The Stem Array · Gaṇḍavyūha

1. See colophon, c.3.

2. Pekar Zangpo, mdo sde spy’i rnam bzhag (2006), 18.

3. This depiction of Śākyamuni as a Vairocana emanation has its precedent in a sūtra that was never translated into Tibetan but exists in Chinese translation: the Brahma­jāla­sūtra. This sūtra introduces the Buddha Vairocana as the primordial buddha who is the source of ten billion Śākyamunis who exist simultaneously in ten billion different worlds. This sūtra should not be confused with the Brahma­jāla­sūtra that exists both in the Pali canon and in the Tibetan Kangyur (Toh 352).

4. See Peter Alan Roberts, trans., The Ten Bhūmis, Toh 44-31.

5. There is evidence for Mahāyāna sūtras originating in northern India. In his Genealogies of Mahāyāna Buddhism, Joseph Walser argues that the “core portion” of The Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines (Toh 12, Aṣṭa­sāhasrikā­prajñā­pāramitā) was most probably written in the second half of the first century in Mathura, which is located in present-day Uttar Pradesh. He also offers the tentative conclusion that it was written by “a Sarvāstivādin monk residing at Buddhadeva’s Guhavihāra outside of Maṭ.” See Walser (2018), 242.

6. Osto notes that Etienne Lamotte, Edward Conze, and Nalinaksha Dutt all regard the Mahāsāṃghika as the source of the Mahāyāna tradition. See Osto (2008), 157, n. 5. Paul Williams argues that at least some Mahāyāna sūtras emerged from the Mahāsāṃghika: “There can be no doubt that at least some early Mahāyāna sūtras originated in Mahāsāṃghika circles. In the lokottaravāda supramundane teachings we are getting very close to a teaching well-known in Mahāyāna that the Buddha’s death was also a mere appearance; in reality he remains out of his compassion, helping suffering humanity, and thence the suggestion that for those who are capable of it the highest religious goal should be not to become an Arhat but to take the Bodhisattva vows, embarking themselves on the long path to a supreme and totally superior Buddhahood.” See Williams (2009), 21. This view has been contested by a number of scholars, however, including Paul Harrison, who maintains in his “Searching for the Origins of the Mahāyāna: What Are We Looking For?” that it is impossible to draw a clear connection between the Mahāyāna and a single sect, maintaining instead that the Mahāyāna was a loose set of related movements that cut across Buddhist India. For a fine summary of scholarship concerning the origins of the Mahāyāna, see Osto (2008), 105–16.

7. Toh 127. See translation in Peter Alan Roberts, trans., The King of Samādhis Sūtra, 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2018.

8. Osto (2008), 108–9.

9. Bodhi­sattva­gocara­upāya­viṣaya­vikurvāṇa­nirdeśa, Toh 146. See English translation in Jamspal 2010.

10. See Satyaka Sūtra, folios 98.b–130.a.

11. See Satyaka Sūtra, folios 132.b–133.a.

12. Saddharma­puṇḍarīka­nāma­mahāyāna­sūtra, Toh 113. See translation in Peter Alan Roberts, trans., The White Lotus of the Good Dharma, 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2018.

13. This is found in chapter 4 of the Satyaka Sūtra, titled “The Teaching as a Single Yāna” (theg pa gcig tu bstan pa’i le’u). See Satyaka Sūtra, folios 94.b–98.b.

14. Osto (2008), 5.

15. The Prayer of Good Conduct (Ārya­bhadra­caryā­praṇidhāna­rāja, Toh 1095).

16. Osto (2008), 6, 113.

17. Termed the Navadharma (“Nine Dharmas”) or Navagrantha (“Nine Texts”), these works are (1) Prajñāpāramitā, (2) Gaṇḍa­vyūha, (3) Daśabhūmi, (4) Samādhirāja, (5) Laṅkāvatāra, (6) Saddharma­puṇḍarīka, (7) Lalitavistara, (8) Suvarṇa­prabhāsa, and (9) Tathāgatagūhya. See Lewis (1993), 327, n. 15.

18. Osto (2008), 4.

19. Osto (2008), 129.

20. Osto (2008), 4.

21. Ōtake (2007), 93–94.

22. The Stok Palace (vol. 34, folio 310.a), Lhasa (vol. 46, folio 341.b), Choné (vol. 94, folio 284.a), and Narthang (vol. 40, folio 340.a) editions read shin tu rgyas pa chen po’i mdo sangs rgyas phal po che zhes bya ba/ byang chub sems dpa’i sde snod kyi nang nas sdong pos brgyan pa zhes bya ba chos kyi rnam grangs chen po las. This could be translated, “the great Dharma discourse called the Gaṇḍa­vyūha from within the Bodhisattva­piṭaka called the vast Buddhāvataṃsaka Sūtra,” which suggests that the Buddhāvataṃsaka is a type of text known as a Bodhisattva­piṭaka. Urga (vol. 38, folio 362.a) has sangs rgyas phal po che zhes bya ba/ shin tu rgyas pa chen po’i mdo las/ byang chub sems dpa’i sde snod cing / sdong pos rgyan pa zhes bya ba, which could be translated as “the Bodhisattva­piṭaka and Gaṇḍa­vyūha from the Mahāvaipulya sūtra called the Buddhāvatamska,” although cing grammatically should follow a verb, not a noun, and it could well be an error for kyi nang when that is pronounced “chi nang.” This, like the aforementioned colophon from Dunhuang, suggests that both Bodhisattva­piṭaka and Gaṇḍa­vyūha are titles for one and the same work. By contrast, the Degé (vol. 38, folio 362.a) and Kangxi (vol. 60, folio 263.a) read shin tu rgyas pa chen po’i mdo/ sangs rgyas phal po che zhes bya ba las/ byang chub sems dpa’i sde snod kyi nang / sdong pos brgyan pa zhes bya ba chos kyi rnam grangs chen po las. This could be rendered, “From the Mahāvaipulya sūtra called the Buddhāvataṃsaka, from within the Bodhisattva­piṭaka, the great Dharma discourse called the Gaṇḍa­vyūha,” meaning that the Gaṇḍa­vyūha is from the Bodhisattva­piṭaka, a collection of bodhisattva teachings, and has been included in the Buddhāvataṃsaka. In other words, the Gaṇḍa­vyūha is contained in the Bodhisattva­piṭaka that is contained in the Buddhāvataṃsaka‍—a statement that would not seem to make much sense.

23. Osto (2008), 4.

24. Osto (2008), 130.

25. Osto (2008), 11.

26. Osto (2008), 5.

27. Osto (2008).

28. Van Norden (2019).

29. Fontein (1967), 117. Fontein (2012), 1. See also Revianur (2018), 577.

30. Fontein (1967), 118.

31. Fontein (1967), 120–21.

32. si tu chos kyi ’byung gnas, folio 205.a.

33. See c.5 and particularly n.2244.

34. D. E. Osto, “The Supreme Array Scripture,” accessed July 6, 2021.

35. Toh 352 in the Kangyur.

36. rnam par snang mdzad chen po mngon par rdzogs par byang chub pa rnam par sprul pa byin gyis rlob pa shin tu rgyas pa mdo sde’i dbang po’i rgyal po.

37. sems kyi rgyal pos dris nas grangs la ’jug pa bstan pa, folios 348.b–393.b.

38. According to the Sanskrit. There is no division into chapters in the Tibetan, see Introduction i.65. In Śikṣānanda’s eighty-fascicle Chinese translation (hereafter, “the Chinese”), this is presented as the thirty-ninth sūtra in twenty-one fascicles, from 60 to 80. Each fascicle bears the title 入法界品 (ru fa jie pin), number 39, and a serial number ranging from 1 to 21; for example, fascicle 60 is entitled 入法界品第三十九之一 (ru fa jie pin di san shi jiu zhi yi), the first segment of the thirty-ninth sūtra, Entry into the Realm of the Dharma.

39. According to the Sanskrit and such Kangyurs as the Degé, which have shes pa dam pa’i ye shes. Lithang and Choné Kangyurs have shes rab dam pa’i ye shes. Yongle and Kangxi have ye shes rab dam pa’i ye shes.

40. According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has brtan pa dam pa’i ye shes.

41. According to the Sanskrit and the Chinese. The Tibetan blo gros chen po’i gzi brjid appears to translate from mahāmatitejas.

42. This is followed in the Sanskrit by Samanta­prabha­tejas, which would have been translated into Tibetan as kun nas ’od gyi gzi brjid. The Chinese appears to have conflated these three similar names into one as 普吉祥威力 (pu ji xiang wei li).

