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Interestingly, Yeshé Nyingpo is a Tibetan translation of Jñānagarbha, and they could perhaps be coreferential terms. As far as we are aware, this was the only sūtra translated jointly by these two figures.
The Denkarma catalogue is dated to c. 812
Additionally, the sūtra was also translated into Mongolian from Tibetan, seemingly around the fourteenth century, although the colophon dates the translation to the seventeenth century (Higuchi 2015). The other mentions of the sūtra that we have come across are two brief references to it in Schopen 1983, pp. 121, 127.
Here “heavenly ornaments” translates the Tibetan mkha’ rten. The Sanskrit listed in the Negi dictionary for this term is vyomaka, which Monier-Williams defines as “a kind of ornament.”
Translated based on Stok: khri rnams dang ni khri la chu lta bu’i/ /mkha’ rten dag kyang byas nas de la ni. Degé: khri rnams dang ni khril tshul lta bu yi / mkha’ rten dag kyang byas nas de la ni. Yongle, Peking Kangxi, and Narthang: khri rnams dang ni khril chu lta ba’i / mkha’ rten dag kyang byas nas de la ni. Lhasa Zhol: khri rnams dang ni khri tshul lta bu yi / mkha’ rten dag kyang byas nas de la ni.
Translation tentative. Degé: lus dbyibs gcig la spi dza bzhi par ’gyur. The Pedurma edition records no variants. Stok: rus dbyibs gcig la spi dza bzhi bar ’gyur. Here we have translated this line based on the corresponding passage in the Chinese version, which reads 住在一處具足四事: “Residing in a single place, they will possess the four necessities” (i.e., shelter, clothing, food, and medicine).
Translation tentative. Degé: lus dbyibs gcig la spi dza bzhi. The Pedurma edition records no variants. Stok: rus dbyibs gcig la spi dza bzhi. Although the Chinese translation does not include this line, we have adopted the meaning from the seemingly identical line that occurred above (see n.7).
Translated based on Yongle and Peking Kangxi: shin tu bzang ba. Degé and Stok: shin tu bzung ba.
The translation “engaging with the world” is tentative. All Tibetan versions consulted read: ’jig rten spyod pa.
Translated based on Yongle, Peking Kangxi, Narthang, Lhasa Zhol, and Stok: thos. Degé: thob.
A buddha realm to the south.
One of the five tathāgatas.
The buddha associated with longevity.
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.
A nāga king; a member of the Buddha’s retinue.
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).
This term in its broadest sense can refer to any being, whether human, animal, or nonhuman. However, it is often used to refer to a specific class of nonhuman beings, especially when bhūtas are mentioned alongside rākṣasas, piśācas, or pretas. In common with these other kinds of nonhumans, bhūtas are usually depicted with unattractive and misshapen bodies. Like several other classes of nonhuman beings, bhūtas take spontaneous birth. As their leader is traditionally regarded to be Rudra-Śiva (also known by the name Bhūta), with whom they haunt dangerous and wild places, bhūtas are especially prominent in Śaivism, where large sections of certain tantras concentrate on them.
One of the primary gods of the Brahmanical pantheon, Brahmā rules the brahmā realm; a member of the Buddha’s retinue.
A mound or circular structure used as a focal point for offerings. When these contain relics of a buddha or other realized beings, they are more commonly called stūpas.
A god; a member of the Buddha’s retinue.
A buddha realm to the west.
A buddha realm to the north.
Alternatively, the power of memory and recall, or a verbal formula to be incanted in order to effect transcendent or mundane goals. When plural, this term can refer to the “four dhāraṇīs” of 1) recalling the teachings and 2) their meaning; 3) incantational formulas; and, 4) the acceptance of phenomena as unproduced.
A buddha who preceded Śākyamuni and prophesied his awakening.
The head, arms, and legs.
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.”
A god; a member of the Buddha’s retinue.
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).
The lowest hell; the eighth of the eight hot hells.
A buddha.
Śiva, one of the primary of the Brahmanical pantheon; a member of the Buddha’s retinue.
A divine river whose gold is believed to be especially fine.
The buddha realm of the Buddha Infinite Light, located above this world.
The Indian preceptor who assisted in the translation of this discourse.
A god; a member of the Buddha’s retinue.
