand girls who were born at the time of Prince Siddhārtha’s birth.

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.

One of the five Pāṇḍava brothers. Son of the god Dharma.