The bodhisattvas’ realization that all phenomena are unproduced and empty. It sustains them on the difficult path of benefiting all beings so that they do not succumb to the goal of personal liberation. Different sources link this realization to the first or eighth bodhisattva level (bhūmi).
The essentially pure nature of mind is obscured and afflicted by various psychological defilements, which destroy the mind’s peace and composure and lead to unwholesome deeds of body, speech, and mind, acting as causes for continued existence in saṃsāra. Included among them are the primary afflictions of desire (rāga), anger (dveṣa), and ignorance (moha). It is said that there are eighty-four thousand of these negative mental qualities, for which the eighty-four thousand categories of the Buddha’s teachings serve as the antidote.
Kleśa is also commonly translated as “negative emotions,” “disturbing emotions,” and so on. The Pāli kilesa, Middle Indic kileśa, and Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit kleśa all primarily mean “stain” or “defilement.” The translation “affliction” is a secondary development that derives from the more general (non-Buddhist) classical understanding of √kliś (“to harm,“ “to afflict”). Both meanings are noted by Buddhist commentators.
A bodhisattva.
A tathāgata mentioned here as one of the thirty-five buddhas of confession.
A tathāgata mentioned here as one of the thirty-five buddhas of confession.
A “worthy one,” who has destroyed the afflictions (Skt. kleśa) and all causes for future rebirth, and who thus will reach awakening at death.
A tathāgata mentioned here as one of the thirty-five buddhas of confession.
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 “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.
Head of the “sixteen excellent men” (ṣoḍaśasatpuruṣa), a group of householder bodhisattvas present in the audience of many sūtras. He appears prominently in certain sūtras, such as The Samādhi of the Presence of the Buddhas (Pratyutpannabuddhasaṃmukhāvasthitasamādhisūtra, Toh 133) and is perhaps also the merchant of the same name who is the principal interlocutor in The Questions of Bhadrapāla the Merchant (Toh 83).
A bodhisattva.
A tathāgata mentioned here as one of the thirty-five buddhas of confession.
A common epithet for a buddha, often rendered in English as “Blessed One.”
Literally, “awakening being”; a being on the path to awakening who has generated bodhicitta for the benefit of all beings.
Generally refers to bodhisattvas who have reached at least the seventh of the ten bodhisattva levels (bhūmis).
The path of the bodhisattvas.
A bodhisattva.
A tathāgata mentioned here as one of the thirty-five buddhas of confession.
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).
A tathāgata mentioned here as one of the thirty-five buddhas of confession.
A tathāgata mentioned here as one of the thirty-five buddhas of confession.
A term for an idealized, utopic vision of kingship in South Asian cultures. A cakravartin reigns over vast regions of the universe in accordance with principles of righteous law (dharma). Such a king is called a cakravartin because he possesses a wheel or discus (cakra) that rolls across different realms and brings them all under his power.
A tathāgata mentioned here as one of the thirty-five buddhas of confession.
A bodhisattva.
A bodhisattva.
An epithet of the Buddha.
One of the six root afflictions (Skt. mūlakleśa), often listed as one of the three poisons (Skt. triviṣa) along with anger (Skt. dveṣa) and delusion (Skt. moha).
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.
A tathāgata mentioned here as one of the thirty-five buddhas of confession.
The term dharma conveys ten different meanings, according to Vasubandhu’s Vyākhyāyukti. The primary meanings are as follows: the doctrine taught by the Buddha (Dharma); the ultimate reality underlying and expressed through the Buddha’s teaching (Dharma); the trainings that the Buddha’s teaching stipulates (dharmas); the various awakened qualities or attainments acquired through practicing and realizing the Buddha’s teaching (dharmas); qualities or aspects more generally, i.e., phenomena or phenomenal attributes (dharmas); and mental objects (dharmas).
The nature of phenomena; the dimension or space (dhātu) in which phenomena (dharma) appear.
A bodhisattva.
A bodhisattva.