Paltsek (eighth to early ninth century), from the village of Kawa north of Lhasa, was one of Tibet’s preeminent translators. He was one of the first seven Tibetans to be ordained by Śāntarakṣita and is counted as one of Guru Rinpoché’s twenty-five close disciples. In a famous verse by Ngok Lotsawa Loden Sherab, Kawa Paltsek is named along with Chokro Lui Gyaltsen and Zhang (or Nanam) Yeshé Dé as part of a group of translators whose skills were surpassed only by Vairotsana.
He translated works from a wide variety of genres, including sūtra, śāstra, vinaya, and tantra, and was an author himself. Paltsek was also one of the most important editors of the early period, one of nine translators installed by Tri Songdetsen (r. 755–797/800) to supervise the translation of the Tripiṭaka and help catalog translated works for the first two of three imperial catalogs, the Denkarma (ldan kar ma) and the Samyé Chimpuma (bsam yas mchims phu ma). In the colophons of his works, he is often known as Paltsek Rakṣita (rak+Shi ta).
The editor of this discourse.
A buddha who lives in a buddha realm to the west of this world.
A buddha who lives in a buddha realm to the south of this world.
A buddha who lives in a buddha realm below this world.
A class of dwarf beings subordinate to the great king of the south, Virūḍhaka. The name uses a play on the word āṇḍa, which means “egg” but is a euphemism for testicle. Thus, they are often depicted as having testicles as big as pots (from khumba, or “pot”).
The ancient republican state of the Licchavi people. Its capital was Vaiśālī.
A leader of the Licchavis.
A buddha realm below this world.
A nāga king; a member of the Buddha’s retinue.
A buddha.
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).
A buddha who lives to the east of this world.
A buddha who lives in a buddha realm to the east of this world.
A nāga king; a member of the Buddha’s retinue.
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.
A pond in the city of Vaiśālī.
A nāga king; a member of the Buddha’s retinue.
A nāga king; a member of the Buddha’s retinue.
One of the epithets of Viṣṇu.
A buddha realm to the east.
A god; a member of the Buddha’s retinue.
A buddha who lives in a buddha realm to the north of this world.
One of the kings of the asuras; the demon who causes an eclipse.
A class of nonhuman beings that are often, but certainly not always, considered demonic in the Buddhist tradition. They are often depicted as flesh-eating monsters who haunt frightening places and are ugly and evil-natured with a yearning for human flesh, and who additionally have miraculous powers, such as being able to change their appearance.
A young Licchavi; the main interlocutor of this discourse.
’phags pa rin chen dra ba can gyis zhus pa zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo (Āryaratnajāliparipṛcchānāmamahāyānasūtra). Toh 163, Degé Kangyur vol. 59 (mdo sde, ba), folios 144a–159b.
’phags pa rin chen dra ba can gyis zhus pa zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo. 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. 59, pp. 388–432.
’phags pa rin chen dra ba can gyis zhus pa zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo (Āryaratnajāliparipṛcchānāmamahāyānasūtra). Stok Palace Kangyur vol. 65 (mdo sde, pha), folios 53a–74a.
“Bǎo wǎng jīng 寶網經.” In Taishō Tripiṭaka, edited by Junjirō Takakusu and Kaigyoku Watanabe, vol. 14, no. 433. Tokyo: Taishō issaikyō kankōkai, 1924–1934.
Denkarma (pho brang stod thang ldan [/ lhan] dkar gyi chos ’gyur ro cog gi dkar chag). Degé Tengyur, vol. 206 (sna tshogs, jo), folios 294.b–310.a.
Herrmann-Pfandt, Adelheid. Die lHan kar ma: ein früher Katalog der ins Tibetische übersetzten buddhistischen Texte. Wien: Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, 2008.
Higuchi, Koichi. “Linguistic and Philological Value of Mongolian Buddhist Works: The case of Mongolian versions of Ratnajāli.” Acta Linguistica Petropolitana vol. XI, part 3 (2015): 541–47.
Schopen, Gregory. “The Generalization of an Old Yogic Attainment in Medieval Mahāyāna Sūtra Literature: Some Notes on Jātismara.” Journal of the International Association of Buddhist Studies 6/1 (1983): 109–147.
