A Variety of Inset Jewels that Beautifully Adorn theDharmakya Caitya

A Presentation of the Caityas of the Sugata

Namo guru kyamunaye(Homage to Guru akyamuni)

I bow down my head to the perfect Buddha,To the ocean of the major and minor marks of his body, which we never tire of

looking at, which completely eclipse the entire brilliance of Brahma, Indraand the other great beings,

To the ocean of all the aspects of the melody of his speech, which we never tire ofhearing, which has the four confidences and leads all beings out of thedarkness of ignorance;

To the ocean of the wisdom of his completely pure mind’s knowledge, which isunstained by conceptual elaboration and clearly sees, without impediment,all phenomena that are to be known;

To the ocean of his activity, which is naturally accomplished, eternal, pervading,effortless and accomplishes the benefit of beings.

Until enlightenment, I make an offering of the adornments of BrahmaTo the pure Dharma, which is good in the beginning, the middle, and the end,And is peace free from attachment, is both ‘the cessation’ and ‘the path’,And I make an offering to the higher sangha who dwell in the paths of the three

ynas.

I pay homage to the dharmakya-caityas,Which embody the thirty-seven‘qualities of enlightenment’, such as mindfulness,And the ‘distinct qualities’ of buddhahood.

May what is clearly revealed in this text,A Variety of Inset Jewels that BeautifullyAdorn the Dharmakya Caitya of the Sugata,Become an experience that guides those who desire liberation.

That garland of words is the introductory offering of homage and commitment toteach.

The unequalled Buddha has great kindness, immeasurably great compassion andgreat skill in methods. He is an unsurpassable medicine that uproots and eliminates the

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chronic illness of suffering, which is created by the karma and defilements of all beings,who are limitless and endless. He is a great sun that dispels the thick darkness of theignorance of every being in the three realms. He is a guide for the blind,1 leading to thecity of omniscience and liberation the beings who are wandering by the precipice ofsamsara, who have no sight in their eyes of wisdom, which should see what is and is notto be done.

He is the unique, great friend who constantly looks on every being with eyes oflove, holding them in his compassion.

His activity brings four kinds of liberation; it is the essence of the five kinds ofrelics and creates the dharmakya-caityas. If with one-pointed faith, aspiration andrejoicing, you circumambulate, offer to, or prostrate to a dharmakya-caitya, you willattain limitless temporary and ultimate qualities. This is because the teaching of theSugata is certain and never deceives. Even someone who has merely a good, bad orneutral connection with a caitya, will be able to rend apart samsara.

I write this in order to benefit those who carry out the good action of dedicatingthemselves to the building of these superior, supreme bases for purification andaccumulation, and who make homage to it, make offerings to it, and circumambulatethem. I shall write what is taught in the sutras, tantras and shastras concerning thebenefits of such actions and what is necessary to know for the building of a caitya.

This text is in seven parts:

1. The characteristics of a caitya.2. A description of how it is built.3. The different kinds of caityas and their origins.4. An explanation of what is represented and signified by the dharmakya

caitya of the Sugata.5. The benefit derived from building a dharmakya caitya of the Sugata,

which is an unsurpassable basis for accumulation and purification.6. The benefits of making prostrations to, making offerings to and

circumambulating [the dharmakya caitya].7. How all those who see, hear, remember or touch [the dharmakya

caitya] gain the four kinds of liberation.

1. The Characteristics of the Caitya

In general, the word caitya [or stpa; Tibetan: mchod-rten] can mean ‘anaccumulation’ or ‘a memorial’. The Tathgata’s dharmakya has qualities such as thefour mindfulnesses, the four true eliminations, the four bases of enlightenment, the fivepowers, the five strengths and so on, that have been accumulated by particular methodsover a long period of time, or are remembered [because of it].

1 The texts has smegs bu in error for dmigs bu.

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Those qualities are represented by the caitya, which is therefore known as ‘therepresentation of the dharmakya’. This caitya’s shape is made up of four tiers (bang-rim), a vase-base (bum-rten), a vase (bum-pa), a harmik base (bre-rten), a harmiksupport (bre ‘degs) the thirteen wheels (‘khor-lo), the parasol (char-khebs), and so on.

The [Tibetan] word mchod-rten means ‘a basis that is worthy of offerings’. TheSanskrit word is caitya, the meaning of which as already explained, is either anaccumulation or a memorial.

Also, the caitya is a representation of the Three Jewels in general.

2. A description of how a caitya is built.

This is in six parts.

2.1. A description of the principal ‘basis’, which is placed inside.2.2. A presentation of the proportions of the caitya.2.3. The particular qualities of the places where it should be built.2.4. The characteristics of the sponsor, who is the cause for its being built,

and of the builder, who is the condition for its being built.2.5. The characteristics of the vajra master, the lord of the maala.2.6. The ancillaries to its final completion: the consecration, the

dedication of the accumulation of good karma to enlightenment,and the necessity for them.

2.1. A description of the principal ‘basis’, which is placed inside [the caitya].

Relics are inserted into a material statue or caitya in order to make them into aspecial field for merit. This is like life entering into a human body.

There are five kinds of relics:a) The dharmakya relics.b) The relics of the Tathgata’s body.c) The relics of that body’s articles.d) The relics that are like mustard seeds.e) The Dharma relics.

a) The dharmakya relics.These are satsas (clay casts) that portray caityas.

b) The relics of the Tathgata’s body.These are the bones, brain, and so on of the Tathgata himself or of a supreme

individual who has attained mastery of wisdom.

c) The relics of the body’s articles.These are the hair, nails, clothes, and so on, of the Buddha, of bodhisattvas or of

superior individuals.

