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She was offered to Prasenajit by the Śākyas for reasons of diplomacy but was not of noble birth, which turned out to have disastrous consequences much later when Virūḍhaka discovered the deceit and attacked Kapilavastu.
See UCSB Buddhist Studies Translation Group, trans., Aśokadattā’s Prophecy, Toh 76 (84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2024).
See Subhashita Translation Group, trans., The Prophecy of Kṣemavatī, Toh 192 (84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2022).
See Dharmachakra Translation Committee, trans., The Prophecy Concerning Strīvivarta (Toh 190), 2021.
lo tstsha ba ’gos chos grub kyis rgya nag gi dpe las bsgyur cing zhus te/ gtan la phab pa/ (Comparative Edition, p. 288, note 1 of p. 283. Stok Palace, folio 181.a).
Denkarma, F.296.b.2; see also Herrmann-Pfandt 2008, pp. 36–37. The Denkarma inventory does contain a separate list of texts translated from the Chinese, but this work is listed within the category of texts belonging to the Ratnakūṭa collection, a heading that appears to trump the language of the source text—as with other works from the Ratnakūṭa that are also thought to have been translated from the Chinese.
Tib. ri’i rgyal po (“the king of mountains”). An equivalent term is here absent in the Chinese.
“Of the asuras” is absent in the Chinese, which reads 蓋諸大眾如羅睺羅王 (“he eclipsed all those who surrounded him, like King Rāhula”).
The Chinese makes no mention of the major and minor marks here, instead reading 相好莊嚴威光熾盛 (“His appearance was magnificent, and his splendor and power blazed forth”).
Here the Chinese diverges slightly from the Tibetan: 為欲覺悟一切眾生普令安住決定勝義 (“In order to establish all sentient beings who desire awakening in the supreme definitive meaning”).
The Chinese version has 至如來所頂禮佛足 (“Reaching the Thus-Gone One, she prostrated at his feet…”).
Tib. mkhyen pa dag gis is probably a dual form denoting the knowledge of things in their true nature, and of things in all their multiplicity. The Chinese here also references skillful means, which is not found in the Tibetan: 智慧善巧知諸行 (“You know all actions with your knowledge and skillful means”).
The subject of the first two lines is not entirely clear in the Tibetan, but this rendering is confirmed by the Chinese: 若有堅固勇進者，慈悲利益眾生類，如是菩薩正修行，唯願如來為宣說。 (“Those with steadfast perseverance, / Who compassionately benefit sentient beings— / I beseech you, Thus-Gone One, to explain / The correct conduct of such bodhisattvas”).
The Chinese divides this line into two different questions: 云何當得平等法？云何成熟諸眾生？ (“How do they obtain the Dharma of equanimity? How do they bring sentient beings to maturity?”).
In the Chinese, this series of questions starting with “How do they cultivate generosity” seem to be grouped together as one question: 云何出生施戒忍，精進禪定及解脫，智慧破諸煩惱闇，而常安住大方便，三昧總持無礙辯，住四無量五神通?
The Chinese clarifies that the sense here is that the Buddha is repeating in verse what he has just explained: 重說偈言 (“repeated in verse” or “spoke again in verse”).
While the Chinese 不染生死 could be read to mean “not clinging to saṃsāra,” it more likely means “not tainted by saṃsāra,” and was possibly read differently by the Tibetan translators.
The sense in the Chinese is “because” rather than “when”: 菩薩成就八種法故 (“because a bodhisattva accomplishes eight kinds of qualities”).
As above, the sense of the Chinese is “because” rather than “when”: 菩薩成就八種法故 (“because bodhisattvas accomplish eight qualities”).
The Chinese continues to explicitly number each item in the list of eight, whereas the Tibetan here omits such numbering.
The six lines of verse starting from “Because wise people always act to be of benefit” to “Love and hate do not arise” are taken together as one unit in the Chinese. Thus, the Tibetan version’s continued parsing into groups of four differs from the extant Chinese version.
The Chinese breaks up the verses differently, taking the four lines starting from “Always understanding the nature of the body” to “Are unmoved by joys and sorrows” as a unit of four.
Instead of spyod ’dzin rtag par sa ’dra bas, the Lithang, Kangxi, and Choné Kangyurs read spong ’dzin rtag par sa ’dra bas: “Being like the earth in always accepting and giving up” (Comparative Edition, p. 285, note 3 of p. 269).
As above, the Chinese breaks up the verses differently, taking the four lines starting from “And, properly understanding the afflictions” to “Love and hate do not arise” as a unit of four.
Here again the sense in the Chinese is “because” rather than “when”: 菩薩成就八種法故 (“because bodhisattvas accomplish eight qualities”).
The Chinese reads a little differently here: 於生死中無有疲倦 (“though in saṃsāra, they are indefatigable”).
The Chinese continues to explicitly number each item in the list of eight, whereas the Tibetan omits such numbering.
Instead of chos rgyal nyid du mngon ’tshang rgya, the Yongle and Kangxi Kangyurs have chos nyid du ni mngon ’tshang rgya: “And become fully awakened to the dharmatā” (Comparative Edition, p. 285, notes 24 and 25 of p. 269).
Instead of dga’ ba’i sems kyis rtag tu bde, the Lithang and Choné Kangyurs have dga’ ba’i sems kyi rtag tu bde: “And their joyful minds are always happy” (Comparative Edition, p. 285, note 1 of p. 270).
Instead of thabs kyis pha rol gang phyin pa, the Yongle, Narthang, and Lhasa Kangyurs have thabs kyi pha rol gang yin pa; Peking reads thabs kyi pha rol gang phyin pa. Both could be translated as “Those who have become accomplished in skillful means” (Comparative Edition, p. 285, notes 2 and 3 of p. 270).
The Chinese here differs slightly from the Tibetan: 愛樂佛功德 (“Adoring and delighting in the Buddha’s qualities”).
Tib. sems kyi khams mnyam par ’gyur; the expression khams mnyam pa can simply mean “balanced” or “healthy”; or this may be a reference to khams mnyam pa nyid (Skt. dhātusamatā), forty-eighth of the 108 gateways to the light of Dharma listed in chapter 4 of the Lalitavistara (see The Play in Full 4.20).
The Chinese reads 一者心如地故 (“The first is because the mind is similar to earth”). Note that here again the Chinese includes explicit numbering for this and the remainder of the list of qualities.
Here the Chinese reads 一者心如地故 (“The first is because the mind is similar to earth”). Note that here again the Chinese includes explicit numbering for this and the remainder of the list of qualities.
Although all the Tibetan editions consulted read nyan thos dang ni rang rgyal gyi, the genitive gyi is clearly better read as an ergative gyis. The Chinese has no grammatical particle to restrict the sense to a genitive.
The Chinese reads 有八種法，菩薩成就出生菩提 (“There are eight qualities through which bodhisattvas accomplish the source of enlightenment”).
Instead of ci bdog pa rnams yongs su gtong ba’i phyir ro, Yongle has ci bdog pa rnams yongs su gdung ba’i phyir ro, “Because they are in great pain concerning everything they possess,” which would probably mean that they cannot bear to keep it only for themselves (Comparative Edition, p. 285, note 15 of p. 271).
Instead of rnam par grol bas nye bar zhi bar ’gyur ba’i phyir ro, Yongle and Kangxi have rnam par grol ba nye bar zhi bar ’gyur ba’i phyir ro: “as they have reached the peace of complete liberation” (Comparative Edition, p. 285, note 21 of p. 271).