Prompted by a dream, the young Licchavi boy Ratnajālin invites the Buddha to the city of Vaiśālī. When the Buddha arrives Ratnajālin asks whether there are other buddhas whose names, when heard, bring benefit to bodhisattvas. The Buddha replies that there are, and he proceeds to describe the power of the names of buddhas in the four cardinal directions as well as above and below. Once Ratnajālin has understood the teaching on the power of the names of these thus-gone ones, the Buddha provides encouragement for the future propagation of this discourse.
Translated by the Dharmachakra Translation Committee under the guidance of Chökyi Nyima Rinpoche. The translation was produced by Timothy Hinkle, who also wrote the introduction. Andreas Doctor checked the translation against the Tibetan and edited the text.
The translation was completed under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.
The Questions of Ratnajālin belongs to the General Sūtra (mdo sde) section of the Kangyur. It was translated into Tibetan some time during the late eighth or early ninth century
The original Sanskrit no longer seems to be extant, but a single translation was made into Chinese (Taishō vol. 14, no. 433). This Chinese translation was produced much earlier than the Tibetan, sometime during the end of the third century
The Questions of Ratnajālin is primarily concerned with the benefits that arise from knowing the names of various buddhas in different realms. Like many sūtras, this scripture begins with an interlocutor raising a question to the Buddha. In this case, it is the young boy Ratnajālin who asks whether or not there are buddhas whose very names carry such transformative power as to elevate the knower to buddhahood in addition to arousing virtually all other important spiritual qualities. The Buddha replies that there are, in fact, several buddhas whose names hold such power and he proceeds to describe and name these buddhas and their realms as well as declare the specific effects that knowledge of their names enacts. The notion that a devotee can become destined for awakening merely by hearing the names of buddhas who live in other realms is shared by a number of Great Vehicle sūtras. In the Degé Kangyur, however, since a number of organizing principles were at play when the editors structured the canon, the texts concerned with the liberating effects of the names of various buddhas ended up not being grouped together based on their shared subject matter but instead became dispersed throughout the different sūtra collections due to other editorial concerns. Therefore, we find The Questions of Ratnajālin grouped together with the twenty-six sūtras that all share a similar title element (The Questions of…).
As for the events in the sūtra, the story begins in Vaiśālī with Ratnajālin, an eight-year-old boy of the Licchavi clan. Based on a dream, Ratnajālin leaves the city to invite the Buddha and the saṅgha to visit Vaiśālī for their daily alms round. The following day, the Buddha arrives in Vaiśālī as many miracles delight the people. At the proper time Ratnajālin asks the Buddha about the power inherent in the names of the buddhas, in particular whether there are buddhas whose names, simply upon being heard, have the efficacy to propel the listener forward on the path to awakening. In reply, the Buddha mentions six specific buddhas living in distant buddha realms in the four cardinal directions as well as in the directions above and below. He mentions them by name and declares that trust in their names and existence is the key factor that ensures a number of desired benefits, including the eventual attainment of awakening. Thus, as long as one trusts them, these buddha names have tremendous beneficial powers. Concluding his teaching, the Buddha describes the benefits that ensue from hearing this discourse—primarily that those who hear it will be able to attract many beings and propel them onto the path of awakening. Lastly, he advises the assembled community to uphold this discourse and offers Ratnajālin a prophecy of his future meeting with the Buddha Maitreya.
[B1] Homage to all buddhas and bodhisattvas!
Thus did I hear at one time. The Blessed One was dwelling in Vaiśālī in a mansion located by the Monkey Pond, together with a great assembly of monks. In the assembly were four hundred twenty million bodhisattvas. Some of the bodhisattvas, such as Maitreya, were held back by just one birth, while others were held back by two, three, four, five, ten, thirty, or forty births, with some bodhisattvas even held back by one thousand births. Also in the assembly were six hundred million worthy ones and nine hundred ninety million gods including the gods in the desire realm and form realm, the four great kings, Śakra who rules the gods, Brahmā who rules the Sahā world, the god Great Splendor, the god Candraprabha, the god Sūryaprabha, the god Pinnacle of Renown, and the god Joyful. In attendance were also the nāga kings Anavatapta, Sāgara, Vāsukin, Manasvin, Nanda, Upananda, Mucilinda, and Mahāmucilinda, as well as the asura sovereign Rāhu and the retinues of all the other asura sovereigns.
