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འཕགས་པ་གསར་འད་དམ་པ་མཆག་ཏ་རྣམ་པར་རྒྱལ་བའ་མད་སྡའ་རྒྱལ་པ་ཐག་པ་ཆན་པའ་མད notes: Notes

The Sūtra of the Sublime Golden Light (1) notes

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Notes

notes.1

1. The Sūtra of the Sublime Golden Light (3) (Suvarṇa­prabhāsottama­sūtra, Toh 557).

notes.2

2. The Sūtra of the Sublime Golden Light (2) (Suvarṇa­prabhāsottama­sūtra, Toh 556).

notes.3

3. dbu ma rin po che’i sgron ma (Madhyamaka­ratna­pradīpa), Toh 3854.

notes.4

4. (1) The Root Manual of the Rites of Mañjuśrī (Mañjuśrī­mūla­kalpa, Toh 543), ; (2) ral pa gyen brdzes kyi rtog pa chen po, byang chub sems dpa’ chen po’i rnam par ’phrul pa le’u rab ’byams las bcom ldan ’das ma ’phags ma sgrol ma’i rtsa ba’i rtog pa (Ūrdhvajaṭā-mahākalpa­mahābodhisattva­vikurvaṇapaṭalavisarā bhagavatī ārya­tārāmūlakalpa), Toh 724 vol. tsa, folio 239.a; (3) dkyil ’khor thams cad kyi spyi’i cho ga gsang ba’i rgyud (Sarva­maṇḍala­sāmānyavidhi­guhyatantra), Toh 806, folio 152.b. The citations in Toh 543 and 724 are identical, differing only in the terminology chosen by the texts’ respective Tibetan translators. In fact, significant portions of Toh 724 appear to be shared with Toh 543.

notes.5

5. (1) Vinayadatta, sgyu ’phrul chen po’i dkyil ’khor gyi cho ga bla ma’i zhal snga’i man ngag (Gurūpadeśa­nāma­mahā­māyāmaṇḍalopāyikā), Toh 1645, folio 209.a; (2) Bhavyakīrti, sgron ma gsal bar byed pa dgongs pa rab gsal zhes bya ba bshad pa’i ti ka (Pradīpoddyotanābhi­saṁdhi­prakāśikā­nāmavyākhyāṭīkā), Toh 1793, folio 201.a; (3) Pramuditā­karavarman, gsang ba ’dus pa rgyud kyi rgyal po’i bshad pa zla ba’i ’od zer (Guhya­samāja­tantra­rāja­ṭīkā­candra­prabhā), Toh 1852, folio 169.b; (4) Vitapāda, gsang ba ’dus pa’i dkyil ’khor gyi sgrub pa’i thabs rnam par bshad pa (Guhya­samāja­maṇḍalopāyikā­ṭīkā), Toh 1873, folio 209.a; (5) Ānandagarbha, rdo rje dbyings kyi dkyil ’khor chen po’i cho ga rdo rje thams cad ’byung ba (Vajra­dhātu­mahā­maṇḍalopāyikā­sarva­vajrodaya), Toh 2516, folio 50.a; (6) Anonymous,’jam pa’i rdo rje ’byung ba’i dkyil ’khor gyi cho ga sems can thams cad kyi bde ba bskyed pa (Mañju­vajrodaya­maṇḍalopāyikā­sarva­sattvahitāvahā). Toh 2590; (7) Kāmadhenu, ngan song thams cad yongs su sbyong ba gzi brjid kyi rgyal po zhes bya ba cho ga zhib mo’i rgyal po chen po’i rgya cher ’grel pa (Sarva­durgati­pariśodhana­tejo­rāja­nāma­mahākalpa­rājaṭīkā), Toh 2625; (8) Ānandagarbha, de bzhin gshegs pa dgra bcom pa yang dag par rdzogs pa’i sangs rgyas ngan song thams cad yongs su sbyong ba gzi brjid kyi rgyal po zhes bya ba’i bshad pa (Sarva­durgatipariśodhana­tejorāja­tathāgatārhatsamyak­saṃbuddha­nāmakalpaṭīkā), Toh 2628, folio 73.a; (9) Sthiramati, rgyan dam pa sna tshogs rim par phye ba bkod pa (Paramālaṃkāraviśva­paṭalavyūha), Toh 2661, folio 322.b; (10) Sahajalalita, kun nas sgor ’jug pa’i ’od zer gtsug tor dri ma med par snang ba de bzhin gshegs pa thams cad kyi snying po dang dam tshig la rnam par lta ba zhes bya ba’i gzungs kyi rnam par bshad pa (Samanta­mukha­praveśaraśmivimaloṣṇīṣa­prabhāsa­sarva­tathāgatahṛdaya­samaya­vilokita­nāma­dhāraṇīvṛtti), Toh 2688, folio 292.b.

notes.6

6. (1) Bodhisattva, kun nas sgor ’jug pa’i ’od zer gtsug tor dri ma med par snang ba’i gzungs bklag cing chod rten brgya rtsa brgyad dam mchod rten lnga gdab pa’i cho ga mdo sde las btus pa (Samanta­mukha­praveśaraśmivimaloṣṇīṣa­prabhāsa­dhāraṇī­vacana­sūtrāntoddhṛtāṣṭottaraśata­caityāntarapañca­caityanirvapaṇavidhi), Toh 3068, folios 145.a, 151.b, 153.b; (2) Dīpaṁkaraśrījñāna, dbu ma’i man ngag rin po che’i za ma tog kha phye ba zhes bya ba (Ratna­karaṇḍodghāṭa­nāma­madhyamakopadeśa), Toh 3930, folios 99.a, 115.a; (3) Śāntideva, bslab pa kun las btus pa (Śikṣāsamuccaya), Toh 3940, folios 3.a–194.b, 90.a–91.b, 122.a–123.b; (4) Vairocanarakṣita, bslab pa me tog snye ma (Śikṣākusuma­mañjarī), Toh 3943, folio 200.a; (5) Dīpaṁkaraśrījñāna, byang chub lam gyi sgron ma’i dka’ ’grel (Bodhimārga­pradīpapañjikā), Toh 3948, folio 20.b.

notes.7

7. (1) Anonymous, gser ’od dam pa mdo sde dbang po’i smon lam (Suvarṇa­prabhāsottama­sūtrendra­praṇidhāna), Toh 4379; (2) Anonymous, rgyal po gser gyi lag pa’i smon lam (Rāja­suvarṇa­bhuja­praṇidhāna), Toh 4380.

notes.8

8. (1) Dīpaṁkaraśrījñāna, mngon par rtogs pa rnam par ’byed pa (Abhisamaya­vibhaṅga), Toh 1490, folio 201.a; (2) Āryadeva, spyod pa bsdud pa’i sgron ma (Caryāmelāpaka­pradīpa), Toh 1803, folio 106.a; (3) Mañjuśrīkīrti, ’jam dpal gyi mtshan yang dag par brjod pa’i rgya cher bshad pa (Mañjuśri­nāmasaṅgitiṭīka), Toh 2534, folio 217.b; (4) Haribhadra, shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa brgyad stong pa’i bshad pa mngon par rtogs pa’i rgyan gyi snang ba (Aṣṭa­sāha­srikā­prajñāpāramitā­vyākhyānābhi­samayālaṃkārāloka), Toh 3791, folio 84.b; (5) Dharmakīrtiśrī, shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa’i man ngag gi bstan bcos mngon par rtogs pa’i rgyan zhes bya ba’i ’grel pa rtogs par dka’ ba’i snang ba zhes bya ba’i ’grel bshad (Abhi­samayālaṃkāra­nāma­prajñā­pāramitopadeśa­śāstra­vṛttidurbodhāloka­nāmaṭīkā), Toh 3794, folio 152.b; (6) Dharmamitra, shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa’i man ngag gi bstan bcos mngon par rtogs pa’i rgyan gyi tshig le’ur byas pa’i ’grel bshad tshig rab tu gsal ba (Abhi­samayālaṃkāra­kārikā­prajñā­pāramitopadeśa­śāstra­ṭīkā prasphuṭapadā), Toh 3796, folio 104.a.

notes.9

9. (1) Āryadeva, Toh 1803, folio 217.b; (2) Haribhadra, Toh 3791, folio 84.b.

notes.10

10. (1) Ekādaśanirghoṣa, rdo rje ’chang chen po’i lam gyi rim pa’i man ngag bdud rtsi gsang ba (Mahā­vajra­dhara­pathakramopadeśāmṛta­guhya), Toh 1823, folio 274.a; (2) Yeshé Dé, lang kar gshegs pa zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo’i ’grel pa de bzhin gshegs pa’i snying po’i rgyan (Laṅkāvatāra­nāma­mahāyāna­sūtra­vṛttitathāgata­hṛdayālaṃkāra), Toh 4019, folios 29.a, 29.b, 152.b, 279.b, 302.a.

notes.11

11. Termed the Navadharma (“Nine Dharmas”) or Navagrantha (“Nine Texts”), these works are (1) Prajñāpāramitā, (2) Gaṇḍavyūha , (3) Daśabhūmi , (4) Samādhirāja , (5) Laṅkāvatāra , (6) Saddharma­puṇḍarīka , (7) Lalitavistara , (8) Suvarṇa­prabhāsa, and (9) Tathāgatagūhya . See Lewis (1993), 327, n. 15.

notes.12

12. The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism, p. 248.

notes.13

13. Emmerick 2004, p. xxi.

notes.14

14. Emmerick 2004, p. xii.

notes.15

15. The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism, p. 1028.

notes.16

16. Tyomkin 1995, p. 30.

notes.17

17. Paltsek, gsung rab rin po che’i gtam rgyud dang shA kya’i rabs rgyud, Toh 4357, folios 273.a and 331.b.

notes.18

18. Yeshé Dé, lang kar gshegs pa zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo’i ’grel pa de bzhin gshegs pa’i snying po’i rgyan, Toh 4019, folios 29.a, 29.b, 152.b, 279.b, 302.a.

