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The difference between these two titles is the presence or absence of the word “child” (khye’u). The first title, ’phags pa khye’u snang ba bsam gyis mi khyab pas bstan pa zhes bya ba’i chos kyi rnam grangs, is preserved in the Tshalpa (tshal pa) group Kangyur recensions, while the alternate title is generally found among the Thempangma (them spangs ma) recensions of the Kangyur. Mixed recensions show even distribution of the two titles between them.
Lewis Lancaster, “K 381,” The Korean Buddhist Canon: A Descriptive Catalog, http://www.acmuller.net/descriptive_catalogue/files/k0381.html#note-k0381-1.
The Dunhuang MS (folio 1.b) reads “clear vision” (rnam par gzigs pa) instead of “wisdom vision of liberation” (rnam par grol ba’i ye shes gzigs pa).
In the Dunhuang MS (folios 3.b–4.a) this passage reads, “Everyone thought, ‘The Tathāgata is looking at me.’ Each of them thought, ‘I will offer alms and then will meet with the true result of giving alms.’ In short, nothing could compare in the slightest with the protector of human beings” (sems de re re yang / de bzhin gshegs pa ni bdag la gzigs so zhes sems/ so so nas bdag gi bsod snyoms phul te/ bsod snyoms kyi ’bras bu dang yang dag nyid phrad par bya’o snyam du sems te/ mdor na myi’i mgon po dang phyogs tsam du bsgrun du rung ba myed do).
The Dunhuang MS (folio 5.a) reads, “This child, who has reached the culmination of all activity, is able to understand the meaning of my teachings” (khye’u de yang bya ba thams cad rdzogs pa legs par smra ba’i don shes par nus pa zhig ste).
The Dunhuang MS (folio 5.a) reads, “and in order to delight beings.” (’gro ba mang po’i dga’ bskyed pa’i phyir).
This reading follows the variant chos as attested in the Choné, Lhasa, Lithang, Kangxi, Narthang, and Yongle versions of the Tibetan translation, instead of tshogs as attested in the Degé version.
The Dunhuang MS (folio 5.b) reads, “I engage in alms rounds” (bsod snyoms spyad pa spyod pa yin).
The Dunhuang MS (folio 5.b) reads, “Although he has fathomed the peace of cessation” (’gogs par zhi ba rab mkhyen te).
In the Dunhuang MS (folio 6.a), the last two lines of this verse read, “One who teaches Dharma that is not Dharma / Is called a fool; are you a fraud?” (chos myin chos su bka’ stsal pa/ byis ba zhes te bslu lags sam).
In what appears to be a case of scribal error, the Dunhuang MS (folios 6.a–6.b) repeats the preceding two verses before continuing with the sequence below.
In the Dunhuang MS (folio 8.b) this verse reads, “All contrary actions / Arise from the natural state of things; / One who understands the way things are / Has neither faults nor qualities” (log pa’i las rnams thams cad ni/ de bzhin nyid las ’byung ba yin/ de bzhin nyid de rtog pa ni/ yon tan myed cing nyes pa myed).
This reading follows the variant mthus yis as attested in the Choné, Lhasa, Lithang, Kangxi, and Narthang versions of the Tibetan translation, instead of mthu yin as attested in the Degé version.
The Dunhuang MS (folio 10.a) reads, “Kauśika, you must also wear the ornamental clothes that bodhisattva mahāsattvas wear” (ke’u shi ka yang byang chub sems dpa’ sems dpa’ chen po rnams kyi gos rgyan gang yin pa de dag gyon cig).
The Dunhuang MS (folio 11.a) reads, “delighting in acceptance” (bzod pa (em. bsod pa) la dga’ ba).
The Dunhuang MS (folio 11.a) reads, “being firm in their commitments” (dam tshig la brtan pa).
The Dunhuang MS (folio 11.a) reads, “for these bring highly-advanced cognition and concentration to perfection” (mngon par shes pa chen po (em. shen po) dang bsam gtan yongs su rdzogs pas bya ba’i phyir).
The Dunhuang MS (folios 11.a–11.b) reads, “insight, the wisdom of liberation” (shes rab rnam par thar pa’i ye shes).
The Dunhuang MS (folio 11.b) reads, “was greatly pleased with the child and felt affection for him” (khye’u de la shin tu dga’ zhing sdug pa skyes nas).
The Choné, Kangxi, Lithang, Narthang, and Yongle versions include an additional line here: “chapter and verse” (le’u dang tshigs su bcad pa). This makes little contextual sense, and so appears to be the remnant of an incomplete scribal emendation.
In the Dunhuang MS (folio 15.a), this line of verse reads “In the supreme Saṅgha and the Buddha” (mang po’i mchog dang sangs rgyas la).
Folio 17 of the Dunhuang MS appears to have been lost, thus the Tibetan text from this point to “The king of the state of Kośala” below is missing in that translation.
The Dunhuang MS (folio 18.b) reads “hear” (thos) in place of “acquire” (thob) as attested in the other versions consulted. Thus this passage reads, “Bhagavān, if one attends and serves a spiritual master, one hears the virtuous Dharma. Through hearing the virtuous Dharma, one’s contemplations become virtuous. Once one’s contemplations are virtuous, one trains in virtue” (bcom ldan ’das dge ba’i bshes gnyen dang bsten bsdebs te bsnyen bkur bgyis na/ dge ba’i chos thos so/ dge ba’i chos thos pas bsam pa dge bar ’gyur ro/ bsam pa dge bar gyur pas dge bar sbyor bar ’gyur ro).
The Dunhuang MS (folios 19.b–20.a) reads, “To see the Buddha not as a form, but as the Dharma; to see the Dharma not as one’s own, but as the freedom from desire; to see the Saṅgha not as a multitude, but as noncomposite; and purification of the eyes of insight” (gzugs las ni ma yin chos la sangs rgyas su blta ba dang / bdag las ni ma yin gyi/ ’dod chags dang bral ba chos su blta ba dang / mang ba las ni ma yin gyi/ ’dus ma byas pa las dge ’dun du blta ba dang / shes rab kyi spyan shin tu rnam par dag pa dang ’di yin no).
The Choné, Lhasa, Lithang, Kangxi, Narthang, and Yongle versions of the Tibetan translation read the honorifc verb “to do/make” (mdzad pa), instead of “beautiful” (mdzes pa) found in the Degé version. The Dunhuang MS (folio 20.b) adds that the circle of light extends “an arm span” (’dom gang) around the Buddha.
The Dunhuang MS (folio 21.a) reads, “The light of wisdom gathered by your intellect, your insight” (shes rab blo’i bsags pa’i ye shes ’od).
The Dunhuang MS (folio 21.a) reads, “Possessing the power of acceptance as well as the ten powers” (bzad (em. mzad) pa’i stobs dang stobs bcu pa can mnga’ ba).
The Dunhuang MS (folio 21.a) reads, “Your power is greater than the power of the best of humans” (myi mchog mthu bo che’i mthu mnga’ ba).
In the Dunhuang MS (folio 21.b), this verse reads, “You turned the wheel of Dharma, performed miracles, / And spread the message of impermanence / To gods, humans, nāgas, and yakṣas. / Please explain your smile to me!” (chos kyi ’khor los btsud cing rdzu ’phrul dang / myi rtag sgra’i lha dang mi rnams dang / de bzhin klu dang gnod sbyin sgrags mdzad pa/ ’dzum pa mdzad pa de ni bdag la gsungs).
This reading follows the Lhasa version of the translation in reading brnyes (“to discover”), instead mnyes (“to be pleased”) as preserved in the Degé and other consulted versions.
The Dunhuang MS (folio 21.b) reads, “And you are supremely heroic and endowed with the best qualities” (dpa’ bo mnga’ mchog yon tan rab mnga’ ba).