At that time, in the city of Vaiśālī, there was a Licchavi named Limitless Strength, who was the son of Siṃha the captain. Limitless Strength, son of Siṃha, himself had a son, a young Licchavi boy known as Ratnajālin. Since this child had previously served many buddhas, he had come to possess the lamp that shines with the immense light of the Dharma way. One time, when he was around eight years old, he had a dream as he slept. In his dream, the god Santuṣita descended from the Heaven of Joy and spoke to him, encouraging Ratnajālin with this melodious song:
In the morning, the Licchavi boy Ratnajālin told his father Limitless Strength, “Father, last night the god Santuṣita arrived from the Heaven of Joy and encouraged me with a melodious song. Father, I am telling you this so that we can begin the practice of worshiping the Thus-Gone One.”
At this point the Licchavi boy Ratnajālin sang these verses to his father Limitless Strength:
The Licchavi Limitless Strength was delighted and addressed the Licchavi Siṃha:
Then the Licchavi boy Ratnajālin left the city of Vaiśālī and went to where the Blessed One was staying. He bowed to the feet of the Blessed One and stood to one side. With him standing there to the side, the Blessed One delivered a Dharma discourse to the Licchavi boy Ratnajālin that delighted, captivated, and uplifted him, and made him utterly delighted.
The Licchavi boy Ratnajālin then stood up, draped his shawl over one shoulder, and knelt on his right knee. With his palms together he bowed toward the Blessed One and asked, “Would the Blessed One and his monastic saṅgha agree to take tomorrow’s midday meal at my home?”
Out of love for the Licchavi boy Ratnajālin, the Blessed One showed his acceptance of the offer by remaining silent. The Licchavi boy Ratnajālin understood that the Blessed One had accepted through his silence, and so he circumambulated the Blessed One three times before taking his leave.
The Licchavi boy Ratnajālin then entered the city of Vaiśālī along with Śakra who rules the gods, Brahmā who rules the Sahā world, and the god Great Splendor. With enthusiasm and delight, they began to prepare abundant varieties of food. When the night had passed, they set out cushions and decorated Vaiśālī. They then returned to the Blessed One, bowed to him, and stood to one side. The Licchavi boy Ratnajālin then said to the Blessed One, “Blessed One, it is time for the midday meal. If it please you, your meal is ready. The time has come.”
Accordingly, on that morning the Blessed One donned his lower garments and Dharma robes. Bearing his alms bowl, with his infinite saṅgha of monks he rose into the sky to the height of seven men and traveled to the city of Vaiśālī. As soon as he moved, the transformative power of the Thus-Gone One caused all the worlds of the great trichiliocosm to shake six times as they quivered, trembled, and quaked; wobbled, rocked, and swayed; vibrated, shuddered, and reeled; clattered, rattled, and clanged; and tremored, shook, and convulsed. Thus they shook six times with eighteen omens. He also displayed trillions of miracles as he traveled to the city of Vaiśālī. At that time, trillions of gods scattered and tossed blue, pink, red, and white lotuses, flowers made of precious divine substances, the powdered aloewood of the gods, powdered gems, gold from the Jambu river, and powdered divine gems upon the Blessed One. Trillions of divine instruments resounded. Unfathomable divine ornaments adorned him. In the sky above, a steady rain of red sandalwood powder fell to the depth of a chariot axle.
The Blessed One then arrived at the Licchavi boy Ratnajālin’s home and sat upon the seat that had been prepared for him along with the saṅghas of fully ordained monks and nuns and the assemblies of novice monks and nuns. Seeing that he had arrived, the Licchavi boy Ratnajālin personally served the Blessed One with an abundance of the finest food, drink, and sweets, to please him and serve him everything he wished for. When the Licchavi boy Ratnajālin noticed that the Blessed One had finished eating, he picked up the alms bowl, offered water, and covered the Blessed One’s hands. He then dressed the Blessed One with a priceless set of the three Dharma robes. He also dressed the saṅghas of fully ordained monks and nuns and the assemblies of novice monks and nuns with sets of the three Dharma robes. Why? He did this because he was moved by the power of the Blessed One.
The Licchavi boy Ratnajālin then asked the Blessed One, “If the Blessed One were to grant me the opportunity to request a teaching, I would like to ask the Blessed Thus-Gone One a few questions.”
The Blessed One responded to the Licchavi boy Ratnajālin, “Young man, you may ask the Thus-Gone One anything you are concerned with. Then I shall delight you with teachings that answer your questions.”
The Licchavi boy Ratnajālin then asked the Blessed One, “Blessed One, in other worlds, are there blessed buddhas that through their previous aspirations have names that, when merely heard, help noble sons and daughters who follow the Bodhisattva Vehicle to end all doubt and hesitation, to become irreversible and fully awaken to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood, to gain recollection of past lives, to never have a stingy attitude, to be surrounded by the bodhisattva assembly and to be without the assembly of hearers, to acquire countless trillions of virtues, to satisfy all beings by pleasing all the buddhas, to terrify the māras, to purify all buddha realms, to cleanse the stains in the minds of all beings, to inspire all beings to the virtuous Dharma, to be protected by the gods, to be considered by the bodhisattvas, to be blessed by the thus-gone ones, to never be separated from the blessed buddhas, to perfect bodhisattva conduct by possessing the finest qualities, to gain the entirety of the 84,000 verbal expressions, to attain the voice of Brahmā, and to gain a voice that is in conformity with all worlds?”
The Blessed One answered the Licchavi boy Ratnajālin, “Excellent, excellent, young man. Your thought to ask the Thus-Gone One about such subjects reflects excellent eloquence and fine analysis. Thus, listen well, young man, and bear what I say in mind. Then I will teach you.”
“Blessed One, I shall do just that.”
The bodhisattva Ratnajālin listened as the Blessed One had instructed, and so the Blessed One said, “Young man, to the east of here there is a world called Pearled. Young man, consider this: There are as many peaks of existence as there are grains of sand in the Ganges. And all those too are filled with the smallest possible particles. If a person then came along and carried away one single such particle and placed it in a spot past as many trillions of buddha realms as there are smallest particles in all those world systems under the peaks of existence—then, young man, by repeating this in the same way for a long time, would that great mass of particles eventually run out and reach its limit? Now, young man, tell me, would it be easy to consider, count, assess, or determine the places in the universe where that person placed or did not place those particles?”
“Blessed One, it would not be easy. Blessed One, for that reason, anyone who gets the right sense of this analogy that you have expressed would gain a great degree of understanding.”
The Blessed One said, “Young man, if all the worlds in which that person placed a particle, or alternatively the worlds in which that person did not place a particle—ranging from the mass of water underlying these worlds up to their peaks—were filled with minute particles, and if a second person came along and removed a single particle from them at a time and placed it in a spot past as many trillions of buddha realms as there were minute particles in those worlds, then, young man, by repeating this for a long time, eventually that great mass of particles would become dispersed. Young man, by this way of proceeding, the latter person would travel past nine million nine hundred thousand incalculable numbers of worlds and thus arrive past countless trillions of buddha realms.
“That is where the world called Pearled is located. There the thus-gone one, the worthy one, the perfect Buddha Majestic King with the Splendorous Voice of Learning Adorned by Precious Moonlight lives, abides, and teaches the Dharma. Young man, those noble sons or daughters who abide in the Bodhisattva Vehicle, who have no doubt regarding the name of the thus-gone, worthy, perfect Buddha Majestic King with the Splendorous Voice of Learning Adorned by Precious Moonlight, and who trust in my vision, will attain the dominion of a universal monarch after their lives are over. A buddha will appear within their dominions. When they see that thus-gone one, they will perform boundless veneration, practice pure conduct, and master the five types of miraculous abilities. Immediately upon beholding that thus-gone one, they will achieve the hundred-swirled dhāraṇī. They will serve as many buddhas as there are grains of sand in the Ganges. They will turn away from saṃsāra for an equivalent number of eons. Their minds will be undeluded, and they will fully awaken to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood. Their bodies will become solid like that of Nārāyaṇa. Residing in a single place, they will possess the four necessities. Their bodies will take on golden complexions. They will be adorned with the thirty-two major marks of a great being. They will gain the melodious voice of Brahmā. They will eliminate all unfree states and attain an abundance of leisure.”
