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There is also a third sūtra in the Kangyur (Toh 277), which shares the title of the current sūtra (Toh 644/822), The Maṇḍala of Eight. However, Toh 277 is a substantially different and unrelated text. See Achi Translation Group, trans., The Sūtra on The Maṇḍala of Eight, Aṣṭamaṇḍalakasūtra, Toh 277 (84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, forthcoming).
Amoghavajra’s translation is the Ba dapusa mantuluo jing 八大菩薩曼荼羅經 (T. 1167) or “The Sūtra of the Maṇḍala(s) of the Eight Great Bodhisattvas.” Faxian’s translation is the Fosuo dasheng ba damanaluo jing 佛説 大乘八大曼拏羅經 (T. 1168a) or “The Sūtra of the Eight Great Maṇḍalas of the Mahāyāna Taught by the Buddha.”
Further discussion of the two Chinese translations, as well as their relationship to the Chinese translation of the The Sūtra of the Dharma Discourse on the Eight Maṇḍalas (T. 486; Toh 105) can be found in Li Lin-kouang 1935, pp. 95–97.
Ba mantuluo jing 八曼荼羅經 (T. 1168b). An edited Roman transcription of the siddham script is available in Yaita 2005. See also Miyasaka’s earlier studies (1983–84), with facsimiles of the Sanjū jō sasshi (see below).
Kūkai copied a number of scriptures, which are together known as the Sanjū jō sasshi 三十帖冊子 (The Thirty Volumes).
See Toh 4364, folio 303.a2 (’phags pa dkyil ’khor brgyad pa/ shlo ka gnyis shu rtsa gnyis; gzungs che phra sna tshogs), and Yoshimura 1950, p. 153, no. 402.
See dkar chag ’phang thang ma 2003, p. 28 (’phags pa dkyil ’khor brgyad pa zhes bya ba’i gzungs, shu log nyi shu rtsa gcig, gzungs che phra sna tshogs, shu log nyi shu pa.)
Pelliot tibétain 81b consists of half of a single folio, meaning that every line is fragmentary, but we can see evidence corresponding to Toh 644, vol. 91, folio 128.a3–128.b4 (Note that the other parts of Pelliot tibétain 81 are different texts.). Pelliot tibétain 104 is a stitched concertina that is also incomplete, corresponding to Toh 644, vol. 91, folio 128.a6–129.a2, with a second text on the reverse side. See also Dalton, van Schaik 2006, p. 48. To our knowledge, no Chinese manuscripts of the sutra survive in Dunhuang. Both Tibetan manuscripts seem close to the canonical version of the sūtra. Pelliot tibétain 81b has a few variants. However, given the manuscript’s poor shape, it is hard to know if these reflect an alternate recension of the sūtra or simply scribal errors. In fact, if they are copying mistakes, this may explain why the folio was cut in half and discarded.
This text, Toh 882, and all those contained in this same volume (gzungs, e), are listed as being located in volume 100 of the Degé Kangyur by the Buddhist Digital Resource Center (BDRC). However, several other Kangyur databases—including the eKangyur that supplies the digital input version displayed by the 84000 Reading Room—list this work as being located in volume 101. This discrepancy is partly due to the fact that the two volumes of the gzungs ’dus section are an added supplement not mentioned in the original catalog, and also hinges on the fact that the compilers of the Tōhoku catalog placed another text—which forms a whole, very large volume—the Vimalaprabhānāmakālacakratantraṭīkā (dus ’khor ’grel bshad dri med ’od, Toh 845), before the volume 100 of the Degé Kangyur, numbering it as vol. 100, although it is almost certainly intended to come right at the end of the Degé Kangyur texts as volume 102; indeed its final fifth chapter is often carried over and wrapped in the same volume as the Kangyur dkar chags (catalog). Please note this discrepancy when using the eKangyur viewer in this translation.
For a complete listing see Resources for Kanjur & Tenjur Studies: www.istb.univie.ac.at/kanjur/rktsneu/verif/verif2.php?id=638, accessed August 17, 2022.
In other Tshalpa canons, the dhāraṇī section is not specifically demarcated, with the result that the sūtra is just included twice in the tantra section. However, they share the basic structure that is found in the Degé Kangyur. The sūtra’s double appearance can be explained by its overlapping association with both kriyātantras and dhāraṇīs.
