The Stem Array · Gaṇḍavyūha

A buddha in the distant past.

The ninth buddha in a kalpa in the distant past.

The highest of the three paradises that correspond to the second dhyāna in the form realm. In other contexts, the Tibetan ’od gsal ba usually refers to Ābhāsvara, and the Tibetan gya nom snang ba would refer to Sudṛśa.

A world realm in the distant past.

A bodhisattva present in Śrāvastī.

The sixty-seventh buddha in a kalpa in the distant past.

An eminent daughter in Dhanyākara.

A dancer’s daughter in the distant past.

The realm of the Buddha Akṣobhya, beyond countless buddha realms in the eastern direction.

One of the future buddhas of this kalpa.

One of the future buddhas of this kalpa.

The fifteenth buddha in a kalpa in the distant past, and also the seventy-fourth buddha in the same kalpa.

One of the future buddhas of this kalpa.

The fifty-third buddha in a kalpa in the distant past. BHS verse: Abhyudgata­prabha­śirī.

A young upāsikā, the kalyāṇamitra of chapter 22.

One of the future buddhas of this kalpa.

One of the future buddhas of this kalpa.

A bodhisattva present in Śrāvastī.

A spiritual teacher, “one who knows the conduct or practice (ācāra) to be performed”; this can also be a title for a scholar, although that is not the context in this sūtra.

“The Voice That Reveals the Range of Countless Buddhas.” The name of a ray of light.

One of the future buddhas of this kalpa.

One of the future buddhas of this kalpa.

The five actions that lead to going instantly to hell on death are killing one’s father, killing one’s mother, killing an arhat, splitting the saṅgha, and wounding a buddha so that he bleeds.

The realm of the Buddha Candra­buddhi.

A buddha in the distant past. The name as given in verse. In prose he is called Vipula­dharmādhimukti­saṃbhava­tejas.

One of countless buddhas in a past kalpa.

One of the future buddhas of this kalpa.

“The King of Clouds of the Light of the Essence of the Sun.” The name of the precious jewel of a cakravartin in the distant past.

A buddha in the distant past.

These palaces served as both vehicles and residences for deities.

The resinous heartwood of the Aquilaria and Gyirnops evergreen trees in India and southeast Asia, also known as aloeswood (agallochum).

The Indian god of fire.

One of the future buddhas of this kalpa.

One of the future buddhas of this kalpa.

One of the future buddhas of this kalpa.

The white elephant that is the mount of Indra (or Śakra). See n.542.

A nāga king.

A householder, the kalyāṇamitra of chapter 51.

One of the future buddhas of this kalpa. See n.1906.

One of the future buddhas of this kalpa.

The highest paradise among the Śuddhāvāsa paradises, which are the five highest in the form realm; therefore, this is the highest point within a world realm.

A buddha in the distant past.

A buddha realm in the upward direction.

A buddha realm in the upward direction.

The buddha in the eastern realm of Abhiratī. The translation of his name in this sūtra differs from the usual translations, which are either mi ’khrugs pa, mi skyod pa, or mi bskyod pa. In the higher tantras he is the head of one the five buddha families, the vajra family, in the east, and he was also well known early in the Mahāyāna sūtra tradition.

The sixty-fourth buddha in a kalpa in the distant past.

One of the future buddhas of this kalpa.

The buddha of the western realm of Sukhāvatī, he is also known as Amitāyus. The Tibetan translation of Amitābha in this sūtra differs from the usual translations, either ’od dpag med or snang ba mtha’ yas. It is also the name in chapter 44 of a future buddha in this kalpa. In that instance the Tibetan is mi dpogs ’od.

A region in South India.

The divine nectar that prevents death, often used metaphorically for the Dharma.

A buddha in the distant past.

A bodhisattva present in Śrāvastī.

The term for the second-largest number given in this sūtra.

The term for the largest number given in this sūtra.

One of the future buddhas of this kalpa.

In the Sarvāstivāda tradition, the lowest of the three paradises that correspond to the fourth dhyāna in the form realm.

A king in South India.

“Unlocated Display.” The name of a kalpa in the distant past. BHS verse Anālayaviyūha.

One of the future buddhas of this kalpa.

One of the future buddhas of this kalpa.

A buddha in the distant past.

A buddha in the distant past.

A bodhisattva and the kalyāṇamitra of chapter 31.

A wealthy merchant in the town of Śrāvastī, famous for his generosity to the poor, who became a patron of the Buddha Śākyamuni. He bought Prince Jeta’s Grove (Skt. Jetavana), to be the Buddha’s first monastery, a place where the monks could stay during the monsoon.

One of the future buddhas of this kalpa.

A buddha in the distant past.

One of the future buddhas of this kalpa.

One of countless buddhas in a past kalpa.

A nāga king whose domain is Lake Anavatapta. According to Buddhist cosmology, this lake is located near Mount Sumeru and is the source of the four great rivers of Jambudvīpa. It is often identified with Lake Manasarovar at the foot of Mount Kailash in Tibet.

A lake north of the Himalayas believed to be the source of the river Sutlej and identified with Rakshastal.

One of the future buddhas of this kalpa.

One of the future buddhas of this kalpa.

One of the future buddhas of this kalpa.

One of the future buddhas of this kalpa.

