Toh 164The Noble Great Vehicle Sūtra “The Questions of Ratnacandra”

Summary

The Questions of Ratnacandra is a sūtra in
which Ratnacandra, a prince from the country of Magadha, requests the Buddha
Śākyamuni to reveal the names of the ten buddhas who dwell in the ten
directions. Prince Ratnacandra has been told that hearing the names of these ten
buddhas ensures that one will attain awakening at some point in the future. The
Buddha confirms this and discloses their names, as well as details of their
respective buddha realms, such as the names of these realms and their many
unique qualities.

Acknowledgements

Translated by Tenpa Tsering, Khentrul Gyurme Dorjee, and Davis A. Baltz. The translation was edited by Ryan Damron
and Andreas Doctor, who also wrote the introduction together.

Introduction

The Questions of Ratnacandra is a sūtra
that takes place on Vulture Peak Mountain outside of the city of Rājagṛha,
the capital of the ancient country of Magadha. There Ratnacandra, who is
described as one of the sons of King Bimbisāra, the ruler of Magadha,
requests the Buddha Śākyamuni to reveal the names of the ten buddhas who dwell
in the ten directions. Ratnacandra has been told that hearing the names of
these ten buddhas guarantees one’s future awakening and so wishes to know
them. The Buddha confirms the transformative power of these ten names, and
during the course of the sūtra he discloses them and provides additional
details of these buddhas, their respective realms,
and their many unique qualities—including their cosmically long dispensations.
Finally, the Buddha concludes the teaching
by relating the events of a distant past that led to these ten buddhas
conjointly attaining awakening.

The message of the sūtra—that one can ensure the future attainment of
awakening by coming into contact with the names of celestial buddhas—is one
shared by a number of Great Vehicle sūtras. Nakamura includes this sūtra
among more than twenty sūtras in the Chinese canon that prescribe the
practice of chanting the names of various buddhas.
The Tibetan canon likewise contains a significant number of such sūtras.
However, since the organizing principles of the Degé Kangyur are not always
thematic but often based on other criteria, such as titles, The Questions of Ratnacandra is grouped in the
Degé Kangyur among the many sūtras named “The Questions of . . . .”
This sūtra is a prime example of the genre of Great Vehicle literature that
places great emphasis on the transformative power of remembering,
chanting, and venerating the names of the many buddhas who occupy other
world systems concurrently with Buddha Śākyamuni’s presence here in our
realm.

No Sanskrit manuscript of this sūtra appears to be extant, but in
addition to the Tibetan translation a single Chinese translation also exists
(Taishō 437). This translation was produced by the Indian monk Dānapāla (fl.
ca. 980 ce), a prolific translator
credited with completing no less than one hundred individual translations.
In spite of this relatively late date of translation into Chinese, Nakamura
remarks that a certain “prototype” of The Questions of
Ratnacandra is cited in the Daśabhūmikavibhāṣā, which is attributed to Nāgārjuna (ca.
second–third century ce). The
attribution of this text to Nāgārjuna is itself a topic of debate, but the
text was undoubtedly translated by Kumārajīva, who lived from 344–413 ce. This means that the so-called “prototype” of
The Questions of Ratnacandra must have been
in circulation in India prior to the middle of the fourth century ce.

The colophon of the Tibetan translation lists four figures involved
in its production: the Indian preceptors Viśuddhasiṃha and Vidyākarasiṃha and
the Tibetan translators Gewa Pal (dge ba
dpal) and Devacandra (de ba tsan
dra). Therefore, the Tibetan translation would have been
completed during the early translation period. The ninth-century Denkarma
(ldan dkar ma) catalog includes a
text with a similar title, The Questions of the Child
Ratnacandra (khye’u rin chen zla bas
zhus pa), but this title may not refer to the text translated
here. The Phukdrak (phug brag) Kangyur
uniquely preserves texts with both titles, and while they are similar enough
in content to suggest that they are closely related texts, The Questions of the Child Ratnacandra is
substantially different. This sūtra shares the framing narrative and other
structural features of The Questions of
Ratnacandra but omits many of its specific descriptive elements,
especially those concerning the Buddha’s entourage and the features of the
individual buddha realms. There is also significant variation in the names
of the buddha realms and their attending thus-gone ones, with most, but not
all, being unique to each version.
The Questions of the Child Ratnacandra found in
the Phukdrak Kangyur also lacks the versified passage that closes The Questions of Ratnacandra. The text recorded in
the Denkarma catalog as The Questions of the Child
Ratnacandra is listed as a translation made by the same group of
Indian preceptors and Tibetan translators as The
Questions of Ratnacandra, suggesting it may in fact be the work
translated here; however, the Phukdrak version lacks a translator’s
colophon, making it impossible to determine any contextual relationship
between the two translations. To confuse matters more, The Questions of Ratnacandra is preserved under the title
The Questions of the Child Ratnacandra in
extra-canonical dhāraṇī collections. In
producing this English translation, we have based our work on the Degé
xylograph while consulting the Comparative Edition (dpe bsdur ma).

