Vows of Samantabhadra

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Glossary Terms

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1.      A Bodhisattva is a "Buddha-to-be" whose rank is immediately below that of a Buddha.  But it is not necessarily inferior to the state of Buddha-hood in perfection, as a Bodhisattva may also be a Buddha, who has renounced Buddha-hood in order to remain in touch with the beings of various worlds, in order to sustain and support them with his spiritual power, and so help forward their attainment of Nirvana.

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2.     Samantabhadra is a great Bodhisattva; one of the two principal Bodhisattvas, the other being Manjusri, they are the subordinates of the Tathagata (or Dhyani Buddha) Vairocana, and are known as the Triple Saints of the Avatamsaka Sutra.  Samanta means general or universal; bhadra means sage; and Samantabhadra, which is derived from these words, means the principle of universal love or compassion.  He is also known as the Bodhisattva of Great Activity.

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3.     Mahavaipulya Buddha Avatamsaka Sutra is the greatest Buddhist scripture.  In Chinese it means: The Buddha's great and wide teaching, leading to the attainment of Buddha-hood by noble action, as a collection of many flowers brought to fruition.  Its abridged named being "The Flower-embellished Sutra."  Sutra means scripture.

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4.     Samana is a devotee who has joined the Buddhist Order (Sangha).

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5.     Sanskrit is one of the classical Indian languages.  The earliest Buddhist books were written in Prakrit; later put into Pali; and still later written into Sanskrit.  The Chinese, Japanese, and Tibetan Buddhist scriptures are most translated from the latter language.

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6.     Dharma means "Law" in its widest sense.  Its profound cosmic significance is too esoteric to be explained here.  The various forms of Buddhist meditation are designed to awake the intuition of Bodhi and so to attain realization of the nature of Dharma.  If it operates itself, then it refers to the fundamental laws of evolution in which all beings are involved, and under its operation every man building his own character, good or bad, and creating his own environment and destiny in the future.

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7.     Mahayana is the school of the Great Vehicle of Salvation, whose object it is to deliver not only oneself, but also all beings, from the wheel of Birth and Death, and raise them to Buddha-hood.

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8.     Kumara Sudhana i.e. "The Celestial Youth of the Treasure of Merit," who, having consecrated his life to the attainment of Buddha-hood, visited fifty-three Saints, and finally met the Bodhisattva Samantabhadra who advised him to be born in the Sukhavati the Most Happy World of the Buddha Amitabha (The Land of the Ultimate Bliss), by means of practising the Ten Great Vows.  The account is given in the Avatamsaka Sutra.

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9.     Samadhi means concentrated equanimity, or an undisturbed state of mind; or meditative contemplation, which leading enter into the state of intuitive wisdom.  It contains a deeper and wider sense than the explanation is given here.

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10.     Buddhism is a body of teachings, consisted of the elements of ethics, science, metaphysics, and the law of universe etc; taught by Sakyamuni the Buddha (560-480 B.C.), being the highest religion of the world, and the universal salvation of all sentient beings.

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11.      The Pure Land School was founded as the Lotus Sect in China by the great monk Whei-Yuan (400 C.E.), who taught that faith in the Buddha Amitabha and prayer to Him will ensure re-birth in His Western Paradise (Sukhavati) or the World of Supreme Happiness.  This doctrine is of course, based upon Buddhist scripture-teaching.  The Buddha Sakyamuni laid special stress upon this method of Salvation in many of the sutras spoken by Him.

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12.     Bodhisattva:  See foregoing passage #1.

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13.     Mahasattva means "A Great Being", or "One of Noble Character."

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14.     Samantabhadra:  See supra #2.

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15.     Tathagata is an appellation of Buddhas, and means "One who has attained full realization of "Such-ness", i.e. become one with the absolute "Body of Law" (Dharma-Kaya) so that he neither "comes from anywhere" (na-agamana) nor "goes to anywhere" (na-gaman).  He is the "Norm which has thus appeared'.

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16.     Kumara Sudhana:  See supra #8.

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17.     Buddha, the highest degree of saintship of an enlightened being.  Any person who has attained the transcendental wisdom, and has broken the bondage of birth and death, is ready to enter the Nirvana.  There have been innumerable Buddhas in the past, and there will be others become Buddhas in the future. 

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18.     The ten quarters are: north, south, east, west, north-east, south-east, north-west, south-west, the nadir, and the zenith.

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19.     Aeon i.e. Kalpa, is an age or great period not to be reckoned by usual calendar, during which the evolution in four divisions of a physical universe haven taken place.  The divisions are: 
          (1)  The antara-kalpa, in which the universe is formed
          (2)  The vivarttasiddha-kalpa, in which the universe possess continued stability
          (3)  The samvartta-kalpa, in which the universe is gradually destroyed
          (4)  The sunya-kalpa, in which the universe disappears.
Then the process of cosmic activity begins again in a cyclic evolution.  The kalpas are divided into three measures:
          (1)  A great kalpa of 1,344,000,000 years
          (2)  A medium kalpa of 336,000,000 years
          (3)   A small kalpa of 16,800,000 years
Calculated by the solar system. 

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20.     Dust-motes (Param-anuh) do not mean fine dry particles of earth, but are the "atoms" or ultimate units of the rarified matter of the super-physical planes of beings.  They are waves of vibration of inconceivable rapidity, and are used to symbolize numbers or quantities of inconceivable magnitude.

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21.     Paramitas are the six stages of study and practice followed by the Bodhisattvas in their progress to Buddha-hood.  They are Charity or alms-giving; Observance of precepts; Patient resignation; skillful means of study; Meditation in the highest possible equanimity and from the latter, wisdom follows.  There are also Ten Paramitas, see the text of this version.  The term "Paramita", Chinese version refers it as the Gate or Path through which the saints enter and cross to the "Other Shore" of Buddha-land.

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22.     Hindrances refer to the evil deeds committed in the past (in present life and in previous lives); such are now obstacles in the path to enlightenment, and have to be overcome by severe penitence and strong meritorious deeds.

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23.     To "approve of and rejoice in the merits of others", instead of being jealous of them.

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24.     To "Set in motion the wheel of Dharma" means proclaiming the doctrine of the Buddhas to the world.

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25.     To "beseech the Buddhas to remain in the world", instead of entering into Nirvana.

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26.     To "turn over one's merits to all beings", is to refuse the rewards of merit one has earned for oneself and to hand them over for the credit of others.  This is a practical realization of the doctrine of Mahayana of "Non-ego" (Anatta).

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27.     The "Three Ages" (Tryadhva) are great periods comprising the past, present, and future, which we arbitrarily divided.

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28.     Bodily Deeds are the bodily actions; they may be either noble or evil deeds.  The evil bodily deeds are such as the taking of life (this includes the killing of any being, human or animal); theft (all forms of acquiring for oneself that which belongs to another); and sensuality (all forms of sex-indulgence).

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29.     Oral Deeds are the results of speech, the evil oral deeds being lying, slandering (in the Chinese version it is called "The double crossing tongue" which means speak ill of one friend to another, thus causing ill-feeling and dissension between them), abusive language (harsh and unkind), and obscene and frivolous language.

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30.     Mental Deeds refer to either noble or evil thoughts.  The evil thoughts are covetousness, malice (anger and ill-will), and infatuation or foolishness. 

 

These (#28, #29, #30) are known as "Three-Deeds", the results from action, or speech, or thought.  The effects whether meritorious or sinful, depend on the motives, whether noble or evil.  All karmas are controlled by the Threefold Deed.  The details of the three deeds which constitute the "Tenfold Karma" are three deeds of the body, four deeds of the mouth, and three deeds of the mind, as above stated.  If one has committed these deeds which are all of an evil nature, then he is bound by a system known as the "Tenfold Vice" (Dasakusala).  The "Ten Meritorious Deeds" (Dasabhadra) are the positive virtues reversing to the aforesaid ten vices, for instance, one frees oneself from the Tenfold Wickedness, he is regarded as having performed the ten meritorious deeds.

 
"Deeds" means something that is done; even though the actual "doing" or committing sin" may have taken place in the past, yet, its karma thereof will continue to exist, and will out its retributive effect sooner or later.  So one is liable to reap what he sows unless the cause is removed by a further strong action which reverses his previous deed, a great merit attained by some noble action, would be the atonement for some previous evil deed, or a great sin committed, would deprive him of the merit acquired by his past noble deed.

The ten meritorious deeds will be the reward to any performer, either in his present life or in one of his future lives, the choice of being born in the heavenly or human worlds.  Should he devote such good deeds to Bodhi, they will be credited to his future Buddha-hood.

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31.     Karma is the law of cause and effect; it mostly applies to the acts of individuals, but it may be applied to the unity--result the actions of many people together, such as groups of persons, families, nations, etc.  So there is group karma, family karma, and national karma.  The result of karma, whether favorable or unfavorable, depends on past deeds, whether good or evil.  It is not limited to the actions of the present life, but may extend back into the infinite past and forward into the infinite future.  It is karma that forms the connecting link between one's consecutive lives.  And it is also most implicative, thereby making one's life of a mixture of misery and happiness.  Buddhas teach us how to break the fetters of karma and escape from rebirth.

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32.     Klesa, means sorrows, vexation, suffering, anger, ill-will, infatuation, greed, and includes all forms of passion.

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33.     Thought succeeds thought without interruption.  The minds of ordinary beings are weak and vacillating; a thought cannot be sustained without interruption: but the mind of a devotee can be firmly fixed, and in the case of a Bodhisattva such as Samantabhadra, there is no cessation or vacillation.

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34.     Thing large in size or number which can be contained in an atom without impediment, are made possible under the law of spiritual freedom (Isvara) beyond the limitations of "Space"; and those which enter into the Three Ages (the past, the present and the future) by a twinkling thought are beyond the limitations of "Time".  A singular number transformed into a plural, or a plural embodied in a singular, are ideas common to Buddhism, and especially are they found in the Avatamsaka Sutra.  They express paradoxes too profound in meaning to enable an intellectual explanation to be given.  Hundreds of volumes of explanatory commentaries on the Avatamsaka Sutra have been written in the efforts made to elucidate its profound doctrines.

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35.     Sarasvati is the (Hindu) Goddess of Eloquence who possess many tongues, each tongue having many voices.

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36.     Yuga is a period of time.  The three yugas are the present, the past, and the future.  A yuga is one thousandth part of a Kalpa.

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37.     Clouds mean that the quantity of gifts are as great as that of the clouds; or the term may have a symbolic meaning.  The Chinese term refers to actual clouds.

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38.     Sumeru is the heavenly mountain, its height being 168,000 yodjanas; some say that it is the axis of the universe and forming the solar system; numerous commentaries have given to it, which here be omitted.

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39.     Bodhi-heart is the inner perception of absolute wisdom and all-embracing love that pours forth as compassion for all living beings.  It is the seed of Truth in the spiritual heart of mankind, the fruition of which is Buddha-hood.

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40.     Koti, nayuta, kala, etc. are terms indicating an infinity of multiplications.

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41.     Evil deed: see #22.

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42.    Three Deeds: see #28, #29, #30

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43.     Bodhi: See #39

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44.     Parinirvana, the final emancipation from the limits of existence, in which all attributes of phenomenal existence cease; the extreme stillness, and the supreme state of peace.

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45.     Sariras are the relics to be found in the bones of a Buddha or a Bodhisattva, after cremation.  They are in the shape of pearls, extremely hard and of brilliant colors.  The term sarira also has its wider sense.  The expression is here used with the symbolic meaning that such beings will use every particle of themselves in the service of others, even to the dust of their relics.

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46.     The Six divisions or the Six states of existence are: existence in the Heaven worlds (Deva-lokas); the Human state of existence; the state of Asuras (semi-bless beings, powerful, but of fierce and quarrelsome nature, who are thought of as half good, half evil, but who are nevertheless, included among the Three good states of existence); the Three bad states are those of the Animals; the Ghost-order; and the state of those in the various Hells or the purgatorial regions.  These six divisions are not dominated by a tyrant who created all beings, from mankind to bed-bugs, house-flies etc., such a theory certainly is false.  The various beings fall into such divisions themselves, by their own karmas which are either of noble aspirations or downward deeds.

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47.     The Four kinds of Birth are: born from the womb, from the egg, from the heat and moisture, and by metamorphosis.

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48.     Sravakas are the "Hearers", a grade of disciples in the Hinayana School, who attain liberation through a pious life, but who lack the intellectual power of the Pratyeka-Buddhas, and the active compassion of the Bodhisattvas.

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49.     Pratyeka-Buddha is one who attains enlightenment along the lines of intellect.  He attains the goal by self-discipline, but lacks the loving self-sacrifice of the Bodhisattvas, and is in consequence less esteemed by mankind.

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50.     The Thoroughly learned ones or Perfected in discipline (Saiksa).  There are four grades of attainment in Hinayana School (the small vehicle) namely the Srotapana which means "He who has reversed the current of birth and death".  The Sakridagamin, he who has but one birth before the attainment of nirvana.  The Anagamin, he who will never return to this stage of existence.  The Arhat, he who is free from all attachment to existence, and can attain Nirvana whenever he chooses to pass away from life.  With the exception of the Arhat, all these need to learn more in discipline.

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51.     "To set in motion the wheel of Dharma": see #24.  The Buddhas not only preach the good law which releases all beings from the wheel of Birth and Death (Samsara), but being channels or reservoirs of spiritual power, help mankind to overcome the power that binds one to Samsara.  They are thus Saviours or mankind as well as Teachers. 

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52.     Nirvana is the abridged form of Parinirvana.

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53.     Tathagata Vairocana, the name Vairocana means "The Great sun which illuminates everywhere," i.e. the Spiritual Sun of Righteousness which removes the darkness of ignorance, and illuminates the heart of man with spiritual grace.  Here it is used to indicate the Buddha Gautaman Sakyamuni, who was the vehicle for the power of Vairocana.

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54.     The Saha-world means the world of "Tolerance of Affliction," or the "Endurable World."  This explanation is popular in China, but some say "Saha" refers to spiritual power.  Since writing the above I find that Eitel, in his "Hand-book of Chinese Buddhism" supports the former explanation.  He gives the meaning as "The World of Suffering", or the capital of a chiliocosm.  The inhabited portion of every universe (the "island universes" of modern science), including all persons subject to transmigration and needing a Buddha's instruction, and divided into 3 worlds (Trailokya) ruled by Sahampati.

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55.     The "Tree" is the sacred Bodhi Tree (Bodhi-druma), under which the Buddha Sakyamuni attained Enlightenment and became the Buddha.

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56.     Abhidjnas (or Abhijna) are the supernatural powers attained by the heavenly beings.  They are:  (1) Riddhi-sakchatkriya (the heavenly step) with a transmutable body which can travel throughout all space without impediment;  (2) Divyachakchus (the heavenly eye) giving sight without limitation of time and space;  (3) The Divyassrotra (heavenly ear), that can hear all sounds, and understand all languages and voices;  (4) The Paratchittajna (intuitive mind), knowing and understanding the thoughts of all beings;  (5) The Purvanivasanu-smritijnana (knowledge of previous existences of oneself and all other beings);  (6) The Asravakchaya (the knowledge of the stream of life and the exhaustion of worldly passions).  The ordinary heavenly beings possess these powers with the exception of the sixth (The Asravakchaya) which is attainable only by the saints of the Three Vehicles.  Buddhas and Bodhisattvas certainly possess supernatural powers not limited by these six; even the inhabitants of the Paradise Sukhavati possess more powers than the heavenly beings. (See the Larger Sukhavati-Vyuha).

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57.     All Buddhas have the "Threefold Embodiment":  (1) The Dharmakaya (the Body of Law), which is the essential body omnipresents in all the universes;  (2) the Sambhokaya (the Body of Retribution), achieved through merits cultivated during countless kalpas, and having its fixed abiding place, such places as the Western Paradise, etc.;  (3) the Nirmankaya (the Body of Manifestation or relevation), which is often transformed into countless myriads of figures and types, in order to deliver the various beings according to their affinities (Nidhana).  All personalities and qualities of a Buddha or Bodhisattva, such as a golden body, encircling light, and miraculous powers, are called the "Bodily Retribution" (or Principal Retribution).  These are not limited to those exalted beings, but belong also to all sentient beings who have both their bodily and abiding retributions.  For instance, a powerful brain and intellect are the bodily retributions of mankind; buildings and furnitures etc. are man's abiding retributions.  Roosts, sties and the like, are the abiding retributions of animals; horns, paws, tusks and claws are the animals' bodily retributions.

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58.     Tchakra-varti-radjas or "The Holy Kings who Turn the Wheel". There are four grades of them, and they are the rulers of some worlds, but are not Buddhas and are perhaps even inferior to great Bodhisattvas.

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59.     The "Petti-Kings" are also known as "The Kings of Scattered Corn".  They are inferior to the "Wheel Turning Kings". See #58.

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60.     Kshatrya.  At the time of the Buddha Sakyamuni, the people of India were divided into four Castes, the highest being the Brahmins or priests; the next the Kshatrya or warrior-statesmen; the third was that of the Vaisya or merchant class; and the lowest the Sudra or common people.  The last-named were mostly of non-Aryan descent.

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61.     Brahmin: See #60.

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62.     The Devas are the heavenly beings, Gods or Angels.

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63.     The Nagas, a word meaning dragons, is applied to a certain class of deities of great wisdom.

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64.     Eight Groups.  These are supposed to be spiritual and powerful beings. 
          (1) The Devas or the heavenly beings, whose bodies radiate light, and who dwell in the Heavens as follows:  The Six Kama-heavens (Heavens of desire) the spheres where Lust still exists; next come the Four Rupadhatu-heavens (Heavens of ethereal form) which are superior to the six Kama-heavens, because the Rupadhatu-heavens are without sexual and dietetic desires but every material convenience is of the great beauty and utmost excellence, and the dwellers enjoying states of mental ecstasy.  Next come to the Arupadhatu-heavens (Formless heavens), the worlds of pure abstract thought, and everything is without material form, the dwellers having no body, but only feelings.  The Devas of all these Heavens are certainly blessed ones; yet, they may backslide into the evil orders when their merits are exhausted, unless they reach the ultimate goal of Buddha-hood. 
          (2) The Nagas: see #63. 
          (3) The Yakas or flying deities. 
          (4) The Gandhavas who live on perfumes only, and are the musicians of the Indra, the chief God. 
          (5) The Asuras: see #46. 
          (6) The Ganrudas or golden winged birds, the length between their wings is more than three million miles.  They are fed on dragons. 
          (7) The Kinaras, a horn-headed species in semi-human form.  They are the singers of the Indra. 
​          (8) The Maharajas, a type of Nagadeity with large abdomens. 
​All these Eight Groups are invisible to mankind.

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65.     Elements refer to the "Four Great Elements", they are: earth, water, fire (that is heat), and wind (air).  These are the fundamental ingredients of the universe.

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66.     Arhat: see #50.

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67.     The King of Mighty Trees.  The Bodhi-tree is the greatest of trees.  The term "King" is applied in Buddhist writings to the great of its kind in every sphere of life.

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68.     The Bodhi-tree: see #55.  This is a parable of the novices of Mahayana School.

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69.     Anuttara-Samyak-Sambodhi is transcendental knowledge, the highest form of wisdom attainable by the Buddhas.

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70.     The King of Vows refers to the Vows of Samantabhadra.  For the meaning of "King", see #67.

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71.     Upanishad: see #40.

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72.     Gatha is a hymn or verse; the versified part of the Buddhist scriptures.

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73.     The Five Deadly Sins (Panchanantaryani) are: patricide, matricide, setting the Buddhist order in discord, killing an Arhat, and causing blood to flow from the body of a Buddha.

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74.     The Yakas are flying evil spirits.

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75.     The Rakasas are nocturnal demons of malignant nature.

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76.     Kubhandas are demons of gluttony, with bodies like big jars (Kumbhi), which incite men to greed and lust.

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77.     The Pisacas are mad ghosts.

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78.     The bhutas are ghosts of self-creative birth, or created from metamorphosis.

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79.     The 32 attributes or signs of a Great One are too detailed to enumerate here.  They can be found in the Buddhist Dictionary.

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80.     Ksana is a moment of time; the twinkling of an eye; a moment of thought.

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81.     Sukhavati is the Western Paradise (or Pure Land, or the Land of Ultimate Bliss) of the Buddha Amitabha known as the "Most Happy World."  For description see the "The Smaller Sukhavati-Vyuha" and the "Larger Sukhavati-Vyuha" translated by Max Muller; especially in the "Amitayur-Dhyana-Sutra" translated by J. Takakusu, all of these are contained in the "Sacred Books of the East" volume 49, published by Oxford University Press.

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82.     The Buddha Amitabha is the Lord of the Western Paradise or the "Most Happy World" (Sukhavati).  He formerly was Bhikkhu Dharmakara, prior to the time of prehistoric kalpas (of our world), and on a world long since vanished, he made forty-eight Vows for delivering all beings to His prospective Buddha-country which He realized ten kalpas ago and is now known as the "Most Happy World."  Amit means boundless, abha means light or splendour.  He is also called the Buddha Amitayur, which means endless life.  The life of this Buddha, and the lives of the people in that country are eternal; therefore He is named Amitayus.

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83.     Manjusri is one of the two principal Bodhisattvas, who are the subordinates of the Buddha Sakyamuni; the other is Bodhisattva Samantabhadra.  Manjusri represents the principle of Universal Wisdom, as Samantabhadra represents that of Universal Love.

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84.     Avalokitesvara is one of the two principal Bodhisattvas of the Western Paradise or Pure Land (Sukhavati), the other being Mahasthama (the Mightest One).  Avalokitesvara is the figure best known and most pleasing to the people in general of China and Japan.  In some cases, he appeared himself in the vision of a female Bodhisattva, and therefore, he has been misunderstood by the people as a Goddess.  Account is given in the famous 24th chapter of the "Saddharma Pundarika" (Lotus of the True Law) in the volume 21 of the "Sacred Books of the East."

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85.     Maitreya, also named the Bodhisattva Ajita, is the future Buddha of our Saha-World, and is to come when Buddhism has perished in this world, as foretold by the Buddha Sakyamuni in the Maitreya Vyakarana Sutra (or another title of Digha Nikaya).  The existence of Buddhism in this world is divided into three periods, which began with Buddha Sakyamuni as follows: (1) The Law of Origin, taught by Buddha Sakyamuni and His successors, which ended after five hundred years; (2) The Law of Reproduction, taught through images and books only, which lasted one thousand years; (3) The Law of Finality, which will carry forward for ten thousand years, then be declined to the point of zero.  At that time a Renaissance of Buddhism will be caused by the Bodhisattva Maitreya.  At present, we Buddhists are under the period of Final Law.

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86.     Lotus is the symbolic flower of Buddhism; especially in the Pure Land (Sukhavati) where the holy beings are springing into existence by apparitional birth from these flowers, to whom, parentage and sexual differentiation are unknown to them.

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87.     Prediction (Vyakarana) is the term applied to the prophecy of a future Buddha in long ages to come, and will be called by the name of a certain Tathagata (a personal name symbolizing the character of a Buddha).  The prediction of Buddha-hood is a great event for the followers of Buddha, because their achievement is therefore assured.  Vyakarana must not be confused with predestination, for the Law predestinates no one, and Buddha-hood is attainable only by one's own effort; no others can fore-ordinate him.  Even Buddhas cannot predestine anyone.  But Buddhas can foresee certain events and foretell them.  This is one reason why Buddhism is superior to all other religions of the world.

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88.     Bodhi-mandala is somewhat like a conclave of divine beings, who unite to carry out some definite object, such as a meeting held where the Precepts are to be given, (not an ordination).  Here it means the Platform of Bodhi, or the Platform of Dharma, where all the Bodhisattvas sit down when about to become Buddhas.

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89.     Maras are powerful evil spirits, but the word is used generally in its meaning of the evil power which invade the minds of men, and which can be expelled only by mind-control strengthened by the power of Bodhi on which it draws.  Meditation empowers the mind to overcome the forces of mara.

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90.     The Lions among Men, or "Human Lions" the latter sounds strange in English, and may perhaps be better translated as "Lion-Hearted Men" but the text makes no mention of the word "Heart", so I translate it literally.  Human Lions refer to men of great valour, who break the web of birth and death, attaining the eternal freedom, and transcendental wisdom.  Here indicates Buddhas.

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91.     Hinayana School is the primitive form of Buddhism.  The name signifies "Small Vehicle" as contrasted with the Mahayana or "Great Vehicle."  Hinayana is commencing with Sravakas, and leading upwards to Arhatship.  Its dogmas are the "Four Truths" (Catvari-Aryasattyani) which range as follows: (1) Duhkha or "Suffering", which is the concomitant of sentient beings and is unavoidable to any physical body.  (2) Samudaya or "Accumulation" which means that the sufferings are accumulated and intensified by the passions. (3) Nirodha or the "Extinction of Passions". (4) Marga or the "Path" which leads to the extinction of passions. 

Also the twelve Nidanas i.e. the concatenation of the potential developments, which form the endless and cyclic existence of births, by means of the twelve linked affinities.  They are: (1) Avidya or "passions"; (2) Samskara or "deeds"; (3) Vijnana, or "The seeds of discerning knowledge"; (4) Namarupa, or "Name and form"; (5) Sadayatana, or "the Six organs"; (6) Sparsa, or "Contact"; (7) Vedana, or "Feeling"; (8) Trichna, or "Love"; (9) Upadana, or "Seizure"; (10) Bhava, or "Existence"; (11) Jati, or "Preparation for future birth"; and (12) Djaramarani, or "Decrepitude and death".
This is the analysis which is to solve the riddle of life, and the understanding of the emptiness of existence; therefore all beings should seek the path through which to enter into Parinirvana. 

The final goal of Hinayana is the obtaining of the Arhatship, or becoming a Pratyeka-Buddha, who does not expect Buddha-hood as the Bodhisattvas do, so Hinayana is called the Small Vehicle.  The teachings of this school are based on the sutras of the "Agama Class", and the sastras of Kosa and Satyasiddhi etc.

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92.     The "Teachers of Gods and Men", is one of the ten appellations of the Buddhas.  The other nine are: Tathagata, or He who has come to Such-ness; Arhan, or He who is deserving to be adored by Devas and Men; Samsaksambuddha, or He who has the correct and universal knowledge; Vidyacaranasampanah, or He who has a perfect knowledge of all supernormal power; Sagata, or the charioteer who possess all wisdom and completes the eightfold truth thus entering into Nirvana; Lokavit, or He who knows the world; Anuttarah, or He who is the highest One without a superior; Purusadam-yasarathin, or the Great Tamer of Men; and Lokajyesthah, or the world honored One.

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93.     Purvanivasanu.  The supernormal knowledge of all forms of pre-existence of oneself and others, this being one of the "Six supernormal powers".  Stanza No. 17 refers to the fact that the Bodhisattva has the power of remembering his previous lives (in metempsychosis) in all the six divisions, i.e. Devas, Human, Asuras, Animals, Ghosts, and Dwellers in the infernal regions. 

Doubtless many readers will exclaim: "How can an exalted being such as a Bodhisattva fall into such evil orders of existence as that of the animal or the purgatorial regions?"  To this I reply: "Ordinary beings sink into such evil states by the Karma of their evil deeds; but a Bodhisattva enters such states by their own free will.  In order to deliver those unhappy beings, he would to be born as one of their species, and to live in close touch with them thereby.  For example, The Bodhisattva Kshitigarbha (The Bodhisattva of the Treasure-chamber of the Earth) is well known as the "Hell-frequenter". 

​Christian readers will recall that Jesus Christ went down into Hell to "preach to the spirits in prison" (v. I Peter 3.19), and in the Creeds it is stated he "descendit ad inferos" (descended into hell), for the purpose, the Church teaches, that he might "comfort and deliver the souls held captive there".

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94.     Anasravah means a deed without leakage; any meritorious act without selfishness is called a deed without leakage.  For example, he who performs a noble deed with the expectation of worldly reward, he cannot attain the Bodhi by it, but reaps what he sowed, as a siphon transfers liquid from one vessel to another.

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95.     The Sons of Jina (Jinadharah) are the heirs to the doctrine of the Buddhas, viz Bodhisattvas.

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96.     Sarvastivadah is the school which discusses the existence and the reality of all visible phenomena.  It is the reverse of "Nihilism" or "Voidness".  However, it is unlikely to have that meaning of the term used in this verse, because the word used in the Chinese version means "Existence" only.  Some say "existence" means the lives of the various beings.  I am penning it herein for reservation.

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97.     Samadhi is an undisturbed state of mind, or concentrated equanimity.

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98.     Prajna is transcendental wisdom, divine intuition; one of the Six Paramitas (see #21).

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99.     Upaya, means a "device" or "expedient".  The Bodhisattvas use every method their all-embracing love can devise to instruct humanity and remove the sorrows of existence.

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100.     Multi-moksa means emancipation; or Deliverance from bondage.

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101.     To understand this verse one should refer to #20, and understand that, as modern science is now explaining to us, there is a universe in an atom.  Yet the (physical) atom is a manifestation of still more wonderful life: it is a crystallization of super-physical forces, usually termed etheric.  A grain of dust, then, contains innumerable universes, stretching back in their ultimate origin to super-physical worlds, having their origin in ultimate Reality; the Buddha-worlds.​

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102.     A hair-point means an infinitesimally small unit of matter.  A reference to the preceding explanation (#101 will help in the understanding of this.

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103.     A thoughtful consideration of #20, 101, will help readers to understand this paragraph.  All are efforts to express the transcendental nature of the Buddha-worlds and the profundity of the teachings.

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104.     Here the text makes no mention as to who possess these powers, neither does it indicates how one is to acquire them.  With a view to completing the sense of this verse the translator has taken the liberty of adding the words in parenthesis, but does not guarantee that the added words correctly represent the meaning.

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105.     Abhidjna: see #56.

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106.     The Ocean of Birth and Death (Samsara).  The existence of a human being or an animal in any one of the various phenomenal worlds is like a ceaselessly revolving wheel (a circle of continuous metempsychosis) under karmic Law.

For example, when one dies, his spirit may be reborn in the body of a sheep or other animal, owing to his evil deeds, or may be exalted to the angelic life in the heavenly world through his meritorious deeds.  Thus the life never cease, only the form changes.  Even the Devas of the heavens cannot escape from birth and death, unless they attain the Buddha-hood. 

From the enlightened eyes of a Buddha, this continuous existence in nothing but suffering and misery, and it is extremely difficult to escape from it, on account of the concatenation of causes and effects which sentient beings are ever weaving by their actions.  They themselves, make their next, or rather the endless continuation of life.  There is no other creator than themselves (See the "Buddhabhasita Dasabhara Karmamara Sutra).  The fundamental teaching of Buddhism instructs us how to escape for ever from Samsara, the ocean of birth and death.

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107.     The Tathagata of Infinite Splendour, i.e. the Buddha Amitabha.

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108.     Evil Realms: The Three Evil Realms are the animal state; the ghost order; and the hells.

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109.     Tathagata of Infinite Light, i.e. The Buddha Amitabha.

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110.     "He who will be born in human world and has an excellent life" means if he so desires, to be born in the human world he will attain longevity.  In its wider sense it means that if he performed these vows he has well used his life, has taken full advantage of being a human, and has not wasted the value of his human life; for only human beings can obtain the fruition of these vows, animals cannot.

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111.     "The Triple Worlds" (Trilokya) are firstly "Kamadhatu" the worlds of appetities and sensual desires.  These refer to our mundane world and include the heavens.  Secondly, "Rupadhatu" the world of material excellence, but without sexual and dietitic desires, and thus superior to the Kamadhatu; and thirdly the "Arupadhatu" which are the superlative and formless Heavens.

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112.     Bhikkhu is an official member of the Buddhist Order (Sangha) who keeps the full precepts, and whose life is governed by 250 rules.  The Bhikkhu relies for his sustenance upon the gifts of the laydisciples, not being allowed to possess money or property.

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113.     Bhadra-kala means the kalpa (era) of the Sages, during which period a thousand Buddhas appear on earth.  We are still living in this kalpa, so it is here referred to as the "present Bhadra-kalpa."  This kalpa is to last 236 million years; but over 151 million years have already elapsed.

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114.     Vimala-samantabhadra: "Vimala" means pure, undefined.  The reference to this Bodhisattva is unknown to the translator.

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115.     Ekajati-pratibuddhas are the Bodhisattvas who from the first stage of their turning towards Buddha-hood attained the pure Bodhi-heart.  Thereupon they acquired boundless Samadhi (immobility of meditation) and Dharani (mystic powers) and thereby arrive at the Ten Stages in succession and become Buddha-elects.  The old traditional explanation of the Ekajati-pratibuddhas was that they would attain Buddha-hood in their next life, but this, nowadays is denied by some prominent Buddhists.  However, I include it herein with reservation.

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116.     Murdhabhishikta, is sprinkling the top of the head with water: a ceremony of Buddhist baptism.

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117.     Sariputra known as the wisest of the disciples of Buddha Sakyamuni.

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118.     Maudgalyayana, known as the most advanced in occult powers; whose position was similar to that of Sariputra.

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119.     The Rulers of the worlds are the heavenly Kings.

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120.     Gandhavars: see #64.

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121.     Asuras, see #64.

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122.     Garudas, see #64.

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123.     Kinaras, see #64.

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124.     Mahoragas, see #64.

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125.     Grasping Diamond (Vadjra-pani), this is a symbolic manner of some of the Bodhisattvas or deities of the Sect of Occultism.

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126.     Samaya.  There are many meanings to this term, one of them is to put the hands or fingers into a particular position, and thereby praying the Buddhas for help.

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