43. Construction from the Tibetan. Not present in the Sanskrit or the Chinese.

44. According to the Sanskrit, the Chinese, and most Kangyurs, which have shin tu rnam par lta ba’i myig. Yongle, Lithang, Kangxi, and Choné have rnam par dag pa’i in error for rnam par lta ba’i. In the Sanskrit this is followed by Avalokitanetra, which is absent in both the Chinese and the Tibetan, most likely the result of a scribal omission due to the similarity of the names.

45. In the Sanskrit and the Chinese this is followed by “the bodhisattva Samanta­netra,” which is not present in the Tibetan.

46. The Sanskrit has “bodhisattva mahāsattva.” The Chinese ends all names with “bodhisattva.”

47. The Sanskrit has “bodhisattva mahāsattva.”

48. The Sanskrit has “bodhisattva mahāsattva.”

49. According to the Sanskrit and the Chinese. Not present in the Tibetan, probably as the result of an accidental omission in the process of copying, because of the names being similar.

50. The Sanskrit has “bodhisattva mahāsattva.”

51. Occurs last in the list of -ketu names in Sanskrit.

52. The Sanskrit has “bodhisattva mahāsattva.”

53. According to the Sanskrit and the Chinese. The Tibetan omits dhātu.

54. The Sanskrit has “bodhisattva mahāsattva.”

55. The Sanskrit has “bodhisattva mahāsattva.”

56. The Sanskrit has “bodhisattva mahāsattva.”

57. The Sanskrit has “bodhisattva mahāsattva.”

58. The Sanskrit has “bodhisattva mahāsattva.”

59. According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan ye shes ri bo’i blo appears to be translated from jñāna­parvata­buddhi. The Chinese reads 須彌光覺 (xu mi guang jue).

60. In the Sanskrit the order of Vimala­buddhi and Asaṅga­buddhi are reversed.

61. The Chinese translation uses the term 成就 (cheng jiu), which means “accomplished.” Sanskrit: abhiniryāta.

62. The Sanskrit samantabhadra­bodhi­sattva­caryā­praṇidhāna could also be interpreted, as is similarly found in Osto, as “the prayer for the bodhisattva conduct of Samanta­bhadra,” though this would more regularly be written as bodhi­sattva­samantabhadra­caryā­praṇidhāna.

63. According to the Sanskrit. The translation of the word vijñaptiṣu, which would have been translated as rnam par rig byed, appears to have been inadvertently omitted in the Tibetan, either from the Sanskrit manuscript it was translated from or at an early stage in the copying of the text. The Chinese translation has 至處無限 (zhi chu wu xian, “who had been to countless places”).

64. According to the Sanskrit and the Chinese. The Tibetan appears to have inadvertently omitted “of the buddhas.”

65. According to the Sanskrit guṇa. The word yon tan (the translation of guṇa) is absent in the Tibetan, and absent in the Chinese as well.

66. According to the Sanskrit anigṛhīta. The Tibetan translates as the vague mi gnas pa, which could be interpreted as “not dwelling” or “unlocated.” Similarly, the Chinese describes their manifestations as 無所依止 (wu suo yi zhi, “nondwelling”) because they are in accordance with the aspirations of beings.

67. According to the Sanskrit and the Chinese. The Tibetan inadvertently omits “wisdom.”

68. According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan appears to have translated tshogs from a manuscript in which gagaṇa (“space”) was corrupted to gaṇa (“crowd,” “class,” “group”) so that it meant “the range of activity of the crowd of tathāgatas.” The Chinese omits the description “that is as extensive as space.”

69. According to the Tibetan sgo (“gateway”). The Chinese translation has 門 (men, “door”) as well. The available Sanskrit appears to have sukha (“bliss”) in error for mukha (“door”).

70. According to las in the Stok Palace, Kangxi, Lithang, Yongle, and Choné Kangyurs. The others have la.

71. According to the Sanskrit vihāra and the Chinese. The Tibetan appears to have inadvertently omitted it.

72. According to the Sanskrit kāya and the Chinese. The Tibetan appears to have inadvertently omitted it.

73. According to kyis in Degé and most Kangyurs. Lithang and Choné have kyi.

74. According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan appears to have kyi in error for kyis in all versions. The Chinese has 隨順 (sui shun, “according to”).

75. According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has rgyan (“adornment”).

76. According to the Sanskrit and the Chinese. The Tibetan has rgyan (“adornment”). The Chinese translates this as “how he had practiced.”

77. The Tibetan has interpreted the compound as bsgrub pa dang / rnam par ’phrul pa, meaning “attainments and miraculous manifestations.”

78. According to the Sanskrit dakṣina, and yon in Stok Palace, Yongle, Narthang, and Lhasa. Other Kangyurs have yon tan (“qualities”). The Chinese translates as 布施功德 (bu shi gong de, “the merit of generosity”).

79. According to the instrumental particle in most Kangyurs, including Stok Palace, but absent in Lithang and Choné.

80. These three qualities (i.e., extensive as space, beyond example, and having adornments) appear only in the Tibetan. The Sanskrit and the Chinese have mahā­karuṇāśarīra and 大悲為身 (da bei wei shen), both of which mean “the body of great compassion,” which is absent in Tibetan.

81. According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has a genitive particle that connects this description with the following one.

82. The Tibetan here and elsewhere translates jagat as ’gro ba (“beings”) instead of its meaning as “world.” The Chinese translates as “the world” to describe the precious jewels as “the best of the world.”

83. According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has a genitive particle that connects this description with the following one.

84. According to the Sanskrit rāja and rgyal po in Stok Palace, Narthang, and Lhasa. Other Kangyurs have rgyal ba.

85. According to the Sanskrit divyātmabhāva interpreted in Tibetan as “bodies of divine materials.” The Chinese interprets it as 天身雲 (tian shen yun, “clouds of divine bodies”).

86. According to the Tibetan. In Sanskrit this is divided into two descriptions: “Adorned by a rain from clouds of every flower, adorned by a profusion of a treasure of excellent flowers.” The Chinese has 華樹 (hua shu, “flowering trees” or “flowers and trees”).

87. According to the Tibetan. “Trees” is absent in the available Sanskrit. The Chinese has 衣樹雲 (yi shu yun, “clouds of clothes and trees”).

88. According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan translates paṭala, here meaning “a mass or assemblage,” as na bun (“mist”). The Sanskrit śarīra here has the meaning of “world” or “universe” but was translated into Tibetan by its more general meaning of “body,” creating a meaningless sentence. The Chinese reads 一切大地 (yi qie da di), literally “all great lands,” which can mean the “world” or “universe,” either singular or plural. It describes the following clouds of incense as 一切如眾生形 (yī qiè rú zhòng shēng xíng, “in forms of all sentient beings”). Cleary has “form of all beings” while Osto has “body of the entire world.”

89. According to the Sanskrit jala and the Chinese 網 (wang). The Tibetan appears to have translated from rāja (“king”). The word “powder” is absent in the Chinese.

90. According to the Sanskrit bimba. The Tibetan translates as ’bru, which could be taken to mean “grain.” Not present in the Chinese.

91. According to the Sanskrit adhitiṣṭha. The Tibetan translates it as byin gyis brlab pa (“blessed”). The Chinese presents all these items as part of the manifestation without adding verbs to each.

92. In the Sanskrit this is followed by “manifested the circles of followers in all buddha realms,” which is absent in the Tibetan and the Chinese.

93. According to the Sanskrit and Tibetan later in the sūtra. At this point the Sanskrit omits tejo, while the Tibetan omits rgyal po (rāja).

94. According to the Sanskrit. Tibetan has bdug spos (“incense”) instead of rgyal mtshan (“banners”). The sentence then repeats, so this is apparently an error.

95. According to the Sanskrit and the Chinese. The Tibetan omits “flowers” and has a second repetition of the same sentences, so this omission is apparently an error.

96. According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan here is particularly corrupt and descends into gibberish: mdangs ’byung bas thams cad kyi rdul gyi kha dog dang ’dra ba’i (“through shining with light they are like the color of dust/atoms”). The Chinese does not mention “pores” and describes such jewels as “brilliant.”

97. According to the Sanskrit and the Chinese. The Tibetan appears to have an inadvertent omission of the last two syllables of its name (rgyal mtshan).