The Translation

The Noble Great Vehicle Sūtra

The Questions of Ratnacandra

Homage to the Omniscient One.

Thus did I hear at one time. The Blessed One was residing in
Rājagṛha, on Vulture Peak Mountain, together with a large community of
7,200,000 monks, including Śāriputra and Maudgalyāyana. There were also
90,000 bodhisattvas, including the bodhisattva great being Maitreya, the
bodhisattva great being Mañjuśrī, the bodhisattva great being Akṣayamati,
the bodhisattva great being Sāgaramati, the bodhisattva great being
Anantamati, the bodhisattva great being Dṛḍhamati, the bodhisattva great
being Dispeller of the Three Realms, the bodhisattva great being Ratnapāṇi,
the bodhisattva great being Vaidyarāja, the bodhisattva great being
Ratnākara, and the bodhisattva great being Joy and Sorrow. There were also
many billions of gods, including the Four Great Kings; Śakra, king of the
gods, along with his millions of divine attendants; and Brahmā, lord of the
Enduring world, along with his millions of divine attendants from the Brahmā
realm. There were also millions of nāgas, including the nāga king Sāgara,
the nāga king Anavatapta, the nāga king Elapatra, and the nāga king
Renowned. Along with them were millions of yakṣa generals, such as
Āṭavaka, Sucīromā, Oṣadhi, and Gardabhaka.

One morning the Blessed One put on his lower garments and monk’s
robes, took his alms bowl, and left for his alms round in Rājagṛha. At the
same time Prince Ratnacandra, son of King Bimbisāra, left the city of
Rājagṛha riding an elephant known as Eight-Trunked. It was adorned with
seven kinds of precious materials and covered with golden latticework. Small
bells were tied onto the elephant, which was further ornamented with tassels
of golden brocade. As the prince emerged incense was burned, flower petals
were scattered, and banners and flags were unfurled. After riding through
the city, which was decorated with parasols and fences, beautified with precious trees,
and encircled by seven pavilions, he rode out of the capital displaying
both royal wealth and power.

As Prince Ratnacandra was handing out alms to everyone present, he
noticed the Blessed One walking in the distance. He was handsome and
gracious, with peaceful faculties and mind. He had the most exquisite color.
He was perfectly gentle and peaceful, the perfection of a gentle and
peaceful being. He had a great presence and was restrained and calm. Like a
lake, he was clear and pristine. Like a golden reliquary, his noble body was
adorned with the thirty-two major marks and the eighty minor marks of a
great being. Due to his supreme splendor, he was shining, bright, and
resplendent.

Upon seeing the Blessed One, Ratnacandra was moved to faith. Filled
with faith, he immediately alighted from the elephant and approached the
Blessed One. Prostrating at the feet of the Blessed One, he circumambulated
him three times and sat to one side with deference and respect. Ratnacandra, son of King
Bimbisāra, folded his palms together and bowed toward the Blessed One and
spoke to him, “O Blessed One, it is said
that a faithful noble son or daughter who has heard the names of the ten
thus-gone, worthy, perfect buddhas who dwell in the ten directions will not
fall back from the unsurpassed and perfect state of awakening. Blessed One,
please speak of this. Thus-Gone One, please tell us about this.”

In response, the Blessed One said to Ratnacandra, son of
King Bimbisāra, “Prince, well done! Well done indeed. Prince, you ask this
in order to benefit many beings and bring them happiness. You do so out of
love for the world and for the welfare of many beings, to benefit and bring
happiness to gods and humans alike, and to assist the bodhisattvas of the
present and the future. Prince, it is excellent you thought to ask the
thus-gone, worthy, perfect Buddha about this point. Prince, your request is
excellent, and it is virtuous that you were moved to articulate it.
Therefore, Prince, listen carefully and keep this teaching in mind. Listen
to me with one-pointed concentration and reflect on what I say as I explain
this teaching to you.”

