འཕགས་པ་ཆས་ཀྱ་རྒྱལ་མཚན་གྱ་མད་ཐག་པ་ཆན་པའ intro: 84000's introduction
The Sūtra of Dharmaketu intro
- Language
- English
84000's introduction
intro.1
While the Buddha Śākyamuni is staying in Śrāvastī, a bodhisattva named Dharmaketu asks him what qualities a bodhisattva must possess in order to reach awakening quickly. In response, the Buddha enumerates the ten most important qualities for bodhisattvas to cultivate.
intro.2
The Sūtra of Dharmaketu, also known as Dharmaketu’s Question,¹ is among the shortest sūtras in the Kangyur.² While the Buddha Śākyamuni is staying at Prince Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍada’s park in Śrāvastī, a bodhisattva named Dharmaketu asks him what qualities a bodhisattva requires to achieve full awakening. In his response, the Buddha enumerates ten key qualities that must be cultivated.
intro.3
As noted by Peter Skilling,³ three of these qualities—bodhicitta, never forsaking spiritual mentors, and dwelling in seclusion—overlap with those also enjoined in The Noble Mahāyāna Sūtra on the Four Factors (Caturdharmakasūtra, Toh 251, –). An additional three qualities—meditative concentration, ethical conduct, and joyous effort—are among the six perfections that constitute the core of the bodhisattva path. The remaining four factors are faith, compassion, being learned in the Buddha’s teachings, and seeking out the oral instructions of masters.
intro.4
No Sanskrit version of this sūtra is to our knowledge extant, and it does not appear to have been translated into Chinese. The translators of the text into Tibetan are unknown since none of the Tibetan versions carry a colophon. It is not listed in the Phangthangma or Denkarma catalogs of Tibetan imperial period translations, nor in Chomden Rikpai Raltri’s survey of translated texts compiled in the late thirteenth century. It is, however, listed in Butön Rinchen Drup’s catalog compiled in 1322.⁴ The sūtra is preserved in both the Tshalpa and Thempangma lineage Kangyurs, although under slightly different titles.⁵
intro.5
A recent English translation, based on the Peking Kangyur edition, has been published by Peter Skilling (2021). As noted by Skilling in his introduction, the bodhisattva Dharmaketu does not play a prominent role in Buddhist literature, although he is mentioned as a member of the audience in a number of discourses.⁶
intro.6
This translation is based on the Tibetan as found in the Degé Kangyur, in consultation with the Comparative Edition (dpe bsdur ma) and the Stok Palace Kangyur. Where alternative readings have been preferred over the Degé version, that has been recorded in the notes.