[Pramāṇa](https://indike.org/pramana/) › [Indian literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in) › [Buddhist Literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha) › [Buddhist Sanskrit literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit) › [Āgama sūtras of the mainstream schools](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.agama) › [Sūtras of the Connected Discourses transmitted singly](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.agama.samyukta) › [Dhvajāgramahāsūtra](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.agama.samyukta.dhvajagramahasutra) › [མདོ་ཆེན་པོ་རྒྱལ་མཚན་མཆོག་ཅེས་བྱ་བ](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.agama.samyukta.dhvajagramahasutra*bo) › The Mahāsūtra “The Crest Insignia” (1) # The Mahāsūtra “The Crest Insignia” (1) Translation of [མད་ཆན་པ་རྒྱལ་མཚན་མཆག་ཅས་བྱ་བ (མདོ་ཆེན་པོ་རྒྱལ་མཚན་མཆོག་ཅེས་བྱ་བ)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.agama.samyukta.dhvajagramahasutra*bo) - **Language:** English - **Translator:** [Lowell Cook](https://indike.org/pramana/person/lowell-cook) - **Extent:** 37 passages, 3,739 words - **Text:** complete digital text - **Source:** 84000 · Published by 84000 (v 1.0.2 2024). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha,… · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 (84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha). Shown whole and unaltered, with its notes, on a… ## Contents - [intro 84000's introduction](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.agama.samyukta.dhvajagramahasutra*bo~en-84000.intro) — 9 parts - [1](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.agama.samyukta.dhvajagramahasutra*bo~en-84000.1) - [2](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.agama.samyukta.dhvajagramahasutra*bo~en-84000.2) - [3](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.agama.samyukta.dhvajagramahasutra*bo~en-84000.3) - [4](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.agama.samyukta.dhvajagramahasutra*bo~en-84000.4) - [5](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.agama.samyukta.dhvajagramahasutra*bo~en-84000.5) - [6](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.agama.samyukta.dhvajagramahasutra*bo~en-84000.6) - [7](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.agama.samyukta.dhvajagramahasutra*bo~en-84000.7) - [8](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.agama.samyukta.dhvajagramahasutra*bo~en-84000.8) - [notes Notes](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.agama.samyukta.dhvajagramahasutra*bo~en-84000.notes) — 20 parts ## Text ### 84000's introduction ### [intro.1](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.agama.samyukta.dhvajagramahasutra*bo~en-84000.intro.1) A group of merchants from Vaiśālī, preparing to travel to Takṣaśilā, learn that the Buddha is staying nearby at the Kūṭāgāraśālā and offer the Buddha and his monks a midday meal. The Buddha teaches them how to overcome the fears of the wilderness by recollecting the Buddha, Dharma, or Saṅgha, comparing it to how the military crest insignias of Śakra, Īśāna, and Varuṇa respectively embolden the devas in their battles against the asuras. The sūtra concludes with the Buddha offering the merchants verses of benediction for a safe journey. This is the longer of two Mahāsūtras with the same title and similar themes but adressed to different audiences. ### [intro.2](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.agama.samyukta.dhvajagramahasutra*bo~en-84000.intro.2) The inclusion of The Crest Insignia (1) (hereafter Dhvajāgra­sūtra \[1\]) among the Mahāsūtras (literally “Great Sūtras”)¹ reflects its status in early Buddhism as a “protective text” (known as a rakṣā by the Sarvāstivādins and Mūlasarvāstivādins and a paritta by the Theravādins). It shares the same Sanskrit title with a with a closely related Mahāsūtra that immediately follows it in the Degé Kangyur (The Crest Insignia (2), Toh 293,² hereafter Dhvajāgra­sūtra \[2\]). In Tibetan the titles of these two Mahāsūtras are differentiated by alternative translations of the word agra (as mchog in the present text, Toh 292, and dam pa in Toh 293), but we have translated the title in the same way in both texts based on the identical Sanskrit title Dhvajāgra. The term dhvajāgra refers to a symbol or insignia that was mounted at the end of a long pole, which was employed as a martial ensign on the battlefield in ancient India.³ ### [intro.3](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.agama.samyukta.dhvajagramahasutra*bo~en-84000.intro.3) Although these two Mahāsūtras describe teachings given to different audiences at different locations, they both include recensions of the same core teaching on “recollecting the Buddha” (Skt. buddhānu­smṛti, Tib. sangs rgyas rjes su dran pa) as a method for dispelling fear in times of crisis. In the many iterations of the Dhvajāgra­sūtra found in Pali, Sanskrit, and Chinese,⁴ the formula by which the Buddha is to be recollected is composed of a set of epithets that describe his qualities, traditionally said to be nine in number but with some differences between versions of the text.⁵ Recollecting the Buddha in this way is presented as the primary means of protecting oneself from fear and insecurity and is likened to how Śakra emboldens his army of devas with the sight of Vaijayanta, his celestial crest insignia, which fills the devas with courage as they wage war against the asuras.⁶ It is from this analogy that the texts take their title. ### [intro.4](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.agama.samyukta.dhvajagramahasutra*bo~en-84000.intro.4) The present text, the Dhvajāgra­sūtra \[1\], differs from the Dhvajāgra­sūtra \[2\] in being located at Vaiśālī (rather than the Jeta Grove in Śrāvastī) and in being addressed to a group of merchants (rather than the community of monks). The Dhvajāgra­sūtra \[1\] additionally differs in prescribing the recollection of all Three Jewels (Skt. triratna, Tib. dkon mchog gsum), rather than just of the Buddha, the other two being compared to the crest insignia of Īśāna and Varuṇa. Like the formula for recollecting the Buddha, the formulae set out here for recollecting the Dharma and the Saṅgha have been a core feature of Buddhist liturgies since the earliest times. Indeed these three formulae are also found in the Kangyur as standalone scriptures called, respectively, Buddhānu­smṛti (Toh 279), Dharmānu­smṛti (Toh 280), and Saṅghānu­smṛti (Toh 281). The three short texts (which are often recited in a form that fuses them into a single Triratnānu­smṛti text) are of unknown origin and may possibly be derived partly from the present sūtra or its parallels. ### [intro.5](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.agama.samyukta.dhvajagramahasutra*bo~en-84000.intro.5) The sūtra begins with the merchants preparing to embark on the journey to Takṣaśilā—the capital of Gandhāra and a historic center for Indian Buddhism and transcontinental trade—when they learn that the Buddha has taken up residence nearby at the Kūṭāgāraśālā on the banks of the Monkey Pond. Taking advantage of the opportunity, they invite the Buddha and his saṅgha of monks to come to their lodgings for a midday meal. It is at this occasion that the Buddha delivers his teaching on recollecting the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Saṅgha as a way of dispelling fear at times of need. Following the prose narrative is a section in verse in which the Buddha offers the merchants some verses of benediction (Skt. svastigāthā), celebrating their generosity and blessing them for a safe journey. Several of these verses, which employ a poetic repetition of the word “perfect” (Skt. saṃpad, Tib. phun sum tshogs),⁷ are also found in various iterations in other canonical works.⁸ ### [intro.6](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.agama.samyukta.dhvajagramahasutra*bo~en-84000.intro.6) There is no surviving Sanskrit text for the Dhvajāgra­sūtra \[1\], although there are extant Sanskrit fragments and a Pali version corresponding to the Dhvajāgra­sūtra \[2\] that overlap with sections of the Dhvajāgra­sūtra \[1\] (see the to Toh 293). The Dhvajāgra­sūtra \[1\] was translated into Chinese by the Indian monk Guṇabhadra (394–468 ce) between 435 and 443 and is found as no. 980 of his translation of the Saṃyuktāgama (Taishō 99, 雜阿含經). ### [intro.7](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.agama.samyukta.dhvajagramahasutra*bo~en-84000.intro.7) The seven Mahāsūtras that are found together in the General Sūtra (mdo sde) section of most Kangyurs (Toh 288–94), as well as the two found in the Action Tantra (bya ba’i rgyud) section (and in the Compendium of Dhāraṇīs (gzungs ’dus) section in those Kangyurs that include such a compendium) (Toh 653/1062 and Toh 656/1061), were transmitted to Tibet as a collection and translated together by Jinamitra, Prajñāvarman, and Yeshé Dé,⁹ and the fact that the nine texts are listed together in both the Denkarma and Phangthangma catalogs also dates the translations to the early ninth century.¹⁰ Peter Skilling suggests that Jinamitra, who was an accomplished Vinaya master, may have specifically transmitted the Mahāsūtras for use as rakṣā protective texts for the fledging monastic community, only to be eclipsed by tantra in postimperial Tibetan Buddhism.¹¹ Although it may have enjoyed popularity during the early period, the Dhvajāgra­sūtra \[1\] does not appear to have been quoted or studied widely in Tibet. ### [intro.8](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.agama.samyukta.dhvajagramahasutra*bo~en-84000.intro.8) The foremost study of the Dhvajāgra­sūtra \[1\] is Peter Skilling’s two-volume The Mahāsūtras: Great Discourses of the Buddha, which has greatly informed this introduction and translation. The first mention of the ­sūtra in Western scholarship came in the early nineteenth century from Alexander Csoma de Kőrös in his “Analysis of the Mdo,” in which he briefly surveyed the contents of the Mahāsūtras. The Dhvajāgra­sūtra \[1\] was only very recently translated into English, when it appeared alongside the Dhvajāgra­sūtra \[2\] and the Pali Dhajagga­sutta in Skilling 2024. ### [intro.9](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.agama.samyukta.dhvajagramahasutra*bo~en-84000.intro.9) The present translation was produced based on the Degé Kangyur edition and checked against the variant readings in the Comparative Edition Kangyur and the Stok Palace Manuscript Kangyur. ### [1](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.agama.samyukta.dhvajagramahasutra*bo~en-84000.1) Homage to the Three Jewels. Thus did I hear at one time. The Blessed One was traveling through the land of Vṛji and had arrived in Vaiśālī. He had taken up residence at the Kūṭāgāraśālā, on the banks of the Monkey Pond near Vaiśālī. At that time, a large group of merchants from Vaiśālī was preparing for a journey to the land of Takṣaśilā in order to trade. These many merchants of Vaiśālī heard that the Blessed One was traveling through the land of Vṛji, had arrived in Vaiśālī, and had taken up residence at the Kūṭāgāraśālā on the banks of the Monkey Pond near Vaiśālī. When they heard this, they gathered in groups and banded together in bands,¹² left Vaiśālī, and went to the Blessed One. On arrival, they bowed their heads at the Blessed One’s feet and sat to one side. The Blessed One taught, instructed, encouraged, and delighted the many merchants of Vaiśālī, who were seated to one side, with a Dharma talk. Having taught, instructed, encouraged, and delighted them with a Dharma talk on various topics, the Blessed One sat in silence. The many merchants of Vaiśālī then rose from their seats and, draping their robes over their left shoulders, bowed to the Blessed One with joined palms. “Honored One,” they addressed the Blessed One, “we are a large group of merchants from Vaiśālī preparing for a journey to the land of Takṣaśilā in order to trade goods. ### [2](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.agama.samyukta.dhvajagramahasutra*bo~en-84000.2) Would the Blessed One and the saṅgha of monks agree to take their midday meal at our place tomorrow?” The Blessed One assented to the many merchants of Vaiśālī by remaining silent. The many merchants of Vaiśālī recognized that the Blessed One had agreed by remaining silent. They praised what the Blessed One had taught and rejoiced. They bowed their heads at the Blessed One’s feet and departed from his presence. That evening, the many merchants of Vaiśālī carefully prepared pure and wholesome food and drink. Rising early the next morning, they prepared the seating and set out the water jugs. They then extended their invitation to the Blessed One: “Honored One, the meal has been prepared, and the time has come. Please, Blessed One, know that the time has now come.” That morning, the Blessed One donned his lower garment and upper robe and took up his alms bowl. Surrounded by a group of monks at the head of the saṅgha of monks, he proceeded to the dining hall of the many merchants of Vaiśālī. When he arrived, he sat on the seat that had been prepared for him amid the gathering of monks. The many merchants of Vaiśālī then bowed their heads at the Blessed One’s feet and sat to one side. The Blessed One gave the following teaching to the many merchants of Vaiśālī, who were seated to one side. “Merchants, when you are in the wilderness and you feel fear, trepidation, or terror, at that time, you should recollect me through my aspects: “The Blessed One is a thus-gone one, a worthy one, ### [3](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.agama.samyukta.dhvajagramahasutra*bo~en-84000.3) a perfectly and completely awakened one, a learned and virtuous one, a well-gone one, a knower of the world, an unsurpassed¹³ leader of those to be trained, a teacher of devas and humans, an awakened one, and a blessed one. “Merchants, if at that time you recollect me through my aspects, then whatever fear, trepidation, or terror you are experiencing will subside. “If you cannot recollect me, then recollect the Dharma through its aspects: “The Dharma of the Blessed One has been well spoken, it is to be seen for oneself, it is free from ailments, it is timeless, it is a guide,¹⁴ it is there in plain sight, and it is to be experienced by the wise for themselves. “Merchants, if at that time you recollect the Dharma through¹⁵ these aspects, then whatever fear, trepidation, or terror you are experiencing will subside. “If you cannot recollect the Dharma, then recollect the Saṅgha through its aspects: “The Saṅgha of śrāvakas of the Blessed One practice well, they practice in the proper way, they practice with integrity, they practice in the right way, they practice the Dharma as befits the Dharma, and they act in accordance with the Dharma. In the Saṅgha there are those who practice to realize the result of stream entry. In the Saṅgha there are stream enterers. In the Saṅgha there are those who practice to realize the result of once-returners. In the Saṅgha there are once-returners. In the Saṅgha there are those who practice to realize the result of non-returners. In the Saṅgha there are non-returners. In the Saṅgha there are those who practice to realize the result of arhathood. In the Saṅgha there are arhats. ### [4](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.agama.samyukta.dhvajagramahasutra*bo~en-84000.4) These are the four pairs, the eight types of persons. The Blessed One’s Saṅgha of śrāvakas is replete¹⁶ with discipline, replete with samādhi, replete with wisdom, replete with liberation, and replete with the knowledge and vision of liberation. They are fully worthy of offerings, they are completely worthy of offerings, they are worthy of respect with joined palms, they are worthy of homage. They are the unsurpassed field of merit, the rightful recipients of the offerings of the world. “Merchants, if at that time you recollect the Saṅgha through these aspects, then whatever fear, trepidation, or terror you are experiencing will subside. “Previously, merchants, when a battle between the devas and the asuras was about to break out, Śakra, the lord of the devas, called out to the devas of the Heaven of the Thirty-Three: ‘Friends, when you go into the battle between the devas and the asuras, if you feel any fear, trepidation, or terror, you should at that time recall my crest insignia Vaijayanta. If at that time you recollect my crest insignia Vaijayanta, then whatever fear, trepidation, or terror you are experiencing will subside. “ ‘If you cannot recollect my crest insignia, then recollect the crest insignia of the deva Īśāna. If at that time you recollect the crest insignia of the deva Īśāna, then whatever fear, trepidation, or terror you are experiencing will subside. “ ‘If you cannot recollect the crest insignia of the deva Īśāna, then recollect the crest insignia of the deva Varuṇa. ### [5](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.agama.samyukta.dhvajagramahasutra*bo~en-84000.5) If at that time you recollect the crest insignia of the deva Varuṇa, then whatever fear, trepidation, or terror you are experiencing will subside. “In the same way, merchants, when you are in the wilderness and feel fear, trepidation, or terror, at that time, you should recollect me through my aspects: “The Blessed One is a thus-gone one, a worthy one, a perfectly and completely awakened one, a learned and virtuous one, a well-gone one, a knower of the world, an unsurpassed leader of those to be trained, a teacher of devas and humans, an awakened one, and a blessed one. “Merchants, if at that time you recollect me through my aspects, whatever fear, trepidation, or terror you are experiencing will subside. “If you cannot recollect me, then recollect the Dharma through its aspects: “The Dharma of the Blessed One has been well spoken, it is to be seen for oneself, it is free from ailments, it is timeless, it is a guide, it is there in plain sight, and it is to be experienced by the wise for themselves. “Merchants, if at that time you recollect the Dharma through its aspects, whatever fear, trepidation, or terror you are experiencing will subside. “If you cannot recollect the Dharma, then recollect the Saṅgha through its aspects: “The Saṅgha of śrāvakas of the Blessed One practices well; they practice in the proper way, they practice with integrity, they practice in the right way, they practice the Dharma as befits the Dharma, and they act in accordance with the Dharma. In the Saṅgha there are those who practice to realize the result of stream entry. In the Saṅgha there are stream enterers. ### [6](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.agama.samyukta.dhvajagramahasutra*bo~en-84000.6) In the Saṅgha there are those who practice to realize the result of once-returners. In the Saṅgha there are once-returners. In the Saṅgha there are those who practice in order to realize the result of non-returners. In the Saṅgha there are non-returners. In the Saṅgha there are those who practice in order to realize the result of arhathood. In the Saṅgha there are arhats. These are the four pairs, the eight types of persons. The Blessed One’s Saṅgha of śrāvakas is replete with discipline, replete with samādhi, replete with wisdom, replete with liberation, and replete with the knowledge and vision of liberation. They are fully worthy of offerings, they are completely worthy of offerings, they are worthy of respect with joined palms, they are worthy of homage. They are the unsurpassed field of merit, the rightful recipients of the offerings of the world. “Merchants, if at that time you recollect the Saṅgha through its aspects, whatever fear, trepidation, or terror you are experiencing will subside.” Seeing that the Buddha and the saṅgha of monks were comfortably seated, the many merchants of Vaiśālī then graciously served them from their own hands the pure and wholesome foods and drinks and ensured they were satisfied. In various ways, they graciously served them from their own hands the pure and wholesome foods and drinks and ensured their satisfaction, and the Blessed One partook of the midday meal. When the many merchants of Vaiśālī saw that he had placed his alms bowl down and concealed his hands, they spread out low seats and sat before the Blessed One to listen to the Dharma. ### [7](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.agama.samyukta.dhvajagramahasutra*bo~en-84000.7) The Blessed One rejoiced with delight at the generosity of the many merchants of Vaiśālī. “O merchants, you have sustained The saṅgha of monks with food and drink In the manner of wise and noble beings Who, in their wisdom, practice generosity.¹⁷ \[1\] “This is a benediction for your offering. By making this gift, O merchants, May the aims you rightfully desire Always be accomplished. \[2\] “May there be goodness for those of you who travel on two feet.¹⁸ May there be goodness for those of you who travel on four feet. May there be goodness as you embark upon your journey, And may there be goodness when you return. \[3\] “May there be goodness all night and goodness all day, And may there be goodness at midday. May you experience goodness in all situations, And may negativity never befall you. \[4\] “When perfect¹⁹ seeds are sown In perfect fields And enjoy perfect rainfall, A perfect harvest will abound. \[5\] “When perfectly free from damage, When crops grow with perfection And burst forth with perfection, A perfect harvest will abound. \[6\] “So, too, by giving perfect foods To those with perfect discipline, You will accomplish perfection,²⁰ For your act itself was perfect. \[7\] “Thus, when people who seek perfection And strive toward perfection Attend to those with perfect wisdom, Perfection is what they accomplish. \[8\] “Thus, those with stable faith In the unsurpassed Buddha And in the Dharma and the Saṅgha Will find perfection of mind. \[9\] “Those with perfect thoughts Toward the one with knowledge and conduct Perform virtuous actions. This is the perfection of action. \[10\] “When one truly knows the world as it is, One attains the perfection of the view. When the noble vision is perfectly present, One’s mind becomes perfect too. \[11\] ### [8](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.agama.samyukta.dhvajagramahasutra*bo~en-84000.8) “Those who overcome all stains Attain the perfection of nirvāṇa And extinguish suffering; Their aim is perfectly complete.” \[12\] The Blessed One taught, instructed, encouraged, and delighted the many merchants of Vaiśālī with this Dharma talk. Having taught, instructed, encouraged, and delighted them with this Dharma talk on various topics, the Blessed One rose from his seat and departed. Colophon Translated, edited, and finalized by the Indian preceptors Jinamitra and Prajñāvarman, the translator-editor Bandé Yeshé Dé, and others. ### Notes ### [notes.1](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.agama.samyukta.dhvajagramahasutra*bo~en-84000.notes.1) 1. See the 84000 Knowledge Base article, “Mahāsūtras.” ### [notes.2](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.agama.samyukta.dhvajagramahasutra*bo~en-84000.notes.2) 2. The Crest Insignia (2) (translated 2024). ### [notes.3](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.agama.samyukta.dhvajagramahasutra*bo~en-84000.notes.3) 3. Peter Skilling discusses the term dhvajāgra/dhajagga at length in his introduction to the Dhvajāgra­sūtra \[2\] in Skilling 1994–97, vol. 2, pp. 444–52. He observes that in a range of other canonical translations into Tibetan, the term was also translated as rgyal mtshan gyi rtse mo (“crest of the insignia”). ### [notes.4](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.agama.samyukta.dhvajagramahasutra*bo~en-84000.notes.4) 4. As discussed by Skilling, there are in total seven versions of the Dhvajāgra­sūtra in Pali, Sanskrit, Chinese and Tibetan, plus two partial citations (in the Chinese Dai zhidu lun 大智度論 \[Taishō 1509\], and in Sthiramati’s Pañca­skanda­prakaraṇa­vaibhāṣā \[phung po lnga’i rab tu byed pa bye brag tu bshad pa, Toh 4066\], which survives only in Tibetan). The Central Asian Sanskrit witness of the Dhvajāgra­sūtra corresponds to Dhvajāgra­sūtra \[2\] (Toh 293). For more on the correspondences and overlaps between the versions, see Skilling 1994–97, vol. 2, pp. 404–5. ### [notes.5](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.agama.samyukta.dhvajagramahasutra*bo~en-84000.notes.5) 5. The Pali versions do not include “tathāgata” among the epithets, and some commentators count “unsurpassed” (see ) as an epithet on its own. See Skilling 1994–97, vol. 2, p. 413 and 433–4, and also the Buddhānusmṛtivṛtti (attributed to Asaṅga, Toh 3982), F.12.a. See also Zhao 2018, and Harrison 1992, pp. 215–38. ### [notes.6](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.agama.samyukta.dhvajagramahasutra*bo~en-84000.notes.6) 6. For more on the trope of wars between the devas and asuras in Buddhist literature in general and in the Dhvajāgra­sūtras in particular, see Skilling 1994–97, vol. 2, pp. 423–26. ### [notes.7](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.agama.samyukta.dhvajagramahasutra*bo~en-84000.notes.7) 7. Despite the difficulties in capturing the broad semantic range of saṃpad or phun sum tshogs in a single word, our translation has attempted to reflect the repetition of the source text by translating this term consistently throughout as “perfect” and “perfection” (except for one instance in which we have used “replete,” see ). ### [notes.8](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.agama.samyukta.dhvajagramahasutra*bo~en-84000.notes.8) 8. Verses 1–2 have no parallels and appear to be unique to this sūtra. Versions of verses 3–4, on blessing those with two legs and four legs, are also found in the Mahāsūtra on Entering the City of Vaiśālī (Vaiśālī­praveśa­mahā­sūtra, Toh 312, –), The Great Peahen (Mahā­māyūrī­vidyārājñī, Toh 559, 1.79), and the extracanonical Mahāvastu, where they are found as the first two verses of the blessing pronounced by the Buddha to the merchants Trapusa and Bhallika. The last two lines of verse 3 also appear as the first two lines of a verse in The Play in Full (Lalitavistara, ), where they are spoken to the same merchants. The Pali Khettasutta contains versions of verses 5–8, 10, and 12. For more details, see Skilling 2024, p. 326. See also Skilling 1994–97, vol. 2, pp. 426–28. ### [notes.9](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.agama.samyukta.dhvajagramahasutra*bo~en-84000.notes.9) 9. For information on these important early translators, see Skilling 1994–97, vol. 2, pp. 111–42, especially pp. 115–30. ### [notes.10](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.agama.samyukta.dhvajagramahasutra*bo~en-84000.notes.10) 10. In the Denkarma catalog, the Dhvajāgra \[1\] is the eighth of the nine Mahāsūtras listed. Denkarma, folio 300.a.4; Herrmann-Pfandt 2008, p. 131, no. 247. ### [notes.11](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.agama.samyukta.dhvajagramahasutra*bo~en-84000.notes.11) 11. Skilling 1994–97, vol. 2, pp. 10–11. ### [notes.12](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.agama.samyukta.dhvajagramahasutra*bo~en-84000.notes.12) 12. This alliterative turn of phrase comes from Skilling 2024, p. 167. ### [notes.13](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.agama.samyukta.dhvajagramahasutra*bo~en-84000.notes.13) 13. While some commentators understand “unsurpassed” (anuttaraḥ, bla na med pa) to be an additional epithet independent of “leader of those to be trained” (puruṣa­damya­sārathī, skyes bu gdul bya’i kha lo sgyur ba), it seems more likely from other instances of the phrase that the former is a qualifier of the latter. See Skilling 1994–7, vol. 2, p. 413. ### [notes.14](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.agama.samyukta.dhvajagramahasutra*bo~en-84000.notes.14) 14. Following H, J, K, Y, N, and S: nye bar gtod pa. D reads nye bar gtong ba. ### [notes.15](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.agama.samyukta.dhvajagramahasutra*bo~en-84000.notes.15) 15. Following C, H, J, K, Y, N, and S: las (“through”). D reads lngas (“five”). ### [notes.16](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.agama.samyukta.dhvajagramahasutra*bo~en-84000.notes.16) 16. The term translated here as “replete” is phun sum tshogs pa, the same term used repeatedly in the verses of benediction that follow, where it has been translated as “perfect” and “perfection.” ### [notes.17](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.agama.samyukta.dhvajagramahasutra*bo~en-84000.notes.17) 17. Provisional translation of rab tu shes nas gtong ba yi// blo ldan ’phags pa gang byed bzhin. ### [notes.18](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.agama.samyukta.dhvajagramahasutra*bo~en-84000.notes.18) 18. The term translated here as “goodness” is bde legs, which in turn translates the Sanskrit svasti. Other possible translations would include “good fortune,” “happiness,” and “wellness.” For iterations of this and the following verse of blessing (3–4), particularly for travelers and merchants, see above. ### [notes.19](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.agama.samyukta.dhvajagramahasutra*bo~en-84000.notes.19) 19. As mentioned above in , the term repeated throughout the remaining verses that is translated here as “perfect/perfection” is phun sum tshogs / phun sum tshogs pa, which in turn translates the Sanskrit saṃpad. Other possible renderings could instead use the idiom of “abundance” or, as Skilling uses in his translation, the idiom of “blessing.” See Skilling 2024, pp. 172–73. ### [notes.20](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.agama.samyukta.dhvajagramahasutra*bo~en-84000.notes.20) 20. Tib. phun sum tshogs pa. See . The use of “perfection” in these verses does not relate to the “six perfections.” --- Source: [https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.agama.samyukta.dhvajagramahasutra*bo~en-84000](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.agama.samyukta.dhvajagramahasutra*bo~en-84000) · Pramāṇa