The Chinese reads 志求大安樂，除習證真滅 (“Striving determinedly for the great bliss, / They remove habitual patterns and attain true extinction”).
Instead of don gyi phan pa nan tan sgom, Lithang, Kangxi, and Choné have don gyi phan pa yon tan sgom: “Meditates on the qualities of the ultimate benefit” (Comparative Edition, p. 285, note 19 of p. 272).
善知諸性欲，說法度眾生 (“Knowing well the natures and desires of all / They teach the Dharma to liberate sentient beings”).
Instead of ji skad thos bzhin ston byed pas, Kangxi has ji skad bos bzhin ston byed pas: “And teach what has been asked for” (Comparative Edition, p. 285, note 8 of p. 273).
The Chinese continues to explicitly number each item in the list of eight whereas the Tibetan omits such numbering.
The Chinese reads 有八種法，菩薩成就頭陀功德，常樂住於阿蘭若處 (“There are eight qualities through which bodhisattvas accomplish ascetic virtue and always dwell joyfully in seclusion”).
The Chinese continues to explicitly number each item in the list of eight, whereas the Tibetan omits such numbering.
The Chinese adds an additional characterization: 少欲知足不放逸 (“Having few wants and being content and conscientious”).
The Chinese version reads 常住空閑佛所讚 (“They always dwell in solitude and are praised by the buddhas”).
The Degé reads gnyen bshes yongs spangs bsngags pa rjod, but here we follow the Chinese 遠離眷屬絕稱譽 (“They leave behind relatives and friends and refuse honor and praise”), which matches the Yongle’s bsngags pa gcad and the Narthang’s bsngags gcod pa (Comparative Edition, p. 286, note 8 of p. 275).
The Chinese continues to explicitly number each item in the list of eight, whereas the Tibetan omits such numbering.
Instead of rab tu bzod pa, “accepting,” Narthang and Lhasa have rab tu brjod pa, “asserting” (Comparative Edition, p. 286, note 12 of p. 275).
Instead of skye med, “non-arising,” Narthang and Lhasa have skyon med, “flawlessness” (Comparative Edition, p. 286, note 1 of p. 276).
The sense of the Chinese is “because” rather than “when”: 菩薩成就八種法故 (“because bodhisattvas accomplish eight qualities”).
The Chinese continues to explicitly number each item in the list of eight, whereas the Tibetan omits such numbering.
The Degé and Comparative Edition have the mistaken rnam dag yang dag dag gis ni, and curiously, the Comparative Edition does not note any variants (Comparative Edition, p. 277). The Stok Palace has the correct rnam dag yang dag ngag gis ni (folio 177.a).
While the Degé edition reads log brtson dag ni spong bar byed (“They abandon those with wrong effort”), the Chinese reads 不捨邪勤者 (“They do not abandon those with wrong effort”). This reading, which is preferable, is corroborated by the Yongle, Narthang, and Stok Palace versions (Comparative Edition, p. 286, note 6 of p. 277; Stok Palace, folio 177.b).
The Chinese continues to explicitly number each item in the list of eight, whereas the Tibetan omits such numbering.
The Degé reads rtag par dran byed rjes su dran (“They always recall [the six] recollections”). The Stok Palace shares this reading (folio 178.a). The Chinese reads 常念於無念 (“They always recall nonrecollection”). Here 無念 (wu nian) carries the sense of nondeluded thoughts and correct recollection/mindfulness. Interestingly, the Yongle, Lithang, Kangxi, Narthang, Choné, and Lhasa versions match the Chinese, reading rtag par dran med rjes su dran (Comparative Edition, p. 286, note 7 of p. 278).
Tib. chos kyi mnga’ bdag nor gyis ni/ brtse sems thams cad kun sdud pas. The Yongle and Narthang editions read sbyin pas, “give,” instead of sdud pas, “draw in,” which would translate as: “They give everything to everyone with their loving minds” (Comparative Edition, p. 286, note 10 of p. 278). This more closely matches the Chinese, which reads 悲心施一切 (“Doling out compassion to all”).
The Chinese has 世尊! 成熟幾法能轉女身? (“Blessed One, which dharmas must one have ripened to be able to transform female existence?”).
The Chinese reads 成就八法當轉女身 (“when one accomplishes eight qualities, one will certainly transform female existence”).
The Chinese continues to explicitly number each item in the list of eight, whereas the Tibetan omits such numbering.
The Chinese reads 成就八法能轉女身 (“when one accomplishes the eight qualities, one is able to transform/avert the female existence”).
The Chinese has 一者尊重於佛深樂於法 (“First, respecting the Buddha and profoundly rejoicing in the Dharma”). The Chinese continues to explicitly number each item in the list of eight, whereas the Tibetan omits such numbering.
The Chinese has 敬佛深樂法 (“When one is devoted to the Buddha and profoundly rejoices in the Dharma”).
The six lines of verse starting from “When one keeps discipline with modesty and bashfulness” to “Impure existence as a woman” are taken together as one unit in the Chinese.
The six lines of verse starting from “When, with supreme intent, one develops weariness” to “One will quickly obtain the body of a man” are taken together as one unit in the Chinese.
The Chinese version reads differently here: 爾時淨信童女以所持金鬘散於佛上 (“Then the girl Vimalaśraddhā laid upon the Buddha the golden necklaces she was wearing”).
The four qualities that are said to result in rebirth in the heaven of Brahmā: limitless love, compassion, rejoicing, and equanimity. They were practices already prevalent in India before Śākyamuni’s teaching.
In a general sense, samādhi can describe a number of different meditative states. In the Mahāyāna literature, in particular in the Prajñāpāramitā sūtras, we find extensive lists of different samādhis, numbering over one hundred.
In a more restricted sense, and when understood as a mental state, samādhi is defined as the one-pointedness of the mind (cittaikāgratā), the ability to remain on the same object over long periods of time. The Drajor Bamponyipa (sgra sbyor bam po gnyis pa) commentary on the Mahāvyutpatti explains the term samādhi as referring to the instrument through which mind and mental states “get collected,” i.e., it is by the force of samādhi that the continuum of mind and mental states becomes collected on a single point of reference without getting distracted.
“The Dedicated One.” One of the bodhisattvas in the entourage of the Buddha Śākyamuni when he taught the girl Vimalaśraddhā.
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.
Usually this term refers to a set of thirteen ascetic practices that can be taken up optionally by monks to further their moral discipline. Here, it refers to the practice of ascetic purification in general.
“Kind Protector.” Head of the “sixteen excellent men” in this sūtra. He is a bodhisattva who appears prominently in a number of sūtras, where he is depicted as a lay practitioner.
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 general term of respect given to persons of spiritual attainment; in a Buddhist context, it is an epithet for the Buddha.
A bodhisattva mahāsattva is a bodhisattva who has completed the seventh bhūmi and is on the eighth, ninth, or tenth bhūmi prior to becoming a buddha. These bodhisattvas have several special qualities that bodhisattvas on the lower bhūmis do not have.
A high-ranking deity presiding over a divine world; he is also considered to be the lord of the Sahā world (our universe). Though not considered a creator god in Buddhism, Brahmā occupies an important place as one of two gods (the other being Indra/Śakra) said to have first exhorted the Buddha Śākyamuni to teach the Dharma. The particular heavens found in the form realm over which Brahmā rules are often some of the most sought-after realms of higher rebirth in Buddhist literature. Since there are many universes or world systems, there are also multiple Brahmās presiding over them. His most frequent epithets are “Lord of the Sahā World” (sahāṃpati) and Great Brahmā (mahābrahman).
A member of the highest caste in Indian society, which is mostly closely associated with religious vocations.
A pure realm manifested by a buddha or advanced bodhisattva through the power of their great merit and aspirations.
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.
The final meaning of the truth; the real intent of the Buddha’s teachings.
“Earth Bearer.” One of the bodhisattvas in the entourage of the Buddha Śākyamuni when he taught the girl Vimalaśraddhā.
An explication of the Dharma.
“Steadfast Mind.” One of the bodhisattvas in the entourage of the Buddha Śākyamuni when he taught the girl Vimalaśraddhā.
The Tibetan rlung brgyad (“eight winds”) translates literally the Chinese 八風 (bafeng), which is a Chinese Buddhist term for the eight “winds” or influences that stimulate affliction. These are commonly known as the eight worldly concerns or dharmas (’jig rten gyi chos brgyad, aṣṭalokadharma) consisting of: hoping for happiness, fame, praise and gain; and fearing suffering, insignificance, blame and loss.
The fundamental space that is the characteristic of all phenomena.
An epithet of the Buddha.
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.
The Sanskrit term śrāvaka, and the Tibetan nyan thos, both derived from the verb “to hear,” are usually defined as “those who hear the teaching from the Buddha and make it heard to others.” Primarily this refers to those disciples of the Buddha who aspire to attain the state of an arhat seeking their own liberation and nirvāṇa. They are the practitioners of the first turning of the wheel of the Dharma on the four noble truths, who realize the suffering inherent in saṃsāra and focus on understanding that there is no independent self. By conquering afflicted mental states (kleśa), they liberate themselves, attaining first the stage of stream enterers at the path of seeing, followed by the stage of once-returners who will be reborn only one more time, and then the stage of non-returners who will no longer be reborn into the desire realm. The final goal is to become an arhat. These four stages are also known as the “four results of spiritual practice.”
The four meditations on love (maitrī), compassion (karuṇā), joy (muditā), and equanimity (upekṣā), as well as the states of mind and qualities of being that result from their cultivation. They are also called the four abodes of Brahmā (caturbrahmavihāra).
In the Abhidharmakośa, Vasubandhu explains that they are called apramāṇa—meaning “infinite” or “limitless”—because they take limitless sentient beings as their object, and they generate limitless merit and results. Love is described as the wish that beings be happy, and it acts as an antidote to malice (vyāpāda). Compassion is described as the wish for beings to be free of suffering, and acts as an antidote to harmfulness (vihiṃsā). Joy refers to rejoicing in the happiness beings already have, and it acts as an antidote to dislike or aversion (arati) toward others’ success. Equanimity is considering all beings impartially, without distinctions, and it is the antidote to attachment to both pleasure and malice (kāmarāgavyāpāda).
“Prince Jeta’s Grove.” See “Jetavana, Anāthapiṇḍada’s Park.”
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.
“World Bearer.” One of the bodhisattvas in the entourage of the Buddha Śākyamuni when he taught the girl Vimalaśraddhā.
“Great Earth Bearer.” One of the bodhisattvas in the entourage of the Buddha Śākyamuni when he taught the girl Vimalaśraddhā.
The bodhisattva Maitreya is an important figure in many Buddhist traditions, where he is unanimously regarded as the buddha of the future era. He is said to currently reside in the heaven of Tuṣita, as Śākyamuni’s regent, where he awaits the proper time to take his final rebirth and become the fifth buddha in the Fortunate Eon, reestablishing the Dharma in this world after the teachings of the current buddha have disappeared. Within the Mahāyāna sūtras, Maitreya is elevated to the same status as other central bodhisattvas such as Mañjuśrī and Avalokiteśvara, and his name appears frequently in sūtras, either as the Buddha’s interlocutor or as a teacher of the Dharma. Maitreya literally means “Loving One.” He is also known as Ajita, meaning “Invincible.”
For more information on Maitreya, see, for example, the introduction to Maitreya’s Setting Out (Toh 198).
Mañjuśrī is one of the “eight close sons of the Buddha” and a bodhisattva who embodies wisdom. He is a major figure in the Mahāyāna sūtras, appearing often as an interlocutor of the Buddha. In his most well-known iconographic form, he is portrayed bearing the sword of wisdom in his right hand and a volume of the Prajñāpāramitāsūtra in his left. To his name, Mañjuśrī, meaning “Gentle and Glorious One,” is often added the epithet Kumārabhūta, “having a youthful form.” He is also called Mañjughoṣa, Mañjusvara, and Pañcaśikha.
The term is used to refer to negativity as a force. In ancient India, it was personified by the entity called “Māra,” whose sole intention is to harm beings or divert them from good.
“Path Bearer.” One of the bodhisattvas in the entourage of the Buddha Śākyamuni when he taught the girl Vimalaśraddhā.
In the general Mahāyāna teachings the mind of awakening (bodhicitta) is the intention to attain the complete awakening of a perfect buddha for the sake of all beings. On the level of absolute truth, the mind of awakening is the realization of the awakened state itself.
The sacred mountain considered to be at the center of the physical, metaphysical, and spiritual universe.
“Permanent Luster.” The name of the future eon in which the girl Vimalaśraddhā will become a buddha.
The term is used to define the actions of a bodhisattva. Because these actions, when brought to perfection, lead one to transcend saṃsāra and reach full awakening, they receive the Sanskrit name pāramitā, meaning “gone across to the other side.”
The king of the Kośala kingdom (located in Northern India, in present day Uttar Pradesh) and Vimalaśraddhā’s father.
An asura king. He is said to cause eclipses by seizing or blocking the sun and moon.
“Array of Light Rays.” Name by which Vimalaśraddhā will be known upon her attainment of buddhahood.
“Mind of Jewels.” One of the bodhisattvas in the entourage of the Buddha Śākyamuni when he taught the girl Vimalaśraddhā.
“Jeweled Victory Banner.” One of the bodhisattvas in the entourage of the Buddha Śākyamuni when he taught the girl Vimalaśraddhā.
“Precious Qualities.” One of the bodhisattvas in the entourage of the Buddha Śākyamuni when he taught the girl Vimalaśraddhā.
“Source of Jewels.” One of the bodhisattvas in the entourage of the Buddha Śākyamuni when he taught the girl Vimalaśraddhā.
“Jeweled Pinnacle.” One of the bodhisattvas in the entourage of the Buddha Śākyamuni when he taught the girl Vimalaśraddhā.
“Precious Intelligence.” One of the bodhisattvas in the entourage of the Buddha Śākyamuni when he taught the girl Vimalaśraddhā.
“Precious Light.” One of the bodhisattvas in the entourage of the Buddha Śākyamuni when he taught the girl Vimalaśraddhā.
A synonym for ultimate truth, and a way of describing the attainment of perfection as the culmination of the spiritual path.
The term dhāraṇī has the sense of something that “holds” or “retains,” and so it can refer to the special capacity of practitioners to memorize and recall detailed teachings. It can also refer to a verbal expression of the teachings—an incantation, spell, or mnemonic formula—that distills and “holds” essential points of the Dharma and is used by practitioners to attain mundane and supramundane goals. The same term is also used to denote texts that contain such formulas.
