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Bhavya, Precious Lamp of the Middle Way (Madhyamakaratnapradīpa, Toh 3854); Alaṁkārabhadra, bzang po spyod pa’i smon lam gyi rgyal po’i rgya cher ’grel pa (Bhadracaryāpraṇidhānarājaṭīkā, Toh 4014), 246.b.
Dīpaṁkaraśrījñāna, byang chub lam gyi sgron ma’i dka’ ’grel (Bodhimārgapradīpapañjikā, Toh 3948), 245.b.
Dīpaṁkaraśrījñāna, dbu ma’i man ngag rin po che’i za ma tog kha phye ba zhes bya ba (Ratnakaraṇḍodghāṭanāmamadhyamakopadeśa, Toh 3930), 99.a, 107.b.
This phrase is not repeated in The Sūtra of the Sublime Golden Light, but otherwise, from this point on until the concluding section, it is repeated word for word and in the same translation as in chapter 5 of The Sūtra of the Sublime Golden Light (Toh 556), and in a different translation in chapter 5 of Toh 555.
Assuming that the Tibetan sman pa (“healing” or “doctor”) is the common error in transcription for phan pa (“benefit”), which are very similar in the dbu med script.
This differs from the usual list of paradises, where there are only three Brahmā paradises and Brahmapariṣadya is a synonym for Brahmakāyika. This list is said to come from a Vibhajyavāda “Distinctionist” tradition, which held views on the existence of phenomena that differed from those of the Sarvāstivāda tradition, which is the early tradition primarily transmitted into Tibet.
This paradise occurs only in the Vibhajyavāda cosmology. The corresponding passage in Toh 555, which was translated from the Chinese version, accords with the more common cosmology in Tibetan canonical texts.
The order in the most common cosmology (as followed by Toh 555) is Avṛha, Atapa, Sudṛśa, and Sudarśana.
According to Toh 555. Here and in Toh 556 the negative is missing with yin apparently written in error for min.
Assuming that the Tibetan sman pa (“healing” or “doctor”) is the common error in transcription for phan pa (“benefit”), which are very similar in the dbu med script.
Assuming that the Tibetan sman pa (“healing” or “doctor”) is the common error in transcription for phan pa (“benefit”), which are very similar in the dbu med script.
Assuming that the Tibetan sman pa (“healing” or “doctor”) is the common error in transcription for phan pa (“benefit”), which are very similar in the dbu med script.
Assuming that the Tibetan sman pa (“healing” or “doctor”) is the common error in transcription for phan pa (“benefit”), which are very similar in the dbu med script.
Assuming that the Tibetan sman pa (“healing” or “doctor”) is the common error in transcription for phan pa (“benefit”), which are very similar in the dbu med script.
Assuming that the Tibetan sman pa (“healing” or “doctor”) is the common error in transcription for phan pa (“benefit”), which are very similar in the dbu med script.
Assuming that the Tibetan sman pa (“healing” or “doctor”) is the common error in transcription for phan pa (“benefit”), which are very similar in the dbu med script.
Assuming that the Tibetan sman pa (“healing” or “doctor”) is the common error in transcription for phan pa (“benefit”), which are very similar in the dbu med script.
This reform of the spelling of written Tibetan, which included, for example, eliminating the second suffix d, was made in 816, during the reign of Tritsuk Detsen, a.k.a. Ralpachen (born circa 806, reigned 815–838).
“Clear Light.” The highest of the three paradises that correspond to the second dhyāna in the form realm.
A spiritual teacher, meaning one who knows the conduct or practice (ācāra) to be performed. It can also be a title for a scholar, though that is not the context in this sūtra.
The eighth and highest level of the Realm of Form (rūpadhātu), the last of the five pure abodes (śuddhāvāsa); it is only accessible as the result of specific states of dhyāna. According to some texts this is where non-returners (anāgāmin) dwell in their last lives. In other texts it is the realm of the enjoyment body (saṃbhogakāya) and is a buddhafield associated with the Buddha Vairocana; it is accessible only to bodhisattvas on the tenth level.
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.
The buddha of the western buddhafield of Sukhāvatī, where fortunate beings are reborn to make further progress toward spiritual maturity. Amitābha made his great vows to create such a realm when he was a bodhisattva called Dharmākara. In the Pure Land Buddhist tradition, popular in East Asia, aspiring to be reborn in his buddha realm is the main emphasis; in other Mahāyāna traditions, too, it is a widespread practice. For a detailed description of the realm, see \1\2The Display of the Pure Land of Sukhāvatī, Toh 115. In some tantras that make reference to the five families he is the tathāgata associated with the lotus family.
Amitābha, “Infinite Light,” is also known in many Indian Buddhist works as Amitāyus, “Infinite Life.” In both East Asian and Tibetan Buddhist traditions he is often conflated with another buddha named “Infinite Life,” Aparimitāyus, or “Infinite Life and Wisdom,”Aparimitāyurjñāna, the shorter version of whose name has also been back-translated from Tibetan into Sanskrit as Amitāyus but who presides over a realm in the zenith. For details on the relation between these buddhas and their names, see \1\2The Aparimitāyurjñāna Sūtra (1) Toh 674, i.9.
The nectar of immortality possessed by the devas, it is used as a metaphor for the teaching that brings liberation.
“Cloudless.” In the Sarvāstivāda tradition, the lowest of the three paradises that correspond to the fourth dhyāna in the form realm. Translated in other texts as sprin dang bral ba.
A wealthy merchant in the town of Śrāvastī, famous for his generosity to the poor, who became a patron of the Buddha Śākyamuni. He bought Prince Jeta’s Grove (Skt. Jetavana), to be the Buddha’s first monastery, a place where the monks could stay during the monsoon.
“Immeasurable Light.” The second highest of the three paradises that correspond to the second dhyāna in the form realm. Translated in other texts as tshad med snang ba.
“Immeasurable Goodness.” The second highest of the three paradises that correspond to the third dhyāna in the form realm.
According to Buddhist tradition, one who is worthy of worship (pūjām arhati), or one who has conquered the enemies, the mental afflictions (kleśa-ari-hata-vat), and reached liberation from the cycle of rebirth and suffering. It is the fourth and highest of the four fruits attainable by śrāvakas. Also used as an epithet of the Buddha.
“Beings without Perception.” A heavenly realm listed in this text between the twelfth heaven of the form realm, Bṛhatphala, and the five Pure Abodes of the form realm, known collectively as Śuddhāvāsa.
This is the fourth highest of the five Śuddhāvāsa paradises, the highest paradises in the form realm. In this sūtra it is the second highest. Here translated as meaning “Not Pained.” In other texts translated as ma dros pa (“Not Warm”).
In the Sarvāstivāda tradition, this is the lowest of the five Śuddhāvāsa paradises, the highest paradises in the form realm, and is said to be the most common rebirth for the “non-returners” of the Śrāvakayāna. In this sūtra it is the third highest.
In Buddhist literature, this is an epithet applied to buddhas, most often to Śākyamuni. The Sanskrit term generally means “possessing fortune,” but in specifically Buddhist contexts it implies that a buddha is in possession of six auspicious qualities (bhaga) associated with complete awakening. The Tibetan term—where bcom is said to refer to “subduing” the four māras, ldan to “possessing” the great qualities of buddhahood, and ’das to “going beyond” saṃsāra and nirvāṇa—possibly reflects the commentarial tradition where the Sanskrit bhagavat is interpreted, in addition, as “one who destroys the four māras.” This is achieved either by reading bhagavat as bhagnavat (“one who broke”), or by tracing the word bhaga to the root √bhañj (“to break”).
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).
“Brahmā’s Multitude.” The lowest of the three paradises that form the paradises of the first dhyāna in the form realm.
“Brahmā’s Entourage.” In this sūtra the highest of the three paradises that correspond to the first dhyāna in the form realm.
“Brahmā’s Principals.” Often the second highest of the three paradises that correspond to the first dhyāna in the form realm. Here it is the third highest with the addition of another Brahmā paradise.
A member of the highest of the four castes in Indian society, which is closely associated with religious vocations.
In the Sarvāstivāda tradition, the highest of the three paradises that correspond to the fourth dhyāna in the form realm.
An ideal monarch or emperor who, as the result of the merit accumulated in previous lifetimes, rules over a vast realm in accordance with the Dharma. Such a monarch is called a cakravartin because he bears a wheel (cakra) that rolls (vartate) across the earth, bringing all lands and kingdoms under his power. The cakravartin conquers his territory without causing harm, and his activity causes beings to enter the path of wholesome actions. According to Vasubandhu’s Abhidharmakośa, just as with the buddhas, only one cakravartin appears in a world system at any given time. They are likewise endowed with the thirty-two major marks of a great being (mahāpuruṣalakṣaṇa), but a cakravartin’s marks are outshined by those of a buddha. They possess seven precious objects: the wheel, the elephant, the horse, the wish-fulfilling gem, the queen, the general, and the minister. An illustrative passage about the cakravartin and his possessions can be found in The Play in Full (Toh 95), \1\23.3–\1\23.13.
Vasubandhu lists four types of cakravartins: (1) the cakravartin with a golden wheel (suvarṇacakravartin) rules over four continents and is invited by lesser kings to be their ruler; (2) the cakravartin with a silver wheel (rūpyacakravartin) rules over three continents and his opponents submit to him as he approaches; (3) the cakravartin with a copper wheel (tāmracakravartin) rules over two continents and his opponents submit themselves after preparing for battle; and (4) the cakravartin with an iron wheel (ayaścakravartin) rules over one continent and his opponents submit themselves after brandishing weapons.
One of the heavens of Buddhist cosmology, lowest among the six heavens of the desire realm (kāmadhātu, ’dod khams). Dwelling place of the Four Great Kings (caturmahārāja, rgyal chen bzhi), traditionally located on a terrace of Sumeru, just below the Heaven of the Thirty-Three. Each cardinal direction is ruled by one of the Four Great Kings and inhabited by a different class of nonhuman beings as their subjects: in the east, Dhṛtarāṣṭra rules the gandharvas; in the south, Virūḍhaka rules the kumbhāṇḍas; in the west, Virūpākṣa rules the nāgas; and in the north, Vaiśravaṇa rules the yakṣas.
See the “four confidences.”
An Indian paṇḍita who was resident in Tibet during the late eighth and early ninth centuries.
Literally, “to flow” or “to ooze.” Mental defilements or contaminations that “flow out” toward the objects of cyclic existence, binding us to them. Vasubandhu offers two alternative explanations of this term: “They cause beings to remain (āsayanti) within saṃsāra” and “They flow from the Summit of Existence down to the Avīci hell, out of the six wounds that are the sense fields” (Abhidharmakośabhāṣya 5.40; Pradhan 1967, p. 308). The Summit of Existence (bhavāgra, srid pa’i rtse mo) is the highest point within saṃsāra, while the hell called Avīci (mnar med) is the lowest; the six sense fields (āyatana, skye mched) here refer to the five sense faculties plus the mind, i.e., the six internal sense fields.
In the most general sense the devas—the term is cognate with the English divine—are a class of celestial beings who frequently appear in Buddhist texts, often at the head of the assemblies of nonhuman beings who attend and celebrate the teachings of the Buddha Śākyamuni and other buddhas and bodhisattvas. In Buddhist cosmology the devas occupy the highest of the five or six “destinies” (gati) of saṃsāra among which beings take rebirth. The devas reside in the devalokas, “heavens” that traditionally number between twenty-six and twenty-eight and are divided between the desire realm (kāmadhātu), form realm (rūpadhātu), and formless realm (ārūpyadhātu). A being attains rebirth among the devas either through meritorious deeds (in the desire realm) or the attainment of subtle meditative states (in the form and formless realms). While rebirth among the devas is considered favorable, it is ultimately a transitory state from which beings will fall when the conditions that lead to rebirth there are exhausted. Thus, rebirth in the god realms is regarded as a diversion from the spiritual path.
A buddha.
Dhyāna is defined as one-pointed abiding in an undistracted state of mind, free from afflicted mental states. Four states of dhyāna are identified as being conducive to birth within the form realm. In the context of the Mahāyāna, it is the fifth of the six perfections. It is commonly translated as “concentration,” “meditative concentration,” and so on.
A cosmic period of time, sometimes equivalent to the time when a world system appears, exists, and disappears. According to the traditional Abhidharma understanding of cyclical time, a great eon (mahākalpa) is divided into eighty lesser eons. In the course of one great eon, the universe takes form and later disappears. During the first twenty of the lesser eons, the universe is in the process of creation and expansion; during the next twenty it remains; during the third twenty, it is in the process of destruction; and during the last quarter of the cycle, it remains in a state of empty stasis. A fortunate, or good, eon (bhadrakalpa) refers to any eon in which more than one buddha appears.
A buddha.
This refers to the four confidences or fearlessnesses (as translated into Tibetan) of a buddha: full confidence that (1) they are fully awakened; (2) they have removed all defilements; (3) they have taught about the obstacles to liberation; and (4) they have shown the path to liberation.
The discernments of meaning, phenomena, language, and eloquence.
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 female disciple of the Tathāgata Great Mass of Light who became a cakravartin king eighty-four thousand times and eventually the Tathāgata Ratnārci.
The higher cognitions are listed as either five or six. The first five are divine sight, divine hearing, knowing how to manifest miracles, remembering previous lives, and knowing what is in the minds of others. A sixth, knowing that all defects have been eliminated, is often added. The first five are attained through concentration (Skt. dhyāna), and are sometimes described as worldly, as they can be attained to some extent by non-Buddhist yogis, while the sixth is supramundane and attained only by realization.
