The Perfection of Wisdom in One Hundred Thousand Lines

The highest and subtlest of the three realms of saṃsāra in Buddhist cosmology. Here beings are no longer bound by materiality and enjoy a purely mental state of absorption. It is divided in four levels according to each of the four formless concentrations (ārūpyāvacaradhyāna), namely, the Sphere of Infinite Space (ākāśānantyāyatana), the Sphere of Infinite Consciousness (vijñānānantyāyatana), the Sphere of Nothingness (a­kiñ­canyāyatana), and the Sphere of Neither Perception nor Non-perception (naiva­saṃjñā­nāsaṃjñāyatana). The formless realm is located above the other two realms of saṃsāra, the form realm (rūpadhātu) and the desire realm (kāmadhātu).

Interpreted variously‍—given the many connotations of both dharma and dhātu‍—as the realm, element, or nature of phenomena, reality, or truth. Also used as a synonym for other terms designating the ultimate. In Tibetan, instances of the Sanskrit dharmadhātu with this range of meanings (rendered chos kyi dbyings) are distinguished from instances of the same Sanskrit term with its rather different meaning related to mental perception in the context of the twelve sense fields and eighteen elements (rendered chos kyi khams).

See also n.570.

A synonym of ultimate reality.

Tenth of the twelve links of dependent origination; third of the four torrents.

Eighth of the ten powers of the tathāgatas.

Forty-seventh of the eighty minor signs.

This denotes the empirical aspect of reality as conventionally experienced through our perceptions, which, in contrast to ultimate reality or emptiness, is considered true only within the relative framework of our own experiences.

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability.

First of the four supports for miraculous abilities.

A great Sakya scholar (1367–1449), very influential for the tradition of Perfection of Wisdom studies in Tibet.

Thirty-fourth of the eighty minor signs.

Fourth of the eighty minor signs.

A place and monastery at the border of Ü and Tsang, between Tsurphu and Nyemo, figuring in the history of the early Sakya masters.

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.

Name of a buddha in the northeastern intermediate direction, residing in the world system called Samādhyalaṅkṛta.

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

Name of a buddha.

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

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability.

A state of involuntary existence conditioned by afflicted mental states and the imprint of past actions, characterized by suffering in a cycle of life, death, and rebirth. On its reversal, the contrasting state of nirvāṇa is attained, free from suffering and the processes of rebirth.

Name of the god presiding over the Tuṣita realm.

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.

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.”

See “Śāradvatīputra.”

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

Second of the twelve branches of the scriptures.

Fourth of the four supports for miraculous abilities.

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability. The Sanskrit from Dutt would suggest, rather, “Dhāraṇī seal,” as in the Ten Thousand (gzungs kyi phyag rgya).

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability.

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 meditative stability.

The subjective and objective poles of sense perception. The fifth of the twelve links of dependent origination.

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.

Third of the three fetters; also fourth of the five fetters associated with the inferior.

Sixth of the twelve links of dependent origination.

In the context of Buddhist philosophy, one way to describe experience in terms of eighteen elements (eye, form, and eye consciousness; ear, sound, and ear consciousness; nose, smell, and nose consciousness; tongue, taste, and tongue consciousness; body, touch, and body consciousness; and mind, mental phenomena, and mind consciousness).

This also refers to the elements of the world, which can be enumerated as four, five, or six. The four elements are earth, water, fire, and air. A fifth, space, is often added, and the sixth is consciousness.

See “eighteen sensory elements.”

Sixth of the eighteen sensory elements.

Twelfth of the eighteen sensory elements.

Eighteenth of the eighteen sensory elements.

Seventeenth of the eighteen sensory elements.

Eighth of the eighteen sensory elements.

Ninth of the eighteen sensory elements.

Second of the eighteen sensory elements.

Fifth of the eighteen sensory elements.

Fifteenth of the eighteen sensory elements.

Fourteenth of the eighteen sensory elements.

Eleventh of the eighteen sensory elements.

Thirteenth of the eighteen sensory elements.

Fourth of the eighteen sensory elements.

First of the eighteen sensory elements.

Sixteenth of the eighteen sensory elements.

Seventh of the eighteen sensory elements.

Tenth of the eighteen sensory elements.

Third of the eighteen sensory elements.

See “nine serial steps of meditative absorption.”

The setting of the mind on enlightenment for the sake of all beings, which marks the onset of the bodhisattva path and culminates in the actual attainment of buddhahood, distinguishes the bodhisattva path from that of the śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas, who are both focused on their own emancipation from saṃsāra.

These are (1) the branch of enlightenment that is correct mindfulness, (2) the branch of enlightenment that is correct analysis of phenomena, (3) the branch of enlightenment that is correct perseverance, (4) the branch of enlightenment that is correct delight, (5) the branch of enlightenment that is correct pliability, (6) the branch of enlightenment that is correct meditative stability, and (7) the branch of enlightenment that is correct equanimity.

As found in Ghoṣa, p. 138; Bṭ1, p. 758; and Bṭ3, 4.259, they are the emptinesses of seven separate groups‍—aggregates, sensory elements, sense fields, truths of the noble ones, dependent origination, all conditioned phenomena, and all unconditioned dharmas. (Alternatively, the last two are all phenomena, and then all conditioned and unconditioned phenomena; Toh 3808 renders these “all compounded phenomena, and all uncompounded dharmas.”) Zacchetti, 21r3, says “ten emptinesses,” but a flaw in the material of the MS may have distracted the scribe at this point.

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.

Fifth of the thirty-two major marks, including the backs of the legs, backs of the arms, shoulders, and neck.