98. According to the Sanskrit and the Chinese. The Tibetan appears to have an inadvertent omission of “clothing.”

99. According to the Sanskrit and the Chinese. The Tibetan appears to have an inadvertent omission of “clothing.”

100. According to the Sanskrit and the Chinese. The Tibetan appears to have an inadvertent omission of “clothing.”

101. The Sanskrit has the adjective pāṇḍu (“white”).

102. According to the Mahāvyutpatti, the Sanskrit śilā should be translated as man shel (“crystal”), though here it was anomalously translated as khra bo’i rdo (“multicolored stone”), which may be why the adjective “white” in the Sanskrit was omitted. The Chinese translates śilā as 白玉 (bai yu, “white jade”).

103. Lithang and Choné have sprin (“clouds”) in error for spyan (“eyes”).

104. Sanskrit: sarva­ratna­dharma­dhātvabhimukha­dvāra­śikhara­mahā­maṇi­ratna­kūṭāgārān, “kūṭāgāras of every precious material with gateways that looked out upon the realm of phenomena and pinnacles of great jewels.” The Chinese is the same as the Tibetan.

105. According to the Sanskrit and the Chinese. The Tibetan has two sentences, the first including rin po che’i gos ’od ’phro ba (“light rays from precious clothing”), and the second bdug spos sna tshogs kyis rnam par bdugs pa (“light rays perfumed by incenses and perfumes of all kinds”). The Chinese describes this as 香 (xiang, “incenses”) without mentioning clothing.

106. According to the Tibetan sems can thams cad rab tu ’dzud pa, which could also mean “entered into all beings.” The Chinese of the Sanskrit sarva­sattva­prasthāna, according to Cleary, means that the sounds are “of the abodes of all beings.” According to Osto it means the sounds “of all beings.” Prasthāna can mean “to set out for” or “origin.” The Chinese describes the head adornment as 出一切眾生發趣音摩尼王嚴飾冠 (chu yi qie zhong sheng fa qu yin mo ni yan shi guan, “crowns gloriously adorned with kings of jewels that emitted the sounds of all sentient beings”).

107. According to the Sanskrit and the Chinese. The Tibetan appears to have inadvertently omitted part of the name: rnam par snang mdzad kyi [dpal gyi smon lam gyi] snying po.

108. The Tibetan uses sgra bsgrags pa throughout this passage, but the Sanskrit has mostly pramuñcan (“emits”) and also has nigarjan (“roars”) twice.

109. According to the Tibetan skad and the Chinese 語言 (yu yan). The Sanskrit has “mantras.”

110. The Sanskrit has nigarjan (“roars”).

111. In the Sanskrit the sentence ends with an additional description that is absent from the Tibetan and the Chinese: “…and with their bodhisattva bodies adorned with networks of kings of jewels that illuminated all realms.”

112. According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has “gifts of clothing.” The Chinese mentions only recipients of generosity.

113. According to the BHS abhirocana. The meaning in Classical Sanskrit would be “delighting.” Osto translates this from the Chinese as “illumination,” and Cleary translates it as “pleasing.” The Tibetan mngon par mos par byed pa would literally be “cause to have aspiration.”

114. According to the Sanskrit vyūha. The Tibetan translates as rgyan, and the Chinese as 莊嚴 (zhuang yan, “adornments,” “jewelry”).

115. According to the Sanskrit anāyūha and the Chinese 終無所來 (zhong wu suo lai). The Tibetan has the obscure len pa med pa.

116. This and the previous quality are combined in the Sanskrit and the Chinese.

117. According to the Sanskrit and the Chinese. The word “wisdom” is inadvertently missing from the Tibetan.

118. According to the Sanskrit and the Chinese. Missing from the Tibetan.

119. According to the BHS vṛṣabhitā.

120. According to the Sanskrit carita­vikurvita, which is translated into Chinese as 妙行 (miao xing). The Tibetan has sbyong ba’i rnam par ’phrul pa.

121. According to the Tibetan mngon du ’dor ba. The Sanskrit parākrama means “exertion,” “strength,” and so on. The Chinese translates according to the Sanskrit as 勇健 (yong jian).

122. According to the BHS vijñapti, translated in Chinese as 示現 (shi xian). Tibetan translates as dmyigs pa (archaic spelling of dmigs pa).

123. From the Tibetan grub pa. The Sanskrit nirvṛtta could mean happiness, peace, extinction, or the state of nirvāṇa.

124. The order of the first and second qualities in this list is reversed in the Sanskrit.

125. According to the Sanskrit and the Chinese. “Dream-like” appears to have been inadvertently omitted from the Tibetan.

126. Both epithets (i.e. agrayuga bhadrayuga; mchog gi zung, bzang po’i zung) refer to Śāriputra and Maudgalyāyana. Not mentioned in the Chinese.

127. According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan omits “wisdom.” The Chinese has “eyes of wisdom.”

128. According to the Sanskrit vṛkaśṛgāla and the Chinese 豺狼 (chai lang). The Tibetan translates as “wolves and foxes.”

129. According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has sodyāna­maṇḍalam (“a circle of gardens”). The Chinese is similar to the Sanskrit.

130. According to the Sanskrit and the Chinese. The Tibetan has “They had perfected the nature and branches of omniscient wisdom.”

131. According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan translates vidyā (“the science of medicine”) as vidyamantra, and grahana (“the acquisition of that knowledge”) as “the collecting of herbs.”

132. According to the BHS avatīrṇa. Tibetan translates literally as zhugs pa (“enter”).

133. According to the BHS niryāta. Tibetan translates literally according to the alternative meaning of “emerge” as byung ba.

134. According to the Tibetan mthong and the Chinese 見 (jian). The Sanskrit has prajānanti (“know”).

135. According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has gotra (“classes,” “types,” or “families”). The Chinese has “skilled in identification of all hidden treasures.”

136. According to the Sanskrit śilpasuśikṣita. The Tibetan has (in Yongle, Kangxi, and Choné) don rtags (“signs or proof of meaning”). Other Kangyurs such as Degé and Stok Palace have dan in error for don.

137. According to the syntax of the Sanskrit. The Tibetan syntax is obscure.

138. According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit akalperyāpatha means “improper conduct” or “improper ascetic practices.”

139. According to the Sanskrit and the Chinese. Omitted in the Tibetan.

140. According to the Tibetan lus, presumably translated from kāya. The present available Sanskrit has kārya (“activities”), but kāya when this is repeated.

141. According to the Sanskrit, Chinese, and Yongle, Narthang, and Lhasa versions of the Tibetan. Degé, Stok Palace, and other Kangyurs have sems can (“being”) in error for sems (“mind”).

142. The Tibetan translates inconsistently as shes (“know”).

143. According to the BHS meaning of varṇa, the Pali vaṇṇa, and the Chinese 相 (xiang). The Tibetan translates according to the most common meaning of the Sanskrit varṇa as an archaic term for color: kha dog mdog.

144. According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit is confusing, as the bodhisattvas are plural nominative, but there is a third-person singular for the verb “does not see.” Possibly the bodhisattvas should be in the plural accusative, in which case the verse could mean “[The world] does not see the great gathering of bodhisattvas / who have arrived from countless millions of realms to see the Jina.” The Chinese uses the second-person plural.

145. According to the Sanskrit compound cittagocara. The Tibetan interprets it as “mind and range.” The Chinese translates it as 境界 (xin jing jie) rather than the usual term 心境界 (xin jing jie), omitting 心 (xin), the word for “mind,” probably to keep the same number of words in each line of the verses.

146. According to the Sanskrit aparājitāḥ and the Yongle pham myed and Narthang pham med. Other Kangyurs have the incorrect pham byed.

147. The order of this and the subsequent verse are reversed in the Tibetan translation; this inverse order is preserved here. The Chinese matches the order of the Sanskrit.

148. According to the BHS anirvṛta. The Tibetan translates as grub pa med pa (“without production”). The Chinese has translated the second part of this verse as 知無變化法, 而現變化事 (zhi wu bian hua fa, er xian bian hua shi, “they know the unchanging instructions on Dharma, but manifest changing events”).

149. According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit can be translated as “the Buddha does not have a region.”

150. According to the Tibetan, presumably from deśānugaḥ. The Sanskrit can be translated as “the Buddha does not go into a direction (diśānugaḥ).” The Chinese translation of this verse has considerable wordplay, using the common translation of the Sanskrit diśānugaḥ as 無量 (wu liang), which has the connotation of being inconceivable, without any quantifiable, measurable, or ascertainable feature, including direction and realm, contrary to its antonym 有量 (you liang). The verse in Chinese can be understood as “the state of enlightenment is neither 無量 nor 有量; the great Muni has gone beyond both.”