The Tibetan translation of the bodhisattva’s name (rin chen snying po zla ba snang ba, Jewel Essence Moonlight) is a close translation of the Sanskrit name Ratnagarbha Candrāvabhāsa. In both Chinese translations, he is called Baozang Yueguang 寶藏月光 (Jewel Treasury Moonlight), which is also a close match. However, the Tibetan and Chinese translators differed in how to interpret garbha, which means both “embryo” and “womb” in Sanskrit. As is standard in most Tibetan translations, the Tibetan translators of Toh 644/882 rendered it as snying po, meaning “Jewel Essence Moonlight,” while the Chinese used their standard translation zang 藏, meaning “Jewel Treasury Moonlight.”
In T. 1167 the Buddha’s statement encouraging Ratnagarbha Candrāvabhāsa’s questions is missing, whereas in T. 1168a the Chinese reads like the Tibetan.
In both Chinese translations, the bodhisattva asks for specifical technical details. In T. 1167, he asks how to construct the maṇḍala, as well as what method will accumulate immeasurable merit allowing the cultivator to quickly realize awakening (675b1–3). T. 1168a is closer to the Tibetan, but here too the question asks specifically how a practitioner should uphold, respect, and make offerings to the maṇḍala (676b6–8).
Each of the two Chinese versions is somewhat different, though the general gist is the same. In both cases, the Buddha praises Ratnagarbha Candrāvabhāsa, lists the potential benefits to sentient beings that inspired his question, and then explains benefits accruing from constructing the eight maṇḍalas (T. 1167, 675b3–11) or from chanting the eight mantras (T. 1168a, 676b8–14).
In N and S the following variant is to be found: oṃ mune hūṃ mahāvīra svāhā. The Chinese versions both reflect oṃ mahāvīra svāhā, while the Sanskrit text preserved in the Chinese canon reads oṃ ā vīra svāhā. Mahāvīra means “great hero.”
The two Chinese versions are more elaborate than the Tibetan version. In keeping with their respective emphases on the maṇḍala (T. 1167) and the mantra recitation (T. 1168a) noted in the previous passage, T. 1167 instructs the practitioner to visualize (想) the Buddha in the center of the maṇḍala, his body the color of pure gold, with thirty two marks, seated on a lotus pedestal. Meanwhile, T. 1168a identifies the mantra as “the great vidyā of the Buddha’s heart” (佛心大明) and instructs the practitioner to position [the maṇḍala or the mantra?] in the center and chant this great vidyā to present offerings to the Buddha.
According to H, as well as the versions of Y and Q in the tantra section, this syllable reads hrīḥ. The siddhaṃ version records hrīḥ as well: hrīḥ haḥ padma pṛye (?) svāhā. The Chinese versions reflect hūṃ hrīḥ haḥ patnam (?) śrīye svāhā (T. 1167) and oṃ hrīḥ haḥ patnam (?) śrīye svāhā (T. 1168a). Padmapriya means “as dear as a lotus.”
Continuing the pattern encountered above, throughout this section, T. 1168a gives the name of each bodhisattva related to the mantra, while T. 1167 is considerably more detailed, listing the respective bodhisattva’s position in the maṇḍala, the color and posture of his body, his hand emblems or mudrās, and crown. Here it reads: “In the center of the maṇḍala is holy Avalokiteśvara whose body is red, his left hand holding a lotus and his right hand granting boons. In the crown on his head is the Tathāgata of Immeasurable Life.” ( 即想曼荼羅中。聖觀自在赤色身。左手持 蓮華右手施願。頭冠中有無量壽如來, T. 1167, 675b17–18).
T. 1167 reads: “Behind Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva, think there is Maitreya Bodhisattva, gold-colored body, left hand grasping a kuṇḍa pitcher, right hand granting freedom from fear. In his crown there is a stūpa. He sits in half-lotus posture.” (於觀自在菩薩後，想慈氏菩薩，金色身，左手執軍持，右手施無畏，冠中有窣堵波，半跏坐, 675b21–22).
T. 1167 reads: “To the back of the Buddha, think there is Ākāśagarbha bodhisattva, left hand holding a jewel firmly above his heart, right hand gives forth a stream of countless jewels” ( 於佛背後想虚空藏菩薩，左手持寶安於心上，右手施流出無量寶, 675b25–26).