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d) The relics that are like mustard seeds.These are like relics of the Buddha: they are multiplying bone particles that come

from those individuals who have attained to the bodhisattva bhmis.

e) The Dharma relics.These are dhra-mantras and volumes of the Bhagavan’s teaching.The Dharma relics are the countless classes of dhra-mantras that are taught in

the sutras and tantras. Any of these can be inserted [into the caitya]. In particular, thereare ‘the five great dhras’ that were greatly praised by the Buddha. They are the rootfor whatever is inserted into statues and caityas.

i) Uavijaya: ‘Victorious Ua’ [gTsug-tor rnam-rgyal].ii) Uavimala: ‘Stainless Ua’ [gtsug-tor dir-med].iii) Guhya-dhtu: ‘The Secret relic’ [Tib: gsang-ba ring-bsrel].2

iv) Bodhigarbhlakara-laka ‘A Hundred thousand adornments of theessence of enlightenment’ [Tib: byang-chub rgyan-‘bum].3

v) Prattya-samutpda-garbha ‘The essence of dependent origination’ [rten-‘brel snying-po; prattya-samutpda-garbha].

The Ramivimala [‘Od-zer dri-med] dhra should also be inserted into a caityaand the relevant name-mantra should be inserted into a statue.

It is good to also insert, into both caityas and statues, prayers to the gurus, yidams,Dharma-protectors and wealth deities, prayers for the benefit of the Teaching and beings,and prayers for good fortune. They should be written out exactly as they are in the textsand should be inserted the correct way up.

One must insert the dharmakya relics, the Dharma relics and the mustard seed-like relics. The other two kinds can be inserted if they are available, but they are notessential.

If one interprets the word mchod-rten (‘basis for offerings’) in its most generalsense, then is good to insert an axis pole into a statue, but it is crucial, indispensable andof paramount importance to insert an axis pole into a caitya, however small or large it is.

The great teachers have said that we must pay great care to the axis pole of acaitya. Ideally, it should be made of white sandalwood, red sandalwood, or aloe wood. Atthe very least, it should be made of juniper or the wood of a good, fruit-yielding tree.

2 This dhra is from The Mahyana Stra of the Dhra named ‘The Receptacle of Secret

Relics: The Essence of the Blessing of all the Tathgatas’ (Sanskrit: rya-sarva-tathgata-dhihna-hdaya-guhya-dhtu-karaa-nma-dhra-mahaynastra;Tibetan: ‘Phags-pa bde-bzhin-gshegs-pa thams-cad kyi byin-gyis-brlabs kyi snying-pogsang-ba ring-bsrel gyi za-ma-tog ches bya-ba’i gzungs theg-pa chen-po’i mdo.

3 This dhra is from The Dhra that is a Hundred Thousand Adornments of the Essence ofEnlightenment; Sanskrit: Bodhigarbhlakaralaka-dhra; Tibetan: Byang-chub kyisnying-po’i rgyan ‘bum gyi gzungs.

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The wood should not be hollow, cracked, thorny, eaten by insects, crooked, or have othersuch faults.

Ideally the wood is from a tree that has grown on a good mountain, but, whereverthe tree is found, it must be obtained directly from the owners of that land and permissionfrom the deities of that area must be received by offering them a torma.

Mark the eastern side of the tree and cut it there on an astrologically auspiciousday, such as that of a waxing moon,.

Dry the wood completely. Remember which is the upper and which the lower end.Make it four-cornered and smooth, with the lower end thicker, gradually becomingthinner towards the upper end.

If it is to be placed inside a great caitya, carve the upper end into a beautiful‘caitya of victory’ that is complete from its base (sa-‘dzin) upwards; carve the lower endof the axis pole into a beautiful half-vajra with its prongs pointing into the four principaldirections. If you can, coat these carvings thickly with ‘cold gilt’, making them verybright. There is no fault of omission if you do not carve the caitya and the half-vajra.

An axis pole inside a statue should reach from the crossed legs up to the uia;inside a caitya it should reach from the ‘virtue-foundation’ (rmangs-dge) or ‘great face’(gdong-chen) up to the tip. Alternatively, it should reach from ‘the vase-seat’ (bum-gdan)up to the sun and moon.

There is no need to paint the axis pole if it is red sandalwood or something similarit. Otherwise, paint it with vermilion, scented water, and so on. Apply three or four coats.Its colour should be other than the gold, silver, vermilion or ink that will be used forwriting the mantras on it. The colour should be strong and the surface smooth.

If cracks form in the paint when the axis pole dries, seal them with a herbalpoultice, colour, and so on.

Before you paint an axis pole for a caitya, carve a smooth dhra-container in itsupper end. Place inside it the Vijaya-dhra and the Ramivimala-stra-dhra that arewritten either on a scroll or on rolled up square pages each four fingerwidths in size.

At the level where the sv syllable is written at the front of the lower end of theaxis pole, cut out dhra-containers, roughly at the same level on all four sides. Insertinto these ninety-nine ‘axis pole mantras’ and ninety-nine Nivaraavikambhin-dhras.Insert twenty-five of each dhra into each of three sides, and insert twenty-four of eachdhra into the dhra-container on the remaining side.

Alternatively, you may cut out just one dhra-container in the lower end andinsert the Ramivimala and ‘the essence of dependence’ into it.

Before placing the dhras inside, coat the dhra containers with scented water.After they are inserted, seal the containers using the same wood that was removed,4

smoothing them over so that they will not be visible and then paint over them.The ninety-nine dhras of the axis pole and the offering dhras can be bound

around the axis pole instead of being inserted into the carved dhra-containers.

4 The text literally says ‘using that very substance’. It has been translated in this way,

after Khenpo Lodro Donyo’s clarification of the passage, so as to avoidconfusion.

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A precious relic-box containing special substances with blessing, such as the‘mustard seed-like’ relics, should be placed inside the carved container in the upper endof the axis pole.

There are also dhra mantras that must be written on the surface of the axispole.

If there is a victory-caitya at the upper end of the axis pole, write Bhr on itsvase; O Bhr svh inside the vase; place ‘mustard seed-like’ relics inside the vase;write H, with an O below it, on the eastern side of the lion-throne; Tr on thesouthern side, Hr on the western side and on the northern side.

If there is no victory-caitya on the upper end of the axis-pole write H on its tip,and below that, write O, Tr, Hr and on eastern, southern, western and northernsides, respectively. Write the essence-mantra of Vijaya on the upper end also.

Write O H Sv H on the five places5 of the axis pole.

If you are following the Klacakra tradition, write Ha at the level of the ua,O at the forehead, at the throat, H at the heart, Ho at the navel and Ka at thegenital area.

Write the mahvidy mantra O sarva-vidy svh6 at the level of the harmik ofthe caitya, the vowels and consonants at the level of the harmik neck (bre mgul),7 Ovajra-yue svh8 at the level of the vase, and O supratiha-vajraye svh9 at thebottom of the axis pole.

On the axis pole for a large caitya, write the long dhras of Vijaya and theothers. On the axis pole for a small caitya, where there is not much room, one can writethe short dhras instead.

Whether the dhras are long or short, write the Vijaya-dhra on the easternside, the Uavimala on the southern, the Guhya-dhtu on the western, and theBodhigarbhlakaralaka-dhra on the northern side. Follow each of them with thePrattya-samutpda-garbha.

If there is room, add the entire poada10 verses of the seven buddhas; if there is noroom, write out the poada of Buddha Vipayin: “Patience is a holy hardship…” etc.,(bzod-pa dka’-thub dam-pa…) followed by an prayer for good fortune.

When the five dhras have been written, wrap yellow cloth around them andbeautify it by binding it with threads of five different colours.

The necessary qualities of the master who writes out the dhra-mantras will bedescribed later, but, at this time, he should eat only white foods that are unpolluted by

5 Corresponding to crown or ua, throat, heart, navel and genital places on the body.6 Om! Omniscience! Svaha!7 Presumably synonymous with harmik base.8 Om! Vajra Life! Svaha! This is hybrid Sanskrit, but still one would expect Vajryue.9 Om! Supremely stable vajra! Svaha!10 gSo-sbyong (healing and purification).

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meat, alcohol, garlic, onions, and so on. He should wash, be very clean and never let hisbreath or stains from his hands come into contact with the axis pole. Therefore, whenwriting out the dhras, he should place either paper or pure white cotton on the pole toprevent his hands touching it. He must write the mantras correctly and beautifully,without omission or addition, without erased errors and they should be the correct heightand so on.

Although not absolutely compulsory, it is good to bury vases of treasure that havebeen correctly made and blessed.

It is essential, as described above, that the axis pole have the correct length andqualities.

The maalas of the two Vimalas are placed inside the caitya. They should ideallybe made of gold, silver or some other precious substance. They should at least be a well-carved flat stone, or its like. When making and blessing these maalas, first collect thenecessary substances and implements.

Most importantly, satsas, which are the embodiment of the dharmakya relics,must be placed inside a caitya.

On the maala of Uavimala, arrange a hundred and eight white satsas thatcontain both the long and the short dhras of Uavimala.

On the Ramivimala maala, arrange ninety-nine yellow satsas that contain boththe long and short dhras of Ramivimala.

Place as many satsas as one can make inside the vase, according to the size of thecaitya: a thousand, ten thousand, a hundred thousand, or more. Ideally they shouldcontain both the long and the short dhras of both Vimalas. Otherwise, the shortdhras will suffice.

The satsas will be prefect if they contain the five great mantras and the Prattya-samutpda-garbha in particular.

The Tantra requested by Arya Subhu11 states, on page 119b in volume Wa of theTantra section of the Kangyur,

In order to purify bad karma, continually make,In an area that is clean and solitary,Sugata-caityas that contain the Prattya-samutpda-garbha,Making them out of clay or out of sand.

Offer praises, garlands, scents and lights,And offer, with supreme faith,Parasols, victory banners, flags and musicTo a statue or caitya that contain relics.

Therefore, one must place satsas that have been blessed, in accordance with theritual, into a caitya.

11 Sanskrit: Arya Subhuparipccha-nma-tantra. Tibetan: ‘phags pa dpung bzang gis zhus pa’i

rgyud. Vol Wa, p. 118a-140b.

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The method for making the satsas and the practice of their ritual is clearly taughtin Lochen Dharmashri’s ritual recitation text, in Jamgön Lodrö Tayé’s abbreviatedritual—Entering the Stainless Path (Dri-med lam-‘jug)— and in The StainlessIllumination (Dri-med kun-snang), which is the ritual practice for making tsatsas with thedhras of Uavimala, and and so on.

Clearly print on paper, without omission or addition, the five great dhras,dhras of the buddhas and bodhisattvas, the three roots, and the wealth deities, and theprayers for good fortune and the fulfilment of wishes. Anoint them with scented waterroll them, cover them with cloth and bind them with thread as is traditionally done.Recite the specified number of mantras for blessing the dhras.

Ideally place the dhras inside precious receptacles, or if they are unavailable,inside clean glass or clay vessels that have lids, so as to preserve the dhras for a longtime. Fill empty spaces within them with precious powder, sandalwood, saffron, herbs,incense, and so on, as an act of honour and reverence. Adorn their outside with drawingsof various offerings, such as the auspicious signs and the auspicious substances. Arrangethem in a circle around the maalas of the two Vimalas. Alternatively, determine thesize of the caitya, and arrange the individual dhras, in accordance with their order, inthe empty spaces within the caitya. This is the tradition of the true lamas and thereforeshould be done in this way.

2.2. The proportions of the caitya.

Generally speaking, there is no definite size, shape, and so on, for a caitya. In thestras it is taught that the caitya that contained the Buddha’s relics was a yojana12 inextent. The Kutagara Stra13 describes a caitya that is the size of an emblic myrobalanfruit, its parasol the size of an Indian juniper leaf, and its axis pole the size of a needle.The size depends on one’s own wealth and resolve.

The great lamas of the past have taught that anything that contains a Dharma relicis a dharmakya-caitya. Nevertheless, it is very important that the caitya should not beunpleasant to the sight but be universally attractive. Therefore, build a caitya on the basisof the proportions that have been perfectly established by the great scholars and siddhasof the past.

There are minor differences between the proportions of the caityas as taught bythe great scholars and siddhas of the Kagyu, Nyingma, Sakya and Gelug traditions. It isnot possible to conclusively identify one of these as only legitimate form.

However, this is the form as given in The Mirror of Brahma: A detailedpresentation of the proportions of the mahbodhi caitya, the supreme representation ofthe Sugata’s dharmakya14 by the lord of buddhas, the fifteenth glorious KarmapaKhakhyab Dorje (1871-1923).

12 Roughly seven miles.13 Khang-bu brtsegs-pa’i mdo14 bDe-bar-gshegs-pa’i chos-sku’i rten-mchog byang-chub chen-po’i mchod-sdong gi cha-tshad

zhib-mor bkod-pa tshangs-pa’i me-long.

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Here, is a complete offering of the Sugata’sUnsurpassable, supreme representation:I will write The Mirror of Brahma; the proportionsOf the sacred Dharmakya caitya.

For this one draws well the ‘diameter lines’.The right and left [halves] of the diameter lineAre each five ‘great units’, which is the measure of [the stupa’s] extent.The height is said to be seventeen15 great units,From the base all the way up to the crest.[The great units] are each divided into four ‘subunits’.

In the successive stages [of the stupa] the number [of such subunits]In height and in width,If made definitively, are as follows:The base (sa-‘dzin) is four units in heightAnd forty units wide.

The first refuge16 is one unit in height.And thirty-four units wide.The second and the thirdAre both one unit high and in widthAre successively one unit narrower.

The lotus [level] is one unit in heightAnd twenty-eight units wide.17

The lion throne18 is six units in heightAnd twenty-six units wide.

The lotus level19 upon it, is one [unit] highAnd twenty-eight units wide.

The ‘great lotus’20 is one unit in heightAnd ten times three21 in width.

15 Khakhyab Dorje uses the symbolic words used in astrology for numbers at this point only.

Phyogs (‘direction’) means ‘ten’ and Ri (‘mountain’) means seven.16 The first step, in other instructions, are called the them-skas.17 This in effect creates a fourth step. This level is absent in other versions.18 Seng-khri.19 Pad-ma.20 The text has ba-gam, which must be in error for bad-gam. This is synonymous with pad-chen

(large lotus) in other versions.21 This is assuming that bcu drug gsum mo is an error for bcu phrag gsum-mo.

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The ‘great face’22 is three in heightAnd thirty-two units wide.

The virtuous foundation’s lotus is one in heightAnd twenty-eight units wide.

The four immeasurables are eachTwo subunits in height:Love is twenty-six wide,Compassion is twenty-four,Joy is twenty-two and equality is twenty.

The vase-seat lotus is one in heightAnd its extent in width is eighteen

The vase is thirteen units in height;Its bottom is sixteen units wide;At a point, nine units upwards,It is twenty-two units wide.That upper point is connected by a straight line to the bottom.That creates the vase’s lower part.

Four units upwards from the ninth [unit]The widths for the two uppermost units is sixteen at the topConnected to the twenty-two [unit width] by a curve.That completes the upper part of the vase.

The nature of the alcove:At points three units to the right and the leftOf the central line, at the foot of the vase,Place marks as uncganging indications.The upper point is six up on the central lineExtending five units to the right and left.From those tips take lines downTo meet the previously made marks.Above the six, go upwards three units.From that high point on the central line go downwards diagonallyTo connect with the five below it on each side,That establishes the proportions for the door.

The beautifying ‘shoulders’ are a medium, rounded shape.The size of the outer doorframe of the vase doorShould be established by an analysis using ones intelligence;Avoid making it very large, as that will be a defect.

22 gDong-chen.

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Above the vase is the harmik seat, a half unit in heightAnd seven units in width.

The ‘harmik neck’ is one unit in heightAnd is six units wide.

The harmik support is the same [size] as the harmika seat.

The height of the harmik is two units,The width is eight units.The dharma-wheel lotus is one unit in height;At its base it is seven units wide, and eight at its top.

Each dharma wheelIs equally one unit in height.[The height] of each wheel is divided into quarters.The lower three quarters are ‘the male wheels’And the upper quarter alone is ‘the female wheel’.The lowest wheel is eight units wideThe thirteenth [wheel] is two units [wide]Connect the two and the eight with a straight line.Again from that line measure inwardsA quarter of an unitTo determine the size of ‘the female wheels’.

The lotus that supports the parasol is half an unit high;In width it is three units.Upon that is the parasol, which is half an unit in heightAnd four units in width.

The lower end of the hanging lattice23

Is seven subunits in width and it is two in height.

The bottom of ‘the five families’ is four units [in width]And one and a half in height, widening toAn expanded upper surface that is six units [wide].

The moon seat is one unit in height;The lower width is three units,The upper width is one unit.

The moon is one unit highThe moon tips are, on the upper level, at two units

23 Zar-tshag

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From the central line at the bottom of the middle of the moon.There are upward curves for the lengths of [those] two units.From the ‘leg’24 [lines] rear in a curveOne unit to the tips; thus the moon is created.

The sun is three units [in diameter].Make a circle from the centre that is one and a half [units in radius].

The jewel crest is one and a half in height.Make the width whatever is most beautiful.

These are the proportions of the caitya that appearedWhen the Jina BaghavanTruly attained great enlightenment.Make this the root and then know,Through analysis, without error, and in detail,The particular features of the individual proportionsOf the seven [other caityas], such as ‘the descent from paradise’ caitya.

2.3. The qualities of the place where a caitya should be built.

The location must be a good place that has perfect, positive geomancy asdescribed in the sciences texts.25

In particular, it is said in the Tantra of the General Secret Rites,26 on page 141b27

in volume Wa in the Tantra section of the Kangyur

All actions will be avoided by the wiseIn these kinds of places:Uneven, thorny,Littered with potsherds,A ravine, a place with bones, tree stumps,Anthills, ashes, salt,Pebbles, stones, dust, hairMany insects, ants, and so on.

24 Upper surface of the middle of the moon.25 gTsug-lag gi gzhung. These are texts that deal with subjects such as grammar, medicine and so

on, including astrology and geomancy.26 gSang-ba spyi’i-rgyud. Abbreviated title of Sarva-maala-smnya-vidhina-guhya-tantra;

dKyil-‘khor thams-cad kyi spyi’i cho-ga gsang-ba’i rgyud; The Tantra of the SecretRituals for all Maalas in General. Volume Wa pages 281-334 or 141a-167b.

27 The quotation begins on 141a and ends on 141b.

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This kind of ground will be auspicious for all actions:Level, clean and rich earth,Free of pain and harmFacing the east and north.

Some texts teach that it is inappropriate to be to the east, to the south, or above, amonastery or town.

Although it is necessary and important that a place have these features, a caitya isprincipally a basis upon which all beings can gather accumulations and purifythemselves; it has the marvellous activity of the buddhas and bodhisattvas; it brings thefour kinds of liberation, and it plants the seed of liberation within all who make aconnection with it. Therefore, it is taught that a caitya should be built where many beingslive or at a place such as a crossroads.

In the Ramivimala Stra,28 on page 17b in volume Na of the Tantra section of theKangyur, it is said

…erects a caitya at a crossroads or road junction where many people passin different directions…

Thus, the essential instruction is to find a place where there are few obstacles anda great benefit.

2.4. The characteristics of the sponsor, the cause of the building of the caitya,and of the builder, the necessary condition for its being built.

The sponsor, who is the cause of the building of the caitya, must be someone whohas great faith, aspiration, diligence, compassion, has turned away from sasra,genuinely wishes to gain liberation and omniscience, has generosity, rejoices in goodactions, is stable, patient, honest and has respect for the deities and for the craftsmen.

One should reject the opposite kind of patron: someone who has little faith andaspiration, who, because of the eight worldly concerns, wishes for excellence in this life,longs for fame, is impatient, regrets acts of generosity, doubts the benefits of goodactions and has no respect for the deities or craftsmen.

28 The text occurs in the bKa’-‘gyur twice. It occurs in the Dhra section (Gzungs-‘dus) volume

Wa (Vol. 101) pages 100a-110b (199-220).It also occurs in Volume Na (Vol.88) of the Tantra (rGyud-sde) section, pages 8a-16b (15-36),

both editions are almost identical. It is said to be have been translated by Vidykarasiddhiand Zhu-chen gyi Locchva dPal-gyi lHun-po, with the mantras later revised (in theeleventh century) by Atia and ‘Brom-ston.,

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The builder, who is the necessary condition for the building of the caitya, shouldbe free of strong defilements, be intelligent, careful, patient, diligent, and know the caityaproportions taught in the textual traditions of Indian and Tibet.

2.5. The characteristics of the vajra master, who is the lord of the maala.

It is very important to build statues, caityas, and so on, correctly. Therefore, it isabsolutely necessary to have a maala master with the necessary qualifications for thebeginning, middle and conclusion of this practice.

The best master would be a fully ordained Vajradhara, a medium master is aramanera, and the least kind is an upasaka who has kept his vows.

He should be bound by the general vows, but have received the empowerment forthe maala and keep its commitments. He should have completed the propitiatorypractice [Seva; bsnyan-pa], be skilled in the practice of the ritual, have exceptional love,compassion and bodhicitta, have confidence in the view of dependent origination andemptiness, be unpolluted by thoughts of the eight worldly concerns, have conviction inthe law of karma, wish to attain liberation from sasra, have little interest in this life, bevery clean, careful, patient, diligent, very learned and have the power of wisdom.

It is said in the Tantra of the General Secret Rites, on page 141a in Volume Wa inthe Tantra section of the Kangyur

The master knows all the astras,Possesses discipline, is a master of compassion,Is honest, patient and clean,Has faith, mindfulness and courage,Is a skilful speaker, does not fear and can endure difficulties,Is skilled and clear in the arts,Is beautiful and also isRespectful, controlled, grateful,Continually rejoices in the Dharma,Has aspiration for the mahyana,Is trained in the activity of the vajrayna,Knows the particulars of the maalas.Knows the nature of pupils,Holds the mantras and tantras,Gives authorisations and bestows empowerments,Is content, is dedicated to recitation and mantra repetition,Reveres and honours those who are masters,Has knowledge of all maalas,Makes offerings to the mantras,To the gurus and to unexpected guests.The master should be skilled inThe binding of mudrs, and so on,In the activity of drawing maalas,And in the offerings within mantrayna activities.

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The master should be someone who possesses all those qualities, but if it isdifficult to find someone like that within the necessary time, the master can be someonewhose qualities are stronger than his defects.

2.6. The final completion: the necessary consecration and the dedication ofthe good karma to enlightenment.

When the building of the stupa has been completed, it should be consecratedimmediately.

It is said in The Tantra of Consecration29 on page 146b in volume Ta [of theTantra section of the Kangyur]

When a statue is completed,If a long time passes without it being blessed,There will be inauspiciousness.During that time it is not worthy of offerings.

For example, just as some men,If they have forsaken the qualities of knowledge,30

Are not given offerings by anyone,It will be the same for the image.

Offering or bowing down toAn image that has not been consecratedWill be the same as the fruitless ashes of homa ritesPerformed by inferior tantrikas who have broken their commitments.

Thus, it is necessary to consecrate images as the embodiments of the three secrets31

and their activities. Great beings who are masters of the profound true nature, are able tobless any kind of representation, whether fabricated or natural, such as mountains, cliffs,etc., to become a wheel of great wisdom, just by directing their attention to it; that is theultimate consecration, which does not depend on ritual.

A vajra master who has the characteristics described earlier should practice for anappropriate number of days and enter a mantra-maala that accords with the view of thesutras, the bodhicitta and the tantras.

He should teach clearly and in detail the Vimala Sëtras and the benefits ofcircumambulating a stupa to the sponsors and the others who have assembled.

29 Supratiha-tantra-sagraha; Rab tu gnas pa mdor bsdud pa’i rgyud; The Brief Tantra of

Consecration. 146b-150a. Translated by the Kashmiri Mahpandita Jñnavajara and theLo-ts-ba Bhiku Shes-rab Grags-pa (eleventh century)

30 The text has spangs pa la, but the Kangyur text has spangs pa na.31 The body, speech and mind of buddhahood.

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He should conclude with an aspiration prayer and sincerely dedicate every excellentmaculate or immaculate positive action within sasra and nirva —represented by thebuilding of the caitya— to unabiding, great enlightenment.

3. The different classes of caityas and their origin.

The Nyingma and Sarma tantric traditions teach many classes of caityas thatrepresent the Buddha’s mind, such as the ‘natural, self-existing caitya’, the‘unsurpassable caitya’, the ‘blessed caitya’, the ‘caitya that is a source of siddhis’, and soon. In the general yna tradition, in the vinaya, and elsewhere, there are descriptions ofcaityas for ordinary beings, ravakas, pratyekabuddhas, bodhisattvas and tathgatas.

This text concerns building the caityas of the Sugata. There are different kinds ofSugata caityas. The glorious Lord Arya Nagrjuna described the famous ‘eight caityas ofthe Sugata’ in A Praise of the Caityas of the Eight Great Places.32

The Teacher, the perfect Buddha, manifested principal, special activities in placeswhere the inhabitants then built caityas, establishing a tradition that commemerates thoseepisodes. Thus, the eight caityas were successively built in eight areas.

1) The Sugata caitya or Magalam33 caitya in Kapilavastu commemorates when ourTeacher was born. It has four or seven round tiers that have lotus petals and it is alsodecorated by lotus petals.

2) The Mahbodhi34 caitya commemorates the enlightenment of the Buddha in theMagadh;35 it has four square tiers.

3) The Wisdom-caitya or Dharmacakra-caitya, or ‘the caitya of many doors of goodfortune’ commemorates the Buddha turning the wheel of the Dharma in Vranasi. It hasfour square tiers, projections, and ideally a hundred and eight doors, or a medium numberof fifty-six, or at least sixteen.

4) The ‘caitya of the defeat of the trthikas’ or the ‘caitya of miracles’commemorates the Buddha manifesting miracles in the Jeta Grove at ravasti; it has foursquare tiers and a projection in each direction. Alternatively, this has four tiers that havelotus petals.

32 Sanskrit: Aa-mah-sthna-caitya-stotra; Tibetan: gNas chen-po brgyad kyi mchod-rten la

bstod-pa. This is in the first volume of the bstan-gyur, which is the volume dedicated topraises (stod-tshogs); pages 81b-82a.

33 ‘Good Fortune.34 Great enlightenment.35 The text repeats an apparent error found in the Shes-bya Kun-khyab by Jamgon Kongtrul,

(volume 2, page 283) which locates the caitya in Rjagha, which was the capital ofMagadh during the Buddha’s lifetime. The Nagrjuna text has Magadh and is clearlyreferring to the site of the Buddha’s enlightenment: Vajrsana or Bodhgaya. Rjaghaoccurs later in the list, and therefore in Kongtrul Rjagha appears twice as the locatinfor two of the caityas. Perhaps Kongtrul was glossing the Magadh in the original as [thekingdom of] Rjagha. Magadh has been used in the translation, with the Khenpo’spermission, so as to avoid confusion.

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5) The ’caitya of the descent from the deities’ or the ‘caitya of the tritrima devas’commemorates the Buddha spending a rains retreat in the Tritrima paradise, where heestablished his mother in the truth, formally ended the retreat in the morning anddescended in the afternoon to to Sakaya in Jampudvipa.36 It has four or eight [square]tiers, with projections on each side that have stairways in their centres.

6) The the ‘caitya of the healing of the division’ or the ‘light-rays caitya’ or the‘certain love caitya’ commemorates the Buddha’s two supreme pupils37 healing inRajghir the division in the sangha that had been created by Devadatta. It has four [square]tiers with cut corners.

7) The ‘ blessing caitya’ or the ‘caitya of complete victory’ commemorates theBuddha blessing his composite body to live for a further three months in Vail. It hasthree round tiers.

8) The nirva caitya commemorates the Buddha’s passing into nirva inKuingara. It has no tiers; the vase seat is directly upon the throne.

This is clearly described in Lord Nagrjuna’s A Praise of the Caityas of the EightGreat Places on page 81a of the Praises volume in the bsTan’-‘gyur:38

I pay homage to the caityas of the Sugata,Who is the one guru for beings, who was born in Lumbin39

Who dwelt at home in Kapilavastu,And was adorned by ten million precious qualities.

I pay homage to the caityas of the vast qualities,Which serve as representations of enlightenment and reside on the banksOf what is known as ‘the Nairañjana river’Before the Bodhi-tree in Magadh.40

I pay homage to the four caityas of the wisdomThat totally destroyed the defilements and obscurations:The wonderful liberation through the Wheel of DharmaIn Vras in Kka.41

36 The text here repeats an apparent error that is found in Jamgon Kongtrul’s Shes-bya Kun-

khyab, saying that he descended to Vail-Kya (yangs-pa-can gsal-ldan), whereasVail is nowhere near Kya, aka Saksya, which is to the west of Bihar and presentlyhas a ruined stpa said to mark the site where Buddha descended to the earth. Vailoccurs correctly later in the list. Vail has been left out of the translation to avoidconfusion. gSal-ldan is confusingly was also used to translate Kka, the ancientkingdom of Vras, which is listed in untranslated transliteration in the praise byNagrjuna that follows.

37 ariputra and Maudgalyana.38 The text had bKa’-‘gyur.39 The text has Lumb.40 Jetavana.41 The name of the ancient, small kingdom of which Vras was the capital.

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I pay homage to the caitya of the defeat of the Trthikas:The supreme establishment of his view of the three levels [of existence],The destruction of the [miraculous] powers of others in rvastAnd the manifestation of great miracles in the Jeta Grove.

I pay homage to the caitya that was offered by the Trayastria deitiesIn the supreme holy city of Sakya.42

He departed to the realm of the deities, descended unsurpassably,And Brahma and Indra offered their crowns to his feet.

I pay homage to the caitya of definite loveIn the Bamboo Grove43 of Rjagha,44

Where the schism in the sangha was healed and the disciplesOf the Teacher were in greater harmony than ever.

I pay homage to the caitya of blessing,Of liberation, in Vail,Where, instead of discarding his composite life,He blessed again the life span of his body.

I pay homage to the caitya of nirvaBetween two groves in the unrivalled land of the MallasWhere, in Kungar,45 he exhortedAll beings to the practice of virtue.

I bow down to the eight caityas of kyamuni,And to all the dharmakyas that resideIn all other places in the ten directions.I continually and peacefully pay homage with the crown of my head.

May all beings, without exception, attain samdhi, bliss, realisation andenlightenment

As a result of the merit, as white as the colour of the snow mountains, thatI have accumulated within my being

Through paying perfect homage in this way to the Buddha Dharmakya,which is like space, which pervades all beings,

Is beyond conceptualisation, is unexemplifiable, is permanent and pure.

42 gSal-ldan; this is the usual translation for Kka, the ancient kingdom of Vras, which was

given left untranslated in an earlier verse.43 Veuvana; ‘Od-ma’i Tshal.44 Present-day Rajghir.45 Also called Kuinr and, in the present day, Kuinagara or Kuinagar.

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There are many descriptions of caityas taught in the special mantrayna of theNyingma and Sarma tantras. There is the Klacakra Wisdom Caitya that is taught in thewisdom chapter of the Klacakra.

There is also ‘the Untouchable Glorious Supreme Caitya’. Its history is asfollows: in the past, in the south of India, on the shore of the ocean in the land ofKokuna,46 amongst the greatly famed caityas in the place called Caitya-town, there wasone that was superior because of its many wonderful qualities. It did not touch theground, but floated in the air as a rainbow. It was called ‘the untouchable glorioussupreme caitya’ or the Jñnabimbakya, which means ‘the body of the form of wisdom’.

The whole area beneath the caitya was renowned as being where Vajravrhdrew in all the alcohol that was in the three existences; each time combined alcohol andgrain alcohol were combined [there] they were greatly increased47 and when they losttheir power, if they were laid there for a little while, they became like new again up toseven times. On all special days, the entire country was pervaded by the smell ofalcohol.48

In that place there was a large stone statue of Arya Mañjur, named Jñnakya(Wisdom-Body), lying down in a great lake. On special days, everyone could hear andsee many things at the statue and the caitya: a variety of music, the smell of incense andthe appearance of fire offerings and lamp-lights49 at night, which were offered by devas.

This caitya, which could be seen by ordinary beings, remained permanently inspace, as if it was made of smoke, and therefore was also known as ‘the smoky caitya’

According to Lord Gua [Yon-tan]50, a description of its form is found in JonangJetsun’s lJags-bkod-ma*** and Rigdzin Tsewang Norbu*** determined its proportions.

4. An explanation of what is represented by the dharmakya caitya of the Sugata.

This is in two parts:

4.1. The names of the particular symbols.4.2. The explanation of their meaning.

4.1. The names of the particular symbols.

Omniscient Gua has said in his commentary to his Treasury of Knowledge51

46 The land of Konkana was and is south of Bombay. Goa was its capital.47 Error in text: bsreng for bsring.48 The caitya is mentioned in verse 182 of the fifth chapter, though there is no description of it.49 me mar is short for me mchod and mar me (Khenpo)50 This is ‘Jam-mgon Kong-sprul Blo-gros mTha’ yas (1813-1899) The entire passage on the

Konkana stpa is practically verbatim from the Shes-bya Kun-khyab, his encyclopaediaof Buddhism (vol. 2, page 287 in the the Szechwan 1982 edition).

