[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) › [Mahāyāna sūtras](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra) › [Saṃdhinirmocanasūtra](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.samdhinirmocana) › [འཕགས་པ་དགོངས་པ་ངེས་པར་འགྲེལ་པ་ཞེས་བྱ་བ་ཐེག་པ་ཆེན་པོའི་མདོ](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.samdhinirmocana*bo) › [Unraveling the Intent](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.samdhinirmocana*bo~en-84000) › 26 # འཕགས་པ་དགངས་པ་ངས་པར་འགྲལ་པ་ཞས་བྱ་བ་ཐག་པ་ཆན་པའ་མད 26 Unraveling the Intent 26 - **Language:** English ### [26](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.samdhinirmocana*bo~en-84000.26) Chapter 6 Then, the bodhisattva Guṇākara asked the Blessed One, “Blessed One, when bodhisattvas who are skilled in the defining characteristics of phenomena are called ‘skilled in the defining characteristics of phenomena,’ what does it mean? Moreover, when the Tathāgata designates them as such, what does it refer to?” The Blessed One replied to the bodhisattva Guṇākara, “Guṇākara, for the benefit and happiness of many beings, out of compassion for the world, for the welfare, benefit, and happiness of all beings, including gods and humans, you are asking this. Your intention is excellent when questioning the Tathāgata on this specific point. Therefore, listen, Guṇākara, I will explain to you in which way bodhisattvas are skilled in the defining characteristics of phenomena. “Guṇākara, the defining characteristics of phenomena are three. What are these three? They are the imaginary defining characteristic, the other-dependent defining characteristic, and the actual defining characteristic.¹²⁰ “Guṇākara, what is the imaginary defining characteristic \[of phenomena\]? It is what is nominally and conventionally posited¹²¹ as the essence or the distinctive \[characteristic\] of phenomena, even just¹²² in order to designate¹²³ \[them\].¹²⁴ “Guṇākara, what is the other-dependent defining characteristic \[of phenomena\]? It is the dependent arising of phenomena. It is like this: ‘When this is, that arises; because this arises, that arises.’ It is also from ‘\[in dependence upon ignorance as a condition,\] conditioning mental factors \[arise\]’ up to ‘thus, the whole great mass of suffering comes to be.’ - [Previous: 25](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.samdhinirmocana*bo~en-84000.25) - [Next: 27](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.samdhinirmocana*bo~en-84000.27) ## Translations (1) - [English (machine translation)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.samdhinirmocana*bo~en-mt.26) — English, machine translation ## Linked texts (1) - [འཕགས་པ་དགོངས་པ་ངེས་པར་འགྲེལ་པ་ཞེས་བྱ་བ་ཐེག་པ་ཆེན་པོའི་མདོ](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.samdhinirmocana*bo.26) — Classical Tibetan --- Source: [https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.samdhinirmocana*bo~en-84000.26](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.samdhinirmocana*bo~en-84000.26) · Pramāṇa