T. 1167 reads: “To the left of Ākāśagarbha Bodhisattva, think there is Samantabhadra Bodhisattva, wearing a crown of five buddhas, golden body, right hand holding a sword, left hand granting boons, sitting in half lotus.” ( 虚空藏菩薩左邊，想普賢菩薩，戴五佛冠，金色身，右手持劍，左手施願，跏而坐, 675b29–c1).
T. 1167 reads: “On the left side of the Tathāgata, think there is Vajrapāṇi Bodhisattva, right hand grasping a vajra mallet, left hand fixed at his hip, wearing a five-buddha crown, body blue, seated in half-lotus.” (於如來左邊，想金剛手菩薩，右手執金剛杵，左手安於胯，戴五佛冠，身青色，半跏而坐, 675c4–5).
T. 1167 reads: “In front of Vajrapāṇi Bodhisattva, think there is the Bodhisattva Youthful Mañjuśrī, with five locks of hair, in the form of a youth, his left hand grasping a blue lotus in which there is a five-pronged vajra mallet; his right hand making the boon-granting mudrā; his body gold and seated in half-lotus” (於金剛手菩薩前，想曼殊室利童眞菩薩，五髻，童子形，左手執青蓮花，花中有五股金剛杵，右手作施願，身金色，半跏而坐, 675c8–10).
T. 1167 reads: “To the right of Mañjuśrī Bodhisattva, think there is Sarvanīvaraṇaviṣkambhin Bodhisattva, his body gold in color, left hand holding a wish-fulfilling banner, right hand granting boons, sitting in half-lotus” ( 於曼殊室唎菩薩右，想除蓋障菩薩，金色身，左手持如意幢，右手施願，半跏而坐, 675c13–14).
T. 1167 reads: “In front of the Tathāgata, think there is Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva, wearing a crown and necklace, his face bright and happy and peaceful, recalling all sentient beings with pity. His left hand fixes a begging bowl below his navel; his right hand covers the palm which faces downwards, his thumb touching the index finger, comforting all sentient beings” ( 於如來前，想地藏菩薩，頭冠瓔珞，面貌熙怡寂靜，愍念一切有情，左手安臍下拓鉢，右手覆掌向下，大指捻頭指作安慰一切有情, 675c17–20).
The two Chinese versions differ a little among themselves and from the Tibetan. T. 1167 reads: “Think, this is the method for offering and contemplating the maṇḍala of the eight great bodhisattvas. If a son or daughter of good family upholds this eight maṇḍala sūtra, all karmic hindrances will be exhausted and they will quickly realize unsurpassed true and even bodhi” (想此八大菩薩曼荼羅供養觀行法 ，若善男子善女人受持此八曼荼羅經，一切業障悉皆銷滅，速證無上正等菩提, 675c20–22). T. 1168a reads: “In this way, the great vidyās [i.e., mantras] of the basic mind [= ālayavijñāna] of the eight great bodhisattvas create the Tathāgata’s maṇḍala. If there is a son or daughter of good family who relies on the ritual method of this maṇḍala, upholds the intention to memorize and chant the basic great vidyā, that person will quickly obtain accomplishment and anuttara-samyak-sambodhi” (如是八大菩薩根本心大明。作如來曼拏羅。若有善男子、善女人於此曼拏羅依法、受持、志心持誦根本大明，彼人速得成就阿耨多羅三藐三菩提, 676c7–10).
In T. 1167 this paragraph is similar, however, the assembly that rejoices includes hearers, gods, nāgas, and the eight classes of beings (675c23). T. 1167 also adds a “Praise of the Eight Great Bodhisattvas” and a note that the positions of the eight bodhisattvas were corrected in 1684 by the Japanese monk Jogon (淨嚴) with reference to a recitation manual for the Uṣṇīṣavijaya dhāraṇī (T. 972, Foding zunsheng tuoluoni niansong yigui fa 佛頂尊勝陀羅尼念誦儀軌法). It is not clear what changes Jogon made.
Accomplishment or success in general, as well as any particular magical power or ability. The supreme accomplishment is complete buddhahood.
