The Stem Array · Gaṇḍavyūha

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

A bodhisattva present in Śrāvastī.

The past buddha the preceded Dīpaṅkara in our world.

“Stainless Light of Color.” The name of a kalpa in the past.

Unidentified jewel, literally “stainless essence.” Possibly moonstone.

A buddha in the distant past.

A bodhisattva present in Śrāvastī.

A buddha in the distant past.

In chapter 1 it is the name of one of the bodhisattvas in the presence of the Buddha at Śrāvastī (translated as dri myed rgyal mtshan). In chapter 44 it is the name of a bodhisattva in another world in the distant past (translated as rgyal mtshan dri ma med pa).

In chapter 1, dri ma myed pa’i myig is the name of a bodhisattva present with the Buddha Śākyamuni in Śrāvastī; in chapter 43, mig dri ma med pa is the name of the precious minister of a cakravartin.

A bodhisattva present in Śrāvastī.

A queen’s nurse in another world in the distant past.

A buddha in the distant past.

A bodhisattva present in Śrāvastī.

A bodhisattva present in Śrāvastī.

A cakravartin king in another world in the distant past. 

A buddha in the distant past.

A bodhisattva.

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.

Insight meditation.

In early Buddhism the first of seven buddhas, with Śākyamuni as the seventh. The first three buddhas‍—Vipaśyin, Śikhin, and Viśvabhuk‍—appeared in a kalpa earlier than our Bhadra kalpa, and therefore Śākyamuni is more commonly referred to as the fourth buddha.

The forty-first buddha in a kalpa in the distant past, and also the eighty-eighth buddha in another kalpa in the distant past.

A buddha in the distant past.

A buddha in the distant past; the name as given in the prose passages. In verse he is called Adhimuktitejas.

A buddha in the distant past.

A buddha in the distant past.

One of the future buddhas of this kalpa.

A bodhisattva present in Śrāvastī.

A bodhisattva present in Śrāvastī.

“Domain Free of Dust.” The name of a kalpa in the distant past.

A bodhisattva present in Śrāvastī.

A four-continent world realm.

“The Essence of the Splendor That Is Free of Dust.” The name of a ray of light.

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

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

One of the future buddhas of this kalpa.

A bodhisattva present in Śrāvastī.

A bodhisattva present in Śrāvastī.

One of the future buddhas of this kalpa.

One of the future buddhas of this kalpa.

A bodhisattva present in Śrāvastī.

A bhikṣu who was a pupil of Śāriputra.

One of the future buddhas of this kalpa.

One of the future buddhas of this kalpa.

A bodhisattva present in Śrāvastī.

A night goddess in the distant past.

In early Buddhism the third of seven buddhas, with Śākyamuni as the seventh. The first three buddhas‍—Vipaśyin, Śikhin, and Viśvabhuk‍—appeared in a kalpa earlier than our Bhadra kalpa, and therefore Śākyamuni is more commonly referred to as the fourth buddha.

In chapter 44 it is the name of one of the future buddhas of this kalpa. It is also the name of the kalyāṇamitra in chapter 46, the teacher of children.

One of the future buddhas of this kalpa.

“The Tathāgata Lamp of Unclouded Wisdom.” The name of a ray of light.

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

A buddha in the distant past.

A kalpa in the distant past.

Water that has the eight qualities of being sweet, cool, pleasant, light, clear, pure, not harmful to the throat, and beneficial for the stomach.

In other translations, this is translated into Tibetan as spug. White coral is fossilized coral that has undergone transformation under millions of years of underwater pressure. The Tibetan tradition describes it being formed from ice over a long period of time. It appears in one version of the list of the seven precious materials. It can also refer to tridacna (Tridacnidae) shell, which is also presently called musaragalva. Attempts to identify musalagalva have included sapphire, cat’s eye, red coral, conch, and amber.

Nelumbo nucifera. The white variant of the red lotus, which is otherwise the same species.

These are a set of deities, each guarding a certain direction. Most commonly these are Indra (Śakra) for the east, Agni for the southeast, Yama for the south, Sūrya or Nirṛti for the southwest, Varuṇa for the west, Vāyu (Pavana) for the northwest, Kubera for the north, and Soma (Candra) or Iśāni or Pṛthivī for the northeast.

A class of supernatural beings, often represented as the attendants of the god of wealth, although the term is also applied to spirits. Although they are generally portrayed as benevolent, the Tibetan translation means “harm giver,” as they are also capable of causing harm.

The lord of death, who judges the dead and rules over the hells; the realm of Yama is synonymous with the world of the pretas.

Deities in the realm of Yama.

The third (counting from the lowest) of the six paradises in the desire realm. The usual translation is ’thab bral from “Yāma.” Here, the Tibetan translation appears to be from Yama, the name for the lord of death.

A “way of going,” which primarily means a path or a way. It can also mean a conveyance or carriage; this definition is represented in commentarial literature by the Tibetan translation as “carrier,” and therefore it is also translated into English as “vehicle.”

The seventh buddha in a kalpa in the distant past.

One of countless buddhas in a past kalpa.

One of the future buddhas of this kalpa.

The names of two future buddhas in this kalpa.

An upāsaka in Dhanyākara.

A bodhisattva present in Śrāvastī.

In chapter 29 the name of the eighth buddha in a list that begins with Kanaka­muni. In the Mahāvastu there is a list of past buddhas in which Yaśottara appears between Tiṣya and Puṣya.

Sanskrit dictionaries also define the word as “gum benzoin” (not to be confused with the unrelated chemical, benzoin) and the Shisham or Indian Rosewood tree (Dalbergia sissoo). However, in this sūtra this is evidently referring to a kind of sandalwood (Santalum album). The name, which means “following time,” refers to the long-lasting scent of the wood. In other texts kālānusāri­candana is translated as dus kyi rjes su ’brang ba.

Chief editor of the translation program based in Samyé Monastery from the late eighth to early ninth century in Tibet. He was from the Nanam (sna nam) clan, and so is often called Nanam Yeshé Dé.

The longest unit of distance in classical India. The lack of a uniform standard for the smaller units means that there is no precise equivalent, especially as its theoretical length tended to increase over time. Therefore it can mean between four and ten miles.