151. Literally, “does not go beyond.” According to the Sanskrit, the Stok Palace, and the Degé las. Yongle, Lithang, Kangxi, and Choné have pas. The Chinese does not have the negative.

152. According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has plural.

153. According to the Sanskrit instrumental and Yongle, Narthang, and Lhasa yis. Other Kangyurs have the genitive yi. “Looking through” is implied.

154. There is a play on words in the Sanskrit, as varṇa has many meanings, including “color” as well as “class,” “caste,” “nature,” “character,” and “quality.” This play on words is lost in English and in the Tibetan. The Chinese interprets the term as 願 (yuan, “aspirations”).

155. This verse is translated according to the Tibetan. The Chinese is similar to the Tibetan.

156. According to the Sanskrit second-person plural. The Tibetan is ambiguous. The Chinese has “the various activities of the bodhisattvas” as the subject.

157. According to the Sanskrit, Stok Palace, and Narthang bu’i.

158. According to the Sanskrit śodhana, Chinese 清淨 (qing jing), and the Stok Palace sbyong. Other Kangyurs apparently have has spyod in error for sbyong.

159. According to the Sanskrit pramocana. The Tibetan has ’grel ba in error for ’grol ba.

160. According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit vinīyante means “guided” or “trained.”

161. According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit reads saṃbuddha. The Chinese is the same as the Sanskrit.

162. According to the Sanskrit suvicitra. Tibetan has bris (“written,” “drawn”) in error for bres.

163. The second half of the verse is in accordance with the Tibetan.

164. According to the Sanskrit mahā. Stok Palace, Narthang, and Lhasa have chen, which matches the Sanskrit and the Chinese 大 (da, “great”). Degé and others have can; Yongle has cen.

165. According to the Sanskrit. Presumably for lack of room in the Tibetan verse, “of buddhahood” is omitted. The Chinese has 無上覺 (wu shang jue, “supreme, unsurpassable enlightenment”).

166. According to the Tibetan, which has two synonymous adjectives, while the Sanskrit and the Chinese have one adjective.

167. According to the Sanskrit and the Chinese. The Tibetan has rtag par apparently in error for brtags par (“examine” as in Stok Palace).

168. According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan reads de la sems skye med par bsam, which appears to mean “He thinks that the mind is birthless.” The Chinese translation appears to evolve around the word 思 (si), which functions both as a noun and a verb, meaning “thoughts,” “to think,” “that which/who thinks,” and so on: 智者應如是, 專思佛菩提; 此思難思議, 思之不可得 (zhi zhe ying ru shi, zhuan si fo pu ti; ci si nan si yi, si zhi bu ke de, “The wise one should be like this, dedicating his mind to the enlightenment of buddhahood. This mind is inconceivable; it is not knowable or obtainable [by contemplation]”).

169. According to the Sanskrit and the Chinese. The Tibetan has either misread baddha (“bound”) as buddha or was translating from a manuscript containing that error. The result in Tibetan is “Although the buddhas continuously appear, the world remains fruitless.” The Chinese has 凡夫嬰妄惑，於世常流轉 (fan fu ying chang liu zhuan, yu shi chang liu zhuan, “Ordinary beings suffer from illusions and confusions, continuously wandering in the world”).

170. According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan omits jñāna­vikrānta (ye shes kyis rnam par gnon pa), which was present in the earlier version of the name. Earlier in the Degé we find non pa rather than gnon pa.

171. Literally “hundreds of ten millions.”

172. According to the Sanskrit puṇyatīrtha (literally, “merit worthy”), a term used for places of pilgrimage etc., translated into Tibetan obscurely as bsod nams stegs. The Chinese has translated this line as 普生三世福 (pu sheng san shi fu, “He is the universal source of merits of the three times”).

173. According to the Tibetan. “That brings joy when seen” is not present in the Sanskrit or the Chinese. This perhaps derives from a variant of pradyota (“light”) as pramudita.

174. Literally jinaurasāḥ (“offspring of the jinas”), translated into Tibetan as rgyal sras, which is usually the Tibetan for jinaputra (“sons of the jinas”). The Chinese translates it literally as 佛子 (fo zi, “sons of the Buddha”).

175. According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan appears to have translated from a corrupted manuscript in which akṣaya was replaced by jñāna. The Chinese has expanded the second part of this verse into two: “gives teaching unceasingly and widely” and “displays unimpeded discriminating knowledge” as the second and third lines.

176. The Sanskrit has just the one verb udita, which is doubled in the Tibetan to shar shing ’byung (“arisen and appeared”). This reads as byung in Yongle, Lithang, Kangxi, Narthang, and Choné, which appears more correct for a past passive participle. The Stok Palace version has byang, which is an error for byung.

177. According to the Sanskrit vośodhanaḥ and the Tibetan sbyong in Stok Palace, Yongle, Kangxi, Narthang, Choné, and Lhasa. Degé has spyod. The Chinese interprets it this as 成就智慧身 (cheng jiu zhi hui shen, “has attained wisdom body”).

178. According to the Tibetan ’od snang gsal ba of Stok Palace, Narthang, and Lhasa. Other Kangyurs have ’di snang gsal ba. The Sanskrit is candrabhāsvara (“moonlight”). The Chinese interprets this verse as, “On seeing the supreme two-legged being, if one can develop vast motivation, they will always be able to meet the buddhas and increase their power of wisdom.”

179. According to the Tibetan, which gives the same name as earlier. The Sanskrit gives an alternate version of his name, Dharmadhātutalabhedajñānābhijñārāja, which is the version translated into Chinese.

180. According to the Sanskrit śruti and the Narthang and Lhasa thos. Other Kangyurs, including Stok Palace and Degé, have mthong (“see”). The Chinese has expanded this verse into two contrasting scenarios: “remain in the lower realms but always able to hear the names of the buddhas” versus “born in higher realms but temporarily unable to hear the names of the buddhas.”

181. According to the Sanskrit and the Chinese. The Tibetan appears to have unintended omissions resulting in “the teaching of the succession of buddhas in the atoms of all the buddha realms…”

182. According to the Sanskrit and the Chinese. The Tibetan appears to have misinterpreted “facing the bodhimaṇḍas” as meaning “the location of manifesting the essence, enlightenment.” The Chinese translates as 佛坐道場 (fo zuo dao chang, “the bodhimaṇḍas where the buddhas reside”).

183. According to the Sanskrit arambaṇataleṣu, which the Tibetan translates as “grounds focused on.”

184. According to the Sanskrit sama and the Chinese. The Tibetan has “in the atoms of all realms.”

185. According to the Sanskrit jina and the Stok Palace, Yongle, Lithang, Kangxi, Narthang, Choné, and Lhasa rgyal. Degé has rgal.

186. According to the Sanskrit tatra and the Stok Palace de na. Narthang and Lhasa have ni. Degé and other Kangyurs have nas (“from”).

187. According to the Sanskrit syntax. In the Tibetan, “conduct” is separated from “delightful.” In the Chinese translation, verses 6 and 7 are a continuation of verse 5, sharing the same subject‍—the bodhisattvas. The equivalent of this line appears as the first line in verse 6, 皆住普賢行 (jie zhu pu xian xing), which can be understood as “all maintain excellent conduct” or “all maintain the conduct of Samanta­bhadra.”

188. The Tibetan translates sāgara here as the gang chen mtsho (“ocean that is big”) as opposed to rgya mtsho elsewhere. Lithang, Choné, and Lhasa appear to have “corrected” it to gangs chen mtsho (“ocean of great snow”). The Chinese has 海 (hai, “ocean”).

189. According to the Tibetan and the Chinese.

190. According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has sugati (“a happy state”) in the accusative. The Chinese translation has 身雲 (shen yun, “cloud bodies”) as the subject of the first line, a term that denotes the numberless bodies of buddhas. The Chinese omits “the sugatas.”

191. According to the Sanskrit bhūyasyā mātrayā and the Stok Palace and Degé brnan. Yongle, Lithang, Kangxi, and Choné have bstan. Not present in the Chinese.

192. According to the Sanskrit sama and the Chinese. The Tibetan khongs su chud pa could mean “comprised within.”

193. According to the Tibetan and the Chinese. Here the Tibetan is presumably translated from a manuscript that read nāmavarṇa (“name and color”) instead of the present Sanskrit editions that have nānābala (“various powers”). The Chinese has “name” and “color” as two features.