A set of three points associated with the nature of reality that when contemplated and integrated lead to liberation. The three are emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness.
Emptiness denotes the ultimate nature of reality, the total absence of inherent existence and self-identity with respect to all phenomena. According to this view, all things and events are devoid of any independent, intrinsic reality that constitutes their essence. Nothing can be said to exist independent of the complex network of factors that gives rise to its origination, nor are phenomena independent of the cognitive processes and mental constructs that make up the conventional framework within which their identity and existence are posited. When all levels of conceptualization dissolve and when all forms of dichotomizing tendencies are quelled through deliberate meditative deconstruction of conceptual elaborations, the ultimate nature of reality will finally become manifest. It is the first of the three gateways to liberation.
A bodhisattva.
A cosmic period of time, sometimes equivalent to the time when a world system appears, exists, and disappears. According to the traditional Abhidharma understanding of cyclical time, a great eon (mahākalpa) is divided into eighty lesser eons. In the course of one great eon, the universe takes form and later disappears. During the first twenty of the lesser eons, the universe is in the process of creation and expansion; during the next twenty it remains; during the third twenty, it is in the process of destruction; and during the last quarter of the cycle, it remains in a state of empty stasis. A fortunate, or good, eon (bhadrakalpa) refers to any eon in which more than one buddha appears.
The second of the six perfections (Skt. pāramitā).
A bodhisattva.
A bodhisattva.
The capacity of awakened beings to comprehend the inherent truth of impermanence.
A bodhisattva.
Pleasures corresponding to each of the five senses: vision, hearing, smell, taste, and touch.
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.”
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.
The first of the six perfections (Skt. pāramitā).
A bodhisattva.
Pure knowledge free of conceptual impediments.
The five heinous deeds or acts that bring immediate retribution: (1) killing one’s father, (2) killing one’s mother, (3) killing an arhat, (4) drawing blood from the body of a tathāgata with malicious intent, and (5) causing schism in the saṅgha.
Indra is the Vedic king of the gods of the atmosphere or sky. Indra is included in the Buddhist pantheon as a guardian of the Dharma and the king of the deva realm.
’dul ba rnam par gtan la dbab pa nye bar ’khor gyis zhus pa (Vinayaviniścayopāliparipṛcchā). Toh 68, Degé Kangyur vol. 43 (dkon brtsegs, ca), folios 115.a–131.a.
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’dul ba rnam par gtan la dbab pa nye bar ’khor gyis zhus pa. Stok Palace Kangyur vol. 39 (dkon brtsegs, ca), folios 218.b–242.b.
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byang chub kyi ltung ba bshags pa’i ’grel pa (Bodhyāpattideśanāvṛtti). Toh 4005, Degé Tengyur vol. 116 (mdo ’grel, ji), folios 178.a–187.b
Candrakīrti. dbu ma rtsa ba’i ’grel pa tshig gsal ba (Mūlamadhyamakavṛttiprasannapadā). Toh 3860, Degé Tengyur vol. 102 (dbu ma, ’a), folios 1.b–200.a.
Kṛṣṇa. phung po gsum pa’i sgrub thabs (Skandhatrisādhana). Toh 4008, Degé Tengyur vol. 116 (mdo ’grel, ji), folios 198.b–199.b.
Nāgārjuna. byang chub kyi ltung ba bshags pa’i ’grel pa byang chub sems dpa’i bslab pa’i rim pa (Bodhyāpattideśanāvṛttibodhisattvaśikṣākrama). Toh 4006, Degé Tengyur vol. 116 (mdo tshogs, ’grel pa), folios 187.b–194.a. English translation in Beresford (1980).
Śāntideva. bslab pa kun las btus pa (Śikṣāsamuccaya). Toh 3940, Degé Tengyur vol. 111 (dbu ma, khi), folios 3.a–194.b.
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.
Mahāvyutpatti (bye brag tu rtogs par byed pa chen po). Toh 4346, Degé Tengyur vol. 204 (sna tshogs, co), folios 1.b–131.a.
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