The name of a kalpa in the distant past.

A buddha in a northeastern realm. See n.442.

A buddha in a northeastern realm.

One of the future buddhas of this kalpa.

A bodhisattva in a northeastern realm.

One of the future buddhas of this kalpa.

One of the future buddhas of this kalpa.

The seventy-seventh buddha in a kalpa in the distant past. BHS verse: Anilavegaśirī.

One of the future buddhas of this kalpa.

One of the future buddhas of this kalpa.

One of the future buddhas of this kalpa.

One of the future buddhas of this kalpa.

The Buddha’s cousin and one of his ten principal pupils, he was renowned for his clairvoyance. Often translated elsewhere as ma ’gags pa.

One of the future buddhas of this kalpa.

One of the future buddhas of this kalpa.

One of the future buddhas of this kalpa.

One of the future buddhas of this kalpa.

One of the future buddhas of this kalpa.

One of the future buddhas of this kalpa.

A magical tree, the name of which means “covered in excellent, delicious fruit.”

One of the future buddhas of this kalpa.

One of the future buddhas of this kalpa.

One of the future buddhas of this kalpa.

One of the future buddhas of this kalpa.

The ninety-ninth buddha in a kalpa in the distant past.

A buddha in the distant past.

One of the future buddhas of this kalpa.

The forty-ninth buddha in a kalpa in the distant past.

One of the future buddhas of this kalpa.

One of the future buddhas of this kalpa.

A class of nonhuman beings believed to cause epilepsy, fits, and loss of memory. As their name suggests‍—the Skt. apasmāra literally means “without memory” and the Tib. brjed byed means “causing forgetfulness”‍—they are defined by the condition they cause in affected humans, and the term can refer to any nonhuman being that causes such conditions, whether a bhūta, a piśāca, or other.

One of the future buddhas of this kalpa.

The second highest of the three paradises that correspond to the second dhyāna in the form realm.

A buddha in a northwestern realm.

The second highest of the three paradises that correspond to the third dhyāna in the form realm.

A buddha in a realm in the upward direction.

Popular figures in Indian culture, they are said to be goddesses of the clouds and water. They are also portrayed as the wives of the gandharvas who are the court musicians for Śakra/Indra on top of Mount Meru.

The alphabet of the Kharoṣṭhī script, forming an important mnemonic incantation.

A buddha in the distant past.

One of the future buddhas of this kalpa.

A buddha in the distant past.

One of the future buddhas of this kalpa.

One of the future buddhas of this kalpa.

One of the future buddhas of this kalpa.

One of the future buddhas of this kalpa.

Used both as an epithet of the Buddha and to mean the final accomplishment of the śrāvaka path.

One of the future buddhas of this kalpa.

Generally has the common meaning of a noble male, one of a higher class or caste. In Dharma terms it means a male who has gained the realization of the path and is superior for that reason.

Generally has the common meaning of a noble female, one of a higher class or caste. In Dharma terms it means a female who has gained the realization of the path and is superior for that reason.

Third-century disciple of Nāgārjuna. His name is usually translated into Tibetan as ’phags pa lha.

An upāsikā in South India.

A buddha in the distant past.

The name of a certain kind of kalpa that literally means “incalculable.” The number of years in this kalpa differs in the various sūtras that give it a number. Also, twenty intermediate kalpas are said to be one incalculable kalpa, and four incalculable kalpas are one great kalpa. In light of that, those four incalculable kalpas represent the kalpas of the creation, presence, destruction, and absence of a world. Buddhas are often described as appearing in a second “incalculable” kalpa.

A buddha in the distant past.

A bodhisattva in a realm in the upward direction.

A bodhisattva present in Śrāvastī.

A bodhisattva in a western realm.

A bodhisattva present in Śrāvastī.

A buddha in a realm in the downward direction.

A bodhisattva in a northwestern realm. See n.444.

The hundred-and-second buddha in a kalpa in the distant past.

A buddha in the distant past.

A bodhisattva present in Śrāvastī.

A bodhisattva from a northern buddha realm.

A bodhisattva from a northern buddha realm.

A bodhisattva present in Śrāvastī.

A bodhisattva present in Śrāvastī.

Saraca asoca. The aromatic blossoms are clustered together as orange, yellow, and red bunches of petals.

A forest hermitage or place of practice for a renunciant practitioner.

Goddess of the assembly hall in Kapilavastu.

“Without misery, free of dust.” The name of a kalpa in the distant past.

The seven aspects of enlightenment are mindfulness, analysis of phenomena, diligence, joy, tranquility, and samādhi. Also translated here as “limbs of enlightenment.”

A precious gem that, when cut, shows a luminous star shape. This includes such gems as star sapphires, star rubies, and star topazes. In some Kangyurs written incorrectly as sgra snang ba and with a wide variety of other spelling renditions. Jyotīrasa is translated as skar ma mdog in The White Lotus of the Good Dharma (Toh 113, Saddharma­puṇḍarīka).

One of the six classes of living beings, sometimes included among the gods and sometimes among the animals. A class of nonhuman beings, sometimes misleadingly called demigods, engendered and dominated by envy, ambition, and hostility, who are metaphorically described as being incessantly embroiled in a dispute with the gods over the possession of amrita.

The fourth highest of the five Śuddhāvāsa paradises, the highest paradises in the form realm.