194. According to the Sanskrit pratiṣṭhāna, the Chinese 住處 (zhu chu), and the Stok Palace, Narthang, and Lhasa gzhi. Other Kangyur have zhing (“realms”).

195. According to the Sanskrit vyañjana. The Tibetan translates as yi ge (“letters”).

196. According to the Sanskrit, the Chinese, and the instrumental kyis in the Stok Palace, Yongle, Kangxi, Narthang, Urga, and Lhasa Kangyurs. Degé has kyi. Also, the following part of the sentence is missing in all Kangyurs. The Chinese has “the great assemblies of bodhisattvas saw…”

197. According to the Sanskrit and the Chinese. There has been an accidental omission of most of this and the following sentence in Tibetan.

198. According to the Sanskrit and the Chinese. “Directions” is not present in Tibetan.

199. According to the Sanskrit kāya. The Tibetan is inconsistent, as in conjunction with “beings” it translates kāya as lus (“body”). The Chinese translates literally as “body” (身, shen): “bodies of all realms,” “bodies of all beings,” omitting the word “directions.”

200. According to the Sanskrit saṃjñāgata. The Tibetan translates as mying (“name”).

201. There is the inadvertent scribal omission of a few words here so that this and the following direction in the list have been combined.

202. At this point some words appear to be missing from the Tibetan.

203. According to the Sanskrit kāya. The Tibetan is inconsistent, as in conjunction with “beings” it translates kāya as lus (“body”).

204. According to the Sanskrit śravaṇa, the Chinese, and the Stok Palace mnyan pa. Degé, etc. have the corruption of mnyan pa to mnyam pa (“equal”). The Chinese has “seeing and hearing.”

205. According to the Sanskrit and the Chinese. The Tibetan translates as “the atoms in ten incalculable buddha realms.”

206. According to the Tibetan and the Chinese. The Sanskrit has avaraṇa (“obscuration”) instead of ālambana.

207. According to the Sanskrit asaṃbheda and the Chinese. The negative is not present in the Tibetan.

208. According to the Sanskrit sarva­dharma­pada­pratiṣṭhānādhiṣṭhānādhiṣṭhita and the Chinese. Missing from the Tibetan.

209. According to the Sanskrit vivaraṇa. The Tibetan translates obscurely as “conduct through color.” The Chinese has 觀一切世間主色相差別 (guan yi qie shi jian zhu se siang cha bie), which can mean literally “perceiving different forms (色 se, ‘color’) and appearances (相 xiang, ‘appearance’) of all lords in all worlds.”

210. According to the Sanskrit pratipatti. The Tibetan translates adverbially as nan tan gyis. The Chinese has 能修行如一切佛海功德道 (neng xiu xing ru yi qie fa hai gong de dao, “capable of practicing the path that enters into the ocean of qualities of all the buddhas”).

211. From the Sanskrit vamśa, which was translated into Tibetan as rigs and into Chinese as 種性 (zhong xing).

212. According to the Sanskrit.

213. According to the Sanskrit āvarta, which was translated into Tibetan as klong, apparently in terms of its meaning “waves.” Not present in the Chinese.

214. According to the Sanskrit kṣaṇasaṃbheda. Translated in the Chinese as 普知 (pu zhi, “know fully”). The Tibetan tha myi dad pa appears to have been a translation from kṣaṇāsaṃbheda.

215. According to the Tibetan rang bzhin dam pa. The Sanskrit has śariragarbha, “the essence of the body of…” The corresponding Chinese is 法界身 (fa jie shen, “body of the Dharma realm”).

216. According to the Sanskrit asaṅgāvabhāsa and the Chinese. The Tibetan has dus gsum gyi mu la mthar thug pa med pa, “the limits of the three times being without conclusion,” which may be missing a verb.

217. According to the Sanskrit ’anācchedya. Translated into Tibetan as mi ’phrogs pa and into Chinese as 不斷絕 (bu duan jue).

218. According to the Sanskrit abhimukha and the Yongle and Kangxi mngon du mthar pa’i. Other Kangyurs have mngon du thar pa’i. The Chinese has 十方普現身 (shi fang pu xian shen, “appearance and presence of the body in the ten directions”).

219. According to the Sanskrit vinaya. The Tibetan appears to have translated this from a manuscript that had viśaya (“range,” “scope”) in error for vinaya. Omitted in the Chinese.

220. According to the Stok Palace de bzhin gshegs pa thams cad kyis mnan pa’i nyi ma gnon pa. The Sanskrit divasa could mean simply “day,” divasakara (“day maker”) being the usual term for the sun, and has no verb associated with the tathāgatas. Other Kangyurs have kyi instead of the instrumental kyis. Narthang and Lhasa have the verb mnan pa, but other Kangyurs have the corruption mnyan pa. The Chinese has 念念中佛日常出現 (nian nian zhong fo ri chang chu xian, “the sun of the buddha(s) appears constantly in all instances of mind”).

221. According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has saṃtapa (“burning”). The Chinese appears to interpret this differently as 一日中悉知三世所有法 (yi ri zhong xi zhi san shi suo you fa, “knowing all dharmas of the three times in one day”).

222. According to the Sanskrit and the Chinese. The Tibetan has omitted “that emits the complete illumination.” The Chinese simply has 演說 (yan shuo, “that teaches” or “that illuminates”).

223. According to the Sanskrit atikrama. The Tibetan translates as ’dzin pa (“holding”). The Chinese has 見一切佛自在力 (jian yi qie fo zi zai li, “the miraculous power the perceive all buddhas”).

224. According to the Sanskrit garbha. The Tibetan and the Chinese omit “of the essence.”

225. According to the Sanskrit śarīra and the Chinese. The Tibetan translates as rang bzhin (“nature”). The Chinese omits “that has the memory.”

226. According to the Sanskrit sarva and the Chinese 一切 (yi qie). Omitted in the Tibetan.

227. According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has “with their comprehension pervading the entirety of the realm of phenomena in each instant of mind” as the beginning of an extremely long sentence.

228. According to the Sanskrit nānāratna and the Chinese. “Jewels” has been omitted in the Tibetan.

229. According to the Sanskrit abhimukha. The Tibetan translates as mngon du gyur, which could also mean “manifested.” The Chinese has 一切智智常現在前 (yi qie zhi zhi chang zai qian, “the omniscient wisdom has constantly manifested in front”).

230. According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan appears to have translated from a text that read nimnānālaya instead of nirvāṇālaya and can be translated as “they were completely absorbed into the nondifferentiation of basis through the pacification of all worlds.”

231. According to the Sanskrit and the Chinese. The Tibetan combines this quality with the next, probably from a corruption of pa to par.

232. According to the Sanskrit pratiṣṭha. The Tibetan translates as phyin pa (“gone to”).

233. According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan appears to take the second half of this compound and join it with the next compound.

234. The Sanskrit sagaravatī is here translated obscurely into the Tibetan as gang can mtsho. Lithang, Narthang, Choné, and Lhasa have gangs in error for gang. The Chinese describes the samādhi as 堅固不動 (jian gu bu dong, “enduring and unwavering”).

235. According to the Tibetan mdzod, presumably translating from a text that had kośa and not kauśalya (“skill”).

236. According to the Tibetan, which appears to have derived “destruction” from saṃvarta instead of saṃvitti.

237. According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan here breaks the compound into the two qualities of wisdom and power. The Chinese breaks it into 善觀諸法 (shan guan zhu fa, “skilled in investigating all phenomena”) and 慧根增長 (hui gen zeng zhang, “growth of the sprout of wisdom”).

238. Literally “disk” with “sun” implied. The Tibetan reads [nyi ma’i] dkyil ’khor. The Sanskrit reads [sūrya]maṇḍala.

239. According to the Sanskrit, the Chinese, and the Lhasa and Narthang division of the compounds.

240. According to the Sanskrit vyavaharaṇa. The Tibetan omits this and has “attentive to the absence of features.” The Chinese reads 無相觀智 (wu xiang guan zhi, “insight or wisdom arising from the contemplation of featurelessness”).

241. In the previous quality nimitta was translated into Tibetan as mtshan ma (“features”), and here it is translated according to its alternative meaning as rgyu (“cause”). Absent in the Chinese.

242. Literally “disk” with “sun” implied. The Tibetan reads [nyi ma’i] dkyil ’khor. The Sanskrit reads [sūrya]maṇḍala.

243. According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit reads “all the buddhas.” The Chinese has 佛法身 (fo fa shen, “the Dharma body of the Buddha”), with no indication of plural or singular.