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.
See also “Anāthapiṇḍada.”
Jinamitra was invited to Tibet during the reign of King Tri Songdetsen (khri srong lde btsan, r. 742–98 ᴄᴇ) and was involved with the translation of nearly two hundred texts, continuing into the reign of King Ralpachen (ral pa can, r. 815–38 ᴄᴇ). He was one of the small group of paṇḍitas responsible for the Mahāvyutpatti Sanskrit–Tibetan dictionary.
“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.
A buddha.
The ruling caste in the traditional four-caste hierarchy of India, associated with warriors, the aristocracy, and kings.
“Great Brahmā.” The highest of the three (or, in this sūtra, four) paradises that correspond to the first dhyāna in the form realm.
A buddha in the distant past.
The term can be understood to mean “great courageous one” or "great hero,” or (from the Sanskrit) simply “great being,” and is almost always found as an epithet of “bodhisattva.” The qualification “great” in this term, according to the majority of canonical definitions, focuses on the generic greatness common to all bodhisattvas, i.e., the greatness implicit in the bodhisattva vow itself in terms of outlook, aspiration, number of beings to be benefited, potential or eventual accomplishments, and so forth. In this sense the mahā- (“great”) is close in its connotations to the mahā- in “Mahāyāna.” While individual bodhisattvas described as mahāsattva may in many cases also be “great” in terms of their level of realization, this is largely coincidental, and in the canonical texts the epithet is not restricted to bodhisattvas at any particular point in their career. Indeed, in a few cases even bodhisattvas whose path has taken a wrong direction are still described as bodhisattva mahāsattva.
Later commentarial writings do nevertheless define the term—variably—in terms of bodhisattvas having attained a particular level (bhūmi) or realization. The most common qualifying criteria mentioned are attaining the path of seeing, attaining irreversibility (according to its various definitions), or attaining the seventh bhūmi.
When the Buddhist teachings are classified according to their power to lead beings to an awakened state, a distinction is made between the teachings of the Lesser Vehicle (Hīnayāna), which emphasizes the individual’s own freedom from cyclic existence as the primary motivation and goal, and those of the Great Vehicle (Mahāyāna), which emphasizes altruism and has the liberation of all sentient beings as the principal objective. As the term “Great Vehicle” implies, the path followed by bodhisattvas is analogous to a large carriage that can transport a vast number of people to liberation, as compared to a smaller vehicle for the individual practitioner.
A buddha.
“Delight in Emanations.” The second highest paradise in the desire realm.
The third of the four attainments of śrāvakas, this term refers to a person who will no longer take rebirth in the desire realm (kāmadhātu), but either be reborn in the Pure Abodes (śuddhāvāsa) or reach the state of an arhat in their current lifetime. (Provisional 84000 definition. New definition forthcoming.)
One who has achieved the second of the four levels of attainment on the śrāvaka path and who will attain liberation after only one more birth. (Provisional 84000 definition. New definition forthcoming.)
las kyi sgrib pa gcod pa zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo (Karmāvaraṇapratipraśrabdhināmamahāyānasūtra). Toh 219, Degé Kangyur vol. 62 (mdo sde, tsha), folios 297.b–307.a.
gser ’od dam pa’i mdo. Toh 555, Degé Kangyur vol. 89 (rgyud ’bum, pa), folios 19.a–151a.
gser ’od dam pa mdo sde’i dbang po’i rgyal po zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo (Suvarṇaprabhāsottamasūtrendrarājanāmamahāyānasūtra). Toh 556, Degé Kangyur vol. 89 (rgyud ’bum, pa), folios 151.b–273.a.
gser ’od dam pa mdo sde’i dbang po’i rgyal po zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo (Suvarṇaprabhāsottamasūtrendrarājanāmamahāyānasūtra). Toh 557, Degé Kangyur vol. 90 (rgyud ’bum, pha), folios 1.a–62.a.
dkyil ’khor thams cad kyi spyi’i cho ga gsang ba’i rgyud (Sarvamaṇḍalasāmānyavidhiguhyatantra). Toh 806, Degé Kangyur vol. 96 (rgyud, wa), folios 141.a–167.b.
dpal sbas zhes bya ba’i mdo (Śrīguptanāmasūtra). Toh 217, Degé Kangyur vol. 62 (mdo sde, tsha), folios 269.a–284.a. English translation The Śrīgupta Sūtra 2021.
ma skyes dgra’i ’gyod pa bsal ba zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo (Ajātaśatrukaukṛtyavinodananāmamahāyānasūtra). Toh 216, Degé Kangyur vol. 62 (mdo sde, tsha), folios 211.b–268.b. English translation Eliminating Ajātaśatru’s Remorse 2023.
’jam dpal gyi rtsa ba’i rgyud (Mañjuśrīmūlakalpa). Toh 543, Degé Kangyur vol.88 (rgyud, na), folios 105.a–351.a. English translation The Root Manual of the Rites of Mañjuśrī 2020.
’od srung kyi le’u zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo (Kāśyapaparivartanāmamahāyānasūtra). Toh 87, Degé Kangyur vol. 44 (dkon brtsegs, cha), folios 119.b–151.b.
ral pa gyen brdzes kyi rtog pa chen po byang chub sems dpa’ chen po’i rnam par ’phrul pa le’u rab ’byams las bcom ldan ’das ma ’phags ma sgrol ma’i rtsa ba’i rtog pa zhes bya ba (Ūrdhvajaṭāmahākalpamahābodhisattvavikurvaṇapaṭalavisarā bhagavatī āryatārāmūlakalpanāma). Toh 724, Degé Kangyur vol. 93 (rgyud, tsa), folios 205.b–311.a, and vol. 94 (rgyud, tsha), folios 1.a–200.a.
lang kar gshegs pa’i theg pa chen po’i mdo (Laṅkāvatāramahāyānasūtra). Toh 107, Degé Kangyur vol. 49 (mdo sde, ca), folios 56.a–191.b.
las kyi sgrib pa rnam par dag pa zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo (Karmāvaraṇaviśuddhināmamahāyānasūtra). Toh 218, Degé Kangyur vol. 62 (mdo sde, tsha) folios 284.a–297.b. English translation Purification of Karmic Obscurations 2013.
blo gros mi zad pas zhus pa zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo (Akṣayamatiparipṛcchānāmamahāyānasūtra). Toh 89, Degé Kangyur vol. 44 (dkon brtsegs, cha), folios 175.b–182.b.
Ajitaśrībhadra. dga’ ba’i bshes gnyen gyi rtogs pa (Nandamitrāvadāna). Toh 4146, Degé Tengyur vol. 269 (’dul ba, su), folios 240.a–244.b.
Alaṁkārabhadra. bzang po spyod pa’i smon lam gyi rgyal po’i rgya cher ’grel pa (Bhadracaryā-praṇidhāna-rāja-ṭīkā). Toh 4014, Degé Tengyur vol. 117 (mdo ’grel, nyi), folios 234a–252b.
Ānandagarbha. rdo rje dbyings kyi dkyil ’khor chen po’i cho ga rdo rje thams cad ’byungs ba (Vajradhātumahāmaṇḍalopāyikāsarvavajrodaya). Toh 2516, Degé Tengyur vol. 62 (rgyud, ku), folios 1.a–50.a.
Anonymous. rgyal po gser gyi lag pa’i smon lam (Rājasuvarṇabhujapraṇidhāna). Toh 4380, Degé Tengyur vol. 309 (sna tshogs, nyo), folios 309b–310a.
Anonymous. ’jam pa’i rdo rje ’byung ba’i dkyil ’khor gyi cho ga sems can thams cad kyi bde ba bskyed pa (Mañjuvajrodayamaṇḍalopāyikāsarvasattvahitāvahā). Toh 2590, Degé Tengyur vol. 65 (rgyud, ngu), folios 225.a–274.a.
Anonymous. gser ’od dam pa mdo sde dbang po’i smon lam (Suvarṇaprabhāsottamasūtrendrapraṇidhāna). Toh 4379, Degé Tengyur vol. 309 (sna tshogs, nyo), folios 304.b–309.b.
Āryadeva. spyod pa bsdud pa’i sgron ma (Caryāmelāpakapradīpa). Toh 1803, Degé Tengyur vol. 65 (rgyud, ngi), folios 57.a–106.b.
Bhavya. dbu ma rin po che’i sgron ma (Madhyamakaratnapradīpa). Toh 3854, Degé Tengyur vol. 199 (dbu ma, tsha), folios 259.b–289.a.
Bhavyakīrti. sgron ma gsal bar byed pa dgongs pa rab gsal zhes bya ba bshad pa’i ti ka (Pradīpoddyotanābhisaṃdhiprakāśikānāmavyākhyāṭīkā). Toh 1793, Degé Tengyur vols. 32–33 (rgyud, ki), folios 1.b–292.a, and (rgyud, khi), folios 1.b–155.a.
Bodhisattva. kun nas sgor ’jug pa’i ’od zer gtsug tor dri ma med par snang ba’i gzungs bklag cing chod rten brgya rtsa brgyad dam mchod rten lnga gdab pa’i cho ga mdo sde las btus pa (Samantamukhapraveśaraśmivimaloṣṇīṣaprabhāsadhāraṇīvacanasūtrāntoddhṛtāṣṭottaraśatacaityāntarapañcacaityanirvapaṇavidhi). Toh 3068, Degé Tengyur vol. 74 (rgyud, pu), folios 140.a–153.a.
Buddhānandagarbha. de bzhin gshegs pa dgra bcom pa yang dag par rdzogs pa’i sangs rgyas ngan song thams cad yongs su sbyong ba gzi brjid kyi rgyal po zhes bya ba’i bshad pa (Sarvadurgatipariśodhanatejorājatathāgatārhatsamyaksaṃbuddhanāmakalpaṭīkā). Toh 2628, Degé Tengyur vol. 68 (rgyud, ju), folios 1.a–97.a.
Dharmakīrtiśrī. shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa’i man ngag gi bstan bcos mngon par rtogs pa’i rgyan zhes bya ba’i ’grel pa rtogs par dka’ ba’i snang ba zhes bya ba’i ’grel bshad (Abhisamayālaṃkāranāmaprajñāpāramitopadeśaśāstravṛttidurbodhālokanāmaṭīkā). Toh 3794, Degé Tengyur vol. 86 (sher phyin, ja), folios 140.b–254.a.
Dharmamitra. shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa’i man ngag gi bstan bcos mngon par rtogs pa’i rgyan gyi tshig le’ur byas pa’i ’grel bshad tshig rab tu gsal ba (Abhisamayālaṃkārakārikāprajñāpāramitopadeśaśāstraṭīkāprasphuṭapadā). Toh 3796, Degé Tengyur vol. 87 (sher phyin, nya), folios 1.a–110.a.
Dīpaṁkaraśrījñāna. dbu ma’i man ngag rin po che’i za ma tog kha phye ba zhes bya ba (Ratnakaraṇḍodghāṭanāmamadhyamakopadeśa). Toh 3930, Degé Tengyur vol. 212 (dbu ma, ki), folios 96.b–116.b.
Dīpaṁkaraśrījñāna. byang chub lam gyi sgron ma’i dka’ ’grel (Bodhimārgapradīpapañjikā). Toh 3948, Degé Tengyur vol. 213 (mdo ’grel, khi), folios 241.a–293.a.
Dīpaṁkaraśrījñāna. mngon par rtogs pa rnam par ’byed pa zhes bya ba (Abhisamayavibhaṅganāma). Toh 1490, Degé Tengyur vol. 22 (rgyud, zha), folios 186.a–202.b.
Ekādaśanirghoṣa. rdo rje ’chang chen po’i lam gyi rim pa’i man ngag bdud rtsi gsang ba (Mahāvajradharapathakramopadeśāmṛtaguhya). Toh 1823, Degé Tengyur vol. 35 (rgyud, ngi), folios 267.b–278.a.
Haribhadra. shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa brgyad stong pa’i bshad pa mngon par rtogs pa’i rgyan gyi snang ba (Aṣṭasāhasrikāprajñāpāramitāvyākhyānābhisamayālaṃkārāloka). Toh 3791, Degé Tengyur vol. 85 (sher phyin, cha), folios 1.a–341.a.
Kāmadhenu. ngan song thams cad yongs su sbyong ba gzi brjid kyi rgyal po zhes bya ba cho ga zhib mo’i rgyal po chen po’i rgya cher ’grel pa (Sarvadurgatipariśodhanatejorājanāmamahākalparājaṭīkā). Toh 2625, Degé Tengyur vol. 666 (rgyud, cu), folios 231.a–341.a.
Mañjuśrīkīrti. ’jam dpal gyi mtshan yang dag par brjod pa’i rgya cher bshad pa (Mañjuśrīnāmasaṃgītiṭīkā). Toh 2534, Degé Tengyur vol. 63 (gyud, khu), folios 115.b–301.a.
Paltsek (dpal brtsegs). gsung rab rin po che’i gtam rgyud dang shA kya’i rabs rgyud. Toh 4357, Degé Tengyur vol. 306 (sna tshogs, co), folios 239.a–377.a.
Paltsek (dpal brtsegs). pho brang stod thang lhan dkar gyi chos ’gyur ro cog gi dkar chag. Toh 4364, Degé Tengyur vol. 308 (sna tshogs, jo), folios 294.b–310.a.
