by Red Pine
Maha Vibhasha Shastra . Several translations in Chinese exist, including one done in 656-659 by Hsuan-tsang. This includes commentaries of Vasumitra and others on Katyayaniputra’s Jnanaprasthana Shastra, one of the principal texts of the Sarvastivadin branch of early Buddhism.
Mahavastu . An account of the Buddha’s career, including his sojourn in Tushita Heaven. Scholars date its final composition in the fourth century A.D. No Chinese or Tibetan translation exists.
Mahayana. The Great Path or Vehicle. The teaching that aims at the liberation of all beings and the paragon of which is the bodhisattva. The mind.
Maitreya(fl. fourth century). The teacher of Asanga and thus the patriarch of the Yogacara school of Buddhism. Among the works attributed to him is the Yogacaryabhumi Shastra, which he spoke to Asanga. Often confused with the bodhisattva of the same name who was prophesied to be the next buddha after Shakyamuni.
Manjushri. The Bodhisattva of Wisdom and said to be the teacher of Nagarjuna. He also appears as the interlocutor of the Perfection of Wisdom in Seven Hundred Lines.
Maudgalyayana. One of the Buddha’s foremost disciples and known for his supernatural powers. Both he and Shariputra were among the Buddha’s earliest disciples.
Medicine Buddha Sutra . This has been translated five times into Chinese, including by Dharmagupta, Hsuan-tsang, and Yi-ching.
Meng-ts’an(1915-present). Chinese monk who studied under Tz’u-chou, Hsu-yun, and Hung-yi and who also spent ten years in Tibet studying with the Panchen Lama and other Tantric masters. Suspected of anti-revolutionary activities, he was arrested in 1950 and sentenced to thirty-three years in prison, eighteen of which he spent doing hard labor. He was released in 1982 and is one of the most respected monks in mainland China. His commentary, delivered in 1989 in Los Angeles, is entitled Chin-kang-ching chiang-shu (Taipei: Fang-kuang Wen-hua Press, 1998).
Ming dynasty(1369-1643).
Monier-Williams, Monier (1819-1899). British Sanskrit scholar whose Sanskrit-English Dictionary, based on the monumental Sanskrit-Deutsch Woerterbuch of Boehtlingk and Roth, was originally published in 1872 and is still in print and also accessible via a number of websites. Despite the passage of time, it remains the most comprehensive source of information on Sanskrit usages.
Nagarjuna(c. 150-250). The founder of the Madhyamaka school of Indian Buddhism, which was based on the prajna-paramita teachings, and which he is said to have received from a dragon. His Maha Prajnaparamita Shastra (Ta-chih-tu-lun), edited and translated into Chinese in 402-405 by Kumarajiva, is an analysis of those teachings as they appear in the Perfection of Wisdom in Twenty-five Thousand Lines.
Nakamura, Hajime (1912-present). One of Japan’s greatest Buddhist scholars and author of the classic Indian Buddhism (Tokyo: Sanseido Press, 1980), which was reprinted by Motilal Banarsidass in 1987. See also his Gotama Buddha (Los Angeles: Buddhist Books International, 1977). Throughout my notes, I have followed his dating of the Buddha, which differs from the currently accepted dating by about a hundred years.
Nan Huai-chin(1918-present). Chinese lay master of wide-ranging knowledge and interests. Several of his works have been translated into English. His Diamond Sutra commentary, based on a series of lectures delivered and recorded on tape in 1980, is entitled Chin-kang-ching shuo-shen-ma (Taipei: Lao-ku Wen-hua, 1992).
Nirmana-kaya. The apparition body of a buddha.
Nirvana. The extinction of passion and karma, and thus suffering, which takes place as a result of liberation from delusion and cessation of karma.
Nirvana Sutra . An account of the final days and final teachings of the Buddha. Although this also exists in Pali, the four Chinese translations are quite different in content and scope. My citations are from the Nan-pen ta-pan nieh-p’an-ching, which was a joint translation by two Chinese monks and a layman, during the period 424-453, and the Ta-pan nieh-p’an-ching hou-fen, translated by Jnanabhadra and Hui-ning in 665 and which adds another two fascicles to the initial thirty-six of the above text.
Pai Chang (720-814), aka Huai-hai. The foremost disciple of Ma-tsu, he was also responsible for devising the rules governing Zen monasteries in China whereby monks and nuns largely supported themselves through communal farming and other forms of manual labor rather than by begging. His comments are quoted by Hung-lien.
Pai Chu-yi(772-846), aka Le-t’ien. One of China’s greatest poets, he wrote in a style accessible to all, and his odes remain popular today. Disappointed in his effort to effect government and social reform, he spent his final years in the company of Buddhist monks in Loyang.
Pali. A language similar to Sanskrit in which the canonical scriptures of the Theravadin, or Southern tradition, are preserved.
Paramartha(499-569). Indian monk who arrived in Canton by sea in 546. Although he had to complete many of his translations while moving from place to place in South China during a period of instability, he is ranked as one of China’s greatest Buddhist translators. In addition to the Diamond Sutra, which he finished in 562, he also translated the Abhidharmakosha of the Sarvastivadin school and is considered the patriarch of China’s She-lun sect.
Perfection of wisdom. The prajna-paramita. The teaching that cuts through all teachings.
Perfection of Wisdom in Three Hundred Lines . The Vajracchedika Prajnaparamita Sutra. This is another title of the Diamond Sutra and suggests at some point it was in verse form. It appears as fascicle 577 in Hsuan-tsang’s Maha Prajnaparamita Sutra.
Perfection of Wisdom in Five Hundred Lines . The Pancasatika Prajnaparamita Sutra. There are two translations in Chinese: one is fascicle 576 in Hsuan-tsang’s translation of the Maha Prajnaparamita Sutra, and the other is the Fo-shuo ju-shou-p’u-sa wu-shang-ch’ing-ching fen-wei-ching, translated by the Chinese monk Hsiang-kung c. 460.
Perfection of Wisdom in Seven Hundred Lines . The Saptasatika Prajnaparamita Sutra. This was translated into Chinese by Sanghapala during the Liang dynasty (502-557) and again by Mandra during the same period. An English translation by Garma Chang is available in A Treasury of Mahayana Sutras (University Park: Pennsylvania State University Press, 1983).
Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines . The Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita Sutra. This was translated into Chinese six times, the earliest of which was by Lokakshema in 179 A.D. and titled the Tao-hsing po-juo-ching. It was also translated into English by Edward Conze (San Francisco: Four Seasons Foundation, 1973).
Perfection of Wisdom in Eighteen Thousand Lines . The Ashtadasasahasrika Prajnaparamita Sutra. The only Chinese translation is that of Hsuan-tsang in the Maha Prajnaparamita Sutra. Portions of the Sanskrit text have been used by Conze to make up for corrupt portions of the following text.
Perfection of Wisdom in Twenty-five Thousand Lines . The Pancavimshatisahasrika Prajnaparamita Sutra was first translated into Chinese by Kumarajiva between 402-412 under the title Ta-p’in po-juo-ching and into English by Edward Conze under the title The Large Sutra on Perfect Wisdom (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1975). It is also part of Hsuan-tsang’s Maha Prajnaparamita Sutra and also exists in Tibetan.
Piyenlu , aka The Blue Cliff Record. A collection of koan commentaries compiled during the Sung dynasty and based on one hundred verses by Hsueh-tou (980-1052). There are several English translations: one by R.D.M. Shaw published by Michael Joseph (London, 1961) and another by Thomas and J.C. Cleary (Shambhala, Boston, 1977).
Prajna-paramita. The perfection of wisdom. While prajna is usually taken to mean “wisdom,” its core meaning also approaches that of the Chinese word tao, or “way.” Thus, rather than knowledge, it refers to the way of knowing, or perceiving, the real nature of things. Paramita means “perfection” and is meant to distinguish this way of knowing as different from other forms of “wisdom.” This form of wisdom has no form. It is wisdom in action. The word is also applied to a set of teachings that first came to light in the centuries prior to the Christian Era and which helped inspire the development of the Mahayana form of Buddhism.
Purvashailas, aka Aparashailas. One of the sects that arose from the Mahasanghikas after the Second Council and that flourished in the centuries immediately before and after the Christian Era.
Rajagriha, aka Rajgir. The capital of the ancient kingdom of Magadha. The Buddha delivered many of his most important sermons on Mount Gridakuta just outside its eastern gate. This was also the location of the First Council at which the Buddha’s teachings were authenticated during two communal readings held several months apart in 383 B.C.
Saddharma. This means “good dharma” in Sanskrit and refers to the sutras spoken by the Buddha during his last years. It also refers to the Lotus Sutra.
Sakrid-agamin. The second of the four stages of the shravaka path. The sakrid-agamin is reborn as a human one more time.
Samadhi. The goal of meditation: an undistracted mind, a snake in a bamboo tube.
Samyukt Agama . One of several agamas (sutra collections) containing the early teachings of the Buddha. This particular collection is similar to the Pali Samyutta Nikaya and was translated into Chinese by Gunabhadra (394-468).
Sanbhoga-kaya. The reward body of every buddha and the body of merit of every bodhisattva.
Sangha. The Buddhist order and one of the Three Treasures in which one takes refuge upon becoming a Buddhist. Originally, this was limited to monks, but it was later expanded to include nuns and also lay disciples who agreed to abide by certain precepts.
Sansara. Life and death, the source of all suffering. It is usually paired with nirvana, the cessation of life and death, the end of all suffering.
Seng-chao(384-414). Student of Taoism who became a monk after reading the Vimalakirti Sutra. Hearing that Kumarajiva was being held in Wuwei, he traveled to the Silk Road oasis and became the great translator’s foremost disciple and assistant. He was also the author of a set of philosophical works known collectively as the Chaolun, which have been translated into English by Lienbenthal and others. His commentary, entitled Chin-kang-ching-chu, appears in the Supplement to the Tripitika, v. 38.
Seng-wei. No information. Quoted in Chapter Nineteen by Hung-lien.
Seven jewels. These constitute what was considered the most valuable offering a person could make and included gold, silver, aquamarine (lapis lazuli was a later substitute), carnelian (red agate), nacre (the lining of the giant clam), and two of the following: crystal, rubies, pearls, coral, or black mica.
Shakra, aka Indra, Kaushika. Ruler of all the gods and a great protector of the Dharma. He dwells in the Thirty-third Heaven at the summit of Mount Sumeru.
Shan-yueh(1149-1241), aka Po-t’ing. Eminent Tientai monk. His commentary, Chin-kang-ching hui-chieh, written in 1211, is preserved in the Supplement to the Tripitika, v. 38.
Shariputra. Among the Buddha’s first disciples and foremost among them in wisdom.
Shen-hsiu(605-706). Foremost disciple of the Fifth Zen Patriarch, Hung-jen. Despite Shen-hsiu’s erudition, Hung-jen transmitted the patriarchship to Hui-neng. Following Hung-jen’s death, Shen-hsiu spent most of his remaining years lecturing in the North. His approach to Zen resulted in the split into the Sudden Enlightenment sect of Hui-neng and the Gradual Enlightenment sect of Shen-hsiu.
Sheng-yi(1922-present). Disciple of Hsu-yun and for many years the abbot of Paolien Monastery on Hong Kong’s Lantau Island. His commentary, edited from a series of taped lectures, is entitled Chin-kang-ching ch’ien-yi (private printing, 1996). It is one of the finest commentaries by a modern Chinese monk.
Shihchi . Account of early Chinese history written by Ssu-ma Ch’ien and his father, Ssu-ma T’an, in the second and first centuries B.C. Translated into English by Burton Watson as The Records of the Historian (New York: Columbia University Press, 1988).
Shravaka. Meaning “to hear,” it refers to the early disciples of the Buddha, especially those who followed Hinayana teachings.
Shravasti. The capital of the kingdom of Kaushala and the largest city in ancient India during the Buddha’s day. The Buddha spent more rainy seasons in the vicinity of this city than anywhere else, and it was here that he defeated the leaders of competing religious sects and also performed a series of miracles that were unique in his career.
Shridatta(fl. sixth century). Indian monk and author of a commentary on the Diamond Sutra that survives in Chinese as Chinkang po-juo po-lo-mi-ching p’o-ch’u-cho pu-huai-chia-ming lun, which was translated by Divakara in 683.
Shunyata. Sanskrit word meaning “emptiness.” The meaning, however, is not “space” but the absence of perceptions or attachment to perceptions.
Shurangama Sutra . Translated by Pramiti in Kuangchou in 705. Although its authenticity has been disputed by some, this remains one of the most popular sutras in the Mahayana canon. Among its teachings are the unity of affliction and enlightenment and the stages of the bodhisattva path. There is an eight-volume English translation of the sutra along with a commentary by Hsuan-hua, San Francisco (Buddhist Text Translation Society, 1979).
Six Perfections. Charity, morality, forbearance, vigor, meditation, wisdom.
Six States of Existence. The divisions of the Wheel of Life and Death: devas, asuras, humans, animals, hungry ghosts, and sinners (beings in hell).
Sixth Patriarch. See Hui-neng.
Sixth Patriarch Sutra . Life and sayings of Hui-neng, recorded by his disciple, Fa-hai, and edited into its most popular form by Tsung-pao in 1291. Copies of an earlier version were among the manuscripts found in the Tunhuang Caves. There are English translations of both versions. My quotes are from the later version.
Srota-apanna. The first stage of the shravaka path. The strota-apanna finds the River of Impermanence.
Stein, Aurel (1862-1943). English explorer and archaeologist who discovered a copy of the Diamond Sutra north of Khotan in the ruins of Dandan Uiliq in 1901. Like the Gilgit edition, it dates from the late fifth or early sixth century. A romanized edition of the text was published by Pargiter in Manuscript Remains of Buddhist Literature Found in Eastern Turkestan (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1916).
Stonehouse(1272-1352), aka Ch’ing-hung. Reclusive Zen monk of the Yuan dynasty known for his poetry. I have quoted from my own translations: The Zen Works of Stonehouse (San Francisco: Mercury House, 1999).
Stupa. Tumulus of earth or tower of bricks containing the relics of a buddha.
Sudatta, aka Anathapindada. Wealthy merchant of Shravasti who purchased and donated the parklike grounds in which the Buddha and his retinue spent many rainy seasons, including the one during which this sutra was spoken.
Sugata. One of a buddha’s ten titles, it means “well-gone.”
Sumeru. The mountain which forms the axis of every world and which is often used as a metaphor for the self.
Sung dynasty(960-1278).
Sung Kaosengchuan . A biographical record of T’angdynasty monks who lived between 627-988, compiled by Tsan-ning (919-1002).
Supplement to the Tripitika . Monumental compilation of Chinese Buddhist works by Japanese Buddhists in Kyoto in 1915. The edition I have used was published in Taipei in a set of 150 volumes by Hsinwenfeng in 1994.
Suvarnaprabhasa Sutra . There are five translations in Chinese, beginning with that of Dharmaraksha (385-433). The chanting of this sutra is said to ensure a country’s protection by the Guardians of the Four Quarters.
Sutra in Forty-two Sections . Said to have been edited and translated by Dharmaraksha and Kashyapa-matanga (d. 73 A.D.), this presents an outline of basic Buddhist beliefs and practice. Its date and sources remain a matter of debate. Several English translations exist as part of other compilations.
T’ai-neng(1562-1649), aka T’ai-neng-weng. Korean monk and founder of Korea’s Hsiaoyao sect. His commentary is quoted by Hung-lien.