One of the three gateways of liberation.
One of the three gateways of liberation.
A particular realization attained by bodhisattvas that arises as a result of analysis of the essential nature of phenomena.
Name of a past buddha.
The five aggregates of form, sensation, perception, formation, and consciousness. On the individual level the five aggregates refer to the basis upon which the mistaken idea of a self is projected.
The world of yakṣas, ruled over by Kubera.
A major śrāvaka disciple and personal attendant of the Buddha Śākyamuni during the last twenty-five years of his life. He was a cousin of the Buddha (according to the Mahāvastu, he was a son of Śuklodana, one of the brothers of King Śuddhodana, which means he was a brother of Devadatta; other sources say he was a son of Amṛtodana, another brother of King Śuddhodana, which means he would have been a brother of Aniruddha).
Ānanda, having always been in the Buddha’s presence, is said to have memorized all the teachings he heard and is celebrated for having recited all the Buddha’s teachings by memory at the first council of the Buddhist saṅgha, thus preserving the teachings after the Buddha’s parinirvāṇa. The phrase “Thus did I hear at one time,” found at the beginning of the sūtras, usually stands for his recitation of the teachings. He became a patriarch after the passing of Mahākāśyapa.
One of the twelve branches of Buddhist scriptures.
A fundamental practice of Buddhist meditation generally divided into the following four categories: application of mindfulness to the body, application of mindfulness to feelings, application of mindfulness to the mind, and application of mindfulness to phenomena.
The name of a monk in the lineage of the buddha Mahāvyūha and the name of the order founded by that monk after Mahāvyūha entered parinirvāṇa.
The name of a monk in the lineage of the buddha Mahāvyūha and the name of the order founded by that monk after Mahāvyūha entered parinirvāṇa.
An optional set of thirteen practices that monastics can adopt in order to cultivate greater detachment. They consist in (1) wearing patched robes made from discarded cloth rather than from cloth donated by laypeople; (2) wearing only three robes; (3) going for alms; (4) not omitting any house while on the alms round, rather than begging only at those houses known to provide good food; (5) eating only what can be eaten in one sitting; (6) eating only food received in the alms bowl, rather than more elaborate meals presented to the saṅgha; (7) refusing more food after indicating one has eaten enough; (8) dwelling in the forest; (9) dwelling at the root of a tree; (10) dwelling in the open air, using only a tent made from one’s robes as shelter; (11) dwelling in a charnel ground; (12) being satisfied with whatever dwelling one has; and (13) sleeping in a sitting position without ever lying down.
From a wealthy brahmin family, Bakkula is said to have become a monk at the age of eighty and lived to be one hundred sixty. He is also said to have had two families, because as a baby he was swallowed by a large fish and the family who discovered him alive in the fish’s stomach also claimed him as their child. The Buddha’s foremost pupil in terms of health and longevity, it is also said he could remember many previous lifetimes and was a pupil of the previous buddhas Padmottara, Vipaśyin, and Kāśyapa.
One of the twelve branches of Buddhist scriptures.
One of the eight hot hells. The name of this hell refers to the black thread that is used to measure lines on the bodies of those reborn there so that they can be cut into pieces.
Name of a king.
Name of a buddha.
Manu being the archetypal human, the progenitor of mankind, in the Mahābhārata, the Purāṇas, and other Indian texts, “child of Manu” is a synonym of “human being” or mankind in general. See also “descendant of Manu.”
The Tibetan rigs pa is used to translate several Sanskrit terms (which cannot be reconstructed with certainty for this text) with the literal meaning of being connected or coherent, but with contextual meanings ranging from appropriateness or suitability, through correctness, conformity, congruence, to reasoned and rational thinking or argument, and the principles used to validate scriptural statements. In this text the epithet is one of several others paired with “liberated” as criteria for the authenticity of monks, their worthiness to receive offerings, etc. See “knowledge,” “equipped,” “liberated,” and also n.1. “Coherent and liberated” is also used (in other texts) as a description of the necessary qualities of the inspired eloquence (pratibhāna, spobs pa) of those qualified to give teachings.
A term for beings who violate discipline to the extent that they may never make progress on the path to becoming a buddha.
The name of a monk in the lineage of the buddha Mahāvyūha and the name of the order founded by that monk after Mahāvyūha entered parinirvāṇa.
One of the eight hot hells.
The forest located outside of Vārāṇasī where the Buddha first taught the Dharma.
The relative nature of phenomena, which arise in dependence upon causes and conditions. Together with the four noble truths, this was the first teaching given by the Buddha.
A cousin of the Buddha Śākyamuni who broke with him and established his own community. His tradition continued into the first millennium ᴄᴇ. He is portrayed as plotting against the Buddha and even succeeding in wounding him. He is usually identified with wicked beings in accounts of previous lifetimes.
Indian scholar who assisted with the translation of sūtras into Tibetan.
A previous buddha who gave Śākyamuni the prophecy of his buddhahood.
One of the twelve branches of Buddhist scriptures.
A set of circumstances that do not provide the freedom to practice the Buddhist path: being born in the realms of (1) the hells, (2) hungry ghosts (pretas), (3) animals, or (4) long-lived gods, or in the human realm among (5) barbarians or (6) extremists, (7) in places where the Buddhist teachings do not exist, or (8) without adequate faculties to understand the teachings where they do exist.
In the context of Buddhist philosophy, one way to describe experience in terms of eighteen elements (eye, form, and eye consciousness; ear, sound, and ear consciousness; nose, smell, and nose consciousness; tongue, taste, and tongue consciousness; body, touch, and body consciousness; and mind, mental phenomena, and mind consciousness).
This also refers to the elements of the world, which can be enumerated as four, five, or six. The four elements are earth, water, fire, and air. A fifth, space, is often added, and the sixth is consciousness.
Name of a past buddha.
One of several different epithets, as applied to authentic monks or practitioners, that are paired with “liberated” (mukta, grol ba). Others in this text are [having] “knowledge” and “coherent,” q.v.; see also n.1. The Tibetan ldan pa in this context may be an alternative to rigs pa as a rendering of a single Sanskrit term in the source text, or a closely related term. The most literal meaning is “joined” or “connected,” but the specific sense is set out in 9.72–9.74.
An alternate name for the monk Apprehending Origination who was in the lineage of Buddha Mahāvyūha and the name of the order founded by that monk after Mahāvyūha entered parinirvāṇa.
One of the twelve branches of scripture or aspects of the Dharma. Literally meaning “vast” or “extensive,” it refers to a particular set of lengthy sūtras or collections of sūtras that provides a comprehensive overview of Buddhist thought and practice. This category includes individual works such as the Lalitavistara and Saddharmapuṇḍarīka and collections such as the Mahāsannipāta, Buddhāvataṃsaka, Ratnakūta, and Prajñāpāramitā.
Acts for which one will be reborn in hell immediately after death, without any intervening stages; they include killing one’s mother, one’s father, or an arhat, causing a schism in the saṅgha, and causing the blood of a thus-gone one to flow.
The four levels of meditative concentration, corresponding to the four levels of the form realm.
Four gods who live on the lower slopes (fourth level) of Mount Meru in the Heaven of the Four Great Kings and guard the four cardinal directions. Each is the leader of a semidivine class of beings living in his realm. They are Dhṛtarāṣṭra, Virūḍhaka, Virūpākṣa, and Vaiśravaṇa.
The four acceptable norms of behavior concern posture while walking, standing, sitting, and lying down.
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.”
An epithet of the Buddha.
One of the eight hot hells.
One of the six heavens of the desire realm.
One of the eight hot hells.
A term for any view that leads to further suffering in saṃsāra instead of liberation.
The five supernatural abilities attained through realization and yogic accomplishment: divine sight, divine hearing, knowing how to manifest miracles, remembering previous lives, and knowing the minds of others. (Provisional 84000 definition. New definition forthcoming.)
One of the eight hot hells.
Name of a king.
A buddha in the southwestern direction.
Transcendent or discriminating awareness; the mind that sees the ultimate truth. One of the six perfections of the bodhisattva.
sangs rgyas kyi sde snod tshul khrims ’chal pa tshar gcod pa’i mdo (Buddhapiṭakaduḥśīlanigraha). Toh 220, Degé Kangyur vol. 63 (mdo sde, dza), folios 1.b–77.b.
sangs rgyas kyi sde snod tshul khrims ’chal pa tshar gcod pa’i mdo. bka’ ’gyur (dpe bsdur ma) [Comparative Edition of the Kangyur], krung go’i bod rig pa zhib ’jug ste gnas kyi bka’ bstan dpe sdur khang (The Tibetan Tripitaka Collation Bureau of the China Tibetology Research Center). 108 volumes. Beijing: krung go’i bod rig pa dpe skrun khang (China Tibetology Publishing House), 2006–9, vol. 63, pp. 3–188.
sangs rgyas kyi sde snod tshul khrims ’chal pa tshar gcod pa zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo (Buddhapiṭakaduḥśīlanigrahānāmanāmamahāyānasūtra). Stok Palace Kangyur vol. 53 (mdo sde, kha), folios 322.b–430.a.
sangs rgyas kyi mdzod kyi chos kyi yi ge. Toh 123, Degé Kangyur vol. 54 (mdo sde, tha), folios 53.b–212.b.
Denkarma (pho brang stod thang ldan dkar gyi chos kyi ’gyur ro cog gi dkar chag). Toh 4364, Degé Tengyur vol. 206 (sna tshogs, jo), folios 294.b–310.a.
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