244. According to the BHS meaning of adhiṣṭhāna, which has a number of meanings, such as “control,” but not “blessing.” It was translated into Tibetan as byin gyis rlob pa, which is regularly translated from general Tibetan usage into English as “blessing,” though that is not necessarily the intended meaning, particularly within the sūtras. The Chinese reads 現身 (xian, “appear,” “manifest”).

245. According to the Sanskrit. Vimaṇḍala is the term used for the orbit of the sun or moon. However, the Tibetan has mngon par ’du bya ba med pa’i rdzu ’phrul (“miraculous actions without production” or “creation or composite activity”).

246. According to the Tibetan and the Chinese. The latter reads 乘大智舟, 所往無礙 (cheng da zhi zhou, suo wang wu ai, “they traveled in the boat of great wisdom, moving without impediment”). The present Sanskrit has gagana (“space”) instead of gamana (“going”), and pātra (“vessel”) instead of potra (“ship”), so that the Sanskrit reads “they possessed the vessel that is the vehicle of the great wisdom of unimpeded space.”

247. According to the Tibetan kha dog (literally, “color”), translating from a manuscript that had varṇa. The Chinese has “they manifested in forms (色 se, ‘color’) that accorded with the minds of beings.” The present Sanskrit has bala (“power”) instead of varṇa.

248. According to the Sanskrit and the Chinese. The Tibetan could be interpreted to have divided this into two separate descriptions: dwelling in countless kalpas in one instant and having the wisdom of realization.

249. From the Tibetan phyogs myed (literally, “without a direction”) and according to the meaning of the Sanskrit and the Chinese, which have “the ten directions.”

250. According to the Tibetan gzhol ba and the Chinese. The Sanskrit has samavasaraṇa (“united,” “brought together”). The Chinese has “there is no place in any direction that they have not entered.”

251. From the Sanskrit susūkṣmodāra­paramāṇuraja. The Tibetan has “in extremely minute vast atoms.” Cleary translates from the Chinese as “atomic particles subtle and gross.” The Chinese simply reads “in each atom.”

252. According to the Tibetan kha dog myed pa. The Sanskrit suvarṇa gives the meaning “excellent colors,” which is normally the case in Chinese translation, but not here.

253. According to the Sanskrit ekarūpa. The Tibetan has de lta bu’i (“in that way”), presumably translating from a manuscript that had evarūpa in error for ekarūpa. Absent in the Chinese.

254. According to the genitive kyi in Stok Palace, Narthang, and Lhasa.

255. According to the Sanskrit vṛkṣa (vṛkṣāna is a BHS plural genitive). The Tibetan has zhing (“realm”) in error for shing (“tree”). Cleary has “trees and flowers.” The Chinese has 寶樹 (bao shu, “jewel-trees”).

256. The Tibetan appears to have “are seated and proclaim,” although “those seated” is in the accusative plural. The Chinese has “in the sky above Jetavana” and positions it as the first line.

257. According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit kṣetrādadhastāt means “from under the ground of the realms” instead of zhing rnams rgya mtsho’i (“an ocean of realms”). The Chinese has “as numerous as atoms of all oceans in the ten directions.”

258. The Tibetan interprets the compound gandhārci­puṣpa as meaning “perfumed light rays and flowers.” The Chinese lists burning incense 香燄 (xiang yan), flowers, and treasures.

259. The plural instrumental indicates that the bodhisattva Samanta­bhadra is not specifically being named here.

260. According to the Sanskrit bhūmi, the Stok Palace shes pa’i sa, and the Narthang Kangyur’s ye shes pa’i sa. It is missing in the Chinese. Degé has ye shes kyis (“by wisdom”), apparently in error for ye shes kyi sa. Yongle, Lithang, Kangxi, and Choné have ye shes pa’i sa bon (“seed of wisdom”).

261. According to the Sanskrit bhūmi, the Stok Palace shes pa’i sa, and the Narthang Kangyur’s ye shes pa’i sa. It is missing in the Chinese. Degé has ye shes kyis (“by wisdom”), apparently in error for ye shes kyi sa. Yongle, Lithang, Kangxi, and Choné have ye shes pa’i sa bon (“seed of wisdom”).

262. According to the Sanskrit bhūmi. It is missing in the Chinese. Degé has ye shes kyis (“by wisdom”), apparently in error for ye shes kyi sa as in the Stok Palace.

263. According to the Sanskrit bhūmi. It is missing in the Chinese. Degé has ye shes kyis (“by wisdom”), apparently in error for ye shes kyi sa as in the Stok Palace.

264. According to the Sanskrit and the Chinese. The Tibetan appears to be translating from a corrupted text and has “defeats the various kleśas and predispositions through the method of entering the capabilities of all beings.”

265. According to the Sanskrit. Missing from the Tibetan. The Chinese divides this into two, of which the second, 開悟 (kai wu, “become enlightened”), can be understood as “practices leading to enlightenment.”

266. According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit has yamanāgareṣu (“in the cities of Yamas”). The Chinese has “palace of the king of Yamas.”

267. According to the Sanskrit and the Chinese. The Tibetan erroneously repeats yi dwags (“preta”).

268. According to the Sanskrit.

269. According to the Sanskrit satya. The Tibetan has bde ba (“bliss”) in error for bden pa.

270. According to the Sanskrit dharma. The Tibetan has las in error for chos.

271. According to the Sanskrit and the Chinese. The Tibetan includes a negative myed pa.

272. From the Sanskrit praṭimaṇḍala. The Tibetan and the Chinese translate as “adornment.”

273. According to the Sanskrit sāgara and the Chinese. Translated into Tibetan as gang chen mtsho (“the lake that is big”) instead of the usual rgya mtsho (“vast lake”) as in the Mahāvyutpatti, perhaps because the synonym samudra is translated as rgya mtsho in this sentence and the translator wished to create a synonym. This term is made more obscure in Narthang, Choné, and Lhasa, where it is incorrectly written gangs chen mtsho (“great snow lake”).

274. The online Sanskrit (Vaidya) has kūṭāgara.

275. According to the Tibetan thams cad mkhyen pa’i chos, presumably from a Sanskrit manuscript that had sarvajñadharma. The Chinese has 一切智智無上法城 (yi qie zhi zhi wu shang fa cheng), which can mean “the towns of omniscient supreme Dharma,” probably a confluence of two Sanskrit terms sarvajñāna and sarvajñadharma, or “the towns of supreme Buddhadharma” or “the supreme town of omniscient Dharma.” The present Sanskrit has just sarvadharma (“all Dharmas”).

276. According to the BHS avaropita. The Chinese translation emphasizes “planted deeply.” The Tibetan has bskyed pa (“generated”).

277. Aṣṭāpada (“eight feet”) was the game board that was the ancestor of checkers and chess, and like them it consists of a board that is eight horizontal squares and eight vertical squares in size, resulting in sixty-four squares. It is a characteristic pattern of the ground in pure realms. In this segment, the Chinese uses the common term for “road,” 路 (lu), instead of 道 (dao) for “road” or “path.” The first feature of this road or path is 左右八步, 平坦莊嚴 (zuo you ba bu, ping tan zhuang yan, “eight steps to his right and left is flat, even, and beautified”).

278. In the Sanskrit and the Chinese, “emit from their ūrṇā hairs.” “From their ūrṇā hairs” is not present in the Tibetan. The Chinese describes how buddhas emit light from their ūrṇā hairs when they are about to give teachings.

279. From the Sanskrit nipatanti. The Tibetan translates as ’char ba, which could mean “shine on” or even “rise from.” The Chinese translates as “shine on his body and enter his body through the crown of his head.”

280. The Sanskrit has “turned back with the miraculous power of bodhisattvas,” which is not present in the Tibetan or the Chinese.

281. From the Sanskrit prāg. The Tibetan translates as lta smos kyang ci smos. The Chinese reads 況 (kuang).

282. This repetition in Tibetan is not present in the Sanskrit or the Chinese.

283. According to the Tibetan. The Sanskrit and the Chinese have “the residences, the divine palaces, and adornments that were made of a variety of jewels.”

284. According to the Tibetan and the Chinese. The Sanskrit has mantra.

285. From the Tibetan brda’. The BHS Sanskrit saṃjñā can also mean “idea.” The Chinese has 訓釋 (shi xun), “explanations.”

286. According to the Sanskrit samanta­bhadrāyāṃ bodhi­sattva­caryāyāṃ. The Tibetan byang chub sems dpa’ kun tu bzang po’i spyod pa (Yongle and Kangxi have byang chub sems dpa’i kun tu bzang po’i spyod pa) could be interpreted as “the bodhisattva Samanta­bhadra’s conduct.” The Chinese interprets it as “established in the mind of bodhisattvas, firmly and unwaveringly.”