This reading follows the Choné, Dunhuang, Lhasa, Lithang, Kangxi, Narthang, and Yongle versions of the Tibetan translation in reading rnam par sbyong ba in place of rnam par spyod pa. This variant is repeated in all instances of “Fully Cleansed” that follow in this passage.
In the Thempangma recensions of the Tibetan translation, the name of the Indian paṇḍita is omitted. The colophon reads zhu chen gyi lo tsa+tsha ba ban de ye she sde la sogs pas bsgyur zhing zhus te gtan la phab pa’o (“The chief translator-editor Bandé Yeshé Dé and others translated, corrected, and finalized this text”).
In a general sense, samādhi can describe a number of different meditative states. In the Mahāyāna literature, in particular in the Prajñāpāramitā sūtras, we find extensive lists of different samādhis, numbering over one hundred.
In a more restricted sense, and when understood as a mental state, samādhi is defined as the one-pointedness of the mind (cittaikāgratā), the ability to remain on the same object over long periods of time. The Drajor Bamponyipa (sgra sbyor bam po gnyis pa) commentary on the Mahāvyutpatti explains the term samādhi as referring to the instrument through which mind and mental states “get collected,” i.e., it is by the force of samādhi that the continuum of mind and mental states becomes collected on a single point of reference without getting distracted.
The third of the six transcendent perfections. As such it can be classified into three modes: the capacity to tolerate abuse from sentient beings, to tolerate the hardships of the path to buddhahood, and to tolerate the profound nature of reality.
A religious discourse.
Lit. “Not Disturbed” or “Immovable One.” The buddha in the eastern realm of Abhirati. A well-known buddha in Mahāyāna, regarded in the higher tantras as the head of one of the five buddha families, the vajra family in the east.
A major śrāvaka disciple and personal attendant of the Buddha Śākyamuni during the last twenty-five years of his life. He was a cousin of the Buddha (according to the Mahāvastu, he was a son of Śuklodana, one of the brothers of King Śuddhodana, which means he was a brother of Devadatta; other sources say he was a son of Amṛtodana, another brother of King Śuddhodana, which means he would have been a brother of Aniruddha).
Ānanda, having always been in the Buddha’s presence, is said to have memorized all the teachings he heard and is celebrated for having recited all the Buddha’s teachings by memory at the first council of the Buddhist saṅgha, thus preserving the teachings after the Buddha’s parinirvāṇa. The phrase “Thus did I hear at one time,” found at the beginning of the sūtras, usually stands for his recitation of the teachings. He became a patriarch after the passing of Mahākāśyapa.
The park on the outskirts of Śrāvastī that was purchased by the great patron of the Buddha, Anāthapiṇḍada, for the saṅgha’s use during the rainy season. See also “Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍada’s Park.”
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).
The second stage in the development and expression of afflictions (Skt. kleśa, Tib. nyon mongs), preceded by “latent tendency” (Skt. anuśaya, Tib. bag la nyal ba) and followed by “manifest affliction” (Skt. paryutthāna, Tib. kun nas ldang ba).
An epithet that is often used to refer to a buddha. The literal translation from the Tibetan is “endowed (ldan) conqueror (bcom) who has gone beyond (’das).”
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 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 person belonging to the highest caste among the four social castes of India.
In Buddhist usage, a general term for non-Buddhist religious mendicants, paired with parivrājaka in stock lists of followers of heretical movements..
A cremation ground, or place for discarded corpses.
A bodhisattva who appears in The Teaching by the Child Inconceivable Radiance.
A bodhisattva who appears in The Teaching by the Child Inconceivable Radiance.
The five kinds of eyes possessed by a tathāgata. Namely, the eye of flesh, the divine eye, the eye of Dharma, the eye of insight, and the eye of a buddha.
A group of ascetics common in the Buddha’s time, widely believed to refer to the early Jain community.
A realm that will appear in the eon Universal Illumination, one hundred incalculable eons from now.
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 Buddha’s given name, Gautama Siddhartha.
An epithet frequently applied to buddhas to denote their quality of being self-manifest, i.e., not born through causes and conditions.
Also known as the four great kings (mahārāja), Vaiśravaṇa, Dhṛtarāṣṭra, Virūḍhaka, and Virūpākṣa are pledged to protect practitioners of the Dharma.
The function by which mind generates an image and then falsely conceives of it as being a separate and real object.
A bodhisattva in, and principle protagonist of, The Teaching by the Child Inconceivable Radiance. This is also the name he will have as a buddha in the future, as prophesied by the Buddha.
This term can mean both physical seclusion and a meditative state of withdrawal.
The undergarment covering the lower body. One of the three Dharma robes (tricīvara, chos gos gsum).
The principle that relative phenomena arise as a result of causes and conditions.
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.
“One who belongs to the Kuśika lineage.” An epithet of the god Śakra, also known as Indra, the king of the gods in the Trāyastriṃśa heaven. In the Ṛgveda, Indra is addressed by the epithet Kauśika, with the implication that he is associated with the descendants of the Kuśika lineage (gotra) as their aiding deity. In later epic and Purāṇic texts, we find the story that Indra took birth as Gādhi Kauśika, the son of Kuśika and one of the Vedic poet-seers, after the Puru king Kuśika had performed austerities for one thousand years to obtain a son equal to Indra who could not be killed by others. In the Pāli Kusajātaka (Jāt V 141–45), the Buddha, in one of his former bodhisattva lives as a Trāyastriṃśa god, takes birth as the future king Kusa upon the request of Indra, who wishes to help the childless king of the Mallas, Okkaka, and his chief queen Sīlavatī. This story is also referred to by Nāgasena in the Milindapañha.
An ancient Indian kingdom located somewhere in present day Uttar Pradesh.
Literally “not being a tight-fisted teacher,” this term denotes a teacher who freely gives appropriate teachings to their disciples.
The first stage in the development and expression of afflictions (Skt. kleśa, Tib. nyon mongs), followed by “belief” (Skt. dṛṣṭi, Tib. lta ba smra ba) and “manifest affliction” (Skt. paryutthāna, Tib. kun nas ldang ba).
The Sanskrit term śrāvaka, and the Tibetan nyan thos, both derived from the verb “to hear,” are usually defined as “those who hear the teaching from the Buddha and make it heard to others.” Primarily this refers to those disciples of the Buddha who aspire to attain the state of an arhat seeking their own liberation and nirvāṇa. They are the practitioners of the first turning of the wheel of the Dharma on the four noble truths, who realize the suffering inherent in saṃsāra and focus on understanding that there is no independent self. By conquering afflicted mental states (kleśa), they liberate themselves, attaining first the stage of stream enterers at the path of seeing, followed by the stage of once-returners who will be reborn only one more time, and then the stage of non-returners who will no longer be reborn into the desire realm. The final goal is to become an arhat. These four stages are also known as the “four results of spiritual practice.”
“Great being”; a frequent epithet of bodhisattvas.
One of the five trees of Indra’s paradise, its heavenly flowers often rain down in salutation of the buddhas and bodhisattvas and are said to be very bright and aromatic, gladdening the hearts of those who see them. In our world, it is a tree native to India, Erythrina indica or Erythrina variegata, commonly known as the Indian coral tree, mandarava tree, flame tree, and tiger’s claw. In the early spring, before its leaves grow, the tree is fully covered in large flowers, which are rich in nectar and attract many birds. Although the most widespread coral tree has red crimson flowers, the color of the blossoms is not usually mentioned in the sūtras themselves, and it may refer to some other kinds, like the rarer Erythrina indica alba, which boasts white flowers.
