A place, described in the opening lines of this sūtra as being on Khalatika Mountain, but not mentioned elsewhere in the Kangyur except (as thub pa’i drang srong chen po’i gnas) in the Vimala­prabha­paripṛcchā (Toh 168) and The Prophecy on Mount Gośṛṅga (Toh 357), in both cases in connection with the Gomasalaganda stūpa in Khotan.

The capacity to accept or tolerate experiences that ordinary beings cannot tolerate. This is the preparatory step to profound insight into reality. It also refers to the third stage of the path of joining (sbyor lam; prayogamārga). Also rendered here as “acceptance.”

The titular figure of the present sūtra. An important bodhisattva, his name means “essence of space.” He is one of the “eight close sons of the Buddha.”

One who has achieved the fourth and final level of attainment on the śrāvaka path, and who has attained liberation with the cessation of all mental afflictions.

Aruṇa is the deity of the dawn in Indian mythology, personified as the sun’s charioteer, and the name refers to the morning star Venus, according to de Visser (1931), p. 24, n. 1. In this context, Aruṇa functions as a messenger for Ākāśagarbha.

One of the “eight close sons of the Buddha,” he is also known as the bodhisattva who embodies compassion. In certain tantras, he is also the lord of the three families, where he embodies the compassion of the buddhas. In Tibet, he attained great significance as a special protector of Tibet, and in China, in female form, as Guanyin, the most important bodhisattva in all of East Asia.

The twelve bases of perception are divided into two groups, consisting of six inner and six outer bases. These are the six sense faculties and the six corresponding outer objects. Together they are the causes for the production of the six sense consciousnesses.

The first of the four classes of gods of the formless realm. The activity field called “infinite as the sky,” or “boundless space,” is one of the 28 classes of gods in the formless realm.

In Buddhist literature, this is an epithet applied to buddhas, most often to Śākyamuni. The Sanskrit term generally means “possessing fortune,” but in specifically Buddhist contexts it implies that a buddha is in possession of six auspicious qualities (bhaga) associated with complete awakening. The Tibetan term‍—where bcom is said to refer to “subduing” the four māras, ldan to “possessing” the great qualities of buddhahood, and ’das to “going beyond” saṃsāra and nirvāṇa‍—possibly reflects the commentarial tradition where the Sanskrit bhagavat is interpreted, in addition, as “one who destroys the four māras.” This is achieved either by reading bhagavat as bhagnavat (“one who broke”), or by tracing the word bhaga to the root √bhañj (“to break”).

“King of Medicine,” name of a bodhisattva.

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).

A being who is dedicated to the cultivation and fulfilment of the altruistic intention to attain perfect buddhahood, traversing the ten bodhisattva levels (daśabhūmi, sa bcu). Bodhisattvas purposely opt to remain within cyclic existence in order to liberate all sentient beings, instead of simply seeking personal freedom from suffering. In terms of the view, they realize both the selflessness of persons and the selflessness of phenomena.

A person belonging to the highly respected priestly caste of classical Indian society.

Prolific translator of Vinaya texts into Chinese during the fifth century.

An ideal monarch or emperor who, as the result of the merit accumulated in previous lifetimes, rules over a vast realm in accordance with the Dharma. Such a monarch is called a cakravartin because he bears a wheel (cakra) that rolls (vartate) across the earth, bringing all lands and kingdoms under his power. The cakravartin conquers his territory without causing harm, and his activity causes beings to enter the path of wholesome actions. According to Vasubandhu’s Abhidharmakośa, just as with the buddhas, only one cakravartin appears in a world system at any given time. They are likewise endowed with the thirty-two major marks of a great being (mahāpuruṣalakṣaṇa), but a cakravartin’s marks are outshined by those of a buddha. They possess seven precious objects: the wheel, the elephant, the horse, the wish-fulfilling gem, the queen, the general, and the minister. An illustrative passage about the cakravartin and his possessions can be found in The Play in Full (Toh 95), 3.3–3.13.

Vasubandhu lists four types of cakravartins: (1) the cakravartin with a golden wheel (suvarṇacakravartin) rules over four continents and is invited by lesser kings to be their ruler; (2) the cakravartin with a silver wheel (rūpyacakravartin) rules over three continents and his opponents submit to him as he approaches; (3) the cakravartin with a copper wheel (tāmracakravartin) rules over two continents and his opponents submit themselves after preparing for battle; and (4) the cakravartin with an iron wheel (ayaścakravartin) rules over one continent and his opponents submit themselves after brandishing weapons.

The first of the two main branches of Buddhist meditation, aiming at rendering the mind stable, subtle, and pliable.

The observance of celibacy.

The collection of discourses of the Buddha.

A complete projection of the mind that has no valid basis in reality.

This term is also translated as “renunciation” and denotes the practitioner’s mind turning away from the bonds of saṃsāra and toward liberation.

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.

This term is used in various ways. For instance, it refers to the mental capacity of not forgetting, enabling one in particular to cultivate positive forces and to ward off negativity. It is also very commonly used as a term for mystical verses similar to mantras, the usage of which will grant a particular power.

One of the Four Great Kings, he presides over the eastern quarter and rules over the gandharvas.

The ordinary activity of the mental consciousness, also translated as conceptual thought.

Actions of body, speech, and mind that cause one to “fall from” the path to awakening, and in the worst cases fall to the lower realms of existence. Also rendered here as “downfall.”

The eight bodhisattvas Mañjuśrī, Avalokiteśvara, Vajrapāṇi, Kṣitigarbha, Ākāśagarbha, Sarva­nivaraṇa­viṣkambhin, Maitreya, and Samantabhadra.

Eighteen special features of a buddha’s behavior, realization, activity, and wisdom that are not shared by other beings. They are generally listed as: (1) he never makes a mistake, (2) he is never boisterous, (3) he never forgets, (4) his concentration never falters, (5) he has no notion of distinctness, (6) his equanimity is not due to lack of consideration, (7) his motivation never falters, (8) his endeavor never fails, (9) his mindfulness never falters, (10) he never abandons his concentration, (11) his insight (prajñā) never decreases, (12) his liberation never fails, (13) all his physical actions are preceded and followed by wisdom (jñāna), (14) all his verbal actions are preceded and followed by wisdom, (15) all his mental actions are preceded and followed by wisdom, (16) his wisdom and vision perceive the past without attachment or hindrance, (17) his wisdom and vision perceive the future without attachment or hindrance, and (18) his wisdom and vision perceive the present without attachment or hindrance.

The Buddhist path as presented in the Śrāvaka Vehicle: right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right samādhi.

The first of two extreme views that keep one deluded with regard to reality. Eternalism is the view that clings to some eternal, truly existent essence called “self,” based on the experience of a collection of, in fact, transitory phenomena.

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

Five actions that bring immediate and severe consequences at death. The person who engages in them will experience a rebirth in the lower realms directly after death. The five are (1) killing one’s father, (2) killing one’s mother, (3) killing an arhat, (4) causing a schism in the saṅgha, and (5) with evil intention making a buddha bleed.

Five particular aspects of lifespan that indicate the degenerate nature of a given age. They are the impurities of views, of afflictions, of sentient beings, of life, and of time.

A fundamental practice of Buddhist meditation: close application of mindfulness to the body, close application of mindfulness to feelings, close application of mindfulness to mind, and close application of mindfulness to phenomena.

The practices and resulting states of boundless loving kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity.

The four truths the Buddha realized at his enlightenment: the truth of suffering, the truth of the origin, the truth of cessation, and the truth of the path.

The four downfalls for monastics resulting in the forfeit of the monastic vows: sexual intercourse, theft, murder, and claiming greater realization than one has.

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 Gaṅgā, or Ganges in English, is considered to be the most sacred river of India, particularly within the Hindu tradition. It starts in the Himalayas, flows through the northern plains of India, bathing the holy city of Vārāṇasī, and meets the sea at the Bay of Bengal, in Bangladesh. In the sūtras, however, this river is mostly mentioned not for its sacredness but for its abundant sands‍—noticeable still today on its many sandy banks and at its delta‍—which serve as a common metaphor for infinitely large numbers.

According to Buddhist cosmology, as explained in the Abhidharmakośa, it is one of the four rivers that flow from Lake Anavatapta and cross the southern continent of Jambudvīpa‍—the known human world or more specifically the Indian subcontinent.

In Indian mythology, the garuḍa is an eagle-like bird that is regarded as the king of all birds, normally depicted with a sharp, owl-like beak, often holding a snake, and with large and powerful wings. They are traditionally enemies of the nāgas. In the Vedas, they are said to have brought nectar from the heavens to earth. Garuḍa can also be used as a proper name for a king of such creatures.

A specific state of mind resulting from the four abodes of Brahma and defined as the wish to liberate all beings from suffering.

The four elements composing the physical world: earth, water, fire, and air.

Or “Great Spike of Purity,” the name of a bodhisattva. Possibly śaṅku is a misreading or misspelling of sanatku, which would be “the bodhisattva Sanatkumāra” (Pali: Sanaṅkumāra), who was a being of the class of Mahābrahmās‍—in Vedic legend, one of the four or seven “mind-born” sons of Brahmā‍—and who appears in various suttas in the Pali canon.

The path of a bodhisattva is divided into ten stages of spiritual attainment called grounds. The eleventh ground corresponds to complete enlightenment.

This term is the opposite of brahmacarya, “pure conduct” or “holy life,” which denotes the chaste life of those who have renounced the world. The term abrahmacarya therefore refers to sexual conduct, which is regarded as a root downfall for monastics on the śrāvaka path.

“Lord of Desire,” name of Kubera/Vaiśravaṇa.

Name of a mountain in present day Bihar, possibly at Barabar. The mention of it in this sūtra, as its setting, is the only mention at all in the Kangyur.

Mythical being with a horse’s head and a human body (or vice versa); literally “man or what?” Along with the gandharvas, kinnaras are celebrated as celestial musicians.