One of the eight great bodhisattvas and the personification of the Buddha’s blessings.
One of the “eight close sons of the Buddha,” he is also known as the bodhisattva who embodies compassion. In certain tantras, he is also the lord of the three families, where he embodies the compassion of the buddhas. In Tibet, he attained great significance as a special protector of Tibet, and in China, in female form, as Guanyin, the most important bodhisattva in all of East Asia.
Yeshé Dé (late eighth to early ninth century) was the most prolific translator of sūtras into Tibetan. Altogether he is credited with the translation of more than one hundred sixty sūtra translations and more than one hundred additional translations, mostly on tantric topics. In spite of Yeshé Dé’s great importance for the propagation of Buddhism in Tibet during the imperial era, only a few biographical details about this figure are known. Later sources describe him as a student of the Indian teacher Padmasambhava, and he is also credited with teaching both sūtra and tantra widely to students of his own. He was also known as Nanam Yeshé Dé, from the Nanam (sna nam) clan.
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”).
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.
The term can be understood to mean “great courageous one” or "great hero,” or (from the Sanskrit) simply “great being,” and is almost always found as an epithet of “bodhisattva.” The qualification “great” in this term, according to the majority of canonical definitions, focuses on the generic greatness common to all bodhisattvas, i.e., the greatness implicit in the bodhisattva vow itself in terms of outlook, aspiration, number of beings to be benefited, potential or eventual accomplishments, and so forth. In this sense the mahā- is closer in its connotations to the mahā- in “Mahāyāna” than to the mahā- in “mahāsiddha.” While individual bodhisattvas described as mahāsattva may in many cases also be “great” in terms of their level of realization, this is largely coincidental, and in the canonical texts the epithet is not restricted to bodhisattvas at any particular point in their career. Indeed, in a few cases even bodhisattvas whose path has taken a wrong direction are still described as bodhisattva mahāsattva.
Later commentarial writings do nevertheless define the term—variably—in terms of bodhisattvas having attained a particular level (bhūmi) or realization. The most common qualifying criteria mentioned are attaining the path of seeing, attaining irreversibility (according to its various definitions), or attaining the seventh bhūmi.
A Kashmiri
A teacher’s affectionate address to his female disciple on the bodhisattva path.
A mantra to invoke the deity and attract his or her attention to the practitioner.
Acts for which one will be reborn in hell immediately after death, without any intermediate state; they are (1) killing one’s father, (2) killing one’s mother, (3) killing an arhat, (4) causing a schism in the saṅgha, and (5) maliciously drawing blood from a buddha.
Jinamitra was invited to Tibet during the reign of King Tri Songdetsen (khri srong lde btsan, r. 742–98 ᴄᴇ) and was involved with the translation of nearly two hundred texts, continuing into the reign of King Ralpachen (ral pa can, r. 815–38 ᴄᴇ). He was one of the small group of paṇḍitas responsible for the Mahāvyutpatti Sanskrit–Tibetan dictionary.
One of the eight great bodhisattvas and the personification of the Buddha’s merit.
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).
An epithet of the buddhas, used to distinguish them from beings of lesser realization such as arhats and solitary awakeners.
A mountain regarded as the abode of Avalokiteśvara.
A great bodhisattva in the Buddha’s following.
One of the eight great bodhisattvas and the personification of the Buddha’s aspirations.
An important bodhisattva, included among the “eight close sons of the Buddha.” His name means “One Who Completely Dispels All Obscurations” and, accordingly, he is said to have the power to exhaust all the obscurations of anyone who merely hears his name. According to The Jewel Cloud (1.10, Toh 231), Sarvanīvaraṇaviṣkambhin originally dwelt in the realm of the Buddha Padmanetra, but he was so touched by the Buddha Śākyamuni’s compassionate acceptance of the barbaric and ungrateful beings who inhabit this realm that he traveled to see the Buddha Śākyamuni, offer him worship, and inquire about the Dharma. He is often included in the audience of sūtras and, in particular, he has an important role in the The Basket’s Display, Toh 116, in which he is sent to Vārāṇasī to obtain Avalokitesvara’s mantra.
A teacher’s affectionate address to a male disciple on the bodhisattva path.
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.
The awakening of buddhas as distinguished from the lesser realizations of arhats, solitary awakeners and the like.
One of the eight great bodhisattvas and the personification of the Buddha’s power.
Also known as “pristine awareness,” “primordial wisdom,” “primordial awareness,” “gnosis,” or the like. Typically refers to nonconceptual or unobscured states of knowledge.
According to Buddhist tradition, one who is worthy of worship (pūjām arhati), or one who has conquered the enemies, the mental afflictions (kleśa-ari-hata-vat), and reached liberation from the cycle of rebirth and suffering. It is the fourth and highest of the four fruits attainable by śrāvakas. Also used as an epithet of the Buddha.
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.
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D Degé Kangyur
H Lhasa (Zhol) Kangyur
N Narthang Kangyur
Q Peking Kangyur 1737 (Qianlong)
S Stok Palace MS Kangyur
Y Peking Yongle Kangyur
The Maṇḍala of Eight contains a teaching by the Buddha Śakyāmuni on a maṇḍala dedicated to eight prominent bodhisattvas. In particular, the sūtra teaches the recitation of the essence mantras related to the Blessed One in the center and the eight great bodhisattvas that encircle him: Avalokiteśvara, Maitreya, Ākāśagarbha, Samantabhadra, Vajrapāṇi, Mañjuśrī, Sarvanīvaraṇaviṣkambhin, and Kṣitigarbha. This is followed by a description of the vast benefits resulting from recitation of these mantras.
This translation was undertaken by the Achi Translation Group under the guidance of Khenchen Nyima Gyaltsen. The sūtra was rendered into English by Claudia Jürgens (Yeshe Metog) with the support of Meghan Howard Masang as consultant for Chinese and Sanskrit and additional research, and Konchog Tenzin (Mark Riege) and Virginia Blum as reviewers.
The translation was completed under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha. Bob Miller edited the translation and the introduction, and Dawn Collins copyedited the text. Sameer Dhingra was in charge of the digital publication process.
The Maṇḍala of Eight presented here is a kriyātantra containing a ritual dedicated to the maṇḍala of eight prominent bodhisattvas. In this sūtra, the maṇḍala consists of the Buddha in the center, encircled by the eight great bodhisattvas, namely, Avalokiteśvara, Maitreya, Ākāśagarbha, Samantabhadra, Vajrapāṇi, Mañjuśrī, Sarvanīvaraṇaviṣkambhin, and Kṣitigarbha. For each of these figures, the sūtra gives the essence mantra and a brief mention of the benefits of reciting these mantras.
While The Maṇḍala of Eight (Toh 644/822) is very concise, it is thematically related to another sūtra, known as The Dharma Discourse “The Eight Maṇḍalas” (Toh 105). This latter sūtra presents the same maṇḍala, although in a different context, and presents the benefits to be accrued through the practice of this rite.
Besides the versions of the sūtra in the Tibetan canons that we discuss below, there are three versions of the sutra that survive in Chinese canons. Two are imperially sanctioned Chinese translations: The Sūtra of the Maṇḍala of the Eight Great Bodhisattvas (T. 1167) translated by Amoghavajra (705–774), and The Sūtra in which the Buddha Teaches the Mahāyāna Eight Great Maṇḍalas (T. 1168a) translated by Faxian (d. 1001). Both Chinese translations follow a similar outline, but there are two key differences. The translation by Amoghavajra includes a note after each mantra that describes the relevant bodhisattva’s position in the maṇḍala and his iconography. This information is missing from Faxian’s translation. Amoghavajra’s translation also adds a praise to the eight bodhisattvas at the end of the sūtra that we do not find attached to Faxian’s version. We have included both the iconographic details and the praise from Amoghavajra’s translation in the notes.
In addition to these two translations that were transmitted in traditional canons, the modern Taishō canon includes a third text, The Eight Maṇḍalas Sūtra (T. 1168b), in Sanskrit siddham script with interlinear Chinese glosses. This text has no Sanskrit title but is based on a copy of a scripture that was made by the Japanese master Kūkai 空海 (Kōbō Daishi 弘法大師, 774–835) during his visit to the Ximing monastery (西明寺) in China in 805. Because Kūkai’s visit came only a few decades after Amoghavajra had been active at the same monastery, we could perhaps surmise that the Sanskrit text he copied may even have been the very source text consulted by Amoghavajra when he produced his translation. However, this leaves us with the question as to why Kūkai’s siddham text (T. 1168b) matches Faxian’s later translation (T. 1168a) more closely than Amoghavajra’s translation (T. 1167). Additionally, scholars have not settled the question as to what these East Asian siddham texts represent. It is even possible that they were back-translations from Chinese into Sanskrit, made with the use of siddham dictionaries. Moreover, the text preserved in the Taishō canon is not complete and seems to have several passages that are not in order. More research is required before the precise nature of the siddham text can be determined. For this reason, while we have consulted the siddham text for our translation, we have not taken it as a definitive representative of a Sanskrit source text.
The Tibetan version of The Maṇḍala of Eight was translated from Sanskrit in the late eighth to early ninth century by the Indian scholars Jinamitra and Dānaśīla, and the Tibetan translator Yeshé Dé. The sūtra is also listed in the Denkarma imperial catalog dated to the early ninth century. In that catalog it is grouped with “various dhāraṇīs” and recorded as being twenty-two ślokas long. It is also mentioned in the Phangthangma catalog from the same time period, where it is grouped with “various dhāraṇīs in twenty ślokas” and recorded as twenty-one ślokas. Parts of the sūtra are preserved in the Pelliot collection of the Dunhuang Library Cave.
The Maṇḍala of Eight is included in most versions of the Tibetan Kangyur, including editions belonging to the Tshalpa (tshal pa), Thempangma (them spangs ma), and mixed groups, as well as in some Bhutanese and Mongolian Kangyurs. All collections of the Tshalpa group that we have consulted contain the sūtra two separate times. In the Degé canon, these are included in different sections: Toh 644 is found in the kriyātantra subsection of the tantra section (rgyud) and Toh. 822 belongs to the “Compendium of Dhāraṇīs” (Dhāraṇīsaṃgraha) within the dhāraṇī section (gzungs). Nevertheless, aside from minor spelling variants, both texts are essentially the same.
The translation presented here is based primarily on the Degé edition of the Kangyur in consultation with the Comparative Edition (dpe bsdur ma), the Stok Palace edition, Yaita’s Sanskrit edition of Kūkai’s siddham text, and the two canonical Chinese versions. The variations of the Tibetan text in the different Kangyur editions are only minor, and alternative spellings are noted where relevant. Noteworthy differences in the Chinese versions are also mentioned in the endnotes.
Homage to all buddhas and bodhisattvas.
Thus did I hear at one time. The Blessed One was residing on Mount Potalaka, the site of noble Avalokiteśvara, along with many hundreds of sextillions of bodhisattvas. Seated in the assembly of bodhisattvas that had gathered there was the bodhisattva great being Ratnagarbha Candrāvabhāsa. He rose from his seat, draped his upper robe over his shoulder, and placed his right knee on the ground. Then, with his palms joined together, he bowed to the Blessed One and addressed the Blessed One, “If the Blessed One would grant me the opportunity to request instruction, I have a few questions that I would like to bring before the thus-gone one, the worthy one, the perfectly and completely awakened one.”
Thus entreated, the Blessed One replied to the bodhisattva great being Ratnagarbha Candrāvabhāsa, “Ratnagarbha Candrāvabhāsa, please ask whatever you wish. I will satisfy you with answers to your questions.”
The bodhisattva great being Ratnagarbha Candrāvabhāsa then inquired of the Blessed One, “Blessed One, if a son or daughter of noble family wishes to create the maṇḍala of eight, how should it be done?”
The Blessed One replied, “Son of noble family, it is good that you have such eloquence, son of noble family, because you seek to greatly benefit many beings, bring happiness to many beings, and accomplish incomparable wisdom for all beings born in the three times. Excellent, excellent! Son of noble family, therefore, listen to the essence mantras of the eight bodhisattvas―essence mantras the mere recitation of which leads to the purification of the five acts with immediate results and also to the attainment of all accomplishments!
“Now, as for these essence mantras of the eight bodhisattvas, together with that of the Thus-Gone One, if any son of noble family or daughter of noble family recites these mantras once in front of the maṇḍala, all their aims will be accomplished, and they will quickly awaken fully to unsurpassable, perfect, and complete awakening.”
After the Blessed One had spoken these words, the bodhisattvas, the great beings, rejoiced and praised what the Blessed One had proclaimed.
This concludes “The Noble Mahāyāna Sūtra called The Maṇḍala of Eight.”
This sūtra was translated and edited by the Indian preceptors Jinamitra and Dānaśīla, along with the principal editor-translator Bandé Yeshé Dé, and then, after being modified according to the revised terminology, it was finalized.
The Maṇḍala of Eight contains a teaching by the Buddha Śakyāmuni on a maṇḍala dedicated to eight prominent bodhisattvas. In particular, the sūtra teaches the recitation of the essence mantras related to the Blessed One in the center and the eight great bodhisattvas that encircle him: Avalokiteśvara, Maitreya, Ākāśagarbha, Samantabhadra, Vajrapāṇi, Mañjuśrī, Sarvanīvaraṇaviṣkambhin, and Kṣitigarbha. This is followed by a description of the vast benefits resulting from recitation of these mantras.
This translation was undertaken by the Achi Translation Group under the guidance of Khenchen Nyima Gyaltsen. The sūtra was rendered into English by Claudia Jürgens (Yeshe Metog) with the support of Meghan Howard Masang as consultant for Chinese and Sanskrit and additional research, and Konchog Tenzin (Mark Riege) and Virginia Blum as reviewers.
The translation was completed under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha. Bob Miller edited the translation and the introduction, and Dawn Collins copyedited the text. Sameer Dhingra was in charge of the digital publication process.
The Maṇḍala of Eight presented here is a kriyātantra containing a ritual dedicated to the maṇḍala of eight prominent bodhisattvas. In this sūtra, the maṇḍala consists of the Buddha in the center, encircled by the eight great bodhisattvas, namely, Avalokiteśvara, Maitreya, Ākāśagarbha, Samantabhadra, Vajrapāṇi, Mañjuśrī, Sarvanīvaraṇaviṣkambhin, and Kṣitigarbha. For each of these figures, the sūtra gives the essence mantra and a brief mention of the benefits of reciting these mantras.
While The Maṇḍala of Eight (Toh 644/822) is very concise, it is thematically related to another sūtra, known as The Dharma Discourse “The Eight Maṇḍalas” (Toh 105). This latter sūtra presents the same maṇḍala, although in a different context, and presents the benefits to be accrued through the practice of this rite.
Besides the versions of the sūtra in the Tibetan canons that we discuss below, there are three versions of the sutra that survive in Chinese canons. Two are imperially sanctioned Chinese translations: The Sūtra of the Maṇḍala of the Eight Great Bodhisattvas (T. 1167) translated by Amoghavajra (705–774), and The Sūtra in which the Buddha Teaches the Mahāyāna Eight Great Maṇḍalas (T. 1168a) translated by Faxian (d. 1001). Both Chinese translations follow a similar outline, but there are two key differences. The translation by Amoghavajra includes a note after each mantra that describes the relevant bodhisattva’s position in the maṇḍala and his iconography. This information is missing from Faxian’s translation. Amoghavajra’s translation also adds a praise to the eight bodhisattvas at the end of the sūtra that we do not find attached to Faxian’s version. We have included both the iconographic details and the praise from Amoghavajra’s translation in the notes.
In addition to these two translations that were transmitted in traditional canons, the modern Taishō canon includes a third text, The Eight Maṇḍalas Sūtra (T. 1168b), in Sanskrit siddham script with interlinear Chinese glosses. This text has no Sanskrit title but is based on a copy of a scripture that was made by the Japanese master Kūkai 空海 (Kōbō Daishi 弘法大師, 774–835) during his visit to the Ximing monastery (西明寺) in China in 805. Because Kūkai’s visit came only a few decades after Amoghavajra had been active at the same monastery, we could perhaps surmise that the Sanskrit text he copied may even have been the very source text consulted by Amoghavajra when he produced his translation. However, this leaves us with the question as to why Kūkai’s siddham text (T. 1168b) matches Faxian’s later translation (T. 1168a) more closely than Amoghavajra’s translation (T. 1167). Additionally, scholars have not settled the question as to what these East Asian siddham texts represent. It is even possible that they were back-translations from Chinese into Sanskrit, made with the use of siddham dictionaries. Moreover, the text preserved in the Taishō canon is not complete and seems to have several passages that are not in order. More research is required before the precise nature of the siddham text can be determined. For this reason, while we have consulted the siddham text for our translation, we have not taken it as a definitive representative of a Sanskrit source text.
The Tibetan version of The Maṇḍala of Eight was translated from Sanskrit in the late eighth to early ninth century by the Indian scholars Jinamitra and Dānaśīla, and the Tibetan translator Yeshé Dé. The sūtra is also listed in the Denkarma imperial catalog dated to the early ninth century. In that catalog it is grouped with “various dhāraṇīs” and recorded as being twenty-two ślokas long. It is also mentioned in the Phangthangma catalog from the same time period, where it is grouped with “various dhāraṇīs in twenty ślokas” and recorded as twenty-one ślokas. Parts of the sūtra are preserved in the Pelliot collection of the Dunhuang Library Cave.
The Maṇḍala of Eight is included in most versions of the Tibetan Kangyur, including editions belonging to the Tshalpa (tshal pa), Thempangma (them spangs ma), and mixed groups, as well as in some Bhutanese and Mongolian Kangyurs. All collections of the Tshalpa group that we have consulted contain the sūtra two separate times. In the Degé canon, these are included in different sections: Toh 644 is found in the kriyātantra subsection of the tantra section (rgyud) and Toh. 822 belongs to the “Compendium of Dhāraṇīs” (Dhāraṇīsaṃgraha) within the dhāraṇī section (gzungs). Nevertheless, aside from minor spelling variants, both texts are essentially the same.
The translation presented here is based primarily on the Degé edition of the Kangyur in consultation with the Comparative Edition (dpe bsdur ma), the Stok Palace edition, Yaita’s Sanskrit edition of Kūkai’s siddham text, and the two canonical Chinese versions. The variations of the Tibetan text in the different Kangyur editions are only minor, and alternative spellings are noted where relevant. Noteworthy differences in the Chinese versions are also mentioned in the endnotes.
Homage to all buddhas and bodhisattvas.
Thus did I hear at one time. The Blessed One was residing on Mount Potalaka, the site of noble Avalokiteśvara, along with many hundreds of sextillions of bodhisattvas. Seated in the assembly of bodhisattvas that had gathered there was the bodhisattva great being Ratnagarbha Candrāvabhāsa. He rose from his seat, draped his upper robe over his shoulder, and placed his right knee on the ground. Then, with his palms joined together, he bowed to the Blessed One and addressed the Blessed One, “If the Blessed One would grant me the opportunity to request instruction, I have a few questions that I would like to bring before the thus-gone one, the worthy one, the perfectly and completely awakened one.”
Thus entreated, the Blessed One replied to the bodhisattva great being Ratnagarbha Candrāvabhāsa, “Ratnagarbha Candrāvabhāsa, please ask whatever you wish. I will satisfy you with answers to your questions.”
The bodhisattva great being Ratnagarbha Candrāvabhāsa then inquired of the Blessed One, “Blessed One, if a son or daughter of noble family wishes to create the maṇḍala of eight, how should it be done?”
The Blessed One replied, “Son of noble family, it is good that you have such eloquence, son of noble family, because you seek to greatly benefit many beings, bring happiness to many beings, and accomplish incomparable wisdom for all beings born in the three times. Excellent, excellent! Son of noble family, therefore, listen to the essence mantras of the eight bodhisattvas―essence mantras the mere recitation of which leads to the purification of the five acts with immediate results and also to the attainment of all accomplishments!
“Now, as for these essence mantras of the eight bodhisattvas, together with that of the Thus-Gone One, if any son of noble family or daughter of noble family recites these mantras once in front of the maṇḍala, all their aims will be accomplished, and they will quickly awaken fully to unsurpassable, perfect, and complete awakening.”
After the Blessed One had spoken these words, the bodhisattvas, the great beings, rejoiced and praised what the Blessed One had proclaimed.
This concludes “The Noble Mahāyāna Sūtra called The Maṇḍala of Eight.”
This sūtra was translated and edited by the Indian preceptors Jinamitra and Dānaśīla, along with the principal editor-translator Bandé Yeshé Dé, and then, after being modified according to the revised terminology, it was finalized.