notes.19

19. This is his name as given in The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism (p. 996). His name is variously given elsewhere as Wonchuk, Wen Tsheg, Yuance, Yuan Tso, and in Tibetan translation as Dzoksal (rdzogs gsal).

notes.20

20. The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism, p. 189.

notes.21

21. The Sūtra of the Sublime Golden Light (3).

notes.22

22. The Sūtra of the Sublime Golden Light (2).

notes.23

23. Putting an End to Karmic Obscurations (Karmā­varaṇa­prati­praśrabdhi, Toh 219).

notes.24

24. No Sanskrit title is given since this version was translated from the Chinese. The rendering of the Chinese title varies in different editions of the Kangyur. The Degé has tā shin kyin kwang myutsa’i shin wang kyin. The Yongle has ta’i ching gim gom mang dza’i shing wang gyi. The Kangxi has ta’i ching gin grom ming dza’i shing wang gying. The Narthang reads de’i shing ki ma kwang med dzwa’i shing wang kyang. The Lhasa version has tā shin kyin kwang mya ru tsa’i shin wa da kyin. These appear to be variants as a result of differing regional pronunciations and scribal corruptions of what would now be written as Da cheng jin guang ming zui sheng wang jing 大乘金光明最勝王經. Zhiyi智顗 (538–97), a.k.a. Tiantai zhizhe dashi 天台智者大師, writing in his commentary on this sūtra titled Jin guang ming jing xuan yi 金光明經玄義, cited Paramārtha (a.k.a. Zhendi 真諦) in giving the Sanskrit pronunciation of the title of the sūtra as Xiu ba na po po po yu do mo yin tuo luo zhe yue na xiu duo luo 修跋拏婆頗婆欝多摩因陀羅遮閱那修多羅, presumably transcribing Suvarṇa­prabhāsottama­rāja­sūtraṃ. The CBETA collection appears to concur.

notes.25

25. In the eKangyur version that supports this web display, 19.a is a blank folio that corresponds to the blank folio found in the Degé edition, which is numbered 19.b.

notes.26

26. There have been two ways to interpret this traditional beginning of a sūtra, with Indian masters such as Kamalaśīla claiming that both are equally correct. The alternative interpretation is “Thus did I hear: at one time the Bhagavān …” and so on. The various arguments, both traditional and modern, for either side are given by Brian Galloway in “Thus Have I Heard: At one time…,” Indo-Iranian Journal 34, Issue 2 (April 1991): 87–104.

notes.27

27. In BG and TWC this is followed by a sentence not included in YJ. All details about the entourage are omitted; the chapter proceeds to verses.

notes.28

28. YJ has 能善調伏 (“good at taming”).

notes.29

29. YJ has 己利 (“benefit for oneself”).

notes.30

30. Narthang reads “who had reached great independence.”

notes.31

31. YJ indicates that only Ānanda is still at the stage of learning (學地).

notes.32

32. F.19.b is blank in the Degé edition.

notes.33

33. YJ has 百千萬億, which literally means “one hundred times one thousand times ten thousand times one hundred thousand.” Thus, one hundred trillion. 億 is defined as “one hundred thousand.”

notes.34

34. YJ reads 眾所知識 (“well known by all”); “nobility” is absent.

notes.35

35. YJ has 超諸靜慮 (“transcended all mental activities”).

notes.36

36. YJ reads 成就大智，具足大忍 (“accomplished great wisdom and possessed great forbearance”).

notes.37

37. YJ has 弘誓心 (“great vows”).

notes.38

38. The text has only the first half of the name, equivalent to Avalokita. By contrast, Toh 556 has a lengthened kun tu spyan ras gzigs dbang phyug, equivalent in back translation to Samantāvalokiteśvara.

notes.39

39. Toh 556 has the shorter Gaṃbhīrasagararāja.

notes.40

40. Toh 556 reads Ratnaketu.

notes.41

41. Toh 556 has Mahāratnaketu.

notes.42

42. Toh 556 has Mahādharmasthāma.

notes.43

43. Toh 556 reads Viśuddhamati.

notes.44

44. Toh 556 has Viryadhīra.

notes.45

45. Toh 556 has Unnatanandarāja.

notes.46

46. Toh 556 reads Mahāmeghadharmadhara.

notes.47

47. Toh 556 has Mahā­meghānanta­kīrtiśarada.

notes.48

48. Toh 556 reads Mahāmegharatnaśrī.

notes.49

49. Toh 556 has Mahāmeghaprajñāsamantavarṣa.

notes.50

50. YJ has 無量大菩薩 (“an immeasurable number of bodhisattvas”).

notes.51

51. YJ has 五億八千 (“508,000”). Here defining 億 as “one hundred thousand.”

notes.52

52. YJ has 皆發弘願護持大乘，紹隆正法能使不絕 (“They all made a great vow to protect and uphold the Mahāyāna, and to maintain the correct Dharma and make it prosper, such that it will not cease”).

notes.53

53. Toh 556 reads Vaiśravaṇa (rnam thos kyi bu).

notes.54

54. kumbhāṇḍas is not in the Chinese version.

notes.55

55. Rather than listing the court and queens separately, YJ reads 中宮后妃 (“the queen and imperial consorts of the court”).

notes.56

56. According to Toh 556. Toh 555 has rab tu ’dzum pa (“completely shut”), which is evidently a scribal corruption in the Tibetan from rab tu mi ’dzum pa, a standard expression for gazing fixedly in adoration.

notes.57

57. Rather than “The buddhas in the four directions / Will bestow their blessing,” YJ reads 並四方四佛，威神共加護 (“The buddhas in the four directions / Will together protect it with their mighty power”).

notes.58

58. YJ has 我復演妙法，吉祥懺中勝，能滅一切罪，淨除諸惡業。(“The supreme Dharma that I have explained / Is auspicious and the best of all confessions. / It is capable of diminishing all sins / And cleansing all bad karma”).

notes.59

59. YJ reads 一切智根本，諸功德莊嚴 (“It is the root of all wisdom / Adorned by all merits”).

notes.60

60. The other versions of the sūtra have an additional line between the first and the second lines, “Whose lives are in decline and ending,” as does the equivalent Sanskrit and the Chinese. Sanskrit: sattvā naṣṭā hatāyuṣaḥ. YJ has 壽命將減損 (“whose lifespan will decrease”); BG and TWC do not have the auxiliary verb將 (“will”). The Tibetan translation of this version of the sūtra appears to have lost this line.

notes.61

61. BG and TWC include an additional line, which reads 王法所加 (“who are punished under the king’s laws”).

notes.62

62. YJ has 於此妙經王，甚深佛所讚，專注心無亂，讀誦聽受持 (“On this king of all sublime sutras, / Which is profound and praised by buddhas, / They should concentrate with an undisturbed mind; / They should read, recite, listen to, and retain it.”)

notes.63

63. In Sanskrit this is tridaśendra (“Lords of the Thirty”), referring to the Trāyāstriṃśā paradise on the summit of Meru, which is ruled by Indra. In the Toh 556 version, his name is Devendra (“lord of devas”). YJ has 帝釋主, a translation referring either to tridaśendra or śakra. BG and TWC have三十三天 (“Thirty-Three Celestials”).

notes.64

64. In Sanskrit, the last three lines of this verse read, “With the greatly powerful lords of the kinnaras, / And similarly with the lords of the garuḍas, / And the hosts of yakṣas, gandharvas, and pannas (serpents, i.e., nāgas).”

notes.65

65. Toh 556 and 557 have, in addition, “And by kinnaras, asuras, and yakṣas.” YJ has the third and fourth lines as 常為諸天人，龍神所恭敬 (“Will be continuously revered / By devas, humans, and nāgas”). BG and TWC read slightly differently from YJ, which has “… devas and the eight classes [of nāgas].”

notes.66

66. In YJ, 諸佛之所讚 (“praised by the buddhas”) modifies the people rather than the sūtra.

notes.67

67. YJ translates Ruciraketu as 妙幢, while BG and TWC translate this name as 信相.

notes.68

68. spyod pa. Toh 556: yang dag par par blangs te gnas par gyur. Toh 557: yang dag par blangs par gyur. YJ matches Toh 555:行十善道 (“practiced the path of the ten good actions”). BG and TWC have 具足十善 (“perfected all ten good actions”).

notes.69

69. YJ has 髓 (“marrow”).

notes.70

70. In Toh 556, the house is made of beryl. BG and TWC have 天紺琉璃 (“celestial blue beryls”). YJ has 帝青琉璃 (“Indranīlamuktā blue beryls”).

notes.71

71. Toh 555 has bzhin (“like”) in error for bzhir (“in the four”). All three Chinese versions have “four.”

notes.72

72. 自然 (“spontaneously”) is absent in YJ but present in BG and TWC.

notes.73

73. “Were free of all distress” is absent in YJ. YJ instead reads 無有乏少 (“… and nothing was lacking”).

notes.74

74. Sanskrit: “the bodhisattva mahāsattva.” TWC, BG, and YJ are the same as Toh 555, having just “bodhisattva.”

notes.75

75. YJ adds 汝今不應思忖如來受命長短，何以故？善男子 (“You should not think of the length of the lifespan of the Tathāgata Sakyamuni. Why? Noble one!”).

notes.76

76. BG and TWC have 諸須彌山, 可知斤兩 (“As for all Sumerus, / Their weight could be known”).

notes.77

77. According to Toh 557 and the Sanskrit.

notes.78

78. In TWC, this verse is followed by a short summary, and the chapter concludes with the disappearance of the four tathāgatas. TWC has no further teachings on the Buddha’s lifespan and the fact that he does not pass into nirvāṇa. BG includes the teachings on lifespan but does not contain the teaching on the Buddha’s not passing into nirvāṇa.

notes.79

79. BG includes a list of four: 生苦想、希有想、未曾有想、憂愁想 (“thoughts of life and of suffering, of something being rare, of something not having existed before, and of grief and distress”).

notes.80

80. YJ has 為人解說，不生謗毀 (“will explain the teachings to others and not blame or criticize those teachings”). 為人解說 is absent in BG.

notes.81

81. BG also includes 不生希有想，憂愁想，未曾有想 (“would not have thoughts of the teachings being rare, would not have thoughts of grief and distress, and would not have thoughts of the teachings being something that never existed before”).

notes.82

82. 為人宣說 (“teach others”) is absent in BG.

notes.83

83. YJ and BG have 父母 (“parents”) instead of “father.”

notes.84

84. BG does not include “father” here.

notes.85

85. BG does not have “and would do so with diligence and without idleness.”

notes.86

86. BG repeats 諸佛世尊於無量世乃出當世 (“the tathāgatas appear only after countless eons in the world”).

notes.87

87. YJ has “bodhisattva mahāsattva.”

notes.88

88. YJ has 無量億那庾多百千眾生 (“countless hundreds of thousands of nayutas”).

notes.89

89. BG has 彼等諸佛世尊 (“those world-honored buddhas”).

notes.90

90. BG does not include “in order to benefit beings, to dispel the obstacle of famine, and to bring happiness.”

notes.91

91. Rather than “those teachers of devas and humans,” BG has 四方四佛世尊 (“those four buddhas in the four directions”).

notes.92

92. BG here omits “arhat.”

notes.93

93. BG does not include “in order to bring benefit and happiness to all beings.” In YJ this line reads 善哉！善哉！彼四如來乃能為諸眾生饒益安樂，勸請於我宣揚正法 (“It is excellent, excellent that those four tathāgatas have requested me to expound the true Dharma in order to bring benefit and happiness to all beings”).

notes.94

94. This verse is absent in the Sanskrit and in Toh 557.

notes.95

95. This verse is absent in the Sanskrit and in Toh 557.

notes.96

96. This line shows significant variation across sources and is difficult to interpret precisely. The translation here follows the Chinese in regarding kauṇḍinya as the brahmin’s family name (姓). This brahmin is then“named (名曰) the Dharma master Vyākaraṇa" (法師授記). The Tibetan sources for Toh 555 appear to take kauṇḍinya as the brahmin’s proper name and treat the rest of the phrase as descriptive, reading "The brahmin named Kauṇḍinya who was prophesied by a/the Dharma master (bram ze kauN+Di n+ya chos kyi slob dpon gyis lung bstan pa). To further complicate matters, the Degé version of Toh 555 also declines kauṇḍinya in the instrumental, which would result in the reading "the brahmin prophesied by the Dharma master Kauṇḍinya.” The Kangxi, Lhasa, Narthang, Stok Palace, and Yongle versions of Toh 555 lack this instrumental declension. Toh 556 and 557 render this figure’s name more simply as slob dpon lung ston pa bram ze kauN+Di n+ya, which can be interpreted to mean “the Kauṇḍinya brahmin, the Dharma master Vyākāraṇa.” The extant Sanskrit reads ācāryavyākaraṇaprāptaḥ kauṇḍinyo nāma brāhmaṇaḥ, which could be taken to mean “The brahmin named Kauṇḍinya who had obtained a prophecy from a/the Dharma master.” The Sanskrit line includes the term “obtained” (prāpta), which is not attested in the Chinese and Tibetan sources.

notes.97

97. BG has 壽命八十應般涅槃 (“passing into nirvana at the age of eighty”).

notes.98

98. BG adds 與百千婆羅門眾俱從坐起 (“rising from his seat together with hundreds of thousands of brahmins”).

notes.99

99. BG here adds 令眾生快樂清涼 (“as you delight beings, making them feel pure and serene”).

notes.100

100. BG has 如日照於優陀延山 (“like the sun shining on the mountain of Udayana”).

notes.101

101. YJ transcribes the Sanskrit as 梨車毘 (li che pi). By contrast, TWC has 栗車毘 (li che pi) but interprets this to be the name of a kingdom. As a result, in this version the youth is addressed as “prince” from this point forward.

notes.102

102. BG adds that the prince is skilled in debate.

notes.103

103. Rather than “prayer,” BG has 恩德 (“benefit,” “favor”), and YJ has 願 (“wish,” “boon”).

notes.104

104. BG has “prince.” All variations in the Chinese versions are probably translated from the Sanskrit kumāra, which means either “young man” or “prince.”

notes.105

105. Toh 555 has dmangs rigs, which is the standard translation for śūdra, the lowest of the four social classes of India, which would contradict their being called “brahmins” elsewhere. Yongle and Narthang have smad rims, which may be a corruption of smad rigs (“low class”). YJ has 邊鄙之人 (“lowly people from the borderlands”). Toh 556 has “brahmins.” BG has 邊國婆羅門 (“brahmins from the borderlands”), which alligns the extant Sanskrit, pratyantadvīpikānām brāhmaṇānām.

notes.106

106. BG has 我等邉國婆羅門作如此說 (“we brahmins from the borderlands made such a claim”).

notes.107

107. BG reads 若善男子及善女人得佛舍利 (“if a noble man or a noble woman obtains a buddha’s relic”).

notes.108

108. BG has 置小塔中 (“put it in a small stūpa”).

notes.109

109. BG reads 作六天主 (“master of six heavens”).

notes.110

110. BG has 汝今云何而不願供養舍利，求此報邪? (“Now, why do you not want to make offerings to the relic and wish for this good karma?”).

notes.111

111. According to the Tibetan ’jol mo. Toh 556 has “cuckoo” (khu byug from the Sanskrit kokila). YJ translates this as 黃鳥 (“yellow bird”), one of many translations of kokila. BG has a transliteration of kokila : 拘枳羅 (gou zhi luo).

notes.112

112. Here the verses in BG begin to differ significantly. This verse reads 設使龜毛等，可以為衣裳 ，佛身非虛妄，終無有舍利 (“Even if the hair of a tortoise and so forth / Could be used for clothing, / The Buddha’s body is not illusory in that way, / And ultimately there is no relic”).

notes.113

113. BG has 假令蚊蚋脚，可以作城樓，如來寂靜 (真實 in some of its editions) 身，無有舍利事 (“Even if the legs of flies / Could be used to build towers, / The Tathāgata’s body is awakening, / And there is no relic”).

notes.114

114. BG has 假令水蛭蟲，口中生白齒，如來解脫身，終無繫縛色 (“Even if leeches / Grow white teeth in their mouths, / The Tathāgata’s body is liberated, / And ultimately it is without bonds”).

notes.115

115. BG reads 兔角為梯橙，從地得昇天，邪思惟 (佛 in some of its editions) 舍利，功德無是處 (“Even if a hare’s horns are used to create a ladder / From the ground up to heaven, / This is a false idea about the Buddha’s relic, / So no merit is gained from it.”)

notes.116

116. BG has 鼠登兔角梯，蝕月除修羅，依舍利盡惑，解脫無是處 (“Even if a mouse climbs the hare-horn ladder / And obscures the moon and attacks the asuras, / One depending on a relic to diminish their doubts / Will not gain liberation”).

notes.117

117. YJ has 廣造於舍宅 (“visits many different houses”).

notes.118

118. BG reads 如蠅大醉酒，不能造窠穴，於佛無正行，不能至三乘 (“Even if a fly becomes drunk / And is unable to return to its roost, / Depending on relics constitutes a wrong action toward the Buddha / And one will not attain the three vehicles.”)

notes.119

119. BG has 如驢但飽食，終無有伎能，歌舞令他樂，凡夫、二乘等，能說及能行，自他無是處 (“If a donkey who eats his fill, / And has no other skills whatsoever, / Sings and dances to make others cheerful, / Then unenlightened worldlings and followers of the two vehicles / Can speak about and embody / The impossibility of self and other.”)

notes.120

120. BG reads 假使烏與鵄，同時一樹栖，和合相愛念，如來真實體，舍利虛妄身，俱有無是處 (“Even if a crow and an owl / Sit side by side / And show love and affection for one another, / The Tathāgata’s body is real, / The relic’s nature is illusory, / So it is impossible that the relic is actual”).

notes.121

121. BG has 如波羅奈葉，不能遮風雨，於佛起虛妄，生死終不滅 (“Just like the leaves of the palash tree / Cannot become a shelter from wind and rain, / If one has deceptive thoughts of the Buddha, / Life and death will not be extinguished”).

notes.122

122. BG has 新生女人力，執著無是處，法身無邊際，不淨地煩惱，不能攝如來，其義亦如是 (“Even if for a newborn and a woman / Attachment were impossible, / The Dharma body is limitless, / And people of defiled lands possess kleśas, / Such that they cannot approach the Tathāgata. / The meaning is like this.”)

notes.123

123. Toh 556 has “owl.” YJ has 鷦鷯鳥 (“wren”). BG has 鳥雀 (“sparrow”).

notes.124

124. BG has 譬如諸鳥雀，不能銜香山 (Like birds and sparrows / Cannot pick up the Gandhamādana Mountain with their beaks”).

notes.125

125. This line is absent in BG.

notes.126

126. BG adds 煩惱依法身，不為煩惱動，如是如來身，甚深難思量。若不如法觀，所願不成就 (“Even if the kleśas support the Dharma body, / It is undisturbed by such kleśas. / Such a body of the Tathāgata is difficult to conceive. / If one does not view it according to Dharma, / One’s aspirations will not be accomplished.”)

notes.127

127. BG has 汝真佛子 (“You are the real son of the Buddha”).

notes.128

128. BG has 於理不動，已獲正記 (“Being grounded in truth, / You have been prophesied.”)

notes.129

129. This line is absent in BG.

notes.130

130. BG adds 本來寂靜 (“originally quiescent”).

notes.131

131. BG reads 金剛不毀，內外無礙 (“The Bhagavat’s body is indestructible like a vajra, / And it is unobstructed inside and out”).

notes.132

132. In the Sanskrit for Toh 557, it is nirmitakāya, synonymous with nirmāṇakāya. Both are translated as sprul pa’i sku in Tibetan and 化身 in Chinese.

notes.133

133. BG has 如來大仙，無有色像 (“The Tathāgata, the great sage, / Has no material form.”)

notes.134

134. YJ has 正覺 (“enlightenment” or “the enlightened one”).

notes.135

135. Dhātu is the word for “relic,” “realm,” “element,” “essential constituent,” and so on.

notes.136

136. YJ has 此是真佛身 (“This is the true body of the Buddha”).

notes.137

137. There is a verse that follows in other versions that is absent in Toh 555. It translates as “I, having heard and understood that, / Made the request for that which is sublime. / I have spoken in that way / In order to reveal the truth.” This verse is absent in YJ but included in BG, along with two additional lines reiterating why Brahmin Kaụṇḍinya requested a relic.

notes.138

138. BG has 常無破壞 (“is always free from destruction”).

notes.139

139. After this verse, BG ends the chapter with the following: 是時，信相菩薩從諸如來及二大士聞說釋迦壽命義已，得滿所願，心無疑惑，踴躍歡喜，身心快樂，內外遍滿。爾時，復有無量阿僧祇等諸眾生類，聞說是義，於無上道皆得發心，時四如來忽然不現，是大會中惟釋迦在. (“At that time, after hearing this teaching on the lifespan of the Buddha from the tathagatas and the two mahāsattvas, Ruciraketu felt satisfied and had no doubt in his mind. He was uplifted and delighted, feeling happy physically and mentally. At that time, there were also countless beings who heard these teachings. They all aspired toward the unsurpassable path to enlightenment. Then, the four tathāgatas suddenly disappeared, and only the Buddha himself was present at the assembly”).

notes.140

140. According to the instrumental kyis in the Yongle and Kangxi versions and in Toh 556. Toh 555 in the Degé has the genitive kyi.

notes.141

141. According to Toh 556. “Benefiting” is not present in Toh 555 or the Chinese versions.

notes.142

142. Rather than “therefore, today I will make them discern and understand, and then liberate them,” YJ has 我今開悟，令其解脫 (“I am now enlightened, so I will liberate them”).

notes.143

143. YJ has 為任運利益有情 (“in order to spontaneously benefit beings”). “Spontaneously” is missed in the Tibetan.

notes.144

144. According to rkyen in the Lithang, Kangxi, and Choné versions. Degé has skyon (“faults”). YJ adds 機緣 (“conditions, opportunities”).

notes.145

145. YJ reads 於一切處鏡智現前, 無有分別 (“the wisdom that is like a mirror is manifested everywhere, and though it is without discrimination…”).

notes.146

146. According to Toh 556 phan pa and YJ. Toh 555 has sman par (“as medicine”).

notes.147

147. This chapter is absent in TWC. The version of this chapter included in BG was translated by 真諦 (Paramārtha).

notes.148

148. This sentence is absent in BG.

notes.149

149. YJ adds 處相應 (“in accordance with the place”).

notes.150

150. This question is absent in BG.

notes.151

151. Toh 556 reads “to enable bodhisattvas to have unimpeded attainment.” YJ and BG are the same as Toh 555: 得通達 (“attain realization”).

notes.152

152. According to Toh 556 and Choné rnams. Degé has dang. YJ and BG are the same as Toh 555: 歡喜 (“happy”).

notes.153

153. The Chinese versions add 至於究竟 (“until the ultimate end”).

notes.154

154. The Chinese versions add 一切佛法 (“all the teachings of the Buddha”).

notes.155

155. Toh 556 reads “empty reflections.” YJ and BG have 空 (“emptiness,” “space”).

notes.156

156. Toh 556 specifies the enjoyment body and emanation body. The Chinese is the same as Toh 555: BG has 二身, and YJ has 二種身. Both of these mean “two kinds of body.”

notes.157

157. According to Toh 556. Toh 555 has only “nondual,” which is in agreement with YJ and BG, which read 不二 (“nondual”).

notes.158

158. “Childlike” is absent in YJ and BG.

notes.159

159. According to the more standard translation of these terms as given in Toh 556. Toh 555 has “three minds,” which accords with YJ and BG’s 三心 (“three minds”): the mind that adopts actions, the mind that is based on the root, and the root mind.

notes.160

160. Toh 556 has “purification” or “training.” The Chinese agrees with Toh 555 but has the plural form 諸伏道 (“the path of many trainings”).

notes.161

161. Toh 556 has “emanation body”; YJ and BG are the same as Toh 555.

notes.162

162. Toh 556 has “enjoyment body”; YJ and BG are the same as Toh 555.

notes.163

163. Toh 556 has “Dharma body”; YJ and BG are the same as Toh 555.

notes.164

164. Toh 556 has “transcends.” This matches 過 in the Chinese versions.

notes.165

165. YJ and BG have 是真實有無依處故 (“is truly existent because it is not based on anything”), which stands in contrast to the first two bodies, which are described as 假有 (“not truly existent,” “merely designations”).

notes.166

166. Toh 556 has “bodies.” YJ and BG have “bodies” and include both常 (“permanence”) and 無常(“impermanence”).

notes.167

167. Toh 556 has “in accordance with eons.” YJ is the same as Toh 555: 隨緣利益. This phrase is absent in BG.

notes.168

168. BG has 如來法身 (“the Tathāgata’s Dharma body”).

notes.169

169. Toh 556: “duality.” YJ and BG match Toh 555: 二無所有 (“nonduality”).

notes.170

170. Toh 556: “are inseparable, with no gap between them.” YJ and BG are similar to Toh 556, but the first half could be interpreted as meaning either “cannot be examined, differentiated” or “are inseparable”: 不可分別, 無有中間.

notes.171

171. “Though there is nothing to call ‘conduct’ in this” is absent in the Chinese versions.

notes.172

172. BG omits 種種事業 (“various deeds”).

notes.173

173. Toh 556: “the vajra samādhi.” YJ and BG match Toh 555: 金剛之心 (“vajra mind”).

notes.174

174. BG has 實 (“reality”) instead of 我 (“self”).

notes.175

175. Rather than “all samādhis,” YJ has 如是佛法 (“such qualities of the Buddha”).

notes.176

176. BG has 佛大十力 (“the Buddha’s great ten strengths”).

notes.177

177. Toh 556: “unstained by characteristics.” YJ and BG match Toh 555: 不著於相 (“no attachment to characteristics”).

notes.178

178. This line is absent in BG.

notes.179

179. This line is absent in BG.

notes.180

180. Toh 556: “dullness.” BG and YJ match Toh 555: 悔 (“regret”).

notes.181

181. Toh 556: “obscuration by the kleśas.” The Chinese versions are similar to Toh 556: BG has 不逼惱困苦障, while YJ has 不逼惱障. In his commentary on YJ entitled 《金光明最勝王經疏》, Hui Zhao interprets it as “three kinds of kleśas that are obscurations to the development of three kinds of patience” in general, or 闇鈍障 (“obscurations caused by ignorance”).

notes.182

182. Toh 556 has “perceiving characteristics and virtuous conduct.” YJ and BG have 見行相障 (“obscurations of perceiving characteristics”). Hui Zhao interprets this as “subtle obscurations to seeing the cessation and arising of characteristics.”

notes.183

183. YJ has 與煩惱離 (“… not mixed with the kleśas”). BG has 煩惱本起，悉皆清淨 (“… is where the kleśas originally arise, yet it is pure”).

notes.184

184. Past tense according to Toh 556. Toh 555 could be present or future. The Chinese versions have no indication of tense.

notes.185

185. This line is omitted in BG.

notes.186

186. Past tense according to Toh 556. Toh 555 could be present or future. The Chinese versions could be understood to be the present perfect tense.

notes.187

187. Toh 556 has “kleśas.” YJ and BG match Toh 555.

notes.188

188. Toh 556 has “body.” YJ and BG have 體, which is a pictographic character for “body” but can also mean “essence.”

notes.189

189. BG has 逆流而上 (“moves against the current”).

notes.190

190. This sentence is absent in BG.

notes.191

191. Toh 556 has “body.” YJ and BG have 體, which is a pictographic character for “body” but can also mean “essence.”

notes.192

192. Toh 556 has “aspiration.” YJ is similar to Toh 555: 決定信 (“unshakable faith”). This line is absent in BG.

notes.193

193. This sentence is absent in BG.

notes.194

194. The Chinese versions omit “weak.”

notes.195

195. The reason why the rabbit cannot go across the sea is omitted in BG. YJ adds 凡夫之人亦复如是 (“those ordinary people are also like this”), which is absent in BG.

notes.196

196. Toh 556 has “perfectly at peace.” The Chinese versions agree with Toh 555.

notes.197

197. According to Toh 556. Toh 555 omits “sickness,” which is in accord with YJ and BG.

notes.198

198. BG has 身心常在定 (“a body and mind that are always in samādhi”).

notes.199

199. For “vicious spirits” Toh 555 has ’dre srin. Toh 556 has yi dwags. YJ has “vicious animals, vicious humans, and vicious spirits.” BG has “vicious humans, vicious elephants, and vicious animals.”

notes.200

200. YJ and BG have 如來無無記事，一切境界無欲知心 (“the tathāgatas do not have anything that they do not retain, and they do not generate thoughts to know any object”). Hui Zhao explains that the second phrase corresponds to the power of nonregression or nondiminution of aspiration, 欲無減, which is one of the eighteen distinctive abilities of a buddha.

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