The name of a kalpa in the distant past.

One of the future buddhas of this kalpa.

A buddha in the distant past.

One of the future buddhas of this kalpa.

One of the future buddhas of this kalpa.

A buddha in the distant past.

The name of the eighth buddha in a kalpa in the distant past. Also the name of the twenty-seventh buddha in a different kalpa in the distant past. BHS: Obhāsarāja.

A buddha in the distant past. BHS verse: Obhāsa­sāgara­viyūha.

“Display of Radiance,” the name of a certain kalpa in the distant past.

A buddha in the distant past. BHS verse: Obhāsayanta­prabha­rājā.

Also called “red avadavat,” “strawberry finch,” and “kalaviṅgka sparrow.” Dictionaries have erroneously identified it as a cuckoo. Outside India, kalaviṅka birds have evolved into a mythical half-human bird. The avadavat is a common bird in the Ganges plain and renowned for its beautiful song.

A bodhisattva present in Śrāvastī. See n.44.

First appeared as a bodhisattva beside Amitābha in the Sukhāvatī­vyūha Sūtra (The Display of the Pure Land of Sukhāvatī, Toh 115). The name has been variously interpreted. In its meaning as “the lord of avalokita,” avalokita has been interpreted as “seeing,” although, as a past passive participle, it is literally “lord of what has been seen.” One of the principal sūtras in the Mahāsāṃghika tradition was the Avalokita Sūtra, which has not been translated into Tibetan, in which the word is a synonym for enlightenment, as it is “that which has been seen” by the buddhas. In the early tantras, he was one of the lords of the three families, as the embodiment of the compassion of the Buddhas. The Potalaka Mountain in South India became important in Southern Indian Buddhism as his residence in this world, but Potalaka does not feature in the Kāraṇḍa­vyūha Sūtra (The Basket’s Display, Toh 116), which is the most important sūtra dedicated to Avalokiteśvara.

One of the future buddhas of this kalpa.

The lowest hell, the eighth of the eight hot hells.

A buddha in a world in the eastern direction in the past.

The lowest of the five Śuddhāvāsa paradises, the highest paradises in the form realm. It is said to be the most common rebirth for the “non-returners” of the Śrāvakayāna.

Twelve bases of sensory perception: the six sensory faculties (the eyes, nose, ear, tongue, body, and mind), which form in the womb and eventually have contact with the external six bases of sensory perception (form, smell, sound, taste, touch, and phenomena). This can also refer to the four meditative states associated with the formless realm: (1) infinite space, (2) infinite consciousness, (3) nothingness, and (4) neither perception nor nonperception.

One of the future buddhas of this kalpa.

In the Jātakas, Bālāha is a previous life of the Buddha Śākyamuni in which he saves merchants from the island of the rākṣasīs. In the Kāraṇḍa­vyūha Sūtra (The Basket’s Display, Toh 116), it is Avalokiteśvara as a horse, saving a previous life of Śākyamuni from that island.

The seventy-second buddha in a kalpa in the distant past.

Ficus benghalensis. Its branches can spread widely, sending down multiple trunks.

Rinchen Drakpa (rin chen grags pa) 1040−1111 ᴄᴇ. He went to India at the age of fourteen and became a disciple of Vajrāsana. He later became the second head of the Sakya school.

The four qualities of samādhi that eliminate negative factors: aspiration, diligence, contemplation, and analysis.

Meaning “good,” it is the name of this present kalpa, so called because over a thousand buddhas will appear within it.

An eminent daughter in Dhanyākara.

The queen of a cakravartin in the distant past, a previous life of the night goddess Pramudita­nayana­jagad­virocanā.

A buddha in a world realm in the eastern direction.

An upāsaka in Dhanyākara.

An upāsikā in Dhanyākara.

One of countless buddhas in a past kalpa.

The kalyāṇamitra of chapter 48.

“One who has bhaga,” which has many diverse meanings including “good fortune,” “happiness,” and “majesty.” In the Buddhist context, it means “one who has the good fortune of attaining enlightenment.”

A merchant’s daughter, a previous life of Gopā.

A town in South India.

One of the future buddhas of this kalpa.

A buddha in the distant past.

The term bhikṣu, often translated as “monk,” refers to the highest among the eight types of prātimokṣa vows that make one part of the Buddhist assembly. The Sanskrit term literally means “beggar” or “mendicant,” referring to the fact that Buddhist monks and nuns‍—like other ascetics of the time‍—subsisted on alms (bhikṣā) begged from the laity.

In the Tibetan tradition, which follows the Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya, a monk follows 253 rules as part of his moral discipline. A nun (bhikṣuṇī; dge slong ma) follows 364 rules. A novice monk (śrāmaṇera; dge tshul) or nun (śrāmaṇerikā; dge tshul ma) follows thirty-six rules of moral discipline (although in other vinaya traditions novices typically follow only ten).

The term bhikṣuṇī, often translated as “nun,” refers to the highest among the eight types of prātimokṣa vows that make one part of the Buddhist assembly. The Sanskrit term bhikṣu (to which the female grammatical ending ṇī is added) literally means “beggar” or “mendicant,” referring to the fact that Buddhist nuns and monks‍—like other ascetics of the time‍—subsisted on alms (bhikṣā) begged from the laity. In the Tibetan tradition, which follows the Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya, a bhikṣuṇī follows 364 rules and a bhikṣu follows 253 rules as part of their moral discipline.

For the first few years of the Buddha’s teachings in India, there was no ordination for women. It started at the persistent request and display of determination of Mahāprajāpatī, the Buddha’s stepmother and aunt, together with five hundred former wives of men of Kapilavastu, who had themselves become monks. Mahāprajāpatī is thus considered to be the founder of the nun’s order.

One of the future buddhas of this kalpa.

A ṛṣi, the kalyāṇamitra of chapter 11.

A mahoraga lord.

This is literally the “ground” in which qualities grow like plants, and it also means a “level.” As an untranslated term, bhūmi is used specifically to refer to levels of enlightenment, especially the seven or ten levels of the enlightened bodhisattvas. Sūtras such as the Perfection of Wisdom sūtras teach the seven bhūmis. The teaching of ten bhūmis was found in the Mahāsāṃghika tradition and particularly in the Daśa­bhūmika Sūtra (Toh 44, ch. 31, Ten Bhūmi Sūtra), which is the thirty-first chapter in the Tibetan version of the Avataṃsaka Sūtra.

One of the future buddhas of this kalpa. See n.1902.

This term in its broadest sense can refer to any being, whether human, animal, or nonhuman. However, it is often used to refer to a specific class of nonhuman beings, especially when bhūtas are mentioned alongside rākṣasas, piśācas, or pretas. In common with these other kinds of nonhumans, bhūtas are usually depicted with unattractive and misshapen bodies. Like several other classes of nonhuman beings, bhūtas take spontaneous birth. As their leader is traditionally regarded to be Rudra-Śiva (also known by the name Bhūta), with whom they haunt dangerous and wild places, bhūtas are especially prominent in Śaivism, where large sections of certain tantras concentrate on them.

Bignonia suaveolens. The Indian species of bignonia. These small trees have trumpet-shaped flowers and are common throughout India.

Nymphaea caerulea. The “blue lotus” is actually a lily, so it is also known as the blue water lily.

The tree beneath which every buddha will manifest the attainment of buddhahood.

A bodhisattva present in Śrāvastī.

The exact place where every buddha in this world will manifest the attainment of buddhahood. In our world, it is the spot beneath the Bodhi tree in the village presently known as Bodhgaya. Literally, “the essence of enlightenment.” Also translated elsewhere as byang chub kyi snying po.

A bodhisattva present in Śrāvastī.

“Basket” or “Collected Teachings for Bodhisattvas,” refers to the sūtras and teachings of the bodhisattva yāna in general.

A bodhisattva present in Śrāvastī.

One of countless buddhas in a past kalpa.

The Sanskrit is also used for a porridge made from other grains.

The personification of the universal force of Brahman, the deity in the form realm, who was, during the Buddha’s time, considered the supreme deity and creator of the universe. In the cosmogony of many universes, each with a thousand million worlds, there are many Brahmās. Also called Mahābrahmā.

An eminent daughter in Dhanyākara.

One of the future buddhas of this kalpa.

A bodhisattva present in Śrāvastī.

The devas who live in Brahmakāyika, which can mean “the three paradises of Brahmā,” which are the first dhyāna paradises in the form realm, or more specifically, the lowest of these paradises, also known as Brahmapārṣada.

A bodhisattva present in Śrāvastī.

The sixty-first buddha in a kalpa in the distant past.

“Light of Brahmā.” The name of a kalpa in the distant past.

The second highest of the three paradises that correspond to the first dhyāna in the form realm.

A buddha in the past.

A bodhisattva present in Śrāvastī.

A bodhisattva present in Śrāvastī.

A member of the priestly class or caste from the four social divisions of India.

A bhikṣu who was a pupil of Śāriputra.

In the Sarvāstivada tradition, the highest of the three paradises that correspond to the fourth dhyāna in the form realm.

The Sanskrit term can refer any kind of soup or broth, but especially those made with peas, lentils, etc., with salt and flavoring. The Tibetan appears to have used two words to cover the range of meaning: the obscure khur ba, which, according to the Mahāvyutpatti, is the equivalent of the Sanskrit maṇḍa, though that refers to the scum from boiled rice, and skyo ma, which is a soup or broth made with flour and water.

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

A pure realm manifested by a buddha or advanced bodhisattva through the power of their great merit and aspirations.

359−429 ᴄᴇ. He was from North India and came to China in 408 and translated extensively. The Tibetan would more literally be sangs rgyas bzang po.

A realm in the distant past.

A buddha in the distant past.

A world realm in the eastern direction.

Butön Rinchen Drup (bu ston rin chen grub, 1290−364). A master of the Sakya school, he was an influential scholar, historian, and compiler and cataloger of the canon.

Sometimes synonymous with stūpa, however, caitya can also in certain contexts refer to a temple that may or may not contain a stūpa, or to any place or thing that is worthy of veneration. The Tibetan translates both stūpa and caitya with the same word‍—mchod rten (“basis” or “recipient” of offerings). Pali: cetiya.

“Circular Mass.” There are at least four interpretations of what this name refers to. In the Kṣiti­garbha Sūtra it is a mountain that contains the hells. It is also equivalent to the Vaḍaba submarine mountain of fire, which is also said to be the entrance to the hells. The term cakravāla is also used to mean “the entire disk of a world,” including Meru and the paradises above it. More commonly, as in this sūtra, it is the name of the outer ring of mountains at the edge of the flat disk of a world, with Sumeru in the center. Yet it is has the nature of heat, like the Mountain Vaḍaba, in that the heat of the ring of mountains evaporates the ocean so that it does not overflow. Also called Cakravāḍa.

A world realm in the distant past.

One of the future buddhas of this kalpa.

The lowest of the untouchables in the Indian caste system.

One of the future buddhas of this kalpa.

One of countless buddhas in a past kalpa.

Realm of the Buddha Vajrābha.

Name of a buddha.

A realm in the distant past.

A buddha in the distant past.

An upāsikā in Dhanyākara.

One of the future buddhas of this kalpa.

A bodhisattva present in Śrāvastī.

A magical tree, the name of which means “rising moon.”

One of the future buddhas of this kalpa.

One of the future buddhas of this kalpa.

A bodhisattva present in Śrāvastī.

One of the future buddhas of this kalpa.

A deity in the paradises of the Four Mahārājas.

One of the three main varieties of chrysoberyl, the third-hardest gemstone. The cat’s-eye gem (cymophane) is light green or yellow and contains the distinctive appearance of a band of light, resembling a cat’s eye. It has been mined since ancient times in India and particularly in Sri Lanka. Jyoti can mean both “light” and “star,” and in describing this jewel the Sanskrit more likely means “banner of light.” However, the Tibetan translates the term as “banner of stars.”

Vitex negundo. A member of the verbena family. Also known in English as the Chinese chaste tree, the five-leaved chaste tree, and horseshoe vitex.

Late-eleventh to early-twelfth century. The text gives the shortened version of his name, which in full is mchims brtson ’grus seng ge. A disciple of Bari Lotsawa.

Chokden Lekpé Lodrö (mchog ldan legs pa’i blo gros), a Sakya master of the thirteenth century.

The eighth Tai Situpa in the Karma Kagyü tradition (1700−1777), he oversaw the creation of the Degé Kangyur.

A bodhisattva in a southern realm.

The twenty-third buddha in a kalpa in the distant past. BHS verse: Citrārtha-indra.

A bodhimaṇḍa in another world in the distant past.

Erythrina indica or Erythrina variegate. Also known in English as flame tree, or tiger’s claw. In the summer the plant is covered in large crimson flowers believed to also grow in Indra’s paradise. The coral tree is the most widespread species of Erythrina or māndārava, and is taller than the others.

Bombax ceiba. Also known as the red cotton tree. It has red flowers and ripened capsules that contain cotton-like fibers. In particular, the trunk is covered in spikes to deter climbing animals, and therefore it is an iron version of this tree that is found in the hells.

This term is used for a female devotee of Viṣṇu (bhagavat), but here is used as an honorific term for a courtesan. Bhaga can also mean “vulva” and is therefore also used in that way in compounds. This English is also used as a translation for gaṇika in chapter 43 (see n.1786).

A class of beings, literally, in Sanskrit, “the sons of Danu.” They are enemies of the devas and often associated with the asuras. Under the leadership of Bali, they took over the world, creating a golden age, until they were tricked by Viṣṇu in the form of a brahmin dwarf. A version of that legend is described in a prominent passage in the Kāraṇḍa­vyūha Sūtra (The Basket’s Display, Toh 116), the principal Avalokiteśvara sūtra.

One of the fathers-in-law of Śākyamuni: the father of Gopā, one of Śākyamuni’s wives.

A bodhisattva present in Śrāvastī.

A term of Jain origin, meaning “inflow.” It refers to having uncontrolled thoughts as a result of being influenced by sensory objects and thus being sullied or defiled. It is also defined as “outflows,” hence the Tibetan zag pa, “leak,” as the mind flows out toward the sensory objects.

The teaching that everything arises in dependence on something else, which is also applied to the entire process of life and death. This became standardized into twelve sequences of dependent origination, beginning with ignorance, followed by formation, and concluding in death. In the Pali suttas, this was more often taught as a greater number of successive sequences, commencing with ignorance and formation being simultaneous and codependent, like two sticks leaning against each other.

One of the three realms of saṃsāra, characterized by a prevalence of desire.

The Tibetan is literally “the destructible aggregation,” and the Sanskrit is “the existing body.” It implies the view that identifies the existence of a self in relation to the skandhas. Thhe term is also translated here as “destructible accumulation.”

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

A cousin of the Buddha Śākyamuni who broke with him and established his own community. He is portrayed as engendering evil schemes against the Buddha and even succeeding in wounding him. He is usually identified with wicked beings in accounts of previous lifetimes.

A buddha in the distant past.

A bodhisattva present in Śrāvastī.

A bhikṣu who was a pupil of Śāriputra.

“Divine Splendor.” The name of a past kalpa. BHS: Devaśiri.

One of the future buddhas of this kalpa.

A bodhisattva present in Śrāvastī.

The names of two buddhas in the distant past. One may have been Devaśrīvara, where the last part of the compound was translated into mchog. BHS: Devaśirigarbha.

Another name for Śakra, or Indra, literally “Lord of Devas.”

A buddha in the distant past in chapter 36, and another buddha in the distant past in chapter 41.

A buddha in the distant past.

A bodhisattva present in Śrāvastī.

Literally “daughter of a deva.” A female deva.

A king in another world in the distant past.

In this ninth-century Tibetan translation, Dhanyākara is translated as “Source of Happiness.” More common is the translation ’bras spung, meaning “Rice Heap.” The famous Gelugpa monastery Drepung takes its name from this city, which was the capital of the kingdom of the Satavahana dynasty that ruled South India from the first to third century ᴄᴇ. Known primarily as Dhānyakaṭaka, the present remains are in the village of Dharaṇikoṭa, a few miles from the site of the great Amarāvatī stupa, in Andhra Pradesh on the southeastern coast of India. Before 1953 this was in the state of Madras.

Though its precise units varied, one dharaṇa was generally equivalent to ten palas or forty karṣa, and roughly equivalent to 350 grams, or near to a pound. The Tibetan translates both pala and dharaṇa as srang in this sūtra. Pala is said to be srang in the Mahāvyutpatti, but that dictionary has no equivalent for dharaṇa.

Sentences or phrases that were said to hold the essence of a teaching or meaning. According to context, the term can also mean an exceptional power of mental retention. Also used as a healing spell. This term is also rendered in this translation as “retention.”

A bodhisattva present in Śrāvastī.

A bodhisattva present in Śrāvastī.

A bodhisattva present in Śrāvastī.

A buddha in the distant past.

A buddha in the distant past.

The fifty-fifth buddha in a kalpa in the distant past. BHS verse: Dharaṇi­teja­śirī.

A village in South India.

Distinct from the rūpakāya or “form body” of a buddha. In origin it was a term for the presence of the Dharma, which would continue after the Buddha’s passing. It also came to refer to someone who was an embodiment of the Dharma, and also the eternal, imperceptible realization of a buddha, and therefore became synonymous with the true nature. In the context of the teaching of the three kāyas of a buddha, only the term dharmakāya (chos kyi sku), rather than dharmaśarīra, (chos kyi lus) was used.

Speaker or reciter of scriptures. In early Buddhism a section of the saṅgha would consist of bhāṇakas, who, particularly before the teachings were written down and were only transmitted orally, were a key factor in the preservation of the teachings. Various groups of dharmabhāṇakas specialized in memorizing and reciting a certain set of sūtras or vinaya.

The ninety-first buddha in a kalpa in the distant past.

The name of four different buddhas in the distant past. They are mentioned, separately, at 36.93, 36.119, 37.135, and 43.302.

One of countless buddhas in a past kalpa.

A bodhisattva present in Śrāvastī.

The eighty-fifth buddha in a kalpa in the distant past. The syllable dpal appears to actually belong to the previous name in the list of buddhas, Smṛti­ketu­rāja­śri.

A bodhisattva present in Śrāvastī.

The name of the thirty-third buddha in a kalpa in the distant past.

One of countless buddhas in a past kalpa.

A bodhisattva in a southeastern realm.

A world realm in the distant past in the form given in verse. In prose it is called Dharmārci­nagara­meghā.

A buddha in the distant past.

A world realm in the distant past. In verse it is called Dharmārci­megha­nagara.

The seventeenth buddha in a kalpa in the distant past. BHS verse: Dharmārci­parvata­śirī.

A bodhisattva present with the Buddha at Śrāvastī, and also the name of a buddha in the distant past. BHS verse: Dharmaśiri.

A bodhisattva present in Śrāvastī.

A buddha in the distant past.

One of countless buddhas in a past kalpa.

One of countless buddhas in a past kalpa.

One of countless buddhas in a past kalpa.

One of countless buddhas in a past kalpa.

One of countless buddhas in a past kalpa.

A buddha in the distant past. In verse he is called Saddharma­ghoṣāmbara­dīpa­rāja.

A bhikṣuṇī in another world in the distant past. A previous life of the night goddess Sarva­nagara­rakṣā­saṃbhava­tejaḥ­śrī.

A buddha in the distant past.

One of countless buddhas in a past kalpa.

A buddha in the distant past.

A buddha in the distant past.

A buddha in a southwestern realm.

One of countless buddhas in a past kalpa.

A kūṭāgāra that miraculously appears in a lotus, within which is the Buddha’s mother.

An ocean of world realms in the eastern direction.

A buddha in the distant past.

A buddha in a northern buddha realm.

A buddha in a western realm.

The twentieth buddha in a kalpa in the distant past.

The last of a series of countless buddhas in a past kalpa. The form of his name in prose. In verse he is called Dharma­megha­nagarābha­pradīpa­rāja.

A bodhisattva present in Śrāvastī.

The eighty-ninth buddha in a kalpa in the distant past.

The thirtieth buddha in a kalpa in the distant past. BHS verse: Dharma­dhātu­padumo.

A bodhi tree in the distant past, the name of which means “Having Trunk and Branches of All Jewels That Appear in the Realm of Phenomena.”

A bodhisattva from a northeastern realm. Also known as Dharma­dhātu­sunirmita­praṇidhi­candra.

A bodhisattva from a realm in the downward direction.

A buddha in the distant past.

A bodhisattva present in Śrāvastī.

The sixty-third buddha in a kalpa in the distant past. BHS verse: Dharma­dhātu­pratibhāsa­śiri.

One of countless buddhas in a past kalpa.

A bodhisattva from a northeastern realm. Also known as Dharma­dhātu­praṇidhi­sunirmita­candra­rāja.

A buddha in the distant past.

A buddha in the distant past.

A buddha in a realm in the downward direction.

A buddha in the distant past.

A bodhisattva in a realm in the downward direction.

A buddha in a world in the eastern direction in a past kalpa.

A buddha in the distant past.

One of countless buddhas in a past kalpa.

One of countless buddhas in a past kalpa.

One of countless buddhas in a past kalpa.

One of countless buddhas in a past kalpa.

One of countless buddhas in a past kalpa.

One of countless buddhas in a past kalpa. See n.1540.

One of countless buddhas in a past kalpa.

A buddha in the distant past.

One of countless buddhas in a past kalpa.

One of countless buddhas in a past kalpa.

One of countless buddhas in a past kalpa.

One of countless buddhas in a past kalpa.

The last in a series of countless buddhas in a past kalpa. The form of his name in verse. In prose he is called Dharma­dhātu­nagarābha­jñāna­pradīpa­rāja.

A buddha in a past world in the eastern direction.

One of countless buddhas in a past kalpa.

The bodhimaṇḍa of the Buddha Sūrya­gātra­pravara in another world in the distant past, as given in the prose passages, where it is also called Dharmodgata­prabhāsa. In verse it is called Sudharma­megha­prabhā.

One of countless buddhas in a past kalpa.

A buddha in the distant past.

One of countless buddhas in a past kalpa.

One of countless buddhas in a past kalpa.

One of countless buddhas in a past kalpa.

A body goddess.

One of countless buddhas in a past kalpa.

A realm in the distant past. BHS: Dharma­pradīpa­megha­śiri.

A buddha in the distant past. BHS verse: Dharma­pradīpa­śiri.

A buddha in a world in the eastern direction in the past.

A bodhimaṇḍa in another world in the distant past.

One of countless buddhas in a past kalpa.

A buddha in the distant past.

One of countless buddhas in a past kalpa.

The fifty-seventh buddha in a kalpa in the distant past.

One of countless buddhas in a past kalpa.

A buddha in the distant past.

A buddha in the distant past.

A bodhisattva present in Śrāvastī.

A buddha in the distant past.

The ninetieth buddha in a kalpa in the distant past. BHS verse: Dharma­samudra­mati­jñāna­śiri.

The first of countless buddhas in a past kalpa. The form of his name as given in verse. In prose he is called Sarva­dharma­sāgara­nirghoṣa­prabha­rāja.

A buddha in the distant past.

A buddha in the distant past.

One of countless buddhas in a past kalpa.

One of countless buddhas in a past kalpa.

A bodhisattva present in Śrāvastī.

A buddha in a world in the eastern direction in the past.

A buddha in the distant past.

A bodhisattva present with the Buddha at Śrāvastī (translated as chos kyi dbang po’i rgyal po), and also the name of two buddhas in the distant past (translated as chos dbang rgyal po).

The hundred-and-first buddha in a kalpa in the distant past.

A king in the distant past.

A bodhisattva present in Śrāvastī. Also the seventy-sixth buddha in a kalpa in the distant past.

A buddha in the distant past.

A buddha in the distant past.

The bodhimaṇḍa of the Buddha Sūrya­gātra­pravara in another world in the distant past, as given in the prose passages, where it is also called Dharma­meghodgata­prabhā. In verse it is called Sudharma­megha­prabhā.

One of countless buddhas in a past kalpa.

One of countless buddhas in a past kalpa.

The six sensory objects, six sensory faculties, and six consciousnesses.

One of the future buddhas of this kalpa.

One of the Four Mahārājas, he is the guardian deity for the east and lord of the gandharvas. Also the name of the king of the geese that was a previous life of the Buddha as described in the Jātakas. In other sūtras, more commonly translated as yul ’khor srung.

One of the future buddhas of this kalpa.

A royal city in the distant past.

Generally, one of the synonyms for meditation referring to a state of mental stability. The specific four dhyānas are four successively subtler states of meditation that are said to lead to rebirth into the corresponding four levels of the form realm, which are composed of seventeen paradises.

See “vajra.”

A bodhisattva present in Śrāvastī.

The previous buddha who gave Śākyamuni the prophecy of his buddhahood.

One of the future buddhas of this kalpa.

The sixty-fifth buddha in a kalpa in the distant past.

The hundred-and-seventh buddha in a kalpa in the distant past.

The thirteenth buddha in a kalpa in the distant past.

When given as an enumeration, this refers to the four: the discernments of meaning, phenomena, definitions, and eloquence.

There are three doors to liberation: emptiness, the absence of characteristics, and the absence of aspiration.

Draviḍa was the name for the region in the south of India where the Dravidian languages were spoken, including Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, and Tamil. The Dravidians were the indigenous population of India before the arrival of people who spoke Indo-European languages, specifically early forms of Sanskrit.

An eminent daughter in Dhanyākara.

One of the future buddhas of this kalpa.

One of the four kings of the kinnaras. Translated in other sūtras as ljon pa and shing rlon.

