Literally a “heap” or “pile,” the term usually refers to the five aggregates of form, feeling, perception, formations, and consciousness. On the individual level the five aggregates refer to the basis upon which the mistaken idea of a self is projected.
The eighth and highest level of the Realm of Form (rūpadhātu), the last of the five pure abodes (śuddhāvāsa); it is only accessible as the result of specific states of dhyāna. According to some texts this is where non-returners (anāgāmin) dwell in their last lives. In other texts it is the realm of the enjoyment body (saṃbhogakāya) and is a buddhafield associated with the Buddha Vairocana; it is accessible only to bodhisattvas on the tenth level.
According to Buddhist tradition, one who is worthy of worship (pūjām arhati), or one who has conquered the enemies, the mental afflictions (kleśa-ari-hata-vat), and reached liberation from the cycle of rebirth and suffering. It is the fourth and highest of the four fruits attainable by śrāvakas. Also used as an epithet of the Buddha.
See “arhat.”
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).
One of the most popular bodhisattvas in the Mahāyāna Buddhist pantheon and one of the eight “close sons” of the Buddha, he is the embodiment of compassion.
A high-ranking deity presiding over a divine world; he is also considered to be the lord of the Sahā world (our universe). Though not considered a creator god in Buddhism, Brahmā occupies an important place as one of two gods (the other being Indra/Śakra) said to have first exhorted the Buddha Śākyamuni to teach the Dharma. The particular heavens found in the form realm over which Brahmā rules are often some of the most sought-after realms of higher rebirth in Buddhist literature. Since there are many universes or world systems, there are also multiple Brahmās presiding over them. His most frequent epithets are “Lord of the Sahā World” (sahāṃpati) and Great Brahmā (mahābrahman).
One of the two sons of the king Nimi.
A bodhisattva-monk who was a previous incarnation of the Buddha.
An attendant of the Buddha Myriad Flowers.
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.
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.)
The ancient Indian army was composed of four branches (caturaṅga)—infantry, cavalry, chariots, and elephants.
Giving whatever is necessary, speaking pleasantly, cooperation, and consistency between words and deeds.
Walking, standing, sitting, and lying down.
To be content with simple clothing, food, dwelling, and possessions.
The four qualities that are said to result in rebirth in the Brahmā World. They are limitless loving-kindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity. (Provisional 84000 definition. New definition forthcoming.)
These basic precepts are five in number for the laity: (1) not killing, (2) not stealing, (3) chastity, (4) not lying, and (5) avoiding intoxicants. For monks, there are three or five more; avoidance of such things as perfumes, makeup, ointments, garlands, high beds, and afternoon meals. (Provisional 84000 definition. New definition forthcoming.)
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 bodhisattva and previous incarnation of the Buddha.
Tuṣita (or sometimes Saṃtuṣita), literally “Joyous” or “Contented,” is one of the six heavens of the desire realm (kāmadhātu). In standard classifications, such as the one in the Abhidharmakośa, it is ranked as the fourth of the six counting from below. This god realm is where all future buddhas are said to dwell before taking on their final rebirth prior to awakening. There, the Buddha Śākyamuni lived his preceding life as the bodhisattva Śvetaketu. When departing to take birth in this world, he appointed the bodhisattva Maitreya, who will be the next buddha of this eon, as his Dharma regent in Tuṣita. For an account of the Buddha’s previous life in Tuṣita, see The Play in Full (Toh 95), 2.12, and for an account of Maitreya’s birth in Tuṣita and a description of this realm, see The Sūtra on Maitreya’s Birth in the Heaven of Joy, (Toh 199).
A previous buddha.
One of the five or six classes of sentient beings, into which beings are born as the karmic fruition of past miserliness. As the term in Sanskrit means “the departed,” they are analogous to the ancestral spirits of Vedic tradition, the pitṛs, who starve without the offerings of descendants. It is also commonly translated as “hungry ghost” or “starving spirit,” as in the Chinese 餓鬼 e gui.
