Preliminary note (2): The lists of Bodhisattva dharmas

With the exception of the eighteen āveṇikabuddhadharmas which the old texts do not mention, the lists of Buddha attributes, namely, the ten balas, four vaiśāradyas and the four pratisaṃvids, have been fixed since the time of the canonical sūtras (nikāya and āgama) and are maintained practically without any change throughout the later literature.

It was not the same for the lists of bodhisattva dharmas, the elaboration of which has given room for hesitation and alteration. Here I [Lamotte] will examine only the Mahāyānasūtras with which the Traité was familiar and which make up its sources and I will designate them by the following:

Ś = Śūraṃgamasamādhisūtra.
V = Vikurvaṇarājaparipṛcchasūtra
A = Buddhāvataṃsaka.
R = Ratnameghasūtra.
Vyut = Mahāvyutpatti, dependent on the preceding ones.

1. First list of ten bodhisattva-balas:

Ś. – T 642, k. 2, p. 643a25–b3 (p. 254–255 in my [Lamotte’s] translation of the Śūraṃgamasamādhi). – Tib. Trip., vol. 32, vol. 32, no. 800, fol. 330b2–4.

V. – T 420, k. 2, p. 932c13–27. – T 421, k. 2, p. 945b8–25. – Tib. Trip., vol. 33, no. 834, p. 263, fol. 213b1–214a2.

It is this first list that the Traité will adopt here.

2. Second list of ten bodhisattva-balas:

A. – T 278, k. 39, p.649c5–14. – T 279, k. 56, p. 295b29–c10; Tib. Trip., vol. 26, no. 761, p. 84, fol. 204b1–8.

R. – T 660, k. 4, p. 301b14–17. – T 489, k. 7, p. 722b7–11. – Tib. Trip., vol. 35, no. 897, p. 192, fol. 50b6–7.

Vyut., no. 760–769.

List I

1. dṛḍhādhyāśaya-bala,
2. sarvasattvāparityāga-bala,
3. mahākaruṇā-bala,
4. mahāvīrya-bala,
5. samādhi-bala,
6. prajñā-bala,
7. saṃsāraparikheda-bala,
8. anutpattikadharmakṣānti-bala,
9. vimukti-bala,
10. pratisaṃvid-bala,

List II

1. āśaya-bala,
2. adhyāśaya-bala,
3. prayoga-bala,
4. prajñā-bala,
5. praṇidhāna-bala,
6. yāna-bala,
7. caryā-bala,
8. vikurvaṇa-bala,
9. bodhi-bala,
10. pratisaṃvid-bala (Dharmacakrapravartana-bala.) ?

3. List of four bodhisattva-vaiśāradyas:

V. – T 420, k. 2, p. 932c27–933a7. – T 421, k. 2, p. 945b–c10.– Tib.Trip., vol. 33, no. 834, p. 263, fol. 214a2–8.

R.- T 660, k. 4, p. 301b17–25. – T 489, k. 7, p. 722b11–19. – Tib. Trip., vol. 35, no. 897, p.192, fol. 50b7–51a3.

Vyut., no. 782–785.

This is the list adopted by the Traité here.

4. List of ten bodhisattva-vaiśāradyas:

A. – T 278, k. 39, p. 649c16–650b24. – T 279, k. 56, p. 295c11–296b17.- Tib. Trip., vol. 26, no. 761, p. 84–85, fol. 204b8–207b1.

5. First list of eighteen āveṇika-bodhisattva-dharmas:

V. – T 420, k. 2, p. 933a7–934b3. – T 421, k. 2, p. 945c11–947b4. – Tib. Trip., vol. 33, no. 834, fol. 214b1–218b4.

6. Second list of eighteen āveṇika-bodhisattva-dharmas:

R. – T 660, k. 4, p. 301b25–c12. – T 489. k. 7, p. 722b19–c4. – Tib. Trip., vol. 35, no. 897, p. 192, fol. 51a3–51b2.

Vyut., no. 787–804.

7. List of ten āveṇika-bodhisattva-dharmas:

A. – T 278, k. 40, p. 650c4–651b21. – T 279, k. 56, p. 296b20–297b1. – Tib. Trip., vol. 26, no. 761, p. 85–86, fol. 207b2–210b2.

8. List of ten bodhisattva-samādhis:

R. – T 660, k. 4, p. 301a11–17. – T 489, k. 7, p. 722a7–12. – Tib. Trip., vol. 35, no, 897, p. 192, fol. 50a1–3.

Vyut., no. 737–745.

9. List of twelve bodhisattva-dhāraṇīs:

R. – T 660, k. 4, p. 301a18–25. – T 489, k. 7, p. 722a12–17. – Tib. Trip., vol 35, no. 897, p. 192, fol50a3–6.

Vyut., no. 747–758.

10. List of six bodhisattva-abhijñās:

R. – T 660, k. 4, p. 301a25–28. – T 489, k. 7, p. 722a17–20. – Tib. Trip., vol. 35, no. 897, p. 192, fol. 50a6–7.

11. List of ten bodhisattva-vaśitas:

R. – T 660, k. 4, p. 301a28–b14. – T 489, k. 7, p. 722a20–b7. – Tib. Trip., vol 35, no. 897, p. 192, fol. 50a7–50b5.

Vyut. – no. 771–780.

Final note:

It may be noted that the lists of bodhisattva dharmas given here do not appear in the two oldest Chinese translations of the Ratnameghasūtra: the Pao yun king (T658) made by Mandrasena in 503, and the Ta tch’eng pao yun king (T 659) made by Mandrasena and Seng k’ie p’o lo.

[k. 25, p. 245c]

Other Mahayana Concepts:

[back to top]

Discover the significance of concepts within the article: ‘Preliminary note (2): The lists of Bodhisattva dharmas’. Further sources in the context of Mahayana might help you critically compare this page with similair documents:

Mahayanasutra, Buddha attribute.