The third stage in the development and expression of afflictions (Skt. kleśa, Tib. nyon mongs), preceded by “latent tendency” (Skt. anuśaya, Tib. bag la nyal ba) and “belief” (Skt. dṛṣṭi, Tib. lta ba smra ba).
Afflictive emotions. There are the 84,000 variations of mental disturbances for which the 84,000 categories of the Buddha’s teachings serve as the antidote. These mental disturbances can be subsumed into the three or five poisons of attachment, aversion, and ignorance plus arrogance and jealousy.
An accumulation of positive karma that ripens into a positive result.
An epithet of the Buddha.
The four modes for attracting people to the Dharma: giving (dāna); pleasant speech (priyavaditā); accomplishment of the aims (of others) by teaching Dharma (arthacaryā); and consistency of behavior with the teaching (samānārthatā).
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 class of semidivine beings that inhabit bodies of water and act as guardians of treasure.
Epithet of Viṣṇu.
’phags pa khye’u snang ba bsam gyis mi khyab pas bstan pa zhes bya ba’i chos kyi rnam grangs (Āryācintyaprabhāsanirdeśanāmadharmaparyāya). Toh 103, Degé Kangyur vol. 48 (mdo sde, nga), folios 275.a–285.b.
’phags pa khye’u snang ba bsam gyis mi khyab pas bstan pa zhes bya ba’i chos kyi rnam grangs (Āryācintyaprabhāsanirdeśanāmadharmaparyāya). 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), 2006–2009, vol. 48, (mdo sde, nga), pp. 708–734.
’phags pa khye’u snang ba bsam gyis mi khyab pas bstan pa (Acintyaprabhāsanirdeśanāmadharmaparyāya). No. 106, Lhasa Kangyur vol. 50 (mdo sde, nga), folios 426.a–442.b.
’phags pa khye’u snang ba bsam gyis mi khyab pas bstan pa (Acintyaprabhāsanirdeśadharmaparyāya). No. 91, Narthang Kangyur vol. 50 (mdo sde, nga), folios 421.b–438.b.
’phags pa khye’u snang ba bsam gyis mi khyab pas bstan pa (Acintyaprabhāsanirdeśanāmadharmaparyāya). No. 103, Urga Kangyur vol. 48 (mdo sde, nga), folios 274.a–284.b.
’phags pa khye’u snang ba bsam gyis mi khyab pas bstan pa (Acintyaprabhāsanirdeśanāmadharmaparyāya). No. 118, Shelkar Kangyur vol. 56 (mdo sde, ta), folios 386.a–403.b.
IOL Tib J 49. British Library, London. Accessed through The International Dunhuang Project: The Silk Road Online.
Halkias, Georgios. “Tibetan Buddhism Registered: A Catalogue from the Imperial Court of ’Phang Thang.” The Eastern Buddhist 36, nos. 1–2 (2004): 46–105.
Mayer, Robert and Cathy Cantwell. Early Tibetan Documents on Phur pa from Dunhuang. Beiträge Zur Kultur- und Geistesgeschichte Asiens 63. Vienna: Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, 2008.
Van Schaik, Sam and Jacob Dalton. “Where Chan and Tantra Meet: Tibetan Syncretism in Dunhuang.” In The Silk Road: Trade, Travel, War and Faith, edited by Susan Whitfield, 63–71. Chicago: Serindia Publications, 2004.
This sūtra is a story in which the spiritual realization of the child Inconceivable Radiance is revealed through a dialogue with the Buddha Śākyamuni. The Buddha furthermore recounts events from the child’s past lives to illustrate how actions committed in one life will determine one’s future circumstances. The teaching concludes with the Buddha prophesying how the child Inconceivable Radiance will eventually fully awaken in the future.
This sūtra was translated by members of the Blazing Wisdom Translation group, Tulku Sherdor and Virginia Blum, under the guidance of Khenpo Sonam Tobgyal and with help from Meghan Howard regarding Sanskrit terms.
The translation was completed under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.
The Teaching by the Child Inconceivable Radiance presents the remarkable account of an abandoned child who is discovered calmly sitting alone in a derelict dwelling in the town of Śrāvastī, licked and nuzzled by wild animals while the townsfolk gawk. The Buddha Śākyamuni, who is in residence nearby, sends Ānanda to investigate, although he knows that the child is an incarnation of a great bodhisattva whose remaining karmic obscurations are now on the verge of exhaustion. The Buddha’s action triggers a chain of events that completes this purification and launches the bodhisattva to the next great stage of his spiritual path. This is therefore a story of the bodhisattva’s spiritual journey that spans countless eons.
This sūtra also serves as a framework for various types of Dharma instruction. When he first meets the child, the Buddha’s blessings, coupled with the child’s own merit and wisdom gathered in previous lifetimes, spur a polemical dialogue in metered verse in which the child challenges the Buddha to reconcile his realization of emptiness with his compassionate teaching activity. The child adopts a nihilistic viewpoint as a rhetorical strategy for eliciting an explanation from the Buddha of the relation between ultimate and relative truth. The Buddha responds that it is the buddhas’ realization of how things truly are, which produces spontaneous and nonconceptual compassionate activity for others because the buddhas respond to the suffering of sentient beings’ confused misapprehension of how things truly are. A buddha knows that appearances are not real, while sentient beings do not. A sentient being’s perception of appearances is compared to clouds in the sky and characterized as imaginary imputation, since the luminous, profound stillness that is mind’s true nature is not realized. This exchange is therefore a pithy elucidation of the core principles of the Mahāyāna Buddhist teachings: the view of emptiness suffused with compassion that inspires one to produce boundless teaching activity that in turn instills that same view in others.
Shortly after this exchange Śakra appears, drawn by lights that radiate from the child’s body throughout the universe, and offers the child a set of divine clothes to cover his naked body. A sermon from the child follows, in which he explains to Śakra all the fine qualities that adorn bodhisattvas such that no further superficial covering of their physical forms is required. With this show of miracles and moving sermon, the child is proclaimed by all present to be an advanced bodhisattva who is inconceivably radiant, and he is so named with great rejoicing.
The next episode in this account takes place in the home of the child’s mother, where the Buddha has escorted him. At first the child’s mother is ashamed to face the Buddha, but the child respectfully urges his mother to make offerings to the Buddha and generate the resolve for awakening before him, and she proceeds to do so. This act on both their parts completely purifies the residual negative karma they shared.
King Prasenajit of the state of Kośala, one of the Buddha’s principal sponsors, then comes to visit him at his monastic compound outside of town, having heard of the child’s miraculous feats. Upon first seeing the child, the king wonders what kinds of deeds he must have performed in the past to have such a perfect physical form. Inconceivable Radiance, through the power of the Buddha and his own past roots of virtue, knows clairvoyantly what King Prasenajit has realized about him, which prompts him to teach the king about how pure actions result in a pure physical form. The king then asks the Buddha to explain how the child, with obvious great virtues and merit, could end up in the unfortunate situation of being abandoned by his unwed mother. The Buddha responds by telling the story of a previous life, long ago, when this bodhisattva (then named Earth) insulted and cursed his mentor in retaliation for being chastised for weakness in his practice, and how the very words of this curse continued to ripen for Earth in lifetime after lifetime, until this very life. Throughout his many lifetimes of being orphaned, abandoned, and eaten by wild predators, the bodhisattva Earth nonetheless never renounced the awakening mind, until finally his positive merit led him to the auspicious circumstances that unfold, with the Buddha’s guidance, in this account.
In response, the king demonstrates his understanding to the Buddha by offering his own homily about how one should serve a spiritual master and lead a virtuous life, and the benefits that will ensue. The Buddha confirms that the king has spoken truthfully, meaning that the king has spoken Dharma with his blessing.
Finally, prompted by the child Inconceivable Radiance, the Buddha presents his own teaching on five sets of four dharmas (here meaning spiritual qualities, practices, or realizations) that bodhisattvas must possess in order to awaken to buddhahood by virtue of gaining acceptance of even the most profound Dharmas. In other words, bodhisattvas should practice the ability to face the profound truth of emptiness without fear, the third and most difficult component of the transcendent virtue of acceptance within the schema of six or ten transcendent virtues.
At the conclusion of this teaching, Ānanda kneels down, joins his palms together, and, singing a hymn of praise to the Buddha, requests an explanation of this auspicious encounter with the child Inconceivable Radiance. The Buddha then prophesies the child’s eventual full awakening as the buddha bhagavān Inconceivable Radiance at the end of a future dark age in which no other buddha has ever appeared. The Buddha’s final counsel is that no higher virtue exists than retaining, applying, realizing, and sharing with others this noble account of Dharma of the child Inconceivable Radiance.
The Tibetan canonical version of the sūtra, translated by the Indian paṇḍita Surendrabodhi and the Tibetan translator Yeshé Dé (ye shes sde), has come down to us in two generally homologous recensions, one titled ’phags pa khye’u snang ba bsam gyis mi khyab pas bstan pa zhes bya ba’i chos kyi rnam grangs, and the other ’phags pa snang ba bsam gyi mi khyab pa bstan pa zhes bya ba’i chos kyi rnam grangs. Though this translation is not listed in the imperial period Tibetan catalogs, Surendrabodhi and Yeshé Dé were frequent collaborators on translations recorded therein, so we can reasonably date their translation to the early ninth century. The English translation presented here is based on a comparison of several versions of the canonical Tibetan translation representing both the Tshalpa (tshal pa) and Thempangma (them spangs ma) recension groups, with the Degé version taken as the primary witness. Substantial variation between the versions was minimal, and such instances have been noted below.
There is also a unique version of the sūtra preserved among the cache of manuscripts discovered at Dunhuang. Bearing the title The Scripture of Inconceivable Radiance (snang ba bsam du med pa zhes bya’i chos kyi gzhung), the manuscript contains a different translation than is found in the Kangyur, one that appears to be based on a different recension of the sūtra. Unfortunately, the final folios of the manuscript are missing and with them the colophon that would provide more precise information on the manuscript’s textual and translation history. We can, with some confidence, date the manuscript, if not the translation it contains, to a period between the mid-eighth and mid-ninth centuries, the time when Dunhuang was under Tibetan control. The translation was certainly completed prior to the eleventh century, when the manuscript depositories at Dunhuang were sealed. Because it is an entirely different translation from the canonical version taken as the basis here, only the most significant variations have been noted.
There is no extant version of this text available in Sanskrit, but the sūtra was translated into Chinese by Kumārajīva in the early decades of the fifth century. The Chinese translation was consulted to clarify difficult points in this translation. There are no known Indian or Tibetan commentaries on this sūtra, and the text seems not to have been frequently cited by either Indian or Tibetan masters, so little is known about the circulation and popularity of the text in South Asia and Tibet. Western scholarship has similarly taken little notice of this sūtra, and there are no previous English translations available.
Homage to all buddhas and bodhisattvas!
Thus did I hear at one time. The Bhagavān was residing in Śrāvastī, in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍada’s Park, together with a great saṅgha of one thousand two hundred and fifty bhikṣus and a full five hundred additional bodhisattvas.
While the Bhagavān was residing in the town of Śrāvastī, its king and his senior ministers, the brahmins, householders, and people from the greater township, along with their families, paid respect, offered reverence and veneration, and presented offerings to the Bhagavān so that he received much fine food, drink, and other items to be eaten and sipped.
He was a blessed, thus-gone, worthy, perfect buddha, one with perfect knowledge and conduct, a well-gone one, a knower of the world, a charioteer who tamed beings, an unexcelled being, and a teacher of gods and humans. The Blessed Buddha was renowned for his outstanding caste, outstanding clan, outstanding patrilineage, outstanding discipline, outstanding absorption, outstanding insight, outstanding liberation, and outstanding wisdom vision of liberation. The Bhagavān’s fame and renown was thus widespread throughout the world.
The Well-Gone One, the knower of the world, the charioteer who tames beings, the unexcelled being, the teacher of gods and humans, the blessed Buddha, was also teaching the Dharma. That is, he was genuinely and fully teaching the sanctified conduct: what is virtuous at first, in the interim, and in the end, what has excellent meaning and excellent words, and what is unadulterated, perfect, pure, and cleansed.
He was also in possession of the five eyes, namely the eye of flesh, the divine eye, the eye of Dharma, the eye of insight, and the eye of a buddha. The Bhagavān had soundly defeated non-Buddhist schools such as the carakas, the parivrājakas, and the followers of the Nirgrantha Jñātiputra. Gods and humans wholly adopted the Bhagavān’s teachings and so they spread everywhere.
Early one morning, the Bhagavān dressed in his Dharma robes and skirt and took up his alms bowl. The assembly of bhikṣus, the saṅgha of bhikṣus, along with the bodhisattva mahāsattvas, surrounded him and accompanied him. He was beautiful to behold from the front, the right, and the left; his strides were beautiful. Wearing the Dharma robes—the outer robe, the upper robe, and the inner robe—and the strainer and the alms bowl, he was beautiful. His complexion was golden, and he radiated an aura of light a full arm span around him. It was like a mass of fire amidst the darkness of night, like the full moon on the fifteenth lunar day, and like the shining of the sun. He possessed the thirty-two signs of a superior being.
They went to receive alms in the town of Śrāvastī, and at the very moment that the Bhagavān set his foot down at the threshold of the gate, reaching the town, some magnificent, amazing, miraculous feats took place. I shall recount the incredible, great miracles that occurred when the holy being, the Guide, arrived, so listen with a most faithful heart.
Those who were blind were able to see. Those who were deaf were able to hear. The naked found clothing. Those with mental illness regained their faculties. All the townsfolk joined their palms in reverence, offering homage to the Well-Gone One. The pleasant sounds of great gongs, earthen drums, and steel drums were audible, although none were struck. Ducks, geese, herons, peacocks, parrots, and cuckoos voiced their delightful songs. Those who had lost their fortunes recovered them. Vessels made of gold and silver rang out, although none were struck.
The earth itself rumbled and shook six times, and no beings were left without refuge, as their minds were filled with sincere trust. Wherever strode the feet of the most eloquent and holy Buddha, there appeared immaculate lotuses in elegant arrangements.
Those beings born in the animal realm who saw him found happiness and would be reborn in the higher realms. Those women who were pregnant gave birth, without the slightest discomfort, to fine-featured, attractive babies. No beings harmed one another out of attachment, aversion, or indifference. They spoke to one another in the most non-aggressive manner, the way a father or mother would speak to an only child.
The sides of the road became beautifully decorated. All the gods dwelling in the heavens above copiously tossed flower petals. There were no beings left who underwent suffering. Beings who had been ill became free from illness and so felt happy.
As the Well-Gone One passed by, each person wondered, “Is the Tathāgata looking at me alone?” They each thought, “I shall make my own offering of alms and so reap the exact result of offering alms to the guide of humans.” It was not at all easy to fathom what occurred just from him passing by.
Then, the Bhagavān went out to receive alms, making his rounds through the town of Śrāvastī. The Bhagavān reached a place near the center of town where a fine-figured, lovely, and attractive child had been left all alone inside a deserted dwelling. The child was sitting there sucking on his right thumb. A number of dogs, or jackals, had gathered inside the empty house and were approaching the child and licking him. However, due to his past virtues, these animals caused no harm to the young child. Some of the townsfolk were also going in and out of the deserted building.
