༄༅། །ལ་འར་ང་ས་ས་པ།

The Questions of Rāṣṭrapāla (2)

Rāṣṭrapālaparipṛcchā

Translated into Tibetan by

t. jinamitra · ye shes sde
 འཕགས་པ་ལ་འར་ང་ས་ས་པ་ས་་བ་ག་པ་ན་ ་མ།
’phags pa yul ’khor skyong gis zhus pa zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo

The Noble Great Vehicle Sūtra “The Questions of Rāṣṭrapāla (2)”

Āryarāṣṭrapālaparipṛcchānāmamahāyānasūtra
 Toh 166
Degé Kangyur, vol. 59 (mdo sde, ba), folios 171.b–175.a

Translated by Adam T. Miller

under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha

First published 2023

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co. TABLE OF CONTENTS
ti. Title
im. Imprint
co. Contents
s. Summary
ac. Acknowledgements
i. Introduction
tr. The Translation
1. The Questions of Rāṣṭrapāla
c. Colophon
n. Notes
b. Bibliography
g. Glossary
s. SUMMARY
s.1 The Questions of Rāṣṭrapāla (2), so called to distinguish it from a longer work
with the same title (Toh 62), is a short Great Vehicle sūtra in which the
Buddha describes the monks who will bring about the decline of the Dharma.
ac. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
ac.1 This translation was produced by Adam T. Miller under the patronage and
supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.
i. INTRODUCTION
i.1 The Questions of Rāṣṭrapāla (2), so called to distinguish it from a longer work
with the same title,1 is a short Great Vehicle sūtra in which the Buddha
describes the monks who will bring about the decline of the Dharma. The
sūtra opens with the Buddha at Vulture Peak in Rājagṛha, surrounded by a
group of monks. Among them is Rāṣṭrapāla, who asks the Buddha to
describe the people who will bring about the decline of the Buddha’s
teaching. In his response, the Buddha first draws a sharp contrast between
the condition of the monk (Tib. dge slong gi gnas), which entails monastic
rigor, and the condition of laxity (Tib. lhod pa’i gnas), which denotes a lack of
monastic discipline. He then describes both as embodied by monks.
Rigorous monks —that is, real monks worthy of the name —are those who are
concerned with possessing and perfecting moral discipline through solitary
practice and self-cultivation. Lax monks —that is, imposter monks unworthy
of the name —are those who do not live a life of strict discipline but are
instead concerned with worldly affairs. These monks, the Buddha tells
Rāṣṭrapāla, will bring about the decline of the teaching. This message is
expressed first in prose and then again in verse.
i.2 Initially composed in Sanskrit, The Questions of Rāṣṭrapāla (2) survives in
Tibetan and Mongolian.2 The Sanskrit title, following the transliterations
available in the Tibetan editions, can be reconstructed as *Āryarāṣṭrapāla-
paripṛcchānāmamahāyānasūtra. Further details about the Sanskrit—when,
where, and by whom it was compiled—are unknown. The Tibetan
translation was produced and/or updated in the late eighth or early ninth
century by Jinamitra, Yeshé Dé, and other unnamed assistants. The Questions
of Rāṣṭrapāla (2) is listed in both the Denkarma Catalog 3 and the
Phangthangma Catalog (under the title ’phags pa yul ’khor skyong gis zhus pa
chung ngu),4 and is witnessed in the Tshalpa (tshal pa) and Thempangma
(them spangs ma) recension lineages.5 To our knowledge, it has not been
identified among the manuscripts found at Dunhuang.
i.3 The Questions of Rāṣṭrapāla (2) shares thematic content with two works titled
similarly (or identically, as the case may be)—one from the Pali canon, the
Raṭṭhapāla Sutta,6 and another from the Great Vehicle tradition, The Questions
of Rāṣṭrapāla (Toh 62).7 The Pali text is largely concerned with illustrating to
audiences both lay and monastic the qualities of proper monasticism and its
virtues. The concern of The Questions of Rāṣṭrapāla (2), by contrast, appears to
be more insular in nature. There are two possible conditions, the Buddha
tells Rāṣṭrapāla: rigor and laxity. Those who have moral discipline are real
monks. Those who lack moral discipline, on the other hand, are imposter
monks. Though people of the latter sort consider themselves to be monks,
they are no monks at all, and such individuals will bring about the decline of
the Dharma.8 In the longer Great Vehicle work, The Questions of Rāṣṭrapāla (1),
the concern is again largely insular. Here, however, it is the rigorous
bodhisattva who is valorized, not the rigorous monk. In fact, monks are
criticized and denigrated in The Questions of Rāṣṭrapāla (1), while rigorous,
forest-dwelling bodhisattvas are valorized as the ideal, authentic
practitioners. What exactly to make of these differences —with regard, for
example, to the social and institutional locations of the Great Vehicle
practitioners and authors behind these two works —is beyond the scope of
this introduction. Instead, we refer readers to Reginald Ray and Daniel
Boucher, whose work on these two Great Vehicle sūtras has informed the
brief comments here.9
i.4 The present translation is based on the Degé version in consultation with
the Stok Palace version. These two Tibetan texts are not identical, but they do
not often differ in a way that affects the meaning. Therefore, we mostly
followed the Degé. We followed the Stok readings when they helped to
clarify the sense of the Degé, and we provide both readings in cases where
the variance impacts the meaning.
i.5 In 1952, Jacob Ensink translated The Questions of Rāṣṭrapāla (2) from the
Tibetan. Our translation has benefitted from comparison with his work.
 The Noble Great Vehicle Sūtra
The Questions of Rāṣṭrapāla
1. The Translation
[F.171.b]

1.1 Homage to all buddhas and bodhisattvas.

Thus did I hear at one time. The Blessed One was residing at Vulture Peak in
Rājagṛha, together with a great saṅgha of 1,250 monks. Then, the venerable
Rāṣṭrapāla arose from his seat, draped his upper robe over one shoulder,
knelt down on his right knee, bowed before the Blessed One, and with
folded hands asked, “Blessed One, what are the qualities of the beings who
will bring about the decline of the Thus-Gone One’s teaching?”
1.2 The Blessed One replied, “Rāṣṭrapāla, there are two conditions. What are
they? They are the condition of the monk and the condition of laxity. Now,
the condition of the monk is that which pertains to having moral discipline.
And the condition of laxity [F.172.a] is that which pertains to lacking moral
discipline.
1.3 “Rāṣṭrapāla, monks who seek complete nirvāṇa should train in these two
conditions. What are the two? Through the component of moral discipline,
they should fully guard themselves and they should contemplate
themselves and nothing else. Now, what is it to contemplate oneself and
nothing else? It is to analyze by thinking, ‘Do I want to want to eliminate my
own suffering, or do I want to awaken to unexcelled perfect awakening?’
1.4 “Those who seek complete nirvāṇa through the vehicle of the śrāvakas
should train only in the precepts of the śrāvakas. They are to be bound by
the prātimokṣa vows. Their conduct and personal associations should be
perfect. They should train having genuinely accepted that even the slightest
fault is to be viewed with apprehension. They should purify their actions of
body, speech, and mind in accordance with the precepts. They should have
pure livelihoods and be irreproachable. Without greed and without longing
for flavorful foods, they should have suitable robes and suitable begging
bowls.
1.5 “Also, they should not eat just any mixture of food.10 They should train by
eating a little bit of food until just sated. In this way, they should always and
continuously consider food as filth. In other words, they should perceive
food as excrement and urine, as pus, as vomit, as rubbish, as like a crusted
wound, [F.172.b] as base, as unpleasant, as like the flesh of children, as trash,
as refuse, as fetid. In this manner they should think about what and how
much they eat.
1.6 “Without attachment,11 aversion, and confusion, they should always
delight in solitude. They should never delight in idle chatter. They should
readily accept solitude like a dying deer. They should be isolated. They
should delight in solitude. Delighting in solitude, they should be resolute
and patient. If associating with noble people, they should be pleasant. They
should not be given to worldly talk. They should abandon commercial
activity. Delight in medicinal cures, delight in gossip, and association with
household activities should be avoided. They should be discerning while
sitting, standing, walking, and sleeping. They should rely on total solitude,
delightful retreats, and peaceful places 12 that are quiet and silent, not
frightening, without any slithering snakes, without many people, devoid of
people, and suitable for inner absorption.
1.7 “They should refrain from self-exaltation. They should refrain from
belittling others. They should refrain from pretension and flattery. They
should always and continuously cultivate an attitude of dissatisfaction. They
should not associate with and get to know householders and monastics.
They should rely on all empty dharmas, meditate on them, and expand on
them. They should avoid congregating with ignorant monks.13 They should
not associate with nuns. They should have few desires. They should always
examine themselves for personal faults. And they should not look for the
faults of others. They should not rely on their parents, let alone other
families. They should be properly and thoroughly restrained.14 [F.173.a] They
should be givers of the appeasing Dharma. They should be discriminating in
their focus. They should dwell in isolated places. They should not speak to
others even in an agreeable manner, let alone in an unagreeable manner.
1.8 “They should establish their minds firmly in the teachings and analyze the
profound dharmas. What is it to analyze the profound dharmas? It is to
analyze by thinking, for example, that ‘the eye is impermanent.’ It is to
analyze its arising and dissolution. And that with respect to which arising
and dissolution should be analyzed is itself analyzed as nonexistent. Why?
That which is called ‘eye’ does not exist. Though the eye, form, and eye
consciousness are not objects of perception, they are perceived as
nonexistent. Why? There are no dharmas that are objects of perception.
Therefore, the support of the ear should not be imagined. The supports of
 the nose, tongue, body, and mind should not be imagined. No support
whatsoever should be imagined. What would be imagined when doing so?
All dharmas should be apprehended as empty in this way. Apprehending
the dharmas in this way purifies the component of moral discipline. It
purifies the components of concentration and of wisdom. It gives rise to the
result of stream-entry. And it gives rise to the result of the once-returner, the
result of the non-returner, and arhathood. Detached in this way, the initial
śrāvakas eliminated their defilements.
1.9 “Now, what are imposter monks? Rāṣṭrapāla, such monks cling to the
conception that they are themselves monks. Their component of moral
discipline is incomplete. They cherish their robes and begging bowls. They
cherish material things. Abandoning silence, [F.173.b] they claim for
themselves bedding, seats, and great invitations that lead to unfortunate
rebirths. They associate with women. They associate with nuns. They
associate with those favored by the king. And through associating with
them, their eyes are always intent on forms. By cultivating such a mind, they
are thoroughly afflicted. If their mind is afflicted, so will be their condition.
They will consistently make serious mistakes or small ones. These,
Rāṣṭrapāla, are imposter monks.
1.10 “Why are they imposter monks? Imposter monks are those fools who
reject the plain bedding and seats approved by the Thus-Gone One, which
are the bedding and seats proper to ascetics, who yearn for robes, who yearn
for material things, and who associate with women and householders. How
could ascetic conduct be found in fools with such associations? Moreover,
they criticize and revile the profound dharmas. Although they have heard of
karma, they speak ill of others. They speak ill of the wilderness. They praise
those who are solely focused on desire for pleasure. They praise those who
are solely absorbed in pleasurable idle chatter. They speak ill of those
possessing any of the conditions of monks.
1.11 “The Thus-Gone One said in a sūtra, ‘There is no occasion to associate
with householders and monastics.’ Those who reject this have no desire for
ascetic conduct. They have no desire to be a monk. Sitting apart, they teach
the Dharma to women and instruct others still in the foundations of such
behavior. Why? [F.174.a] The Thus-Gone One describes them as the robbers
of the Dharma. Abandoning the prātimokṣa vows, they sit apart and teach
the Dharma to women. These fools are imposter monks. With their shaven
heads, they are imposters. With their saffron robes, they are imposters.
1.12 “How can an imposter be known? Those fools approve of that which the
blessed buddhas condemn. They ordain people before they reach twenty
years of age. They take with their own hands. They enjoy things without
thinking. They prepare and cook food for themselves. They handle gold and
 silver. They accumulate millet, barley, and other grains. They engage in
commercial activity related to houses, fields, and parks. They employ
servants. They appropriate objects related to houses, fields, and parks. Not
believing in the fruition of karma, not having confidence in the prātimokṣa,
toward that lifestyle are they inclined, toward that lifestyle do they fall,
toward that lifestyle do they sink—they act as if that is all there is.15
Regarding themselves as ascetics, where there are many people, they teach
in a way that resembles the naked ascetics. They champion the view of
personal identity. By teaching personal identity, and like the naked ascetics,
they draw many people in and transfix them. Apprehending the domain of
buddhas, the condition of thus-gone ones, as empty, they disparage it. They
are known to revile it.
1.13 “Rāṣṭrapāla, sentient beings such as these will arise. They are not
householders, nor are they ascetics. They will bring about the decline of the
Thus-Gone One’s teaching.”
1.14 Then, the Lord at that time spoke the following verses:

1.15 “Monks 16 who are restrained in moral discipline,

Who, at peace, delight in calm places,
Who train in the prātimokṣa—
They are brahmin monks. [F.174.b]

1.16 “Taking up the most important dharmas,

Monks who have nothing,
Who delight in the remote wilderness —
They are brahmin monks.

1.17 “Those who do not delight in idle chatter,

Who train well in the prātimokṣa,
Pay great veneration, day and night,
To the superior person.

1.18 “Those who neither till the fields nor buy and sell,
Who do not pine for begging bowls and robes,
And who make effort without appropriation
Are the Buddha’s śrāvakas.

1.19 “Those who do not teach women,17

Who do not associate with women,
Who praise those who sit under trees —
They are the Buddha’s śrāvakas.

1.20 “Do not offer flattery,

For the sake of food and drink;
 Monks who become like that
Do not spend time around women.

1.21 “Women are known to be

Like sharp swords polished.
From the prātimokṣa it follows
That the idea of women is abandoned.

1.22 “Those gentle ones, for the sake of food,

For drink, and for robes,
Go from house to house
But do not teach the dharmas.

1.23 “ ‘Monks should not look at women,’

The Perfectly Awakened One has said.
Rely on those who know that.
Looking at women is the sphere of Māra.

1.24 “They teach that women are nonexistent,

That to lie down with a woman is like lying with a corpse.
For that reason, the all-knowing buddhas
Do not commend distractions.

1.25 “The dharmas are without life force, without personality,

Hollow, insignificant, and insubstantial.
Those who affirm emptiness 18—
They are true monks.

1.26 “Those who always abound in strong effort,

Who dwell in the wilderness alone,
Whose minds do not rely on the world—
They are true monks.

1.27 “Fearless like lions,

They dedicate themselves to pure conduct.
For the sake of liberation from all suffering,
Those endowed with wisdom cultivate the path.

1.28 “When examining the eye and form,

They find consciousness.
They do not find what they are looking for
When examining objects —[F.175.a]
Those did not arise before, and they will not arise later.
In the middle, too, there is nothing.
1.29 “This being the case,
On account of the sameness of all dharmas,
Those gentle ones, for the sake of food,
For drink, and for robes
Go from house to house,
But they do not teach the dharmas.

1.30 “Without cause, the gentle are virtuous.

They do not violate or destroy
The precepts of the Buddha.19
Disciplined and virtuous, they do not fear emptiness.
They enter into fearlessness.
They do not eliminate the frightening view.

1.31 “They do not eliminate actual sentient persons.

In all wholesome dharmas,
They remain well established.20
Steadfast, those who in the world
Reach nirvāṇa
Will become worthy of veneration.

1.32 “Those who are lacking in wisdom,

Who are lazy, who make little effort,
Who have learned little, who desire wickedness,
Who are arrogant, harsh, and quick to anger,21
Who take a razor to their heads,
Who wear wood-dyed Dharma robes,
Who do not understand the meaning of emptiness —
They do not cultivate discernment.

1.33 “They disparage the Dharma

And speak ill of the Great Vehicle.
Those who have taught this Dharma
In accordance with what they have been taught
Are attached to the dark faction.
They are bound for unfortunate rebirth.

1.34 When the Blessed One had spoken, the venerable Rāṣṭrapāla and the world
with its monks, gods, humans, asuras, and gandharvas rejoiced and praised
what the Blessed One had said.

1.35 The Great Vehicle sūtra “The Questions of Rāṣṭrapāla (2)” is complete.
c. Colophon
c.1 The Indian scholar Jinamitra and others, along with the chief editor-
translator Bandé Yeshé Dé, translated, edited, and finalized the text.
n. NOTES
n.1 See Vienna Buddhist Translation Studies Group, trans., The Questions of
Rāṣṭrapāla (1) (https://read.84000.co/translation/toh62.html), Toh 62 (84000:
Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2021).

n.2 Note that the Mongolian version was translated from the Tibetan.

n.3 Shūki 1950, p. 137, no. 220.

n.4 Phangthangma 2003, p. 17, line 13.

n.5 See the University of Vienna’s Resources for Kanjur and Tanjur Studies
(http://www.rkts.org/cat.php?id=166&typ=1) for more.

n.6 Bhikkhu Ñāṇamoli and Bhikkhu Bodhi 2015, pp. 677–691.

n.7 Vienna Buddhist Studies Translation Group, trans., The Questions of Rāṣṭrapāla
(https://read.84000.co/translation/toh62.html) (84000: Translating the Words of
the Buddha, 2021).

n.8 For more on this theme, see Nattier 1991.

n.9 Boucher 2008; Ray 1994, especially pp. 275–80.

n.10 The Degé and Stok readings are both difficult to make sense of here. Degé:
des kha zas yog drod kyis bza’ bar yang mi bya ste; Stok: des kha zas yog drid kyis bza’
bar yang mi bya ste. The Phukdrak reading offers some clarity: des kha zas yog
tsam gyi bza’ bar yang mi bya ste. Here, yog suggests something like “to twist
together.” Thanks to Rory Lindsay for pointing out this reading.

n.11 Degé: chags pa med pa; Stok: chags pa ched pa (sic; chad pa?). As it stands, the Stok
reading suggests something like “spreading over,” which does not make
sense given the context. Reading ched pa as chad pa, however, provides a
 sense of “cutting off” or “elimination,” which harmonizes well with the med
pa attested in the Degé.

n.12 Degé: zhi ba’i gnas mal; Stok: zhi ba’i gnas la. According to the Comparative
Edition, the Yongle, Lithang, Kangxi, Narthang, and Choné read zhi ba’i gnas
lam. Though there are differences here, the sense is clear.

n.13 Degé: rig pa dang mi ldan pa’i dge slong; Stok: rigs pa dang mi ldan pa’i dge slong.
The Stok reading suggests something like “unsuitable,” “improper,” or
“unreasonable,” any of which would work just as well as “ignorant.”

n.14 Degé: shin tu yang dag par bsdam pa can du bya’o; Stok: shin tu yang dag par bsnyen
pa can du bya’o. The Stok reading suggests that “service” is at issue here
rather than “restraint.”

n.15 Degé: de la ’bab de la bab de la bden par ’dzin de’i spyod lam byed; Stok: de la gzhol/
de la ’bab/ de la bab de dben par ’dzin/ der spyod lam byed. Admittedly, the
translation of the final clause is loose. We think, however, that such a
rendering captures the meaning well.

n.16 Degé: dge slong; Stok: dge sbyong. The Stok reading provides “ascetics” rather
than “monks.”

n.17 Degé: de dag bud med ston mi byed; Stok: de dag bud med sten mi byed. The Stok
reading suggests that “being near” or “relying on” women is the problem
(rather than “teaching” women).

n.18 Degé: stong pa nyid la mos byed pa; Stok: stong pa nyid la chos byed pa. The Degé
reading suggests “believing in emptiness,” while the Stok reading suggests
“enacting” or “practicing” in emptiness, perhaps construing dharmas as
empty. With the language of “affirm” in the translation, we hope to strike
something of a balance between the two.

n.19 Degé: ’da’ zhing ’jig par mi byed de; Stok: ’da’ zhing ’jigs par mi byed de. Rather
than “not destroying,” the Stok reading suggests that they do not “fear” the
precepts of the Buddha. Either reading seems appropriate in the context.

n.20 Degé: shin tu brtan par gnas pa yin; Stok: shin tu bstan par gnas pa yin. The Stok
suggests, perhaps, “they abide well in the teachings.”

n.21 Degé: nga rgyal tha ba khro ’gyur gnas; Stok: nga rgyal tha ba khro ’byung gnas.
Rather than “quick to anger,” the Stok suggests “a source of anger,” or
perhaps “a wellspring of anger,” both of which have the same basic sense as
the Degé reading but with different imagery.
b. BIBLIOGRAPHY
yul ’khor skyong gis zhus pa (Rāṣṭrapālaparipṛcchā). Toh 166, Degé Kangyur vol.
59 (mdo sde, ba), folios 171.b–175.a.

yul ’khor skyong gis zhus pa. bka’ ’gyur (dpe bsdur ma) [Comparative Edition of
the Kangyur], krung go’i bod rig pa zhib ’jug ste gnas kyi bka’ bstan dpe
sdur khang (The Tibetan Tripitaka Collation Bureau of the China
Tibetology Research Center). 108 volumes. Beijing: krung go’i bod rig pa
dpe skrun khang (China Tibetology Publishing House), 2006–9, vol. 59, pp.
468–79.

yul ’khor skyong gis zhus pa. F 308, Phukdrak Kangyur vol. 88 (mdo sde, khi),
folios 173.b–178.b.

yul ’khor skyong gis zhus pa. S 187, Stok Kangyur vol. 72 (mdo sde, zha), folios
233.b–239.a.

yul ’khor skyong gis zhus pa (Rāṣṭrapālaparipṛcchā). Toh 62, Degé Kangyur vol. 42
(dkon brtsegs, nga), folios 227.a–257.a. English translation in Vienna
Buddhist Translation Studies Group, trans. 2021.

dkar chag ’phang thang ma/sgra sbyor bam po gnyis pa. Beijing: mi rigs dpe skrun
khang, 2003.

Acri, Andrea. “Between Impetus, Fear and Disgust.” In Emotions in Indian

Thought-Systems, edited by Purushottama Bilimoria and Aleksandra Wenta,
199–227. London: Routledge, 2015.

Boucher, Daniel. Bodhisattvas of the Forest and the Formation of the Mahāyāna: A
Study and Translation of the “Rāṣṭrapālaparipṛcchā-Sūtra.” Honolulu: University
of Hawai‘i Press, 2008.

Ensink, Jacob, ed. and trans. The Question of Rāṣṭrapāla. Zwolle: J. J. Tijl, 1952.

Nattier, Jan. Once Upon a Future Time: Studies in a Buddhist Prophecy of Decline.
Berkeley: Asian Humanities Press, 1991.
Bhikkhu Ñāṇamoli, and Bhikkhu Bodhi, trans. “Raṭṭhapālasutta: On Raṭṭhapāla”
[Majjhima Nikāya 82]. In The Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha: A
Translation of the Majjhima Nikāya, 677–91. 4th ed. Somerville, MA: Wisdom
Publications, 2015.

Ray, Reginald. Buddhist Saints in India: A Study in Buddhist Values and

Orientations. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1994.

Vienna Buddhist Translation Studies Group, trans. The Questions of Rāṣṭrapāla

(Rāṣṭrapālaparipṛcchā, Toh 62). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha,
2021.

Yoshimura Shūki. The Denkar-ma: An Oldest Catalogue of the Tibetan Buddhist

Canons. Kyoto: Ryukoku University, 1950.
g. GLOSSARY

· Types of attestation for Sanskrit names and terms ·

AS Attested in source text

This term is attested in the Sanskrit manuscript used as a source for this
translation.

AO Attested in other text

This term is attested in other Sanskrit manuscripts of the Kangyur or
Tengyur.

AD Attested in dictionary
This term is attested in Tibetan-Sanskrit dictionaries.

AA Approximate attestation
The attestation of this name is approximate. It is based on other names
where Tibetan-Sanskrit relationship is attested in dictionaries or other
manuscripts.

RP Reconstruction from Tibetan phonetic rendering

This term is a reconstruction based on the Tibetan phonetic rendering of the
term.

RS Reconstruction from Tibetan semantic rendering

This term is a reconstruction based on the semantics of the Tibetan
translation.

SU Source Unspecified
This term has been supplied from an unspecified source, which most often
is a widely trusted dictionary.

g.1 arhathood
dgra bcom pa nyid

ད་བམ་པ་ད།
—
 The fourth of the four levels of attainment of the vehicle of the śrāvakas, it is
the attainment of a nirvāṇa distinct from unexcelled perfect awakening, the
type of nirvāṇa proper to buddhas.

g.2 ascetic
dge sbyong

ད་ང་།
śramaṇa
A mendicant. Here in reference to a particular norm of monasticism as
dedicated to cultivation of moral discipline.

g.3 asura
lha ma yin

་མ་ན།
asura
Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:
A type of nonhuman being whose precise status is subject to different views,
but is included as one of the six classes of beings in the sixfold classification
of realms of rebirth. In the Buddhist context, asuras are powerful beings said
to be dominated by envy, ambition, and hostility. They are also known in the
pre-Buddhist and pre-Vedic mythologies of India and Iran, and feature
prominently in Vedic and post-Vedic Brahmanical mythology, as well as in
the Buddhist tradition. In these traditions, asuras are often described as
being engaged in interminable conflict with the devas (gods).

g.4 attachment
chags pa

ཆགས་པ།
—
Here seemingly in connection with ’dod chags, or desire, one of the three root
poisons.

g.5 aversion
sdang ba

ང་བ།
—
Seemingly here in connection with zhe sdang, or hatred, one of the three root
poisons.
g.6 awakened one
sangs rgyas

སངས་ས།
buddha

g.7 Bandé Yeshé Dé

ban+de ye shes sde

བ་་ས་།
—
Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:
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.

g.8 begging bowl

lhung bzed

ང་བད།
—
The bowls used by monastics to collect alms.

g.9 blessed one

bcom ldan ’das

བམ་ན་འདས།
bhagavat
Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:
In Buddhist literature, 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”).

g.10 commercial activity

nyo tshong

་ང་།
—
Buying and selling, trade, commerce.

g.11 complete nirvāṇa

yongs su mya ngan las ’da’ ba · yongs su mya ngan las ’das pa

ངས་་་ངན་ལས་འདའ་བ། · ངས་་་ངན་ལས་འདས་པ།
parinirvāṇa
The ultimate soteriological goal of the Buddhist tradition. The transcendence
of suffering.

g.12 concentration
ting nge ’dzin

ང་་འན།
samādhi
Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:
In a general sense, samādhi can describe a number of different meditative
states. In the Mahāyāna literature, in particular in the Prajñāpāramitā sūtras,
we find extensive lists of different samādhis, numbering over one hundred.

In a more restricted sense, and when understood as a mental state, samādhi is

defined as the one-pointedness of the mind (cittaikāgratā), the ability to
remain on the same object over long periods of time. The sgra sbyor bam po
gnyis pa commentary on the Mahāvyutpatti explains the term samādhi as
referring to the instrument through which mind and mental states “get
collected,” i.e., it is by the force of samādhi that the continuum of mind and
mental states becomes collected on a single point of reference without
getting distracted.

g.13 condition of laxity

lhod pa’i gnas
 ད་པ་གནས།
—

g.14 condition of the monk

dge slong gi gnas

ད་ང་་གནས།
—

g.15 confidence
dad pa

དད་པ།
śraddhā

g.16 confusion
rmongs pa

ངས་པ།
—
Seemingly here in connection with gti mug, or delusion, one of the three root
poisons.

g.17 decline of the teaching

bstan pa ’di nub pa

བན་པ་འ་བ་པ།
—
Many sūtras express concern over the decline of the Dharma, among them
the sūtra translated here. For a sustained study of this theme, see Jan
Nattier’s (1991) Once Upon a Future Time.

g.18 decline of the Thus-Gone One’s teaching

de bzhin gshegs pa’i bstan pa ’di nub

་བན་གགས་པ་བན་པ་འ་བ།
—
See “decline of the teaching.”

g.19 dharma
chos

ས།
 dharma
This word has several senses. It can refer to the Buddhist teaching as a
whole, as in the truth about reality. It can also refer to the ontological simples
posited by the Abhidharma. In other cases, it can simply mean something
like “quality.”

g.20 dissatisfaction
skyo ba

་བ།
—
Likely a translation of udvega or a related word, skyo ba here refers to a kind of
valorized world-weariness that stands somewhere between fear and disgust.
For a study of this, though without reference to Tibetan, see Andrea Acri’s
(2015) “Between Impetus, Fear and Disgust.”

g.21 emptiness
stong pa nyid

ང་པ་ད།
śūnyatā
Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:
Emptiness denotes the ultimate nature of reality, the total absence of
inherent existence and self-identity with respect to all phenomena.
According to this view, all things and events are devoid of any independent,
intrinsic reality that constitutes their essence. Nothing can be said to exist
independent of the complex network of factors that gives rise to its
origination, nor are phenomena independent of the cognitive processes and
mental constructs that make up the conventional framework within which
their identity and existence are posited. When all levels of conceptualization
dissolve and when all forms of dichotomizing tendencies are quelled
through deliberate meditative deconstruction of conceptual elaborations, the
ultimate nature of reality will finally become manifest. It is the first of the
three gateways to liberation.

In this text:
In this sūtra, monks on the vehicle of the śrāvakas and the Great Vehicle
both are to apprehend dharmas as empty. The Abhidharma position that
dharmas exist as ontological simples appears by and large to be rejected
here.

g.22 empty
stong pa
 ང་པ།
śūnya
See “emptiness.”

g.23 gandharva
dri za

་ཟ།
gandharva
Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:
A class of generally benevolent nonhuman beings who inhabit the skies,
sometimes said to inhabit fantastic cities in the clouds, and more specifically
to dwell on the eastern slopes of Mount Meru, where they are under the
jurisdiction of the Great King Dhṛtarāṣṭra. They are most renowned as
celestial musicians who serve the gods. In the Abhidharma, the term is also
used to refer to the mental body assumed by any sentient being in the realm
of desire (kāmadhātu) during the intermediate state between death and
rebirth. Gandharvas are said to live on fragrances in the desire realm, hence
the Tibetan translation dri za, meaning “scent eater.”

g.24 god
lha

།
deva
Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:
Cognate with the English term divine, the devas are most generally a class of
celestial beings who frequently appear in Buddhist texts, often at the head of
the assemblies of nonhuman beings who attend and celebrate the teachings
of Śākyamuni and other buddhas and bodhisattvas. In Buddhist cosmology
the devas occupy the highest of the five or six “destinies” (gati) of saṃsāra
among which beings take rebirth. The devas reside in the devalokas,
“heavens” that traditionally number between twenty-six and twenty-eight
and are divided between the desire realm (kāmadhātu), material realm
(rūpadhātu), and immaterial realm (ārūpyadhātu). A being attains rebirth
among the devas either through meritorious deeds (in the desire realm) or
the attainment of subtle meditative states (in the material and immaterial
realms). While rebirth among the devas is considered favorable, it is
ultimately a transitory state from which beings will fall when the conditions
that lead to rebirth there are exhausted. Thus, rebirth in the god realms is
regarded as a diversion from the spiritual path.
g.25 Great Vehicle
theg pa chen po

ག་པ་ན་།
mahāyāna
The means by which aspirants to nirvāṇa attain the state of buddhahood and
thus seek to liberate others. Though the Great Vehicle and the vehicle of the
śrāvakas have distinct ends, in this sūtra the distinction between the means
to the two ends is less than clear. Both paths involve the analysis and
apprehension of dharmas as empty.

g.26 hearer
nyan thos

ཉན་ས།
śrāvaka
Typically, this word refers to followers of those teachings of the Buddha
that focus on the monastic lifestyle and liberating oneself from suffering, in
contrast to followers of the Bodhisattva Vehicle, who seek buddhahood for
the sake of all beings. While this distinction appears to be maintained in this
sūtra, the śrāvakas are here said to both cultivate moral discipline and
apprehend phenomena and dharmas as empty.

g.27 idle chatter

bre mo’gtam · bre mo gtam

་འགཏམ། · ་་གཏམ།
—

g.28 imposter monk

dge slong ltar bcos pa

ད་ང་ར་བས་པ།
—
A fully ordained male practitioner who is more concerned with worldly
things than with cultivating moral discipline.

g.29 inner absorption

nang du yang dag ’jog

ནང་་ཡང་དག་འག
—
 This term can mean both physical seclusion and a meditative state of
withdrawal.

g.30 isolated
dben pa

དན་པ།
—
See “solitude.”

g.31 Jinamitra
dzi na mi tra

་ན་་།
jinamitra
An Indian paṇḍita resident in Tibet during the late eighth and early ninth
centuries.

g.32 lord
bcom ldan ’das

བམ་ན་འདས།
bhagavat
See “blessed one.”

g.33 Māra
bdud

བད།
māra
The principal deity in Paranirmitavaśavartin, the highest heaven in the
desire realm. He is best known for his role in trying to prevent the Buddha’s
awakening. Māra is also used as a generic name for the deities in his abode
and is an impersonal term for the destructive forces that keep beings
imprisoned in saṃsāra.

g.34 monk
dge slong

ད་ང་།
bhikṣu
A fully ordained male practitioner.
g.35 moral discipline
tshul khrims

ལ་མས།
śīla
Morally virtuous or disciplined conduct and the abandonment of morally
undisciplined conduct of body, speech, and mind. The term is often used in
reference to following precepts or rules according to one’s ordination or
vows.

g.36 nonexistent
med pa

ད་པ།
—
In this sūtra, this term refers to the lack of a particular mode of existence.
Insofar as all dharmas are empty, they lack inherent or independent
existence. It is in this sense that such things as the eye are said to be
nonexistent in this sūtra.

g.37 nun
dge slong ma

ད་ང་མ།
bhikṣuṇī
A fully ordained female practitioner.

g.38 patient
bzod pa

བད་པ།
kṣānti
Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:
A term meaning acceptance, forbearance, or patience. As the third of the six
perfections, patience is classified into three kinds: the capacity to tolerate
abuse from sentient beings, to tolerate the hardships of the path to
buddhahood, and to tolerate the profound nature of reality. As a term
referring to a bodhisattva’s realization, dharmakṣānti (chos la bzod pa) can refer
to the ways one becomes “receptive” to the nature of Dharma, and it can be
an abbreviation of anutpattikadharmakṣānti, “forbearance to the unborn nature,
or nonproduction, of dharmas.”
g.39 people
sems can · gang zag

མས་ཅན། · གང་ཟག
sattva · pudgala
This term refers to anything with sentience. In this text, the concern is with
human persons and, more specifically, male monastics.

g.40 prātimokṣa
so sor thar pa

་ར་ཐར་པ།
prātimokṣa
The regulations and rules that constitute Buddhist discipline. The number
and scope of the vows differs depending on one’s status (whether lay,
novice monastic, or full monastic) and whether one is a monk or a nun.

g.41 precept
bslab pa · bslabs pa · bslab pa’i gzhi

བབ་པ། · བབས་པ། · བབ་པ་ག།

śikṣā · śikṣāpada

g.42 profound dharmas

chos zab mo

ས་ཟབ་།
gambhīradharma
The dharmas conceived as empty, insubstantial, and the like. Possibly also a
reference to the Dharma teachings in which dharmas are understood in this
way. In this sūtra, analysis of the dharmas as empty is said to give rise to the
goals of the vehicle of the śrāvakas.

g.43 Rājagṛha
rgyal po’i khab

ལ་ ་ཁབ།
rājagṛha
Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:
The ancient capital of Magadha prior to its relocation to Pāṭaliputra during
the Mauryan dynasty, Rājagṛha is one of the most important locations in
Buddhist history. The literature tells us that the Buddha and his saṅgha
spent a considerable amount of time in residence in and around Rājagṛha—
 in nearby places, such as the Vulture Peak Mountain (Gṛdhrakūṭaparvata), a
major site of the Mahāyāna sūtras, and the Bamboo Grove (Veṇuvana)—
enjoying the patronage of King Bimbisāra and then of his son King
Ajātaśatru. Rājagṛha is also remembered as the location where the first
Buddhist monastic council was held after the Buddha Śākyamuni passed
into parinirvāṇa. Now known as Rajgir and located in the modern Indian
state of Bihar.

g.44 Rāṣṭrapāla
yul ’khor skyong

ལ་འར་ང་།
rāṣṭrapāla
A disciple of the Buddha.

g.45 resolute
mos pa

ས་པ།
—

g.46 result of stream-entry

rgyun du zhugs pa’i ’bras bu

ན་་གས་པ་འས་།
srotaāpattiphala
The first of the four levels of attainment of the vehicle of the śrāvakas, it is
considered to be when one enters “the stream” of the noble ones that flows
inexorably toward awakening.

g.47 result of the non-returner

phyir mi ’ong ba’i ’bras bu

ར་་ང་བ་འས་།
anāgāmiphala
The third of the four levels of attainment of the vehicle of the śrāvakas, it is
when one will no longer be reborn in the desire realm.

g.48 result of the once-returner

lan cig phyir ’ong ba’i ’bras bu

ལན་ག་ར་ང་བ་འས་།
sakṛdāgāmiphala
 The second of the four levels of attainment of the vehicle of the śrāvakas, it is
when one will only be reborn in saṃsāra once more.

g.49 robe
chos gos

ས་ས།
cīvara
The religious robes of monastics.

g.50 saṅgha
dge slong gi dge ’dun

ད་ང་་ད་འན།
saṅgha
Here refers to the community of monks.

g.51 sentient being

sems can

མས་ཅན།
sattva

g.52 solitude
dben pa

དན་པ།
—
This term seems here to refer to physical isolation, but it can have a mental
sense as well.

g.53 support
rten

ན།
—
Here seems to be a synonym for skye mched (Skt. āyatana), the bases required
for consciousness to arise.

g.54 the view of personal identity

gang zag tu lta ba

གང་ཟག་་་བ།
 pudgaladṛṣṭi
The view that there is a discrete and enduring identity or individuality to
sentient beings.

g.55 thus-gone one

de bzhin gshegs pa

་བན་གགས་པ།
tathāgata
Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:
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 also often used as a specific epithet of the Buddha
Śākyamuni.

g.56 unexcelled perfect awakening

bla na med pa yang dag par rdzogs pa’i byang chub

་ན་ད་པ་ཡང་དག་པར་གས་པ་ང་བ།
anuttarasamyaksambodhi
The awakening of the buddhas, contrasted here with the nirvāṇa attained
via the vehicle of the śrāvakas.

g.57 vehicle of the śrāvakas

nyan thos kyi theg pa

ཉན་ས་་ག་པ།
śrāvakayāna
The means by which aspirants to nirvāṇa attain the state of a hearer by
seeking self-liberation.

g.58 Vulture Peak

bya rgod phung po’i ri

་ད་ང་ ་།
 gṛdhrakūṭa
A peak outside Rājagṛha where the Buddha is said to have delivered many
teachings.

g.59 wisdom
shes rab

ས་རབ།
prajñā

g.60 worldly talk

’jig rten gyi gtam

འག་ན་ི་གཏམ།
—