They are sometimes said to reside in the realm of Yama, but are also frequently described as roaming charnel grounds and other inhospitable or frightening places along with piśācas and other such beings. They are particularly known to suffer from great hunger and thirst and the inability to acquire sustenance. Detailed descriptions of their realm and experience, including a list of the thirty-six classes of pretas, can be found in The Application of Mindfulness of the Sacred Dharma, Toh 287, 2.1281– 2.1482.
The name of the southern continent in Buddhist cosmology, which can signify either the known human world, or more specifically the Indian subcontinent, literally “the jambu island/continent.” Jambu is the name used for a range of plum-like fruits from trees belonging to the genus Szygium, particularly Szygium jambos and Szygium cumini, and it has commonly been rendered “rose apple,” although “black plum” may be a less misleading term. Among various explanations given for the continent being so named, one (in the Abhidharmakośa) is that a jambu tree grows in its northern mountains beside Lake Anavatapta, mythically considered the source of the four great rivers of India, and that the continent is therefore named from the tree or the fruit. Jambudvīpa has the Vajrāsana at its center and is the only continent upon which buddhas attain awakening.
One of the first Buddhist monasteries, located in a park outside Śrāvastī, the capital of the ancient kingdom of Kośala in northern India. This park was originally owned by Prince Jeta, hence the name Jetavana, meaning Jeta’s grove. The wealthy merchant Anāthapiṇḍada, wishing to offer it to the Buddha, sought to buy it from him, but the prince, not wishing to sell, said he would only do so if Anāthapiṇḍada covered the entire property with gold coins. Anāthapiṇḍada agreed, and managed to cover all of the park except the entrance, hence the name Anāthapiṇḍadasyārāmaḥ, meaning Anāthapiṇḍada’s park. The place is usually referred to in the sūtras as “Jetavana, Anāthapiṇḍada’s park,” and according to the Saṃghabhedavastu the Buddha used Prince Jeta’s name in first place because that was Prince Jeta’s own unspoken wish while Anāthapiṇḍada was offering the park. Inspired by the occasion and the Buddha’s use of his name, Prince Jeta then offered the rest of the property and had an entrance gate built. The Buddha specifically instructed those who recite the sūtras to use Prince Jeta’s name in first place to commemorate the mutual effort of both benefactors.
Anāthapiṇḍada built residences for the monks, to house them during the monsoon season, thus creating the first Buddhist monastery. It was one of the Buddha’s main residences, where he spent around nineteen rainy season retreats, and it was therefore the setting for many of the Buddha’s discourses and events. According to the travel accounts of Chinese monks, it was still in use as a Buddhist monastery in the early fifth century ᴄᴇ, but by the sixth century it had been reduced to ruins.
A previous buddha.
One of the principal disciples of the Buddha, known for his ascetic practice. He is the main interlocutor in The Great Lion’s Roar of Maitreya. Also known as Mahākāśyapa.
A class of nonhuman beings that resemble humans to the degree that their very name—which means “is that human?”—suggests some confusion as to their divine status. Kinnaras are mythological beings found in both Buddhist and Brahmanical literature, where they are portrayed as creatures half human, half animal. They are often depicted as highly skilled celestial musicians.
A vast legendary lake on the other side of the Himalayas. Only those with miraculous powers can go there. It is said to be the source of the world’s four great rivers. (Provisional 84000 definition. New definition forthcoming.)
Also called the Cārvāka school, it was an ancient Indian school with a materialistic viewpoint accepting only the evidence of the senses and rejecting the existence of a creator deity or other lifetimes. Their teachings now survive only in quotations by opponents. (Provisional 84000 definition. New definition forthcoming.)
A bodhisattva who serves alongside Avalokiteśvara as Amitābha’s attendant in the buddhafield of Sukhāvatī. As his name suggests, he is renowned for possessing great strength (Skt. prāpta; Tib. thob pa) and power (Skt. mahāsthāma; Tib. mthu chen).