Seeing the townsfolk coming and going, the Bhagavān knowingly directed Venerable Ānanda, “Ānanda, go and see what is inside that deserted house, the one all those townsfolk are entering and leaving.” As he had been commanded by the Bhagavān, Venerable Ānanda went to the deserted house, and upon arriving saw a fine-figured child, beautiful and lovely to behold, sitting there sucking on his right thumb and staring openly at the crowd of people around him.
After seeing this, Venerable Ānanda returned to the Bhagavān and reported, “Bhagavān, inside that deserted house is an abandoned child whose body is well formed, beautiful, and attractive, like a precious jewel. He sits there gazing with wide eyes at all the people gathered around him.”
The Bhagavān thought, “Aha! This child, through his outstanding training in previous lives, has the ability to understand the meaning of my teachings, and so is most fortunate!” Out of affection for that child, and in order to lead the common folk to virtue, he went to the deserted dwelling.
When the Bhagavān reached the dwelling, he entered and took a seat to the side of the child and then addressed the following verse to him:
Through the power of the Buddha and as a result of his own prior roots of virtue, the child then responded to the Bhagavān with these verses:
The Bhagavān replied:
The child asked:
The Bhagavān answered:
The child asked:
The Bhagavān answered:
The child asked:
The Bhagavān answered:
The child asked:
The Bhagavān answered:
The child said:
The Bhagavān answered:
The child asked:
The Bhagavān answered:
The child asked:
The Bhagavān answered:
The child said:
The Bhagavān answered:
The child asked:
The Bhagavān answered:
The child said:
The Bhagavān answered:
The child asked:
The Bhagavān answered:
The child said:
The Bhagavān answered:
The child asked:
The Bhagavān answered:
The child said:
The Bhagavān answered:
The child said:
The Bhagavān answered:
The child said:
Then, the Bhagavān drew his right hand, golden in color, from his Dharma robe and reached out toward the child, who took hold of the finger of the Bhagavān’s hand and stood up. The Bhagavān carried the child out of the empty house and set him down on the road.
The people gathered there thought, “This child was disturbed in just this way, and yet he was able to engage in such a debate regarding the qualities of the great being. The blessed buddhas truly are remarkable!” And as it was indeed remarkable, they offered sincere homage to the Bhagavān.
The Bhagavān then spoke the following words to the child: “Child, since your obscuration of karma has been exhausted, remember your previous roots of virtue and make them known to this great crowd of people. Show them a great miraculous feat!”
The child then floated up from the ground to the height of about seven persons, and from his body streamed light, which spread until it illuminated all of Śrāvastī, and the world of Jambudvīpa in its entirety.
The light drew the rapt attention of Śakra, Brahmā, the guardians of the world, and many hundreds of thousands of other gods, all of whom in that second, in that very moment, in that instant, went to where the Bhagavān was and bowed their heads to his feet in homage.
They tossed divine flowers to the Bhagavān and proclaimed: “O Bhagavān! This bodhisattva is inconceivably radiant such that he illuminates this buddhafield with light, and so he serves the welfare of innumerable beings!”
That is how that child came to be named Inconceivable Radiance. The Bhagavān also said, “Let this child be called Inconceivable Radiance,” and so he rejoiced in that name for the child.
The child Inconceivable Radiance then descended from the sky and came to rest on the ground. Through the power of the Buddha and his own prior roots of virtue, what transpired next happened like this: by the time he took a seat, the child’s body had grown to that of an eight-year-old child.
Then, the lord of gods Śakra presented the child with a bolt of heavenly fabric, saying, “Dear child, out of loving concern for me, wear this length of fabric. Don’t remain naked!”
The child Inconceivable Radiance then spoke these words to Śakra, the lord of gods: “Kauśika, it is not by wearing lovely clothes that bodhisattvas are made beautiful, but rather their beauty comes from bearing the ornaments of Dharma. Kauśika, it may be obvious, but nonetheless, let me tell you what the ornamental clothing of the bodhisattva mahāsattvas is.
“The ornamental clothing of bodhisattvas is the awakening mind, for it adorns the seat of awakening. The ornaments of modesty and propriety are the ornamental clothing of bodhisattvas, for they support all beings.
“Observing their commitments is the ornamental clothing of bodhisattvas, for it perfects their insight. Their intent is the ornamental clothing of bodhisattvas, for it eliminates deceit and guile.
“Application is the ornamental clothing of bodhisattvas, for it perfects all virtuous qualities. Superior intention is the ornamental clothing of bodhisattvas, for it sets them apart from all others.
“Absence of pride is the ornamental clothing of bodhisattvas, for it perfects their wisdom. Their pursuit of Dharma and longing for Dharma are the ornamental clothing of bodhisattvas, for these perfect their insight.
“Their lack of parsimony as preceptors is the ornamental clothing of bodhisattvas, for it perfects their dispassionate wisdom. Their utter disregard for all wealth is the ornamental clothing of bodhisattvas, for it perfects their excellent marks and signs.
“Pure discipline is the ornamental clothing of bodhisattvas, for it brings their aspirations to completion. Acceptance and gentleness are the ornamental clothing of bodhisattvas, for they become words that resound and roar like the voice of Brahmā.
“Stable resolve and fortitude are the ornamental clothing of bodhisattvas, for these fulfill all their goals. Their attainment of concentrations, liberations, absorptions, and equilibria are the ornamental clothing of bodhisattvas, for these perfect the wisdom of highly advanced cognition.
“The insight of knowing how to parse words carefully is the ornamental clothing of the bodhisattvas, for it eliminates latent tendencies, beliefs, and manifest afflictions. Great compassion is the ornamental clothing of bodhisattvas, for they never become discouraged in saṃsāra.
“Bearing no animosity toward any being is the ornamental clothing of bodhisattvas, for they never lose interest in the welfare of self and other. Teaching Dharma without material interest is the ornamental clothing of bodhisattvas, because insight liberates both self and other.
“Accomplishment of Dharma is the ornamental clothing of bodhisattvas, since it removes all mental disturbances. Kauśika, in this way you must see how bodhisattvas who possess ornaments of Dharma like these are never naked.”
The lord of gods Śakra was greatly pleased with the child and trusted in him, and so, addressing the Bhagavān, he asked, “Out of loving consideration for me, would the Bhagavān please tell him to accept this length of fabric?”
The Bhagavān then spoke to the child Inconceivable Radiance, saying, “Child, take this length of fabric and put it on.”
The child Inconceivable Radiance then went over to the Bhagavān, knelt with his right knee on the ground, pressed his palms together in salutation toward him, and then, in his presence, accepted the length of fabric and put it on.
The Bhagavān then went to receive alms in the town of Śrāvastī. The men and women, boys and girls, merchants and brahmins, householders, and the king and his major officials were amazed and assembled there to look upon the child Inconceivable Radiance, to look upon the Bhagavān, and to show them honor and homage. The Bhagavān accepted the offering of alms from each in turn and then went to the home of the mother of the child Inconceivable Radiance. When he arrived there, however, he said nothing and simply remained off to one side. Embarrassed, the mother of the child Inconceivable Radiance did not come out to the entrance to greet the Bhagavān.
The child Inconceivable Radiance went inside his home and then spoke the following verses to his mother:
The child Inconceivable Radiance then spoke to the lord of gods Śakra, saying, “Kauśika, give me some heavenly mandārava flowers, divine incense, and godly raiment. I shall give them to this mother who gave birth to me. By presenting them as a gift to the Bhagavān, she will generate the mind set on unsurpassed and perfect awakening.”
And so the lord of gods Śakra gave the child heavenly mandārava flowers, divine incense, and godly raiment. The child Inconceivable Radiance then spoke the following verses to his mother:
The woman then went over to the Bhagavān and offered homage by prostrating to his feet, made offerings to him, and put her request to him fully and respectfully, just as she had been instructed.
After she had made this request, the Bhagavān told her, “Through this accomplishment of roots of virtue you shall not go to the lower realms or an unfortunate state. Having pleased millions upon millions of buddhas, you shall yourself become a buddha, the holiest of persons.”
When he had finished receiving alms in the town of Śrāvastī, the Bhagavān, accompanied by the child Inconceivable Radiance and other lay people, left the town and returned to Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍada’s Park. The Bhagavān then took his meal, arose from his inner absorption, and readied himself to make the Dharma heard.
The king of the state of Kośala, Prasenajit, accompanied by his four military regiments, came to see the Bhagavān in Anāthapiṇḍada’s park. As he and his men arrived, they offered homage by prostrating to the Bhagavān’s feet and then sat off to one side.
Once they were seated at his side, the king of the state of Kośala, Prasenajit, said to the Bhagavān, “Bhagavān, where is the child Inconceivable Radiance, who possesses such wondrous and amazing qualities?”
The Bhagavān then pointed out the child Inconceivable Radiance, and King Prasenajit could see at first sight that the child’s physical body was fully developed, with a complexion superior to that of the gods, and that he was graced with fearlessness, disciplined conduct, absorption, and insight. The king therefore thought to himself, “Imagine what kinds of deeds he must have performed and accumulated in the past to have a pure body like that!”
The child Inconceivable Radiance, due to the power of the Buddha and because of his own past roots of virtue, knew in his mind what King Prasenajit had thought. So he said:
This sūtra is a story in which the spiritual realization of the child Inconceivable Radiance is revealed through a dialogue with the Buddha Śākyamuni. The Buddha furthermore recounts events from the child’s past lives to illustrate how actions committed in one life will determine one’s future circumstances. The teaching concludes with the Buddha prophesying how the child Inconceivable Radiance will eventually fully awaken in the future.
This sūtra was translated by members of the Blazing Wisdom Translation group, Tulku Sherdor and Virginia Blum, under the guidance of Khenpo Sonam Tobgyal and with help from Meghan Howard regarding Sanskrit terms.
The translation was completed under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.
The Teaching by the Child Inconceivable Radiance presents the remarkable account of an abandoned child who is discovered calmly sitting alone in a derelict dwelling in the town of Śrāvastī, licked and nuzzled by wild animals while the townsfolk gawk. The Buddha Śākyamuni, who is in residence nearby, sends Ānanda to investigate, although he knows that the child is an incarnation of a great bodhisattva whose remaining karmic obscurations are now on the verge of exhaustion. The Buddha’s action triggers a chain of events that completes this purification and launches the bodhisattva to the next great stage of his spiritual path. This is therefore a story of the bodhisattva’s spiritual journey that spans countless eons.
This sūtra also serves as a framework for various types of Dharma instruction. When he first meets the child, the Buddha’s blessings, coupled with the child’s own merit and wisdom gathered in previous lifetimes, spur a polemical dialogue in metered verse in which the child challenges the Buddha to reconcile his realization of emptiness with his compassionate teaching activity. The child adopts a nihilistic viewpoint as a rhetorical strategy for eliciting an explanation from the Buddha of the relation between ultimate and relative truth. The Buddha responds that it is the buddhas’ realization of how things truly are, which produces spontaneous and nonconceptual compassionate activity for others because the buddhas respond to the suffering of sentient beings’ confused misapprehension of how things truly are. A buddha knows that appearances are not real, while sentient beings do not. A sentient being’s perception of appearances is compared to clouds in the sky and characterized as imaginary imputation, since the luminous, profound stillness that is mind’s true nature is not realized. This exchange is therefore a pithy elucidation of the core principles of the Mahāyāna Buddhist teachings: the view of emptiness suffused with compassion that inspires one to produce boundless teaching activity that in turn instills that same view in others.
Shortly after this exchange Śakra appears, drawn by lights that radiate from the child’s body throughout the universe, and offers the child a set of divine clothes to cover his naked body. A sermon from the child follows, in which he explains to Śakra all the fine qualities that adorn bodhisattvas such that no further superficial covering of their physical forms is required. With this show of miracles and moving sermon, the child is proclaimed by all present to be an advanced bodhisattva who is inconceivably radiant, and he is so named with great rejoicing.
The next episode in this account takes place in the home of the child’s mother, where the Buddha has escorted him. At first the child’s mother is ashamed to face the Buddha, but the child respectfully urges his mother to make offerings to the Buddha and generate the resolve for awakening before him, and she proceeds to do so. This act on both their parts completely purifies the residual negative karma they shared.
King Prasenajit of the state of Kośala, one of the Buddha’s principal sponsors, then comes to visit him at his monastic compound outside of town, having heard of the child’s miraculous feats. Upon first seeing the child, the king wonders what kinds of deeds he must have performed in the past to have such a perfect physical form. Inconceivable Radiance, through the power of the Buddha and his own past roots of virtue, knows clairvoyantly what King Prasenajit has realized about him, which prompts him to teach the king about how pure actions result in a pure physical form. The king then asks the Buddha to explain how the child, with obvious great virtues and merit, could end up in the unfortunate situation of being abandoned by his unwed mother. The Buddha responds by telling the story of a previous life, long ago, when this bodhisattva (then named Earth) insulted and cursed his mentor in retaliation for being chastised for weakness in his practice, and how the very words of this curse continued to ripen for Earth in lifetime after lifetime, until this very life. Throughout his many lifetimes of being orphaned, abandoned, and eaten by wild predators, the bodhisattva Earth nonetheless never renounced the awakening mind, until finally his positive merit led him to the auspicious circumstances that unfold, with the Buddha’s guidance, in this account.
In response, the king demonstrates his understanding to the Buddha by offering his own homily about how one should serve a spiritual master and lead a virtuous life, and the benefits that will ensue. The Buddha confirms that the king has spoken truthfully, meaning that the king has spoken Dharma with his blessing.
Finally, prompted by the child Inconceivable Radiance, the Buddha presents his own teaching on five sets of four dharmas (here meaning spiritual qualities, practices, or realizations) that bodhisattvas must possess in order to awaken to buddhahood by virtue of gaining acceptance of even the most profound Dharmas. In other words, bodhisattvas should practice the ability to face the profound truth of emptiness without fear, the third and most difficult component of the transcendent virtue of acceptance within the schema of six or ten transcendent virtues.
At the conclusion of this teaching, Ānanda kneels down, joins his palms together, and, singing a hymn of praise to the Buddha, requests an explanation of this auspicious encounter with the child Inconceivable Radiance. The Buddha then prophesies the child’s eventual full awakening as the buddha bhagavān Inconceivable Radiance at the end of a future dark age in which no other buddha has ever appeared. The Buddha’s final counsel is that no higher virtue exists than retaining, applying, realizing, and sharing with others this noble account of Dharma of the child Inconceivable Radiance.
The Tibetan canonical version of the sūtra, translated by the Indian paṇḍita Surendrabodhi and the Tibetan translator Yeshé Dé (ye shes sde), has come down to us in two generally homologous recensions, one titled ’phags pa khye’u snang ba bsam gyis mi khyab pas bstan pa zhes bya ba’i chos kyi rnam grangs, and the other ’phags pa snang ba bsam gyi mi khyab pa bstan pa zhes bya ba’i chos kyi rnam grangs. Though this translation is not listed in the imperial period Tibetan catalogs, Surendrabodhi and Yeshé Dé were frequent collaborators on translations recorded therein, so we can reasonably date their translation to the early ninth century. The English translation presented here is based on a comparison of several versions of the canonical Tibetan translation representing both the Tshalpa (tshal pa) and Thempangma (them spangs ma) recension groups, with the Degé version taken as the primary witness. Substantial variation between the versions was minimal, and such instances have been noted below.
There is also a unique version of the sūtra preserved among the cache of manuscripts discovered at Dunhuang. Bearing the title The Scripture of Inconceivable Radiance (snang ba bsam du med pa zhes bya’i chos kyi gzhung), the manuscript contains a different translation than is found in the Kangyur, one that appears to be based on a different recension of the sūtra. Unfortunately, the final folios of the manuscript are missing and with them the colophon that would provide more precise information on the manuscript’s textual and translation history. We can, with some confidence, date the manuscript, if not the translation it contains, to a period between the mid-eighth and mid-ninth centuries, the time when Dunhuang was under Tibetan control. The translation was certainly completed prior to the eleventh century, when the manuscript depositories at Dunhuang were sealed. Because it is an entirely different translation from the canonical version taken as the basis here, only the most significant variations have been noted.
There is no extant version of this text available in Sanskrit, but the sūtra was translated into Chinese by Kumārajīva in the early decades of the fifth century. The Chinese translation was consulted to clarify difficult points in this translation. There are no known Indian or Tibetan commentaries on this sūtra, and the text seems not to have been frequently cited by either Indian or Tibetan masters, so little is known about the circulation and popularity of the text in South Asia and Tibet. Western scholarship has similarly taken little notice of this sūtra, and there are no previous English translations available.
Homage to all buddhas and bodhisattvas!
Thus did I hear at one time. The Bhagavān was residing in Śrāvastī, in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍada’s Park, together with a great saṅgha of one thousand two hundred and fifty bhikṣus and a full five hundred additional bodhisattvas.
While the Bhagavān was residing in the town of Śrāvastī, its king and his senior ministers, the brahmins, householders, and people from the greater township, along with their families, paid respect, offered reverence and veneration, and presented offerings to the Bhagavān so that he received much fine food, drink, and other items to be eaten and sipped.
He was a blessed, thus-gone, worthy, perfect buddha, one with perfect knowledge and conduct, a well-gone one, a knower of the world, a charioteer who tamed beings, an unexcelled being, and a teacher of gods and humans. The Blessed Buddha was renowned for his outstanding caste, outstanding clan, outstanding patrilineage, outstanding discipline, outstanding absorption, outstanding insight, outstanding liberation, and outstanding wisdom vision of liberation. The Bhagavān’s fame and renown was thus widespread throughout the world.
The Well-Gone One, the knower of the world, the charioteer who tames beings, the unexcelled being, the teacher of gods and humans, the blessed Buddha, was also teaching the Dharma. That is, he was genuinely and fully teaching the sanctified conduct: what is virtuous at first, in the interim, and in the end, what has excellent meaning and excellent words, and what is unadulterated, perfect, pure, and cleansed.
He was also in possession of the five eyes, namely the eye of flesh, the divine eye, the eye of Dharma, the eye of insight, and the eye of a buddha. The Bhagavān had soundly defeated non-Buddhist schools such as the carakas, the parivrājakas, and the followers of the Nirgrantha Jñātiputra. Gods and humans wholly adopted the Bhagavān’s teachings and so they spread everywhere.
Early one morning, the Bhagavān dressed in his Dharma robes and skirt and took up his alms bowl. The assembly of bhikṣus, the saṅgha of bhikṣus, along with the bodhisattva mahāsattvas, surrounded him and accompanied him. He was beautiful to behold from the front, the right, and the left; his strides were beautiful. Wearing the Dharma robes—the outer robe, the upper robe, and the inner robe—and the strainer and the alms bowl, he was beautiful. His complexion was golden, and he radiated an aura of light a full arm span around him. It was like a mass of fire amidst the darkness of night, like the full moon on the fifteenth lunar day, and like the shining of the sun. He possessed the thirty-two signs of a superior being.
They went to receive alms in the town of Śrāvastī, and at the very moment that the Bhagavān set his foot down at the threshold of the gate, reaching the town, some magnificent, amazing, miraculous feats took place. I shall recount the incredible, great miracles that occurred when the holy being, the Guide, arrived, so listen with a most faithful heart.
Those who were blind were able to see. Those who were deaf were able to hear. The naked found clothing. Those with mental illness regained their faculties. All the townsfolk joined their palms in reverence, offering homage to the Well-Gone One. The pleasant sounds of great gongs, earthen drums, and steel drums were audible, although none were struck. Ducks, geese, herons, peacocks, parrots, and cuckoos voiced their delightful songs. Those who had lost their fortunes recovered them. Vessels made of gold and silver rang out, although none were struck.
The earth itself rumbled and shook six times, and no beings were left without refuge, as their minds were filled with sincere trust. Wherever strode the feet of the most eloquent and holy Buddha, there appeared immaculate lotuses in elegant arrangements.
Those beings born in the animal realm who saw him found happiness and would be reborn in the higher realms. Those women who were pregnant gave birth, without the slightest discomfort, to fine-featured, attractive babies. No beings harmed one another out of attachment, aversion, or indifference. They spoke to one another in the most non-aggressive manner, the way a father or mother would speak to an only child.
The sides of the road became beautifully decorated. All the gods dwelling in the heavens above copiously tossed flower petals. There were no beings left who underwent suffering. Beings who had been ill became free from illness and so felt happy.
As the Well-Gone One passed by, each person wondered, “Is the Tathāgata looking at me alone?” They each thought, “I shall make my own offering of alms and so reap the exact result of offering alms to the guide of humans.” It was not at all easy to fathom what occurred just from him passing by.
Then, the Bhagavān went out to receive alms, making his rounds through the town of Śrāvastī. The Bhagavān reached a place near the center of town where a fine-figured, lovely, and attractive child had been left all alone inside a deserted dwelling. The child was sitting there sucking on his right thumb. A number of dogs, or jackals, had gathered inside the empty house and were approaching the child and licking him. However, due to his past virtues, these animals caused no harm to the young child. Some of the townsfolk were also going in and out of the deserted building.
Seeing the townsfolk coming and going, the Bhagavān knowingly directed Venerable Ānanda, “Ānanda, go and see what is inside that deserted house, the one all those townsfolk are entering and leaving.” As he had been commanded by the Bhagavān, Venerable Ānanda went to the deserted house, and upon arriving saw a fine-figured child, beautiful and lovely to behold, sitting there sucking on his right thumb and staring openly at the crowd of people around him.
After seeing this, Venerable Ānanda returned to the Bhagavān and reported, “Bhagavān, inside that deserted house is an abandoned child whose body is well formed, beautiful, and attractive, like a precious jewel. He sits there gazing with wide eyes at all the people gathered around him.”
The Bhagavān thought, “Aha! This child, through his outstanding training in previous lives, has the ability to understand the meaning of my teachings, and so is most fortunate!” Out of affection for that child, and in order to lead the common folk to virtue, he went to the deserted dwelling.
When the Bhagavān reached the dwelling, he entered and took a seat to the side of the child and then addressed the following verse to him:
Through the power of the Buddha and as a result of his own prior roots of virtue, the child then responded to the Bhagavān with these verses:
The Bhagavān replied:
The child asked:
The Bhagavān answered:
The child asked:
The Bhagavān answered:
The child asked:
The Bhagavān answered:
The child asked:
The Bhagavān answered:
The child said:
The Bhagavān answered:
The child asked:
The Bhagavān answered:
The child asked:
The Bhagavān answered:
The child said:
The Bhagavān answered:
The child asked:
The Bhagavān answered:
The child said:
The Bhagavān answered:
The child asked:
The Bhagavān answered:
The child said:
The Bhagavān answered:
The child asked:
The Bhagavān answered:
The child said:
The Bhagavān answered:
The child said:
The Bhagavān answered:
The child said:
Then, the Bhagavān drew his right hand, golden in color, from his Dharma robe and reached out toward the child, who took hold of the finger of the Bhagavān’s hand and stood up. The Bhagavān carried the child out of the empty house and set him down on the road.
