Mahāyāna — Northern Canon · Kangyur — General Sūtras

Toh 172The Noble Mahāyāna Sūtra “The Question of Mañjuśrī”

Pāli / Sanskrit:Mañjuśrīparipṛcchā

📖10,298 words · ~41 min read

Summary

Summary The bodhisattva Mañjuśrī approaches the Buddha and asks about the extent of the merit represented by the Buddha’s “Dharma conch,” which here seems to mean the Buddha’s voice. The Buddha proceeds to illustrate the vastness of this merit by means of a cosmic multiplication—sequentially compounding the merit of all beings in a certain realm if they each possessed the merit of a cakravartin, a brahmā god, a bodhisattva, and so forth, each having more merit than the previous one. The expansion continues through a list of the eighty designs marking the body of a buddha and the thirty-two signs of a great being, which, multiplied inconceivably, are said to be equal in merit to the Dharma conch. The Buddha then explains how the voice, body, and light of the Buddha are made known throughout countless realms and take on numberless manifestations to tame beings.

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Full translation (English)

Summary

The bodhisattva Mañjuśrī approaches the Buddha and asks about the extent of the merit represented by the Buddha’s “Dharma conch,”
which here seems to mean the Buddha’s voice. The Buddha proceeds to illustrate the vastness of this merit by means of a cosmic
multiplication—sequentially compounding the merit of all beings in a certain realm if they each possessed the merit of a
cakravartin, a brahmā god, a bodhisattva, and so forth, each having more merit than the previous one. The expansion continues through a list
of the eighty designs marking the body of a buddha and the thirty-two signs of a great being, which, multiplied inconceivably, are said to
be equal in merit to the Dharma conch. The Buddha then explains how the voice, body, and light of the Buddha are made known throughout
countless realms and take on numberless manifestations to tame beings.

Acknowledgements

This sūtra was translated by the Kīrtimukha Translation Group. Celso Wilkinson, Laura Goetz, and L.S. Summer translated the text
from the Tibetan and Sanskrit. William Giddings provided comparisons to the Chinese versions of the text.

The translation was completed under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.

Introduction

The Question of Mañjuśrī presents a dialogue between the Buddha and the bodhisattva Mañjuśrī, in
which the Buddha illustrates the vastness of the merit represented by the Buddha’s Dharma conch and how, by means of his conch and other
auspicious qualities, the Buddha and his teaching pervade countless worlds and manifest in countless guises according to the myriad needs
and dispositions of beings.

The sūtra opens with Mañjuśrī approaching the Buddha and asking him to explain the measure of the merit represented by the
Buddha’s “Dharma conch,” which in this sūtra seems to mean the Buddha’s voice. The conch symbolizes the far-reaching power of the Buddha’s
word and the vast extent to which the teachings resonate among the incalculable realms. The conch shell is also one of the eight
auspicious emblems that each symbolize various beneficent aspects of the Buddha’s teaching.

In order to express the vast magnitude of the merit of the Dharma conch, the Buddha proceeds to present a sequence of
hypothetical scenarios in which all beings in a given realm possess the merit of a previously introduced figure or attribute. That merit
is then multiplied by varying amounts to equal that of an even greater figure or attribute—from the cakravartin monarch to Māra, to brahmā
gods of increasingly vast domains, to pratyekabuddhas and bodhisattvas, to the pores of the Buddha’s body and his eighty excellent
signs—culminating in lists of the eighty designs marking the Buddha’s hands and feet and the thirty-two signs of a great being. Finally,
the Buddha states that the sum of multiplying these eighty designs by an inconceivable amount is equal to the sum of merit generated by
the Dharma conch. A very similar passage, with the same sequence of meritorious figures and signs culminating in the Buddha’s voice,
can be seen in the Ratnameghasūtra (Toh 231), while a somewhat less similar
presentation of the exponential superiority of the Dharma conch is found in another sūtra, the Akṣayamatinirdeśasūtra
(Toh 175, placed nearby in the Degé Kangyur).

The list of eighty designs on the Buddha’s hands and feet is a unique feature of this sūtra. Peter Skilling has compiled an
analysis of the various sources that list the designs and symbols found on the body or on the hands and feet of the Buddha. Such lists are well known in the Theravādin traditions,
which include an early list of around forty designs given by Buddhaghosa in his commentaries on the Digha
and Majjhima Nikāyas, and several later lists of one hundred and eight signs found in Pali sources from
the twelfth to fourteenth centuries. In the Kangyur this list of eighty designs is found exclusively in The Question
of Mañjuśrī, but there are two texts in the Tengyur that contain similar lists: Śamathadeva’s Abhidharmakośaṭīkopayikā (Toh 4094) contains two lists—one short and one long—of designs found on the body of the Buddha, cited from texts that no longer exist, and Daśabalaśrīmitra’s
Saṃskṛtāsaṃskṛtaviniścaya (Toh 3897) also contains a short and long list of designs found
on the hands and feet of the Buddha. In this latter text the long list is, with some exceptions, nearly identical to that found in The Question of Mañjuśrī and likely drawn from the same source. Skilling points out that although The Question of Mañjuśrī is a Mahāyāna sūtra, this list must have been taken from a Vaibhāṣika or (Mūla)Sarvāstivādin
source.

The eighty designs differ from the more commonly known eighty excellent signs on the body of a buddha. The eighty designs are
adornments on the hands and feet that are said to be greater in the hierarchy of merit than the eighty excellent signs on the body, which,
although not enumerated in Tibetan sources of The Question of Mañjuśrī, are listed in two of the Chinese
versions. The
thirty-two signs listed in this sūtra align roughly with other standard enumerations in the canonical literature.

The Buddha goes on to explain that the Dharma conch, with its power to tame beings, causes the teachings to pervade countless
world systems, as do his body, light, and conduct—all of which manifest according to the needs and inclinations of beings. In the end,
Mañjuśrī praises the Buddha, and the audience rejoices in his teaching.

There was no known Sanskrit original of The Question of Mañjuśrī available until recently, when a
manuscript containing a collection of twenty texts, all of them sūtras, was found in the Potala Palace in Lhasa. Bhikṣuṇī Vinītā published
a critical edition of this collection, along with an English translation, in the series Sanskrit Texts from the Autonomous Region (2010).
Unfortunately, due to the inaccessibility of the manuscript collection and because it is missing a final colophon, its origin and date are
currently unknown. In our translation, citations of the Sanskrit are given using Vinītā’s emendations of
the handwritten manuscript.

The Question of Mañjuśrī is the last in the manuscript collection and is abruptly cut off about one
third of the way through, ending in the middle of the third folio (F.2.b) of this sūtra as found in the Degé Kangyur. In the Sanskrit
manuscript, this sūtra is titled Dharmaśaṅkhasūtra, or The Dharma Conch
Sūtra, while in Tibetan manuscripts it is only ever called The Question of Mañjuśrī (Mañjuśrīparipṛcchāsūtra).

There are three versions of the text found in the Chinese Tripiṭaka: one (Taishō 473) translated by Faxian (法賢, 337–422 ce), which combines the titles The Question of
Mañjuśrī and The Dharma Conch (佛説妙吉祥菩薩所問大乘法螺經); another (Taishō 661)
translated by Divākara (地婆訶羅, 613–687 ce) called The
Mahāyāna Sūtra on the Hundred Meritorious Marks (大乘百福相經); and a third (Taishō 662), said to be
translated by Divākara, called The Mahāyāna Sūtra on the Marks Adorned with a Hundred Merits (大乘百福莊嚴相經).

No information is given in the colophon as to the translator or editor of the Tibetan. The Denkarma and Phangthangma imperial
catalogs both mention a Question of Mañjuśrī among the registry of sūtras, although there is a slight
ambiguity owing to the length of ninety ślokas (one śloka equaling sixteen syllables in the Sanskrit source) described in both catalogs, which seems
a bit short for this text. Nonetheless, considering the sūtra’s early presence in the Chinese canon, this is most likely the same text,
and assuming this is the case we can surmise that it was translated into Tibetan in the early translation period at a date no later than
that of the Denkarma, 812 ce.

We have based our translation primarily on the Degé edition of the Tibetan Kangyur, but we have also consulted the Sanskrit as
well as the Comparative Edition (Tib. dpe bsdur ma) and several other Kangyur editions,
including those from Tshalpa, Thempangma, and independent lines. These recensions are generally consistent and roughly correspond to the
Sanskrit and Chinese sources, but there are occasional differences such as additions or omissions of stages in the hierarchical sequence
of merit. There are also, as is to be expected, some variations
between the Chinese and Tibetan translations of the lists found in the sūtra.

The Translation

The Noble Mahāyāna Sūtra

The Question of Mañjuśrī

Homage to all buddhas and bodhisattvas!