Pramuditākaravarman. gsang ba ’dus pa rgyud kyi rgyal po’i bshad pa zla ba’i ’od zer (Guhyasamājatantrarājaṭīkācandraprabhā). Toh 1852, Degé Tengyur vol. 41 (rgyud, thi), folios 120.a–313.a.
Sahajalalita. kun nas sgor ’jug pa’i ’od zer gtsug tor dri ma med par snang ba de bzhin gshegs pa thams cad kyi snying po dang dam tshig la rnam par blta ba zhes bya ba’i gzungs kyi rnam par bshad pa (Samantamukhapraveśaraśmivimaloṣṇīṣaprabhāsasarvatathāgatahṛdayasamayavilokitanāmadhāraṇīvṛtti). Toh 2688, Degé Tengyur vol. 71 (rgyud, thu), folios 269.a–320.b.
Śāntideva. bslab pa kun las btus pa (Śikṣāsamuccaya). Toh 3940, Degé Tengyur vol. 111 (dbu ma, khi), folios 3.a–194.b.
Sthiramati. rgyan dam pa sna tshogs rim par phye ba bkod pa (Paramālaṃkāraviśvapaṭalavyūha). Toh 2661, Degé Tengyur vol. 68 (rgyud, ju), folios 317.a–339.a.
Vairocanarakṣita. bslab pa me tog snye ma (Śikṣākusumamañjarī). Toh 3943, Degé Tengyur vol. 213 (dbu ma, khi), folios 196.a–217.a.
Various authors. bye brag tu rtogs par byed pa [chen po] (Mahāvyutpatti*). Toh 4346, Degé Tengyur vol. 306 (sna tshogs, co), folios 1.a–131.a.
Various authors. sgra sbyor bam po gnyis pa. Toh 4347, Degé Tengyur vol. 306 (sna tshogs, co), folios 131.b–160.a.
Vinayadatta. sgyu ’phrul chen mo’i dkyil ’khor gyi cho ga bla ma’i zhal snga’i man ngag (Gurūpadeśanāmamahāmāyāmaṇḍalopāyikā). Toh 1645, Degé Tengyur vol. 25 (rgyud, ya), folios 290.a–309.a.
Vitapāda. gsang ba ’dus pa’i dkyil ’khor gyi sgrub pa’i thabs rnam par bshad pa (Guhyasamājamaṇḍalopāyikāṭīkā). Toh 1873, Degé Tengyur vol. 43 (rgyud, ni), folios 178.b–219.a.
Wönch’ük (Wen tsheg). dgongs pa zab mo nges par ’grel pa’i mdo rgya cher ’grel pa (Gambhīrasaṁdhinirmocanasūtraṭīkā). Toh 4016, Degé Tengyur vol. 220 (mdo ’grel, ti), folios 1.b–291.a; vol. 221 (mdo ’grel, thi), folios 1.b–272.a; and vol. 222 (mdo ’grel, di), folios 1.b–175.a.
Yeshe Dé (ye shes sde). lang kar gshegs pa zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo’i ’grel pa de bzhin gshegs pa’i snying po’i rgyan (Laṅkāvatāranāmamahāyānasūtravṛttitathāgatahṛdayālaṃkāra), Toh 4019, Degé Tengyur vol. 224 (mdo ’grel, pi), folios 1.a–310.a.
Kalzang Dolma (skal bzang sgrol ma). lo tsA ba ’gos chos grub dang khong gi ’gyur rtsom mdo mdzangs blun gyi lo tsA’i thabs rtsal skor la dpyad pa. In krung go’i bod kyi shes rig, vol. 77, pp. 31–53. Beijing: krung go’i bod kyi shes rig dus deb khang, 2007.
Lotsawa Gö Chödrup (lo tsā ba ’gos chos grub). In gangs ljongs skad gnyis smra ba du ma’i ’gyur byang blo gsal dga’ skyed, pp. 17–18. Xining: kan lho bod rigs rang skyong khul rtsom sgyur cu’u, 1983.
Ngawang Lobsang Choden (nga dbang blo bzang chos ldan). ’phags pa gser ’od dam pa mdo sde’i dbang po’i rgyal po’i ’don thabs cho ga (A Rite That is a Method for Reciting the Noble Sūtra of the Sublime Golden Light), s.n. s.l. n.d.
Pema Karpo (pad ma dkar po). gser ’od dam pa nas gsungs pa’i bshags pa. In The Collected Works of Kun-mkhyen padma dkar po, vol. 9 (ta), pp. 519–24. Darjeeling: kargyu sungrab nyamso khang, 1973–74.
Bagchi, S., ed. Suvarṇaprabhāsasūtram. Darbhanga: The Mithila Institute, 1967. Digital Sanskrit Buddhist Canon.
Banerjee, Radha. Suvarṇaprabhāsottamasūtra. London: British Library, 2006.
Buswell Jr., Robert E., and Donald Lopez Jr. The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism. Princeton University Press, 2014.
Di, Guan. “The Sanskrit Fragments Preserved in Arthur M. Sackler Museum of Peking University.” Annual Report of the Research Institute for Advanced Buddhology at Soka University for the Academic Year 2013, vol. XVII (Tokyo Soka University, 2014): 109–18.
Lewis, Todd T. “Contributions to the Study of Popular Buddhism: The Newar Buddhist Festival of Guṃlā Dharma.” Journal of the International Association of Buddhist Studies 16, no. 2 (Winter 1993): 309–54.
Nanjio Bunyiu, Idzumi Hokei. The Suvarṇaprabhāsa Sūtra: A Mahāyāna Text Called “The Golden Splendour.” Kyoto: The Eastern Buddhist Society, 1931.
Nobel, Johannes (1937). Suvarṇabhāsottamasūtra. Das Goldglanz-Sūtra: ein Sanskrit text des Mahāyāna-Buddhismus. Nach den Handschriften und mit Hilfe der tibetischen und chinesischen Übertragungen. Leipzig: Harrassowitz.
Nobel, Johannes (1944). Suvarṇabhāsottamasūtra. Das Goldglanz-Sūtra: ein Sanskrit text des Mahāyāna-Buddhismus. Die Tibetischen Überstzungen mit einem Wörterbuch. Leiden: E. J. Brill.
Nobel, Johannes (1944, 1950). Suvarṇabhāsottamasūtra. Das Goldglanz-Sūtra: ein Sanskrit text des Mahāyāna-Buddhismus. Die Tibetishcen Überstzungen mit einem Wörterbuch. 2 vols. Leiden: E. J. Brill.
Radich, Michael (2014). “On the Sources, Style and Authorship of Chapters of the Synoptic Suvarṇaprabhasa-sūtra T644 Ascribed to Paramārtha (Part 1).” Annual Report of the Research Institute for Advanced Buddhology at Soka University for the Academic Year 2013, vol. XVII (Tokyo Soka University, 2014): 207–44.
Radich, Michael (2016). “Tibetan Evidence for the Sources of Chapters of the Synoptic Suvarṇa-prabhāsottama-sūtra T 664 A Ascribed to Paramārtha.” Buddhist Studies Review 32.2 (2015): 245–70. Sheffield, UK: Equinox Publishing.
Tanaka, Kimiaki. An Illustrated History of the Mandala From Its Genesis to the Kālacakratantra. Somerville, MA: Wisdom Publications, 2018.
Tyomkin, E. N. “Unique Sanskrit Fragments of ‘The Sūtra of Golden Light’ in the Manuscript Collection of the St. Petersburg Branch of the Institute of Oriental Studies.” In Manuscripta Orientalia vol. 1, no. 1 (July 1995): 29–38. St. Petersburg: Russian Academy of Sciences.
Yuama, Akira. “The Golden Light in Central Asia.” In Annual Report of the International Research Institute for Advanced Buddhology at Soka University for the Academic Year 2003 (Tokyo: Soka University, 2004): 3–32.
84000. Eliminating Ajātaśatru’s Remorse (Ajātaśatrukaukṛtyavinodana, ma skyes dgra’i ’gyod pa bsal ba, Toh 216). Translated by Dharmachakra Translation Committee. Online publication. 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2023.
84000. Purification of Karmic Obscurations (Karmāvaraṇaviśuddhi, las kyi sgrib pa rnam par dag pa, Toh 218). Translated by Garchen Buddhist Institute Translation Group. Online publication. 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2013.
84000. The Śrīgupta Sūtra (Śrīguptasūtra, dpal sbas kyi mdo, Toh 217). Translated by Karen Liljenberg and Ulrich Pagel. Online publication. 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2021.
84000. The Sūtra of the Sublime Golden Light (1) (Suvarṇaprabhāsottamasūtra, gser ’od dam pa’i mdo, Toh 555). Translated by Peter Alan Roberts and team. Online publication. 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2023.
84000. The Sūtra of the Sublime Golden Light (2) (Suvarṇaprabhāsottamasūtra, gser ’od dam pa’i mdo, Toh 556). Translated by Peter Alan Roberts and team. Online publication. 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2024.
84000. The Sūtra of the Sublime Golden Light (3) (Suvarṇaprabhāsottamasūtra, gser ’od dam pa’i mdo, Toh 557). Translated by Peter Alan Roberts and team. Online publication. 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2024.
Emmerick, R. E. The Sūtra of Golden Light. Oxford: The Pali Text Society, 2004.
Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition (FPMT). Sutra of Golden Light, 21-Chapter.
Nobel, Johannes. Suvarṇaprabhāsottamasūtra, Das Goldglanz-Sutra, ein Sanskrittext des Mahayana Buddhismus. I-Tsing’s chinesische Version und ihre Übersetzung. Leiden: E. J. Brill, 1958.
The Buddha teaches how to become free of karmic obscurations and accomplish aspirations through a recitation that should be done three times during the day and three times at night. In that recitation one confesses one’s bad actions, rejoices in the good actions of others, and requests the buddhas to teach the Dharma and to not pass into nirvāṇa.
This text was translated by Peter Alan Roberts, who translated the text from Tibetan into English and wrote the introduction. Ling Lung Chen and Wang Chipan were consultants for the Chinese versions of the sūtra. Emily Bower was the project manager and editor. Tracy Davis was the initial copyeditor. Thanks to Michael Radich for sharing his research on the sūtra.
The translation was completed under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha. Rory Lindsay edited the translation and the introduction, and Xiaolong Diao, Ting Lee Ling, and H. S. Sum Cheuk Shing checked the translation against the Chinese sources. Ven. Konchog Norbu copyedited the text, and Celso Wilkinson was in charge of the digital publication process.
Putting an End to Karmic Obscurations presents a prayer used for karmic purification, and it includes an account of this prayer’s effectiveness during the time of a previous buddha. It relates the story of a woman named Gaṅgadevī, who, through practicing this sūtra, became a buddha in another realm. In addition to the confession of negative actions, the prayer describes rejoicing in the good actions of others as a method for accumulating merit, the dedication of one’s merit to the welfare of others, requesting the buddhas to teach the Dharma, and beseeching the buddhas to not pass into nirvāṇa. Thus, it contains five of the elements (lacking homage and offering) of the ubiquitous seven-branch prayer commonly recited in present-day Tibetan Buddhist practice.
The sūtra begins with Śāriputra asking the Buddha how to confess previous negative deeds. The Buddha gives a recitation that should be done three times during the day and three times at night in order to free oneself from karmic obscurations and attain whatever is aspired to—from rebirth into a good human family or various paradises, to the attainment of ultimate wisdom. The Buddha explains that one should also recite the words of rejoicing in the good actions done by others, requesting the buddhas in all worlds to teach the Dharma, and beseeching them to not pass away. He teaches that this creates greater merit than any other kind of Dharma practice, and that one should recite a dedication of merit to the enlightenment of all beings.
Next, the assembly promises to promulgate this sūtra, and Śakra states that it can bring an end to the obscurations of karma. In response, the Buddha describes a buddha in the distant past named Mahāraśmiskandha and a woman named Gaṅgadevī who received this very teaching from him. Through her dedication to this teaching, Gaṅgadevī was subsequently always reborn as a man until she became a buddha by the name of Ratnārci. At present, Ratnārci teaches in a realm a vast distance away in the eastern direction, and the sūtra states that any woman who hears the name of this buddha will no longer be reborn as a woman. The sūtra concludes with the Buddha naming the teachings, and all those who are present rejoice.
While the time of its emergence is unknown, this sūtra possibly predates The Sūtra of the Sublime Golden Light, the longer versions of which include Putting an End to Karmic Obscurations as their fifth chapter. Putting an End to Karmic Obscurations seems to have become important as one of the principal recitations used to bring about purification through confession, as evidenced by several Indian Buddhist works that mention it. The author of Precious Lamp of the Middle Way recommends its recitation, as does a certain Alaṁkārabhadra. In the eleventh century, Atiśa (982–1054), also known as Dīpaṁkaraśrījñāna, who came to Tibet in 1042 and is the source of the Kadampa tradition, recommends its recitation in his Commentary on Difficult Points in “The Lamp of the Path to Enlightenment” and also does so twice in his Opening a Precious Casket: Instructions on the Middle Way.
Methods to purify the obscuration of karma are a common topic in Mahāyāna sūtras, and this is certainly the case in The Sūtra of the Sublime Golden Light. There are three versions of The Sūtra of the Sublime Golden Light in Tibetan: a twenty-one-chapter version (Toh 557), a twenty-nine-chapter version (Toh 556), and a thirty-one-chapter version (Toh 555). The contents of Putting an End to Karmic Obscurations are absent in the shortest version but are included in both of the longer versions of the sūtra as their fifth chapter. The brief introduction and conclusion of Putting an End to Karmic Obscurations in its independent form are omitted in the versions of The Sūtra of the Sublime Golden Light, so instead of it being taught in Śrāvastī, it is, like the rest of The Sūtra of the Sublime Golden Light, taught on Vulture Peak near Rājagṛha.
The key chapter in The Sutra of the Sublime Golden Light in all three versions is that which provides a prayer of confession heard by a young man of Rājagṛha who, in a dream, hears that prayer emanating from a drum. The Buddha then teaches that this prayer is to be recited in order to purify oneself of karmic obscurations. The sūtra gives other methods of purification, even a purifying bath, and therefore it is not surprising that Putting an End to Karmic Obscurations may have later been included as one of its chapters.
In the Degé Kangyur, Putting an End to Karmic Obscurations is preceded by the similarly titled The Purification of Karmic Obscurations, and these two are preceded by Eliminating Ajātaśatru’s Remorse and The Śrīgupta Sūtra. Both of these deal with individuals who have committed extremely bad actions—King Ajātaśatru committed patricide and the householder Śrīgupta attempted to assassinate the Buddha—but are able to be saved from the effects of those actions by following the Buddha’s teachings.
The colophon of Putting an End to Karmic Obscurations states that it was translated by Jinamitra, Dānaśīla, and Yeshé Dé, which would have been in the early ninth century. This and chapter 5 of the twenty-nine-chapter version of The Sūtra of the Sublime Golden Light (Toh 556) are identical, so it appears that the Tibetan translators either incorporated a translation of Putting an End to Karmic Obscurations into The Sūtra of the Sublime Golden Light or extracted its chapter 5 with the addition of a translation of its introduction and conclusion.
The thirty-one-chapter Tibetan version of The Sūtra of the Sublime Golden Light was translated from Yijing’s Chinese translation. The Chinese version of Putting an End to Karmic Obscurations, which is titled Da sheng san ju chan hui jing 大乘三聚懺悔經, is very similar to Yijing’s translation of chapter 5. However, the language of chapter 5 in the Tibetan translation of Yijing’s version differs considerably from the Tibetan translation from the Sanskrit of the twenty-nine-chapter version (Toh 556) and the present sūtra.
Homage to the buddhas and bodhisattvas.
Thus did I hear at one time. The Bhagavat was residing with a great saṅgha of one thousand two hundred and fifty bhikṣus and seventy thousand bodhisattvas in Śrāvastī, in Jetavana, Anāthapiṇḍada’s Park.
Through the power of the Buddha, Venerable Śāriputra rose from his seat and with his upper robe over one shoulder, he knelt on his right knee, placed his palms together in homage, bowed toward the Bhagavat, and inquired of the Bhagavat, “Bhagavat, how should a noble son or noble daughter who has entered the Śrāvakayāna, or who has entered the Pratyekabuddhayāna, or who has entered the Mahāyāna, or any other being who is seeking the highest, most complete enlightenment of buddhahood, confess their individual karmic obscurations?”
After Venerable Śāriputra had asked that, the Bhagavat said these words to him: “Śāriputra, a noble son or noble daughter who has entered the Śrāvakayāna, or has entered the Pratyekabuddhayāna, or has entered the Mahāyāna, or any other being who wishes for the highest most complete enlightenment of buddhahood, should three times each day and three times each night, with the upper robe over one shoulder, kneel on the right knee, place their palms together in homage, and say these words:
“ ‘For the benefit of many beings, for the happiness of many beings, out of compassion for the world, and for the benefit and healing and happiness of multitudes of beings, devas and humans, I pay homage to the buddha bhagavats who in this present time have attained the highest, most complete enlightenment of buddhahood in worlds in the ten directions, those buddha bhagavats who conscientiously turn the wheel of the Dharma, teach the wheel of the Dharma, possess the way of the Dharma, give the gift of the Dharma, light the lamp of the Dharma, send down the rain of the Dharma, beat the drum of the Dharma, beat the great drum of the Dharma, blow the conch of the Dharma, raise the central pillar of the Dharma, and bring satisfaction to all beings with the gift of the Dharma.
“ ‘I pay homage with my head, voice, and mind to those who are the object of offering, the object of homage, and the object of respect, and who are wise, who are attentive, who are witnesses, who are valid, who have wisdom, and who have vision.
“ ‘While I have been circling in beginningless and endless saṃsāra, tormented by desire, tormented by anger, and tormented by stupidity, I have accumulated karmic obstructions with my body, speech, and mind. I have not acknowledged the Buddha, I have not acknowledged the Dharma, and I have not acknowledged the Saṅgha. I have not acknowledged what are good actions and what are bad ones. With malicious intent, I have caused a tathāgata to bleed, I have forsaken the Dharma, I have caused a division of the Saṅgha, I have slain a bhikṣu arhat, I have slain my parents, and I have followed the path of the ten bad actions—the three physical, the four verbal, and the three mental. I have made others commit them, I have rejoiced in their accomplishment, and I have spoken harshly to certain beings. I have maligned. I have cheated with weights. I have cheated with measures. I have made my parents unhappy. I have stolen the wealth of individuals, of stūpas, of saṅghas, and of the saṅghas of bhikṣus in the four directions. I have transgressed the vinaya and the foundations of the training. I have disobeyed the upādhyāyas and the ācāryas. I have been unpleasant to those who have entered the Śrāvakayāna, entered the Pratyekabuddhayāna, entered the Mahāyāna, and every other being—I have reviled and beaten them with a mind that is obstinate, angry, envious, and miserly. I have spoken harsh words to buddha bhagavats, have said that the sublime Dharma is not the Dharma, and have said that that which is not the Dharma is the sublime Dharma.
“ ‘All of this I individually confess in the presence of the buddha bhagavats who are wise, who are attentive, who are witnesses, who are valid, who have wisdom, and who have vision. I repent them, I do not conceal them, and I will not repeat them.
“ ‘Whatever karmic obscurations obscure me—those that will cause me to be in the hell realms, in the life of an animal, or in the land of the pretas; to be among the hosts of asuras; to not be able to please the Buddha, Dharma, and Saṅgha; and to be born in other unfortunate existences—that karma will ripen in this body and will not be experienced by anyone else. I confess each one in the presence of the buddha bhagavats, who are wise, who are attentive, who are witnesses, who are valid, who have wisdom, and who have vision. I repent them, I do not conceal them, and I will not repeat them.
“ ‘Just as the bodhisattva mahāsattvas of the past, in practicing for enlightenment, confessed each of their karmic obscurations, repenting them and not concealing them, in the same way I confess each one of my karmic obscurations, repent them, do not conceal them, and will not repeat them.
“ ‘Just as the bodhisattva mahāsattvas in the future, in practicing for enlightenment, will confess each of their karmic obscurations, repent them, and not conceal them, in the same way I confess each one of my karmic obscurations, repent them, do not conceal them, and will not repeat them.
“ ‘Just as the bodhisattva mahāsattvas in the ten directions in the present, in practicing for enlightenment, confess each of their karmic obscurations, repent them, and do not conceal them, in the same way I confess each one of my karmic obscurations, repent them, do not conceal them, and will not repeat them.
“ ‘Just as the bodhisattva mahāsattvas of the past, the future, and the present, in practicing for enlightenment, confess each of their karmic obscurations, repent them, and do not conceal them, in the same way I confess each one of my karmic obscurations, repent them, do not conceal them, and will not repeat them.’
“Thus, Śāriputra, a noble son or noble daughter who wishes to attain purity and absence of obscuration in all Dharmas should in that way confess their individual karmic obscurations, not conceal them, and state that they will not repeat them.
“Those who wish to be reborn like a great sal tree among the kṣatriyas, rich, with great wealth—with great possessions, with gold, with herds, with many requisites, very happy, and riding in a great carriage—should also in this way confess their individual karmic obscurations, not conceal them, and state that they will not repeat them.
“Those who wish to be reborn like a great sal tree among the brahmins, in a family like a great sal tree, that is rich, with great wealth—great possessions, gold, herds, many requisites, very happy, and riding in a great carriage—should also in this way confess their individual karmic obscurations, not conceal them, and state that they will not repeat them.
“Those who wish to be reborn into the same way of life as that of the devas of the Cāturmahā-rāja-kāyika should in this way confess their individual karmic obscurations, not conceal them, and state that they will not repeat them.
“Those who wish to be reborn among the devas of Trāyastriṃśa, with their same quality of life, should in this way confess their individual karmic obscurations, not conceal them, and state that they will not repeat them.
“In the same way, those who wish to be reborn into the same way of life as that of the devas of Yāma, Tuṣita, Nirmāṇarati, Paranirmitavaśavartin, Brahmakāyika, Brahmapurohita, Brahmapariṣadya, Mahābrahmā, Parīttābha, Apramāṇābha, Ābhāsvara, Parīttaśubha, Apramāṇaśubha, Śubhakṛtsna, Anabhraka, Puṇyaprasava, Bṛhatphala, Asaṃjñasattva, Sudṛśa, Sudarśana, Avṛha, Atapa, or Akaniṣṭha should in this way confess their individual karmic obscurations, not conceal them, and state that they will not repeat them.
“Those who wish to be reborn among the devas who have arrived in the state of infinite space, the state of infinite consciousness, the state of nothingness, or the state of neither perception nor nonperception, with their condition of life, should in this way confess their individual karmic obscurations, not conceal them, and state that they will not repeat them.
“Those who wish to reach the result of a stream entrant, the result of a once-returner, the result of a non-returner, or to manifest arhathood, should in this way confess their individual karmic obscurations, not conceal them, and state that they will not repeat them.
“Those who wish to have the three knowledges, or the six higher cognitions, or the strengths, or the powers, or the final goal of the śrāvakas, or fame as a very powerful śrāvaka, or to manifest the enlightenment of a pratyekabuddha, should in this way confess their individual karmic obscurations, not conceal them, and state that they will not repeat them.
“Those who wish to accomplish omniscient wisdom, completely pure wisdom, inconceivable wisdom, unequaled wisdom, and the wisdom of complete buddhahood should in this way confess their individual karmic obscurations, not conceal them, and state that they will not repeat them.
“Why is that? Śāriputra, the Tathāgata has taught, ‘All phenomena originate through dependence.’ Because of certain causes and conditions, there is creation or cessation. The qualities that transcend this have no cessation or end, and they also do not have the slightest karmic obscuration. They arise from the absence of anything that is composite. Why is that? Śāriputra, the Tathāgata has taught, ‘All phenomena are empty, have no being, have no soul, have no individuality, are unborn, are unceasing, and are noncomposite.’
“Śāriputra, all phenomena do not arise from self or have a self. Śāriputra, the engagement by a noble son or noble daughter in the nature of the ultimate Dharma of no being is called the end of the continuity of karmic obscuration, and that, Śāriputra, is the confession.”
Venerable Śāriputra then asked the Bhagavat, “Bhagavat, how should a noble son or noble daughter who has entered the Śrāvakayāna, or has entered the Pratyekabuddhayāna, or has entered the Mahāyāna, or any other being who is seeking the highest, most complete enlightenment of buddhahood, rejoice in the roots of merit?”
After Venerable Śāriputra had asked that, the Bhagavat said to him, “Śāriputra, a noble son or noble daughter who has entered the Śrāvakayāna, or has entered the Pratyekabuddhayāna, or has entered the Mahāyāna, or any other being who is seeking the highest, most complete enlightenment of buddhahood, should three times each day and three times each night, with the upper robe over one shoulder, kneel on the right knee, place their palms together in homage, and say these words:
“ ‘I rejoice with the greatest joy in whatever merit has arisen from the generosity of beings in the ten directions, from their good conduct, and from the merit that has arisen from their meditation. I rejoice in that merit with a joy that is sublime, preeminent, superior, complete, perfect, excellent, the highest, unsurpassable, superlative, unequaled, and that has no equal.
“ ‘I rejoice with the greatest joy in whatever merit is arising from the generosity of beings in the ten directions, from their good conduct, and from the merit that is arising from their meditation. I rejoice in that merit with a joy that is … and so on, until and that has no equal.
“ ‘I rejoice with the greatest joy in whatever merit will arise from the generosity of beings in the ten directions, from their good conduct, and from the merit that will arise from their meditation. I rejoice in that merit with a joy that is … and so on, until and that has no equal.
“ ‘I rejoice with the greatest joy in all the roots of merit possessed by those bodhisattvas in the present who have first developed the aspiration to enlightenment, in all the accumulations of merit of bodhisattvas during a hundred eons, in all the accumulations of merit of bodhisattvas who have attained patience in the birthlessness of phenomena, in all the accumulations of merit of those who have become irreversible, and in all the accumulations of merit of bodhisattvas who have one life remaining. I rejoice in them with joy that is … and so on, until and that has no equal.
“ ‘I rejoice with the greatest joy in all the good roots of possessing the six perfections that were produced by the bodhisattva mahāsattvas during their past bodhisattva practice. I rejoice in them with a joy that is sublime, preeminent, superior, complete, perfect, excellent, the highest, unsurpassable, none-higher, unequaled, and that has no equal.
“ ‘I rejoice with the greatest joy in all the accumulations of merit from possessing the six perfections that will be produced by the bodhisattva mahāsattvas in their bodhisattva practice in the future. I rejoice in them with a joy that is sublime, pre-eminent, superior, complete, perfect, excellent, the highest, unsurpassable, none-higher, unequaled, and that has no equal.
“ ‘I rejoice with the greatest joy in all the accumulations of merit from possessing the six perfections that are being produced by the bodhisattva mahāsattvas in their bodhisattva practice in the present. I rejoice in them with a joy that is sublime, preeminent, superior, complete, perfect, excellent, the highest, unsurpassable, none-higher, unequaled, and that has no equal.
“ ‘I rejoice with the greatest joy in the conscientious conduct of the tathāgata arhat samyaksaṃbuddhas of the past, who for the sake of benefit for many beings, for the happiness of many beings, out of compassion for the world, and for the welfare, benefit, and happiness of multitudes of beings, devas and humans, attained the highest, most complete enlightenment of buddhahood; turned the wheel of the Dharma; taught the wheel of the Dharma; possessed the way of the Dharma; gave the gift of the Dharma; lit the lamp of the Dharma; sent down the rain of the Dharma; beat the drum of the Dharma; beat the great drum of the Dharma; blew the conch of the Dharma; raised the central pillar of the Dharma; and brought satisfaction to all beings with the gift of the Dharma, through which roots of merit were generated by beings who entered the Śrāvakayāna, beings who entered the Pratyekabuddhayāna, beings who entered the Bodhisattvayāna, or any other beings. I rejoice in them with a joy that is … and so on, until and that has no equal.
“ ‘I rejoice with the greatest joy in the conscientious conduct of the tathāgata arhat samyaksaṃbuddhas of the future, who for the sake of the benefit for many beings, for the happiness of many beings, out of compassion for the world, and for the welfare, benefit, and happiness of multitudes of beings, devas and humans, will attain the highest, most complete enlightenment of buddhahood; turn the wheel of the Dharma; teach the wheel of the Dharma; possess the way of the Dharma; give the gift of the Dharma; light the lamp of the Dharma; send down the rain of the Dharma; beat the drum of the Dharma; beat the great drum of the Dharma; blow the conch of the Dharma; raise the central pillar of the Dharma; and bring satisfaction to all beings with the gift of the Dharma, through which roots of merit will be generated by beings who have entered the Śrāvakayāna, beings who have entered the Pratyekabuddhayāna, beings who have entered the Bodhisattvayāna, or any other beings. I rejoice in them with a joy that is … and so on, until and that has no equal.
“ ‘I rejoice with the greatest joy in the conscientious conduct of the tathāgata arhat samyaksaṃbuddhas of the present time in the worlds of the ten directions, who for the sake of the benefit for many beings, for the happiness of many beings, out of compassion for the world, and for the welfare, benefit, and happiness of multitudes of beings, devas and humans, have attained the highest, most complete enlightenment of buddhahood; turn the wheel of the Dharma; teach the wheel of the Dharma; possess the way of the Dharma; give the gift of the Dharma; light the lamp of the Dharma; send down the rain of the Dharma; beat the drum of the Dharma; beat the great drum of the Dharma; blow the conch of the Dharma; raise the central pillar of the Dharma; and bring satisfaction to all beings with the gift of the Dharma, through which the roots of merit are generated by beings who have entered the Śrāvakayāna, beings who have entered the Pratyekabuddhayāna, beings who have entered the Bodhisattvayāna or any other beings. I rejoice in them with a joy that is … and so on, until and that has no equal.’
“Śāriputra, this is rejoicing’s aggregation of merit. If a noble son or noble daughter rejoices with this merit from rejoicing, they will generate many incalculable, measureless aggregations of merit.
“Śāriputra, if the beings in not only this trichiliocosm world realm but in as many world realms as there are grains of sand in the Ganges River were all arhats, whose defilements had ceased, and if a noble son or noble daughter were to serve them for as long as they lived with clothing, food, medicines when ill, and other requisites, even then someone who rejoices through this rejoicing would create immeasurably, incalculably greater merit.
“Therefore, Śāriputra, a noble son or noble daughter who wishes for the highest, most complete enlightenment of buddhahood should rejoice with this kind of rejoicing. A woman who wishes to attain a male’s organs, who wishes to exchange her female organs for them, should rejoice with this kind of rejoicing.”
When the Bhagavat had said that, Venerable Śāriputra said to the Bhagavat, “Bhagavat, I pray that you teach the accumulation of supplications that illuminates the bodhisattva mahāsattvas of the future and gives rise to aspiration in the bodhisattvas of the present.”
When Venerable Śāriputra had said that, the Bhagavat replied to him, “Śāriputra, a noble son or noble daughter who has entered the Śrāvakayāna, or has entered the Pratyekabuddhayāna, or has entered the Mahāyāna, or any other being who wishes for the highest, most complete enlightenment of buddhahood, should three times each day and three times each night, with the upper robe over one shoulder, kneel on the right knee, place their palms together in homage, and say these words:
“ ‘I pay homage to the buddha bhagavats who in this present time in the worlds of the ten directions have attained the highest, most complete enlightenment of buddhahood.
“ ‘Through my paying homage to those buddha bhagavats, and requesting them to turn the wheel of the Dharma, I pray that those buddha bhagavats, for the sake of benefit for many beings, for the happiness of many beings, out of compassion for the world, and for the welfare, benefit, and happiness of multitudes of beings, devas and humans, turn the wheel of the Dharma. I pray that they teach the wheel of the Dharma. I pray that they possess the way of the Dharma. I pray that they give the gift of the Dharma. I pray that they light the lamp of the Dharma. I pray that they send down the rain of the Dharma. I pray that they let fall the rain of the Dharma. I pray that they beat the drum of the Dharma. I pray that they beat the great drum of the Dharma. I pray that they blow the conch of the Dharma. I pray that they raise the central pillar of the Dharma.’
“Śāriputra, a noble son or noble daughter who has entered the Śrāvakayāna, or has entered the Pratyekabuddhayāna, or has entered the Mahāyāna, or any other being who wishes for the highest, most complete enlightenment of buddhahood, should three times each day and three times each night, with the upper robe over one shoulder, kneel on the right knee, place palms together in homage, and say these words:
“ ‘I pay homage to the buddha bhagavats who in this present time in the worlds of the ten directions are giving up their composite life.
“ ‘Through my paying homage to those buddha bhagavats, and requesting them to turn the wheel of the Dharma, I pray that those buddha bhagavats, for the sake of benefit for many beings, for the happiness of many beings, out of compassion for the world, and for the welfare, benefit, and happiness of multitudes of beings, devas and humans, turn the wheel of the Dharma, light the lamp of the Dharma, send down the rain of the Dharma, let fall the rain of the Dharma, beat the drum of the Dharma, beat the great drum of the Dharma, blow the conch of the Dharma, raise the central pillar of the Dharma, increase the lamp of the Dharma, and satisfy all beings with the gift of the Dharma.
“ ‘I also dedicate this accumulation of supplications to the highest, most complete enlightenment. I dedicate this in such a way that it is dedicated to the highest, most complete enlightenment.’
“Śāriputra, this is the accumulation of supplications. If a noble son or noble daughter were to supplicate with this accumulation of supplications, they would create immeasurably, incalculably greater merit than that.
“Śāriputra, if a noble son or noble daughter were to make an offering to the tathāgatas of the entire trichiliocosm world realm filled with the seven jewels, someone who supplicates the tathāgatas to turn the wheel of the Dharma would create immeasurably, incalculably greater merit than that.
“Śāriputra, let alone this trichiliocosm world realm—Śāriputra, if a noble son or noble daughter were to make an offering to the tathāgatas of as many trichiliocosm world realms filled with the seven jewels as there are grains of sand in the Ganges River, still, someone who supplicates the tathāgatas to turn the wheel of the Dharma would create immeasurably, incalculably greater merit than that.
“Why is that? Śāriputra, when in the past I was practicing bodhisattva conduct, I supplicated the tathāgatas to turn the wheel of the Dharma. It is because of that root of merit that Śakra, the lord of the devas, and Brahmā, the lord of Sahā, supplicated me to turn the wheel of the Dharma, saying, ‘Bhagavat, we pray that you turn the wheel of the Dharma for the sake of benefit for many beings, for the happiness of many beings, out of compassion for the world, and for the welfare, benefit, and happiness of multitudes of beings, devas and humans.’
“Śāriputra, when in the past I was practicing bodhisattva conduct, I prayed that the tathāgatas remain for a long time. It is because of that root of merit that I have attained the four confidences, the ten strengths of the tathāgatas, the eighteen unique qualities of a buddha, the four discernments, great love, great compassion, and complete nirvāṇa, and that my Dharma will remain for a long time.”
When the Bhagavat had said that, Venerable Śāriputra asked the Bhagavat, “Bhagavat, how should a noble son or noble daughter who has entered the Śrāvakayāna, or has entered the Pratyekabuddhayāna, or has entered the Mahāyāna, or any other being who wishes for the highest, most complete enlightenment of buddhahood, dedicate their roots of merit in order to gain omniscience?”
When Venerable Śāriputra had asked that, the Bhagavat said to him, “Śāriputra, a noble son or noble daughter who has entered the Śrāvakayāna, or has entered the Pratyekabuddhayāna, or has entered the Mahāyāna, or any other being who wishes for the highest, most complete enlightenment of buddhahood, should three times each day and three times each night say these words:
“ ‘Whatever good roots I have created while circling in beginningless and endless saṃsāra—whatever good roots I have from giving even a handful of food to the Buddha, to the Dharma, to the Saṅgha, or even to those reborn as an animal, or to any other being; whatever good roots I have from confession, from supplication, from taking refuge, or from possessing the basis of the training; whatever good roots I have from individual confessions; whatever merit I have from rejoicing; and whatever good roots I have from supplication—I gather them all into one, and with a mind that is tamed, liberated, and without grasping, I bestow all of that together on all beings.
“ ‘Just as the buddha bhagavats, with the unimpeded wisdom of buddhahood, know their giving of the roots of merit to all beings, I give the roots of merit in the same way.
“ ‘May all beings have jewels in their hands. May they attain the treasury of space, enjoyment that knows no end, merit that knows no end, Dharma that knows no end, knowledge that knows no end, eloquence that knows no end, the highest, most complete enlightenment of buddhahood, and omniscient wisdom.
“ ‘I combine into one and unify whatever merit arises from my bestowing the roots of merit on all beings, and I dedicate it to the highest, most complete enlightenment.
“ ‘Through this root of merit may I and all beings attain the highest, most complete enlightenment of buddhahood and may we attain omniscient wisdom.
“ ‘Just as the bodhisattva mahāsattvas of the past, practicing for the sake of enlightenment, dedicated their roots of merit for the sake of omniscience, in that same way I also dedicate my roots of merit for the sake of omniscience.
“ ‘Through this root of merit may I and all beings attain the highest, most complete enlightenment of buddhahood and may we attain omniscient wisdom.
“ ‘Just as the bodhisattva mahāsattvas of the future, practicing for the sake of enlightenment, will dedicate their roots of merit for the sake of omniscience, in that same way I also will dedicate my roots of merit for the sake of omniscience.
“ ‘Through this root of merit may I and all beings attain the highest, most complete enlightenment of buddhahood and may we attain omniscient wisdom.
“ ‘Just as the bodhisattva mahāsattvas of the present, practicing for the sake of enlightenment, dedicate their roots of merit for the sake of omniscience, in that same way I also dedicate my roots of merit for the sake of omniscience.
“ ‘Through this root of merit may I and all beings attain the highest, most complete enlightenment of buddhahood and may we attain omniscient wisdom.
Just as the Bhagavat Tathāgata Śākyamuni sat upon the Bodhimaṇḍa; remained in the inconceivable, stainless, and extremely difficult samādhi of buddhahood; defeated evil Māra; and at dawn obtained the amṛta of wisdom that in an instant had all knowledge, had the view, had realization, had complete enlightenment, and had gained the buddhahood of the path to deathlessness, in that same way may I and all beings attain the highest, most complete enlightenment of buddhahood. May we attain omniscient wisdom.
“ ‘Just as the tathāgata arhat samyaksaṃbuddhas, including the Bhagavat Tathāgata Amitābha, Varaprabha, Virtue of Light, Puṇyaprabha, Akṣobhya, Siṃha, Śatakiraṇa, Exalted Light Rays, Net of Light, Ratnārci, Prabhājvala, King of Illumination, Vibhūṣita, Ratnaketu, Dharmadhvaja, and Varāṅga, and other buddha bhagavats who attained the highest, most complete enlightenment of buddhahood, turned the wheel of the Dharma for the sake of benefit for many beings, for the happiness of many beings, out of compassion for the world, and for the welfare, benefit, and happiness of multitudes of beings, devas and humans, in the same way may I and all beings attain the highest, most complete enlightenment of buddhahood and turn the wheel of the Dharma for the sake of benefit for many beings, for the happiness of many beings, out of compassion for the world, and for the welfare, benefit, and happiness of multitudes of beings, devas and humans.’
“Śāriputra, that is the accumulation of dedication. The previous accumulations of merit cannot approach the vastness of this accumulation of dedication and cannot even serve as an analogy for it.
“Śāriputra, a noble son or noble daughter who obtains this sūtra, learns it, possesses it, reads it, and teaches it widely to others will develop an even greater, incalculable, measureless accumulation of merit.