Ratnacandra, son of King Bimbisāra, replied to the Blessed One,
“Excellent!” And he listened as the Blessed One had directed.

The Blessed One then said, “Prince, east of this buddha realm, past
countless, inconceivably many, limitless billions of buddha realms, there is
a realm called Sorrowless. You may wonder how many boundless
buddha realms one must pass through to reach that realm. Well, Prince,
suppose the entire trichiliocosm was completely filled with sand, all the
way to its summits. If a person were to remove the sand, grain by grain, and
place one grain of sand in each buddha realm toward the east until every
single grain of sand was placed in a buddha realm in that direction, one
would still not have reached the extent and limit of those buddha realms.
The realm called Sorrowless lies farther away than such boundless and
countless billions of buddha realms. That realm is as flat as the palm of
the hand, is beautifully decorated with seven kinds of precious substances,
and has a ground made of gold. It is laid out in a checkered pattern and
ornamented with precious trees. There are no hell beings, animals, hungry
spirits, or asuras there, and it is free of grass, dried sticks, thorns,
stones, pebbles, gravel, ravines, and precipices. Instead, the ground is
covered in flower petals.

“There the thus-gone, worthy, perfect buddha Bhadraśrī resides and
lives surrounded by a gathering of bodhisattvas who venerate him. He is
learned and venerable, a well-gone one, a knower of the world, a steersman
who guides beings, an unexcelled one, a teacher of gods and humans, a
blessed buddha. His body, which is adorned with the thirty-two marks of a
great being, is like purified and refined gold adorned with precious
ornaments. Sitting beautifully amidst the gathering, he teaches a Dharma
that is virtuous in the beginning, virtuous in the middle, and virtuous in
the end. He teaches as follows: ‘In this way the earth element will not become
nonexistent, nor will the water element, the fire element, or the wind
element. Likewise, Brahmā who is the lord of beings will not become nonexistent,
and the same applies to form, feeling, perception, formation, and
consciousness.’ Prince, it has been six hundred million eons since the
thus-gone, worthy, perfect buddha Bhadraśrī fully awakened to unsurpassed
and perfect buddhahood.

“Prince, in that buddha realm there are no words for
day and night, and there is nothing
analogous to that calculation of time used in our world. The entire buddha realm is
permanently illuminated with the light of the thus-gone one. Moreover,
Prince, every teaching given by the thus-gone one establishes countless
billions of beings at the level of unborn phenomena. He
establishes twice as many beings in each of the three types of acceptance.
Furthermore, Prince, sentient beings who served past buddhas in other buddha
realms and produced roots of virtue with them will attain acceptance that
phenomena are unborn when touched by the light born from the power generated
from the past aspirations of this thus-gone, worthy, perfect buddha. Prince,
any noble son or daughter who hears the name of the thus-gone, worthy,
perfect buddha Bhadraśrī will never turn back from unsurpassed and perfect
awakening.

“Prince, south of here, past as many countless billions of
buddha realms as mentioned before, there is a realm called Joy. That realm is as flat as the
palm of the hand and has all the other qualities previously described.
There the thus-gone, worthy, perfect buddha Candanaśrī resides and
lives surrounded by a gathering of bodhisattvas who venerate him. He teaches
them a Dharma that is virtuous in the beginning, virtuous in the middle, and
virtuous in the end. He also teaches the same Dharma mentioned previously,
up until ‘consciousness.’ Prince, what do you think? Why is the thus-gone
one called Candanaśrī? The entire buddha realm of the thus-gone one is
filled with houses built of sandalwood. Therefore, the thus-gone one is
called Candanaśrī. Any noble son or daughter who hears the name
of that thus-gone, worthy, perfect buddha will never turn back from unsurpassed and perfect
awakening.

“Prince, west of here, past as many countless billions of buddha
realms as mentioned before, there is a realm called Excellence.
That realm is as flat as the palm of the hand and has all the other
qualities described above. There the thus-gone, worthy, perfect buddha
Amitābha resides and lives surrounded by a gathering of bodhisattvas who
venerate him. He teaches them a Dharma that is virtuous in the beginning,
virtuous in the middle, and virtuous in the end. He also teaches the same
Dharma mentioned previously, up until ‘consciousness.’ Prince, any noble son
or daughter who hears the name of that thus-gone, worthy, perfect buddha
will never turn back from unsurpassed and perfect awakening and will
experience that light.