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.
Though often specifically reserved for the monastic community, this term can be applied to any of the four Buddhist communities—monks, nuns, laymen, and laywomen—as well as to identify the different groups of practitioners, like the community of bodhisattvas or the community of śrāvakas. It is also the third of the Three Jewels (triratna) of Buddhism: the Buddha, the Teaching, and the Community.
’phags pa bu mo rnam dag dad pas zhus pa zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo. Toh 84, Degé Kangyur, vol. 44 (dkon brtsegs, cha), folios 95.a–104.b.
’phags pa bu mo rnam dag dad pas zhus pa zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo. bka’ ’gyur (dpe bsdur ma) [Comparative Edition of the Kangyur], krung go’i bod rig pa zhib ’jug ste gnas kyi bka’ bstan dpe sdur khang (The Tibetan Tripitaka Collation Bureau of the China Tibetology Research Center). 108 volumes. Beijing: krung go’i bod rig pa dpe skrun khang (China Tibetology Publishing House), 2006–9, vol. 44, pp. 261–88.
’phags pa bu mo rnam dag dad pas zhus pa zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo. Toh 84, Stok Palace Kangyur, vol. 40 (dkon brtsegs, cha), folios 167.b–191.a.
Denkarma (pho brang stod thang ldan dkar gyi chos ’gyur ro cog gi dkar chag). Degé Tengyur, vol. 206 (sna tshogs, jo), folios 294.b–310.a.
Phangthangma (dkar chag ’phang thang ma). Beijing: mi rigs dpe skrun khang, 2003.
Jing xin tong nü hui 淨信童女會. Taishō 310 (40). https://cbetaonline.dila.edu.tw/zh/T0310_111/.
84000 Translation Team, trans. The Sūtra of Gaṅgottara’s Questions (Gaṅgottaraparipṛcchāsūtra, Toh 75). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2024.
Bien, Annie, trans. The Prophecy of the Girl Candrottarā (Candrottarādārikāvyākaraṇa, Toh 191). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2025.
Braarvig, Jens Erland, trans. The Miraculous Play of Mañjuśrī (Mañjuśrīvikrīḍita, Toh 96). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2020.
Chang, Garma C.C. A Treasury of Mahāyāna Sūtras: Selections from the Mahāratnakūṭa Sūtra. University Park: The Pennsylvania State University Press, 1983.
Dharmachakra Translation Committee, trans. The Prophecy Concerning Strīvivarta (Strīvivartavyākaraṇa, Toh 190). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2021.
Herrmann-Pfandt, Adelheid. Die lHan kar ma: ein früher Katalog der ins Tibetische übersetzten buddhistischen Texte. Vienna: Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, 2008.
Sakya Pandita Translation Group (International Buddhist Academy Division), trans. The Questions of an Old Lady (Mahallikāparipṛcchā, Toh 171). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2011.
Subhashita Translation Group, trans. The Prophecy of Kṣemavatī (Kṣemavatīvyākaraṇa, Toh 192). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2022.
UCSB Buddhist Studies Translation Group, trans. Aśokadattā’s Prophecy (Aśokadattāvyākaraṇa, Toh 76). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2024.
Vimalaśraddhā, the daughter of King Prasenajit, comes to see the Buddha in Jetavana, Anāthapiṇḍada’s Park, together with a retinue of five hundred women. She pays homage to the Buddha and asks him to explain the conduct of bodhisattvas. The Buddha responds by presenting twelve sets of eight qualities that bodhisattvas should cultivate. Vimalaśraddhā and her five hundred companions, having developed the mind set on awakening, join the ranks of the bodhisattvas, and the Buddha prophesies her future attainment of awakening.
The text was translated by Maurizio Pontiggia and edited by Chryse Tringos-Allen. Dr. Fabian Justus Sanders, docent of Tibetan Language and Literature at the Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, provided most of the Sanskrit names and terms. The 84000 editorial team subsequently checked the translation against the Tibetan and the Chinese, and compiled the introduction using parts of the translators’ original material.
The translation was completed under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.
The Questions of the Girl Vimalaśraddhā is included among of the forty-nine sūtras in The Heap of Jewels (Skt. Ratnakūṭa) collection of the Degé Kangyur. It presents the qualities that bodhisattvas should cultivate in their practice and the benefits that come from such cultivation.
The sūtra begins with the princess Vimalaśraddhā, daughter of King Prasenajit, coming to see the Buddha in Jetavana, Anāthapiṇḍada’s Park, together with a retinue of five hundred women. In some expressive verses, she pays homage to the Buddha and asks him to explain the conduct of bodhisattvas. The Buddha responds by presenting twelve sets of eight qualities that bodhisattvas should cultivate. Vimalaśraddhā then asks the Buddha how a woman may avoid female rebirth, to which the Buddha replies by presenting two further sets of eight qualities that ensure rebirth as a man. Finally, Vimalaśraddhā and her five hundred companions, having developed the mind set on awakening, join the ranks of the bodhisattvas, and the Buddha prophesies her future attainment of awakening.
The Buddha’s explanations of how bodhisattvas should act, set out in short prose sections followed by sets of verses, are, of course, the main content of the sūtra. But it is noteworthy that the narrative in which this content is framed shares its theme—the Buddha being addressed by a daughter of King Prasenajit—with two other sūtras from the Heap of Jewels collection. Prasenajit himself, ruling over the kingdom of Kośala from its capital, Śrāvastī, is a well known figure in the canonical texts. Kośala was a powerful kingdom that, under his father Arāḍa Brahmadatta, held political control over the smaller, neighboring Śākya kingdom to the east in which the Buddha was born, and Prasenajit is said to have been born as prince in Śrāvasti at the same time as the Buddha took birth as prince in the Śākya capital, Kapilavastu. It was within the first two years after the Buddha’s awakening that Prasenajit became his disciple and patron, although the Buddha only started residing near Śrāvastī for his rains retreats much later, when the wealthy merchant Anāthapiṇḍada purchased land there to build him a vihāra. Prasenajit, by his several wives, is recorded as having had at least two sons and a number of daughters. The name of one of his sons, Prince Jeta, is immortalized in the name, the Jetavana, given to the grove and vihāra on the land that Jeta sold to Anāthapiṇḍada. Another son was Virūḍhaka (by a different mother, a Śākyan). Several daughters of Prasenajit are mentioned in the canonical literature. One, Vimaladattā—younger in her story than Vimalaśraddhā in this one—is featured in The Questions of Vimaladattā (Vimaladattāparipṛcchā, Toh 77). Prasenajit’s best known daughter is perhaps Śrīmālādevī, who became queen of Ayodhyā and is the principal protagonist of the The Lion’s Roar of Śrīmaladevī (Śrīmālādevīsiṃhanāda, Toh 92). Her mother was probably the queen Mallikā, the foremost of Prasenajit’s queens who is said to have had only one child, a daughter, although other sources name instead another of Prasenajit’s daughters, Vajira, who married King Ajātaśatru of Magadha, as Mallikā’s only daughter. While some of these members of Prasenajit’s family are mentioned in different Sanskrit and Pali texts, both Vimalaśraddhā and Vimaladattā seem to figure only in their respective sūtras.
If the protagonists of The Questions of the Girl Vimalaśraddhā, The Questions of Vimaladattā, and The Lion’s Roar of Śrīmaladevī are all daughters of Prasenajit, they are not the only princesses who are also bodhisattvas in the canonical texts. One daughter of King Ajātaśatru, Aśokadattā, receives her prediction of future awakening in the Aśokadattāvyākaraṇa (Toh 76, also in the Heap of Jewels), and another, Vimalaprabhā, in the Vimalaprabhāparipṛcchā (Toh 168, in the General Sūtra section). King Bimbisāra’s queen, Kṣemavatī, questions the Buddha about his qualities and receives her prediction in the Kṣemavatīvyākaraṇa (Toh 192). Less privileged female bodhisattvas include laywomen, the main interlocutors in the Gaṅgottarāparipṛcchā (Toh 75), the Strīvivartavyākaraṇa (Toh 190), and the Mahallikāparipṛcchā (Toh 171); a courtesan called Suvarṇottamaprabhāśrī in the Mañjuśrīvikrīḍita (Toh 96); and Vimalakīrti’s daughter Candrottarā in the Candrottarādārikāvyākaraṇa (Toh 191). While some of the women in these sūtras aspire to be reborn as males as they progress toward awakening, others question what place notions of gender may have with regard to awakening; some debate matters concerning gender with the śrāvaka disciples; some (notably Strīvivarta) make use of being a woman to benefit beings; some appear to be able to change their sex miraculously at will; and Vimalaprabhā vows to remain a woman in at least some of her future lives in order to undertake specific tasks. Nevertheless, these accounts all seem to culminate in the prediction that the female protagonist will ultimately become an apparently male buddha.
The version of the sūtra in the Degé and some other Kangyurs has no colophon, but a colophon is to be found in the Stok Palace, Narthang, and Lhasa Kangyurs, among others, and explicitly states that the Tibetan translation was produced from the Chinese, noting that the text was “translated, edited, and finalized based on the Chinese text by the translator Gö Chödrup.” A work that can almost certainly be identified with this sūtra, but with the slighly different Tibetan title bu mo dad ldan gyis zhus pa, is listed in both the Denkarma and Phangthangma imperial inventories, allowing us to date its Tibetan translation to the late eighth or early ninth century.
In producing this translation, we have based our work on the Degé xylograph, while consulting the Comparative Edition (Tib. dpe bsdur ma) and Stok Palace manuscript. Since the Tibetan version of this sūtra was translated from Chinese rather than Sanskrit, we have also made careful use of Bodhiruci’s fifth- or sixth-century Chinese translation, noting important variants throughout.
Homage to all the buddhas and bodhisattvas!
Thus did I hear at one time. The Blessed One was residing in Śrāvastī, in Jetavana, Anāthapiṇḍada’s park, together with a large assembly of five hundred bhikṣus and eight thousand bodhisattva mahāsattvas who were well versed in all fields of knowledge, had obtained retention and unimpeded eloquence, were fully accomplished in patience, were completely victorious over the hordes of Māra, and had obtained the Dharmas attained by the thus-gone ones. There was the bodhisattva Lokadhara, the bodhisattva Mārgadhara, the bodhisattva Dharaṇīdhara, the bodhisattva Mahādharaṇīdhara, the bodhisattva Dhṛtimati, the bodhisattva Adhimuktika, the bodhisattva Surūpavyūha, the bodhisattva Ratnaketu, the bodhisattva Ratnadhvaja, the bodhisattva Ratnacinta, the bodhisattva Ratnākara, the bodhisattva Ratnamati, the bodhisattva Ratnaguṇa, and the bodhisattva Ratnaprabha, and there were also the bodhisattvas of this fortunate eon headed by Maitreya. There was also a group of sixty bodhisattvas with incomparable motivation, headed by Mañjuśrī, and a group of sixteen great men led by the bodhisattva Bhadrapāla. Also gathered there was an assembly of twenty thousand gods from the Tuṣita heaven.
Then the Blessed One, who was sitting there on the lion throne called Treasury of Great Arrangements, surrounded by an immeasurable assembly of hundreds of thousands, shone forth everywhere with rays of light like those of the sun and the moon. Like the kings of the gods, Śakra and Brahmā, his brilliance was outstanding. Like Mount Meru, the king of mountains, he was extremely tall and rose high above the common. Like a great torch, the light that he radiated was utterly resplendent. Like an elephant king, he beheld each one and everyone. Like a lion roaring, he taught the Dharma fearlessly. Like the king of the asuras, Rāhula, he eclipsed all those who surrounded him. His body was adorned with all the major and minor marks of a buddha. His splendor and power blazed forth. In order to establish all sentient beings in the supreme definitive meaning and make them understand it, he was teaching the Dharma in the midst of this large audience with a voice like Brahmā’s, which resounded in all the universes of the entire trichiliocosm.
Then King Prasenajit’s young daughter, Vimalaśraddhā—a pretty and beautiful girl whom everyone liked to see, and who had produced roots of virtue in the past and practiced in the Mahāyāna—came to Jetavana from the town of Śrāvastī, accompanied by five hundred girls, each of whom wore golden jewelry. Having prostrated herself, bowing her head to the feet of the Blessed One, she circumambulated him three times. Then, after sitting down to one side before the Blessed One, she praised him with these verses:
Then the Blessed One replied to the girl Vimalaśraddhā, “Girl, if bodhisattvas are endowed with eight strengths, although dwelling within saṃsāra, they have steadfast courage and are completely indefatigable. And what are these eight strengths? The first is the strength of mental motivation, because they are without deceit. The second is the strength of determination, because they abandon all faults. The third is the strength of application, because they continually practice virtue. The fourth is the strength of real trust, because they have strong trust in the maturation of karma. The fifth is the strength of the mind set on awakening, because they do not seek out inferior vehicles. The sixth is the strength of great love, because they do not harm sentient beings. The seventh is the strength of great compassion, because they take all injury upon themselves. The eighth is the strength of a spiritual friend, because from time to time they need to be examined. Girl, these are called the eight kinds of strength. When bodhisattvas are endowed with these eight strengths, they have steadfast courage, and although they dwell within saṃsāra, they have no clinging or attachment.”
Then the Blessed One spoke again in verse:
“Furthermore, girl, when bodhisattvas are endowed with eight qualities, they abide in sameness. What are these eight qualities? The first is the sameness of all sentient beings, because they are intrinsically without a self. The second is the sameness of all phenomena, because they are utterly void. The third is the sameness of all buddhafields, because they all occur within the sphere of emptiness. The fourth is the sameness of all thus-gone ones, because they all teach in equanimity. The fifth is the sameness of all actions, because causes and conditions are without intrinsic nature. The sixth is the sameness of all vehicles, because they are all similar in being noncomposite. The seventh is the sameness of minds, because mind is similar to an illusion. The eighth is the sameness of all māras, because one cannot observe a beginning of the afflictions. This is what is called abiding in sameness through the eight qualities.”
Then the Blessed One spoke again in verse:
“Furthermore, girl, when bodhisattvas are endowed with eight qualities, they abandon love and hate. What are these eight qualities? Being endowed with love; being endowed with compassion; always being willing to benefit others; not being attached to worldly things; not being attached to one’s body; always cultivating a concentrated mind; giving away one’s body and life; and discerning the afflictions. When bodhisattvas can accomplish these eight qualities, they will abandon love and hate.”
Then the Blessed One spoke again in verse:
“Furthermore, girl, when bodhisattvas are endowed with eight qualities, they do not become exhausted by saṃsāra. What are these eight qualities? Bodhisattvas do not become exhausted by saṃsāra because their roots of virtue are immensely vast; because they discern sentient beings; because they always see and make offerings to the thus-gone ones; because they see innumerable buddhafields; because they always strive for the knowledge of a buddha; because they understand that saṃsāra is like a dream; because they are not intimidated by the excellent Dharma; and because they have distinct comprehension of the beginning, the end, and the real endpoint.”
Then the Blessed One spoke again in verse:
“Furthermore, girl, when it is endowed with eight qualities, the mind’s constitution will be balanced. What are these eight qualities? The mind will be of balanced constitution because the mind has become similar to earth; because the mind has become similar to water; because the mind has become similar to fire; because the mind has become similar to air; because the mind has become similar to space; because the mind has become similar to the expanse of reality; because the mind has become similar to liberation; and because the mind has become similar to nirvāṇa. These are called the eight kinds of balanced constitution of the mind.”
Then the Blessed One spoke again in verse:
“Furthermore, girl, when bodhisattvas are endowed with eight qualities, they become sources of awakening. What are these eight qualities? First, they have become sources of generosity, because they give away everything they own. Second, they have become sources of discipline, because they are free of transgressions. Third, they have become sources of patience, because they are free of aggression. Fourth, they have become sources of perseverance, because they are free of laziness and doubt. Fifth, they have become sources of concentration, because they are skillful in means. Sixth, they have become sources of insight, because they maintain discipline and have vast learning. Seventh, they have become sources of the abodes of Brahmā, because they are fully at peace through complete liberation. Eighth, they have become sources of supernormal powers, because they constantly maintain concentration.”
Then the Blessed One spoke again in verse:
“Furthermore, girl, because bodhisattvas are endowed with eight qualities, they obtain perfect retention and unimpeded eloquence. What are these eight qualities? They revere the Dharma. They show respect for their preceptors and masters. They are never disheartened with seeking the Dharma. They teach it correctly, in the same way that they were taught. They are not miserly with the Dharma. They do not make public the faults of others. They devotedly pay respect to those who are expounding the Dharma, as if they were their own preceptors. And, without being fixated on the faults of others, they exhort others to abandon their faults. Because bodhisattvas are endowed with these eight qualities, they obtain perfect retention and unimpeded eloquence.”
Then the Blessed One spoke again in verse:
“Furthermore, girl, because bodhisattvas are endowed with eight qualities, they take miraculous rebirths from lotus buds in the presence of the buddhas. What are these eight qualities? Not speaking of the faults of others, even at the risk of their own lives; exhorting sentient beings to take refuge in the Three Jewels; establishing everyone in the mind set on awakening; having immaculate sublime conduct; making statues of the Thus-Gone One and putting them on lotus seats; dispelling the suffering of sentient beings entangled in sorrow; always humbling themselves in front of the arrogant and proud; and never causing any harm whatsoever to others.”
Then the Blessed One spoke again in verse:
“Furthermore, girl, when bodhisattvas are endowed with eight qualities, they are consummate in ascetic virtue and always aspire to dwell in seclusion. What are these eight qualities? Having few wants; being content; being fully satisfied with the virtuous Dharma; nourishing themselves with virtue; always maintaining the tradition of the noble ones; always being disenchanted because of seeing the faults of saṃsāra; always contemplating impermanence, suffering, emptiness, and selflessness; and being steadfast in faith, and not following other teachings.”
Then the Blessed One spoke again in verse:
“Furthermore, girl, because bodhisattvas are endowed with eight qualities, they defeat the armies of Māra. What are these eight qualities? Penetrating emptiness as the very essence of things; having a real trust in signlessness; having a real trust in wishlessness; fully discerning the uncompounded; not being doubtful or skeptical about it; accepting non-arising; understanding essencelessness; and, by being skillful in means, individually discriminating all phenomena, while knowing unending suchness.”
Then the Blessed One spoke again in verse:
“Furthermore, girl, when bodhisattvas are endowed with eight qualities, they will never be separated from awakening. What are these eight qualities? With right view, they ripen sentient beings who have wrong views. With right mindfulness, they act compassionately toward sentient beings who have wrong intention. With right speech, they act compassionately toward those who speak wrongly. With right action, they draw in those engaged in wrongdoings. With right effort, they stop those engaged in wrong pursuits. With right livelihood, they do not abandon sentient beings engaged in wrong livelihoods. With right thought, they make them abandon wrong thinking. With right absorption, they wake those who are stuck in wrong absorption, and make them strive higher.”
Then the Blessed One spoke again in verse:
“Furthermore, girl, because bodhisattvas are endowed with eight qualities, they have direct experience of the deathless path. What are these eight qualities? Abiding in the strifeless Dharma; guarding themselves well against thoughts of hostility; constantly contemplating the meaning of suchness; sustaining the mind set on awakening, and meditating on the six recollections; meditating on the transcendental perfections with meticulous perseverance; collecting roots of virtue, and ripening sentient beings; sustaining great compassion, and drawing beings to the perfect Dharma; and attaining the acceptance that phenomena do not arise, and remaining in the irreversible condition.”
Then the Blessed One spoke again in verse:
Vimalaśraddhā, the daughter of King Prasenajit, comes to see the Buddha in Jetavana, Anāthapiṇḍada’s Park, together with a retinue of five hundred women. She pays homage to the Buddha and asks him to explain the conduct of bodhisattvas. The Buddha responds by presenting twelve sets of eight qualities that bodhisattvas should cultivate. Vimalaśraddhā and her five hundred companions, having developed the mind set on awakening, join the ranks of the bodhisattvas, and the Buddha prophesies her future attainment of awakening.
The text was translated by Maurizio Pontiggia and edited by Chryse Tringos-Allen. Dr. Fabian Justus Sanders, docent of Tibetan Language and Literature at the Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, provided most of the Sanskrit names and terms. The 84000 editorial team subsequently checked the translation against the Tibetan and the Chinese, and compiled the introduction using parts of the translators’ original material.
The translation was completed under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.
The Questions of the Girl Vimalaśraddhā is included among of the forty-nine sūtras in The Heap of Jewels (Skt. Ratnakūṭa) collection of the Degé Kangyur. It presents the qualities that bodhisattvas should cultivate in their practice and the benefits that come from such cultivation.
The sūtra begins with the princess Vimalaśraddhā, daughter of King Prasenajit, coming to see the Buddha in Jetavana, Anāthapiṇḍada’s Park, together with a retinue of five hundred women. In some expressive verses, she pays homage to the Buddha and asks him to explain the conduct of bodhisattvas. The Buddha responds by presenting twelve sets of eight qualities that bodhisattvas should cultivate. Vimalaśraddhā then asks the Buddha how a woman may avoid female rebirth, to which the Buddha replies by presenting two further sets of eight qualities that ensure rebirth as a man. Finally, Vimalaśraddhā and her five hundred companions, having developed the mind set on awakening, join the ranks of the bodhisattvas, and the Buddha prophesies her future attainment of awakening.