Literally “great serpents,” mahoragas are supernatural beings depicted as large, subterranean beings with human torsos and heads and the lower bodies of serpents. Their movements are said to cause earthquakes, and they make up a class of subterranean geomantic spirits whose movement through the seasons and months of the year is deemed significant for construction projects.
The bodhisattva Maitreya is an important figure in many Buddhist traditions, where he is unanimously regarded as the buddha of the future era. He is said to currently reside in the heaven of Tuṣita, as Śākyamuni’s regent, where he awaits the proper time to take his final rebirth and become the fifth buddha in the Fortunate Eon, reestablishing the Dharma in this world after the teachings of the current buddha have disappeared. Within the Mahāyāna sūtras, Maitreya is elevated to the same status as other central bodhisattvas such as Mañjuśrī and Avalokiteśvara, and his name appears frequently in sūtras, either as the Buddha’s interlocutor or as a teacher of the Dharma. Maitreya literally means “Loving One.” He is also known as Ajita, meaning “Invincible.”
For more information on Maitreya, see, for example, the introduction to Maitreya’s Setting Out (Toh 198).
The bodhisattva who is considered the embodiment of wisdom, with the additional honorific title for a young man, since he is perennially youthful.
Māra, literally “death” or “maker of death,” is the name of the deva who tried to prevent the Buddha from achieving awakening, the name given to the class of beings he leads, and also an impersonal term for the destructive forces that keep beings imprisoned in saṃsāra:
(1) As a deva, Māra is said to be the principal deity in the Heaven of Making Use of Others’ Emanations (paranirmitavaśavartin), the highest paradise in the desire realm. He famously attempted to prevent the Buddha’s awakening under the Bodhi tree—see The Play in Full (Toh 95), 21.1—and later sought many times to thwart the Buddha’s activity. In the sūtras, he often also creates obstacles to the progress of śrāvakas and bodhisattvas. (2) The devas ruled over by Māra are collectively called mārakāyika or mārakāyikadevatā, the “deities of Māra’s family or class.” In general, these māras too do not wish any being to escape from saṃsāra, but can also change their ways and even end up developing faith in the Buddha, as exemplified by Sārthavāha; see The Play in Full (Toh 95), 21.14 and 21.43. (3) The term māra can also be understood as personifying four defects that prevent awakening, called (i) the divine māra (devaputramāra), which is the distraction of pleasures; (ii) the māra of Death (mṛtyumāra), which is having one’s life interrupted; (iii) the māra of the aggregates (skandhamāra), which is identifying with the five aggregates; and (iv) the māra of the afflictions (kleśamāra), which is being under the sway of the negative emotions of desire, hatred, and ignorance.
According to ancient Buddhist cosmology, this is the great mountain forming the axis of the universe. At its summit is Sudarśana, home of Śakra and his thirty-two gods, and on its flanks live the asuras. The mount has four sides facing the cardinal directions, each of which is made of a different precious stone. Surrounding it are several mountain ranges and the great ocean where the four principal island continents lie: in the south, Jambudvīpa (our world); in the west, Godānīya; in the north, Uttarakuru; and in the east, Pūrvavideha. Above it are the abodes of the desire realm gods. It is variously referred to as Meru, Mount Meru, Sumeru, and Mount Sumeru.
A past buddha to whom the Buddha Śākyamuni was devoted in his previous life as King Nimi.
A class of nonhuman beings who live in subterranean aquatic environments, where they guard wealth and sometimes also teachings. Nāgas are associated with serpents and have a snakelike appearance. In Buddhist art and in written accounts, they are regularly portrayed as half human and half snake, and they are also said to have the ability to change into human form. Some nāgas are Dharma protectors, but they can also bring retribution if they are disturbed. They may likewise fight one another, wage war, and destroy the lands of others by causing lightning, hail, and flooding.
A śrāvaka in the retinue of the Buddha.
A previous incarnation of the Buddha, a devotee of the Buddha Myriad Flowers and father of the monks Dharma and Sudharma.
One who will attain the liberation of an arhat after death, without another rebirth in cyclic existence.
One who has achieved the second of the four levels of attainment on the śrāvaka path and who will attain liberation after only one more birth. (Provisional 84000 definition. New definition forthcoming.)
This refers to what occurs at the end of an arhat’s or a buddha’s life. When nirvāṇa is attained at awakening, whether as an arhat or buddha, all suffering, afflicted mental states (kleśa), and causal processes (karman) that lead to rebirth and suffering in cyclic existence have ceased, but due to previously accumulated karma, the aggregates of that life remain and must still exhaust themselves. It is only at the end of life that these cease, and since no new aggregates arise, the arhat or buddha is said to attain parinirvāṇa, meaning “complete” or “final” nirvāṇa. This is synonymous with the attainment of nirvāṇa without remainder (anupadhiśeṣanirvāṇa).
According to the Mahāyāna view of a single vehicle (ekayāna), the arhat’s parinirvāṇa at death, despite being so called, is not final. The arhat must still enter the bodhisattva path and reach buddhahood (see Unraveling the Intent, Toh 106, 7.14.) On the other hand, the parinirvāṇa of a buddha, ultimately speaking, should be understood as a display manifested for the benefit of beings; see The Teaching on the Extraordinary Transformation That Is the Miracle of Attaining the Buddha’s Powers (Toh 186), 1.32.
The term parinirvāṇa is also associated specifically with the passing away of the Buddha Śākyamuni, in Kuśinagara, in northern India.
A king of Kośala.
The codes of precepts for monks and nuns.
Literally, “buddha for oneself” or “solitary realizer.” Someone who, in his or her last life, attains awakening entirely through their own contemplation, without relying on a teacher. Unlike the awakening of a fully realized buddha (samyaksambuddha), the accomplishment of a pratyekabuddha is not regarded as final or ultimate. They attain realization of the nature of dependent origination, the selflessness of the person, and a partial realization of the selflessness of phenomena, by observing the suchness of all that arises through interdependence. This is the result of progress in previous lives but, unlike a buddha, they do not have the necessary merit, compassion or motivation to teach others. They are named as “rhinoceros-like” (khaḍgaviṣāṇakalpa) for their preference for staying in solitude or as “congregators” (vargacārin) when their preference is to stay among peers.
byams pa’i seng ge’i sgra chen po (Maitreyamahāsiṃhanāda). Toh 67, Degé Kangyur vol. 43 (dkon brtsegs, ca), folios 68.a–114.b.
byams pa’i seng ge’i sgra chen po. Stok Palace Kangyur vol. 39 (dkon brtsegs, ca), folios 148.b–218.b.
byams pa’i seng ge’i sgra chen po. 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. 43, pp. 191–323.
mchod rten bskor ba’i tshigs bcad (Caityapradakṣiṇagāthā) [Verses on Circumambulating Reliquaries]. Toh 321, Degé Kangyur vol. 72 (mdo sde, sa), folios 198.b–201.a. English translation in 84000 Translation Team 2024.
de bzhin gshegs pa’i gzugs brnyan bzhag pa’i phan yon yang dag par brjod pa (Tathāgatapratibimbapratiṣṭhānuśaṃsasaṃvarṇana) [Describing the Benefits of Producing Representations of the Thus-Gone One]. Toh 320, Degé Kangyur vol. 72 (mdo sde, sa), folios 197.a–198.b. English translation in Alexander Csoma de Kőrös Translation Group 2021.
’dul ba rnam par gtan la dbab pa nye bar ’khor gyis zhus pa (Vinayaviniścayopāliparipṛcchā) [Ascertaining the Vinaya: Upāli’s Questions]. Toh 68, Degé Kangyur vol. 68 (dkon brtsegs, ca), folios 115.a–131.a. English translation in UCSB Buddhist Studies Translation Group 2021.