“Śāriputra, if all the past and future beings that are in a trichiliocosm world realm were to attain human bodies, and having gained human bodies, without distinction between past and future, were to each attain enlightenment, and if a noble son or noble daughter were to serve them throughout their lives with robes, food, bedding, medicine when ill, and requisites in order to honor them and revere them; and if they were to spend a heap of jewels the size of Sumeru each time they attended them; and if, when they had passed into nirvāṇa, they were to create stūpas for them ten yojanas high and made of the seven precious materials—gold, silver, pearls, beryl, crystal, white coral, and red pearls—and then make offerings to them with parasols, banners, flags, and streamers, then, Śāriputra, what do you think? Would that noble son or noble daughter generate much merit upon that basis?”
“Bhagavat, there would be much,” replied Śāriputra. “Sugata, there would be much.”
“Śāriputra,” continued the Bhagavat, “a noble son or noble daughter who possesses this sūtra, learns it, recites it, reads it, teaches it to many people, and prays for the highest, most complete enlightenment will generate even greater merit. The previous accumulations of merit cannot approach the vastness of this accumulation of merit; they cannot even serve as an analogy for it.
“Why is that? Śāriputra, it is because a noble son or noble daughter who is established in this practice requests the buddha bhagavats in the world realms in the ten directions to turn the wheel of the Dharma.
“Śāriputra, I have taught that the giving of the Dharma is the supreme act of generosity.”
Then ten thousand beings within that assembly rose from their seats, and with their upper robes over one shoulder, knelt on their right knees, placed their palms together in homage, and bowed toward the Bhagavat. They said to the Bhagavat, “Bhagavat, we will possess this sūtra. We will teach it widely to others. We will maintain its practice. Why is that? Bhagavat, it is because we are intent upon attaining the highest, most complete enlightenment of buddhahood through that kind of virtuous Dharma.”
Then Śakra, the lord of the devas, cast coral tree flowers over the Bhagavat and this Dharma teaching. Having scattered them, he said, “Bhagavat, this is a greatly cherished Dharma teaching that creates the roots of merit for bodhisattvas and ends the continuity of the obscuration of karma.”
“It is like that, Kauśika, it is like that,” said the Bhagavat. “Why is that? Lord of devas, I remember that innumerable eons beyond innumerable eons in the past, there appeared in the world a tathāgata arhat samyaksaṃbuddha, one with wisdom and pure conduct, a sugata, a knower of the world, an unsurpassable guide who tamed beings, a teacher of gods and humans, a buddha, a bhagavat named Mahāraśmiskandha.
“Lord of devas, the lifespan of the tathāgata arhat samyaksaṃbuddha Mahāraśmiskandha was six hundred million years. His first assembly of śrāvakas numbered a trillion, and they were all arhats whose outflows had ceased. His second assembly of śrāvakas numbered ninety-eight trillion and they were all arhats whose outflows had ceased. His third assembly of śrāvakas numbered ninety-nine trillion and they were all arhats whose outflows had ceased.
“Lord of devas, the tathāgata arhat samyaksaṃbuddha Mahāraśmiskandha was active in order to benefit beings of the world with its devas, with its Brahmā, and with its mendicants and brahmins.
“Lord of devas, at that time, the female Gaṅgadevī entered the gathered assembly of his followers, and present there she obtained from the Tathāgata Mahāraśmiskandha this Dharma teaching. She learned it and, having acquired it, taught it to many beings, and set forth toward the highest, most complete enlightenment. When she passed away, she left behind a female body and obtained a male’s faculties and was always thereafter reborn among devas or humans, became a cakravartin king eighty-four thousand times, and then became the Tathāgata Ratnārci.
“Kauśika, even now I see him teaching the Dharma in the east in a trillion buddha realms.
“Kauśika, anyone who hears the name of the tathāgata arhat samyaksaṃbuddha Ratnārci will definitely pass into nirvāṇa. Any woman who hears the name of the tathāgata arhat samyaksaṃbuddha Ratnārci, or perceives him at the time of death, will have been in her last female existence.
“Lord of devas, thus this Dharma teaching is the accomplishment of the good roots of bodhisattvas and mahāsattvas, and the cherishing of the ending of karma’s obscurations.”
Then Śakra, the lord of devas, asked the Bhagavat, “What is the name of this Dharma teaching and how should we keep it?”
The Bhagavat said to Śakra, the lord of devas, “Kauśika, you should keep this Dharma teaching as Putting an End to Karmic Obscurations. Keep it as The Bodhisattva Piṭaka. Also keep it as The Ending of Doubt.”
When the Bhagavat had said those words, Śakra, the lord of devas, Venerable Śāriputra, and the world with its devas, humans, asuras, and gandharvas rejoiced and praised the words of the Bhagavat.
The Noble Mahāyāna Sūtra “Putting an End to Karmic Obscurations” is concluded.
Translated and revised by the upādhyāyas Jinamitra and Dānaśīla, and by the lotsawa Yeshé Dé, the chief editor, and definitively revised according to the new language reform.
The Buddha teaches how to become free of karmic obscurations and accomplish aspirations through a recitation that should be done three times during the day and three times at night. In that recitation one confesses one’s bad actions, rejoices in the good actions of others, and requests the buddhas to teach the Dharma and to not pass into nirvāṇa.
This text was translated by Peter Alan Roberts, who translated the text from Tibetan into English and wrote the introduction. Ling Lung Chen and Wang Chipan were consultants for the Chinese versions of the sūtra. Emily Bower was the project manager and editor. Tracy Davis was the initial copyeditor. Thanks to Michael Radich for sharing his research on the sūtra.
The translation was completed under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha. Rory Lindsay edited the translation and the introduction, and Xiaolong Diao, Ting Lee Ling, and H. S. Sum Cheuk Shing checked the translation against the Chinese sources. Ven. Konchog Norbu copyedited the text, and Celso Wilkinson was in charge of the digital publication process.
Putting an End to Karmic Obscurations presents a prayer used for karmic purification, and it includes an account of this prayer’s effectiveness during the time of a previous buddha. It relates the story of a woman named Gaṅgadevī, who, through practicing this sūtra, became a buddha in another realm. In addition to the confession of negative actions, the prayer describes rejoicing in the good actions of others as a method for accumulating merit, the dedication of one’s merit to the welfare of others, requesting the buddhas to teach the Dharma, and beseeching the buddhas to not pass into nirvāṇa. Thus, it contains five of the elements (lacking homage and offering) of the ubiquitous seven-branch prayer commonly recited in present-day Tibetan Buddhist practice.
The sūtra begins with Śāriputra asking the Buddha how to confess previous negative deeds. The Buddha gives a recitation that should be done three times during the day and three times at night in order to free oneself from karmic obscurations and attain whatever is aspired to—from rebirth into a good human family or various paradises, to the attainment of ultimate wisdom. The Buddha explains that one should also recite the words of rejoicing in the good actions done by others, requesting the buddhas in all worlds to teach the Dharma, and beseeching them to not pass away. He teaches that this creates greater merit than any other kind of Dharma practice, and that one should recite a dedication of merit to the enlightenment of all beings.
Next, the assembly promises to promulgate this sūtra, and Śakra states that it can bring an end to the obscurations of karma. In response, the Buddha describes a buddha in the distant past named Mahāraśmiskandha and a woman named Gaṅgadevī who received this very teaching from him. Through her dedication to this teaching, Gaṅgadevī was subsequently always reborn as a man until she became a buddha by the name of Ratnārci. At present, Ratnārci teaches in a realm a vast distance away in the eastern direction, and the sūtra states that any woman who hears the name of this buddha will no longer be reborn as a woman. The sūtra concludes with the Buddha naming the teachings, and all those who are present rejoice.
While the time of its emergence is unknown, this sūtra possibly predates The Sūtra of the Sublime Golden Light, the longer versions of which include Putting an End to Karmic Obscurations as their fifth chapter. Putting an End to Karmic Obscurations seems to have become important as one of the principal recitations used to bring about purification through confession, as evidenced by several Indian Buddhist works that mention it. The author of Precious Lamp of the Middle Way recommends its recitation, as does a certain Alaṁkārabhadra. In the eleventh century, Atiśa (982–1054), also known as Dīpaṁkaraśrījñāna, who came to Tibet in 1042 and is the source of the Kadampa tradition, recommends its recitation in his Commentary on Difficult Points in “The Lamp of the Path to Enlightenment” and also does so twice in his Opening a Precious Casket: Instructions on the Middle Way.
Methods to purify the obscuration of karma are a common topic in Mahāyāna sūtras, and this is certainly the case in The Sūtra of the Sublime Golden Light. There are three versions of The Sūtra of the Sublime Golden Light in Tibetan: a twenty-one-chapter version (Toh 557), a twenty-nine-chapter version (Toh 556), and a thirty-one-chapter version (Toh 555). The contents of Putting an End to Karmic Obscurations are absent in the shortest version but are included in both of the longer versions of the sūtra as their fifth chapter. The brief introduction and conclusion of Putting an End to Karmic Obscurations in its independent form are omitted in the versions of The Sūtra of the Sublime Golden Light, so instead of it being taught in Śrāvastī, it is, like the rest of The Sūtra of the Sublime Golden Light, taught on Vulture Peak near Rājagṛha.
The key chapter in The Sutra of the Sublime Golden Light in all three versions is that which provides a prayer of confession heard by a young man of Rājagṛha who, in a dream, hears that prayer emanating from a drum. The Buddha then teaches that this prayer is to be recited in order to purify oneself of karmic obscurations. The sūtra gives other methods of purification, even a purifying bath, and therefore it is not surprising that Putting an End to Karmic Obscurations may have later been included as one of its chapters.
In the Degé Kangyur, Putting an End to Karmic Obscurations is preceded by the similarly titled The Purification of Karmic Obscurations, and these two are preceded by Eliminating Ajātaśatru’s Remorse and The Śrīgupta Sūtra. Both of these deal with individuals who have committed extremely bad actions—King Ajātaśatru committed patricide and the householder Śrīgupta attempted to assassinate the Buddha—but are able to be saved from the effects of those actions by following the Buddha’s teachings.
The colophon of Putting an End to Karmic Obscurations states that it was translated by Jinamitra, Dānaśīla, and Yeshé Dé, which would have been in the early ninth century. This and chapter 5 of the twenty-nine-chapter version of The Sūtra of the Sublime Golden Light (Toh 556) are identical, so it appears that the Tibetan translators either incorporated a translation of Putting an End to Karmic Obscurations into The Sūtra of the Sublime Golden Light or extracted its chapter 5 with the addition of a translation of its introduction and conclusion.
The thirty-one-chapter Tibetan version of The Sūtra of the Sublime Golden Light was translated from Yijing’s Chinese translation. The Chinese version of Putting an End to Karmic Obscurations, which is titled Da sheng san ju chan hui jing 大乘三聚懺悔經, is very similar to Yijing’s translation of chapter 5. However, the language of chapter 5 in the Tibetan translation of Yijing’s version differs considerably from the Tibetan translation from the Sanskrit of the twenty-nine-chapter version (Toh 556) and the present sūtra.
Homage to the buddhas and bodhisattvas.
Thus did I hear at one time. The Bhagavat was residing with a great saṅgha of one thousand two hundred and fifty bhikṣus and seventy thousand bodhisattvas in Śrāvastī, in Jetavana, Anāthapiṇḍada’s Park.
Through the power of the Buddha, Venerable Śāriputra rose from his seat and with his upper robe over one shoulder, he knelt on his right knee, placed his palms together in homage, bowed toward the Bhagavat, and inquired of the Bhagavat, “Bhagavat, how should a noble son or noble daughter who has entered the Śrāvakayāna, or who has entered the Pratyekabuddhayāna, or who has entered the Mahāyāna, or any other being who is seeking the highest, most complete enlightenment of buddhahood, confess their individual karmic obscurations?”
After Venerable Śāriputra had asked that, the Bhagavat said these words to him: “Śāriputra, a noble son or noble daughter who has entered the Śrāvakayāna, or has entered the Pratyekabuddhayāna, or has entered the Mahāyāna, or any other being who wishes for the highest most complete enlightenment of buddhahood, should three times each day and three times each night, with the upper robe over one shoulder, kneel on the right knee, place their palms together in homage, and say these words:
“ ‘For the benefit of many beings, for the happiness of many beings, out of compassion for the world, and for the benefit and healing and happiness of multitudes of beings, devas and humans, I pay homage to the buddha bhagavats who in this present time have attained the highest, most complete enlightenment of buddhahood in worlds in the ten directions, those buddha bhagavats who conscientiously turn the wheel of the Dharma, teach the wheel of the Dharma, possess the way of the Dharma, give the gift of the Dharma, light the lamp of the Dharma, send down the rain of the Dharma, beat the drum of the Dharma, beat the great drum of the Dharma, blow the conch of the Dharma, raise the central pillar of the Dharma, and bring satisfaction to all beings with the gift of the Dharma.
“ ‘I pay homage with my head, voice, and mind to those who are the object of offering, the object of homage, and the object of respect, and who are wise, who are attentive, who are witnesses, who are valid, who have wisdom, and who have vision.