“Prince, north of here, past as many countless billions of buddha realms as mentioned before,
there is a realm called Without Conflict. That realm is as flat as the palm
of the hand and has all the other qualities described above. There the
thus-gone, worthy, perfect buddha Floral Splendor resides and lives
surrounded by a gathering of bodhisattvas who venerate him. He teaches them
a Dharma that is virtuous in the beginning, virtuous in the middle, and
virtuous in the end. He also teaches the same Dharma mentioned previously,
up until ‘consciousness.’ Prince, any noble son or daughter who hears the
name of that thus-gone, worthy, perfect buddha will never turn back from
unsurpassed and perfect awakening and will become like a victory banner for
the world along with its gods.

“Prince, southeast of here, past countless billions of buddha
realms, there is a realm called Moonlight. That realm is as flat as the palm
of the hand and has all the other qualities described above. Prince, what do
you think? Why is that world called Moonlight? It is because the rays of
light from its thus-gone one illuminate that entire realm. That is why
that world is called Moonlight. There the thus-gone, worthy, perfect buddha
Aśokaśrī resides and lives surrounded by a gathering of bodhisattvas who
venerate him. He teaches them the same Dharma mentioned previously, up until
‘consciousness.’ Any noble son or daughter who hears his name will never turn back from unsurpassed and
perfect awakening.

“Prince, southwest of here, past countless billions of buddha
realms, there is a realm called Decorated with Banners. That realm is as
flat as the palm of the hand and has all the other qualities described
above. There the thus-gone, worthy, perfect buddha Ratnayūpa resides and
lives surrounded by a gathering of bodhisattvas who venerate him. He teaches
them the same Dharma mentioned previously, up until ‘consciousness.’ Any
noble son or daughter who hears his name will never turn back from unsurpassed and perfect awakening and will
become as exalted as a jewel in the world.

“Prince, northwest of here, past countless billions of buddha
realms, there is a realm called Resounding. That realm is as flat as the
palm of the hand and has all the other qualities described above. Prince,
what do you think? Why is that world called Resounding? It is because the
realm is endowed with the sounds of ‘Buddha,’ ‘Dharma,’ and ‘Saṅgha,’ as
well as ‘emptiness,’ ‘signlessness,’ and ‘wishlessness.’ Furthermore, it is
endowed with the sounds of ‘generosity,’ ‘discipline,’ ‘patience,’
‘diligence,’ ‘concentration,’ ‘insight,’ ‘liberation,’ and ‘vision of the wisdom of
liberation.’ Prince, since that world is endowed with such sounds, it is
called Resounding. There the thus-gone, worthy, perfect buddha Kusumaśrī
resides and lives surrounded by a gathering of bodhisattvas who
venerate him. He teaches them the same Dharma mentioned previously, up until
‘consciousness.’ Any noble son or daughter who hears his name will never turn back from unsurpassed and
perfect awakening and, like a flower, will be unstained by nonvirtuous
phenomena.

“Prince, northeast of here, past countless billions of buddha realms, there is a realm called Happy. It is affluent, thriving,
and happy. It has good harvests and is inhabited by many people. It is as
flat as the palm of the hand and has all the other qualities described
above. There the thus-gone, worthy, perfect buddha Reveling in Lesser,
Medium, and Higher Superknowledge resides and lives surrounded by a
gathering of bodhisattvas who venerate him. He teaches them the same Dharma
mentioned previously, up until ‘consciousness.’ Any noble son or daughter
who hears his name will never turn
back from unsurpassed and perfect awakening, will become skilled in all the
actions and ways of bodhisattvas, and will uphold the knowledge of the perfections.

“Prince, below here, past countless billions of buddha realms, there is a
realm called Vast Expanse. Prince, what do you think? Why is that world
called Vast Expanse? It is because it is as flat as the palm of the hand and
it has no mountains, surrounding mountains, or great surrounding mountains.
Since even the word mountain does not exist
in that buddha realm, it is called Vast Expanse. There the thus-gone,
worthy, perfect buddha Prabhāśrī resides and lives surrounded by a gathering
of bodhisattvas who venerate him. He teaches them the same Dharma mentioned
previously, up until ‘consciousness.’ Any noble son or daughter who hears
his name will never turn back from
unsurpassed and perfect awakening and will be graced with the exhaustion of
all their perpetuating afflictions.

“Prince, above here, past innumerable, unfathomable, inconceivable,
and immeasurable billions of buddha realms, there is a realm called Moonlit.
How many unfathomable buddha realms must one pass through to reach Moonlit?
Prince, it is like this. Suppose this trichiliocosm were completely filled
with sand, all the way to its summits. If a person were to remove
the sand, grain by grain, and place one grain of sand in each buddha realm
above until every single grain of sand was placed in a buddha realm in that
direction, one would still not have reached the extent and limit of those
buddha realms. The realm Moonlit lies farther away than such unfathomable and innumerable
billions of buddha realms. That realm is as flat as the palm
of the hand, is beautifully decorated with seven kinds of precious
substances, and has a ground made of gold. It is laid out in a checkered
pattern and ornamented with precious trees. There are no hell beings,
animals, hungry spirits, or asuras there, and it is free of
grass, dried sticks, thorns, stones, pebbles, gravel, ravines, and
precipices. Instead, the ground is covered in flower petals.

“There the thus-gone, worthy, perfect buddha Dhanaśrī resides and
lives surrounded by a gathering of bodhisattvas who venerate him. He is
learned and venerable, a well-gone one, a knower of the world, a steersman
who guides beings, an unexcelled one, a teacher of gods and humans, a
blessed buddha. His body, which is adorned with the thirty-two marks of a
great being, is like purified and refined gold adorned with precious
ornaments. Sitting beautifully amidst the gathering, he teaches a Dharma
that is virtuous in the beginning, virtuous in the middle, and virtuous in
the end. He teaches as follows: ‘In this way the earth element will not become
nonexistent, nor will the water element, the fire element, or the wind
element. Likewise, Brahmā who is the lord of beings will not become nonexistent,
and the same applies to form, feeling, perception, formation, and
consciousness.’ Any
noble son or daughter who hears his name will never turn back from unsurpassed and perfect awakening and will
receive the precious and unsurpassed Dharma.

“Prince, any noble son or daughter who hears the names of these
thus-gone, worthy, perfect buddhas, who are endowed with perfect conduct,
qualities, wisdom, discipline, absorption, insight, liberation, and the
vision of the wisdom of liberation, will never turn back from unsurpassed
and perfect awakening.

“Prince, long ago in the past, eons beyond calculation and
measure, there was an eon by the name of Ratnākara. In that eon appeared the
thus-gone, worthy, perfect buddha Sāgaraśrī. He was learned and venerable, a
well-gone one, a knower of the world, a steersman who guides beings, an
unexcelled one, a teacher of gods and humans, a blessed buddha. At that
time, these ten thus-gone, worthy, perfect buddhas came together to generate
roots of virtue by making boundless and countless grand offerings of food
and drink, flowers, incense, flower garlands, lotions, parasols, banners, and
flags to that blessed one. Thereby all of them together generated the mind
set upon unsurpassed and perfect awakening. Then, one day, at precisely the
same moment, they all achieved acceptance that phenomena are unborn.
Thereafter they gradually engaged in bodhisattva conduct and mastered the
factors that are conducive for awakening. Then, at precisely the same
moment, they all attained unsurpassed and perfect awakening in each of their
respective buddha realms. At precisely the same moment, they all turned the
wheel of Dharma. They even enjoyed the same lifespan. Prince, these
thus-gone, worthy, perfect buddhas will also one day enter into complete
nirvāṇa at precisely the same moment.”

Ratnacandra, son of King Bimbisāra, then said to the Blessed
One, “Blessed One, the lifespan of those thus-gone, worthy,
perfect buddhas is amazing! Blessed One, out of compassion for sentient
beings, those thus-gone ones intentionally live such long lives. Blessed
One, how much merit will noble sons or daughters generate if they keep the
lifespan of those thus-gone ones in mind and trust in it without
disregarding it or ignoring it?”

The Buddha replied, “Prince, one could fill up this entire
trichiliocosm, along with the buddha realms of these ten thus-gone ones and
the other buddha realms in the ten directions, with the seven precious
substances of the gods and make daily offerings of them to the thus-gone,
worthy, perfect buddhas, continuing this daily offering for countless eons.
On the other hand, a noble son or daughter who has heard about the names and
lifespan of these buddhas may keep them faithfully in mind without
disregarding or disrespecting them and instead trust and agree with them.
For that person the heap of merit accrued is far greater than that gathered
by the former person. The former does not gather even a hundredth or a
thousandth of that. It is, in fact, beyond the scope of illustration.”

Then, in order to venerate this teaching and the ten thus-gone ones,
Śakra king of the gods, Brahmā lord of the Enduring world, the Four Great Kings, and the divine sons Īśvara, Maheśvara, Glorious Fortune, Tuṣita, and Santuṣita scattered divine
flowers and sandalwood powder upon the Thus-Gone One. Then they spoke these
words: “Blessed One, any noble son or daughter who retains,
carries, reads, and recites this teaching is worthy of reverence. Blessed
One, merely holding this teaching in their hand, they will never turn back
from unsurpassed and perfect awakening. Blessed One, any noble son or
daughter who hears this teaching will not fall under the sway of the evil
Māra.”

At that point Prince Ratnacandra, son of King Bimbisāra,
addressed the following verses to the Blessed One:

“Blessed One, you are beyond the aggregates!

Your eloquent teachings are beyond measure.

I and the entire world, along with its gods,

Rejoice in the teachings you have given.

“We take refuge in the world protectors

Who have passed, who are yet to come,

And in the buddhas who are present,

Residing in all directions.

“Of common purpose with all the buddhas,

The Dharma and Saṅgha are the utmost peace.

Their perfect qualities are inconceivable.

We take refuge in the Saṅgha too.

“The fearless bodhisattvas

Are stable in patience,

Grounded in recall,

And maintain incomparable emptiness.

“These bodhisattvas train well

In the sūtras of characteristics,

The scriptures that lead to awakening,

And the sūtras that conform to both.

“Sage, like them, we too wish to train

In the conduct of awakening.

You have taught about those naturally arisen ones,

The pure arrangement of their realms,

“And their practices, domains, and absorptions,

As well as their qualities

And the lifespan of these supreme sages.

Now I too will accomplish these qualities.”

Then the Blessed One commended the gods and Ratnacandra, and
addressed them with the following verses:

“All who recall the names

Of these protectors of the world

Will, in future times,

Become supreme among humans.

“They too will live

For inconceivably many millions of eons,

Like the lifespan of these supreme sages,

Which I have just described.

“Those who recall the names

Of these protectors

Will be unharmed by fire, bandits,

Poison, and weapons.

“Whoever recalls the names of these buddhas

Will never drown in rivers,

Will never be subject to royal punishment,

And will never forsake the Dharma.

“Recite these names at three times:

In the first watch of the night

And in the middle and last watches as well.

Wise ones who recite the names

“Of these supreme sages

In the morning, at noon,

And in the evening

Will have good dreams.

“Next, having recalled these names,

One must confess all the negative deeds

One has committed

Over the course of billions of eons.

“Any negative deed committed

By way of body, speech, and mind

After one has recalled these names

Must also be confessed.

“Touching one’s five points to the ground,

One should rejoice in the merit

Of all the wholesome deeds accumulated

By the victors prior to awakening.

“Having attained awakening,

The kinsmen of the world taught the Dharma,

And all beings made offerings

To the protectors of the world.

“The children of the victors should rejoice in them

Three times during the day and night.

In this way the perfections that benefit self and others

Shall be accomplished.”

When the Blessed One had spoken these words, the youth Ratnacandra,
son of King Bimbisāra, along with all the bodhisattvas, monks, gods, humans,
asuras, and gandharvas, rejoiced in the Buddha’s teaching and offered
praise.

This completes the noble Great Vehicle sūtra “The Questions of Ratnacandra.”

Colophon

The Indian preceptor Viśuddhasiṃha and the translator Bandé Gewa
Pal translated this. Later, the Indian preceptor Vidyākarasiṃha and the
editor-translator Bandé Devacandra edited and finalized it.

Notes

Bibliography

Literally, “the five limbs,” i.e., the head, arms, and legs.
five points

A bodhisattva.

A royal elephant belonging to the stables of
King Bimbisāra.

A buddha who lives in a northern buddha realm
called Without Conflict.

A Tibetan translator active in Tibet in the late
eighth to early ninth century.

A deity.

A deity from the Brahmanical pantheon.

A bodhisattva.

A nāga king.

Reveling in Lesser, Medium, and Higher Superknowledge
mngon par shes pa chung ngu dang ’bring dang chen pos rnam par rol pa
མངོན་པར་ཤེས་པ་ཆུང་ངུ་དང་འབྲིང་དང་ཆེན་པོས་རྣམ་པར་རོལ་པ།

A buddha who lives in a northeastern buddha
realm called Happy.

A southwestern buddha realm.

A western buddha realm.

A northeastern buddha realm.

A southern buddha realm.

A southeastern buddha realm.

A buddha realm above.

A northwestern buddha realm.

A buddha realm below.

A northern buddha realm.