The Perfection of Wisdom in One Hundred Thousand Lines

See also “immaturity” and n.272.

Seventeenth of the eighty minor signs.

A meditative stability.

Thirteenth of the thirty-two major marks.

Thirty-fifth of the eighty minor signs.

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

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

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

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

The buddhafield of Akṣobhya.

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability.

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

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability.

Twenty-third of the eighty minor signs.

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

Also rendered here as “meditative absorption.”

Sixth of the twelve ascetic practices.

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

Seventh of the twelve branches of the scriptures.

A meditative stability.

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

See “five acquisitive aggregates.”

See “afflicted mental state.”

The mundane process of rebirth within saṃsāra, impelled by the propensities of past actions. See also The Precious Discourse on the Blessed One’s Extensive Wisdom That Leads to Infinite Certainty (Toh 99), 3.162, and n.106.

See “five aggregates.”

First of the five undefiled aggregates.

Fourth of the five undefiled aggregates.

Second of the five undefiled aggregates.

Fifth of the five undefiled aggregates.

Third of the five undefiled aggregates.

Twelfth of the twelve links of dependent origination.

Fourth of the five obscurations.

Lit. “Highest.”

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

The translation of his name in this sūtra differs from the usual translations, which are either mi ’khrugs pa, mi skyod pa, or mi bskyod pa

Lit. “Not Disturbed” or “Immovable One.” The buddha in the eastern realm of Abhirati. A well-known buddha in Mahāyāna, regarded in the higher tantras as the head of one of the five buddha families, the vajra family in the east.

Thirteenth of the eighteen distinct qualities of the buddhas.

Fifteenth of the eighteen distinct qualities of the buddhas.

Fourteenth of the eighteen distinct qualities of the buddhas.

This key term in the Prajñā­pāramitā literature refers to the omniscience of a buddha, and is not to be confused with the “knowledge of the aspects of the path” of bodhisattvas, or with the knowledge of all the dharmas (thams cad shes pa, lit. “omniscience”) of śrāvakas. The “all-aspect” (sarvākāra) part of the term refers to the different aspects that it comprises, and is explained in two ways in The Long Explanation (Toh 3808, 4.78–4.80). One way identifies the “aspects” as being qualities such as nonarising and unproduced, unceasing, primordially at peace, naturally in nirvāṇa, without intrinsic nature, emptiness, signlessness, wishlessness, etc. The other way identifies them as being the collections of the wholesome, unwholesome, and neutral, and the collection of those destined for error and those of uncertain destiny. All-aspect omniscience is also the first of the eight progressive stages of clear realization.

Name of a bodhisattva.

Eighth of the thirty-two major marks.

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

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

Second of the seven branches of enlightenment.

A major śrāvaka disciple and personal attendant of the Buddha Śākyamuni during the last twenty-five years of his life. He was a cousin of the Buddha (according to the Mahāvastu, he was a son of Śuklodana, one of the brothers of King Śuddhodana, which means he was a brother of Devadatta; other sources say he was a son of Amṛtodana, another brother of King Śuddhodana, which means he would have been a brother of Aniruddha).

Ānanda, having always been in the Buddha’s presence, is said to have memorized all the teachings he heard and is celebrated for having recited all the Buddha’s teachings by memory at the first council of the Buddhist saṅgha, thus preserving the teachings after the Buddha’s parinirvāṇa. The phrase “Thus did I hear at one time,” found at the beginning of the sūtras, usually stands for his recitation of the teachings. He became a patriarch after the passing of Mahākāśyapa.

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

Name of a bodhisattva.

Name of a bodhisattva.

Name of a bodhisattva.

Name of a bodhisattva.

Ninth of the eighty minor signs.

Name of a bodhisattva.

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

Second of the four applications of mindfulness.

Fourth of the four applications of mindfulness.

First of the four applications of mindfulness.

Third of the four applications of mindfulness.

See “four applications of mindfulness.”

dmigs (pa) translates a number of Sanskrit terms, including ālambana, upalabdhi, and ālambate. These terms commonly refer to the apprehending of a subject, an object, and the relationships that exist between them.

Also translated here as “focus on.”

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

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

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

Lit. “ immeasurable.” An incredibly large number.

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

See also “śrāvaka.”

Twelfth of the thirty-two major marks.

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability.

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

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

“Perceptionless." A heavenly realm listed in this text between the twelfth heaven of the form realm, Vṛhatphala, and the five Pure Abodes of the form realm, known collectively as Śuddhāvāsa.

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

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

Fourth of the four knots.

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

A meditative stability.

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

See also “gods.”

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

Second of the five fetters associated with the superior.

First of the five fetters associated with the superior.

The acquisition of vows through direct insight into the reality of phenomena rather than through formal ceremony.

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

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

A supplementary mark of a tathāgata, included in the thirty-two major marks in some lists but not in this text.

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

Name of a series of future buddhas.

Name of a series of future buddhas.

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

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

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

Thirty-ninth of the eighty minor signs.

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability.

Second of the twelve ascetic practices.

A meditative stability. See also n.311.

Name of a bodhisattva.

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

Second of the four kinds of disease.

Eleventh of the twelve links of dependent origination.

Third of the four modes of birth.

See “Blessed One.”

A meditative stability.

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

See also “bodhisattva great being.”

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

Later commentarial writings do nevertheless define the term‍—variably‍—in terms of bodhisattvas having attained a particular level (bhūmi) or realization. The most common qualifying criteria mentioned are attaining the path of seeing, attaining irreversibility (according to its various definitions), or attaining the seventh bhūmi.

See also “bodhisattva.”

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

Thirtieth of the eighty minor signs.

Twenty-fifth of the eighty minor signs.

Twenty-eighth of the eighty minor signs.

Forty-first of the eighty minor signs.

Twenty-ninth of the eighty minor signs.

Eighteenth of the eighty minor signs.

Nineteenth of the eighty minor signs.

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability.

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

Literally, “Brahmā, Lord of the Sahā [world].”

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

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

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

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

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

See “seven branches of enlightenment.”

A meditative stability.

Seventy-second of the eighty minor signs.

Seventh of the thirty-two major marks.

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

A meditative stability.

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

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

The Tibetan translates both stūpa and caitya with the same word, mchod rten, meaning “basis” or “recipient” of “offerings” or “veneration.” Pali: cetiya.

A caitya, although often synonymous with stūpa, can also refer to any site, sanctuary or shrine that is made for veneration, and may or may not contain relics.

A stūpa, literally “heap” or “mound,” is a mounded or circular structure usually containing relics of the Buddha or the masters of the past. It is considered to be a sacred object representing the awakened mind of a buddha, but the symbolism of the stūpa is complex, and its design varies throughout the Buddhist world. Stūpas continue to be erected today as objects of veneration and merit making.

A meditative stability.

Name of a bodhisattva.

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

See “gandharva.”

Lit. “Abode of the Four Great Kings.” For consistency rgyal chen bzhi’i ris is rendered Cāturmahārājika (“[gods] belonging to the group of the Four Great Kings”), even though there are a number of Skt. forms (Edg says the forms are cāturmahā­rāja­kāyika and less often Cāturmahārājika, and Cāturmahārājika and less often caturmahā­rājika) and slight differences are encountered in the Tib. translation. “Gods” is sometimes rendered explicitly and is sometimes implicit in the Tib.

One of the heavens of Buddhist cosmology, lowest among the six heavens of the desire realm (kāmadhātu, ’dod khams). Dwelling place of the Four Great Kings (caturmahārāja, rgyal chen bzhi), traditionally located on a terrace of Sumeru, just below the Heaven of the Thirty-Three. Each cardinal direction is ruled by one of the Four Great Kings and inhabited by a different class of nonhuman beings as their subjects: in the east, Dhṛtarāṣṭra rules the gandharvas; in the south, Virūḍhaka rules the kumbhāṇḍas; in the west, Virūpākṣa rules the nāgas; and in the north, Vaiśravaṇa rules the yakṣas.

A meditative stability.

Third of the four truths of the noble ones.

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

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

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

Fourth of the four classes of traditional Indian society.

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability.

Twenty-ninth of the thirty-two major marks.

Fourth of the four kinds of disease.

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

Second of the four immeasurable attitudes.

A meditative stability.

Conditioned phenomena are listed at 8.87. See also n.129.

See “inspired eloquence.”

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

The process of dependent origination as it works to bring about rebirth in saṃsāra, and as it works when deliberately reversed to bring the cycle to an end. See “twelve links of dependent origination.”

See also n.641.

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

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

A meditative stability.

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

First of the eighty minor signs.

Fourth factor of the noble eightfold path.

Sixth factor of the noble eightfold path.

See four correct exertions.

Fifth factor of the noble eightfold path.

Seventh factor of the noble eightfold path.

Third factor of the noble eightfold path.

Second factor of the noble eightfold path. ”

First factor of the noble eightfold path.

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

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

One of the five obscurations.

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability.

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

A meditative stability.

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

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

Fifth of the ten powers of the tathāgatas.

Fourth of the ten powers of the tathāgatas.

Seventh of the ten powers of the tathāgatas.

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

Sixth of the ten powers of the tathāgatas.

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

First of the ten powers of the tathāgatas.

Fourth of the seven branches of enlightenment.

A meditative stability.

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

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

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

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability.

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

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

A meditative stability.

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

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

A meditative stability.

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

First of the twelve branches of the scriptures.

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability.

See “eighteen distinct qualities of the buddhas.”

A meditative stability.

Twenty-fifth of the thirty-two major marks.

Twelfth of the eighteen distinct qualities of the buddhas.

Tenth of the eighteen distinct qualities of the buddhas.

Ninth of the eighteen distinct qualities of the buddhas.

Eighth of the eighteen distinct qualities of the buddhas.

Seventh of the eighteen distinct qualities of the buddhas.

Eleventh of the eighteen distinct qualities of the buddhas.

Fourth of the twelve ascetic practices.

A meditative stability.

The gods ruled over by Māra.

Fifth of the five obscurations, second of the three fetters, and fifth of the five fetters associated with the inferior.

Third of the five obscurations.

Sixteenth of the thirty-two major marks.

Sixty-eighth of the eighty minor signs.

Sixty-ninth of the eighty minor signs.

A measurement traditionally equivalent to five hundred arm spans.

Fifth of the twelve ascetic virtues.

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

For a list of the eight in this text, see 8.82 and 9.49.

Eight transformations that ensue for someone who meditatively masters eight specific perceptual states. For a complete list, see Twenty-Five Thousand, 62.57.

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

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

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

The eighteen emptinesses are listed here as: (1) emptiness of internal phenomena, (2) emptiness of external phenomena, (3) emptiness of external and internal phenomena, (4) emptiness of emptiness, (5) emptiness of great extent, (6) emptiness of ultimate reality, (7) emptiness of conditioned phenomena, (8) emptiness of unconditioned phenomena, (9) emptiness of the unlimited, (10) emptiness of that which has neither beginning nor end, (11) emptiness of nonexclusion, (12) emptiness of inherent nature, (13) emptiness of intrinsic defining characteristics, (14) emptiness of all phenomena, (15) emptiness of that which cannot be apprehended, (16) emptiness of nonentities, (17) emptiness of essential nature, and (18) emptiness of an essential nature of nonentities. See also The Long Explanation (Toh 3808), 4.103–4.161, for an explanation of each of the emptinesses.

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

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

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

Eighty of the hundred and twelve identifying physical characteristics of both buddhas and wheel-turning emperors, in addition to the so-called “thirty-two major marks of a great person.” They are considered “minor” in terms of being secondary to the thirty-two major marks. For their enumeration see the Twenty-Five Thousand, 62.79; the Eighteen Thousand, 73.93; or the Ten Thousand, 2.33.

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

A monk of seniority within the assembly of the śrāvakas.

Sixteenth of the eighty minor signs.

A meditative stability.

These, as listed in 2.10–2.11, are (1) knowledge of suffering, (2) knowledge of the origin of suffering, (3) knowledge of the cessation of suffering, (4) knowledge of the path, (5) knowledge of the extinction of contaminants, (6) knowledge that contaminants will not arise again, (7) knowledge of phenomena, (8) knowledge of nonduality, (9) knowledge of the conventional, (10) knowledge of mastery, and (11) knowledge in accord with sound.

Third of the four immeasurable attitudes.

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

First of the three gateways to liberation.

A term which, in the commentaries of the third turning of the doctrinal wheel, is interpreted to mean that consummate buddha attributes are extraneously empty of all imaginary and dependent attributes.

The thirteenth of the eighteen emptinesses.

The eighteenth of the eighteen emptinesses.

Third of the eighteen emptinesses.

The seventh of the eighteen emptinesses.

Fourth of the eighteen emptinesses.

Seventeenth of the eighteen emptinesses.

Second of the eighteen emptinesses.

The fifth of the eighteen emptinesses

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

First of the eighteen emptinesses.

The fourteenth of the eighteen emptinesses.

Sixteenth of the eighteen emptinesses.

The eleventh of the eighteen emptinesses.

Fifteenth of the eighteen emptinesses.

Tenth of the eighteen emptinesses.

Ninth of the eighteen emptinesses.

Sixth of the eighteen emptinesses.

The eighth of the eighteen emptinesses

A meditative stability.

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

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability.

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

Something that is taken to be intrinsically existent.

One aspect of a set of forty-four syllables listed at 9.70 as dhāraṇī gateways. See also “letters as gateways.”

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability.

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

A meditative stability.

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

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

Eleventh of the twelve branches of the scriptures.

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

See also “six perfections.”

Fifty-sixth of the eighty minor signs.

Thirty-sixth of the eighty minor signs.

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

See “four kinds of exact knowledge.”

Second of the four kinds of exact knowledge.

Fourth of the four kinds of exact knowledge.

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

First of the four kinds of exact knowledge.

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability.

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

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability.

The six extrasensory powers (miraculous ability, clairaudience, knowing beings’ minds, recollecting past lives, clairvoyance, and knowing the contaminants have ceased) are described fully in 2.601-2.613. The five extrasensory powers are the first five of these, the sixth being the only one attainable only by arhats.

Sixth of the six extrasensory powers. See 2.611–2.613.

Fifth of the six extrasensory powers. See 2.610.

Second of the six extrasensory powers. See 2.602.

First of the six extrasensory powers. See 2.601

Third of the six extrasensory powers. See 2.604.

Fourth of the six extrasensory powers. See 2.607.

Thirty-fourth of the eighty minor signs.

Twenty-eighth of the thirty-two major marks.

Fifteenth of the thirty-two major marks.

Fifty-fifth of the eighty minor signs.

Twenty-seventh of the thirty-two major marks.

Twenty-fourth of the thirty-two major marks.

Second of the five eyes.

First of the five eyes.

Fifth of the five eyes.

Fourth of the five eyes.

Third of the five eyes.

Sixty-sixth of the eighty minor signs.

Sixty-second of the eighty minor signs.

Thirty-second of the thirty-two major marks.

Sixty-third of the eighty minor signs.

Sixty-first of the eighty minor signs.

Sixtieth of the eighty minor signs.

Seventeenth of the thirty-two major marks.

Forty-sixth of the eighty minor signs.

See “thirty-seven factors conducive to enlightenment.“

See “five faculties.”

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

First of the five faculties.

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

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

Fourth of the five faculties.

Third of the five faculties.

Second of the five faculties.

Fifth of the five faculties.

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

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

See “four fearlessnesses.”

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

Tenth of the eighty minor signs.

Second of the thirty-two major marks.

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

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

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

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

See “extrasensory power.”

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

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

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

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

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

Five impediments to meditation (bsam gtan, dhyāna): sensory desire (’dod pa la ’dun pa, kāmacchanda), ill will (gnod sems, vyāpāda), drowsiness and torpor (rmugs pa dang gnyid, styānamiddha), agitation and regret (rgod pa dang ’gyod pa, auddhatya­kaukṛtya), and doubt (the tshom, vicikitsā).

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

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

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

The five extrasensory powers are called “undiminished” in the sense of remaining present through death and all subsequent rebirths, whatever the form of life. See also The Long Explanation (Toh 3808), 4.57.

See n.611.

A meditative stability.

Third of the Buddha’s four fearlessnesses.

Fourth of the Buddha’s four fearlessnesses.

Seventy-first of the eighty minor signs.

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

See “four formless meditative absorptions.”

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability.

The four applications of mindfulness are (1) the application of mindfulness to the body; (2) the application of mindfulness to feelings; (3) the application of mindfulness to the mind; and (4) the application of mindfulness to phenomena. For a description, see 9.1.

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

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

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

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