These are enumerated in the Śata­sāhasrikā­prajñā­pāramitā­bṛhaṭṭīkā, Toh 3807 (Degé Tengyur vol. 91, F.40.b), as (1) faith (dad pa), (2) ethical discipline (tshul khrims), (3) study (thos pa), (4) liberality (gtong ba), (5) wisdom (shes rab), (6) conscience (hrī, ngo tsha shes pa), and (7) shame (apatrāpya, khrel yod).

Third of the ten nonvirtuous actions.

Fifty-fourth of the eighty minor signs.

A meditative stability.

The ultimate absence of marks and signs in perceived objects. One of the three gateways to liberation; the other two are emptiness and wishlessness.

Second of the three gateways to liberation.

Name of a bodhisattva.

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability.

Eighth of the twelve ascetic practices.

Ninth of the twelve ascetic practices.

Tenth of the twelve ascetic practices.

See “extrasensory powers.”

The six inner sense fields comprise (1) the sense field of the eyes, (2) the sense field of the ears, (3) the sense field of the nose, (4) the sense field of the tongue, (5) the sense field of the body, and (6) the sense field of the mental faculty. These are included in the twelve sense fields.

The six mindfulnesses are (1) mindfulness of the Buddha, (2) mindfulness of the Dharma, (3) mindfulness of the Saṅgha, (4) mindfulness of ethical discipline, (5) mindfulness of giving away, and (6) mindfulness of the gods. See also “ten mindfulnesses.”

The five long sūtras‍—in One Hundred Thousand, Twenty-Five Thousand (Toh 9), Eighteen Thousand (Toh 10), Ten Thousand (Toh 11), and Eight Thousand (Toh 12) lines‍—plus the Verse Summary (Toh 13), so called because they are all complete, as defined by each including all eight topics of the Abhisamayālaṃkāra.

The six outer sense fields comprise (1) the sense field of sights, (2) the sense field of sounds, (3) the sense field of odors, (4) the sense field of tastes, (5) the sense field of touch, and (6) the sense field of mental phenomena. These are included in the twelve sense fields.

The practice of the six perfections, comprising generosity, ethical discipline, tolerance, perseverance, meditative concentration, and wisdom, is the foundation of the entire bodhisattva path. These six are known as “perfections” when they are motivated by an altruistic intention to attain full enlightenment for the sake of all beings.

The Long Explanation (Toh 3808, 4.59) says these “are in the One Hundred Thousand” and lists them as “kindly physical action, kindly verbal action, kindly mental action, and a balanced morality, balanced view, and balanced livelihood.”

Fifth of the twelve links of dependent origination. See also “sense field.”

The sixty-four crafts, as enumerated in the Mahāvyutpatti, comprise the thirty designated arts, the eighteen requisites of musical performance, the seven harmonious tones of the musical scale, and the nine dramatic moods.

The sixty-two false views, as enumerated in the Brahma­jāla­sūtra (tshangs pa’i dra ba’i mdo, Toh 352), comprise eighteen speculations concerning the past, based on theories of eternalism, partial eternalism, extensionism, endless equivocation, and fortuitous origination, as well as forty-four speculations concerning the future, based on percipient immortality, non-percipient immortality, neither percipient nor non-percipient immortality, annihilationism, and the immediate attainment of nirvāṇa in the present life.

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.)

Fifth of the ten nonvirtuous actions. “Slander” means intentionally separating friends by speaking behind their back.

A universe comprising one thousand world systems each with its four continents etc., according to traditional Indian cosmology. The Tibetan term byur bu that forms part of the term used in this text, and also means “brimful,” may be a rendering of Skt. cūlakabaddha with the sense of this first-order world system being “bound,” i.e., relatively compact or limited when compared to the second- and third-order universes.

Sixty-fifth of the eighty minor signs.

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability.

Fifty-second of the eighty minor signs.

The second formless meditative absorption and its resultant formless realm of existence.

The first formless meditative absorption and its resultant formless realm of existence.

The fourth formless meditative absorption and its resultant formless realm of existence.

The third formless meditative absorption and its resultant formless realm of existence.

Literally, the class, caste or lineage. In this context, it is the basic disposition or propensity of an individual that determines which kind of vehicle (śrāvaka, pratyekabuddha, or bodhisattva) they will follow and therefore which kind of awakening they will obtain.

A spiritual teacher who can contribute to an individual’s progress on the spiritual path to enlightenment and act wholeheartedly for the welfare of students.

The Sanskrit term śrāvaka, and the Tibetan nyan thos, both derived from the verb “to hear,” are usually defined as “those who hear the teaching from the Buddha and make it heard to others.” Primarily this refers to those disciples of the Buddha who aspire to attain the state of an arhat seeking their own liberation and nirvāṇa. They are the practitioners of the first turning of the wheel of the Dharma on the four noble truths, who realize the suffering inherent in saṃsāra and focus on understanding that there is no independent self. By conquering afflicted mental states (kleśa), they liberate themselves, attaining first the stage of stream enterers at the path of seeing, followed by the stage of once-returners who will be reborn only one more time, and then the stage of non-returners who will no longer be reborn into the desire realm. The final goal is to become an arhat. These four stages are also known as the “four results of spiritual practice.”

A mendicant whose encounter with the Buddha and acceptance of him as the tathāgata features in the Prajñāpāramitā sūtras as evidence that the Buddha’s omniscience is not something to be understood through signs or characteristics. Also known as Śreṇika Vatsagotra.

The three different renderings of his name in Tibetan‍—sde can, phreng ba can, and bzo sbyangs (which may correspond to Skt. Seniṣka, Prakniṣka, and Śaniṣka)‍—are taken as markers for three different Tibetan translations of the Aṣṭa­sāhasrikā­prajñā­pāramitā, as mentioned in the catalog of the Phukdrak (phug brag) Kangyur and the Thamphü (tham phud) of the Fifth Dalai Lama, Ngawang Lozang Gyatso.

Literally “the favorite of the glorious one,” or (as translated into Tibetan) “the calf of the glorious one.” This is an auspicious mark that in Indian Buddhism was said to be formed from a curl of hair on the breast and was depicted in a shape that resembles the fleur-de-lis. In Tibet it is usually represented as an eternal knot. It is also one of the principal attributes of Viṣṇu. Together with the svastika and nandyāvarta, it forms the eightieth minor sign or mark of a buddha and other great beings (mahāpuruṣa).

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability.

Fifth of the twelve branches of the scriptures. See also n.155.

See “ten stations of complete suffusion.”

See “eight stations of mastery.”

First of the twelve ascetic practices.

Eleventh of the twelve ascetic practices.

Second of the ten nonvirtuous actions. Literally, “taking what is not given.”

One of the basic forms of Buddhist meditation, which focuses on calming the mind. Often presented as part of a pair of meditation techniques, the other technique being “higher insight.”

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability.

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

Twelfth of the sixteen god realms of form that correspond to the four meditative concentrations, meaning “Most Extensive Virtue.”

Name of a śrāvaka elder from Śrāvastī, the younger brother of the wealthy patron Anāthapiṇḍada and one of the principal interlocutors of this text and the other Perfection of Wisdom sūtras. For more detail, see also Twenty-Five Thousand, i.78–i.90. He is declared by the Buddha (in the canonical literature) to be foremost among the araṇavihārin (also araṇāvihārin and araṇyavihārin), which can be taken to mean either those “dwelling free of afflicted mental states” (as in the Tib. nyon mongs pa med par gnas pa/spyod pa, Mvy. 6366) or as those “dwelling in seclusion.” He was also described as “foremost among those worthy of donations” (dakṣineyānām agryaḥ, sbyin pa’i gnas nang na mchog tu gyur pa) and in Chinese sources as “foremost in teaching emptiness” (stong nyid ston pa’i mchog tu gyur pa).

The various aspects of the knowledge that engages in subtlety of conduct, etc., include the knowledge that engages with subtle transmigration at the time of death, the knowledge that engages with subtle processes of rebirth, and the knowledge that engages with subtle buddha activities‍—emanation, renunciation, consummate enlightenment, turning the wheel of the Dharma, consecrating the lifespan, passing into final nirvāṇa, and so forth.

Fourth of the five Śuddhāvāsa realms, meaning “Extreme Insight.”

The god realms of the five Śuddhāvāsa realms at the pinnacle of the realm of form, extending from Avṛha, through Atapa, Sudṛśa, and Sudarśana to Akaniṣṭha.

The assembly hall in the center of Sudarśana, the city in the Heaven of the Thirty-Three (Trāyastriṃśa). It has a central throne for Indra (Śakra) and thirty-two thrones arranged to its right and left for the other thirty-two devas that make up the eponymous thirty-three devas of Indra’s paradise. Indra’s own palace is to the north of this assembly hall.

Third of the five Śuddhāvāsa realms, meaning “Attractive.”

The first of the four truths of the noble ones. The term “suffering” includes all essentially unsatisfactory experiences of life in cyclic existence, whether physical or mental. These comprise (1) the suffering of suffering, i.e., the physical sensations and mental experiences that are self-evident as suffering and toward which spontaneous feelings of aversion arise; (2) the suffering of change, i.e., all experiences that are normally recognized as pleasant and desirable, but which are nonetheless suffering in that persistent indulgence in these always results in changing attitudes of dissatisfaction and boredom; and (3) the suffering of the pervasive conditioning underlying the round of birth, aging, and death.

Name of a god.

See “four supports for miraculous ability.”

Supramundane phenomena include the following: the four applications of mindfulness, the four correct exertions, the four supports for miraculous ability, the five faculties, the five powers, the seven branches of enlightenment, the noble eightfold path, the three gateways to liberation, the faculty of coming to understand what one has not yet understood, the faculty of fully understanding, the faculty of knowing one has fully understood, the meditative stability with an initial mental application and with a sustained mental application, the meditative stability without an initial mental application but with just a sustained mental application, the meditative stability without an initial mental application and without a sustained mental application, the eighteen emptinesses (starting from the emptiness of internal phenomena and ending with the emptiness of an essential nature of nonentities), the ten powers of the tathāgatas, the four fearlessnesses, the four kinds of exact knowledge, great loving kindness, great compassion, and the eighteen distinct qualities of the buddhas.

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability.

Name of a bodhisattva.

Name of a buddha in the southwestern direction, residing in the world system called Vigata­rajaḥsañcayā.

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

Name of a bodhisattva.

Name of a bodhisattva. His name is rendered “Sārthavāha” in the Twenty-Five Thousand.

See n.101

Name of a bodhisattva.

The name that Gaṅgadevī will have as a bodhisattva when she is reborn in her next life in Abhirati, the buddhafield of Akṣobhya, and also the name that she will have when she becomes a buddha in the future.

Name of a bodhisattva.

Name of the god presiding over the Yāma realm.

An ancient Indian symbol of auspiciousness and eternity.

A meditative stability.

Eighth of the twelve branches of the scriptures.

A meditative stability.

Sixth of the eighty minor signs.

A future eon (the name means “Starlike”) in which Gaṅgadevī will become the Buddha Suvarṇapuṣpa.

Twenty-first of the thirty-two major marks.

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.