’dul ba phran tshegs kyi gzhi (Vinayakṣudrakavastu) [The Finer Points of Discipline]. Toh 6, Degé Kangyur vol. 11 (’dul ba, da), folios 1.b–333.a.
spyan ras gzigs kyi mdo (Avalokinīsūtra) [The Avalokinī Sūtra]. Toh 195, Degé Kangyur vol. 61 (mdo sde, tsa), folios 251.a–266.a. English translation in Dharmachakra Translation Committee 2021a.
byams pa dga’ ldan gnam du skye ba blangs pa’i mdo [The Sūtra on Maitreya’s Birth in the Heaven of Joy]. Toh 199, Degé Kangyur vol. 61 (mdo sde, tsa), folios 294.b–303.a. English translation in Dharmachakra Translation Committee 2021c.
byams pa ’jug pa (Maitreyaprasthāna) [Maitreya’s Setting Out]. Toh 198, Degé Kangyur vol. 61 (mdo sde, tsa), folios 274.b–296.a. English translation in Dharmachakra Translation Committee 2021b.
byams pas chos brgyad zhus pa (Maitreyaparipṛcchādharmāṣṭa) [The Question of Maitreya on the Eight Qualities]. Toh 86, Degé Kangyur vol. 44 (dkon brtsegs, cha), folios 116.b–119.b. English translation in Liljenberg 2016b.
byams pas zhus pa (Maitreyaparipṛcchā) [The Question of Maitreya]. Toh 85, Degé Kangyur vol. 44 (dkon brtsegs, cha), folios 104.b–116.b. English translation in Liljenberg 2016a.
byams pas zhus pa (Maitreyaparipṛcchā) [The Question of Maitreya]. Toh 149, Degé Kangyur vol. 57 (mdo sde, pa), folios 330.b–331.a. English translation in Kīrtimukha Translation Group 2021.
sman gyi gzhi (Bhaiṣajyavastu) [The Chapter on Medicines]. Toh 1-6, Degé Kangyur vol. 1 (’dul ba, ka), folios 277.b–311.a; vol. 2 (’dul ba, kha), folios 1.a–317.a; vol. 3 (’dul ba, ga), folios 1.a–50.a. English translation in Bhaiṣajyavastu Translation Team 2021.
Atiśa Dīpaṅkaraśrījñāna. mdo kun las btus pa chen po (Mahāsūtrasamuccaya) [The Great Compendium of Sūtras]. Toh 3961, Degé Tengyur vol. 112 (dbu ma, gi), folios 1.b–198.a.
Bhaṭṭāraka Karo. bsgom pa’i rim pa mdo kun las btus pa [A Compendium of Sūtras on the Stages of Meditation]. Toh 3933, Degé Tengyur vol. 110 (dbu ma, ki), folios 125.b–148.a.
Nāgārjuna. mdo kun las btus pa (Sūtrasamuccaya) [A Compendium of Sūtras]. Toh 3934, Degé Tengyur vol. 110 (dbu ma, ki), folios 148.b–215.a.
Ratnākaraśānti. mdo kun las btus pa’i bshad pa rin po che snang ba’i rgyan zhes bya ba (Sūtrasamuccayabhāṣyaratnālokālaṃkāranāma) [An Explanation of The Compendium of Sūtras: An Ornament Illuminating the Jewels]. Toh 3935, Degé Tengyur vol. 110 (dbu ma, ki), folios 215.a–334.a.
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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Alexander Csoma de Kőrös Translation Group, trans. Describing the Benefits of Producing Representations of the Thus-Gone One (Tathāgatapratibimbapratiṣṭhānuśaṃsasaṃvarṇana, Toh 195). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2021.
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Dharmachakra Translation Committee, trans. (2021a). The Avalokinī Sūtra (Toh 195). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2021.
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