“ ‘While I have been circling in beginningless and endless saṃsāra, tormented by desire, tormented by anger, and tormented by stupidity, I have accumulated karmic obstructions with my body, speech, and mind. I have not acknowledged the Buddha, I have not acknowledged the Dharma, and I have not acknowledged the Saṅgha. I have not acknowledged what are good actions and what are bad ones. With malicious intent, I have caused a tathāgata to bleed, I have forsaken the Dharma, I have caused a division of the Saṅgha, I have slain a bhikṣu arhat, I have slain my parents, and I have followed the path of the ten bad actions—the three physical, the four verbal, and the three mental. I have made others commit them, I have rejoiced in their accomplishment, and I have spoken harshly to certain beings. I have maligned. I have cheated with weights. I have cheated with measures. I have made my parents unhappy. I have stolen the wealth of individuals, of stūpas, of saṅghas, and of the saṅghas of bhikṣus in the four directions. I have transgressed the vinaya and the foundations of the training. I have disobeyed the upādhyāyas and the ācāryas. I have been unpleasant to those who have entered the Śrāvakayāna, entered the Pratyekabuddhayāna, entered the Mahāyāna, and every other being—I have reviled and beaten them with a mind that is obstinate, angry, envious, and miserly. I have spoken harsh words to buddha bhagavats, have said that the sublime Dharma is not the Dharma, and have said that that which is not the Dharma is the sublime Dharma.
“ ‘All of this I individually confess in the presence of the buddha bhagavats who are wise, who are attentive, who are witnesses, who are valid, who have wisdom, and who have vision. I repent them, I do not conceal them, and I will not repeat them.
“ ‘Whatever karmic obscurations obscure me—those that will cause me to be in the hell realms, in the life of an animal, or in the land of the pretas; to be among the hosts of asuras; to not be able to please the Buddha, Dharma, and Saṅgha; and to be born in other unfortunate existences—that karma will ripen in this body and will not be experienced by anyone else. I confess each one in the presence of the buddha bhagavats, who are wise, who are attentive, who are witnesses, who are valid, who have wisdom, and who have vision. I repent them, I do not conceal them, and I will not repeat them.
“ ‘Just as the bodhisattva mahāsattvas of the past, in practicing for enlightenment, confessed each of their karmic obscurations, repenting them and not concealing them, in the same way I confess each one of my karmic obscurations, repent them, do not conceal them, and will not repeat them.
“ ‘Just as the bodhisattva mahāsattvas in the future, in practicing for enlightenment, will confess each of their karmic obscurations, repent them, and not conceal them, in the same way I confess each one of my karmic obscurations, repent them, do not conceal them, and will not repeat them.
“ ‘Just as the bodhisattva mahāsattvas in the ten directions in the present, in practicing for enlightenment, confess each of their karmic obscurations, repent them, and do not conceal them, in the same way I confess each one of my karmic obscurations, repent them, do not conceal them, and will not repeat them.
“ ‘Just as the bodhisattva mahāsattvas of the past, the future, and the present, in practicing for enlightenment, confess each of their karmic obscurations, repent them, and do not conceal them, in the same way I confess each one of my karmic obscurations, repent them, do not conceal them, and will not repeat them.’
“Thus, Śāriputra, a noble son or noble daughter who wishes to attain purity and absence of obscuration in all Dharmas should in that way confess their individual karmic obscurations, not conceal them, and state that they will not repeat them.
“Those who wish to be reborn like a great sal tree among the kṣatriyas, rich, with great wealth—with great possessions, with gold, with herds, with many requisites, very happy, and riding in a great carriage—should also in this way confess their individual karmic obscurations, not conceal them, and state that they will not repeat them.
“Those who wish to be reborn like a great sal tree among the brahmins, in a family like a great sal tree, that is rich, with great wealth—great possessions, gold, herds, many requisites, very happy, and riding in a great carriage—should also in this way confess their individual karmic obscurations, not conceal them, and state that they will not repeat them.
“Those who wish to be reborn into the same way of life as that of the devas of the Cāturmahā-rāja-kāyika should in this way confess their individual karmic obscurations, not conceal them, and state that they will not repeat them.
“Those who wish to be reborn among the devas of Trāyastriṃśa, with their same quality of life, should in this way confess their individual karmic obscurations, not conceal them, and state that they will not repeat them.
“In the same way, those who wish to be reborn into the same way of life as that of the devas of Yāma, Tuṣita, Nirmāṇarati, Paranirmitavaśavartin, Brahmakāyika, Brahmapurohita, Brahmapariṣadya, Mahābrahmā, Parīttābha, Apramāṇābha, Ābhāsvara, Parīttaśubha, Apramāṇaśubha, Śubhakṛtsna, Anabhraka, Puṇyaprasava, Bṛhatphala, Asaṃjñasattva, Sudṛśa, Sudarśana, Avṛha, Atapa, or Akaniṣṭha should in this way confess their individual karmic obscurations, not conceal them, and state that they will not repeat them.
“Those who wish to be reborn among the devas who have arrived in the state of infinite space, the state of infinite consciousness, the state of nothingness, or the state of neither perception nor nonperception, with their condition of life, should in this way confess their individual karmic obscurations, not conceal them, and state that they will not repeat them.
“Those who wish to reach the result of a stream entrant, the result of a once-returner, the result of a non-returner, or to manifest arhathood, should in this way confess their individual karmic obscurations, not conceal them, and state that they will not repeat them.
“Those who wish to have the three knowledges, or the six higher cognitions, or the strengths, or the powers, or the final goal of the śrāvakas, or fame as a very powerful śrāvaka, or to manifest the enlightenment of a pratyekabuddha, should in this way confess their individual karmic obscurations, not conceal them, and state that they will not repeat them.
“Those who wish to accomplish omniscient wisdom, completely pure wisdom, inconceivable wisdom, unequaled wisdom, and the wisdom of complete buddhahood should in this way confess their individual karmic obscurations, not conceal them, and state that they will not repeat them.
“Why is that? Śāriputra, the Tathāgata has taught, ‘All phenomena originate through dependence.’ Because of certain causes and conditions, there is creation or cessation. The qualities that transcend this have no cessation or end, and they also do not have the slightest karmic obscuration. They arise from the absence of anything that is composite. Why is that? Śāriputra, the Tathāgata has taught, ‘All phenomena are empty, have no being, have no soul, have no individuality, are unborn, are unceasing, and are noncomposite.’
“Śāriputra, all phenomena do not arise from self or have a self. Śāriputra, the engagement by a noble son or noble daughter in the nature of the ultimate Dharma of no being is called the end of the continuity of karmic obscuration, and that, Śāriputra, is the confession.”
Venerable Śāriputra then asked the Bhagavat, “Bhagavat, how should a noble son or noble daughter who has entered the Śrāvakayāna, or has entered the Pratyekabuddhayāna, or has entered the Mahāyāna, or any other being who is seeking the highest, most complete enlightenment of buddhahood, rejoice in the roots of merit?”
After Venerable Śāriputra had asked that, the Bhagavat said to him, “Śāriputra, a noble son or noble daughter who has entered the Śrāvakayāna, or has entered the Pratyekabuddhayāna, or has entered the Mahāyāna, or any other being who is seeking the highest, most complete enlightenment of buddhahood, should three times each day and three times each night, with the upper robe over one shoulder, kneel on the right knee, place their palms together in homage, and say these words:
“ ‘I rejoice with the greatest joy in whatever merit has arisen from the generosity of beings in the ten directions, from their good conduct, and from the merit that has arisen from their meditation. I rejoice in that merit with a joy that is sublime, preeminent, superior, complete, perfect, excellent, the highest, unsurpassable, superlative, unequaled, and that has no equal.
“ ‘I rejoice with the greatest joy in whatever merit is arising from the generosity of beings in the ten directions, from their good conduct, and from the merit that is arising from their meditation. I rejoice in that merit with a joy that is … and so on, until and that has no equal.
“ ‘I rejoice with the greatest joy in whatever merit will arise from the generosity of beings in the ten directions, from their good conduct, and from the merit that will arise from their meditation. I rejoice in that merit with a joy that is … and so on, until and that has no equal.
“ ‘I rejoice with the greatest joy in all the roots of merit possessed by those bodhisattvas in the present who have first developed the aspiration to enlightenment, in all the accumulations of merit of bodhisattvas during a hundred eons, in all the accumulations of merit of bodhisattvas who have attained patience in the birthlessness of phenomena, in all the accumulations of merit of those who have become irreversible, and in all the accumulations of merit of bodhisattvas who have one life remaining. I rejoice in them with joy that is … and so on, until and that has no equal.
“ ‘I rejoice with the greatest joy in all the good roots of possessing the six perfections that were produced by the bodhisattva mahāsattvas during their past bodhisattva practice. I rejoice in them with a joy that is sublime, preeminent, superior, complete, perfect, excellent, the highest, unsurpassable, none-higher, unequaled, and that has no equal.
“ ‘I rejoice with the greatest joy in all the accumulations of merit from possessing the six perfections that will be produced by the bodhisattva mahāsattvas in their bodhisattva practice in the future. I rejoice in them with a joy that is sublime, pre-eminent, superior, complete, perfect, excellent, the highest, unsurpassable, none-higher, unequaled, and that has no equal.
“ ‘I rejoice with the greatest joy in all the accumulations of merit from possessing the six perfections that are being produced by the bodhisattva mahāsattvas in their bodhisattva practice in the present. I rejoice in them with a joy that is sublime, preeminent, superior, complete, perfect, excellent, the highest, unsurpassable, none-higher, unequaled, and that has no equal.
“ ‘I rejoice with the greatest joy in the conscientious conduct of the tathāgata arhat samyaksaṃbuddhas of the past, who for the sake of benefit for many beings, for the happiness of many beings, out of compassion for the world, and for the welfare, benefit, and happiness of multitudes of beings, devas and humans, attained the highest, most complete enlightenment of buddhahood; turned the wheel of the Dharma; taught the wheel of the Dharma; possessed the way of the Dharma; gave the gift of the Dharma; lit the lamp of the Dharma; sent down the rain of the Dharma; beat the drum of the Dharma; beat the great drum of the Dharma; blew the conch of the Dharma; raised the central pillar of the Dharma; and brought satisfaction to all beings with the gift of the Dharma, through which roots of merit were generated by beings who entered the Śrāvakayāna, beings who entered the Pratyekabuddhayāna, beings who entered the Bodhisattvayāna, or any other beings. I rejoice in them with a joy that is … and so on, until and that has no equal.
“ ‘I rejoice with the greatest joy in the conscientious conduct of the tathāgata arhat samyaksaṃbuddhas of the future, who for the sake of the benefit for many beings, for the happiness of many beings, out of compassion for the world, and for the welfare, benefit, and happiness of multitudes of beings, devas and humans, will attain the highest, most complete enlightenment of buddhahood; turn the wheel of the Dharma; teach the wheel of the Dharma; possess the way of the Dharma; give the gift of the Dharma; light the lamp of the Dharma; send down the rain of the Dharma; beat the drum of the Dharma; beat the great drum of the Dharma; blow the conch of the Dharma; raise the central pillar of the Dharma; and bring satisfaction to all beings with the gift of the Dharma, through which roots of merit will be generated by beings who have entered the Śrāvakayāna, beings who have entered the Pratyekabuddhayāna, beings who have entered the Bodhisattvayāna, or any other beings. I rejoice in them with a joy that is … and so on, until and that has no equal.
“ ‘I rejoice with the greatest joy in the conscientious conduct of the tathāgata arhat samyaksaṃbuddhas of the present time in the worlds of the ten directions, who for the sake of the benefit for many beings, for the happiness of many beings, out of compassion for the world, and for the welfare, benefit, and happiness of multitudes of beings, devas and humans, have attained the highest, most complete enlightenment of buddhahood; turn the wheel of the Dharma; teach the wheel of the Dharma; possess the way of the Dharma; give the gift of the Dharma; light the lamp of the Dharma; send down the rain of the Dharma; beat the drum of the Dharma; beat the great drum of the Dharma; blow the conch of the Dharma; raise the central pillar of the Dharma; and bring satisfaction to all beings with the gift of the Dharma, through which the roots of merit are generated by beings who have entered the Śrāvakayāna, beings who have entered the Pratyekabuddhayāna, beings who have entered the Bodhisattvayāna or any other beings. I rejoice in them with a joy that is … and so on, until and that has no equal.’
“Śāriputra, this is rejoicing’s aggregation of merit. If a noble son or noble daughter rejoices with this merit from rejoicing, they will generate many incalculable, measureless aggregations of merit.
“Śāriputra, if the beings in not only this trichiliocosm world realm but in as many world realms as there are grains of sand in the Ganges River were all arhats, whose defilements had ceased, and if a noble son or noble daughter were to serve them for as long as they lived with clothing, food, medicines when ill, and other requisites, even then someone who rejoices through this rejoicing would create immeasurably, incalculably greater merit.
“Therefore, Śāriputra, a noble son or noble daughter who wishes for the highest, most complete enlightenment of buddhahood should rejoice with this kind of rejoicing. A woman who wishes to attain a male’s organs, who wishes to exchange her female organs for them, should rejoice with this kind of rejoicing.”
When the Bhagavat had said that, Venerable Śāriputra said to the Bhagavat, “Bhagavat, I pray that you teach the accumulation of supplications that illuminates the bodhisattva mahāsattvas of the future and gives rise to aspiration in the bodhisattvas of the present.”
When Venerable Śāriputra had said that, the Bhagavat replied to him, “Śāriputra, a noble son or noble daughter who has entered the Śrāvakayāna, or has entered the Pratyekabuddhayāna, or has entered the Mahāyāna, or any other being who wishes for the highest, most complete enlightenment of buddhahood, should three times each day and three times each night, with the upper robe over one shoulder, kneel on the right knee, place their palms together in homage, and say these words:
“ ‘I pay homage to the buddha bhagavats who in this present time in the worlds of the ten directions have attained the highest, most complete enlightenment of buddhahood.