The people gathered there thought, “This child was disturbed in just this way, and yet he was able to engage in such a debate regarding the qualities of the great being. The blessed buddhas truly are remarkable!” And as it was indeed remarkable, they offered sincere homage to the Bhagavān.
The Bhagavān then spoke the following words to the child: “Child, since your obscuration of karma has been exhausted, remember your previous roots of virtue and make them known to this great crowd of people. Show them a great miraculous feat!”
The child then floated up from the ground to the height of about seven persons, and from his body streamed light, which spread until it illuminated all of Śrāvastī, and the world of Jambudvīpa in its entirety.
The light drew the rapt attention of Śakra, Brahmā, the guardians of the world, and many hundreds of thousands of other gods, all of whom in that second, in that very moment, in that instant, went to where the Bhagavān was and bowed their heads to his feet in homage.
They tossed divine flowers to the Bhagavān and proclaimed: “O Bhagavān! This bodhisattva is inconceivably radiant such that he illuminates this buddhafield with light, and so he serves the welfare of innumerable beings!”
That is how that child came to be named Inconceivable Radiance. The Bhagavān also said, “Let this child be called Inconceivable Radiance,” and so he rejoiced in that name for the child.
The child Inconceivable Radiance then descended from the sky and came to rest on the ground. Through the power of the Buddha and his own prior roots of virtue, what transpired next happened like this: by the time he took a seat, the child’s body had grown to that of an eight-year-old child.
Then, the lord of gods Śakra presented the child with a bolt of heavenly fabric, saying, “Dear child, out of loving concern for me, wear this length of fabric. Don’t remain naked!”
The child Inconceivable Radiance then spoke these words to Śakra, the lord of gods: “Kauśika, it is not by wearing lovely clothes that bodhisattvas are made beautiful, but rather their beauty comes from bearing the ornaments of Dharma. Kauśika, it may be obvious, but nonetheless, let me tell you what the ornamental clothing of the bodhisattva mahāsattvas is.
“The ornamental clothing of bodhisattvas is the awakening mind, for it adorns the seat of awakening. The ornaments of modesty and propriety are the ornamental clothing of bodhisattvas, for they support all beings.
“Observing their commitments is the ornamental clothing of bodhisattvas, for it perfects their insight. Their intent is the ornamental clothing of bodhisattvas, for it eliminates deceit and guile.
“Application is the ornamental clothing of bodhisattvas, for it perfects all virtuous qualities. Superior intention is the ornamental clothing of bodhisattvas, for it sets them apart from all others.
“Absence of pride is the ornamental clothing of bodhisattvas, for it perfects their wisdom. Their pursuit of Dharma and longing for Dharma are the ornamental clothing of bodhisattvas, for these perfect their insight.
“Their lack of parsimony as preceptors is the ornamental clothing of bodhisattvas, for it perfects their dispassionate wisdom. Their utter disregard for all wealth is the ornamental clothing of bodhisattvas, for it perfects their excellent marks and signs.
“Pure discipline is the ornamental clothing of bodhisattvas, for it brings their aspirations to completion. Acceptance and gentleness are the ornamental clothing of bodhisattvas, for they become words that resound and roar like the voice of Brahmā.
“Stable resolve and fortitude are the ornamental clothing of bodhisattvas, for these fulfill all their goals. Their attainment of concentrations, liberations, absorptions, and equilibria are the ornamental clothing of bodhisattvas, for these perfect the wisdom of highly advanced cognition.
“The insight of knowing how to parse words carefully is the ornamental clothing of the bodhisattvas, for it eliminates latent tendencies, beliefs, and manifest afflictions. Great compassion is the ornamental clothing of bodhisattvas, for they never become discouraged in saṃsāra.
“Bearing no animosity toward any being is the ornamental clothing of bodhisattvas, for they never lose interest in the welfare of self and other. Teaching Dharma without material interest is the ornamental clothing of bodhisattvas, because insight liberates both self and other.
“Accomplishment of Dharma is the ornamental clothing of bodhisattvas, since it removes all mental disturbances. Kauśika, in this way you must see how bodhisattvas who possess ornaments of Dharma like these are never naked.”
The lord of gods Śakra was greatly pleased with the child and trusted in him, and so, addressing the Bhagavān, he asked, “Out of loving consideration for me, would the Bhagavān please tell him to accept this length of fabric?”
The Bhagavān then spoke to the child Inconceivable Radiance, saying, “Child, take this length of fabric and put it on.”
The child Inconceivable Radiance then went over to the Bhagavān, knelt with his right knee on the ground, pressed his palms together in salutation toward him, and then, in his presence, accepted the length of fabric and put it on.
The Bhagavān then went to receive alms in the town of Śrāvastī. The men and women, boys and girls, merchants and brahmins, householders, and the king and his major officials were amazed and assembled there to look upon the child Inconceivable Radiance, to look upon the Bhagavān, and to show them honor and homage. The Bhagavān accepted the offering of alms from each in turn and then went to the home of the mother of the child Inconceivable Radiance. When he arrived there, however, he said nothing and simply remained off to one side. Embarrassed, the mother of the child Inconceivable Radiance did not come out to the entrance to greet the Bhagavān.
The child Inconceivable Radiance went inside his home and then spoke the following verses to his mother:
The child Inconceivable Radiance then spoke to the lord of gods Śakra, saying, “Kauśika, give me some heavenly mandārava flowers, divine incense, and godly raiment. I shall give them to this mother who gave birth to me. By presenting them as a gift to the Bhagavān, she will generate the mind set on unsurpassed and perfect awakening.”
And so the lord of gods Śakra gave the child heavenly mandārava flowers, divine incense, and godly raiment. The child Inconceivable Radiance then spoke the following verses to his mother:
The woman then went over to the Bhagavān and offered homage by prostrating to his feet, made offerings to him, and put her request to him fully and respectfully, just as she had been instructed.
After she had made this request, the Bhagavān told her, “Through this accomplishment of roots of virtue you shall not go to the lower realms or an unfortunate state. Having pleased millions upon millions of buddhas, you shall yourself become a buddha, the holiest of persons.”
When he had finished receiving alms in the town of Śrāvastī, the Bhagavān, accompanied by the child Inconceivable Radiance and other lay people, left the town and returned to Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍada’s Park. The Bhagavān then took his meal, arose from his inner absorption, and readied himself to make the Dharma heard.
The king of the state of Kośala, Prasenajit, accompanied by his four military regiments, came to see the Bhagavān in Anāthapiṇḍada’s park. As he and his men arrived, they offered homage by prostrating to the Bhagavān’s feet and then sat off to one side.
Once they were seated at his side, the king of the state of Kośala, Prasenajit, said to the Bhagavān, “Bhagavān, where is the child Inconceivable Radiance, who possesses such wondrous and amazing qualities?”
The Bhagavān then pointed out the child Inconceivable Radiance, and King Prasenajit could see at first sight that the child’s physical body was fully developed, with a complexion superior to that of the gods, and that he was graced with fearlessness, disciplined conduct, absorption, and insight. The king therefore thought to himself, “Imagine what kinds of deeds he must have performed and accumulated in the past to have a pure body like that!”
The child Inconceivable Radiance, due to the power of the Buddha and because of his own past roots of virtue, knew in his mind what King Prasenajit had thought. So he said: