The Perfection of Wisdom “Kauśika” | 84000 Translating the Words of the Buddha

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In The Perfection of Wisdom “Kauśika,” the Buddha Śākyamuni offers a teaching to Śakra, chief of the gods, whom in this sūtra he addresses by the epithet Kauśika. The Buddha summarizes the various meanings of the perfection of wisdom and equates the characteristics of the perfection of wisdom with the characteristics of all phenomena, the five aggregates, the five elements, and the ten perfections. The sūtra places particular emphasis on the nonduality of conventional phenomena and emptiness, and culminates in a list of the eighteen kinds of emptiness.

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In addition to the Tibetan translation, the sūtra also exists in Sanskrit and Chinese. The extant Sanskrit text is a Central Asian manuscript that was edited by Conze (1956) and later reprinted by Vaidya (1961). The dating of the Sanskrit text is uncertain, but, as noted by Conze, it largely patterns with the Chinese translation that can be dated to the late tenth or early eleventh century ᴄᴇ. This suggests a relatively late date for the extant Sanskrit manuscript, perhaps even later than the Tibetan translation. Unlike the Tibetan translation, which only contains a single mantra at the conclusion of the teaching, the Sanskrit text (and the Chinese translation) ends with several additional mantras that likely represent later accretions. For the reader’s convenience, we have in the appendices included a diplomatic edition of the Sanskrit text and a complete English translation from the Sanskrit.

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The Translation The Noble Perfection of Wisdom “Kauśika” Homage to all the buddhas and bodhisattvas. Thus did I hear at one time. The Blessed One was residing at Vulture Peak in Rājagṛha together with a great saṅgha of monks and many hundreds of thousands of bodhisattvas, all of whom were youthful. Then the Blessed One addressed Śakra, lord of the gods: “Kauśika, this is the meaning of the perfection of wisdom: Do not view the perfection of wisdom as being two. Nor is it not two. It is neither a mark nor not a mark. It is neither something to adopt nor something to abandon. It is neither increasing nor decreasing; neither polluted nor not polluted; neither purified nor not purified; neither abandoned nor not abandoned; neither remaining nor not remaining; neither to be applied nor not to be applied; neither connected nor not connected; neither a condition nor not a condition; neither a dharma nor not a dharma; neither suchness nor not suchness; and neither the limit of reality nor not the limit of reality. “Similarly, Kauśika, the meaning of the perfection of wisdom is as follows: As all phenomena are fundamentally sameness, the perfection of wisdom is itself sameness. As all phenomena are profound, the perfection of wisdom is profound. As all phenomena are isolated, the perfection of wisdom is isolated. As all phenomena are immovable, the perfection of wisdom is immovable. As all phenomena are without thought, the perfection of wisdom is without thought. As all phenomena are free of fear, the perfection of wisdom is free of fear. As all phenomena are free of anxiety, the perfection of wisdom is free of anxiety. As all phenomena are of one taste, the perfection of wisdom is of one taste. As all phenomena are unborn, the perfection of wisdom is unborn. As all phenomena are unceasing, the perfection of wisdom is unceasing. As all phenomena are like space, the perfection of wisdom is like space. “As form is boundless, the perfection of wisdom is boundless. Similarly, as feelings, perceptions, mental formations, and consciousness are boundless, the perfection of wisdom is boundless. As the earth element is boundless, the perfection of wisdom is boundless. Similarly, as the water element, the fire element, the wind element, the space element, and the element of consciousness are boundless, the perfection of wisdom is boundless. As Mount Sumeru is boundless, the perfection of wisdom is boundless. As the ocean is boundless, the perfection of wisdom is boundless. “As vajra is the same, the perfection of wisdom is the same. As all phenomena are undifferentiated, the perfection of wisdom is undifferentiated. As the essential nature of all phenomena is beyond apprehending, the essential nature of the perfection of wisdom is beyond apprehending. As all phenomena are the same in lacking anything to be dispelled, the perfection of wisdom is the same in lacking anything to be dispelled. As all phenomena are without anything to undertake, the perfection of wisdom is without anything to undertake. As all phenomena are inconceivable, the perfection of wisdom is inconceivable. “Similarly, as the perfection of giving, the perfection of discipline, the perfection of patience, the perfection of effort, the perfection of concentration, the perfection of wisdom, the perfection of means, the perfection of aspiration, the perfection of power, and the perfection of gnosis are purified of the three spheres and thus boundless, the perfection of wisdom is boundless. “The so-called perfection of wisdom consists of eighteen kinds of emptiness. They are internal emptiness, external emptiness, internal and external emptiness, emptiness of emptiness, great emptiness, ultimate emptiness, emptiness of conditioned phenomena, emptiness of unconditioned phenomena, emptiness transcending extremes, emptiness without beginning or end, emptiness of anything to be given up, emptiness of nature, emptiness of all phenomena, emptiness of self-characteristics, emptiness of nonapprehension, emptiness of nonexistence, emptiness of essential nature, and emptiness of the essential nature of nonexistence. “In short, such emptiness is called the perfection of wisdom. “Like a star, a cataract, a lamp, A magical illusion, a dew drop, a water bubble, A dream, a flash of lightning, and a cloud‍— View conditioned things in this way. Oṁ namo bhagavatyai āryaprajñāpāramitāyai. Oṁ dhī hrī śrī śruti smṛti mati gati vijaye svāhā. “Neither ceasing nor born, Neither annihilated nor eternal, Neither many nor one, Neither coming nor going, “Peaceful, because elaborations are pacified‍— To the one who teaches this dependent origination, To the perfect Buddha, The best of speakers, I prostrate.” The Blessed One having spoken thus, Venerable Śāradvatīputra, Śakra, the lord of the gods, and the monks, bodhisattvas, and the world with its gods, humans, asuras, and gandharvas rejoiced and praised what the Blessed One had said. Thus concludes The Perfection of Wisdom “Kauśika”. Appendices Translation from Sanskrit The Perfection of Wisdom “Kauśika” Homage to all the buddhas and bodhisattvas. Thus did I hear at one time. The Blessed One was residing at Vulture Peak in Rājagṛha together with a great saṅgha of monks and many hundreds of thousands of bodhisattvas, all of whom were youthful. Then the Blessed One addressed Śakra, lord of the gods: “Kauśika, this is the meaning of the perfection of wisdom: the perfection of wisdom should be viewed as being neither two nor not two; neither with marks nor without marks; neither life-bringing nor life-removing; neither increasing nor decreasing; neither polluted nor not polluted; neither purified nor not purified; neither abandoned nor not abandoned; neither remaining nor not remaining; neither to be applied nor not to be applied; neither connected nor not connected; neither with conditions nor without conditions; neither a dharma nor not a dharma; neither suchness nor not suchness; and neither the limit of reality nor not the limit of reality. “Similarly, Kauśika, the meaning of the perfection of wisdom is as follows: As all phenomena are the same, the perfection of wisdom is the same. As all phenomena are isolated, the perfection of wisdom is isolated. As all phenomena are immovable, the perfection of wisdom is immovable. As all phenomena are without thought, the perfection of wisdom is without thought. As all phenomena are free of fear, the perfection of wisdom is free of fear. As all phenomena are free of anxiety, the perfection of wisdom is free of anxiety. As all phenomena are of one taste, the perfection of wisdom is of one taste. As all phenomena are unborn, the perfection of wisdom is unborn. As all phenomena are unceasing, the perfection of wisdom is unceasing. As all phenomena are like space, the perfection of wisdom is like space. “As form is boundless, the perfection of wisdom is boundless. Similarly, as feelings, perceptions, mental formations, and consciousness are boundless, the perfection of wisdom is boundless. As the earth element is boundless, the perfection of wisdom is boundless. Similarly, as the water element, the fire element, the wind element, the space element, and the element of consciousness are boundless, the perfection of wisdom is boundless. As Mount Sumeru is boundless, the perfection of wisdom is boundless. As the ocean is boundless, the perfection of wisdom is boundless. “As vajra is the same, the perfection of wisdom is the same. As all phenomena are undifferentiated, the perfection of wisdom is undifferentiated. As the essential nature of all phenomena is beyond apprehending, the essential nature of the perfection of wisdom is beyond apprehending. As all phenomena are the same in lacking anything to be dispelled, the perfection of wisdom is the same in lacking anything to be dispelled. As all phenomena are without anything to undertake, the perfection of wisdom is without anything to undertake. As all phenomena are inconceivable, the perfection of wisdom is inconceivable. “Similarly, as the perfection of giving, the perfection of discipline, the perfection of patience, the perfection of effort, the perfection of concentration, and the perfection of wisdom are purified of the three spheres and thus boundless, the perfection of wisdom is boundless. “The so-called perfection of wisdom consists of eighteen kinds of emptiness. They are internal emptiness, external emptiness, internal and external emptiness, emptiness of emptiness, great emptiness, ultimate emptiness, emptiness of conditioned phenomena, emptiness of unconditioned phenomena, emptiness transcending extremes, emptiness without beginning or end, emptiness of anything to be given up, emptiness of nature, emptiness of self-characteristics, emptiness of all phenomena, emptiness of nonapprehension, emptiness of nonexistence, emptiness of essential nature, and emptiness of both nonexistence and essential nature. “This briefly explains the perfection of wisdom. “Like a star, a cataract, a lamp, A magical illusion, a dew drop, a water bubble, A dream, a flash of lightning, and a cloud‍— View conditioned things in this way. “Neither ceasing nor born, Neither annihilated nor eternal, Neither many nor one, Neither coming nor going, “The dependent origination Free from elaborations and auspicious Was taught by the perfect Buddha. I salute him, the best of speakers. “Homage to all Three Jewels in the ten directions and the three times‍—past, future, and present! Homage to the blessed Perfection of Wisdom, who resembles all the tathāgatas and is empowered and celebrated by all the tathāgatas! “O wisdom, great wisdom, the splendor of wisdom! You bring the light of wisdom and dispel ignorance. O accomplished one, well accomplished, who is now being accomplished! O blessed lady, beautiful in every limb, fond of your devotees! With your hand extended, you grant comfort. Succeed, succeed! Awaken, awaken! Shake, shake! Move, move! Make the sound, make the sound! Do not tarry, O blessed lady! “Homage to the bodhisattva of great compassion, the great being who arises from Dharma! Homage to Perfection of Wisdom! The mantra is: You who are endowed with the qualities of the Sage, the quality of attracting [disciples], the qualities of liberation, the qualities of being kind to beings, the qualities of trustworthiness, the qualities of following close behind, the quality of attracting [others] by virtue, the qualities that reach everywhere, the qualities that are perfect and complete at all times, svāhā! “Homage to Perfection of Wisdom. The mantra is: O Gaṅgā, Gaṅgā, the Gaṅgā with invisible shores, svāhā! “Homage to Perfection of Wisdom. The mantra is: To splendor, splendor! To the splendor of the Sage! To the one of outstanding splendor, svāhā! “Homage to Perfection of Wisdom. The mantra is: Oṁ, you with the strength of a vajra, svāhā! “Homage to Perfection of Wisdom. The mantra is: Oṁ, you who are victorious on account of your conscientiousness, majesty, intellect, learning, memory, intelligence, and conduct, svāhā! “Homage to Perfection of Wisdom. The mantra is: You who are summoned, summoned to remove all karmic obscurations, svāhā! “Homage to Perfection of Wisdom. The mantra is: Oṁ, Ārolik, svāhā! “Homage to Perfection of Wisdom. The mantra is: Oṁ, O omniscient one, svāhā! “Homage to Perfection of Wisdom. The mantra is: O awakening that is gone, gone, gone to the other shore, completely gone to the other shore, svāhā!” So spoke the Blessed One. Delighted, Venerable Śāriputra, Śakra, the lord of gods, the bodhisattva great beings, the entire assembly, and the world with its gods, gandharvas, humans, and asuras rejoiced at the Blessed One’s words. Thus concludes The Perfection of Wisdom “Kauśika”. Diplomatic Edition of the Sanskrit [Vaidya p. 95] Kauśikaprajñāpāramitāsūtram | namo sarvabuddhabodhisattvebhyaḥ || evaṃ mayā śrutam | ekasmin samaye bhagavān rājagṛhe viharati sma gṛdhrakūṭe parvate mahatā bhikṣusaṃghena sārdham anekaiś ca bodhisattvaśatasahasraiḥ sarvaiḥ kumārabhūtaiḥ | tatra khalu bhagavān śakraṃ devānām indram āmantrayate sma || ayaṃ kauśika prajñāpāramitāyāḥ arthaḥ - prajñāpāramitā na dvayena draṣṭavyā na advayena | na nimittato na animittataḥ | na āyūhato na nirāyūhataḥ | notkṣepato na prakṣepataḥ | na saṃkleśato na asaṃkleśataḥ | na vyavadānato na avyavadānataḥ | notsargato na anutsargataḥ | na sthānato na asthānataḥ | na yogato na ayogataḥ | na saṃbandhato na asaṃbandhataḥ | na pratyayato na apratyayataḥ | na dharmato na adharmataḥ | na tathata(yā) na atathata(yā) na bhūtakoṭyā na abhūtakoṭyā (vedi)tavyā || evam evāyaṃ sa kauśika prajñāpāramitāyāḥ arthaḥ | tadyathā sarvadharmasamatvāt prajñāpāramitā samā | sarvadharmaviviktatvāt prajñāpāramitā viviktā | sarvadharmācalatvāt prajñāpāramitā acalā | sarvadharmāmanyatvāt prajñāpāramitā amanyatā | sarvadharmābhīrutvāt prajñāpāramitā abhīru | sarvadharmācchambhitatayā prajñāpāramitā acchambhī | sarvadharmaikarasatvāt prajñāpāramitā ekarasā | sarvadharmānutpādatvāt prajñāpāramitā anutpādā | sarvadharmānirodhatvāt prajñāpāramitā anirodhā | gaganakalpatvāt sarvadharmāṇāṃ prajñāpāramitā gaganakalpā | rūpāparyantatvāt prajñāpāramitā aparyantā | evaṃ vedanāsaṃjñāsaṃskāravijñānāparyantatvāt prajñāpāramitā aparyantā | pṛthivīdhātvaparyantatvāt prajñāpāramitā aparyantā | evam abdhātu - tejodhātu - vāyudhātu - ākāśadhātu - vijñānadhātvaparyantatvāt prajñāpāramitā aparyantā | sumervaparyantatvāt prajñāpāramitā aparyantā | samudrāparyantatvāt prajñāpāramitā aparyantā | vajrasamatvāt prajñāpāramitā samā | sarvadharmābhedatvāt prajñāpāramitā abhedā | sarvadharma(svabhāvā)nupalabdhitvāt prajñāpāramitā anupalabdhiḥ | sarvadharmavibhāva(nā) - samatvāt prajñāpāramitā(a)vibhāva(nā) - samā | sarvadharmaniśceṣṭatvāt prajñāpāramitā niśceṣṭā | sarvadharmācintyatvāt prajñāpāramitā acintyeti || evaṃ dānapāramitā - śīlapāramitā - kṣāntipāramitā - vīryapāramitā - dhyānapāramitā - prajñāpāramitātrimaṇḍalapariśuddhyaparyantatvāt prajñāpāramitā aparyantā iti || prajñāpāramitā ucyate yaduta aṣṭādaśaśūnyatā | tadyathā - ādhyātmaśūnyatā bahirdhāśūnyatā ādhyātmābahirdhāśūnyatā śūnyatāśūnyatā mahāśūnyatā paramā(rtha)śūnyatā saṃskṛtaśūnyatā asaṃskṛtaśūnyatā atyantaśūnyatā anādyagraśūnyatā (ana)pakāraśūnyatā prakṛtiśūnyatā svalakṣaṇaśūnyatā sarvadharmaśūnyatā anupalambhaśūnyatā abhāvaśūnyatā svabhāvaśūnyatā abhāvasvabhāvaśūnyatā iti | ayam ucyate saṃkṣiptena prajñāpāramiteti || [Vaidya p. 96] tārakā timiraṃ dīpo māyāvaśyāya budbudam | supinaṃ vidyudabhraṃ ca evaṃ draṣṭavya saṃskṛtam | iti || anirodham anutpādam anucchedam aśāśvatam | anekārtham anānārtham anāgamam anirgamam || yaḥ pratītyasamutpādaṃ prapañcopaśamaṃ śivam | deśayām āsa saṃbuddhas taṃ vande vadatāṃ varam || namo daśasu dikṣu sarveṣām atītānāgatapratyutpannānāṃ trayāṇāṃ ratnānām | namo bhagavatyai prajñāpāramitāyai sarvatathāgatasunibhāyai sarvatathāgatānujñātavijñātāyai | (oṁ) prajñe mahāprajñe prajñāvabhāse prajñālokakāri ajñānavidhamane siddhe susiddhe siddhyamane (bha)gavate sarvāṅgasundari (bha)ktivatsale prasārahaste samāśvāsakare sidhya sidhya, budhya budhya, kampa kampa, cala cala, rāva rāva, āgaccha bhagavate, mā vilamba svāhā || namo dharmodgatasya bodhisattvasya mahāsattvasya mahākāruṇakasya || namo prajñāpāramitāyai | tadyathā - munidharme saṃgrahadharme anugrahadharme vimokṣadharme sattvānugrahadharme vaiśramaṇadharme samantanuparivartanadharme guṇigrahasaṃgrahadharme sarvatrānugatadharme sarvakālaparipūrṇadharme svāhā || namo prajñāpāramitāyai | tadyathā - akhane nikhane mukhana nekhane (avaravandane) paṭane paṭane paṭare svāhā || namo prajñāpāramitāyai | tadyathā - gaṅgā gaṅgā na tīrāvabhāsa gaṅgā svāhā || namo prajñāpāramitāyai | tadyathā śrīye śrīye muni śrīye śrīyase svāhā || namo prajñāpāramitāyai | tadyathā - oṁ vajrabale svāhā || namo prajñāpāramitāyai | tadyathā - oṁ hrī śrī dhī śruti smṛti mati gati vijaye svāhā || namo prajñāpāramitāyai | tadyathā - bambari bambari mahābambari būru būru mahābūru svāhā || namaḥ prajñāpāramitāyai | tadyathā - hūte hūte hūvitāśane sarva - karmāvaraṇane svāhā || namaḥ prajñāpāramitāyai | tadyathā - oṁ orolik svāhā || namo prajñāpāramitāyai | tadyathā - oṁ sarvavit svāhā || namaḥ prajñāpāramitāyai | tadyathā - gate gate pāragate pārasaṃgate bodhi svāhā || idam avocad bhagavān | āttamanā āyuṣmān śāriputraḥ śakro devānām indras te ca bodhisattvā mahāsattvāḥ sā ca sarvāvatī parṣad sadevagandharvamānuṣāsuraś ca loko bhagavato bhāṣitam abhyanandan || kauśikanāma prajñāpāramitā samāptā ||

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The Sanskrit title as given in the Degé Kangyur version of the text is āryakauśikaprajñāpāramitānāma, but the ending -nāma is grammatically incorrect. The Sanskrit title given above, āryakauśikaprajñāpāramitā, follows the grammatically correct form given in the Stok Palace Kangyur version of the sūtra. In the Central Asian Sanskrit manuscript, the title listed at the end is kauśaka nāma prajñāpāramitā (Conze 1956, p. 118. See also Bianchini 2020, pp. 103-106). The inclusion of “nāma” in the title of the extant Sanskrit manuscript helps to explain why some Tibetan Kangyurs, such as the Degé Kangyur, likewise included “nāma” in the Sanskrit title (although at the end of the title), and accounted for this with “zhes bya ba” in the Tibetan title.

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The Stok Palace version has gsal ba (“illuminate”) as opposed to bsal ba (“dispel”). The latter reading, that within the perfection of wisdom there is nothing whatsoever to dispel, corresponds well with the clause that follows, which states that within the perfection of wisdom there is nothing to undertake. Thus, the two clauses can be taken as a pair that expresses how, in the perfection of wisdom, nothing is to be negated or taken up. It is worth noting the ambiguity of the terms “dispel” and “undertake,” since it is not clear in what sense “dispel” and “undertake” are intended. They can refer to practices to be discarded or adopted, or to the negation or assertion of certain properties (such as the property of inherent existence). Our translation allows for either interpretation. The Chinese reads, “[As] all phenomena are equal in nature, the perfection of wisdom is equal in nature” (yi qie fa xing ping deng, bo re bo luo mi yi ping deng 一切法性平等，般若波羅蜜亦平等).

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Here byed pa med pa may be rendered as “actionless,” but we chose to interpret it as lacking anything to undertake, as a counterpoint to the previous sentence. Thus, just as there is nothing to be dispelled, so is there nothing to be undertaken in relation to both all phenomena and the perfection of wisdom. The Chinese reads, “[As] all phenomena have no nature, the perfection of wisdom has no nature” (yi qie fa wu xing, bo re bo luo mi yi wu xing 一切法無性，般若波羅蜜亦無性).

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This list is slightly different in the Chinese version. The eighteen emptinesses are, in the order of appearance, internal emptiness (nei kong 內空), external emptiness (wai kong 外空), internal and external emptiness (nei wai kong 內外空), emptiness of emptiness (kong kong 空空), great emptiness (da kong 大空), ultimate emptiness (sheng yi kong 勝義空), emptiness of conditioned phenomena (you wei kong 有為空), emptiness of unconditioned phenomena (wo wei kong 無為空), emptiness of transcending extremes (wu ji kong 無際空), unchanging emptiness (wu bian yi kong 無變異空), emptiness without beginning (wu shi kong 無始空), emptiness of inherent nature (ben xing kong 本性空), emptiness of self-characteristics (zi xiang kong 自相空), emptiness of no characteristics (wu xiang kong 無相空), emptiness of nonexistence (wu xing kong 無性空), emptiness of essential nature (zi xing kong 自性空), emptiness of the essential nature of nonexistence (wu xing zi xing kong 無性自性空), and emptiness of all phenomena (yi qie fa kong一切法空).

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The Sanskrit of these two verses matches the opening verses of homage in Nāgārjuna’s Fundamental Treatise on the Middle Way (Mūlamadhyamakakārikā, Toh 3824, folio 1.b). This suggests that the differences between this Tibetan translation of these verses and the canonical Tibetan translation of Nāgārjuna’s text reflect alternate translations of the same Sanskrit text. The Chinese translation adds a few lines here not found in the Tibetan. They read, “Thus, this is the teaching of supreme perfect awakening that ceases and pacifies the twelve links of dependent arising. Have reverent faith in the supreme guru. Take refuge in the buddhas of the ten directions of the past, present, and future, the Three Jewels, and the perfections. With an ocean of unlimited merit, make offerings to the various tathāgatas, who hold the true secret [teachings] of the Great Illumination” (ru shi shi er yuan, zhi xi ling ji jing, zheng deng zheng deng jue shuo. Gong xin zui shunag zhi, gui yi shi fang fo, guo xian ji wei lai, san bao bo luo mi, wu liang gong de hai, gong yang zhu ru lai, da ming zhen mi mi 如是十二緣， 止息令寂靜，正等正覺說。恭信最上師，歸依十方佛， 過現及未來，三寶波羅蜜。無量功德海，供養諸如來， 大明真祕密。).

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asura

lha ma yin
ལྷ་མ་ཡིན།
asura
阿修羅

A type of nonhuman being whose precise status is subject to different views, but is included as one of the six classes of beings in the sixfold classification of realms of rebirth. In the Buddhist context, asuras are powerful beings said to be dominated by envy, ambition, and hostility. They are also known in the pre-Buddhist and pre-Vedic mythologies of India and Iran, and feature prominently in Vedic and post-Vedic Brahmanical mythology, as well as in the Buddhist tradition. In these traditions, asuras are often described as being engaged in interminable conflict with the devas (gods).

, ,

blessed one

bcom ldan ’das
བཅོམ་ལྡན་འདས།
bhagavat
世尊

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”).

, , , , , , ,

bodhisattva

byang chub sems dpa’
བྱང་ཆུབ་སེམས་དཔའ།
bodhisattva
菩薩摩訶薩

A being who is dedicated to the cultivation and fulfilment of the altruistic intention to attain perfect buddhahood, traversing the ten bodhisattva levels (daśabhūmi, sa bcu). Bodhisattvas purposely opt to remain within cyclic existence in order to liberate all sentient beings, instead of simply seeking personal freedom from suffering. In terms of the view, they realize both the selflessness of persons and the selflessness of phenomena.

, , , , , , ,

Dharma

chos
ཆོས།
dharma

The term dharma conveys ten different meanings, according to Vasubandhu’s Vyākhyāyukti. The primary meanings are as follows: the doctrine taught by the Buddha (Dharma); the ultimate reality underlying and expressed through the Buddha’s teaching (Dharma); the trainings that the Buddha’s teaching stipulates (dharmas); the various awakened qualities or attainments acquired through practicing and realizing the Buddha’s teaching (dharmas); qualities or aspects more generally, i.e., phenomena or phenomenal attributes (dharmas); and mental objects (dharmas).

emptiness

stong pa nyid
སྟོང་པ་ཉིད།
śūnyatā
空

Emptiness denotes the ultimate nature of reality, the total absence of inherent existence and self-identity with respect to all phenomena. According to this view, all things and events are devoid of any independent, intrinsic reality that constitutes their essence. Nothing can be said to exist independent of the complex network of factors that gives rise to its origination, nor are phenomena independent of the cognitive processes and mental constructs that make up the conventional framework within which their identity and existence are posited. When all levels of conceptualization dissolve and when all forms of dichotomizing tendencies are quelled through deliberate meditative deconstruction of conceptual elaborations, the ultimate nature of reality will finally become manifest. It is the first of the three gateways to liberation.

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gandharva

dri za
དྲི་ཟ།
gandharva
乾闥婆

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.”

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god

lha
ལྷ།
deva
天

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.

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Kauśika

kau shi ka
ཀཽ་ཤི་ཀ
kauśika
憍尸迦

“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.

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Mount Sumeru

ri rab
རི་རབ།
sumeru
須彌山

According to ancient Buddhist cosmology, this is the great mountain forming the axis of the universe. At its summit is Sudarśana, home of Śakra and his thirty-two gods, and on its flanks live the asuras. The mount has four sides facing the cardinal directions, each of which is made of a different precious stone. Surrounding it are several mountain ranges and the great ocean where the four principal island continents lie: in the south, Jambudvīpa (our world); in the west, Godānīya; in the north, Uttarakuru; and in the east, Pūrvavideha. Above it are the abodes of the desire realm gods. It is variously referred to as Meru, Mount Meru, Sumeru, and Mount Sumeru.

Rājagṛha

rgyal po’i khab
རྒྱལ་པོའི་ཁབ།
rājagṛha
王舍城

The ancient capital of Magadha prior to its relocation to Pāṭaliputra during the Mauryan dynasty, Rājagṛha is one of the most important locations in Buddhist history. The literature tells us that the Buddha and his saṅgha spent a considerable amount of time in residence in and around Rājagṛha‍—in nearby places, such as the Vulture Peak Mountain (Gṛdhrakūṭaparvata), a major site of the Mahāyāna sūtras, and the Bamboo Grove (Veṇuvana)‍—enjoying the patronage of King Bimbisāra and then of his son King Ajātaśatru. Rājagṛha is also remembered as the location where the first Buddhist monastic council was held after the Buddha Śākyamuni passed into parinirvāṇa. Now known as Rajgir and located in the modern Indian state of Bihar.

Śakra

brgya byin
བརྒྱ་བྱིན།
śakra
帝釋天主

The lord of the gods in the Heaven of the Thirty-Three (trāyastriṃśa). Alternatively known as Indra, the deity that is called “lord of the gods” dwells on the summit of Mount Sumeru and wields the thunderbolt. The Tibetan translation brgya byin (meaning “one hundred sacrifices”) is based on an etymology that śakra is an abbreviation of śata-kratu, one who has performed a hundred sacrifices. Each world with a central Sumeru has a Śakra. Also known by other names such as Kauśika, Devendra, and Śacipati.

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Śāradvatīputra

sha ra dwa ti’i bu
ཤ་ར་དྭ་ཏིའི་བུ།
śāradvatīputra
舍利弗

One of the principal śrāvaka disciples of the Buddha, he was renowned for his discipline and for having been praised by the Buddha as foremost of the wise (often paired with Maudgalyāyana, who was praised as foremost in the capacity for miraculous powers). His father, Tiṣya, to honor Śāriputra’s mother, Śārikā, named him Śāradvatīputra, or, in its contracted form, Śāriputra, meaning “Śārikā’s Son.”

Śāriputra

shA ri’i pu
ཤཱ་རིའི་པུ།
śāriputra

tathāgata

de bzhin gshegs pa
དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པ།
tathāgata

A frequently used synonym for buddha. According to different explanations, it can be read as tathā-gata, literally meaning “one who has thus gone,” or as tathā-āgata, “one who has thus come.” Gata, though literally meaning “gone,” is a past passive participle used to describe a state or condition of existence. Tatha(tā), often rendered as “suchness” or “thusness,” is the quality or condition of things as they really are, which cannot be conveyed in conceptual, dualistic terms. Therefore, this epithet is interpreted in different ways, but in general it implies one who has departed in the wake of the buddhas of the past, or one who has manifested the supreme awakening dependent on the reality that does not abide in the two extremes of existence and quiescence. It is also often used as a specific epithet of the Buddha Śākyamuni.

Summary

Acknowledgements

Introduction

Summary

Acknowledgements

Introduction

Notes

Glossary

Bibliography