“ ‘Through my paying homage to those buddha bhagavats, and requesting them to turn the wheel of the Dharma, I pray that those buddha bhagavats, for the sake of benefit for many beings, for the happiness of many beings, out of compassion for the world, and for the welfare, benefit, and happiness of multitudes of beings, devas and humans, turn the wheel of the Dharma. I pray that they teach the wheel of the Dharma. I pray that they possess the way of the Dharma. I pray that they give the gift of the Dharma. I pray that they light the lamp of the Dharma. I pray that they send down the rain of the Dharma. I pray that they let fall the rain of the Dharma. I pray that they beat the drum of the Dharma. I pray that they beat the great drum of the Dharma. I pray that they blow the conch of the Dharma. I pray that they raise the central pillar of the Dharma.’
“Śāriputra, a noble son or noble daughter who has entered the Śrāvakayāna, or has entered the Pratyekabuddhayāna, or has entered the Mahāyāna, or any other being who wishes for the highest, most complete enlightenment of buddhahood, should three times each day and three times each night, with the upper robe over one shoulder, kneel on the right knee, place palms together in homage, and say these words:
“ ‘I pay homage to the buddha bhagavats who in this present time in the worlds of the ten directions are giving up their composite life.
“ ‘Through my paying homage to those buddha bhagavats, and requesting them to turn the wheel of the Dharma, I pray that those buddha bhagavats, for the sake of benefit for many beings, for the happiness of many beings, out of compassion for the world, and for the welfare, benefit, and happiness of multitudes of beings, devas and humans, turn the wheel of the Dharma, light the lamp of the Dharma, send down the rain of the Dharma, let fall the rain of the Dharma, beat the drum of the Dharma, beat the great drum of the Dharma, blow the conch of the Dharma, raise the central pillar of the Dharma, increase the lamp of the Dharma, and satisfy all beings with the gift of the Dharma.
“ ‘I also dedicate this accumulation of supplications to the highest, most complete enlightenment. I dedicate this in such a way that it is dedicated to the highest, most complete enlightenment.’
“Śāriputra, this is the accumulation of supplications. If a noble son or noble daughter were to supplicate with this accumulation of supplications, they would create immeasurably, incalculably greater merit than that.
“Śāriputra, if a noble son or noble daughter were to make an offering to the tathāgatas of the entire trichiliocosm world realm filled with the seven jewels, someone who supplicates the tathāgatas to turn the wheel of the Dharma would create immeasurably, incalculably greater merit than that.
“Śāriputra, let alone this trichiliocosm world realm—Śāriputra, if a noble son or noble daughter were to make an offering to the tathāgatas of as many trichiliocosm world realms filled with the seven jewels as there are grains of sand in the Ganges River, still, someone who supplicates the tathāgatas to turn the wheel of the Dharma would create immeasurably, incalculably greater merit than that.
“Why is that? Śāriputra, when in the past I was practicing bodhisattva conduct, I supplicated the tathāgatas to turn the wheel of the Dharma. It is because of that root of merit that Śakra, the lord of the devas, and Brahmā, the lord of Sahā, supplicated me to turn the wheel of the Dharma, saying, ‘Bhagavat, we pray that you turn the wheel of the Dharma for the sake of benefit for many beings, for the happiness of many beings, out of compassion for the world, and for the welfare, benefit, and happiness of multitudes of beings, devas and humans.’
“Śāriputra, when in the past I was practicing bodhisattva conduct, I prayed that the tathāgatas remain for a long time. It is because of that root of merit that I have attained the four confidences, the ten strengths of the tathāgatas, the eighteen unique qualities of a buddha, the four discernments, great love, great compassion, and complete nirvāṇa, and that my Dharma will remain for a long time.”
When the Bhagavat had said that, Venerable Śāriputra asked the Bhagavat, “Bhagavat, how should a noble son or noble daughter who has entered the Śrāvakayāna, or has entered the Pratyekabuddhayāna, or has entered the Mahāyāna, or any other being who wishes for the highest, most complete enlightenment of buddhahood, dedicate their roots of merit in order to gain omniscience?”
When Venerable Śāriputra had asked that, the Bhagavat said to him, “Śāriputra, a noble son or noble daughter who has entered the Śrāvakayāna, or has entered the Pratyekabuddhayāna, or has entered the Mahāyāna, or any other being who wishes for the highest, most complete enlightenment of buddhahood, should three times each day and three times each night say these words:
“ ‘Whatever good roots I have created while circling in beginningless and endless saṃsāra—whatever good roots I have from giving even a handful of food to the Buddha, to the Dharma, to the Saṅgha, or even to those reborn as an animal, or to any other being; whatever good roots I have from confession, from supplication, from taking refuge, or from possessing the basis of the training; whatever good roots I have from individual confessions; whatever merit I have from rejoicing; and whatever good roots I have from supplication—I gather them all into one, and with a mind that is tamed, liberated, and without grasping, I bestow all of that together on all beings.
“ ‘Just as the buddha bhagavats, with the unimpeded wisdom of buddhahood, know their giving of the roots of merit to all beings, I give the roots of merit in the same way.
“ ‘May all beings have jewels in their hands. May they attain the treasury of space, enjoyment that knows no end, merit that knows no end, Dharma that knows no end, knowledge that knows no end, eloquence that knows no end, the highest, most complete enlightenment of buddhahood, and omniscient wisdom.
“ ‘I combine into one and unify whatever merit arises from my bestowing the roots of merit on all beings, and I dedicate it to the highest, most complete enlightenment.
“ ‘Through this root of merit may I and all beings attain the highest, most complete enlightenment of buddhahood and may we attain omniscient wisdom.
“ ‘Just as the bodhisattva mahāsattvas of the past, practicing for the sake of enlightenment, dedicated their roots of merit for the sake of omniscience, in that same way I also dedicate my roots of merit for the sake of omniscience.
“ ‘Through this root of merit may I and all beings attain the highest, most complete enlightenment of buddhahood and may we attain omniscient wisdom.
“ ‘Just as the bodhisattva mahāsattvas of the future, practicing for the sake of enlightenment, will dedicate their roots of merit for the sake of omniscience, in that same way I also will dedicate my roots of merit for the sake of omniscience.
“ ‘Through this root of merit may I and all beings attain the highest, most complete enlightenment of buddhahood and may we attain omniscient wisdom.
“ ‘Just as the bodhisattva mahāsattvas of the present, practicing for the sake of enlightenment, dedicate their roots of merit for the sake of omniscience, in that same way I also dedicate my roots of merit for the sake of omniscience.
“ ‘Through this root of merit may I and all beings attain the highest, most complete enlightenment of buddhahood and may we attain omniscient wisdom.
Just as the Bhagavat Tathāgata Śākyamuni sat upon the Bodhimaṇḍa; remained in the inconceivable, stainless, and extremely difficult samādhi of buddhahood; defeated evil Māra; and at dawn obtained the amṛta of wisdom that in an instant had all knowledge, had the view, had realization, had complete enlightenment, and had gained the buddhahood of the path to deathlessness, in that same way may I and all beings attain the highest, most complete enlightenment of buddhahood. May we attain omniscient wisdom.
“ ‘Just as the tathāgata arhat samyaksaṃbuddhas, including the Bhagavat Tathāgata Amitābha, Varaprabha, Virtue of Light, Puṇyaprabha, Akṣobhya, Siṃha, Śatakiraṇa, Exalted Light Rays, Net of Light, Ratnārci, Prabhājvala, King of Illumination, Vibhūṣita, Ratnaketu, Dharmadhvaja, and Varāṅga, and other buddha bhagavats who attained the highest, most complete enlightenment of buddhahood, turned the wheel of the Dharma for the sake of benefit for many beings, for the happiness of many beings, out of compassion for the world, and for the welfare, benefit, and happiness of multitudes of beings, devas and humans, in the same way may I and all beings attain the highest, most complete enlightenment of buddhahood and turn the wheel of the Dharma for the sake of benefit for many beings, for the happiness of many beings, out of compassion for the world, and for the welfare, benefit, and happiness of multitudes of beings, devas and humans.’
“Śāriputra, that is the accumulation of dedication. The previous accumulations of merit cannot approach the vastness of this accumulation of dedication and cannot even serve as an analogy for it.
“Śāriputra, a noble son or noble daughter who obtains this sūtra, learns it, possesses it, reads it, and teaches it widely to others will develop an even greater, incalculable, measureless accumulation of merit.
“Śāriputra, if all the past and future beings that are in a trichiliocosm world realm were to attain human bodies, and having gained human bodies, without distinction between past and future, were to each attain enlightenment, and if a noble son or noble daughter were to serve them throughout their lives with robes, food, bedding, medicine when ill, and requisites in order to honor them and revere them; and if they were to spend a heap of jewels the size of Sumeru each time they attended them; and if, when they had passed into nirvāṇa, they were to create stūpas for them ten yojanas high and made of the seven precious materials—gold, silver, pearls, beryl, crystal, white coral, and red pearls—and then make offerings to them with parasols, banners, flags, and streamers, then, Śāriputra, what do you think? Would that noble son or noble daughter generate much merit upon that basis?”
“Bhagavat, there would be much,” replied Śāriputra. “Sugata, there would be much.”
“Śāriputra,” continued the Bhagavat, “a noble son or noble daughter who possesses this sūtra, learns it, recites it, reads it, teaches it to many people, and prays for the highest, most complete enlightenment will generate even greater merit. The previous accumulations of merit cannot approach the vastness of this accumulation of merit; they cannot even serve as an analogy for it.
“Why is that? Śāriputra, it is because a noble son or noble daughter who is established in this practice requests the buddha bhagavats in the world realms in the ten directions to turn the wheel of the Dharma.
“Śāriputra, I have taught that the giving of the Dharma is the supreme act of generosity.”
Then ten thousand beings within that assembly rose from their seats, and with their upper robes over one shoulder, knelt on their right knees, placed their palms together in homage, and bowed toward the Bhagavat. They said to the Bhagavat, “Bhagavat, we will possess this sūtra. We will teach it widely to others. We will maintain its practice. Why is that? Bhagavat, it is because we are intent upon attaining the highest, most complete enlightenment of buddhahood through that kind of virtuous Dharma.”
Then Śakra, the lord of the devas, cast coral tree flowers over the Bhagavat and this Dharma teaching. Having scattered them, he said, “Bhagavat, this is a greatly cherished Dharma teaching that creates the roots of merit for bodhisattvas and ends the continuity of the obscuration of karma.”
“It is like that, Kauśika, it is like that,” said the Bhagavat. “Why is that? Lord of devas, I remember that innumerable eons beyond innumerable eons in the past, there appeared in the world a tathāgata arhat samyaksaṃbuddha, one with wisdom and pure conduct, a sugata, a knower of the world, an unsurpassable guide who tamed beings, a teacher of gods and humans, a buddha, a bhagavat named Mahāraśmiskandha.
“Lord of devas, the lifespan of the tathāgata arhat samyaksaṃbuddha Mahāraśmiskandha was six hundred million years. His first assembly of śrāvakas numbered a trillion, and they were all arhats whose outflows had ceased. His second assembly of śrāvakas numbered ninety-eight trillion and they were all arhats whose outflows had ceased. His third assembly of śrāvakas numbered ninety-nine trillion and they were all arhats whose outflows had ceased.
“Lord of devas, the tathāgata arhat samyaksaṃbuddha Mahāraśmiskandha was active in order to benefit beings of the world with its devas, with its Brahmā, and with its mendicants and brahmins.
“Lord of devas, at that time, the female Gaṅgadevī entered the gathered assembly of his followers, and present there she obtained from the Tathāgata Mahāraśmiskandha this Dharma teaching. She learned it and, having acquired it, taught it to many beings, and set forth toward the highest, most complete enlightenment. When she passed away, she left behind a female body and obtained a male’s faculties and was always thereafter reborn among devas or humans, became a cakravartin king eighty-four thousand times, and then became the Tathāgata Ratnārci.
“Kauśika, even now I see him teaching the Dharma in the east in a trillion buddha realms.
“Kauśika, anyone who hears the name of the tathāgata arhat samyaksaṃbuddha Ratnārci will definitely pass into nirvāṇa. Any woman who hears the name of the tathāgata arhat samyaksaṃbuddha Ratnārci, or perceives him at the time of death, will have been in her last female existence.
“Lord of devas, thus this Dharma teaching is the accomplishment of the good roots of bodhisattvas and mahāsattvas, and the cherishing of the ending of karma’s obscurations.”
Then Śakra, the lord of devas, asked the Bhagavat, “What is the name of this Dharma teaching and how should we keep it?”
The Bhagavat said to Śakra, the lord of devas, “Kauśika, you should keep this Dharma teaching as Putting an End to Karmic Obscurations. Keep it as The Bodhisattva Piṭaka. Also keep it as The Ending of Doubt.”
When the Bhagavat had said those words, Śakra, the lord of devas, Venerable Śāriputra, and the world with its devas, humans, asuras, and gandharvas rejoiced and praised the words of the Bhagavat.
The Noble Mahāyāna Sūtra “Putting an End to Karmic Obscurations” is concluded.
Translated and revised by the upādhyāyas Jinamitra and Dānaśīla, and by the lotsawa Yeshé Dé, the chief editor, and definitively revised according to the new language reform.