The Buddha’s explanations of how bodhisattvas should act, set out in short prose sections followed by sets of verses, are, of course, the main content of the sūtra. But it is noteworthy that the narrative in which this content is framed shares its theme—the Buddha being addressed by a daughter of King Prasenajit—with two other sūtras from the Heap of Jewels collection. Prasenajit himself, ruling over the kingdom of Kośala from its capital, Śrāvastī, is a well known figure in the canonical texts. Kośala was a powerful kingdom that, under his father Arāḍa Brahmadatta, held political control over the smaller, neighboring Śākya kingdom to the east in which the Buddha was born, and Prasenajit is said to have been born as prince in Śrāvasti at the same time as the Buddha took birth as prince in the Śākya capital, Kapilavastu. It was within the first two years after the Buddha’s awakening that Prasenajit became his disciple and patron, although the Buddha only started residing near Śrāvastī for his rains retreats much later, when the wealthy merchant Anāthapiṇḍada purchased land there to build him a vihāra. Prasenajit, by his several wives, is recorded as having had at least two sons and a number of daughters. The name of one of his sons, Prince Jeta, is immortalized in the name, the Jetavana, given to the grove and vihāra on the land that Jeta sold to Anāthapiṇḍada. Another son was Virūḍhaka (by a different mother, a Śākyan). Several daughters of Prasenajit are mentioned in the canonical literature. One, Vimaladattā—younger in her story than Vimalaśraddhā in this one—is featured in The Questions of Vimaladattā (Vimaladattāparipṛcchā, Toh 77). Prasenajit’s best known daughter is perhaps Śrīmālādevī, who became queen of Ayodhyā and is the principal protagonist of the The Lion’s Roar of Śrīmaladevī (Śrīmālādevīsiṃhanāda, Toh 92). Her mother was probably the queen Mallikā, the foremost of Prasenajit’s queens who is said to have had only one child, a daughter, although other sources name instead another of Prasenajit’s daughters, Vajira, who married King Ajātaśatru of Magadha, as Mallikā’s only daughter. While some of these members of Prasenajit’s family are mentioned in different Sanskrit and Pali texts, both Vimalaśraddhā and Vimaladattā seem to figure only in their respective sūtras.
If the protagonists of The Questions of the Girl Vimalaśraddhā, The Questions of Vimaladattā, and The Lion’s Roar of Śrīmaladevī are all daughters of Prasenajit, they are not the only princesses who are also bodhisattvas in the canonical texts. One daughter of King Ajātaśatru, Aśokadattā, receives her prediction of future awakening in the Aśokadattāvyākaraṇa (Toh 76, also in the Heap of Jewels), and another, Vimalaprabhā, in the Vimalaprabhāparipṛcchā (Toh 168, in the General Sūtra section). King Bimbisāra’s queen, Kṣemavatī, questions the Buddha about his qualities and receives her prediction in the Kṣemavatīvyākaraṇa (Toh 192). Less privileged female bodhisattvas include laywomen, the main interlocutors in the Gaṅgottarāparipṛcchā (Toh 75), the Strīvivartavyākaraṇa (Toh 190), and the Mahallikāparipṛcchā (Toh 171); a courtesan called Suvarṇottamaprabhāśrī in the Mañjuśrīvikrīḍita (Toh 96); and Vimalakīrti’s daughter Candrottarā in the Candrottarādārikāvyākaraṇa (Toh 191). While some of the women in these sūtras aspire to be reborn as males as they progress toward awakening, others question what place notions of gender may have with regard to awakening; some debate matters concerning gender with the śrāvaka disciples; some (notably Strīvivarta) make use of being a woman to benefit beings; some appear to be able to change their sex miraculously at will; and Vimalaprabhā vows to remain a woman in at least some of her future lives in order to undertake specific tasks. Nevertheless, these accounts all seem to culminate in the prediction that the female protagonist will ultimately become an apparently male buddha.
The version of the sūtra in the Degé and some other Kangyurs has no colophon, but a colophon is to be found in the Stok Palace, Narthang, and Lhasa Kangyurs, among others, and explicitly states that the Tibetan translation was produced from the Chinese, noting that the text was “translated, edited, and finalized based on the Chinese text by the translator Gö Chödrup.” A work that can almost certainly be identified with this sūtra, but with the slighly different Tibetan title bu mo dad ldan gyis zhus pa, is listed in both the Denkarma and Phangthangma imperial inventories, allowing us to date its Tibetan translation to the late eighth or early ninth century.
In producing this translation, we have based our work on the Degé xylograph, while consulting the Comparative Edition (Tib. dpe bsdur ma) and Stok Palace manuscript. Since the Tibetan version of this sūtra was translated from Chinese rather than Sanskrit, we have also made careful use of Bodhiruci’s fifth- or sixth-century Chinese translation, noting important variants throughout.
Homage to all the buddhas and bodhisattvas!
Thus did I hear at one time. The Blessed One was residing in Śrāvastī, in Jetavana, Anāthapiṇḍada’s park, together with a large assembly of five hundred bhikṣus and eight thousand bodhisattva mahāsattvas who were well versed in all fields of knowledge, had obtained retention and unimpeded eloquence, were fully accomplished in patience, were completely victorious over the hordes of Māra, and had obtained the Dharmas attained by the thus-gone ones. There was the bodhisattva Lokadhara, the bodhisattva Mārgadhara, the bodhisattva Dharaṇīdhara, the bodhisattva Mahādharaṇīdhara, the bodhisattva Dhṛtimati, the bodhisattva Adhimuktika, the bodhisattva Surūpavyūha, the bodhisattva Ratnaketu, the bodhisattva Ratnadhvaja, the bodhisattva Ratnacinta, the bodhisattva Ratnākara, the bodhisattva Ratnamati, the bodhisattva Ratnaguṇa, and the bodhisattva Ratnaprabha, and there were also the bodhisattvas of this fortunate eon headed by Maitreya. There was also a group of sixty bodhisattvas with incomparable motivation, headed by Mañjuśrī, and a group of sixteen great men led by the bodhisattva Bhadrapāla. Also gathered there was an assembly of twenty thousand gods from the Tuṣita heaven.
Then the Blessed One, who was sitting there on the lion throne called Treasury of Great Arrangements, surrounded by an immeasurable assembly of hundreds of thousands, shone forth everywhere with rays of light like those of the sun and the moon. Like the kings of the gods, Śakra and Brahmā, his brilliance was outstanding. Like Mount Meru, the king of mountains, he was extremely tall and rose high above the common. Like a great torch, the light that he radiated was utterly resplendent. Like an elephant king, he beheld each one and everyone. Like a lion roaring, he taught the Dharma fearlessly. Like the king of the asuras, Rāhula, he eclipsed all those who surrounded him. His body was adorned with all the major and minor marks of a buddha. His splendor and power blazed forth. In order to establish all sentient beings in the supreme definitive meaning and make them understand it, he was teaching the Dharma in the midst of this large audience with a voice like Brahmā’s, which resounded in all the universes of the entire trichiliocosm.