287. According to the Tibetan. “Activities” is not present in the Sanskrit or the Chinese.

288. According to the Tibetan and the Chinese, which has 莊嚴幢娑羅樹林 (zhuang yan chuang suo luo shu lin, “forest of sal trees and majestic banners”). The Sanskrit has vicitra­sāra­dhvaja­vyūha, translated by Cleary as “Array of Various Standards of Strength,” translating sāra as “strength.”

289. Literally, “ten million times a hundred thousand million times a hundred thousand times ten.” In other words, a million million million million.

290. From the Sanskrit śreṣṭhi. The Tibetan translates as tshong dpon (“merchant leader”). The Chinese translation does not have an adjective here.

291. From the Sanskrit śreṣṭhidāraka. The Tibetan translates as tshong dpon gyi bu, “son of a head merchant.” The Chinese translates as 童子 (tong zi, “youth,” “youthful”), translating only dāraka and not śreṣṭhin.

292. From the Sanskrit aṅku. The Tibetan translates as sdong po, which could also refer to a tree trunk, but that is not the intended meaning here. Also, the Tibetan analyzes the compound sapta­ratnāṅkurāḥ to mean “sprouts of seven precious materials,” but “seven precious sprouts” matches the context here. Based on the syntax, the Chinese has interpreted it as 七寶芽 (qi bao ya, “sprouts made of seven precious jewels”).

293. From the Sanskrit gamana. The Tibetan seems to have been translated from a manuscript that read gagana (“space”). The Chinese has “his mind is as pure as space.”

294. According to the Sanskrit sarva­buddhānanta. The Tibetan has, apparently in error, “the succession of the buddhas,” which is then repeated as the next item in the list. The Chinese has 一切佛次第法 (yi qie fo ci di fa), which might be reconstructed as sarva­buddhānantara.

295. According to the Sanskrit vyūha and the irregular Tibetan translation rgyan that is used in the translation of this sūtra (the translations of other sūtras use bkod pa) in Yongle, Kangxi, Narthang, Lhasa, and Stok Palace. Other Kangyurs have the incorrect rgyud.

296. According to the Tibetan. The online Sanskrit edition (Vaidya) has nirvāṇa in error for nirmāṇa. The Chinese has 化導法 (hua dao fa), which could mean “methods to guide beings.”

297. According to the Tibetan and the Chinese. The BHS dharma­deśanādhiṣṭhānaṃ prati­prasrabhya could mean “having concluded his resolve to teach the Dharma to the beings…”

298. According to Tibetan analysis of the compound buddha­guṇa­māhātmyaṃ. This could also be “the greatness of the qualities.” The Chinese translation omits “greatness.”

299. According to the Sanskrit hitāya. The Tibetan has sman in error for phan, an error that can occur when transcribing from dbu med script. This verse is absent from the Chinese.

300. According to the Tibetan, which takes this as a vocative and places it in the first line of verse along with “wise one.”

301. According to the Sanskrit sattva and the Chinese. “All” is not present in the Tibetan.

302. According to the Sanskrit timira and the Chinese. The Tibetan has the inexplicable gzings pa.

303. From the Sanskrit udgata. The Tibetan translates according to its other meaning of “ascending,” which does not appear to fit the context. The Chinese translation omits “come forth to.”

304. Vaidya interprets gagane na sajjase as gaganena sajjase.

305. From the Sanskrit praṇidhīparākramā and in agreement with the Chinese interpretation. The Tibetan translates as “power of prayer” (smon lam gyi mthu), which does not fit the analogy so well.

306. According to the Sanskrit khaṅga (the same as khaḍga) and the Chinese. The Tibetan uses the obscure bshan and as a result was copied through listening to its being read as spyan (“eyes”) in Yongle, Lithang, Kangxi, Choné, and Lhasa.

307. According to the Tibetan. The Chinese has “always attended.” The online Vaidya edition has nirvṛta in error for nivṛta. The first two lines in the Chinese translation have no verbs.

308. The Sanskrit has upanāmayāhi me (“bring me before the”).

309. According to the BHS pithanā-supīthita. The Tibetan translates as skyabs kyis gcad (“block through refuge”).

310. According to the Sanskrit bala. Translated into Tibetan as the adjective mchog (“supreme”), perhaps from a text that had vara instead of bala. The third line in the Chinese reads 智眼悉遠離 (zhi yan xi yuan li, “You, the one with the eyes of wisdom, are free from both”).

311. According to the Sanskrit visarada. The Tibetan here translates according to its BHS meaning of “fearless,” which does not appear to match the context so well. Here the Chinese translates in accord with the Tibetan, but it translates the same phrase according to Classical Sanskrit a few verses further on. In the Chinese, the first two lines become one; the third line becomes 分別心無怯 (fen bie xin wu qie, “able to distinguish, your mind is free from fear”).

312. According to the Sanskrit deśaka, the Chinese, and the Narthang and Lhasa ston. Degé and other Kangyurs have sgron (“lamp”). The Chinese adds the analogy that the buddhas of the three times reveal the path like the sun arising in the world.

313. According to the Sanskrit visarada and the Chinese. The Tibetan here translates according to its BHS meaning of “fearless,” which does not appear to match the context so well.

314. According to the Sanskrit visarada and the Chinese. The Tibetan here translates according to its BHS meaning of “fearless,” which does not appear to match the context so well. This line serves as the subject in the Chinese translation 智慧決定人 (zhi hui jue ding ren, “the one with unchanging wisdom”).

315. From saṃharāhi. The Tibetan translates bstan, which usually translates darśayāhi (“teach” or “show”). Cleary, translating from the Chinese, has “put me in.” In the Chinese translation of verses 20–33, the order of the first and fourth lines is reversed, and the concluding lines of each of these verses have the same meaning, “Carry me or enable me to travel in this vehicle!” without any further description of the vehicle.

316. According to the Sanskrit rājya. Absent from the Chinese. The Tibetan translates this simply as dam pa (“excellent”), which is the translation in the next verse for śreṣṭha, but the entire analogy of this verse appears not to have been understood either in translation or in its transmission.

317. According to the Sanskrit śayana and the Chinese. The Tibetan has lam (“path”).

318. According to the Sanskrit samākula. The Chinese translation is equivalent to “attended.” The Tibetan has rgyu (“moving”), which matches the path in the first line, but both appear to be mistranslations.

319. According to the Tibetan gzer from the BHS śalya, which in Classical Sanskrit means “lance” or “arrow.” In the Chinese translation, the third line reads 恆塗淨戒香 (heng tu jing jie xiang, “anointed with the fragrance of pure conduct all the time”), and the fourth line 忍辱牢莊嚴 (ren ru lao zhuang yan, “adorned by unshakable patience”).

320. According to the Tibetan mthu and the Chinese. The online Vaidya has tala (“plain” or “surface”) apparently in error for bala.

321. According to the Tibetan thogs med pa, which appears to have been translated from a text that had a negation of savilambha. According to the Sanskrit and the Chinese, this line would mean “moving slowly.” In Chinese, the first two lines have been combined into one, while the third is divided into two: 悲心作徐轉, 所向皆無怯 (bei xin zuo xu zhuan, suo xiang jie wu que, “The mind of compassion turns slowly. It proceeds in any direction without fear”). The adverb 徐 (xu) has the connotation of “calmly and graciously.”

322. In accordance with the Chinese and an assumed Sanskrit mālya. Vaidya has mārya. The Tibetan sgyu ma (“illusion”) appears to have been translated from a text that had māya. The Chinese translates as 善巧如幻化 (shan qiao ru huan hua, “as skillful as magical displays”), with no mention of wisdom.

323. From the Sanskrit avaraṇa. The Tibetan translates it from its other meaning of “obscuration,” which does not fit the analogy either. In fact, the Tibetan translates with two words sgrib dang chags pa, which is reflected in this translation. The Chinese has 一切無障礙 (yi qie wu zhang ai, “completely without obstructions”).

324. According to the Sanskrit cakra, which has been translated into the Chinese as “wheels.” “Circles” is omitted in the Tibetan and replaced by mang (“many”).

