A type of nonhuman being whose precise status is subject to different views, but is included as one of the six classes of beings in the sixfold classification of realms of rebirth. In the Buddhist context, asuras are powerful beings said to be dominated by envy, ambition, and hostility. They are also known in the pre-Buddhist and pre-Vedic mythologies of India and Iran, and feature prominently in Vedic and post-Vedic Brahmanical mythology, as well as in the Buddhist tradition. In these traditions, asuras are often described as being engaged in interminable conflict with the devas (gods).
A lord of the asuras, son of Virocana.
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”).
A fully realized (“awakened”) being.
A city in ancient India, located on the Campā River. It was the capital of the Aṅga state, which was located east of Magadha.
The god of the moon; the moon.
Also translated as “bliss.”
A lord of the asuras, who is supposed to seize the sun and moon and thus cause eclipses.
The Buddha, Dharma, and Saṅgha—the three objects of Buddhist refuge.
The setting in Campā mentioned in this sūtra, which might refer to Gargā Pond, also known from many Pali suttas as Gaggarā (“Gurgling”) Pond.
A lord of the asuras.
The father of the asura king Bali.
One of the standard epithets of the buddhas. A recurrent explanation offers three different meanings for su- that are meant to show the special qualities of “accomplishment of one’s own purpose” (svārthasampad) for a complete buddha. Thus, the Sugata is “well” gone, as in the expression su-rūpa (“having a good form”); he is gone “in a way that he shall not come back,” as in the expression su-naṣṭa-jvara (“a fever that has utterly gone”); and he has gone “without any remainder” as in the expression su-pūrṇa-ghaṭa (“a pot that is completely full”). According to Buddhaghoṣa, the term means that the way the Buddha went (Skt. gata) is good (Skt. su) and where he went (Skt. gata) is good (Skt. su).
One who has achieved the fourth and final level of attainment on the hearer’s path and who has attained liberation from saṃsāra with the cessation of all defilements. Also used as an epithet of the buddhas.
zla ba’i mdo (Candrasūtra). Toh 331, Degé Kangyur vol. 72 (mdo sde, sa), folios 259.b–260.a.
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zla ba’i mdo. Hemis I Kangyur vol. 78 (mdo, ngi), folios 88.a–89.a.
zla ba’i mdo. Stok Palace Kangyur vol. 57 (mdo sde, cha), folios 265.a–265.b.
Mahāvyutpatti (bye brag tu rtogs par byed pa chen po). Toh 4346, Degé Tengyur vol. 204 (sna tshogs, co), folios 1.b–131.a.
Karmavajra. gsang sngags chen mo rjes su ’dzin ma’i mdo’i ’bum ’grel (Mahāmantrānudhāraṇīsūtraśatasahasraṭīkā). Toh 2692, Degé Tengyur vol. 72 (rgyud, du), folios 241.b–282.b.
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