In order to elaborate on the meaning of what he had taught, the Blessed One then spoke in verse:
Prompted by a dream, the young Licchavi boy Ratnajālin invites the Buddha to the city of Vaiśālī. When the Buddha arrives Ratnajālin asks whether there are other buddhas whose names, when heard, bring benefit to bodhisattvas. The Buddha replies that there are, and he proceeds to describe the power of the names of buddhas in the four cardinal directions as well as above and below. Once Ratnajālin has understood the teaching on the power of the names of these thus-gone ones, the Buddha provides encouragement for the future propagation of this discourse.
Translated by the Dharmachakra Translation Committee under the guidance of Chökyi Nyima Rinpoche. The translation was produced by Timothy Hinkle, who also wrote the introduction. Andreas Doctor checked the translation against the Tibetan and edited the text.
The translation was completed under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.
The Questions of Ratnajālin belongs to the General Sūtra (mdo sde) section of the Kangyur. It was translated into Tibetan some time during the late eighth or early ninth century
The original Sanskrit no longer seems to be extant, but a single translation was made into Chinese (Taishō vol. 14, no. 433). This Chinese translation was produced much earlier than the Tibetan, sometime during the end of the third century
The Questions of Ratnajālin is primarily concerned with the benefits that arise from knowing the names of various buddhas in different realms. Like many sūtras, this scripture begins with an interlocutor raising a question to the Buddha. In this case, it is the young boy Ratnajālin who asks whether or not there are buddhas whose very names carry such transformative power as to elevate the knower to buddhahood in addition to arousing virtually all other important spiritual qualities. The Buddha replies that there are, in fact, several buddhas whose names hold such power and he proceeds to describe and name these buddhas and their realms as well as declare the specific effects that knowledge of their names enacts. The notion that a devotee can become destined for awakening merely by hearing the names of buddhas who live in other realms is shared by a number of Great Vehicle sūtras. In the Degé Kangyur, however, since a number of organizing principles were at play when the editors structured the canon, the texts concerned with the liberating effects of the names of various buddhas ended up not being grouped together based on their shared subject matter but instead became dispersed throughout the different sūtra collections due to other editorial concerns. Therefore, we find The Questions of Ratnajālin grouped together with the twenty-six sūtras that all share a similar title element (The Questions of…).
As for the events in the sūtra, the story begins in Vaiśālī with Ratnajālin, an eight-year-old boy of the Licchavi clan. Based on a dream, Ratnajālin leaves the city to invite the Buddha and the saṅgha to visit Vaiśālī for their daily alms round. The following day, the Buddha arrives in Vaiśālī as many miracles delight the people. At the proper time Ratnajālin asks the Buddha about the power inherent in the names of the buddhas, in particular whether there are buddhas whose names, simply upon being heard, have the efficacy to propel the listener forward on the path to awakening. In reply, the Buddha mentions six specific buddhas living in distant buddha realms in the four cardinal directions as well as in the directions above and below. He mentions them by name and declares that trust in their names and existence is the key factor that ensures a number of desired benefits, including the eventual attainment of awakening. Thus, as long as one trusts them, these buddha names have tremendous beneficial powers. Concluding his teaching, the Buddha describes the benefits that ensue from hearing this discourse—primarily that those who hear it will be able to attract many beings and propel them onto the path of awakening. Lastly, he advises the assembled community to uphold this discourse and offers Ratnajālin a prophecy of his future meeting with the Buddha Maitreya.
[B1] Homage to all buddhas and bodhisattvas!
Thus did I hear at one time. The Blessed One was dwelling in Vaiśālī in a mansion located by the Monkey Pond, together with a great assembly of monks. In the assembly were four hundred twenty million bodhisattvas. Some of the bodhisattvas, such as Maitreya, were held back by just one birth, while others were held back by two, three, four, five, ten, thirty, or forty births, with some bodhisattvas even held back by one thousand births. Also in the assembly were six hundred million worthy ones and nine hundred ninety million gods including the gods in the desire realm and form realm, the four great kings, Śakra who rules the gods, Brahmā who rules the Sahā world, the god Great Splendor, the god Candraprabha, the god Sūryaprabha, the god Pinnacle of Renown, and the god Joyful. In attendance were also the nāga kings Anavatapta, Sāgara, Vāsukin, Manasvin, Nanda, Upananda, Mucilinda, and Mahāmucilinda, as well as the asura sovereign Rāhu and the retinues of all the other asura sovereigns.
At that time, in the city of Vaiśālī, there was a Licchavi named Limitless Strength, who was the son of Siṃha the captain. Limitless Strength, son of Siṃha, himself had a son, a young Licchavi boy known as Ratnajālin. Since this child had previously served many buddhas, he had come to possess the lamp that shines with the immense light of the Dharma way. One time, when he was around eight years old, he had a dream as he slept. In his dream, the god Santuṣita descended from the Heaven of Joy and spoke to him, encouraging Ratnajālin with this melodious song:
In the morning, the Licchavi boy Ratnajālin told his father Limitless Strength, “Father, last night the god Santuṣita arrived from the Heaven of Joy and encouraged me with a melodious song. Father, I am telling you this so that we can begin the practice of worshiping the Thus-Gone One.”
At this point the Licchavi boy Ratnajālin sang these verses to his father Limitless Strength:
The Licchavi Limitless Strength was delighted and addressed the Licchavi Siṃha:
Then the Licchavi boy Ratnajālin left the city of Vaiśālī and went to where the Blessed One was staying. He bowed to the feet of the Blessed One and stood to one side. With him standing there to the side, the Blessed One delivered a Dharma discourse to the Licchavi boy Ratnajālin that delighted, captivated, and uplifted him, and made him utterly delighted.
The Licchavi boy Ratnajālin then stood up, draped his shawl over one shoulder, and knelt on his right knee. With his palms together he bowed toward the Blessed One and asked, “Would the Blessed One and his monastic saṅgha agree to take tomorrow’s midday meal at my home?”
Out of love for the Licchavi boy Ratnajālin, the Blessed One showed his acceptance of the offer by remaining silent. The Licchavi boy Ratnajālin understood that the Blessed One had accepted through his silence, and so he circumambulated the Blessed One three times before taking his leave.
The Licchavi boy Ratnajālin then entered the city of Vaiśālī along with Śakra who rules the gods, Brahmā who rules the Sahā world, and the god Great Splendor. With enthusiasm and delight, they began to prepare abundant varieties of food. When the night had passed, they set out cushions and decorated Vaiśālī. They then returned to the Blessed One, bowed to him, and stood to one side. The Licchavi boy Ratnajālin then said to the Blessed One, “Blessed One, it is time for the midday meal. If it please you, your meal is ready. The time has come.”
Accordingly, on that morning the Blessed One donned his lower garments and Dharma robes. Bearing his alms bowl, with his infinite saṅgha of monks he rose into the sky to the height of seven men and traveled to the city of Vaiśālī. As soon as he moved, the transformative power of the Thus-Gone One caused all the worlds of the great trichiliocosm to shake six times as they quivered, trembled, and quaked; wobbled, rocked, and swayed; vibrated, shuddered, and reeled; clattered, rattled, and clanged; and tremored, shook, and convulsed. Thus they shook six times with eighteen omens. He also displayed trillions of miracles as he traveled to the city of Vaiśālī. At that time, trillions of gods scattered and tossed blue, pink, red, and white lotuses, flowers made of precious divine substances, the powdered aloewood of the gods, powdered gems, gold from the Jambu river, and powdered divine gems upon the Blessed One. Trillions of divine instruments resounded. Unfathomable divine ornaments adorned him. In the sky above, a steady rain of red sandalwood powder fell to the depth of a chariot axle.
The Blessed One then arrived at the Licchavi boy Ratnajālin’s home and sat upon the seat that had been prepared for him along with the saṅghas of fully ordained monks and nuns and the assemblies of novice monks and nuns. Seeing that he had arrived, the Licchavi boy Ratnajālin personally served the Blessed One with an abundance of the finest food, drink, and sweets, to please him and serve him everything he wished for. When the Licchavi boy Ratnajālin noticed that the Blessed One had finished eating, he picked up the alms bowl, offered water, and covered the Blessed One’s hands. He then dressed the Blessed One with a priceless set of the three Dharma robes. He also dressed the saṅghas of fully ordained monks and nuns and the assemblies of novice monks and nuns with sets of the three Dharma robes. Why? He did this because he was moved by the power of the Blessed One.
The Licchavi boy Ratnajālin then asked the Blessed One, “If the Blessed One were to grant me the opportunity to request a teaching, I would like to ask the Blessed Thus-Gone One a few questions.”
The Blessed One responded to the Licchavi boy Ratnajālin, “Young man, you may ask the Thus-Gone One anything you are concerned with. Then I shall delight you with teachings that answer your questions.”
The Licchavi boy Ratnajālin then asked the Blessed One, “Blessed One, in other worlds, are there blessed buddhas that through their previous aspirations have names that, when merely heard, help noble sons and daughters who follow the Bodhisattva Vehicle to end all doubt and hesitation, to become irreversible and fully awaken to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood, to gain recollection of past lives, to never have a stingy attitude, to be surrounded by the bodhisattva assembly and to be without the assembly of hearers, to acquire countless trillions of virtues, to satisfy all beings by pleasing all the buddhas, to terrify the māras, to purify all buddha realms, to cleanse the stains in the minds of all beings, to inspire all beings to the virtuous Dharma, to be protected by the gods, to be considered by the bodhisattvas, to be blessed by the thus-gone ones, to never be separated from the blessed buddhas, to perfect bodhisattva conduct by possessing the finest qualities, to gain the entirety of the 84,000 verbal expressions, to attain the voice of Brahmā, and to gain a voice that is in conformity with all worlds?”
The Blessed One answered the Licchavi boy Ratnajālin, “Excellent, excellent, young man. Your thought to ask the Thus-Gone One about such subjects reflects excellent eloquence and fine analysis. Thus, listen well, young man, and bear what I say in mind. Then I will teach you.”
“Blessed One, I shall do just that.”
The bodhisattva Ratnajālin listened as the Blessed One had instructed, and so the Blessed One said, “Young man, to the east of here there is a world called Pearled. Young man, consider this: There are as many peaks of existence as there are grains of sand in the Ganges. And all those too are filled with the smallest possible particles. If a person then came along and carried away one single such particle and placed it in a spot past as many trillions of buddha realms as there are smallest particles in all those world systems under the peaks of existence—then, young man, by repeating this in the same way for a long time, would that great mass of particles eventually run out and reach its limit? Now, young man, tell me, would it be easy to consider, count, assess, or determine the places in the universe where that person placed or did not place those particles?”
“Blessed One, it would not be easy. Blessed One, for that reason, anyone who gets the right sense of this analogy that you have expressed would gain a great degree of understanding.”
The Blessed One said, “Young man, if all the worlds in which that person placed a particle, or alternatively the worlds in which that person did not place a particle—ranging from the mass of water underlying these worlds up to their peaks—were filled with minute particles, and if a second person came along and removed a single particle from them at a time and placed it in a spot past as many trillions of buddha realms as there were minute particles in those worlds, then, young man, by repeating this for a long time, eventually that great mass of particles would become dispersed. Young man, by this way of proceeding, the latter person would travel past nine million nine hundred thousand incalculable numbers of worlds and thus arrive past countless trillions of buddha realms.
“That is where the world called Pearled is located. There the thus-gone one, the worthy one, the perfect Buddha Majestic King with the Splendorous Voice of Learning Adorned by Precious Moonlight lives, abides, and teaches the Dharma. Young man, those noble sons or daughters who abide in the Bodhisattva Vehicle, who have no doubt regarding the name of the thus-gone, worthy, perfect Buddha Majestic King with the Splendorous Voice of Learning Adorned by Precious Moonlight, and who trust in my vision, will attain the dominion of a universal monarch after their lives are over. A buddha will appear within their dominions. When they see that thus-gone one, they will perform boundless veneration, practice pure conduct, and master the five types of miraculous abilities. Immediately upon beholding that thus-gone one, they will achieve the hundred-swirled dhāraṇī. They will serve as many buddhas as there are grains of sand in the Ganges. They will turn away from saṃsāra for an equivalent number of eons. Their minds will be undeluded, and they will fully awaken to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood. Their bodies will become solid like that of Nārāyaṇa. Residing in a single place, they will possess the four necessities. Their bodies will take on golden complexions. They will be adorned with the thirty-two major marks of a great being. They will gain the melodious voice of Brahmā. They will eliminate all unfree states and attain an abundance of leisure.”
In order to elaborate on the meaning of what he had taught, the Blessed One then spoke in verse: