The buddha who presides over the buddhafield Sukhāvatī; also known as Amitābha.
The Buddha Śākyamuni’s attendant who is celebrated for having recited all the Buddha’s teachings by memory at the first council of the Buddhist saṅgha, thus preserving the Buddha’s teachings after his parinirvāṇa.
One of the twelve great yakṣa generals who protect and serve those who bear, read, recite, copy, or commission a copy of the Bhaiṣajyaguruvaiḍūryaprabharājasūtra.
One of the twelve great yakṣa generals who protect and serve those who bear, read, recite, copy, or commission a copy of the Bhaiṣajyaguruvaiḍūryaprabharājasūtra.
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).
Yeshé Dé (late eighth to early ninth century) was the most prolific translator of sūtras into Tibetan. Altogether he is credited with the translation of more than one hundred sixty sūtra translations and more than one hundred additional translations, mostly on tantric topics. In spite of Yeshé Dé’s great importance for the propagation of Buddhism in Tibet during the imperial era, only a few biographical details about this figure are known. Later sources describe him as a student of the Indian teacher Padmasambhava, and he is also credited with teaching both sūtra and tantra widely to students of his own. He was also known as Nanam Yeshé Dé, from the Nanam (sna nam) clan.
A short form of the name of Bhaiṣajyaguruvaiḍūryaprabha, the Medicine Buddha.
The Medicine Buddha, the thus-gone one residing in the buddhafield Vaiḍūryanirbhāsa. Also called Bhaiṣajyaguruvaiḍūryaprabharāja.
The Medicine Buddha, the thus-gone one residing in the buddhafield Vaiḍūryanirbhāsa. Also called Bhaiṣajyaguruvaiḍūryaprabha.
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.
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”).
Although vaiḍūrya—particularly in the context of Bhaiṣajyaguru—has often been translated as lapis lazuli, blue beryl is overall a better match for the descriptions and references in the Sanskrit and Tibetan literature. The equivalent Pāli form of vaiḍūrya is veḷuriya. The Prākrit form verulia is the source for the English word “beryl.” There are white, yellow, and green beryls (green beryl is generally called “emerald”), but in this case blue beryl needs to be specified to match traditional descriptions. Vaiḍūrya may nevertheless have been taken to designate different gems at different times and places, and no single equivalent in English is entirely satisfactory.
One of the two primary bodhisattvas who accompany the Thus-Gone One Bhaiṣajyaguruvaiḍūryaprabharāja in the buddhafield Vaiḍūryanirbhāsa.
One of the twelve great yakṣa generals who protect and serve those who bear, read, recite, copy, or commission a copy of the Bhaiṣajyaguruvaiḍūryaprabharājasūtra.
One of the twelve great yakṣa generals who protect and serve those who bear, read, recite, copy, or commission a copy of the Bhaiṣajyaguruvaiḍūryaprabharājasūtra.
An Indian preceptor and translator who lived in the ninth century.
One of the three root afflictions that bind beings to cyclic existence.
To refrain from (1) killing, (2) stealing, (3) sexual activity, (4) false speech, (5) intoxication, (6) singing, dancing, music, and beautifying oneself with adornments or cosmetics, (7) using a high or large bed, and (8) eating at improper times. Typically, this observance is maintained by lay people for twenty-four hours on new moon and full moon days, as well as other special days in the lunar calendar.
A set of eighty bodily characteristics and insignia borne by both buddhas and universal emperors. They are considered “minor” in terms of being secondary to the thirty-two marks of a great person.
Five fundamental precepts of abstaining from (1) killing, (2) stealing, (3) sexual misconduct, (4) lying, and (5) intoxication.
A class of spirit being.
Four gods who live on the lower slopes (fourth level) of Mount Meru in the eponymous Heaven of the Four Great Kings (Cāturmahārājika, rgyal chen bzhi’i ris) and guard the four cardinal directions. Each is the leader of a nonhuman class of beings living in his realm. They are Dhṛtarāṣṭra, ruling the gandharvas in the east; Virūḍhaka, ruling over the kumbhāṇḍas in the south; Virūpākṣa, ruling the nāgas in the west; and Vaiśravaṇa (also known as Kubera) ruling the yakṣas in the north. Also referred to as Guardians of the World or World Protectors (lokapāla, ’jig rten skyong ba).
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.
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.
The deity who is born alongside and accompanies a being and is responsible for recording good and bad deeds to present before the Lord of Death Yama when that being dies.
The term for aspirations such as helping all beings, generating a buddhafield, bringing all beings to perfect awakening, and so forth that a bodhisattva makes while practicing bodhisattva conduct.
’phags pa bcom ldan ’das sman gyi bla bai Dur+ya’i ’od gyi smon lam gyi khyad par rgyas pa zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo (Āryabhagavānbhaiṣajyaguruvaiḍūryaprabhasya pūrvapraṇidhānaviśeṣavistāranāmamahāyānasūtra). Toh 504, Degé Kangyur vol. 87 (rgyud ’bum, da), folios 274.a–283.b.
’phags pa bcom ldan ’das sman gyi bla bai Dur+ya’i ’od gyi smon lam gyi khyad par rgyas pa zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo (Āryabhagavānbhaiṣajyaguruvaiḍūryaprabhasya pūrvapraṇidhānaviśeṣavistāranāmamahāyānasūtra). 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. 87, pp. 814–36.
’phags pa bcom ldan ’das sman gyi bla bai Dur+ya’i ’od gyi smon lam gyi khyad par rgyas pa zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo (Āryabhagavānbhaiṣajyaguruvaiḍūryaprabhasya pūrvapraṇidhānaviśeṣavistāranāmamahāyānasūtra). Stok Palace Kangyur vol. 72 (mdo, zha), folios 268.a–282.a.
’phags pa de bzhin gshegs pa bdun gyi sngon gyi smon lam gyi khyad par rgyas pa zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo (Āryasaptatathāgatapūrvapraṇidhānaviśeṣavistāranāmamahāyānasūtra) [The Detailed Account of the Previous Aspirations of the Seven Thus-Gone Ones]. Toh 503, Degé Kangyur vol. 87 (rgyud ’bum, da), folios 248.b–273.b. English translation in Dharmachakra Translations Committee (2021).
’phags pa de bzhin gshegs pa’i ting nge ’dzin gyi stobs bskyed pa bai DUr+ya’i ’od ces bya ba’i gzungs (Āryatathāgatavaiḍūryaprabhanāmabalādhānasamādhidhāraṇī) [The Dhāraṇī of the Tathāgata Vaiḍūryaprabha]. Toh 505, Degé Kangyur vol. 87 (rgyud ’bum, da), folios 284.a–286.a. English translation in 84000 Translation Team 2024.
pho brang stod thang ldan dkar gyi chos kyi ’gyur ro cog gi dkar chag [Denkarma]. Toh 4364, Degé Tengyur vol. 206 (sna tshogs, jo), folios 294.b–310.a.
Śāntideva. bslab pa kun las btus pa’i mngon par rtogs pa (Śikṣāsamuccaya). Toh 3940, Degé Tengyur vol. 111 (dbu ma, khi), folios 3.a–194.b.
sman gtong ba’i tshe sman la sngags kyis gdab pa. Toh 505a, Degé Kangyur vol. 87 (rgyud ’bum, da), folio 286.a. English translation in Dalton 2023.
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Butön Rinchen Drup (bu ston rin chen grub). chos ’byung (bde bar gshegs pa’i bstan pa’i gsal byed chos kyi ’byung gnas gsung rab rin po che’i gter mdzod). In gsung ’bum/ rin chen grub/ zhol par ma/ ldi lir bskyar par brgyab pa/, vol. 24 (ya), pp. 633–1055. New Delhi: International Academy of Indian Culture, 1965–71.
dkar chag ’phang thang ma. Beijing: mi rigs dpe skrun khang, 2003.
Eimer, Helmut. Der Tantra-Katalog des Bu ston im Vergleich mit der Abteilung Tantra des tibetischen Kanjur: Studie, Textausgabe, Konkordanzen und Indices. Bonn: Indica et Tibetica Verlag, 1989.
Lancaster, Lewis R. The Korean Buddhist Canon. Accessed April 23, 2019.
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84000 Translation Team, trans. The Vaiḍūryaprabha Dhāraṇī (Vaiḍūryaprabhadharaṇī, Toh 505). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2024.
Dalton, Catherine. trans. A Mantra for Incanting Medicines When Administering Them (sman gtong ba’i tshe sman la sngags kyi gdab pa, Toh 505a). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2023.
Dharmachakra Translations Committee, trans. The Detailed Account of the Previous Aspirations of the Seven Thus-Gone Ones (Saptatathāgatapūrvapraṇidhānaviśeṣavistāra, Toh 503). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2021.