Thus did I hear at one time. The Blessed One was dwelling in the Samanta Assembly Hall in Śrāvastī together with a great saṅgha
of 1,250 monks, innumerable bodhisattva mahāsattvas, and many hundreds of thousands of beings to be tamed, and other bodhisattva
mahāsattvas headed by Avalokiteśvara.

The Blessed One sat unwavering upon a jeweled lion throne. Through the power of the Buddha, the bodhisattva mahāsattva Mañjuśrī
rose from his seat, draped his upper robe over one shoulder, and knelt on his right knee. Joining his palms toward the Blessed One, he said, “Blessed One, how extensive is the great merit of the Tathāgata’s
Dharma conch, the great merit by which the wishes of the many
hundred sextillions of beings to be tamed are completely fulfilled?”

The Blessed One replied to the bodhisattva mahāsattva Mañjuśrī, “Mañjuśrī, the great merit of the Tathāgata’s Dharma conch, the great merit by which the wishes of a hundred sextillion beings to be tamed are completely
fulfilled, arises from insight and is imbued with great compassion. It is inconceivable.

“Mañjuśrī, if all of the beings in the world were to engage in the path of the ten virtuous actions, and if that collection of
merit, which is the collection of merit of all those beings, were multiplied by a hundred, it would equal that of a cakravartin king who has dominion over the four continents and
possesses the seven treasures. The seven treasures are as follows: the precious wheel, the precious elephant, the
precious horse, the precious jewel, the precious woman, the precious steward, and the precious minister. He has a thousand heroic sons who
are courageous, have excellent well-built bodies, and utterly defeat opposing armies. Mañjuśrī, such is the cakravartin king’s great
miraculous powers and might.

“Mañjuśrī, if all beings in the world with its four continents were to possess the cakravartin king’s merit, and if that merit,
which is the merit of all those beings, were multiplied by a hundred, it would equal that of Śakra, lord of the gods. Such is the lord of the gods’ great miraculous powers and great
might.

“Mañjuśrī, if all of the beings in the realm of the world
with its four continents were to possess Śakra’s merit, and if that merit, which is the merit of all those beings, were multiplied by a
hundred thousand, it would equal that of Māra, lord of the desire realm, who understands the teachings within the desire realm. Such is Māra of the desire realm’s great miraculous powers and great might.

“Mañjuśrī, if all of the beings in the realm of the world with its four continents were to possess Māra’s merit, and if that merit,
which is the merit of all of those beings, were multiplied by a hundred thousand, it would equal that of a brahmā, sovereign of a
chiliocosm, whose love pervades the domain of a chiliocosm.

“Mañjuśrī, if all of the beings in this chiliocosm were to possess the merit of a brahmā god, sovereign of a chiliocosm, and if
that merit, which is the merit of all those beings, were multiplied by a hundred thousand, it equal that of a brahmā god, sovereign
of a dichiliocosm, whose love
pervades the domain of a dichiliocosm.

“Mañjuśrī, if all of the beings in this dichiliocosm were to possess the merit of a brahmā god, sovereign of a dichiliocosm, and
if that merit, which is the merit of all of those beings, were multiplied by a hundred thousand, it would equal that of a supremely great
almighty brahmā, sovereign of a trichiliocosm,
whose love pervades the domain of a great trichiliocosm.

“Mañjuśrī, consider a supremely great almighty brahmā. In a single intermediate eon following the rise of the waters after the
eon of destruction, the trichiliocosm fills up with rainfall with
its droplets of water. A supremely great almighty brahmā knows all the drops of water that have amassed in his world. Therefore, he is
endowed with great wisdom and has great miraculous powers and great might. The root of virtue of a great almighty one is no trifling
thing.

“Mañjuśrī, if all of the beings in this trichiliocosm were to possess the merit of a great brahmā, sovereign of a trichiliocosm,
and if that merit, which is the merit of all those beings, were multiplied by many hundred sextillions, it would equal that of a
pratyekabuddha who had obtained great might.

“Mañjuśrī, put aside this great trichiliocosm. Mañjuśrī, if all the beings in the domain of the buddhas, the realm of the worlds
of the ten directions, were to possess the merit obtained by a pratyekabuddha who had obtained great might, and if that merit, which is
the merit of all of those beings, were multiplied by many hundred sextillions, it would equal that of a single bodhisattva in their final
existence.

“Mañjuśrī, if all of the beings in the realm of the worlds of the ten directions of space—beings born from an egg, born from a
womb, born from heat and moisture, and born miraculously; those with form and those without; and those with perception, those without
perception, and those with neither perception nor nonperception
—were to possess the merit of a bodhisattva in their final existence, and if
that merit, which is the merit of all of those beings, were multiplied by many hundred sextillions, it would equal that of a single hair
pore on the body of the Tathāgata. Each of the nine million nine hundred thousand hair pores on the body of the Tathāgata are established
in the same way.

“Mañjuśrī, if the merit that is equal to the merit contained in all those hair pores were multiplied many hundred sextillions,
it would equal that of one of the eighty excellent signs on the body of the Tathāgata. Each of the eighty excellent signs is established
on the body of the Tathāgata in the same way.

“Mañjuśrī, if that merit, which is the merit contained in the eighty excellent signs, were multiplied by many hundred
sextillions, it would be like that of one of the designs marking the Tathāgata’s hands and feet.

“The eighty designs are as follows: ⁽¹⁾ a parasol, ⁽²⁾ a victory banner, ⁽³⁾ a śrīvatsa, ⁽⁴⁾ a garland, ⁽⁵⁾ a hook, ⁽⁶⁾ a diadem, ⁽⁷⁾ a staff, ⁽⁸⁾ a vase, ⁽⁹⁾ an elephant, ⁽¹⁰⁾ a
horse, ⁽¹¹⁾ a tiger, ⁽¹²⁾ a makara, ⁽¹³⁾ a fish, ⁽¹⁴⁾ a turtle, ⁽¹⁵⁾ a peacock, ⁽¹⁶⁾ a kalaviṅka bird, ⁽¹⁷⁾ a partridge, ⁽¹⁸⁾ a cāṣa
bird, ⁽¹⁹⁾ a cakravāka shelduck, ⁽²⁰⁾ a parrot, ⁽²¹⁾ a goose, ⁽²²⁾ a
dove, ⁽²³⁾ barley, ⁽²⁴⁾ the great medicine, ⁽²⁵⁾ bamboo, ⁽²⁶⁾ a gayal, ⁽²⁷⁾ a nāga, ⁽²⁸⁾ a goat, ⁽²⁹⁾ a bull, ⁽³⁰⁾ a mountain, ⁽³¹⁾
a bilva fruit tree, ⁽³²⁾ a black antelope, ⁽³³⁾ a precious jewel, ⁽³⁴⁾ a supreme sword, ⁽³⁵⁾ a vajra, ⁽³⁶⁾ a
bow, ⁽³⁷⁾ an arrow, ⁽³⁸⁾ a lance, ⁽³⁹⁾ a trident, ⁽⁴⁰⁾ a plow, ⁽⁴¹⁾ a mace, ⁽⁴²⁾ an axe, ⁽⁴³⁾ a lasso, ⁽⁴⁴⁾ a boat, ⁽⁴⁵⁾ a pearl ornament, ⁽⁴⁶⁾ a cloud, ⁽⁴⁷⁾ Brahmā, ⁽⁴⁸⁾ Indra, ⁽⁴⁹⁾
Dhṛtarāṣṭra, ⁽⁵⁰⁾ Varuṇa,
⁽⁵¹⁾ Virūḍhaka, ⁽⁵²⁾ Virūpākṣa, ⁽⁵³⁾ Dhanada, ⁽⁵⁴⁾ a great sage, ⁽⁵⁵⁾ Śrī, ⁽⁵⁶⁾ a sun, ⁽⁵⁷⁾ a moon, ⁽⁵⁸⁾ a fire, ⁽⁵⁹⁾ wind, ⁽⁶⁰⁾ a lotus, ⁽⁶¹⁾ a nandyāvarta, ⁽⁶²⁾ a triangle, ⁽⁶³⁾ an excellent throne, ⁽⁶⁴⁾ a
mirror, ⁽⁶⁵⁾ a tail whisk, ⁽⁶⁶⁾ dūrvā grass, ⁽⁶⁷⁾ puroḍāśa cake, ⁽⁶⁸⁾ a boy, ⁽⁶⁹⁾ a girl,
⁽⁷⁰⁾ a drum, ⁽⁷¹⁾ a conch, ⁽⁷²⁾ a mṛdaṅga
drum, ⁽⁷³⁾ a bracelet, ⁽⁷⁴⁾ an
armband, ⁽⁷⁵⁾ an earring, ⁽⁷⁶⁾ a ring, ⁽⁷⁷⁾ a dangling earring, ⁽⁷⁸⁾ an excellent flower, ⁽⁷⁹⁾ a wish-granting tree,
and ⁽⁸⁰⁾ a lion at the center of a wheel. These are the eighty designs. They appear on
the palms of the Tathāgata’s hands and the soles of his feet.

“Mañjuśrī, if that merit, which is the merit contained in those eighty designs, were multiplied by many hundred sextillions, it
would be like one of the signs of a great being on the Tathāgata’s body; each of the thirty-two signs of a great being are established in
the same way. They are as follows: ⁽¹⁾ the uṣṇīṣa on the head, ⁽²⁾ right-curling dark blue
hair on the head, ⁽³⁾ an even forehead, ⁽⁴⁾ being adorned with a beautiful complexion, ⁽⁵⁾ an ūrṇā hair between the eyebrows, ⁽⁶⁾ dark blue eyes with bovine
eyelashes, ⁽⁷⁾ forty close-fitting teeth, ⁽⁸⁾ white canine teeth, ⁽⁹⁾ cheeks like a lion, ⁽¹⁰⁾ a large and slender tongue, ⁽¹¹⁾ a torso
like a lion, ⁽¹²⁾ an arm span and height that are identical like the banyan tree, ⁽¹³⁾ a hair growing from every pore, ⁽¹⁴⁾ a concealed male organ, ⁽¹⁵⁾ full and rounded thighs, ⁽¹⁶⁾ calves
like those of Eṇeya, king of antelopes, ⁽¹⁷⁾ broad heels, ⁽¹⁸⁾ palms and soles that are soft and supple, ⁽¹⁹⁾ webbed fingers and toes,
⁽²⁰⁾ long fingers and toes, ⁽²¹⁾ feet with high arches, ⁽²²⁾ a supreme organ of taste, ⁽²³⁾ round shoulders, ⁽²⁴⁾ the seven prominent
parts, ⁽²⁵⁾ fine skin the color of gold, ⁽²⁶⁾ the ability to reach the hands to the knees without bending, ⁽²⁷⁾ well-positioned feet, ⁽²⁸⁾
palms and soles with the mark of the wheel, and ⁽²⁹⁾ the voice of Brahmā.
These are the thirty-two signs of a great being. They appear on the body of the Tathāgata.

“Mañjuśrī, if that merit, which is the merit contained in the thirty-two signs of a great being, were multiplied innumerable
times, multiplied inconceivably, multiplied incalculably, and multiplied beyond expression, it would be like that of the Tathāgata’s
Dharma conch. By the power of taming with the Dharma conch, with his voice the
Tathāgata engenders understanding throughout limitless and countless world realms. Just as with his voice, so it is with his light and his
body.

“In this way, Mañjuśrī, this great merit, arisen from great insight, imbued with compassion, generated through skill-in-means
and aspirations, completely pure in moral discipline, and authentically born from the distinctions of practice, is
inconceivable to all śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas.

“Mañjuśrī, the form body of the Tathāgata is especially exalted for two reasons. What are these two reasons? They are the power
of aspiration and the power of the complete ripening of the virtue of sentient beings to be tamed. Mañjuśrī, for these two reasons the
form body of the Tathāgata is especially exalted.

“Mañjuśrī, just as the form body of the Tathāgata is especially exalted, the Dharma taught is
also especially exalted.

“Mañjuśrī, just as the Dharma taught by the Tathāgata, his light is also especially exalted.

“Mañjuśrī, just as the light of the Tathāgata is especially exalted, his conduct is also especially exalted.

“Mañjuśrī, the Tathāgata pervades the entire world with his body.

“Mañjuśrī, whatever particular color, shape, or conduct will tame sentient beings, sentient beings will see the Tathāgata accordingly as having that particular color, shape, and
conduct.

“Mañjuśrī, whatever particular signs will tame sentient beings, sentient beings will see the Tathāgata accordingly as having
those particular signs.

“Mañjuśrī, whatever Dharma teachings will fully ripen sentient beings, sentient beings will understand the particular Dharma
teachings of the Tathāgata to be Dharma teachings of that kind.

“Mañjuśrī, whatever conduct tames sentient beings and causes them to engage with the teachings of the Tathāgata, sentient beings
will see the Tathāgata abiding by that conduct.

“Mañjuśrī, in this way the tathāgata, arhat, perfect Buddha comes into the world, benefits and brings happiness to many beings,
has love and affection for the world, and takes birth in order to help, benefit, and bring happiness to gods, humans, and the host of
beings.”

Then the bodhisattva Mañjuśrī rose from his seat and, approaching the Blessed One, pressed his palms together and said, “Blessed
One—my unparalleled, matchless teacher, supreme protector in the three realms and benefactor for all sentient beings, unperturbed by
worldly phenomena, unblemished like the sky, inconceivable, a worthy inspiration, desirable to behold, and beautiful to behold—I have
truly found a great treasure! Sugata, I have truly found a great treasure!”

Youthful Mañjuśrī was overjoyed at what the Tathāgata had said. The bodhisattva great beings and the monks praised the words of
the Blessed One.

This completes the noble Mahāyāna sūtra “The Question of Mañjuśrī.”

Notes

Abbreviations

C
Choné (co ne) Kangyur

D
Degé (sde dge) Kangyur

F
Phukdrak (phug brag) Kangyur

Go.
Gondhla Collection

H
Lhasa (zhol) Kangyur

J
Lithang (li thang) Kangyur

N
Narthang (snar thang) Kangyur

KPeking (pe cin) or “Kangxi”Kangyur

Yongle (g.yung lo)
Kangyur

SStok Palace (stog pho brang bris ma)Kangyur

U
Urga (ku re) Kangyur

Taishō 473
4th–5th century Chinese translation by Faxian (法賢)

Taishō 661
7th century Chinese translation by Divākara (地婆訶羅)

Taishō 662
7th century Chinese translation by Divākara (地婆訶羅)

Sanskrit
Sanskrit manuscript found in the Potala Palace (see

Introduction and Bibliography)

Saṃskṛtāsaṃskṛtaviniścaya
A commentary by Daśabalaśrīmitra found within the Tengyur
containing a list of the eighty designs found on the hands and feet of the Tathāgata (see Bibliography)

Bibliography

Tibetan Sources

Sanskrit and Chinese Sources

Secondary Literature

arhatdgra bcom paདགྲ་བཅོམ་པ།arhatUsed both as an epithet of the Buddha and to refer to the final accomplishment of the śrāvaka path.

a supreme organ of tastero bro ba’i mchogརོ་བྲོ་བའི་མཆོགrasarasāgratāListed in The Question of Mañjuśrī as the twenty-second of the thirty-two signs ofa great being.

adorned with a beautiful complexionkha dog gis brgyan paཁ་དོག་གིས་བརྒྱན་པ།

Listed in The Question of Mañjuśrī as the fourth of the thirty-two signs of a great
being. This sign is not mentioned in any of the other lists of thirty-two that we have investigated.

almighty
dbang phyug
དབང་ཕྱུག
īśvara
The Sanskrit īśvara literally means “powerful one.” In both
Indian and Tibetan literature it is often an epithet applied to Śiva. However, here where the title is given to a “supremely great
almighty brahmā, sovereign of a trichiliocosm” (tshangs pa stong gsum gyi stong
chen po’i ’jig rten gyi bdag po dbang phyug chen po’i mchog), the term signifies that Brahmā, or rather a
brahmā, is the overseer of an entire trichiliocosm.

armbanddpung rgyanདཔུང་རྒྱན།keyūraaṅgadaSeventy-fourth of the eighty designs on the palms and soles of the Tathāgata.

arrowmda’མདའ།śaraiṣuThirty-seventh of the eighty designs on the palms and soles of the Tathāgata.

axesta reསྟ་རེ།sta griསྟ་གྲི།dgra staདགྲ་སྟ།paraśukuṭhārikāForty-second of the eighty designs on the palms and soles of the Tathāgata.

bamboo’od maའོད་མ།veṇuTwenty-fifth of the eighty designs on the palms and soles of the Tathāgata.

barleynasནས།yavaTwenty-third of the eighty designs on the palms and soles of the Tathāgata.

beings with neither perception nor nonperception’du shes med ’du shes med min gyi sems canའདུ་ཤེས་མེད་འདུ་ཤེས་མེད་མིན་གྱི་སེམས་ཅན།naivasaṃjñānāsaṃjñāsattvaThis refers to the category of beings abiding in the fourth and highest level of the formless realm. These areeither the gods that abide there or persons who have reached this state though meditative equipoise. This state is also referred to asthe “peak of existence” (bhavāgra; sridrtse) and is located at the apex of saṃsāra. Abiding there, such beings do not experience perceptions and yet cannot besaid to be without perceptions.those with neither perception nor nonperception

bilva fruit treebil shing baབིལ་ཤིང་བ།bilvavṛkṣa

Aegle mermelos, also known as Indian bael or wood apple. Thirty-first of the
eighty designs on the palms and soles of the Tathāgata. Some sources seem to list the fruit and tree as separate designs (see

black anteloperi dags nag poརི་དགས་ནག་པོ།ri dwags nag poརི་དྭགས་ནག་པོ།kṛṣṇamṛgaMost likely refers to the blackbuck (Antilope cervicapra), also known as theIndian antelope. Thirty-second of the eighty designs on the palms and soles of the Tathāgata.

boatgruགྲུ།naujalayānaForty-fourth of the eighty designs on the palms and soles of the Tathāgata.

born from a wombmngal las skyes paམངལ་ལས་སྐྱེས་པ།jārāyujaOne of the four modes of birth (caturyoni; skyes gnas bzhi).

born from an eggsgo nga las skyes paསྒོ་ང་ལས་སྐྱེས་པ།aṇḍajaOne of the four modes of birth (caturyoni; skes gnas bzhi).

born from heat and moisturedrod gsher las skyes paདྲོད་གཤེར་ལས་སྐྱེས་པ།saṃsvedajaOne of the four modes of birth (caturyoni; skes gnas bzhi). Tiny bugs and microbes are understood to be born from the confluence of heat andmoisture.

born miraculously
rdzus te skyes pa
རྫུས་ཏེ་སྐྱེས་པ།
upapādukaja
One of the four modes of birth (caturyoni; skes gnas bzhi). Those who take miraculous birth are spontaneously born fully mature at the
time of their birth. There are many categories of beings that can be born under these circumstances including gods, hungry ghosts,
beings born in hell, beings born in the intermediate state (antarābhava; bar ma do), and even humans in special circumstances or in the pure realms.

bowgzhuགཞུ།dhanucāpaThirty-sixth of the eighty designs on the palms and soles of the Tathāgata.

boykhye’uཁྱེའུ།

Sixty-eighth of the eighty designs on the palms and soles of the Tathāgata.

braceletgdu buགདུ་བུ།valayaparihāṭakaSeventy-third of the eighty designs on the palms and soles of the Tathāgata.

broad heelszhabs kyi rting pa che baཞབས་ཀྱི་རྟིང་པ་ཆེ་བ།āyatapādapārṣṇiListed in The Question of Mañjuśrī as the seventeenth of the thirty-two signs of agreat being.

cakravāka shelduckngur paངུར་པ།cakravāka

Tadorna ferrugine or ruddy shelduck. Nineteenth of the eighty designs on the palms and soles of the
Tathāgata.

cakravartin
’khor los sgyur ba
འཁོར་ལོས་སྒྱུར་བ།
cakravartin
A cakravartin is a king who rules over at least one continent and gains his territory by the rolling of his
magic wheel over the land. Therefore he is called a king with the revolving wheel. This is as the result of the merit he has
accumulated in previous lifetimes. An illustrative passage about the cakravartin and his wheel can be found in Toh 95, The Play in Full
3.3–3.6 (here translated as “universal monarch”).

calves like those of Eṇeya, king of antelopesbyin pa ri dags kyi rgyal po e ne ya ’dra baབྱིན་པ་རི་དགས་ཀྱི་རྒྱལ་པོ་ཨེ་ནེ་ཡ་འདྲ་བ།eṇeyamṛgarājajaṅghaListed in The Question of Mañjuśrī as the sixteenth of the thirty-two signs of agreat being. Eṇeya (sometimes Aiṇeya) is the mythical king of ungulates, usualy depicted as an antelope.

cāṣa birdtsA shaཙཱ་ཤ།tsa shaཙ་ཤ།cāṣaEighteenth of the eighty designs on the palms and soles of the Tathāgata. This most likely refers to the IndianRoller, Coracias indica, a small bird with bright blue plumage.

cheeks like a lion’gram pa seng ge’i ’dra baའགྲམ་པ་སེང་གེའི་འདྲ་བ།siṃhahanuListed in The Question of Mañjuśrī as the ninth of the thirty-two signs of a greatbeing.

bullkhyu mchogཁྱུ་མཆོགvṛṣabhaṛṣabhaA bull. Also the second zodiac sign, vṛṣabha, which corresponds to Taurus.Both vṛṣabha and ṛṣabha can be used as respectful epithets implying preeminence, usually in phrases such as “a bull among men” (a frequentepithet of the Buddha), “a bull among sages,” and the like. Here, the bull is the twenty-ninth of the eighty designs on the palms and soles of the Tathāgata.

chiliocosmstong gi ’jig rten gyi khamsསྟོང་གི་འཇིག་རྟེན་གྱི་ཁམས།sāhasralokadhātuIn Buddhist cosmology, a universe that itself contains a thousand world systems, each made up of its own MountMeru, four continents, sun, moon, and god realms.

cloudsprinསྤྲིན།meghaForty-sixth of the eighty designs on the palms and soles of the Tathāgata.

conchdungདུང་།śaṅkhaSeventy-first of the eighty designs on the palms and soles of the Tathāgata. This design of the conch is represented separately from the Dharma conch found at the apex of the hierarchy of merit described inThe Question of Mañjuśrī.

dangling earringrna cha phyang phrul canརྣ་ཆ་ཕྱང་ཕྲུལ་ཅན།

Seventy-seventh of the eighty designs on the palms and soles of the Tathāgata.

dark blue eyes with bovine eyelashes
spyan mthon mthing la ba’i rdzi ma ’dra ba
སྤྱན་མཐོན་མཐིང་ལ་བའི་རྫི་མ་འདྲ་བ།
abhinīlanetragopakṣman
Listed in The Question of Mañjuśrī as the sixth of the thirty-two signs of a great
being. This matches the list found in the Mahāvyutpatti, no. 240, but in other lists this is
represented as two separate signs: “dark blue eyes” and “bovine eyelashes.”

desire realm’dod pa’i khamsའདོད་པའི་ཁམས།kāmadhātuIn Buddhist cosmology, this is our own realm, the lowest and most coarse of the three realms of saṃsāra. It iscalled this because beings here are characterized by their strong longing and attachment to the pleasures of the senses. The desirerealm includes hell beings, hungry ghosts, animals, humans, asuras, and the lowest heavens of the gods. Located above the desire realmis the form realm and formless realm.

Dharma conchchos kyi dungཆོས་ཀྱི་དུང་།dharmaśaṅkhaOne of the eight auspicious emblems. As a musical instrument, the conch is blown like a trumpet, and throughoutIndia’s history it has been a symbol of power, authority, and auspicious beginnings. In Buddhism, the Dharma conch has been variouslydescribed to represent the Buddha’s speech, his thought or intention (dgongs), or thesound of his teachings—in essence the Dharma itself. The sound of blowing the Dharma conch awakens beings from their sleep of delusionand ignorance.conch

dhyāna
bsam gtan
བསམ་གཏན།
dhyāna
One of the synonyms for meditation, referring specifically to states of mental stability or one-pointed abiding
in an undistracted state of mind free from afflicted mental states. The term also refers to the specific states of absorption of the
form and formless realms. Abiding in these absorptions can cause one to be reborn into these realms, and the states themselves also
seem to have a spatial correlation to the form and formless realms. In this way there are eight progressive dhyānas; the first four
rūpāvacaradhyāna correspond to the form realm and the latter ārūpāvacaradhyāna corrspond to the formless realms. See also

diademcod panཅོད་པན།mukuṭakirīṭikirīṭaSixth of the eighty designs on the palms and soles of the Tathāgata.

dichiliocosmstong gnyis kyi ’jig rten gyi khamsསྟོང་གཉིས་ཀྱི་འཇིག་རྟེན་གྱི་ཁམས།dvisāhasralokadhātuIn Buddhist cosmology, a dichiliocosm is a galaxy or aggregate of universes that itself contains a thousandchiliocosms, or one million world systems.

dovethi baཐི་བ།kapotaTwenty-second of the eighty designs on the palms and soles of the Tathāgata.

drumrngaརྔ།

Seventieth of the eighty designs on the palms and soles of the Tathāgata.

dūrvā grassrtswa dur baརྩྭ་དུར་བ།dūrvā

Cynodon dactylon (syn. Panicum dactylon), a kind of grass that is
used in a variety of Buddhist ceremonies. It is also one of the eight auspicious substances (bkra shis rdzas brgyad). Here it is sixty-sixth of the eighty designs on the palms and soles of the Tathāgata.

earringrna chaརྣ་ཆ།karṇikakuṇḍalaSeventy-fifth of the eighty designs on the palms and soles of the Tathāgata.

eight auspicious emblems
bkra shis rtags brgyad
བཀྲ་ཤིས་རྟགས་བརྒྱད།
aṣṭamaṅgala
Eight Indian emblems signifying fortune and auspiciousness. They include the lotus, the śrīvatsa, the pair of golden fish, the parasol, the victory banner, the
treasure vase, the conch, and the wheel. They are not discussed particularly in this sūtra, although
several of the eight are also included in the list of eighty designs found on the palms and soles of the Tathāgata.

eighty designsri mo’i rjes kyi mtshan brgyad cuརི་མོའི་རྗེས་ཀྱི་མཚན་བརྒྱད་ཅུ།

Eighty images found on the palms and soles of the Tathāgata. See

Introduction and

eighty excellent signsdpe byad bzang po brgyad cuདཔེ་བྱད་བཟང་པོ་བརྒྱད་ཅུ།aśītyānuvyañjanaA set of eighty bodily characteristics and insignia borne by both buddhas and cakravartins. For a complete listsee the Aṣṭādaśasāhasrikāprajñāpāramitā Sūtra (The Perfection of Wisdom inEighteen Thousand Lines), 73.93.

elephantglang poགླང་པོ།glang po cheགླང་པོ་ཆེ།hastinNinth of the eighty designs on the palms and soles of the Tathāgata.

eon
bskal pa
བསྐལ་པ།
kalpa
A cosmic period of time. According to the traditional Abhidharma understanding of cyclical time, a great eon
(mahākalpa) is divided into eighty lesser or intermediate eons. In the course of
one great eon, the external universe and its sentient life takes form and later disappears. During the first twenty of the lesser
eons, the universe is in the process of creation and expansion (vivartakalpa); during
the next twenty it remains created; during the third twenty it is in the process of destruction or contraction (saṃvartakalpa); and during the last quarter of the cycle it remains in a state of
destruction (saṃvartasthāyikalpa).

eon of destructionbskal pa ’jig paབསྐལ་པ་འཇིག་པ།saṃvartakalpaThe third period of destruction in the in the four-part cycle of creation and destruction of a world system oruniverse (here in The Question of Mañjuśrī it seems to be applied to an entire trichiliocosm). See also“eon.”

even foreheaddpral ba mnyam paདཔྲལ་བ་མཉམ་པ།samalalāṭaListed in The Question of Mañjuśrī as the third of the thirty-two signs of a greatbeing.

excellent flowerme tog bzang poམེ་ཏོག་བཟང་པོ།

Seventy-eighth of the eighty designs on the palms and soles of the Tathāgata.

excellent thronedge ba’i stanདགེ་བའི་སྟན།dge ba’i bstanདགེ་བའི་བསྟན།khri stan bzang poཁྲི་སྟན་བཟང་པོ།bhadrāsanaSixty-third of the eighty designs on the palms and soles of the Tathāgata.

feet with high arches
zhabs kyi steng mtho ba
ཞབས་ཀྱི་སྟེང་མཐོ་བ།
utsaṅgapāda
Listed in The Question of Mañjuśrī as the twenty-first of the thirty-two signs of a
great being. In some lists this sign is rendered “inconspicuous ankles bones” (ucchaṅkhapāda; zhabs kyi long mo’i tshigs mi mngon pa). Because of the
similar and ambiguous meaning of the Sanskrit, both Tibetan translations are found attested for utsaṅgapāda.

fine skin the color of goldpags pa srab la gser gyi mdog ’dra baཔགས་པ་སྲབ་ལ་གསེར་གྱི་མདོག་འདྲ་བ།sūkṣmasuvarṇacchaviListed in The Question of Mañjuśrī as the twenty-fifth of the thirty-two signs of agreat being.

firemeམེ།agniFifty-eighth of the eighty designs on the palms and soles of the Tathāgata.

fishnyaཉ།matsyaThirteenth of the eighty designs on the palms and soles of the Tathāgata.

form realmgzugs kyi khamsགཟུགས་ཀྱི་ཁམས།rūpadhātuIn Buddhist cosmology, the sphere of existence one level more subtle than our own (the desire realm), wherebeings, though subtly embodied, are not driven primarily by the urge for sense gratification. See the “three realms.”

formless realmgzugs med pa’i khamsགཟུགས་མེད་པའི་ཁམས།ārūpyadhātuIn Buddhist cosmology, the sphere of existence two levels more subtle than our own (the desire realm), wherebeings are no longer physically embodied, and thus not subject to the sufferings that physical embodiment brings. See the “threerealms.”

forty close-fitting teethso bzhi bcu thags bzang baསོ་བཞི་བཅུ་ཐགས་བཟང་བ།catvāriṃśadaviraladantaListed in The Question of Mañjuśrī as the seventh of the thirty-two signs of agreat being. In the Mahāvyutpatti and other lists this is represented as two separate signs: “fortyteeth” (catvāriṃśaddanta; tshems bzhi bcumnga’ ba) and “close-fitting teeth” (aviraladanta; tshems thags bzang ba).

four continentsgling bzhiགླིང་བཞི།caturdvīpaAccording to Abhidharma cosmology, each world system has four continents surrounding a central Mount Meru: tothe east, Videha (lus ’phags po, “superior body”); to the south, our continent of Jambudvīpa(’dzam bu gling, “Rose Apple Continent”); to the west, Aparagodānīya (ba glang spyod “Rich in Cattle”); and to the north, Uttarakuru (sgra misnyan, “Unpleasant Sound”).

full and rounded thighsbrla gang zhing zlum paབརླ་གང་ཞིང་ཟླུམ་པ།suvartitoruListed in The Question of Mañjuśrī as the fifteenth of the thirty-two signs of agreat being.

garlandphreng baཕྲེང་བ།mālāFourth of the eighty designs on the palms and soles of the Tathāgata.

gayalba menབ་མེན།gavaya

Bos frontalis, a species of ox also known as gayal. Twenty-sixth of the eighty designs on the palms
and soles of the Tathāgata.

girlbu moབུ་མོ།

Sixty-ninth of the eighty designs on the palms and soles of the Tathāgata.

an arm span and height that are identical like the banyan treeshing n+ya gro d+ha ltar chu zheng gab paཤིང་ནྱ་གྲོ་དྷ་ལྟར་ཆུ་ཞེང་གབ་པ།nyagrodhaparimaṇḍalaListed in The Question of Mañjuśrī as the twelfth of the thirty-two signs of agreat being.

goatraར།ajaTwenty-eighth of the eighty designs on the palms and soles of the Tathāgata.

great medicinesman chen poསྨན་ཆེན་པོ།mahauṣadhimahauṣadhaTwenty-fourth of the eighty designs on the palms and soles of the Tathāgata. This term is applied to a number of different medicinal herbs or herb mixtures.

great sagedrang srong chen poདྲང་སྲོང་ཆེན་པོ།maharṣiIndian sage, often a wandering ascetic or hermit; in other contexts the term is also an epithet of the Buddha Śākyamuni.Listed in The Question of Mañjuśrī as the fifty-fourth of the eighty designs on the palms and soles of the Tathāgata. As this “great sage” is listed in the eighty designs among a group of gods (47–55), it could be that this is an epithet referring to a specific god, but to whom cannot be deciphered with certainty from this narrow context.

hair growing from every porespu khung bu re re nas skyes paསྤུ་ཁུང་བུ་རེ་རེ་ནས་སྐྱེས་པ།

Listed in The Question of Mañjuśrī as the thirteenth of the thirty-two signs of a
great being.

having an excellent well-built bodyyan lag mchog gi gzugs dang ldan paཡན་ལག་མཆོག་གི་གཟུགས་དང་ལྡན་པ།varāṅgarūpinLiterally “having a form excellent in all body parts.”have excellent well-built bodies

hookkyo ba thangཀྱོ་བ་ཐང་།lcags kyuལྕགས་ཀྱུ།aṅkuśaFifth of the eighty designs on the palms and soles of the Tathāgata.

horsertaརྟ།aśvaTenth of the eighty designs on the palms and soles of the Tathāgata.

hundred sextillionbye ba khrag khrig brgya stongབྱེ་བ་ཁྲག་ཁྲིག་བརྒྱ་སྟོང་།koṭiniyutaśatasahasraIf the Abhidharma system is followed, this is a number calculated by multiplying a koṭi (bye ba), or ten million; by a niyuta (khrag khrig), or a hundred billion;and by a śatasahasra (brgya stong),or one hundred thousand, which all together equals ten to the 23rd power or a hundred sextillion. This term is often used as toexpress a number so large as to be inconceivable.

concealed male organpho mtshan mi snang bar nub paཕོ་མཚན་མི་སྣང་བར་ནུབ་པ།

Listed in The Question of Mañjuśrī as the fourteenth of the thirty-two signs of a
great being. In the Mahāvyutpatti and other sources this sign is expressed as “genitals concealed in
a sheath” (kośagatavastiguhya; ’doms kyi
sba ba sbubs su nub pa).