325. According to the Sanskrit sarva. “All” is omitted in the Tibetan and the Chinese.

326. According to the Sanskrit gocarai. The Tibetan translates as rab snang ba, which could be translated into English as “wisdom that illuminates every direction.” The Chinese is similar to the Tibetan, 智慧滿十方 (zhi hui man shi fang, “wisdom that fills [the space in all] the ten directions”).

327. According to the BHS viyuhāna. The Tibetan translates as klubs (“to envelop”), which is not found in the Mahāvyutpatti, nor is viyuhāna. In the Chinese, it is translated as a noun: 莊嚴 (zhuang yan, “splendor”).

328. According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan and the Chinese omit “wind.”

329. According to the Sanskrit pura and the Chinese. The Tibetan has gnas (“place”) instead of “city.” In the Chinese translation, lines two and three are combined into one. This line becomes 定心安隱住 (ding xin an yin zhu, “the mind is stable and rests in peace”), and it continues with an additional line: 普運諸含識 (pu yun zhu han shi, “transport all those with consciousness”).

330. According to the Sanskrit mahā­mahitalācalopama, and in agreement with the Chinese (which omits “surface”). The Tibetan here has sa chen bzhi yi stobs kyi stobs ldan pa (“having the power of the power of four great earths”). bzhi (“four”) is evidently an error for gzhi (“ground”).

331. According to the Sanskrit raśmi and the Chinese. The Tibetan omits “light rays.”

332. According to vilokayi, the BHS first person optative. Translated into Tibetan as imperative, “Show me!” The Chinese has translated the fourth line as 願能慈顧我 (yuan neng ci gu wo, “may you look upon me with kindness!”) and has “the Dharma king” in a separate line of verse.

333. According to the Sanskrit nagara. Absent in the Chinese. The Tibetan translates as pho brang (“palace”).

334. According to the BHS adhyālambitavyā.

335. The Sanskrit adds the adjective viśuddha (“pure”).

336. According to the Tibetan dpal. The Sanskrit ketu can mean “brightness” or “banner.” The Chinese has 威力 (wei li, “splendor,” “power,” and so on).

337. The Sanskrit punyākara could be translated as a multitude or plentitude of merit or a source of merit. It is translated into Chinese as 福處 (fu chu, “source of merit”). The Tibetan has dge (short for dge ba (“virtue”) instead of bsod nams (“merit”) as in the Sanskrit, probably for the sake of the meter of the verse. The Sanskrit adjective viśiddhi (“pure”) describes all four descriptions of merit.

338. From the Sanskrit singular locative feminine. The Tibetan translates as dative (“for”), as this locative frequently is used with this meaning but does not seem to match the context here. Lines three and four are reversed in the Chinese, which makes the fourth line, 具足菩薩行 (ju zu pu sa xing), as a result of the third line, likely to mean “perfect the bodhisattva conduct.”

339. According to one of the meanings of the BHS śodhayiṣyasi, and in agreement with the Chinese. The Tibetan translates as “purify.”

340. According to the BHS adhyālambitavyā.

341. According to the Sanskrit utsaṅga or autsaṅga and the Chinese. The Tibetan may have translated from a text that had auṣadha as sman ljongs (“valley of herbs”).

342. According to the BHS adhyālambitavyā.

343. According to the Tibetan rgyud. Sanskrit has pracāra (“conduct,” “activity”).

344. According to the Sanskrit loka­kṛpā and in accordance with the Chinese. The Tibetan snang ba’i snying rje (“the compassion of light”) is peculiar and appears to have been translated from a text that had bodhisattvāloka­kṛpā, which would include āloka (“light”) instead of loka (“world”). The Chinese has “manifesting the bodhisattva’s activities for the world.”

345. According to the Sanskrit vijñāpana. The Tibetan translates as dmigs par mdzad pa (“focusing on,” “perceiving,” “visualizing,” “observing,” and so on).

346. According to the Sanskrit ananta and the Chinese. The Tibetan omits “infinite.”

347. According to the Sanskrit jagat. “Beings” is omitted in the Tibetan.

348. According to the Sanskrit and the Chinese. The Tibetan omits “ten.”

349. From one meaning of the BHS āragaṇa. The Tibetan, with mnyes par bya ba, translates according to the alternative meaning of “propitiate” or “please,” which does not appear to match the context. The Chinese omits “the accomplishment of.”

350. According to the Tibetan. “Resounding with their voices” is not present in the Sanskrit and the Chinese.

351. According to the Sanskrit and the Chinese. “Will explain it to you” is omitted in the Tibetan.

352. According to the Sanskrit bhūmi and the Chinese 位 (wei). “Level” is omitted in the Tibetan.

353. According to the Tibetan.

354. From the BHS anumārjan. The Tibetan translates as rjes su sbyang ba (“trained in”).

355. According to the Tibetan.

356. The Sanskrit āvartante means “to turn toward” in contrast to vivratante, “turning away” from saṃsāra. The Tibetan ’grub pa is literally “accomplish” or “attain,” which is more properly used to translate sampadyante in relation to the family of the tathāgatas in this same paragraph, and therefore may be translated from a manuscript that had sampadyante here instead of āvartante.

357. From the Tibetan rgyud. The Sanskrit srotas can also mean “river.”

358. The Sanskrit āvartante means “to turn toward.” The Tibetan translates as ’jug (“enter”). The Chinese translates as 成　(cheng, “attain”).

359. From the Sanskrit dyotayanti … prabhavam, which could be translated as “illuminating the majesty of.” The Chinese omits “the arising of.”

360. According to the Sanskrit, the Chinese, and Narthang and Lhasa: skye’o. Other Kangyurs have skye’i, thus continuing the sentence.

361. According to the Sanskrit abhimukha, the Chinese 專念不捨 (zhuan nian bu she, with the connotation of “not abandoning”) and ’dun pa in Narthang. The other Kangyurs have ’dug.

362. According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan and the Chinese omit “to dispel wisdom’s obscurations.”

363. According to the Sanskrit and the Chinese. “Deeper” is omitted in the Tibetan.

364. The BHS here is kalika, which, although Monier-Williams defines it as “bud,” is related to the Classical Sanskrit karṇika and the Pali kaṇṇika. The Daśa­bhūmika Sūtra has the exact same kind of lotus, with a sapphire stem, gold leaves, emerald stamens, and a sandalwood pericarp.

365. Throughout this passage the number is literally “ten hundred thousand.”

366. “Pure merit” (Sanskrit punyaśuddha) may well be a euphemism for a particular kind of jewel.

367. If “radiant” (Sanskrit vairocana) is a euphemism for a particular kind of jewel, as vairocana also means “the sun,” this could be referring to the sunstone.

368. The Sanskrit here is the less familiar synonym Jambudhvaja translated as 閻浮幢 (yan fu chuang) in the Chinese. The Tibetan has ’dzam bu’i chu (“Jambu River”).

369. The word for “diamond” here is vajrasiṃha (“vajra lion”); rdo rje’i seng ge in the Tibetan, 金剛師子 (jin gang shi zi) in the Chinese.

370. From the Sanskrit bhāsana. The Tibetan has brjod (“describe”) in error for brjid. The Chinese has “profundity” instead of “the majestic radiance.”

371. According to the Tibetan, which is in agreement with the Chinese 無見頂相 (wu jian ding xiang). The Sanskrit has avalokita-mūrdhita (“the visible crown of his head”).

372. From the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has “bases and different aspects.” The Chinese has “all the supreme Dharmas of the buddhas” 一切諸佛妙法 (yi qie zhu fo miao fa).

373. From the BHS samavasaraṇa. The Tibetan interprets this as an additional verb, gzhol ba (“descend” or “be absorbed in”). The Chinese translates samavasaraṇa as 入 (ru, “enter”), and has “all Dharma wheels.”

374. From the Sanskrit vijñapana. The Tibetan translates as rnam par dmigs pa (“focus on”). The Chinese has 照 (zhao, “see clearly,” “illuminate”).

375. From the Sanskrit saṃdarśayāmi, which is in agreement with the Chinese. Omitted in the Tibetan.

376. According to the Sanskrit and the Chinese. The Tibetan omits “in order to communicate wisdom; they have entered the ocean of all good qualities.” The Chinese repeats “the ocean of the minds of all beings.”

377. From the Sanskrit vijñapana. The Tibetan translates as rig pa (“know”). The Chinese has 能以智慧咸悟入 (neng yi zhi hui xian wu ru, “communicate wisdom and awaken all beings”).

378. The Sanskrit avagāhyamāna has the stronger meaning of “being immersed in.”