Bhaisajyaguru sutra

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Bhaiṣajyaguru ("Medicine Buddha").

Bhaisajyaguru sutra, aka Medicine Buddha sutra. An abbreviated title for the Mahayana sutra that elaborates on the original vow and merits of Bhaisajyaguru.[1]

This text describes how Bhaisajyaguru made twelve great aspirations (藥師十二誓願) to free sentient beings from sickness, to nourish their spiritual faculties, and to guide them to liberation. Thus he made the vow to become a buddha, to dwell in the pure emerald world of the east, and to adorn his land like a paradise.[1]

This text is prominent in East Asian Buddhism and Tibetan Buddhism.

Title variations

Medium length title:[1]

  • Skt. Bhagavato-bhaiṣajyaguruvaiḍūryaprabhasya-pūrvapraṇidhānaviśeṣavistāra
  • C. Yaoshi liuliguang rulai benyuan gongde jing
  • T. bcom ldan das sman gyi bla bai ḍūryai od kyi sngon gyi smon lam gyi khyad par rgyas par
  • English: Discourse of the Lapis Lazuli Radiance of the Special Extensive Original Vows of the Transcendent Victor, the Medicine Teacher

Long title:[2]

  • Skt. Ārya­bhagavān­bhaiṣajya­guru­vaiḍūrya­prabhasya pūrva­praṇidhāna­viśeṣa­vistāra­nāma­mahāyāna­sūtra
  • T. ’phags pa bcom ldan ’das sman gyi bla bai Dur+ya’i ’od gyi smon lam gyi khyad par rgyas pa zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo
  • English: The Noble Great Vehicle Sūtra “The Detailed Account of the Previous Aspirations of the Blessed Bhaiṣajya­guru­vaiḍūrya­prabha”

Text and translations

This sūtra survives in Sanskrit, Chinese, and Tibetan.[2]

Sanskrit edititions

The Dharmachakra Translation Committee states:

In Sanskrit, there are three available editions, compiled and edited from the cache of Buddhist Sanskrit manuscripts excavated from a stūpa in Gilgit in the early twentieth century. Gregory Schopen notes that at least five manuscripts of this text were found among the Gilgit collection, and his analysis of them shows that there were at least two distinct recensions of the text circulating in Gilgit during the fifth and sixth centuries ᴄᴇ. Some substantial passages in Sanskrit have also survived as several citations in Śāntideva’s (685–783 ᴄᴇ) Śikṣāsamuccaya, indicating that the text continued to be well known in the Buddhist heartland of India in the eighth century ᴄᴇ.[2]

Chinese translation

The Dharmachakra Translation Committee states:

A Chinese translation very similar to the later versions of the text was included as the twelfth and final fascicle of a longer work (Taishō 1331) translated by Śrīmitra in the early fourth century ᴄᴇ. In the seventh century, two new standalone Chinese translations were made, one in 616 ᴄᴇ by Dharmagupta (Taishō 449) and one in 650 ᴄᴇ by Xuanzang (Taishō 450).[2]

These texts are named as follows:[1][2]

  • Śrīmitra translation:
    Guanding bachu guozui shengsi dedu jing (灌頂拔除過罪生死得度經, Taishō 1331)
  • Dharmagupta translation:
    Yaoshi rulai benyuan jing (佛說藥師如來本願經, Taishō 449)
  • Xuanzang translation:
    Yaoshi liuli guang rulai benyuan gongde jing (藥師琉璃光如來本願功德經, Taishō 450) ("Original Vows of the Medicine-Master Tathāgata of Lapis Light")

Yijing also did a translation with the title:[1]

  • Yaoshi liuliguang qifo benyuan gongde jing 藥師琉璃光七佛本願功德經

For more on the Chinese translations, see Lancaster, The Korean Buddhist Canon, K 176 and K 177.

Tibetan translation

The Dharmachakra Translation Committee states:

The Tibetan translation has a colophon telling us that it was made by two ninth-century Indian preceptors‍—Jinamitra and Dānaśīla‍—in conjunction with Bandé Yeshé Dé (mid-eighth to early ninth century), placing the date for its initial translation from Sanskrit into Tibetan in the early ninth century.[2]

English translations

Translation from the Tibetan text:

Translations from Chinese versions include:

Twelve aspirations of Bhaiṣajyaguru

As recorded in the Bhaisajyaguru sutra, Bhaisajyaguru made twelve great aspirations for benefiting beings.

Khenchen Palden Sherab and Khenpo Tsewang Dongyal state:

At some point in the process of becoming a buddha, a bodhisattva will define the avenues by which he or she will most directly and effectively benefit sentient beings. [...]
While still a bodhisattva, the Medicine Buddha likewise proclaimed a set of twelve aspirations that defined the specific ways in which he sought to benefit beings. He announced them to the infinite field of buddhas and bodhisattvas throughout space. [...]
Declaring a series of twelve vows, he described the bodhichitta practices that would shape the course of his journey through the ten bhumis of the bodhisattva path. He chose these attributes to be the objects of his prayers and practices. Ultimately, the Medicine Buddha’s commitments have the force of truth. They are a distillation of his bodhisattva path. We can have full confidence in them.
The Twelve Aspirations of the Medicine Buddha are:
1. In my pure land, may all beings exhibit the 32 major marks and the 80 minor marks of a buddha. If this does not come to pass, may I not reach enlightenment.
2. May all sentient beings born in my pure land radiate glowing light – a light that dispels all dwelling in dark-ness. If this does not come to pass, may I not reach enlightenment.
3. Whoever is born in that pure land, may they always enjoy material abundance and be free of all worldly concerns. If this does not come to pass, may I not reach enlightenment.
4. May the beings in that pure land possess a stable vision of the pure view. If this does not come to pass, may I not reach enlightenment.
5. May those born in my pure land pay utmost attention to the purity of their conduct. May the results of negative karma due to previous actions be deferred to the time of most benefit to spiritual growth. If this does not come to pass, may I not reach enlightenment.
6. May they all emanate health and growth in body and mind. May they be relieved of any discomfort or disorder that hinders spiritual growth. If this does not come to pass, may I not reach enlightenment.
7. May my name become a mantra that heals all ailments. May the sound of my name and the image of my nirmanakaya be a balm that eases all pain. May the sound of my name or visualization of my image cure physical troubles and sickness. If this does not come to pass, may I not reach enlightenment.
8. May those who wish to change gender have that wish be fulfilled. May that choice lead directly to enlightenment. If this does not come to pass, may I not reach enlightenment.[3]
9. May those who hold wrong views or beliefs regarding dharma immediately develop right view when they hear my name. As a result, may they engage in bodhisattva activities. If this does not come to pass, may I not reach enlightenment.
10. May those who live in fear and are easily controlled, who feel threatened with incarceration and punishment, leave behind their fears of catastrophe. If this does not come to pass, may I not reach enlightenment.
11. May those whose subsistence has depended on predation and the killing of other beings have all their material needs met upon hearing my name. May their freedom result in the recognition of their innate bodhisattva nature. If this does not come to pass, may I not reach enlightenment.
12. Upon hearing my name, may those who suffer from any kind of hunger, thirst, or cold have all their needs provided for. May their food, drink, and clothing free them from mundane concerns so that they may begin to benefit others. If this does not come to pass, may I not reach enlightenment.
After the great Medicine Buddha made these bodhisattva vows, he kept these promises throughout all his lifetimes as a bodhisattva. When we practice the Medicine Buddha, we should remember these commitments and aspire to do the same, for the sake of all living beings. If we do this with love, compassion, and bodhichitta, it will benefit us and all other living beings.[4]

Notes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 藥師琉璃光如來本願功德經, Digital Dictionary of Buddhism (to sign in, see DDB sign-in)
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 The Detailed Account of the Previous Aspirations of the Blessed Bhaiṣajya­guru­vaiḍūrya­prabha, 84000 Collection
  3. ↑ A more literal translation of this aspiration from Bhaisajyaguru sutra will state "may woman who wish to transform into men be able to do so." However, according to Khenpo Tsewang Dongyal, in ancient India, the reason for a woman to wish to transform into a man is that men had more opportunity to practice the dharma. In modern times, it is more appropriate to understand this aspiration to apply to anyone who wishes to change their gender.
  4. ↑ Twelve Aspirations of Medicine Buddha, padmasambhava.org
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