A royal capital in another world in the distant past.

A royal capital in another world in the distant past.

The fiftieth buddha in a kalpa in the distant past.

One of countless buddhas in a past kalpa.

In chapter 36 the name of a buddha in the distant past (shing rgyal). In chapter 44 the name of one of the future buddhas in this kalpa (shing gi rgyal po).

A land in the south of India.

A bodhisattva from a southern realm.

A city in South India.

One of countless buddhas in a past kalpa.

Being reborn in hell, as a preta, as an animal, or as a long-lived deity (of the formless realms); or being a human in a time without a Buddha’s teaching, in a land without the teaching, with a defective mind, or without faith.

The Buddhist path as presented in the Śrāvakayāna: right view, right intention, right speech, right conduct, right livelihood, right effort, right recollection, and right samādhi.

One of the future buddhas of this kalpa.

One of the future buddhas of this kalpa.

The span between the tips of two arms extended to either side.

The eighty secondary physical characteristics of a buddha and of other great beings (mahāpuruṣa), which include such details as the redness of the fingernails and the blackness of the hair. They are considered “minor” in terms of being secondary to the thirty-two major marks or signs of a great being.

Antilope cervicapra, also known as the Indian antelope. The male is called eṇa and the female eṇī. Aiṇeya therefore means “an attribute of the female black antelope.”

The mythological flower of the fig tree said to appear on rare occasions, such as the birth of a buddha. The actual fig tree flower is contained within the fruit. The flower also came to be portrayed as a kind of lotus.

The Gaṇḍa­vyūha uses the same terminology as the Jain text Tandulaveyāliyua and differs from other sūtras. In the The Teaching to the Venerable Nanda on Dwelling in the Womb, kalala is translated as mer mer po. In other texts the first stage is translated as nur nur po.

Degeneration of lifespan, views, [increase of] kleśas, beings, and era. The more common translation of pañcakaṣaya (as in the Mahāvyutpatti) is snyigs ma lnga.

Five vows taken by upāsakas and upāsikās: to not kill, steal, commit sexual misconduct, lie, or take intoxicants.

The form or physical body of a buddha, as opposed to the Dharma body or dharmakāya. In Buddhist philosophy, the form body was eventually divided into two kinds: the nirmāṇa­kāya (“emanation body”), which is a physical body, and the saṃbhogkāya (“enjoyment body”), which is an immaterial body seen only by enlightened beings.

Eighteen paradises that comprise the realm of form, into which beings are reborn through the power of meditation. It is higher than the realm of desire, where beings are reborn through karma.

One of the three realms of saṃsāra, where beings have only subtle mental form.

The Gaṇḍa­vyūha uses the same terminology as the Jain text Tandulaveyāliyua and differs from other sūtras. In the The Teaching to the Venerable Nanda on Dwelling in the Womb, ghana is translated as mkhrad ’gyur. Elsewhere it is gor gor.

The eleventh buddha in a kalpa in the distant past.

A bodhisattva present with the Buddha at Śrāvastī, and also the name of a buddha in the distant past.

A buddha in the distant past.

A bodhisattva present in Śrāvastī.

The eighth buddha in a kalpa in the distant past, and also the name of the sixty-second buddha in another kalpa. The Tibetan has dbyings in error for dbyangs for the sixty-second buddha.

A buddha in the distant past.

The forty-third buddha in a kalpa in the distant past. BHS verse: Gagana­megha­śirī.

A bodhisattva present in Śrāvastī.

A bodhisattva present in Śrāvastī.

The sixty-sixth buddha in a kalpa in the distant past.

A buddha in the distant past.

A bodhisattva present in Śrāvastī.

The fifty-sixth buddha in a kalpa in the distant past. BHS verse: Gambhīra­dharma­guṇa­rāja­śirī.

A buddha in the distant past.

One of the future buddhas of this kalpa.

A royal city in the distant past.

A world realm in the northwest.

A legendary mountain north of the Himalayas, with Lake Anavatapta, the source of the world’s great rivers, at its base. It is said to be south of Mount Kailash, though both have been identified with Mount Tise in western Tibet. In other sūtras translated as spos ngad can, spos ngad ldang, and spos nad ldan.

A park in another world in the distant past.

The thirty-sixth buddha in a kalpa in the distant past.

A buddha in a southeastern buddha realm.

A southeastern buddha realm.

One of countless buddhas in a past kalpa.

One of countless buddhas in a past kalpa.

A class of generally benevolent nonhuman beings who inhabit the skies, sometimes said to inhabit fantastic cities in the clouds, and more specifically to dwell on the eastern slopes of Mount Meru, where they are ruled by the Great King Dhṛtarāṣṭra. They are most renowned as celestial musicians who serve the gods. In the Abhidharma, the term is also used to refer to the mental body assumed by sentient beings during the intermediate state between death and rebirth. Gandharvas are said to live on fragrances (gandha) in the desire realm, hence the Tibetan translation dri za, meaning “scent eater.”

The thirty-eighth buddha in a kalpa in the distant past.

A buddha in the distant past.

Realm of the Buddha Ratnābha.

A buddha realm in the southeastern direction.

A buddha realm in the distant past. BHS verse: Gandha­pradīpa­megha­śiri.

A bodhisattva present in Śrāvastī.