insight
shes rab
ཤེས་རབ།
prajñā
As the sixth of the six perfections, it refers to the profound understanding of the emptiness of all phenomena,
the realization of ultimate reality. In other contexts it refers to the mental factor responsible for ascertaining specific qualities
of a given object, such as its characteristics or whether it should be taken up or rejected.

intermediate eonbar gyi bskal paབར་གྱི་བསྐལ་པ།antarakalpaA cosmic period of time. Following the Abhidharma system, eighty intermediate eonstogether compose one great eon (mahākalpa).

kalaviṅka birdka la ping kaཀ་ལ་པིང་ཀka la bing+kaཀ་ལ་བིངྐ།kalaviṅkaAn Indian bird renowned for its beautiful song. There is some uncertainty regarding the identity of the kalaviṅka, as some dictionaries declare it to be a type of Indian cuckoo (probably Eudynamys scolopacea, also known as the asian koel) or a red and green sparrow (possibly Amandava amandava, also known as the red avadavat). Within the Buddhist sūtras, the bird is usually linked to its pleasing or striking voice. In some cases, it has also taken on mythical characteristics, being described as part human, part bird. Here it is the sixteenth of the eighty designs on the palms and soles of the Tathāgata.

lanceshag tiཤག་ཏི།mdung thungམདུང་ཐུང་།śaktiThirty-eighth of the eighty designs on the palms and soles of the Tathāgata.

large and slender tongue
lce che zhing srab pa
ལྕེ་ཆེ་ཞིང་སྲབ་པ།
prabhūtatanujihva
Listed in The Question of Mañjuśrī as the tenth of the thirty-two signs of a great
being. In most other sources, the Tibetan is rendered as “very long and slender tongue” (ljags
shin tu ring zhing srab pa), but the underlying Sanskrit is likely the same or similar at the very least.

lassozhags paཞགས་པ།pāśaForty-third of the eighty designs on the palms and soles of the Tathāgata.

lion at the center of a wheel’khor lo’i dbus kyi seng geའཁོར་ལོའི་དབུས་ཀྱི་སེང་གེ

’khor lo dang dpung gi seng geའཁོར་ལོ་དང་དཔུང་གི་སེང་གེ’khor lo dpung gi seng geའཁོར་ལོ་དཔུང་གི་སེང་གེ

Eightieth of the eighty designs on the palms and soles of the Tathāgata.

long fingers and toessor mo ring baསོར་མོ་རིང་བ།dīrghāṅguliListed in The Question of Mañjuśrī as the twentieth of the thirty-two signs of agreat being.

lotuspad moཔད་མོ།padmaSixtieth of the eighty designs on the palms and soles of the Tathāgata.

macegtunགཏུན།gtun shingགཏུན་ཤིང་།musalaThe Sanskrit has the meaning of both a club or mace-like weapon, and a pestle used for grinding, which as acylinder of wood or stone can also be utilized as a weapon. The former meaning makes sense in the context of the short list of weapons(34–43) found among the eighty designs, although the Tibetan has the meaning of “pestle.” Mahāvyutpatti no. 5890 equates gtun shing with musala. Here its image is the forty-first of the eighty designs on the palms and soles of theTathāgata.

makarachu srinཆུ་སྲིན།chu srin ma ka raཆུ་སྲིན་མ་ཀ་ར།makaraA legendary sea monster often described as an amalgamation of several terrestrial and/or aquatic animals such asan elephant, a crocodile, and a boar, although the term is sometimes associated with the dugong, the crocodile, or the dolphin. Hereits image is the twelfth of the eighty designs on the palms and soles of the Tathāgata.

mirrorme longམེ་ལོང་།ādarśadarpaṇaSixty-fourth of the eighty designs on the palms and soles of the Tathāgata.

moonzla baཟླ་བ།candraFifty-seventh of the eighty designs on the palms and soles of the Tathāgata.

mountainriརི།parvataThirtieth of the eighty designs on the palms and soles of the Tathāgata.

nāga
klu
ཀླུ།
nāga
A mythical being usually depicted as having the top half of a human and the bottom half of a snake. However, the
nāga has a myriad of associations within Buddhism and Indian traditions in general; the term may be associated with deities, snakes
(more specifically cobras), elephants, subterranean spirits, water spirits, or ethnic groups of people from
the Indian subcontinent. In Tibet they became specifically associated with water spirits (klu), and in China they came to be associated with dragons. Here the image of the nāga is the twenty-seventh of the
eighty designs on the palms and soles of the Tathāgata.

nandyāvarta
g.yung drung
གཡུང་དྲུང་།
nandyāvarta
An auspicious design resembling a svastika with an elaborate
pattern around its border. In the Mahāvyutpatti, nandyāvarta is translated into the Tibetan as g.yung drung; however,
later on the same Tibetan was used to translate svastika, which is translated by the
Tibetan bkra shis ldan in the Mahāvyutpatti. Sometimes
the distinction is made with the extended term g.yung drung ’kyil ba, a “rotating
svastika/g.yung drung,” since the
border pattern of the nandyāvarta gives the impression that the svastika in the
center is rotating. Here the image is the sixty-first of the eighty designs on the palms and soles of the Tathāgata.

palms and soles that are soft and supplezhabs dang phyag gi mthil ’jam zhing mnyen paཞབས་དང་ཕྱག་གི་མཐིལ་འཇམ་ཞིང་མཉེན་པ།zhabs dang phyag gi mthil ’jam zhing gzhon sha chags paཞབས་དང་ཕྱག་གི་མཐིལ་འཇམ་ཞིང་གཞོན་ཤ་ཆགས་པ།mṛdutaruṇahastapādatalaListed in The Question of Mañjuśrī as the eighteenth of the thirty-two signs of agreat being.

palms and soles with the mark of the wheelzhabs dang phyag gi mthil na ’khor lo’i mtshan yod paཞབས་དང་ཕྱག་གི་མཐིལ་ན་འཁོར་ལོའི་མཚན་ཡོད་པ།cakrāṅkitahastapādatalaListed in The Question of Mañjuśrī as the twenty-eighth of the thirty-two signs ofa great being.

parasolgdugsགདུགས།chattraFirst of the eighty designs on the palms and soles of the Tathāgata. In general Indian iconography it is asymbol of protection and royalty. In Buddhism it symbolizes protection from blazing heat of afflictions, desire, illness, and harmfulforces, just as a physical parasol protects one from the blazing sun or the elements. It is also includedin the eight auspicious emblems.

parrotne tsoནེ་ཙོ།śukaTwentieth of the eighty designs on the palms and soles of the Tathāgata.

partridgeshang shang te’uཤང་ཤང་ཏེའུ།jīvaṃjīvajīvaṃjīvakaSome times translated as “pheasant.” The Sanskrit, jīvaṃjīvarefers to the chukar partridge (Alectoris chukar). In Tibet and China, this became a mythical birddepicted as a half human and half bird, or as a bird with two heads. Here its image is the seventeenth of the eighty designs on thepalms and soles of the Tathāgata.

peacockrma byaརྨ་བྱ།mayūraFifteenth of the eighty designs on the palms and soles of the Tathāgata.

pearl ornamentmu tig gi rgyanམུ་ཏིག་གི་རྒྱན།mu tig gi brgyanམུ་ཏིག་གི་བརྒྱན།

Forty-fifth of the eighty designs on the palms and soles of the Tathāgata.

plow
gshol
གཤོལ།
hala
The Sanskrit may also refer to a weapon or a plow repurposed as a weapon, which would make sense in the context
of the short list of weapons (34–43) found among the eighty designs, although the Tibetan meaning itself doesn’t connote this
secondary meaning. Here its image is the fortieth of the eighty designs on the palms and soles of the Tathāgata.

pratyekabuddha
rang sangs rgyas
རང་སངས་རྒྱས།
pratyekabuddha
Literally, “buddha for oneself” or “solitary realizer.” Those who attain buddhahood in a time when the Buddha’s
doctrine is no longer available in the world, and who remain either in solitude or among peers, without teaching the path to
liberation to others. They are sometimes called “rhinoceros-like” for their preference for staying in solitude.

precious elephantglang po rin po cheགླང་པོ་རིན་པོ་ཆེ།hastiratnaOne of the seven treasures of the cakravartin king. The precious elephant is described as having magicalabilities and sometimes as having six tusks. A passage about the precious elephant is found in Toh 95, The Playin Full, 3.7. See also Toh 4087, theKāraṇaprajñapti, folio 119.b.

precious horserta rin po cheརྟ་རིན་པོ་ཆེ།aśvaratnaOne of the seven treasures of the cakravartin king. The precious horse is described as having magical abilities,and a passage about it is found in Toh 95, The Play in Full, 3.8. See also Toh 4087, the Kāraṇaprajñapti, folio 120.b.