Then King Prasenajit’s young daughter, Vimalaśraddhā—a pretty and beautiful girl whom everyone liked to see, and who had produced roots of virtue in the past and practiced in the Mahāyāna—came to Jetavana from the town of Śrāvastī, accompanied by five hundred girls, each of whom wore golden jewelry. Having prostrated herself, bowing her head to the feet of the Blessed One, she circumambulated him three times. Then, after sitting down to one side before the Blessed One, she praised him with these verses:
Then the Blessed One replied to the girl Vimalaśraddhā, “Girl, if bodhisattvas are endowed with eight strengths, although dwelling within saṃsāra, they have steadfast courage and are completely indefatigable. And what are these eight strengths? The first is the strength of mental motivation, because they are without deceit. The second is the strength of determination, because they abandon all faults. The third is the strength of application, because they continually practice virtue. The fourth is the strength of real trust, because they have strong trust in the maturation of karma. The fifth is the strength of the mind set on awakening, because they do not seek out inferior vehicles. The sixth is the strength of great love, because they do not harm sentient beings. The seventh is the strength of great compassion, because they take all injury upon themselves. The eighth is the strength of a spiritual friend, because from time to time they need to be examined. Girl, these are called the eight kinds of strength. When bodhisattvas are endowed with these eight strengths, they have steadfast courage, and although they dwell within saṃsāra, they have no clinging or attachment.”
Then the Blessed One spoke again in verse:
“Furthermore, girl, when bodhisattvas are endowed with eight qualities, they abide in sameness. What are these eight qualities? The first is the sameness of all sentient beings, because they are intrinsically without a self. The second is the sameness of all phenomena, because they are utterly void. The third is the sameness of all buddhafields, because they all occur within the sphere of emptiness. The fourth is the sameness of all thus-gone ones, because they all teach in equanimity. The fifth is the sameness of all actions, because causes and conditions are without intrinsic nature. The sixth is the sameness of all vehicles, because they are all similar in being noncomposite. The seventh is the sameness of minds, because mind is similar to an illusion. The eighth is the sameness of all māras, because one cannot observe a beginning of the afflictions. This is what is called abiding in sameness through the eight qualities.”
Then the Blessed One spoke again in verse:
“Furthermore, girl, when bodhisattvas are endowed with eight qualities, they abandon love and hate. What are these eight qualities? Being endowed with love; being endowed with compassion; always being willing to benefit others; not being attached to worldly things; not being attached to one’s body; always cultivating a concentrated mind; giving away one’s body and life; and discerning the afflictions. When bodhisattvas can accomplish these eight qualities, they will abandon love and hate.”
Then the Blessed One spoke again in verse:
“Furthermore, girl, when bodhisattvas are endowed with eight qualities, they do not become exhausted by saṃsāra. What are these eight qualities? Bodhisattvas do not become exhausted by saṃsāra because their roots of virtue are immensely vast; because they discern sentient beings; because they always see and make offerings to the thus-gone ones; because they see innumerable buddhafields; because they always strive for the knowledge of a buddha; because they understand that saṃsāra is like a dream; because they are not intimidated by the excellent Dharma; and because they have distinct comprehension of the beginning, the end, and the real endpoint.”
Then the Blessed One spoke again in verse:
“Furthermore, girl, when it is endowed with eight qualities, the mind’s constitution will be balanced. What are these eight qualities? The mind will be of balanced constitution because the mind has become similar to earth; because the mind has become similar to water; because the mind has become similar to fire; because the mind has become similar to air; because the mind has become similar to space; because the mind has become similar to the expanse of reality; because the mind has become similar to liberation; and because the mind has become similar to nirvāṇa. These are called the eight kinds of balanced constitution of the mind.”
Then the Blessed One spoke again in verse:
“Furthermore, girl, when bodhisattvas are endowed with eight qualities, they become sources of awakening. What are these eight qualities? First, they have become sources of generosity, because they give away everything they own. Second, they have become sources of discipline, because they are free of transgressions. Third, they have become sources of patience, because they are free of aggression. Fourth, they have become sources of perseverance, because they are free of laziness and doubt. Fifth, they have become sources of concentration, because they are skillful in means. Sixth, they have become sources of insight, because they maintain discipline and have vast learning. Seventh, they have become sources of the abodes of Brahmā, because they are fully at peace through complete liberation. Eighth, they have become sources of supernormal powers, because they constantly maintain concentration.”
Then the Blessed One spoke again in verse:
“Furthermore, girl, because bodhisattvas are endowed with eight qualities, they obtain perfect retention and unimpeded eloquence. What are these eight qualities? They revere the Dharma. They show respect for their preceptors and masters. They are never disheartened with seeking the Dharma. They teach it correctly, in the same way that they were taught. They are not miserly with the Dharma. They do not make public the faults of others. They devotedly pay respect to those who are expounding the Dharma, as if they were their own preceptors. And, without being fixated on the faults of others, they exhort others to abandon their faults. Because bodhisattvas are endowed with these eight qualities, they obtain perfect retention and unimpeded eloquence.”
Then the Blessed One spoke again in verse:
“Furthermore, girl, because bodhisattvas are endowed with eight qualities, they take miraculous rebirths from lotus buds in the presence of the buddhas. What are these eight qualities? Not speaking of the faults of others, even at the risk of their own lives; exhorting sentient beings to take refuge in the Three Jewels; establishing everyone in the mind set on awakening; having immaculate sublime conduct; making statues of the Thus-Gone One and putting them on lotus seats; dispelling the suffering of sentient beings entangled in sorrow; always humbling themselves in front of the arrogant and proud; and never causing any harm whatsoever to others.”
Then the Blessed One spoke again in verse:
“Furthermore, girl, when bodhisattvas are endowed with eight qualities, they are consummate in ascetic virtue and always aspire to dwell in seclusion. What are these eight qualities? Having few wants; being content; being fully satisfied with the virtuous Dharma; nourishing themselves with virtue; always maintaining the tradition of the noble ones; always being disenchanted because of seeing the faults of saṃsāra; always contemplating impermanence, suffering, emptiness, and selflessness; and being steadfast in faith, and not following other teachings.”
Then the Blessed One spoke again in verse:
“Furthermore, girl, because bodhisattvas are endowed with eight qualities, they defeat the armies of Māra. What are these eight qualities? Penetrating emptiness as the very essence of things; having a real trust in signlessness; having a real trust in wishlessness; fully discerning the uncompounded; not being doubtful or skeptical about it; accepting non-arising; understanding essencelessness; and, by being skillful in means, individually discriminating all phenomena, while knowing unending suchness.”
Then the Blessed One spoke again in verse:
“Furthermore, girl, when bodhisattvas are endowed with eight qualities, they will never be separated from awakening. What are these eight qualities? With right view, they ripen sentient beings who have wrong views. With right mindfulness, they act compassionately toward sentient beings who have wrong intention. With right speech, they act compassionately toward those who speak wrongly. With right action, they draw in those engaged in wrongdoings. With right effort, they stop those engaged in wrong pursuits. With right livelihood, they do not abandon sentient beings engaged in wrong livelihoods. With right thought, they make them abandon wrong thinking. With right absorption, they wake those who are stuck in wrong absorption, and make them strive higher.”
Then the Blessed One spoke again in verse:
“Furthermore, girl, because bodhisattvas are endowed with eight qualities, they have direct experience of the deathless path. What are these eight qualities? Abiding in the strifeless Dharma; guarding themselves well against thoughts of hostility; constantly contemplating the meaning of suchness; sustaining the mind set on awakening, and meditating on the six recollections; meditating on the transcendental perfections with meticulous perseverance; collecting roots of virtue, and ripening sentient beings; sustaining great compassion, and drawing beings to the perfect Dharma; and attaining the acceptance that phenomena do not arise, and remaining in the irreversible condition.”
Then the Blessed One spoke again in verse: