༄༅། །གསང་བ་ང་བལ་ི་གངས།

The Dhāraṇī for Secret Relics

Guhyadhātudhāraṇī
འཕགས་པ་་བན་གགས་པ་ཐམས་ཅད་་ན་ིས་བབས་་ང་་གསང་བ་ང་བལ་ི་ཟ་མ་ག་ས་་
བ་གངས་ག་པ་ན་ ་མ།
’phags pa de bzhin gshegs pa thams cad kyi byin gyis brlabs kyi snying po gsang ba ring bsrel
gyi za ma tog ces bya ba’i gzungs theg pa chen po’i mdo

The Noble Mahāyāna Sūtra, the Dhāraṇī “The Receptacle of Secret Relics,
Quintessence of the Blessings of All the Thus-Gone Ones”

Āryasarvatathāgatādhiṣṭhānahṛdayaguhyadhātukaraṇḍanāmadhāraṇīmahāyānasūtra

· Toh 507 ·
Degé Kangyur vol. 88 (rgyud ’bum, na), folios 1.b–7.b
 Translated by Dylan Esler
under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha

First published 2022

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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 Dhāraṇī “The Receptacle of Secret Relics, Quintessence of the
Blessings of All the Thus-Gone Ones”
c. Colophon
n. Notes
b. Bibliography
· Tibetan Source Texts
· Tibetan Imperial Catalogs
· Tibetan Commentaries
· Secondary Literature
g. Glossary
s. SUMMARY
s.1 On his way to honor a brahmin’s invitation for a midday meal, the Buddha
comes across an old stūpa that resembles a rubbish heap. Subsequently,
while in conversation with Vajrapāṇi, the Buddha reveals that the stūpa
contains the doctrinal synopsis for a dhāraṇī that embodies the essence of
the blessings of innumerable buddhas. He also explains that the stūpa is, in
fact, made of precious materials and that its lowly appearance is merely due
to the lack of beings’ merit. The Buddha then extols the merit that results
from copying, reading, and worshiping this scripture, and he enumerates the
benefits that arise from placing it in stūpas and buddha images. When he
pronounces the actual dhāraṇī, the derelict old stūpa is restored to its former
glory.
ac. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
ac.1 Translated from the Tibetan by Dylan Esler.
ac.2 The translation was completed under the patronage and supervision of
84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.
i. INTRODUCTION
i.1 The Dhāraṇī for Secret Relics, often referred to by its abbreviated Sanskrit title,
Guhyadhātudhāraṇī, or sometimes also by its alternative title Karaṇḍamudrā-
dhāraṇī, is a short sūtra that has played a fundamental role in ritual practice
throughout the Buddhist world, particularly regarding the veneration of
relics and of the stūpas that contain them.
i.2 In this sūtra, the Buddha, who is residing in Magadha, is invited for a
midday meal by a brahmin named Stainless Glow. On the way to the
brahmin’s home, he comes across an old stūpa that resembles a rubbish
heap. When approached by the Buddha, the stūpa emits rays of light, and a
mysterious exclamation of praise resounds. After paying his respects to the
stūpa, the Buddha weeps and then smiles, revealing an entire array of
buddhas who likewise shed tears. When Vajrapāṇi rushes to the scene to
inquire about the reasons behind the Buddha’s weeping, the Buddha first
explains that the stūpa contains a doctrinal synopsis that is the essence of
the blessings of innumerable buddhas. Upon hearing this, many in the
assembly attain various levels of realization. Prompted by Vajrapāṇi, the
Buddha enumerates the benefits of copying, reading, and worshiping this
scripture. He also points out that the derelict old stūpa is, in fact, made of
precious substances, yet it appears as a heap of rubbish because of sentient
beings’ lack of merit. He warns of a future time when sentient beings’ merit
will be so depleted that the Three Jewels will no longer be present, and the
only token of the Buddha’s teaching to remain will be stūpas. This, he
explains, is the reason he and the other buddhas are weeping. The Buddha
then extols the merit involved in copying the text and placing it in stūpas
and buddha statues, indicating that the areas where these stūpas and
images are located will be free from illness and other calamities, and that the
stūpas and images themselves will take on the properties of precious
substances. When the Buddha proclaims the actual dhāraṇī, the assembled
buddhas praise Śākyamuni for having brought forth a religious treasure in
 the world. The sūtra concludes by proclaiming that wherever this dhāraṇī is
taught, or whenever it is placed inside a stūpa, the blessings of all the
buddhas will be present. Furthermore, as a consequence of the Buddha
pronouncing the dhāraṇī, the derelict old stūpa is restored to its former
glory.
i.3 This text belongs to the genre of dhāraṇī sūtras, which began to circulate
around 500 ᴄᴇ.1 A central preoccupation of these texts is the notion that a
dhāraṇī encapsulates the blessings of all the buddhas, and that building a
stūpa and placing within it the dhāraṇī being promoted is equal to the merit
of erecting stūpas for all the buddhas.2 Given the centrality of this theme, it
may be helpful to briefly clarify the sense of the term dhāraṇī. The term is
derived from the Sanskrit root √dhṛ and is connected to the word dhāraṇa,
hence it is related to notions of retaining, holding, and memory.3 Part of a
dhāraṇī’s function is to aid in the memorization of the Buddhist teachings.4
Aside from this mnemonic function, these formulas also serve protective and
soteriological purposes.5 Dhāraṇīs contribute to an expanded understanding
of memory and mnemonics, where memory is not just about remembering a
specific memorized formulation of the Buddhist teachings, but also about
recalling the power and blessings encoded within the formula.6 The dhāraṇī
can thus be seen as a code that operates on multiple cognitive and affective
levels, its polysemic nature reflecting the interdependence of the teachings
(and of reality itself) encrypted within its syllables.7
i.4 The genre of dhāraṇī sūtras may itself be seen as part of the emergent
“cult of the book” in the Mahāyāna,8 which arose against the background9 of
the historically older and dominant cult of relics and of their receptacles, the
stūpas.10 Eventually, sūtras and dhāraṇīs came to be placed within the
stūpas,11 and the dhāraṇīs themselves came to be considered (at least in the
Tibetan tradition) relics.12 Just as a single bone relic is held to encapsulate
the Buddha’s essence, so a dhāraṇī is believed to contain within it the
entirety of the Buddha’s doctrine.13 And since the Buddha can be identified
with the essence of his doctrine and with the realization of ultimate reality
itself,14 when a dhāraṇī is placed within a stūpa or buddha image, it infuses
the stūpa or image with the presence of the Buddha and his doctrine.15
i.5 The Sanskrit version of The Dhāraṇī for Secret Relics does not appear to be
extant. Epigraphical and archaeological evidence, however, suggests that,
like the other texts of its genre, this sūtra was widespread in India and
throughout the Buddhist world, and that it exerted a strong influence on
religious practice. The text of the dhāraṇī itself16—without the surrounding
narrative of the sūtra—is found on a set of stone tablets from the ninth
century recovered in Anuradhapura in Sri Lanka, indicating that the sūtra
was well known on the island at the time. The tablets seem to have been part
 of a stūpa located at the Abhayagiri Stūpa in Anuradhapura.17 Maritime trade
routes played an important part in bringing the sūtra to East Asia.18 While
The Dhāraṇī for Secret Relics was well known in China after the eighth century
when Amoghavajra produced the first Chinese translation of the sūtra, it
was not until the tenth and eleventh centuries that it began to be placed
inside stūpas.19 Qian Chu (929–88 ᴄᴇ), the ruler of the prosperous coastal
Wuyue state, promoted the distribution of the sūtra as a textual relic
throughout his kingdom.20 For example, along with the full narrative sūtra
and a pictorial representation,21 the dhāraṇī was inserted in the hollow
bricks of a stūpa in Hangzhou constructed during his reign,22 as well as in a
stūpa from the same period in Zhejiang. Other sūtras of the same genre, such
as the Raśmivimalaviśuddhaprabhādhāraṇī (Toh 510/982), were likewise
inserted in stūpas in Korea and Japan.23 Epigraphical evidence of this genre
of texts has also been recovered in India itself, as witnessed by a stone
inscription from Orissa and by terracotta tablets from Nālandā, both of which
depict the Bodhigarbhālaṅkāralakṣa (Toh 509/920),24 a text that has also been
found in Afghanistan25 and Indonesia.26 In the Tibetan tradition, The Dhāraṇī
for Secret Relics is classified as belonging to a wider group of five dhāraṇīs —
the five great dhāraṇīs (gzungs chen sde lnga)—that are frequently placed
inside stūpas throughout the Buddhist world.27 The other dhāraṇīs of this
group are the Uṣṇīṣavijayadhāraṇī (Toh 594, Toh 595, Toh 596, Toh 597, Toh
598), the Vimaloṣṇīṣadhāraṇī (Toh 599/983), the above-mentioned Bodhi-
garbhālaṅkāralakṣadhāraṇī (Toh 509/920), and the Pratītyasamutpādahṛdaya (Toh
521/981).28
i.6 The Tibetan translation of The Dhāraṇī for Secret Relics was produced by the
Indian scholar Vidyākaraprabha29 and the translator Tsang Devendrarakṣita,
who appear to have lived in the late eighth or early ninth century.30 No
Dunhuang version of the text seems to have surfaced so far.31 However,
given its popularity throughout Buddhist Asia, this does not necessarily
mean that no copies of the text circulated in that area. While the text is not
mentioned in the Phangthangma catalog, it is listed in the Denkarma,32
confirming that by the early ninth century the text had been translated into
Tibetan. Regarding the title of the text as recorded in the Tibetan versions, it
might be remarked that the Sanskrit title in the Stok Palace Kangyur is
slightly different from that found in the Degé Kangyur edition, since it adds
the word mudrā after karaṇḍa, so that the title reads Sarvatathāgatādhiṣṭhāna-
hṛdayaguhyadhātukaraṇḍamudrānāmadhāraṇīsūtra. This variant is also found in
several of the other editions.33 While this additional word is not found in the
Tibetan title of the editions that have the variant in their Sanskrit title, it is
reflected in discussions of the title found in the body of the sūtra itself.34
i.7 Two Chinese translations of the sūtra exist. The earlier of them, the Yiqie
rulai xin mimi quanshen sheli bao qie yin toluoni jing ( 切如來⼼祕密全⾝舍利寳篋
印陀羅尼經 ; Taishō 1022a) was made by Amoghavajra (705–74 ᴄᴇ), and the
later, the Yiqie rulai zhengfa mimi qie yin xin tuoluoni jing (切如來正法祕密篋印⼼
陀羅尼經 ; Taishō 1023), is by Dānapāla (d. 1017). Dānapāla’s translation
35

does not seem to have enjoyed the same level of popularity as

Amoghavajra’s, which spread from China to Korea and Japan.36
Interestingly, since the Chinese translations make use of the Chinese
equivalent of the word mudrā ( 印 ) in their titles, this suggests that the
Sanskrit text on which they are based probably included the word mudrā in
the title, thus confirming the transcription thereof found in some of the
Tibetan editions.
i.8 A commentary on this dhāraṇī was written by Bodong Paṇchen Choklé
Namgyal (1376–1451).37 To this must be added the earlier yet more general
commentary by Jetsün Drakpa Gyaltsen (1147–1216), which is among the
earliest Tibetan expositions of the practice of inserting dhāraṇīs and relics
inside stūpas.38
i.9 The translation of the sūtra presented here is based on the two versions
recorded in the Degé Kangyur,39 one from the Action Tantra section (Toh
507) and one from the Compendium of Dhāraṇīs section (Toh 883). These
two versions correspond very closely. The Comparative Edition (dpe bsdur
ma) versions of both texts have also been consulted, as has the version from
the Stok Palace Kangyur. As some of the personal and place names in the
text do not seem to be otherwise attested, the choice was made to render
them in English rather than attempt a Sanskrit reconstruction. The Sanskrit
of the dhāraṇī has been transliterated according to the version found in the
Action Tantra section of the Degé Kangyur, though in cases of major
divergence from the version in the Compendium of Incantations section, the
variant that seemed most viable was chosen, listing the differences in the
notes. A tentative translation has also been proposed in the note following
the transliterated Sanskrit of the dhāraṇī.
 The Noble Mahāyāna Sūtra
The Dhāraṇī “The Receptacle of Secret Relics,
Quintessence of the Blessings of All the Thus-Gone
Ones”
1. The Translation
[F.1.b]

1.1 Homage to all the buddhas and bodhisattvas!

Thus did I hear at one time. The Blessed One was dwelling in Magadha at a
pool made of the seven precious materials in the Stainless Pleasure Grove,
together with a great congregation of bodhisattvas, a great congregation of
hearers, and several tens of millions of gods, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas,
asuras, garuḍas, kinnaras, mahoragas, humans, and nonhumans, and
hundreds of thousands of local people, all of whom surrounded and
esteemed him.
1.2 Among this retinue was a great brahmin [F.2.a] who was like a great sal
tree, who was skilled, astute, clear-minded, and handsome to behold, and
who upheld the path of the ten virtuous deeds. He was called Stainless
Glow. Endowed with the virtuous mindset of paying homage only to those
who have faith in and respect for the Three Jewels, he examined things in
detail and persevered for the sake of virtue and of all sentient beings. He had
great wealth and expansive enjoyments, was affluent, and had many
possessions and abundant provisions.
1.3 The great brahmin Stainless Glow went to the Blessed One and
circumambulated him seven times, worshiping him with flowers and
incense. He presented him with a very costly robe and an expensive pearl
necklace and prostrated at the Blessed One’s feet. Sitting down before the
Blessed One, he asked, “Would the Blessed One agree to be invited, along
with your retinue of bodhisattva sons, to take your midday meal at my
home?” The Blessed One considered this invitation by the great brahmin
Stainless Glow and consented by remaining silent. The great brahmin
Stainless Glow knew that by remaining silent the Blessed One had accepted
his invitation, and so he promptly returned home. When the night had
passed, he arranged many foods, provisions, [F.2.b] and delicacies. Along
 with this great array of foodstuffs, he carried an auspicious palanquin, a
variety of large palanquins, flowers, and incense. With a large entourage,
cymbals, and percussion instruments, he went to the Blessed One to inform
him that the time had come.
1.4 The great brahmin Stainless Glow told the Blessed One, “O Blessed One,
the time has come. Now that it is time, would the Blessed One agree to come
with me?”
The Blessed One reassured the great brahmin Stainless Glow; looking at
him and his entourage, he said, “Since all of you gathered here in this
retinue will accomplish a great purpose today, let us go!” The Blessed One
then rose from his seat. As soon as he had risen, multicolored light rays
manifested from his body. The brilliance of these rays of light illuminated all
the buddha fields of the ten directions, exhorting all the thus-gone ones.
Having beheld this, the great brahmin knew that the Blessed One was about
to leave. The great brahmin Stainless Glow worshiped him with offerings
and great honor and beautified the Blessed One’s route. The large
entourage; the gods, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kinnaras,
and mahoragas; and Śakra, Brahmā, the protectors of the world, Maheśvara,
Nārāyaṇa, and the Four Great Kings also beautified his route.
1.5 Not far from the Blessed One’s path was a park called Pleasurable. In this
park was a great old stūpa. [F.3.a] Derelict, overgrown with brambles, and
totally covered in grass, trees, and gravel, it resembled a heap of rubbish.
When the Blessed One approached it, the old stūpa resembling a rubbish
heap blazed forth, emitting blazing light rays of various colors. From the
heap of rubbish and gravel the sound “Excellent!” came forth. “Excellent,
excellent is the Thus-Gone One, the Sage of the Śākyas! It is a good omen
that you have come here today. O great brahmin, it is excellent that you have
invited the Thus-Gone One. Today you have accomplished a great purpose!”
1.6 The blessed Thus-Gone One then prostrated with the five points of his
body in front of the old stūpa that resembled a rubbish heap and
circumambulated it three times. He took the robes from his own body and
offered them to the old stūpa resembling a rubbish heap. The Blessed One
wept profusely and then smiled. Because of his smile, all the thus-gone ones
of the ten directions could be seen as if they were in the palm of one’s hand.
The eyes of all the thus-gone ones, too, filled with tears.40 All the thus-gone
ones also emitted light rays, which entered the great heap that was the old
stūpa. The many assemblies gathered there marveled and were infused with
trust. The body of the great yakṣa commander, Vajrapāṇi, trembled, and his
heart pounded. Grabbing his scepter, he swiftly went to the Blessed One. He
prostrated at the Blessed One’s feet, and said to the Blessed One, “What, O
Blessed One, is the presage causing the Blessed One to weep? What is the
 presage causing the Blessed One’s eyes to fill with tears? Would the Blessed
One grant me an opportunity to ask, on behalf of those in this assembly, why
this is the case?” [F.3.b]
1.7 The Blessed One said the following to Vajrapāṇi, the great yakṣa
commander: “O Vajrapāṇi, this stūpa of the Thus-Gone One, a heap of relics,
contains a doctrinal synopsis for the stūpa of the dhāraṇī seal that is the
quintessence of all the thus-gone ones, who are as numerous as ten million
times the number of sesame seeds in a pod. O Vajrapāṇi, wherever this
doctrinal synopsis resides, there are thus-gone ones as numerous as a
hundred thousand times ten million times the number of sesame seeds in a
pod, and relics of the bodily remains of the thus-gone ones too numerous to
mention. Eighty-four thousand compendiums of the doctrine reside there.
Likewise, the uṣṇīṣas and the crowns of the heads of ninety-nine times the
number of thus-gone ones who are as numerous as a hundred thousand
times ten million times the number of sesame seeds in a pod also reside
there. O Vajrapāṇi, wherever this doctrinal synopsis resides is declared to be
a stūpa of a thus-gone one. O Vajrapāṇi, these are the great beneficial
qualities and the great power of this doctrinal synopsis. O Vajrapāṇi, the
beneficial qualities of this doctrinal synopsis are immense. O Vajrapāṇi, this
doctrinal synopsis consummates all auspiciousness.”
1.8 When the many assemblies gathered there heard this doctrinal synopsis
from the Blessed One, with regard to phenomena, they attained the dustless
and stainless eye of the doctrine, and they were freed from the subsidiary
afflictions. Some of them attained the fruition of a stream enterer. Some
obtained the fruition of a worthy one, some the fruition of the enlightenment
of a solitary buddha. Some attained the fruition of a non-returner. Some
attained the fruition of a once-returner. Some came to abide on the
bodhisattva stages. Some obtained a prophecy concerning their
enlightenment. Some came to abide on the first bodhisattva stage. Some
came to abide on the second stage, some on the third stage, some on the
fourth, some on the fifth, some on the sixth, some on the seventh, [F.4.a]
some on the eighth, some on the ninth, and some on the tenth bodhisattva
stage. Some of them completed the six perfections. The great brahmin, too,
obtained the five supercognitions, was freed from stains, and was freed from
avarice and jealousy.
1.9 The great yakṣa commander Vajrapāṇi, having beheld such a great
miracle, was filled with wonder and amazement. He asked the Blessed One,
“If one obtains, O Blessed One, such an ornament of beneficial qualities by
hearing the name of this doctrinal synopsis, what is there to say, O Blessed
One, of extensively revering and honoring it? How might one, O Blessed
One, view that aggregation of merit?”
1.10 The Blessed One responded, “Listen, Vajrapāṇi! If a son or daughter of
good family, a monk or nun, or a layman or laywoman writes down41 this
doctrinal synopsis, they will generate the roots of virtue and will possess an
aggregation of merit equal to that of ninety-nine times the number of thus-
gone ones who are as numerous as a hundred thousand times ten million
times a hundred billion times the number of sesame seeds in a pod.42 They
will be cared for by those thus-gone ones. Those who read it will come to
grasp the sūtras spoken by all the thus-gone ones. Those who hold this
doctrinal synopsis are held and watched over, on a single day, by ninety-
nine times the number of the thus-gone ones of the ten directions who are as
numerous as a hundred thousand times ten million times a hundred billion
times the number of sesame seeds in a pod, and by the thus-gone, worthy,
completely perfect buddhas of each direction. Any son or daughter of a good
family, or any layman or laywoman who worships this doctrinal synopsis,
who assimilates it and offers it flowers, incense, perfumes, flower garlands,
[F.4.b] ointments, robes, decorations, and ornaments, will be offering divine
substances consisting of flowers, incense, perfumes, flower garlands,
ointments, robes, decorations, and ornaments to ninety-nine times the
number of thus-gone ones in each of the ten directions who are as numerous
as a hundred thousand times ten million times a hundred billion times the
number of sesame seeds in a pod. Such clouds of a thus-gone one’s offerings
presented before the thus-gone ones in each of the ten directions beget
heaps of qualities, which in size are like a great Mount Meru made of the
seven precious materials.”
1.11 The gods, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kinnaras,
mahoragas, humans, and nonhumans, and all those in this great gathering of
sentient beings, marveled and told one another, “This old stūpa, a heap of
rubbish and gravel, has been blessed by the Thus-Gone One and thereby
displayed such a great magical miracle. Great is its power!”
1.12 The great yakṣa commander, Vajrapāṇi, asked the Blessed One, “Who, O
Blessed One, fashioned a precious stūpa from what had become a heap of
rubbish?”
1.13 The Blessed One answered, “O Vajrapāṇi, this is not a heap of rubbish, but
a great and precious stūpa made of the seven precious materials. Yet it
vanished from sight, O Vajrapāṇi, to show the maturation of the results of
sentient beings’ deeds. Stūpas containing the quintessence of the relics of
the buddhas, the thus-gone ones, are never destroyed or dispersed. How
could the Thus-Gone One’s adamantine quintessence body be dispersed?
Yet when the maturation of the results of sentient beings’ deeds appeared,
the stūpa vanished from sight.
1.14 “Furthermore, Vajrapāṇi, [F.5.a] there will be a time in the future,
exceedingly dire, when sentient beings will be engaged in evil, will be
possessed of evil, and will descend to the hells. There will be neither Buddha
nor Doctrine nor Community, and virtuous roots will not be generated. Due
to these causes and conditions, the holy doctrine will vanish from sight. That
is why, Vajrapāṇi, my eyes filled with tears, and why all the thus-gone ones
too were in tears. Expositions of the holy doctrine such as this will have
vanished from sight; there will only remain stūpas of a thus-gone one that
are blessed by all the thus-gone ones.”
1.15 The great yakṣa commander, Vajrapāṇi, then asked the Blessed One, “If, O
Blessed One, someone writes down this doctrinal synopsis and places it
inside a stūpa, what sort of virtuous roots will they produce?”
1.16 The Blessed One replied, “O Vajrapāṇi, if someone writes down this
doctrinal synopsis and places it inside a stūpa, this will become a stūpa with
relics that are the adamantine quintessence of all the thus-gone ones. It will
become a stūpa blessed by the secret quintessence of the dhāraṇī of all the
thus-gone ones. It will become a stūpa of ninety-nine times the number of
thus-gone ones who are as numerous as there are sesame seeds in a pod. It
will be blessed as a stūpa of the uṣṇīṣa and the eyes of all the thus-gone
ones. If someone places it within a buddha image or inside a stūpa, the
image of the Thus-Gone One will be blessed with the nature of the seven
precious materials. The stūpa’s circular rings, connected lattices of little bells,
auspicious signs, rain gutters, and bells will be blessed with the nature of the
seven precious materials. Such persons will be blessed by all the thus-gone
ones and by the power, blessings, [F.5.b] truth, and pledges of this doctrinal
synopsis until they arrive at the seat of enlightenment.
1.17 “Those sentient beings who revere and honor the stūpa will certainly not
regress and they will be awakened to unsurpassed, completely perfect
enlightenment. Those who prostrate to or circumambulate it once will be
released from falling into the Avīci hell and they will no longer turn away
from unsurpassed, completely perfect enlightenment. Areas where there are
such stūpas or images will be blessed by all the thus-gone ones. Such areas
will be unaffected by hostile nāgas, frost, and hail. These places will be
unaffected by hostile or malevolent creatures and unaffected by predators.
There will be no fear of birds of prey, or of parrots, mynah birds, rats,
mongooses, biting insects, bees, ladybugs, worms, mosquitoes, or
centipedes.43 These areas will be unaffected by poisonous snakes, and there
will be no epidemics, contagious diseases, or disturbances. There will be no
fear of yakṣas, rākṣasas, bhūtas, pretas, piśācas, or apasmāras. These areas
will be unaffected by any type of graha. They will be unaffected by fever.
Their inhabitants will be unaffected by any illness —by boils, blisters, ulcers,
 fistulas,44 eczema, scabies, or leprosy—and by just seeing the stūpa, they will
be cleansed of all these diseases. These areas will be unaffected by the
diseases of cattle and herd animals, or by the many other kinds of illnesses
that beset animals. They will never be affected by the diseases of men,
women, boys, [F.6.a] or girls. There will be no untimely death, and the people
will never be affected by poison, weapons, fire, or water.
1.18 “There will be no fear of external armies, and the people will never be
affected by the fear of bad harvests. There will be no fear of the royal army,
and the Four Great Kings will continuously guard and protect these areas.
The twenty-eight yakṣa commanders, too, will continuously guard, protect,
and defend these areas. The twenty-eight constellations, the moon, the sun,
and the great comets will maintain harmony, day and night. All the nāga
kings, moreover, will never steal vitality; they will only bring down a rainfall
of excellence. Even the gods will come thrice a day from their thirty-two
abodes 45 in order to prostrate to, honor, and worship the great stūpa. All the
local deities will also come before those stūpas and images of the buddha
thrice a day to praise and circumambulate them. Even the sovereign of the
gods, Śakra, along with the goddesses and gods themselves, will always
come thrice a day and night before the stūpas or buddha images, and will
prostrate to and worship them.
1.19 “All the thus-gone ones will constantly consider and bless the stūpas.
Whatever the stūpas and images are made of—whether of clay, stone, wood,
silver, gold, or copper—as soon as this doctrinal synopsis has been written
down and placed inside them, they will be blessed with the nature of the
seven precious materials. All their moldings, steps, [F.6.b] railings, circular
rings, auspicious signs, parasols, dangling bells, pennants, and lattices of
little bells will likewise take on the nature of the seven precious materials.
Everywhere in the four directions there will be images of the Thus-Gone
One. There will be precious stūpas blessed by all the thus-gone ones, stūpas
of the quintessence of their bodily remains, and places of worship. The
images and stūpas will be protected by the gods of Akaniṣṭha, who will be
committed to their worship.”
1.20 The great yakṣa commander, Vajrapāṇi, then asked the Blessed One,
“How,46 O Blessed One, did this doctrinal synopsis come to have such
distinctive qualities?”
1.21 The Blessed One replied, “The quintessence of the blessings of all the
thus-gone ones is this dhāraṇī that is the seal of the receptacle of secret
relics. It is, therefore, O Vajrapāṇi, this power that instills it with blessings of
such distinctive qualities.”
1.22 “Would the Blessed One please teach the doctrinal synopsis of the
dhāraṇī that is the seal of the precious receptacle?” asked the vajra holder.
1.23 “Listen, Vajrapāṇi!” answered the Blessed One. “This is the doctrinal
synopsis of the dhāraṇī that is the seal of the receptacle of relics, for the
thus-gone ones of the past, present, and future, for all the blessed buddhas
who have attained complete nirvāṇa and the three bodies of the thus-gone
one —the body of reality, the body of enjoyment, and the body of
emanation—throughout all three times:

1.24 “namastraiyadhvikānāṃ47 | sarvatathāgatānāṃ | oṁ48 bhu vibhavān vare

vacaṭau49 | culu culu | dhara dhara50 | sarvatathāgatā | dhātudhare |
padmagarbhe | jayavare | acale | smara tathāgata | dharmacakra | pravartana |
vajrabodhimaṇḍa [F.7.a] alaṃkāra | alaṃkṛte | sarvatathāgata | adhiṣṭhite |
bodhaya bodhaya | bodhani bodhani | budhya buddhya51 | saṁbodhani
saṁbodhaya | cala cala | calantu sarva āvaraṇāni | sarvapāpaṁ vigate | huru
huru | sarvaśoka vigate | sarvatathāgatahṛdaya | vajriṇi | sambhava sambhava |
sarvatathāgataguhye | dhāraṇimudre | buddhe | subuddhe52 | sarvatathāgata
adhiṣṭhite | dhātugarbhe svāhā | samaya adhiṣṭhite svāhā | sarvatathāgatahṛdaya |
dhātumudre svāhā | supratiṣṭhita stūpe tathāgata adhiṣṭhite | hūṁ hūṁ svāhā |
oṁ sarvatathāgata uṣṇīṣadhātumudrāṇi53 sarvatathāgata dharmadhātu vibhūṣita
adhiṣṭhite huru huru | hūṁ hūṁ svāhā”54

1.25 As soon as the Blessed One had uttered this dhāraṇī that is the seal of the
receptacle of relics, from each of the ten directions came ninety-nine times
the number of thus-gone ones who are as numerous as a hundred thousand
times ten million times a hundred billion times the number of sesame seeds
in a pod. They said to the Blessed One, the Sage of the Śākyas, “For the sake
of sentient beings, the Sage of the Śākyas has placed this doctrinal synopsis,
a treasure of the doctrine, in this world and has blessed this stūpa that is the
quintessence of relics. This is excellent, excellent!” Thus was the pledge and
blessing of all the thus-gone ones.
1.26 Wherever this dhāraṇī that is the seal of relics is taught, or wherever it is
placed inside a stūpa or image, the thus-gone ones, all as one, will follow it
continuously and remain there. It will always be infused with the blessings
of the thus-gone ones. As soon as the dhāraṇī had been pronounced, the old
stūpa that resembled a rubbish heap was restored as a stūpa having the
nature of the seven precious materials, along with its moldings, symmetrical
features, circular rings, and auspicious signs.
1.27 When the Blessed One had rejoiced [F.7.b] and spoken thus, the great
bodhisattva hero Vajrapāṇi, along with the world of gods and humans —the
gods, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, garuḍas, kinnaras, and mahoragas —
rejoiced in and praised the words of the Blessed One.
1.28 This completes the noble Mahāyāna sūtra, “The Dhāraṇī ‘The Receptacle of Secret
Relics, Quintessence of the Blessings of All the Thus-Gone Ones.’”
c. Colophon
c.1 Translated, edited, and redacted by the scholar55 Vidyākaraprabha and the
translator56 Tsang Devendrarakṣita.
n. NOTES
n.1 Bentor 1995, p. 252.

n.2 Schopen 1982, pp. 105–6.

n.3 See Ryan Damron’s comments on the term in Dharmachakra Translation

Committee, trans., The Dhāraṇī “Entering into Nonconceptuality,” Toh 142
(84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2020), i.2.

n.4 Lamotte 1976, vol. 4, pp. 1863–64; Braarvig 1985, pp. 18–19, p. 24.

n.5 Kapstein 2003, p. 238.

n.6 Gyatso 1992, p. 176, p. 178, p. 186.

n.7 Davidson 2009, p. 120, p. 126.

n.8 According to Schopen (1982, p. 105), influential sūtras of this movement

include the Saddharmapuṇḍarīkasūtra
(https://read.84000.co/translation/toh113.html) (Toh 113) and the
Suvarṇaprabhāsottamasūtra (Toh 555
(https://read.84000.co/translation/toh555.html), Toh 556
(https://read.84000.co/translation/toh556.html), Toh 557
(https://read.84000.co/translation/toh557.html)). For a translation of the
Saddharmapuṇḍarīkasūtra, see Peter Alan Roberts, trans., The White Lotus of the
Good Dharma (https://read.84000.co/translation/toh113.html), Toh 113 (84000:
Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2018). For the Suvarṇaprabhāsottama-
sūtra, see the German translation of Taishō 665, the influential Chinese
rendition prepared by Yijing (635–713), in Nobel 1958, vol. 1. For an English
translation of the condensed Sanskrit version of the sūtra, see Emmerick
2001.
n.9 While the relationship between the “cult of the book” and the “cult of relics”
has at times been portrayed in terms of competition (cf. Schopen 1975, pp.
168–70), it is perhaps more accurate to view the cult of stūpas and of relics as
forming the background against which the “cult of the book” emerged. See
Drewes 2007, pp. 133–35.

n.10 On the cult of stūpas, see Strong 2004.

n.11 Harrison 1992, p. 76; Bentor 1995, pp. 251–52.

n.12 Whereas in some strands of the Tibetan tradition, dhāraṇīs are considered
relics of the body of reality (Skt. dharmakāya), in the Nyingma and Kagyu
schools this position tends to be reserved for miniature stūpas and molded
cones (tsha tsha). See Bentor 1995, p. 254, p. 258.

n.13 Bentor 2003, p. 21.

This is particularly the case with reference to the theory of the three bodies
n.14
and the Buddha’s body of reality (Skt. dharmakāya). See Makransky 1998, pp.
33–34, p. 56.

n.15 Bentor 2003, p. 24.

n.16 See Chandra 1976, part 11, pp. 3410–11, and especially part 12, pp. 4117–22,
for a multilingual transcription (in Manchurian, Chinese, Mongolian, and
Tibetan) of the Sanskrit dhāraṇī, stemming from the Chinese imperial palace.
On the role played by Tibetan and Mongolian monks as experts in Sanskrit
at the Chinese imperial court during the Yuan (1279–1368), Ming (1368–
1644), and Qing (1644–1912) dynasties, see Kapstein 2018, p. 473.

n.17 See Schopen 1982, pp. 100–102, who refers to the transcription found in
Mudiyanse 1967, pp. 99–105.

n.18 See Baba 2017, pp. 124–26; Lee 2021, p. 7.

n.19 Lee 2021, p. 9.

n.20 Barrett 2001, p. 54; Baba 2017, pp. 130–32.

n.21 Lee 2021, p. 12 (figures 4 and 5), p. 14.

n.22 The stūpa was built in 975 ᴄᴇ and collapsed in 1924. See Edgren 1972. It has
since been rebuilt.

n.23 Schopen 1982, p. 106; Bentor 1995, pp. 255–56.

n.24 Schopen 1982, pp. 106–7; Schopen 1985.

n.25 See Strauch 2009.

n.26 See Griffiths 2014.

n.27 For a similar (though not quite identical) grouping, cf. Lee 2021, p. 8.

n.28 Bentor 1995, p. 254, p. 256; Bentor 2003, p. 32; Phuntsok Tashi 1998, pp. 24–27.

n.29 On Vidyākaraprabha, see Alexander Gardner, “Vidyākaraprabha

(https://treasuryoflives.org/biographies/view/Vidyakaraprabha/10911),”
Treasury of Lives, November 2019.

n.30 Schopen 1982, p. 102.

n.31 Resources for Kanjur and Tanjur Studies, Universität Wien, accessed November
26, 2021. See also Dalton and van Schaik 2006, and The International Dunhuang
Project: The Silk Road Online, accessed December 2, 2021.

n.32 Denkarma, folio 302.b.3; Herrmann-Pfandt 2008, pp. 215–16 (no. 377).

n.33 The Comparative Edition reports that the variant reading of the Sanskrit title
is also followed by the Narthang, Yongle, Lithang, Kangxi, and Choné
editions, with the last four sharing the minor variant mun dra.

n.34 Degé, F.6.b.4; F.7.a.3. The former passage is also mentioned by Schopen 1982,
p. 104.

n.35 Lewis R. Lancaster, The Korean Buddhist Canon: A Descriptive Catalogue

(http://www.acmuller.net/descriptive_catalogue/indexes/index-taisho.html) (Berkeley:
University of California Press, 1979).

n.36 Lee 2021, p. 10.

n.37 Bodong Paṇchen Choklé Namgyal, pp. 1969–81.

n.38 Jetsün Drakpa Gyaltsen, pp. 1992–93. For a translation of an important

passage from Drakpa Gyaltsen’s treatise, see Bentor 1995, pp. 256–57.

n.39 Note that there is a discrepancy among various databases for cataloging the
Toh 883 version of this text within vol. 100 or 101 of the Degé Kangyur. See
Toh 883, n.39 (https://read.84000.co/translation/toh883.html# UT22084-088-
001-269), for details.

n.40 This phrase is omitted in the Tantra section of the Degé edition, presumably
through eyeskip. It is found, however, in the Compendium of Incantations
section of the Degé edition, in the Stok Palace MS, vol. 102 (rgyud, da), folio
 4.a.7, as well as in the Narthang and Lhasa editions, as reported in the
Comparative Edition.

n.41 Here we follow the variant reading ’bri found in the Yongle and Kangxi
versions. Most versions read ’dri, as witnessed, for instance, in both the
Tantra section and the Compendium of Incantations section of the Degé
edition, as well as in the Stok Palace MS. While this majority reading at first
sight suggests a translation along the lines of “inquires” rather than “writes
down,” the word ’dri is attested as an archaic variant of ’bri (Namgyal
Tsering 2001, p. 268; see also Chökyi Drakpa 1995, p. 440). Moreover,
contextually speaking, the sense of writing down or copying fits well with
what we know about the way Mahāyāna sūtras tended to self-referentially
advocate their own reproduction. See McMahan 2002, p. 90.

n.42 In his summary of the sūtra, Schopen proposes the simpler rendition “equal
to that of ninety-nine hundreds of millions of Tathāgatas.” Cf. Schopen 1982,
pp. 103–4.

n.43 The identification of several of the animals mentioned in this sentence has
posed some difficulty. The word “ladybug” translates bye ba, which itself
would seem to be a rendering of the Sanskrit koṭika. “Worm” translates sbrang
ma mchu gsum, which seems to be an alternative for mchu sbrang, itself a
rendering of the Sanskrit kīṭa (Negi 1993–2005, vol. 3, p. 1305). “Mosquito”
translates mchu rings, an abbreviation of sbrang bu mchu rings, which renders
the Sanskrit maśaka (Negi 1993–2005, vol. 9, p. 4154). Finally, “centipede”
translates rta bla, following the definition given by Chökyi Drakpa 1995, p.
343: “an insect with many legs” (rkang pa mang ba’i ’bu zhig); a similar
definition is found in Tudeng Nima 1998, p. 1060.

n.44 For mtshan bar rdol ba (Drungtso and Drungtso 2005, p. 378), corresponding to
the Sanskrit term bhagandara (Negi 1993–2005, vol. 11, p. 4960).

n.45 It is not clear which thirty-two abodes are being referred to. In any case,
unless we assume a transmissional error, this does not seem to refer to the
Trāyastriṃśa heaven.

n.46 Here the reading of the Compendium of Incantations section of the Degé
edition has been followed, which has ji lta bur; this reading is also confirmed
by the Stok Palace MS, vol. 102 (rgyud, da), folio 8.b.7. The Tantra section of
the Degé edition, on the other hand, reads ’di lta bur, although an
interrogative sense is called for by the context.
n.47 Reading traiyadhvikānāṃ, as in the Compendium of Incantations section of
the Degé edition. The version in the Tantra section is somewhat illegible
here, so although it seems to read dhī, it may be that dhvi was intended.

n.48 Unlike the Tantra section of the Degé edition, which gives an anusvāra for oṃ,
the Compendium of Incantations section gives an anunāsika for oṁ instead;
this also applies to the occurrence of the syllable below. The difference is
minor in any case.

n.49 Read vacate. The Yongle (both vols. rgyud, na and rgyud, ’a), Lithang (J 801),
Kangxi (both vols. rgyud, na and rgyud, ’a), and Choné (C 513) editions, as
reported in the Comparative Edition, have vacaṭe, whereas the Narthang
edition and the Stok Palace MS, vol. 102 (rgyud, da), folio 9.a.5 read vacare.

n.50 The Compendium of Incantations section of the Degé edition reads dhare
dhare. The Stok Palace MS has dhara dhare.

This should probably be understood as buddhāya. The Compendium of

n.51
Incantations section of the Degé edition reads buddhaya buddhaya. The
version transcribed from the ninth-century Sri Lankan stone tablets (see
Schopen 1982, p. 101), on the other hand, has budhya budhya.

n.52 This reading follows the version in the Tantra section of the Degé edition.
The version in the Compendium of Incantations reads subuddha.

n.53 This reading is ungrammatical, since mudrā is feminine in gender, but the
declension given is that of a vocative, plural, neuter a-stem. The reading
mudre (as given in Schopen 1982, p. 101) seems called for; in that case, we
have a straightforward vocative, singular, feminine.

n.54 The translation presented here is merely tentative, as both the spellings and
the grammar are quite ambiguous. For the a-stems (e.g., vara, garbha), the
recurrent ending in e has been taken to refer not to a locative, singular,
masculine/neuter, but to a vocative, singular, feminine, which accords with
the vocative, singular, feminine i-stems (e.g., buddhi). The impression is thus
that the deity being invoked is a feminine personification of the dhāraṇī in
question. In translating this dhāraṇī, it was beneficial to reflect on Arlo
Griffiths’ transliteration and translation of the Bodhigarbhālaṅkāralakṣadhāraṇī
(https://read.84000.co/translation/toh509.html) as preserved on an Indonesian
inscription (Griffiths 2014, pp. 161–63).
 “Homage to the thus-gone ones of the three times. Oṁ, O you who are
best in splendor, O you who have been uttered, culu culu! Hold firm,
hold firm! O holder of the relics of all the thus-gone ones, O lotus
matrix, best among victories, unmoving one! Remember! O thus-gone
one, setting in motion the wheel of the doctrine! O you who adorn with
ornaments the adamantine seat of enlightenment! O you who are
blessed by all the thus-gone ones! Arouse, arouse toward
enlightenment, enlightenment! Thoroughly arouse, arouse toward the
buddha, the buddha! Shake, shake! All obscurations must shake! O you
in whom all evil has disappeared, huru huru! O you in whom all grief
has disappeared! O quintessence of all the thus-gone ones, O wielder
of the adamantine thunderbolt, engender, engender, O secret of all the
thus-gone ones, O seal of the dhāraṇī, O knowing one, O well-knowing
one, O you who are blessed by all the thus-gone ones, O matrix of
relics, svāhā! O you who are blessed by the pledge, svāhā! O
quintessence of all the thus-gone ones, O seal of relics, svāhā! O well-
constructed stūpa blessed by the thus-gone one, hūṁ hūṁ svāhā! Oṁ, O
seal of the relics of all the thus-gone ones’ uṣṇīṣas, O you who are
blessed by the ornament of the dimension of reality of all the thus-gone
ones, huru huru, hūṁ hūṁ svāhā!”

The Compendium of Incantations section of the Degé edition replaces

n.55
“scholar” (paṇḍita) with “Indian preceptor” (rgya gar gyi mkhan po). This
variant is also found in the Stok Palace MS, vol. 102 (rgyud, da), folio 10.a.4,
as well as in the Narthang and Lhasa editions, as reported in the
Comparative Edition.

n.56 The Compendium of Incantations section of the Degé edition adds several
titles: “the chief editor and translator, the Venerable” (zhu chen gyi lo ts+tsha
ba bandhe). Again, these additional titles are also found in the Stok Palace MS,
as well as in the Narthang and Lhasa editions.
b. BIBLIOGRAPHY
· Tibetan Source Texts ·

’phags pa de bzhin gshegs pa thams cad kyi byin gyis brlabs kyi snying po gsang ba
ring bsrel gyi za ma tog ces bya ba’i gzungs theg pa chen po’i mdo
(Āryasarvatathāgatādhiṣṭhānahṛdayaguhyadhātukaraṇḍanāmadhāraṇīmahāyānasūtr
a). Toh 507, Degé Kangyur vol. 88 (rgyud, na), folios 1.b–7.b/Toh 883, Degé
Kangyur vol. 100 (gzungs, e), folios 123.a–129.a.

’phags pa de bzhin gshegs pa thams cad kyi byin gyis brlabs kyi snying po gsang ba
ring bsrel gyi za ma tog ces bya ba’i gzungs theg pa chen po’i mdo. bka’ ’gyur (dpe
bsdur ma) [Comparative Edition of the Kangyur], krung go’i bod rig pa
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’phags pa de bzhin gshegs pa thams cad kyi byin gyis brlabs kyi snying po gsang ba
ring bsrel gyi za ma tog ces bya ba’i gzungs theg pa chen po’i mdo. Stok Palace MS
Kangyur vol. 102 (rgyud, da), folios 1.b–10.a.

· Tibetan Imperial Catalogs ·

Denkarma (pho brang stod thang ldan dkar gyi chos kyi ’gyur ro cog gi dkar chag).
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Phangthangma (dkar chag ’phang thang ma). Beijing: mi rigs dpe skrun khang
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· Tibetan Commentaries ·
Bodong Paṇchen Choklé Namgyal (bo dong paN chen phyogs las rnam
rgyal). gsang ba ring srel gyi snying po za ma tog ces bya ba’i gzungs la ’jug tshul
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Jetsün Drakpa Gyaltsen (rje btsun grags pa rgyal mtshan). a rga’i cho ga dang
rab tu gnas pa don gsal. In dpal ldan sa skya pa’i bka’ ’bum, 9: 157–217. Dehra
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g. GLOSSARY

· Types of attestation for names and terms of the corresponding ·

source language

AS Attested in source text

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

AO Attested in other text

This term is attested in other manuscripts with a parallel or similar context.

AD Attested in dictionary
This term is attested in dictionaries matching Tibetan to the corresponding
language.

AA Approximate attestation
The attestation of this name is approximate. It is based on other names
where the relationship between the Tibetan and source language 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 Akaniṣṭha
’og min

ག་ན།
akaniṣṭha
 The highest of the seventeen levels of the form realm (rūpadhātu). Within the
form realm it is the highest of the eight pure abodes (śuddhāvāsika) of the
fourth concentration (dhyāna).

g.2 apasmāra
brjed byed

བད་ད།
apasmāra
Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:
A class of nonhuman beings believed to cause epilepsy, fits, and loss of
memory. As their name suggests —the Skt. apasmāra literally means “without
memory” and the Tib. brjed byed means “causing forgetfulness”—they are
defined by the condition they cause in affected humans, and the term can
refer to any nonhuman being that causes such conditions, whether a bhūta,
a piśāca, or other.

g.3 asura
lha ma yin · lha min

་མ་ན། · ་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 auspicious sign

bkra shis

བ་ས།
maṅgala

g.5 Avīci
mnar med

མནར་ད།
avīci
 The lowest hell; the eighth and most severe of the eight hot hells.

g.6 bhūta
’byung po

འང་།
bhūta
Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:
This term in its broadest sense can refer to any being, whether human,
animal, or nonhuman. However, it is often used to refer to a specific class of
nonhuman beings, especially when bhūtas are mentioned alongside
rākṣasas, piśācas, or pretas. In common with these other kinds of
nonhumans, bhūtas are usually depicted with unattractive and misshapen
bodies. Like several other classes of nonhuman beings, bhūtas take
spontaneous birth. As their leader is traditionally regarded to be Rudra-Śiva
(also known by the name Bhūta), with whom they haunt dangerous and wild
places, bhūtas are especially prominent in Śaivism, where large sections of
certain tantras concentrate on them.

g.7 biting insect

sha sbrang

ཤ་ང་།
daṃśa

g.8 blessed one

bcom ldan ’das

བམ་ན་འདས།
bhagavat
Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:
In Buddhist literature, this is 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.9 blessing
byin gyis brlabs · byin brlabs

ན་ིས་བབས། · ན་བབས།
adhiṣṭhāna

g.10 blister
phol mig

ལ་ག
piṭaka · gaṇḍa

g.11 bodhisattva
byang chub sems dpa’

ང་བ་མས་དཔའ།
bodhisattva
Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:
A being who is dedicated to the cultivation and fulfilment of the altruistic
intention to attain perfect buddhahood, traversing the ten bodhisattva levels
(daśabhūmi, sa bcu). Bodhisattvas purposely opt to remain within cyclic
existence in order to liberate all sentient beings, instead of simply seeking
personal freedom from suffering. In terms of the view, they realize both the
selflessness of persons and the selflessness of phenomena.

g.12 Bodong Paṇchen Choklé Namgyal

bo dong paN chen phyogs las rnam rgyal

་ང་པཎ་ན་གས་ལས་མ་ལ།
—
1376–1451. Prolific scholar and abbot of the Bodong E monastery.

g.13 body of emanation

sprul pa’i sku · sprul sku

ལ་པ་། · ལ་།
nirmāṇakāya
The visible and usually physical manifestation of fully enlightened beings
which arises spontaneously from the expanse of the body of reality,
whenever appropriate , in accordance with the diverse dispositions of
sentient beings.

g.14 body of enjoyment

 longs spyod rdzogs pa’i sku · longs sku

ངས་ད་གས་པ་། · ངས་།
sambhogakāya
The luminous manifestation of the buddhas’ enlightened communication,
perceptible to advanced bodhisattvas.

g.15 body of reality

chos kyi sku · chos sku

ས་་། · ས་།
dharmakāya
The ultimate nature or essence of the enlightened mind of the buddhas. It is
said to be non-arising, free from the limits of conceptual elaboration, empty
of inherent existence, naturally radiant, beyond duality, and spacious.

g.16 boil
’bras

འས།
visphoṭa

g.17 Brahmā
tshangs pa

ཚངས་པ།
brahmā
Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:
A high-ranking deity presiding over a divine world; he is also considered to
be the lord of the Sahā world (our universe). Though not considered a creator
god in Buddhism, Brahmā occupies an important place as one of two gods
(the other being Indra/Śakra) said to have first exhorted the Buddha
Śākyamuni to teach the Dharma. The particular heavens found in the form
realm over which Brahmā rules are often some of the most sought-after
realms of higher rebirth in Buddhist literature. Since there are many
universes or world systems, there are also multiple Brahmās presiding over
them. His most frequent epithets are “Lord of the Sahā World” (sahāṃpati)
and Great Brahmā (mahābrahman).

g.18 centipede
rta bla

་།
 —

g.19 circular ring

’khor lo’i phreng ba

འར་ ་ང་བ།
cakrāvalī

g.20 complete nirvāṇa

yongs su mya ngan las ’das pa

ངས་་་ངན་ལས་འདས་པ།
parinirvāṇa
Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:
This refers to what occurs at the end of an arhat’s or a buddha’s life. When
nirvāṇa is attained at awakening, whether as an arhat or buddha, all
suffering, afflicted mental states (kleśa), and causal processes (karman) that
lead to rebirth and suffering in cyclic existence have ceased, but due to
previously accumulated karma, the aggregates of that life remain and must
still exhaust themselves. It is only at the end of life that these cease, and
since no new aggregates arise, the arhat or buddha is said to attain
parinirvāṇa, meaning “complete” or “final” nirvāṇa. This is synonymous with
the attainment of nirvāṇa without remainder (anupadhiśeṣanirvāṇa).

According to the Mahāyāna view of a single vehicle (ekayāna), the arhat’s

parinirvāṇa at death, despite being so called, is not final. The arhat must still
enter the bodhisattva path and reach buddhahood (see Unraveling the Intent,
Toh 106, 7.14.) On the other hand, the parinirvāṇa of a buddha, ultimately
speaking, should be understood as a display manifested for the benefit of
beings; see The Teaching on the Extraordinary Transformation That Is the Miracle of
Attaining the Buddha’s Powers (Toh 186), 1.32.

The term parinirvāṇa is also associated specifically with the passing away of
the Buddha Śākyamuni, in Kuśinagara, in northern India.

g.21 congregation
dge ’dun

ད་འན།
saṅgha
The community of followers of the Buddha; the third of the triad, the “Three
Jewels,” in which Buddhists take refuge. In a narrower sense, it can refer to a
congregation of monastics or of advanced bodhisattvas. Also translated here
as “community.”
g.22 dangling bell
dril bu ’phyang ba

ལ་་འང་བ།
—

g.23 decoration
lhab lhub

བ་བ།
vibhūṣaṇa

g.24 dhāraṇī
gzungs

གངས།
dhāraṇī
Literally, “retention,” or “that which retains, contains, or encapsulates,” the
term dhāraṇī refers to mnemonic formulas, or codes possessed by advanced
bodhisattvas that contain a quintessence of their attainments, as well as the
Dharma teachings that express them and guide beings toward their
realization. They are therefore often described in terms of “gateways” for
entering the Dharma and training in its realization, or “seals” that contain
condensations of truths and their expression. The term can also refer to a
statement, or incantation, meant to protect or bring about a particular result.

g.25 doctrinal synopsis

chos kyi rnam grangs

ས་་མ་ངས།
dharmaparyāya
Here referring to the dhāraṇī enshrined in a stūpa, the term is understood to
refer to a condensed digest of the Buddha’s doctrine.

g.26 eczema
rkang shu

ང་།
vicarcikā

g.27 eye of the doctrine

chos kyi mig
 ས་་ག
dharmacakṣus
One of the five eyes: (1) the eye of flesh, (2) the eye of clairvoyance, (3) the
eye of discernment, (4) the eye of the doctrine, and (5) the eye of the
buddhas.

g.28 fistula
mtshan bar rdol ba

མཚན་བར་ལ་བ།
bhagandara

g.29 five points of the body

yan lag lnga

ཡན་ལག་།
pañcāṅga
The two arms, two legs, and the head.

g.30 five supercognitions

mngon par shes pa lnga · mngon shes lnga

མན་པར་ས་པ་། · མན་ས་།
pañcābhijñā
These are (1) clairvoyance (divyacakṣurabhijñā, lha’i mig gi mngon par shes pa),
(2) clairaudience (divyaśrotrābhijñā, lha’i rna ba’i mngon par shes pa), (3)
knowledge of others’ minds (paracittajñāna, pha rol gyi sems shes pa’i mngon par
shes pa), (4) retrocognition (pūrvanivāsānusmṛtijñāna, sngon gyi gnas rjes su dran
pa’i mngon par shes pa), and (5) knowledge of magical feats (ṛddhividhijñāna,
rdzu ’phrul gyi bya ba shes pa’i mngon par shes pa).

g.31 Four Great Kings

rgyal po chen po bzhi

ལ་་ན་་བ།
caturmahārāja
Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:
Four gods who live on the lower slopes (fourth level) of Mount Meru in the
eponymous Heaven of the Four Great Kings (Cāturmahārājika, rgyal chen bzhi’i
ris) and guard the four cardinal directions. Each is the leader of a nonhuman
class of beings living in his realm. They are Dhṛtarāṣṭra, ruling the
gandharvas in the east; Virūḍhaka, ruling over the kumbhāṇḍas in the south;
 Virūpākṣa, ruling the nāgas in the west; and Vaiśravaṇa (also known as
Kubera) ruling the yakṣas in the north. Also referred to as Guardians of the
World or World Protectors (lokapāla, ’jig rten skyong ba).

g.32 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 ruled by 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 sentient beings during the intermediate state
between death and rebirth. Gandharvas are said to live on fragrances
(gandha) in the desire realm, hence the Tibetan translation dri za, meaning
“scent eater.”

g.33 garuḍa
nam mkha’ lding · mkha’ lding

ནམ་མཁའ་ང་། · མཁའ་ང་།
garuḍa
Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:
In Indian mythology, the garuḍa is an eagle-like bird that is regarded as the
king of all birds, normally depicted with a sharp, owl-like beak, often holding
a snake, and with large and powerful wings. They are traditionally enemies
of the nāgas. In the Vedas, they are said to have brought nectar from the
heavens to earth. Garuḍa can also be used as a proper name for a king of such
creatures.

g.34 graha
gdon

གན།
graha
A type of spirit that can exert a harmful influence on the human body and
mind. Grahas are closely associated with the planets and other astronomical
bodies.

g.35 great śāla tree

 shing sA la chen po

ང་་ལ་ན་།
mahāśāla
An adjectival phrase typically linked to a brahmin, kṣatriya, or other upper-
caste family, it denotes that the person in question has a large and
prosperous household, family, or clan.

g.36 hearer
nyan thos

ཉན་ས།
śrāvaka
The word, based on the verb “to hear,” originally referred to the immediate
disciples of the Buddha who heard the teachings directly from him. The term
is also applied in Mahāyāna sources to followers of non-Mahāyāna Buddhist
traditions.

g.37 Jetsün Drakpa Gyaltsen

rje btsun grags pa rgyal mtshan

་བན་གས་པ་ལ་མཚན།
—
1147–1216. Fifth throne-holder of Sakya monastery.

g.38 kinnara
mi ’am ci

་འམ་།
kinnara
Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:
A class of nonhuman beings that resemble humans to the degree that their
very name —which means “is that human?”—suggests some confusion as to
their divine status. Kinnaras are mythological beings found in both Buddhist
and Brahmanical literature, where they are portrayed as creatures half
human, half animal. They are often depicted as highly skilled celestial
musicians.

g.39 ladybug
bye ba

་བ།
koṭika
g.40 lattice of little bells
dril bu g.yer ka’i dra ba

ལ་་གར་ཀ་་བ།
kiṅkiṇījāla

g.41 leprosy
mdzes

མས།
kuṣṭha

g.42 Magadha
ma ga d+hA

མ་ག་།
magadha
Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:
An ancient Indian kingdom that lay to the south of the Ganges River in what
today is the state of Bihar. Magadha was the largest of the sixteen “great
states” (mahājanapada) that flourished between the sixth and third centuries
ʙᴄᴇ in northern India. During the life of the Buddha Śākyamuni, it was ruled
by King Bimbisāra and later by Bimbisāra's son, Ajātaśatru. Its capital was
initially Rājagṛha (modern-day Rajgir) but was later moved to Pāṭaliputra
(modern-day Patna). Over the centuries, with the expansion of the
Magadha’s might, it became the capital of the vast Mauryan empire and seat
of the great King Aśoka.

This region is home to many of the most important Buddhist sites, including
Bodh Gayā, where the Buddha attained awakening; Vulture Peak (Gṛdhra-
kūṭa), where the Buddha bestowed many well-known Mahāyāna sūtras; and
the Buddhist university of Nālandā that flourished between the fifth and
twelfth centuries ᴄᴇ, among many others.

g.43 Maheśvara
dbang phyug chen po

དབང་ག་ན་།
maheśvara
An epithet of the Brahmanical god Śiva.

g.44 mahoraga
lto ’phye chen po
 ་འ་ན་།
mahoraga
Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:
Literally “great serpents,” mahoragas are supernatural beings depicted as
large, subterranean beings with human torsos and heads and the lower
bodies of serpents. Their movements are said to cause earthquakes, and they
make up a class of subterranean geomantic spirits whose movement through
the seasons and months of the year is deemed significant for construction
projects.

g.45 molding
’phang · ’phang ba

འཕང་། · འཕང་བ།
kṣepaṇa

g.46 mongoose
sre mo · sre mong

་། · ་ང་།
nakula

g.47 mosquito
mchu rings · sbrang bu mchu rings · sbrang bu mchu ring

མ་ངས། · ང་་མ་ངས། · ང་་མ་ང་།

maśaka

g.48 mynah bird

ri skegs

་གས།
śārikā

g.49 nāga
klu

།
nāga
Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:
A class of nonhuman beings who live in subterranean aquatic environments,
where they guard wealth and sometimes also teachings. Nāgas are
associated with serpents and have a snakelike appearance. In Buddhist art
 and in written accounts, they are regularly portrayed as half human and half
snake, and they are also said to have the ability to change into human form.
Some nāgas are Dharma protectors, but they can also bring retribution if they
are disturbed. They may likewise fight one another, wage war, and destroy
the lands of others by causing lightning, hail, and flooding.

g.50 Nārāyaṇa
sred med kyi bu

ད་ད་་།
nārāyaṇa
Another name of the Brahmanical god Viṣṇu.

g.51 nirvāṇa
mya ngan las ’das pa

་ངན་ལས་འདས་པ།
—
The Sanskrit term signifies the extinction of the causes of suffering, whereas
the Tibetan term emphasizes the fact that suffering has been transcended.
Three types of nirvāṇa are identified: (1) the residual nirvāṇa where the
person is still dependent on conditioned psycho-physical aggregates, (2) the
non-residual nirvāṇa where the aggregates have also been consumed within
emptiness, and (3) the non-abiding nirvāṇa transcending the extremes of
phenomenal existence and quiescence.

g.52 non-returner
phyir mi ’ong ba

ར་་ང་བ།
anāgāmin
The third of four levels of noble ones attainable on the path of the hearers.
Beings on this level will no longer be reborn in the desire realm but rather in
the pure abodes (śuddhāvāsika), where they will attain liberation.

g.53 once-returner
lan cig phyir ’ong ba

ལན་ག་ར་ང་བ།
sakṛdāgāmin
The second of four levels of noble ones attainable on the path of the hearers.
Beings on this level will be reborn no more than once.
g.54 parasol
gdugs

གགས།
chattra

g.55 path of the ten virtuous deeds

dge ba bcu’i las kyi lam

ད་བ་བ་ལས་་ལམ།
daśakuśalakarmapatha
A collective term for the ten virtues, i.e., refraining from killing, stealing,
sexual misconduct (with the body); lying, slander, harsh words, gossip (with
speech); covetousness, malice, and wrong views (with the mind).

g.56 pennant
ba dan

བ་དན།
patākā

g.57 piśāca
’dre

འ།
piśāca
Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:
A class of nonhuman beings that, like several other classes of nonhuman
beings, take spontaneous birth. Ranking below rākṣasas, they are less
powerful and more akin to pretas. They are said to dwell in impure and
perilous places, where they feed on impure things, including flesh. This
could account for the name piśāca, which possibly derives from √piś, to carve
or chop meat, as reflected also in the Tibetan sha za, “meat eater.” They are
often described as having an unpleasant appearance, and at times they
appear with animal bodies. Some possess the ability to enter the dead bodies
of humans, thereby becoming so-called vetāla, to touch whom is fatal.

g.58 Pleasurable
bde byed

བ་ད།
—
The park in which the old stūpa is located in The Dhāraṇī for Secret Relics.
g.59 preta
yi dags

་དགས།
preta
A type of spirit known for being tormented by unceasing hunger and thirst.
The Sanskrit term generally refers to the spirits of the dead, but in Buddhism
specifically it refers to a class of sentient beings belonging to the lower states
of rebirth.

g.60 quintessence
snying po

ང་།
hṛdaya

g.61 railing
kha ran

ཁ་རན།
vedikā

g.62 rain gutter

char kab · char khab · char gab

ཆར་ཀབ། · ཆར་ཁབ། · ཆར་གབ།

varṣasthālaka

g.63 rākṣasa
srin po

ན་།
rākṣasa
Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:
A class of nonhuman beings that are often, but certainly not always,
considered demonic in the Buddhist tradition. They are often depicted as
flesh-eating monsters who haunt frightening places and are ugly and evil-
natured with a yearning for human flesh, and who additionally have
miraculous powers, such as being able to change their appearance.

g.64 receptacle
za ma tog
 ཟ་མ་ག
karaṇḍa
A basket, box, or other kind of receptacle with a lid.

g.65 relic
ring bsrel

ང་བལ།
dhātu · śarīra
The physical remains or personal objects of a previous tathāgata, arhat, or
other realized person that are venerated for their perpetual spiritual potency.
They are often enshrined in stūpas and other public monuments so that the
Buddhist community at large can benefit from their blessings and power.

g.66 Sage of the Śākyas

shAkya thub pa

་བ་པ།
śākyamuni
Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:
An epithet for the historical Buddha, Siddhārtha Gautama: he was a muni
(“sage”) from the Śākya clan. He is counted as the fourth of the first four
buddhas of the present Good Eon, the other three being Krakucchanda,
Kanakamuni, and Kāśyapa. He will be followed by Maitreya, the next
buddha in this eon.

g.67 Śakra
brgya byin

བ་ན།
śakra
Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:
The lord of the gods in the Heaven of the Thirty-Three (trāyastriṃśa).
Alternatively known as Indra, the deity that is called “lord of the gods”
dwells on the summit of Mount Sumeru and wields the thunderbolt. The
Tibetan translation brgya byin (meaning “one hundred sacrifices”) is based
on an etymology that śakra is an abbreviation of śata-kratu, one who has
performed a hundred sacrifices. Each world with a central Sumeru has a
Śakra. Also known by other names such as Kauśika, Devendra, and Śacipati.

g.68 scabies
g.yan pa
 གཡན་པ།
pāman

g.69 seal
phyag rgya

ག་།
mudrā
A polysemous term that indicates a “seal” in both the literal and metaphoric
sense. It can refer to an emblem or symbol, a ritual hand gesture, or a consort
in sexual practices. When paired with the term dhāraṇī it conveys the idea
that a dhāraṇī seals or stamps the nature that it embodies upon the reciter or
the targeted phenomenon.

g.70 seven precious materials

rin po che sna bdun

ན་་་་བན།
saptaratna
Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:
The set of seven precious materials or substances includes a range of
precious metals and gems, but their exact list varies. The set often consists of
gold, silver, beryl, crystal, red pearls, emeralds, and white coral, but may also
contain lapis lazuli, ruby, sapphire, chrysoberyl, diamonds, etc. The term is
frequently used in the sūtras to exemplify preciousness, wealth, and beauty,
and can describe treasures, offering materials, or the features of architectural
structures such as stūpas, palaces, thrones, etc. The set is also used to
describe the beauty and prosperity of buddha realms and the realms of the
gods.

In other contexts, the term saptaratna can also refer to the seven precious
possessions of a cakravartin or to a set of seven precious moral qualities.

g.71 six perfections

pha rol tu phyin pa drug

ཕ་ལ་་ན་པ་ག
ṣaṭpāramitā
The six perfections are generosity, discipline, patience, diligence,
concentration, and discernment.

g.72 solitary buddha

rang sangs rgyas
 རང་སངས་ས།
pratyekabuddha
Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:
Literally, “buddha for oneself” or “solitary realizer.” Someone who, in his or
her last life, attains awakening entirely through their own contemplation,
without relying on a teacher. Unlike the awakening of a fully realized
buddha (samyaksambuddha), the accomplishment of a pratyekabuddha is not
regarded as final or ultimate. They attain realization of the nature of
dependent origination, the selflessness of the person, and a partial
realization of the selflessness of phenomena, by observing the suchness of
all that arises through interdependence. This is the result of progress in
previous lives but, unlike a buddha, they do not have the necessary merit,
compassion or motivation to teach others. They are named as “rhinoceros-
like” (khaḍgaviṣāṇakalpa) for their preference for staying in solitude or as
“congregators” (vargacārin) when their preference is to stay among peers.

g.73 son or daughter of good family

rigs kyi bu’am rigs kyi bu mo

གས་་འམ་གས་་་།
kulaputro vā kuladuhitā
While this is usually a term pertaining to the brahmin, kṣatriya, or other
“upper castes,” the Buddha redefined noble birth as determined by an
individual’s ethical conduct and integrity. Thus, someone who enters the
Buddha’s Saṅgha is called a “son or daughter of noble family.”

g.74 Stainless Glow

dri med legs snang

་ད་གས་ང་།
—
A brahmin layman who is the main interlocutor in The Dhāraṇī for Secret Relics.

g.75 Stainless Pleasure Grove

dri ma med pa’i kun dga’ ra ba

་མ་ད་པ་ན་དགའ་ར་བ།
—
The location of the Buddha’s discourse in The Dhāraṇī for Secret Relics.

g.76 step
them skas
 མ་ས།
sopāna

g.77 stream enterer

rgyun du zhugs pa

ན་་གས་པ།
srotaāpanna · śrotaāpanna
The first of four levels of noble ones attainable on the path of the hearers.
Beings on this level have entered the “stream” of practice that will
inexorably lead to nirvāṇa.

g.78 stūpa
mchod rten

མད་ན།
stūpa · caitya
A sacred object representative of the mind of a buddha and the body of
reality (dharmakāya), originally constructed to hold the mortal remains of
Śākyamuni Buddha. The symbolism of the stūpa is complex, and its design
varies considerably throughout the Buddhist world.

g.79 subsidiary affliction

nye ba’i nyon mongs

་བ་ན་ངས།
upakleśa
The secondary afflictive emotions that arise in dependence upon the six root
afflictions (attachment, hatred, pride, ignorance, doubt, and wrong view);
they are (1) anger (krodha, khro ba), (2) resentment (upanāha, ’khon ’dzin), (3)
concealment [of faults] (mrakṣa, ’chab pa), (4) irritation (pradāśa, ’tshig pa), (5)
jealousy (īrśyā, phrag dog), (6) avarice (matsara, ser sna), (7) craftiness (māyā,
sgyu), (8) fickleness (śāṭhya, g.yo), (9) pompousness (mada, rgyags pa), (10)
harmfulness (vihiṃsā, rnam par ’tshe ba), (11) shamelessness (āhrīkya, ngo tsha
med pa), (12) non-embarrassment (anapatrāpya, khrel med pa), (13) lack of faith
(aśraddhya, ma dad pa), (14) laziness (kausīdya, le lo), (15) carelessness (pramāda,
bag med pa), (16) forgetfulness (muṣitasmṛtitā, brjed ngas), (17) inattentiveness
(asaṃprajanya, shes bzhin ma yin pa), (18) dullness (nimagna, bying ba), (19)
agitation (auddhatya, rgod pa), and (20) distraction (vikṣepa, rnam g.yeng).

g.80 symmetrical feature

legs par rnam par ’byes pa
 གས་པར་མ་པར་འས་པ།
suvibhakta

g.81 three bodies

sku gsum

་གམ།
trikāya
The three bodies or dimensions of a buddha’s enlightenment.

g.82 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 is also often used as a specific epithet of the Buddha
Śākyamuni.

g.83 Tsang Devendrarakṣita

gtsang de wen+d+ra rak+Shita

གཙང་་་རཏ།
devendrarakṣita
A Tibetan translator active in the early ninth century who translated The
Dhāraṇī for Secret Relics.

g.84 ulcer
lhog pa

ག་པ།
—
g.85 uṣṇīṣa
gtsug tor

གག་ར།
uṣṇīṣa
One of the thirty-two signs of a great being. In its simplest form, it is a
pointed shape on the head (like a turban). More elaborately, a dome-shaped
protuberance, or even an invisible protuberance of infinite height.

g.86 vajra holder

rdo rje ’dzin

་་འན།
vajradhara
Here used as an epithet of Vajrapāṇi.

g.87 Vajrapāṇi
lag na rdo rje · phyag na rdo rje

ལག་ན་་། · ག་ན་་།
vajrapāṇi
A figure who takes on numerous personas in Buddhist literature, including
as a yakṣa bodyguard of Śākyamuni, a bodhisattva, and an esoteric Buddhist
deity involved in the transmission of tantric scripture.

g.88 Vidyākaraprabha
bid+yA ka ra pra b+ha

 ་ཀ་ར་་བྷ།
vidyākaraprabha
Indian paṇḍita active in the early ninth century who translated The Dhāraṇī
for Secret Relics.

g.89 worm
sbrang ma mchu gsum · mchu sbrang

ང་མ་མ་གམ། · མ་ང་།
kīṭa

g.90 worthy one

dgra bcom pa

ད་བམ་པ།
 arhat
The fourth of four levels of noble ones attainable on the path of the hearers.
Beings on this level have eliminated all the afflictions and personally ended
rebirth in cyclic existence.

g.91 yakṣa
gnod sbyin

གད་ན།
yakṣa
Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:
A class of nonhuman beings who inhabit forests, mountainous areas, and
other natural spaces, or serve as guardians of villages and towns, and may
be propitiated for health, wealth, protection, and other boons, or controlled
through magic. According to tradition, their homeland is in the north, where
they live under the rule of the Great King Vaiśravaṇa.

Several members of this class have been deified as gods of wealth (these
include the just-mentioned Vaiśravaṇa) or as bodhisattva generals of yakṣa
armies, and have entered the Buddhist pantheon in a variety of forms,
including, in tantric Buddhism, those of wrathful deities.