precious jewel
nor bu rin po che
ནོར་བུ་རིན་པོ་ཆེ།
maṇiratna
One of the seven treasures possessed by the cakravartin king. It is often equated with or described as a
wish-fulfilling jewel (yid bzhin gyi nor bu). It is additionally included as the
thirty-third of the eighty designs found on the palms and soles of the Tathāgata. A passage about the precious jewel is found in Toh
95, The Play in Full, 3.9. See also Toh 4087, the Kāraṇaprajñapti, folio 121.b.

precious ministerblon po rin po cheབློན་པོ་རིན་པོ་ཆེ།pariṇāyakaratnaOne of the seven treasures of the cakravartin king. See also Toh 95, The Play inFull, 3.12 See also Toh 4087, theKāraṇaprajñapti, folio 126.a.

precious stewardkhyim bdag rin po cheཁྱིམ་བདག་རིན་པོ་ཆེ།gṛhapatiratnaOne of the seven treasures of the cakravartin king. See also Toh 95, The Play inFull, 3.11. See also Toh 4087, theKāraṇaprajñapti, folio 124.b.

precious wheel
’khor lo rin po che
འཁོར་ལོ་རིན་པོ་ཆེ།
cakraratna
One of the seven treasures of the cakravartin king. The precious wheel has one thousand spokes and is the
treasure that gives the cakravartin his name, as a king with a “revolving wheel.” This magical wheel floats in the air and travels,
followed by the cakravartin king and his army, to the continents they will conquer. In some descriptions the wheel is made of iron,
copper, silver, or gold, depending on the degree of his power and the number of the four continents he will conquer. A illustrative
passage about the precious wheel is found Toh 95, The Play in Full, 3.3–3.6 (where “cakravartin” is translated as “universal
monarch”). See also Toh 4087, the Kāraṇaprajñapti, folio 112.b.

precious woman
bud med rin po che
བུད་མེད་རིན་པོ་ཆེ།
strīratna
One of the seven treasures of the cakravartin king. Here the term is translated literally, but elsewhere she is
referred to as btsun mo rin po che, “the precious queen.” See also Toh 95, The Play in Full, 3.10.
See also Toh 4087, the Kāraṇaprajñapti, folio 122.a.

puroḍāśapu ro da shaཔུ་རོ་ད་ཤ།puroḍāśaCakes of grain and/or clarified butter offered as oblations in a fire ritual. Thesixty-seventh of the eighty designs on the palms and soles of the Tathāgata.

right-curling dark blue hair on the headdbu’i mthon mthing la g.yas phyogs su ’khyil baདབུའི་མཐོན་མཐིང་ལ་གཡས་ཕྱོགས་སུ་འཁྱིལ་བ།

Listed in The Question of Mañjuśrī as the second of the thirty-two signs of a great
being. In other sources the “dark blue” (abhinīla; mthing) color isn’t mentioned with this sign. Mahāvyutpatti no. 237 has
“right-curling hair on the head” (pradakṣiṇāvartakeśa; dbu skra gyas su ’khyil ba).

ringsor gdubསོར་གདུབ།aṅgulīyakavalakaSeventy-sixth of the eighty designs on the palms and soles of the Tathāgata. More specifically, it is a “fingerring.”

round shouldersdpung mgo zlum paདཔུང་མགོ་ཟླུམ་པ།saṃvṛtaskandhaListed in The Question of Mañjuśrī as the twenty-third of the thirty-two signs of agreat being.

seven prominent partsbdun mtho baབདུན་མཐོ་བ།saptotsadaListed in The Question of Mañjuśrī as the twenty-fourth of the thirty-two signs ofa great being.

seven treasures
rin po che sna bdun
རིན་པོ་ཆེ་སྣ་བདུན།
saptaratna
The seven possessions of a cakravartin including the precious wheel, the precious elephant, the precious horse,
the precious jewel, the precious woman, the precious steward, and the precious minister. In some forms of the list the steward or
minister is variably replaced by the precious general (senāpatiratna; dmag dpon rin po che) or the precious sword (khaḍgaratna; ral gri rin po che). A more detailed description of these
seven can be found in Toh 95, The Play in Full, 3.2–3.12. There is also a detailed description of the
seven treasures and the corresponding causal conditions for obtaining them in Toh 4087, the Kāraṇaprajñapti, folio 111.b. The term should not be confused
with seven precious substances, a set of seven precious stones or minerals, which is a term found elsewhere but also rendered rin po che sna bdun.

śrāvaka
nyan thos
ཉན་ཐོས།
śrāvaka
Primarily referring to those disciples of the Buddha who aspire to attain the state of an arhat by seeking
self-liberation, in contrast to followers of the Bodhisattva Vehicle, who seek buddhahood for the sake of all beings. It is usually
defined as “those who hear the teaching from the Buddha and make it heard to others.”

śrīvatsa
dpal be’u
དཔལ་བེའུ།
śrīvatsa
An auspicious symbol for eternity, taking the design of an endless looping knot; the Tibetan translates the term
as “glorious knot,” while the Sanskrit literally means “beloved of Śrī” as an epithet of Viṣṇu (the consort of Śrī), because the
emblem is seen on Viṣṇu’s chest. In Buddhism the design represents the endless insight and compassion of the Buddha and is included
among the eight auspicious emblems. It is also here the third of the eighty designs on the palms and soles of the Tathāgata.

staffdbyig toདབྱིག་ཏོ།

dbyig tog
དབྱིག་ཏོག

Seventh of the eighty designs on the palms and soles of the Tathāgata.

sunnyi maཉི་མ།sūryaFifty-sixth of the eighty designs on the palms and soles of the Tathāgata.

supreme swordral gri mchogརལ་གྲི་མཆོགral gyi mchogརལ་གྱི་མཆོག

Thirty-fourth of the eighty designs on the palms and soles of the Tathāgata.

goosengang paངང་པ།haṃsaTwenty-first of the eighty designs on the palms and soles of the Tathāgata.

tail whiskrnga yabརྔ་ཡབ།cāmaraSixty-fifth of the eighty designs on the palms and soles of the Tathāgata.

mṛdaṅgasmri tang gaསྨྲི་ཏང་གrdza rngaརྫ་རྔ།smri gaསྨྲི་གsmri dang gaསྨྲི་དང་གmṛdaṅgaA two-headed hand drum that is played horizontally, wider in the middle with one drum head smaller than the other.Seventy-second of the eighty designs on the palms and soles of the Tathāgata.

tathāgatade bzhin gshegs paདེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པ།tathāgataA frequently used synonym for buddha, literally meaning “one who has thus gone.” The expression 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.”

ten virtuous actionsdge ba bcu’i lasདགེ་བ་བཅུའི་ལས།daśakuśalakarmanRefraining from the ten unvirtuous actions, i.e., not killing, not stealing, not engaging in sexual misconduct,not lying, not speaking divisively, not speaking harshly, not gossiping, not being covetous, not being malicious, and not having wrongviews.

ability to reach the hands to the knees without bendingma btud par phyag pus mo’i lha nga la reg paམ་བཏུད་པར་ཕྱག་པུས་མོའི་ལྷ་ང་ལ་རེག་པ།anavanatapralambabāhuListed in The Question of Mañjuśrī as the twenty-sixth of the thirty-two signs of a great being.

the voice of Brahmātshangs pa’i dbyangsཚངས་པའི་དབྱངས།brahmasvaraListed in The Question of Mañjuśrī as the twenty-ninth of the thirty-two signs of agreat being.

thirty-two signs of a great beingskyes bu chen po’i mtshan sum cu rtsa gnyisསྐྱེས་བུ་ཆེན་པོའི་མཚན་སུམ་ཅུ་རྩ་གཉིས།dvātriṃśanmahāpuruṣalakṣaṇaThirty-two of the 112 identifying physical characteristics of both buddhas and cakravartins, in addition to theeighty excellent signs. There are significant variations found in this list from source to source. See

three realmskhams gsumཁམས་གསུམ།tridhātuThe formless realm, the form realm, and the desire realm: the three realms that comprise saṃsāra.

tigerstagསྟགvyāghraEleventh of the eighty designs on the palms and soles of the Tathāgata.

torso like a lionro stod seng ge ’dra baརོ་སྟོད་སེང་གེ་འདྲ་བ།siṃhapūrvārdhakāyaListed in The Question of Mañjuśrī as the eleventh of the thirty-two signs of agreat being.

trianglegru gsumགྲུ་གསུམ།trikoṇaSixty-second of the eighty designs on the palms and soles of the Tathāgata.

trichiliocosmstong gsum gyi stong chen po’i ’jig rten gyi khamsསྟོང་གསུམ་གྱི་སྟོང་ཆེན་པོའི་འཇིག་རྟེན་གྱི་ཁམས།trisāhasramahāsāhasralokadhātuA term from Abhidharma cosmology referring to one thousand dichiliocosms, or one billion world systems.

tridentmdung rtse gsum paམདུང་རྩེ་གསུམ་པ།triśūlaThirty-ninth of the eighty designs on the palms and soles of the Tathāgata.

turtlerus sbalརུས་སྦལ།ru sbalརུ་སྦལ།kūrmaFourteenth of the eighty designs on the palms and soles of the Tathāgata.

ūrṇā hair between the eyebrowssmin mtshams kyi mdzod spuསྨིན་མཚམས་ཀྱི་མཛོད་སྤུ།

Listed in The Question of Mañjuśrī as the fifth of the thirty-two signs of a great
being. The ūrṇā or the “hair-treasure” (mdzod
spu) is the circlet of hair between the Buddha’s eyebrows. In the Mahāvyutpatti this sign
is expressed without mention of the eyebrows, (ūrṇākeśa; mdzod spu).
ūrṇā

uṣṇīṣa
gtsug tor
གཙུག་ཏོར།
uṣṇīṣa
Listed in The Question of Mañjuśrī as first of the thirty-two signs of a great
being. In its simplest form it is a pointed shape of the head like a turban (the Sanskrit term, uṣṇīṣa, in fact means “turban”), or more elaborately a dome-shaped extension. The extension is described as having
various magical attributes such as emitting and absorbing rays of light or reaching an immense height.

vajrardo rjeརྡོ་རྗེ།vajraThirty-fifth of the eighty designs on the palms and soles of the Tathāgata.

vasebum paབུམ་པ།

Eighth of the eighty designs on the palms and soles of the Tathāgata.

victory bannerrgyal mtshanརྒྱལ་མཚན།dhvajaSecond of the eighty designs on the palms and soles of the Tathāgata.

webbed fingers and toeszhabs dang phyag gi sor mo’i bar dra bar ’brel baཞབས་དང་ཕྱག་གི་སོར་མོའི་བར་དྲ་བར་འབྲེལ་བ།jālāvanaddhāṅgulipāṇipādaListed in The Question of Mañjuśrī as the nineteenth of the thirty-two signs of agreat being.

well-positioned feetzhabs rab tu gnas paཞབས་རབ་ཏུ་གནས་པ།supratiṣṭhitapādaListed in The Question of Mañjuśrī as the twenty-seventh of the thirty-two signs ofa great being.

white canine teethmche ba dkar baམཆེ་བ་དཀར་བ།śukladantaListed in The Question of Mañjuśrī as the eighth of the thirty-two signs of a greatbeing.

windrlungརླུང་།vāyuFifty-ninth of the eighty designs on the palms and soles of the Tathāgata.

wisdomye shesཡེ་ཤེས།jñāna

wishbsam paབསམ་པ།abhiprāya

wish-granting treedpag bsam gyi shingདཔག་བསམ་གྱི་ཤིང་།kalpavṛkṣaSeventy-ninth of the eighty designs on the palms and soles of the Tathāgata.

Avalokiteśvara
spyan ras gzigs dbang po
སྤྱན་རས་གཟིགས་དབང་པོ།
Avalokiteśvara
One of the eight “close sons” of the Buddha, the embodiment of compassion. He first appeared as a bodhisattva
beside Amitābha in the Sukhāvatī Sūtra. The name has been variously interpreted. In his name meaning
“the lord of avalokita,” avalokita
has been interpreted as “seeing,” although as a past passive participle, it is literally “lord of what has been seen.” One of the
principal sūtras in the Mahāsamghika tradition, not translated into Tibetan, was the Avalokita Sūtra,
in which the word is a synonym for awakening, as it is “that which has been seen” by the buddhas. In the early tantras, he is one of
the lords of the three families, as the embodiment of the compassion of the buddhas.

Brahmā
tshangs pa
ཚངས་པ།
Brahmā
One of the primary deities of the Brahmanical pantheon, Brahmā occupies an important place as one of two deities
(the other being Indra/Śakra) that are said to have first exhorted 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 multiple universes and world systems, there are also multiple Brahmās presiding over them; however, The
Question of Mañjuśrī describes sequentially higher brahmā gods as ruling over sequentially more numerous world systems. The
image of the singular deity, Brahmā, is depicted as the forty-seventh of the eighty designs on the palms and soles of the
Tathāgata.

Dhanada
nor sbyin
ནོར་སྦྱིན།
Dhanada
Dhanada (“Wealth Giver”) is another name of Vaiśravaṇa (rnam thos
sras, “Prince of the Distinctly Hearing One”), one of the Four Great Kings (rgyal
po chen po bzhi) ruling the four directions of the desire realm. Vaiśravaṇa rules the northern direction and the yakṣas
(gnod sbyin) that reside there. In The Question of
Mañjuśrī his image is the fifty-third of the eighty designs on the palms and soles of the Tathāgata.

Dhṛtarāṣṭra’khor srung poའཁོར་སྲུང་པོ།yul ’khor srungཡུལ་འཁོར་སྲུང་།’khor srungའཁོར་སྲུང་།DhṛtarāṣṭraOne of the Four Great Kings (rgyal po chen po bzhi) ruling thefour directions of the desire realm. Dhṛtarāṣṭra rules the eastern direction and the gandharvas (dri za) that reside there. In The Question of Mañjuśrī the image of him is theforty-ninth of the eighty designs on the palms and soles of the Tathāgata.

Indradbang poདབང་པོ།IndraIn most Buddhist texts he is known as Śakra; however, as the forty-eighth of the designs on the Tathāgatha’shands and feet his name Indra, meaning “lord,” is used.

Śrīdpalདཔལ།ŚrīThe goddess of fortune and prosperity, she is also known as Lakṣmī. In The Question of Mañjuśrī her imageis the fifty-fifth of the eighty designs on the palms and soles of the Tathāgata.

Mañjuśrī
’jam dpal
འཇམ་དཔལ།
Mañjuśrī
One of the eight “close sons” of the Buddha, the embodiment of insight (prajñā). In Tibetan tradition he is known as rgyal ba’i yab gcig, the
“sole father of buddhas,” as he inspires them in their realization of the profound. He is represented as bearing the sword of insight
in his right hand and a volume of the Prajñāpāramitāsūtra in his left.

Mārabdudབདུད།MāraSaid to be the principal deity in Paranirmitavaśavartin, the highest paradise in the desire realm. He is alsoportrayed as attempting to prevent the Buddha’s awakening. The name māra is also used as a generic name for the deities in his realm and also as an impersonal term for thefactors that keep beings in saṃsāra.

Śakrabrgya byinབརྒྱ་བྱིན།ŚakraCommon epithet of the god Indra, in Skt. meaning “Mighty One,” and in Tib., “Hundred Gifts.” The Tibetantranslation is based on an alternate etymology that śakra is an abbreviation of śata-kratu, “one who has performed a hundred sacrifices.” This epithet often appearstogether with the title devendra “Lord of Gods.” He is ruler of the Heaven of theThirty-Three.

Varuṇa
chu’i lha
ཆུའི་ལྷ།
Varuṇa
The Vedic deity understood in later periods to be the lord of waters; thus the Tibetans translate his name as
“God of Water” (chu’i lha). In The Question of Mañjuśrī
his image is the fiftieth of the eighty designs on the palms of the hand and feet of the Tathāgata.

Virūḍhaka
’phags skyes po
འཕགས་སྐྱེས་པོ།
Virūḍhaka
One of the Four Great Kings (rgyal po chen po bzhi) ruling the
four directions of the desire realm. Virūḍhaka rules the southern direction and the kumbhāṇḍas (grul bum) that reside there. In The Question of Mañjuśrī his image is the fifty-first of the
eighty designs on the palms and soles of the Tathāgata.

Virūpākṣa
mig mi bzang
མིག་མི་བཟང་།
Virūpākṣa
One of the Four Great Kings (rgyal po chen po bzhi) ruling the
four directions of the desire realm. Virūpākṣa rules the western direction and the nāgās (klu) that reside there. In The Question of Mañjuśrī his image is the fifty-second of the
eighty designs on the palms and soles of the Tathāgata.

Samanta Assembly Hallkun nas mdzes paཀུན་ནས་མཛེས་པ།SamantaprāsādaThe name of an assembly hall in Śrāvastī. It could be that samanta, meaning “universal,” just refers to theassembly hall in general. However, both the Tibetan and Chinese seemed to translate this word literally, which suggests it may be aproper noun.

Śrāvastīmnyan du yod paམཉན་དུ་ཡོད་པ།ŚrāvastīA city of ancient India in present-day Uttar Pradesh. It was the capital of the kingdom of Kosala.

Translation source: Interpreted by AILicense: CC BY-NC-ND 3.0 (84000.co) · VI: bản dịch AI, chờ đối chiếu · VI removed 2026-08-27 to honour the ND (no-derivatives) term

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