Fifty-third of the eighty minor signs.

Fifty-seventh of the eighty minor signs.

Enumerated in .

The four cardinal directions along with the four intermediate directions, the zenith, and the nadir.

There are two sets of ten levels mentioned in the Prajñā­pāramitā literature. One is the same as that found in many other scriptures such as the Ten Bhūmis (Toh 44-31) of the Buddhāvataṃsaka. These are (1) Perfect Joy (pramuditā), (2) Stainless (vimalā), (3) Shining (prabhākarī), (4) Brilliance (arciṣmatī), (5) Difficult to Conquer (sudurjayā), (6) Manifested (abhimukhī), (7) Gone Far (dūraṃgamā), (8) Unwavering (acalā), (9) Perfect Understanding (sādhumatī), and (10) Cloud of Dharma (dharmameghā).

The other set of ten levels comprise (1) the level of bright insight or level of ordinary people, (2) the level of the spiritual family, (3) the eighth level, (4) the level of insight, (5) the level of attenuated refinement, (6) the level of no attachment, (7) the level of spiritual achievement (of śrāvakas/arhats), (8) the level of the pratyekabuddhas, (9) the level of the bodhisattvas, and (10) the actual level of the buddhas. (See also Twenty-Five Thousand, n.316).

The ten mindfulnesses are (1) mindfulness of the Buddha, (2) mindfulness of the Dharma, (3) mindfulness of the Saṅgha, (4) mindfulness of ethical discipline, (5) mindfulness of giving away, (6) mindfulness of the gods, (7) mindfulness of disillusionment, (8) mindfulness of the inhalation and exhalation of breath, (9) mindfulness of death, and (10) mindfulness of the body.

These ten modes of conduct are enumerated in the Śata­sāhasrikā­prajñā­pāramitā­bṛhaṭṭīkā (Toh 3807, Degé Tengyur vol. 91, F.37.a) as follows: (1) writing of the sacred scriptures (dam pa’i chos yi ger ’dri ba), (2) reading them (klog pa), (3) chanting them (kha ton byed pa), (4) bestowing them on others (gzhan la sbyin pa), (5) retaining them (i.e., their words and meaning) (’chang ba), (6) making offerings to them (mchod pa byed pa), (7) listening to others recite/expound them (nyan pa), (8) reflecting upon them (sems pa), (9) meditating on them (sgom pa), and (10) teaching them to others (gzhan dag la ston pa). An alternative listing is found in Ch. 43 of the Buddhāvataṃsaka, comprising (1) conduct that aims to bring all beings to maturation, (2) conduct that aims to investigate all phenomena, (3) conduct that aims to apply all trainings, (4) conduct that aims to accumulate all the roots of virtuous action, (5) conduct that aims to achieve one-pointed meditative stability, (6) conduct that aims to understand wisdom, (7) conduct that aims to cultivate meditation, (8) conduct that aims to adorn the buddhafields, (9) conduct that aims to venerate spiritual teachers, and (10) conduct that aims to make offerings to and serve the tathāgatas. See Nordrang Orgyan, pp. 2259–60.

Killing of living creatures, stealing, sexual misconduct, lying, slander, verbal abuse, irresponsible chatter, covetousness, malice, and wrong views. See also “nonvirtuous phenomena.”

The ten powers of the tathāgatas. In this text, they are listed at 9.51–9.60.

See the ten powers listed at 9.51–9.60.

The ten stations of complete suffusion comprise (1) complete suffusion of the earth element, (2) complete suffusion of the water element, (3) complete suffusion of the fire element, (4) complete suffusion of the wind element, (5) complete suffusion of blueness, (6) complete suffusion of yellowness, (7) complete suffusion of redness, (8) complete suffusion of whiteness, (9) complete suffusion of consciousness, and (10) complete suffusion of the space element.

In the Ten Thousand and Eighteen Thousand, the Tibetan term is zad par gyi skye mched, and in the Twenty-Five Thousand, ka F.28.b, it is chub pa’i skye mched.

These are listed, with commentary, in the Śata­sāhasrikā­prajñā­pāramitā­bṛhaṭṭīkā (Toh 3807, Degé Tengyur vol. 91, F.37.a-b) as follows: (1) tolerance of natural disturbances (rang bzhin gyis bzod pa), (2) tolerance that does not consider any harm inflicted by others (gzhan gyis gnod pa byas pa la ji mi snyam pa’i bzod pa), (3) tolerance that accepts the experience of suffering (sdug bsngal nyams su len pa’i bzod pa), (4) tolerance that is intent on what is definitive in the Dharma (chos la nges par mos pa’i bzod pa), (5) tolerance that can endure hardships (bya dka’ ba la bzod pa), (6) tolerance that utilizes the approach of skillful means (thabs kyi sgo’i bzod pa), (7) tolerance of saintly persons (skyes bu dam pa’i bzod pa), (8) tolerance with respect to all aspects (rnam pa thams cad du bzod pa), (9) tolerance of the needs of the destitute (phongs pa ’dod pa la bzod pa), and (10) tolerance of this world of suffering for the sake of others (’di dang gzhan du sdug bsngal ba la bzod pa).

These are the opposite of the ten nonvirtuous actions, i.e., refraining from engaging in the ten nonvirtuous actions and (in some contexts) doing the opposite.

Use standard definition.

The translation "nectar of deathlessness" is meant to capture the dual meaning of the underlying Sanskrit and the potential wordplay at work.

This is the view that there are no morally significant actions that produce effects.

Third of the eighteen distinct qualities of the buddhas.

Seventeenth of the eighteen distinct qualities of the buddhas.

Sixteeenth of the eighteen distinct qualities of the buddhas.

Eighteenth of the eighteen distinct qualities of the buddhas.

The thirty-seven factors conducive to enlightenment comprise the four applications of mindfulness, the four correct exertions, the four supports for miraculous ability, the five faculties, the five powers, the seven branches of enlightenment, and the noble eightfold path.

These are the major physical marks that identify the buddha form body and which also portend the advent of a wheel-turning emperor. As well as being listed in this and other Prajñā­pāramitā sūtras (see chapter 63 here in the One Hundred Thousand; the Twenty-Five Thousand, 62.76; the Eighteen Thousand, 73.89; and the Ten Thousand, 2.15), they are also found detailed in the Play in Full (Lalitavistara), 7.98–7.103 and 26.147–26.175; Mahāyānopadeśa; Ratna­gotra­vibhāgottara­tantra­śāstra, 3.17–25; Mahāvastu; and in the Pali Lakkhaṇasutta.

A meditative stability.

Meaning “thoroughbred horse,” the term is used here and in the introductory narratives of many sūtras as a metaphor for nobility.

This term denotes the presence of discursive or conceptual thought processes. Their absence or deconstruction is characteristic of the realization of emptiness or actual reality.

A universe comprising one thousand world systems, each with its four continents, Mount Sumeru etc., according to traditional Indian cosmology.

A division of beings into three according to their potential for receiving the Dharma. These categories are altered by the appearance of a buddha. The three are (1) those who are destined for perfection (nges pa’i phung po, samyaktva­niyata­rāśi), (2) those whose destiny is uncertain (ma nges pa’i phung po, aniyatarāśi), and (3) those destined to be wrong (log par nges pa’i phung po, mithyātvaniyata­rāśi). See also .

They are (1) the faculty of coming to understand what one has not yet understood (anājñātamā­jñāsyāmīndriya, yongs su ma shes pa yongs su shes par bya ba’i dbang po), (2) the faculty of understanding all (ājñendriya, yongs su shes pa’i dbang po), and (3) the faculty of knowing one has fully understood (ājñātāvīndriya, yongs su shes pas rtogs pa’i dbang po).

In chapter 2 these three are rendered as the “faculty of coming to fully understand what has not been fully understood,” the “faculty of fully understanding,” and the “faculty of knowing that one has fully understood.”

The three fetters comprise false views about perishable composite (i.e., views of the self), doubt, and a sense of moral and ascetic supremacy.

These are (1) emptiness as a gateway to liberation, (2) signlessness as a gateway to liberation, and (3) wishlessness as a gateway to liberation. Among them, emptiness is characterized as the absence of inherent existence, signlessness as the absence of distinguishing marks, and wishlessness as the absence of hopes and fears.

These comprise (1) knowledge through recollecting past lives (sngon gyi gnas rjes su dran pa’i rig pa); (2) knowledge of beings’ death and rebirth (tshe ’pho ba dang skye ba shes pa’i rig pa), in some definitions expressed as knowledge through clairvoyance (lha’i mig gi shes pa); and (3) knowledge of the extinction of contaminants (zag pa zad pa shes pa’i rig pa). See Śata­sāhasrikā­prajñā­pāramitā­bṛhaṭṭīkā (Toh 3807, Degé Tengyur vol. 91, F.39.b.)

These are listed as (1) the meditative stability of emptiness, (2) the meditative stability of signlessness, and (3) the meditative stability of wishlessness. For an explanation according to this text, see 9.31. Note that this term is also used in this text to refer to a different set of three meditative stabilities.

The three miraculous powers are enumerated in chapter 63 as miraculous magical abilities (ṛddhi­prātihārya, rdzu ’phrul gyi cho ’phrul), miraculous power of knowing the minds of others (ādeśanā­prātihārya, yongs su bstan pa’i cho ’phrul), and miraculous instructing (anuśāsana­prātihārya, rjes su bstan pa’i cho ’phrul). See also Conze (1975): p. 476, who interprets instruction as the knowledge of others’ thoughts. Nordrang Orgyan (2008): p. 231 additionally lists three alternative enumerations.

The three realms that contain all the various kinds of existence in saṃsāra: the desire realm, the form realm, and the formless realm.

These three aspects, literally “circles” or “provinces,” are the doer, the action, and the object of the action.

The śrāvaka vehicle, the pratyekabuddha vehicle, and the bodhisattva vehicle.

Tenth of the ten powers of the tathāgatas.

Those of other religious or philosophical orders, contemporary with the early Buddhist order, including Jains, Jaṭilas, Ājīvikas, and Cārvākas. Tīrthika (“forder”) literally translates as “one belonging to or associated with (possessive suffix –ika) stairs for landing or for descent into a river,” or “a bathing place,” or “a place of pilgrimage on the banks of sacred streams” (Monier-Williams). The term may have originally referred to temple priests at river crossings or fords where travelers propitiated a deity before crossing. The Sanskrit term seems to have undergone metonymic transfer in referring to those able to ford the turbulent river of saṃsāra (as in the Jain tīrthaṅkaras, “ford makers”), and it came to be used in Buddhist sources to refer to teachers of rival religious traditions. The Sanskrit term is closely rendered by the Tibetan mu stegs pa: “those on the steps (stegs pa) at the edge (mu).”

A term meaning acceptance, forbearance, or patience. As the third of the six perfections, patience is classified into three kinds: the capacity to tolerate abuse from sentient beings, to tolerate the hardships of the path to buddhahood, and to tolerate the profound nature of reality. As a term referring to a bodhisattva’s realization, dharmakṣānti (chos la bzod pa) can refer to the ways one becomes “receptive” to the nature of Dharma, and it can be an abbreviation of anutpattikadharmakṣānti, “forbearance for the unborn nature, or nonproduction, of dharmas.”

Fiftieth of the eighty minor signs.

Forty-ninth of the eighty minor signs.

Forty-eighth of the eighty minor signs.

Eighteenth of the thirty-two major marks.

A meditative stability. See also n.467.

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability.

Second god realm of desire, abode of the thirty-three gods.

The tree at Vajrāsana under which all the buddhas attain enlightenment.

One of several kinds of cotton, probably from a tree of Gossypium species, among which are the diploid, Asian G. arboreum and G. herbaceum (cf. Monier Williams); Negi’s Tibetan-Sanskrit dictionary also mentions five kinds of tūla, at least some of which are trees.

Eighth-century Tibetan king, 704–755, the father of Tri Songdetsen. Also known by the moniker Mé Aktsom (mes ag tshoms).

The original name of the temple in Lhasa, first built in the reign of Songtsen Gampo, on the site now known as the Jokhang.

See “four truths of the noble ones.”

This metaphor refers to the promulgation of the Buddhist teachings by the Buddha.

The twelve ascetic practices as set out in this text comprise (1) staying in isolation (āraṇyaka, dgon pa ba), (2) begging for alms (paiṇḍapātika, bsod snyoms pa), (3) wearing cast-off clothes (pāṃśukūlika, phyag dar khrod pa), (4) restricting eating after midday (khalu paścād bhaktika, zas phyis mi len pa), (5) eating the daily meal in a single sitting (ekāsanika, stan gcig pa), (6) accepting just whatever alms have been obtained (prasthapiṇḍika, ci thob pa’i bsod snyoms len pa), (7) frequenting charnel grounds (śmāśānika, dur khrod pa), (8) sitting in exposed places (ābhyavakāśika, bla gab med pa), (9) sitting under trees (vṛkṣamūlika, shing drung pa), (10) sitting upright even during sleep (naiṣadyika, cog pu pa), (11) staying wherever one happens to be (yathā­saṃstarika, gzhi ji bzhin pa), and (12) owning only three robes (traicīvarika, chos gos gsum pa). They are listed in the text at . The list varies slightly between texts in both order and content, and the set of twelve in the Mahāvyutpatti (127–39) is close but not identical; lists in some texts comprise thirteen items.

The twelve branches of the scriptures or “twelve branches of excellent speech” are discourses (Tib. mdo’i sde, Skt. sūtra), sayings in prose and verse (Tib. dbyangs kyis bsnyad pa, Skt. geya), prophetic declarations (Tib. lung du bstan pa, Skt. vyākaraṇa), verses (Tib. tshigs su bcad pa, Skt. gāthā), statements made for a purpose (Tib. ched du brjod pa, Skt. udāna), introductions (Tib. gleng gzhi brjod pa, Skt. nidāna), narratives (Tib. rtogs pa brjod pa, Skt. avadāna), accounts (Tib. de lta bu byung ba, Skt. itivṛttaka), tales of past lives (Tib. skyes pa’i rabs kyi sde, Skt. jātaka), marvelous events (Tib. rmad du byung ba’i chos kyi sde, Skt. adbhūtadharma), and established instructions (Tib. gtan la bab par bstan pa, Skt. upadeśa), and most extensive teachings (Tib. shin tu rgyas pa, Skt. vaipulya).

The twelve links that make up the sequence of dependent origination are (1) ignorance, (2) formative predispositions, (3) consciousness, (4) name and form, (5) sense fields, (6) sensory contact, (7) sensation, (8) craving, (9) grasping, (10) rebirth process, (11) birth, and (12) aging and death. See also “dependent origination.”

These comprise the six inner sense fields and six outer sense fields.

These twenty higher aspirations (vimśatyadhi­citta, lhag pa’i bsam pa nyi shu) are enumerated and explained in the Śata­sāhasrikā­prajñā­pāramitā­bṛhaṭṭīkā (Toh 3807, Degé Tengyur vol. 91, F.39.a et seq.). They comprise (1) the supreme aspiration of higher faith in the Buddha, Dharma, and Saṅgha (sangs rgyas dang chos dang dge ’dun la lhag par dad cing sems pa mchog gi bsam pa); (2) the aspiration of the higher attitude to ethical discipline that adopts the vows of the bodhisattvas’ ethical discipline (byang chub sems dpa’i tshul khrims kyi sdom pa yang dag par blang ba la lhag par sems pa’i tshul khrims kyi bsam pa); (3) the aspiration of the higher attitude to perfection in order to achieve the perfections of generosity, tolerance, perseverance, meditative concentration, and wisdom (sbyin pa dang bzod pa dang brtson ’grus dang bsam gtan dang shes rab yang dag par grub par bya ba’i phyir lhag par sems pa’i pha rol tu phyin pa’i bsam pa); (4) the aspiration of the genuine higher attitude concerning the nonself of phenomena and individual persons, ultimate reality, and the profound real nature of phenomena (chos dang gang zag la bdag med pa dang don dam pa dang chos kyi de bzhin nyid zab mo la lhag par sems pa yang dag pa’i don gyi bsam pa); (5) the unchanging and steadfast aspiration that one-pointedly establishes the certainty of complete enlightenment (yang dag par rdzogs pa’i byang chub tu sems rtse gcig tu nges par gyur cing mi ’gyur ba brtan pa’i bsam pa); (6) the impure aspiration of the higher attitude to the level of engagement through belief (mos pas spyod pa’i sa la lhag pa’i bsam pa ma dag pa’i bsam pa); (7) the pure higher aspiration concerning the levels from the first to the eighth (sa dang po nas sa brgyad pa’i bar gyi lhag pa’i bsam pa dag pa); (8) the utterly pure higher aspiration concerning the ninth and concluding [tenth] levels (mthar phyin pa’i sa ste sa dgu pa dang bcu pa’i lhag pa’i bsam pa shin tu dag pa); (9) the higher aspiration concerning the inconceivable might of the extrasensory powers of the buddhas and bodhisattvas (sangs rgyas dang byang chub sems dpa’ rnams kyi mngon par shes pa bsam gyis mi khyab pa’i mthu la lhag par bsam pa); (10) the beneficial aspiration that introduces beings to the practice of virtuous action (sems can rnams dge ba byed du ’jug pa phan pa’i bsam pa); (11) the aspiration that is undeceiving concerning the teacher and the object of generosity (bla ma dang sbyin gnas la mi slu ba’i bsam pa); (12) the aspiration to bring about happiness when bodhisattvas associate with conduct in conformity with the Dharma (byang chub sems dpa’ chos mthun par spyod pa dang / ’grogs na bde bar bya ba’i bsam pa); (13) the aspiration to overpower the minds of those overwhelmed by the afflicted mental states, the subsidiary afflicted mental states, and all the deeds of Māra (nyon mongs pa dang / nye ba’i nyon mongs pa dang bdud kyi las thams cad zil gyis mnan pa dag gi sems kyi dbang du gyur par bya ba’i bsam pa); (14) the aspiration of the view concerning the defects in all formative predispositions (’du byed thams cad la skyon du lta ba’i bsam pa); (15) the aspiration of the view concerning the advantages in the attainment of nirvāṇa (mya ngan las ’das pa la phan yon du lta ba’i bsam pa); (16) the aspiration to constantly cultivate the factors conducive to enlightenment (byang chub kyi phyogs kyi chos rnams rtag tu bsgom pa bya ba’i bsam pa); (17) the aspiration to stay in isolation until one attains conformity with cultivation of those very factors conducive to enlightenment (byang chub kyi phyogs kyi chos de dag nyid bsgom pa dang mthun pa’i bar du dben pa la gnas pa’i bsam pa); (18) the aspiration that disregards mundane materialism, acquisition, and fame (’jig rten gyi zang zing dang / rnyed pa dang bkur sti la mi lta ba’i bsam pa); (19) the aspiration to realize the Great Vehicle, abandoning the Lesser Vehicle (theg pa chung ngu spangs te theg pa chen po rtogs par bya ba’i bsam pa); and (20) the aspiration to accomplish all the aims of all beings (sems can thams cad kyi don thams cad bya ba’i bsam pa).

Ultimate truth is defined as a synonym of emptiness, the ultimate nature of phenomena, in contrast to the relative truth of conventionally experienced perceptions.

A meditative stability.

The uncommon phenomena from the perspective of ordinary persons are listed at 8.90.

Unconditioned phenomena are defined in 5.173 as those which are nonarising, nondwelling, and nonperishing, while the Ten Thousand (2.82) adds nontransformation with respect to all things, the cessation of desire, the cessation of hatred, the cessation of delusion, the abiding of phenomena in the real nature, reality, the realm of phenomena, maturity with respect to all things, the real nature, the unmistaken real nature, the one and only real nature, and the finality of existence. Although the Prajñā­pāramitā analysis ultimately places all phenomena in this category, that analysis derives its force by contrasting with the way in which the various Abhidharma traditions classify the unconditioned, principally including nirvāṇa and in some cases space and certain kinds of cessation. See also n.129.

Uncontaminated phenomena include the four applications of mindfulness, the four correct exertions, the four supports for miraculous ability, the five faculties, the five powers, the seven branches of enlightenment, the noble eightfold path, the four truths of the noble ones, the eight liberations, the nine serial steps of meditative absorption, emptiness, signlessness, wishlessness, all the gateways of the meditative stabilities and the dhāraṇīs, the ten powers of the tathāgatas, the four fearlessnesses, the four kinds of exact knowledge, great loving kindness, great compassion, and the eighteen distinct qualities of the buddhas. See also n.129.

Seventieth of the eighty minor signs.

Thirty-second of the eighty minor signs.

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability.

Although the term could be rendered “practice,” “yogic practice,” or simply “yoga,” in these passages the underlying meaning of the term is emphasized. Note that the Sanskrit term translated in this text as “engaged” (yukta) is closely related, even though the Tibetan (brtson) is less so.

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability.

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

Twentieth of the thirty-two major marks.

In common parlance, this denotes the patched, yellow upper robe worn by renunciates.

One of the thirty-two signs, or major marks, of a great being. In its simplest form it is a pointed shape of the head like a turban (the Sanskrit term, uṣṇīṣa, in fact means “turban”), or more elaborately a dome-shaped extension. The extension is described as having various extraordinary attributes such as emitting and absorbing rays of light or reaching an immense height.

Name of a bodhisattva.

Twenty-first of the eighty minor signs.

Twenty-fourth of the eighty minor signs.

Twenty-second of the eighty minor signs.

Twenty-seventh of the eighty minor signs.

The palace of Śakra in the Heaven of the Thirty-Three.

This term generally indicates indestructibility and stability. In the sūtras, vajra most often refers to the hardest possible physical substance, said to have divine origins. In some scriptures, it is also the name of the all-powerful weapon of Indra, which in turn is crafted from vajra material. In the tantras, the vajra is sometimes a scepter-like ritual implement, but the term can also take on other esoteric meanings.

In this text also the name of a meditative stability in chapters 6 and 8.

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability.

Name of a bodhisattva.

Name of a bodhisattva.

Name of a bodhisattva.

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

This is equivalent to the Great Vehicle.

Seventh of the eighty minor signs.

Eighth of the eighty minor signs.

A respectful form of address between monks, and also between lay companions of equal standing. It literally means “one who has a [long] life.”

Fourth of the twelve branches of the scriptures.

This term has three meanings: (1) the ultimate nature, (2) the experience of the ultimate nature, and (3) the quiescent state of a worthy one (arhat) to be avoided by bodhisattvas.

Andropogon Muricatus.

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

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.

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

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

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

The vows and texts pertaining to monastic discipline.

Also translated here as “virtuous phenomena.”

Name of a bodhisattva.

An epithet of Vaiśravaṇa, one of the Four Great Kings. See Negi 1995, vol. 3, p. 945.

One of the four modes of birth (caturyoni; skye gnas bzhi), it refers to that of humans and other mammals.

Fifty-first of the eighty minor signs.

“Void” renders dben pa (vivikta); alternatively, “isolated,” in the sense that there is nothing else beside it.

Thirteenth of the sixteen god realms of form that correspond to the four meditative concentrations, meaning “Great.” Vṛha(t) is the spelling, not bṛha(t) in Ghoṣa (the only place these divisions are attested to our knowledge).

Sixteenth and highest of the sixteen god realms of form that correspond to the four meditative concentrations, meaning “Great Fruition.”

The Gṛdhra­kūṭa, literally Vulture Peak, was a hill located in the kingdom of Magadha, in the vicinity of the ancient city of Rājagṛha (modern-day Rajgir, in the state of Bihar, India), where the Buddha bestowed many sūtras, especially the Great Vehicle teachings, such as the Prajñāpāramitā sūtras. It continues to be a sacred pilgrimage site for Buddhists to this day.

Name that ten thousand living beings in the assembly will bear when they become buddhas.

Name of a bodhisattva.

A non-Buddhist religious mendicant who literally “roams around.” Historically, they wandered in India from ancient times, including the time of the Buddha, and held a variety of beliefs, engaging with one another in debate on a range of topics. Some of their metaphysical views are presented in the early Buddhist discourses of the Pali Canon. They included women in their number.

An early Tibetan translator.

Third of the twelve ascetic practices.

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability. In the latter part of chapter 8 and in chapter 11 this is rendered as “well-founded king of meditative stabilities” (ting nge ’dzin gyi rgyal po bde bar ’dzugs pa).

Nineteenth of the thirty-two major marks.

Thirty-first of the eighty minor signs.

A meditative stability.

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).

Twenty-sixth of the eighty minor signs.

The Sanskrit and Tibetan terms are sometimes used to denote leucoderma or vitiligo, a benign skin condition, but the context here suggest this is more likely to be a reference to the pale skin lesions seen in certain forms of leprosy.

Thirty-first of the thirty-two major marks. The Sanskrit term indicates a deep blue color instead.

Fifth of the eighty minor signs.

First of the four kinds of disease.

In the context‌ of the perfections, wisdom is the sixth of the six perfections. The translation of prajñā (shes rab) by “wisdom” here defers to the precedent established by Edward Conze in his writings. It has a certain poetic resonance which more accurate renderings‍—“discernment,” “discriminative awareness,” or “intelligence”‍—unfortunately lack. It should be remembered that in Abhidharma, prajñā is classed as one of the five object-determining mental states (pañca­viṣaya­niyata, yul nges lnga), alongside “will,” “resolve,” “mindfulness,” and “meditative stability.” Following Asaṅga’s Abhidharma­samuccaya, Jamgon Kongtrul (The Treasury of Knowledge, Book 6, Pt. 2, p. 498), defines prajñā as “the discriminative awareness that analyzes specific and general characteristics.” See also “perfection of wisdom.”

The wisdom of the single, unique instant of the path just prior to complete awakening.

The ultimate absence of any wish, desire, or aspiration, even those directed toward buddhahood. One of the three gateways to liberation; the other two are emptiness and signlessness.

Third of the three gateways to liberation.

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability.

First of the eighteen distinct qualities of the buddhas.

Fourth or fifth (depending on the list) of the eighteen distinct qualities of the buddhas.

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability.

A meditative stability.

Sixth of the eighteen distinct qualities of the buddhas.

Fourth or fifth (depending on the list) of the eighteen distinct qualities of the buddhas.

The land of the dead ruled over by the Lord of Death. In Buddhism it refers to the preta realm, where beings generally suffer from hunger and thirst, which in traditional Brahmanism is the fate of those departed without descendants to make ancestral offerings.

A meditative stability.

Second of the four torrents.

Tenth of the ten nonvirtuous actions.

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.

Third god realm of desire, meaning “Strifeless.”

Daughter of Śākya Daṇḍadhara (more commonly Daṇḍapāṇi), sister of Iṣudhara and Aniruddha, she was the wife of Prince Siddhārtha and mother of his only child, Rāhula. After Prince Siddhārtha left his kingdom and attained awakening as the Buddha, she became his disciple and one of the first women to be ordained as a bhikṣunī. She attained the level of an arhat, a worthy one, endowed with the six superknowledges.

A meditative stability. According to the Śata­sāhasrikā­prajñā­pāramitā­bṛhaṭṭīkā (Toh 3807, F.53.a), it refers to a tathāgata’s power to overcome or even preempt all opposition by sheer power and magnificence.

A yojana is eight “earshots,” or the distance a cart yoked to two oxen can go in a day.

One of the most important Tibetan translators and chief editors of the early translation period (late eighth and early ninth century), responsible for a large number of canonical translations and author of several Tengyur texts.