51 This is the Shes-bya Kun-khyab, the encyclopaedia of Buddhism by ‘Jam-mgon Kong-sprul. Inthe 1982 Szechwan paperback edition, this passage occurs in volume two, page 285. It isitself a quotation. Apparently from The Mirror of the Great Sun (Nyi-ma chen-poi me-

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The base of the seat, 52 the three steps,53

The proportioned seat of the lion throne,54 the small lotus,55

The support,56 the large lotus,57 the virtue-foundation,58

Upon that, generally, there are four tiers,59

The vase base,60 the vase,61 the harmik base,62

The harmik support,63 the garland of lotus light-rays,64

The thirteen male and female wheels,65

The compassion junction-support,66 the cross-capital67

The parasol,68 the rain cover,69 the half moon,70

And the jewel crest.71

long) by the eighth Taistu, Chos-kyi ‘Byung-gnas, a.k.a. bsTan-pa’i Nyin-byed (1700-1774), which he advises the reader to read before beginning the quotation. UnfortunatelyKongtrul does not give a commentary to these verses.

52 gDan gyi sa-‘dzin.53 Them-skas. Equivalent to the ‘refuges’ in the fifteenth Karmapa’s text.54 Thig gdan seng-khri. It is possible that thig gdan ‘proportioned seat’ is a distinct layer which

would be equivalent to the fifteenth Karmapa’s first ‘lotus [level]’ (pad-ma).55 Bad-chung [sic., pad-chung] ‘small lotus’. Equivalent to the second ‘lotus [level]’ (pad-ma) in

the Karmapa text and the first bad-chung in the Lo-chen Dharmari text and gsung-sne inthe Tarthang diagram.

56 gZungs-sa. It is absent in the Karmapa text.57 Bad-chen.58 rMang dge-ba.59 Bang-rim.60 Bum-rten.61 Bum-pa.62 Bre-rten.63 Bre-‘degs. Strangely the harmik itself is not listed. The harmik neck is also absent. There is

probably a line missing in the text.64 Pad-ma ‘od-zer phreng. Called ‘parasol-supporting lotus’ (gdugs ‘degs padma), ‘parasol

support’ (gdugs ‘degs), and ‘dharma-wheel lotus’ (chos-‘khor pad-ma) in other versions.65 Pho-‘khor mo-‘khor bcas bcu gsum.66 Thugs-rje mdo-gzungs.67 Zhu rgya gram.68 gDugs.69 Char-khebs (Sanskrit: varatra). Though this is synonymous with ‘parasol’ (gdugs; chatra) in

terms of the structure of the caitya, the ‘rain-cover is sometimes distinct from and abovethe ‘parasol’.

70 Zla-phyed.71 Nor-bu tog.

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4.2. The explanation of their meaning.

From that same text72

The smaller lotus [level] and the support are the six mindfulnesses.73

The great lotus [level]74 is the ten good actions, the [virtue] foundation isthe [four] immeasurables.75

Alternatively, those two are explained the other way round.The four tiers are respectively:The [four] mindfulnesses,76 the [four] perfect eliminations,The four bases of miracles and the five powers.

The vase base is the five strengths,The vase is the [seven] aspects of enlightenment,The karmik is the noble path [of eight aspects].These are the completely pure causal qualities.77

The axis pole is the nature of the ten knowledges:[Knowledge of] the relative, of others’ minds,Subsequent [knowledge], mindfulness,78 [knowledge] of the four truths, of

extinction, and birthlessness.

72 This appears to be another extract from the eighth Taisitu text introduced by the following

sentence: “The pure [aspect] of these as explained in The Classification of the Sections ofthe Caitya (mChod-rten gyi cha dbye-ba ‘dul-ba las byung-ba’i mdo) by nitgarbha(incorrectly written in the Tibetan edition as ntagarbha) who lived in the eighthcentury. In ther Derge bsTan-gyur itself, there is n author’s colophon, but the text, whichis in fact the last in a series of stpa related texts, is apparently attributed to him in theindex. However, this verse explanation by the eighth Situ does not coincide with thesimplified form of Indian stpa described in the bsTan-‘gyur text. However it omits thefirst three levels: base, three steps and lion throne.

73 rJes-su dran-pa: Anusmti. 1) mindfulness of the Buddha (sangs-rgyas rjes-su dran-pa). 2)mindfulness of the Dharma (chos rjes-su dran-pa). 3) mindfulness of the sangha (dge-'dun rjes-su dran-pa). 4) mindfulness of correct conduct (tshul-khrims rjes-su dran-pa).5) mindfulness of generosity (gtong-ba rjes-su dran-pa). 6) mindfulness of deities (lharjes su dran pa).

74 Bad chen (i.e. Pad-chen)75 Tshad-med; Aprama: Immeasurable, love, compassion, rejoicing and equality.76 From this point on accords with the bsTan-‘gyur text and are explained further on when this

text is quoted.: Mindfulness of body, sensations, mind and phenomena.77 This category appears to be derived from ntigarbha’s Caitya-[sdhana]-vidhi; chos-rten

sgrub-pa’i cho-ga Tantra Vol Ju 302a-306b However in this passage (304a) the axis-pole, representing ten knowledges is included amongst the causal qualities, and they alsorepresent the nirmakya.

78 There is a discrepancy in the list as given by Taisitu. Perhaps rjes dren (translated here as“Subsequent [knowledge], mindfulness,” was intended to be short for rjes su dran pa,still basically meaning ‘mindfulness’, but it is assumed here that dran ‘mindfulness’ ismeant as a synonym for chos-shes, which could be translated as ‘phenomenological

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The lotus is method and wisdom.The [thirteen] wheels are the ten strengths and the three applications of

mindfulness.79

The rain-cover80 is compassion and the crest is the dharmakya.81

This is taught to be the essence of the caitya.

The adornments are the victor’s qualities:The pillars are the possession of the four fearlessnesses,The stairways are the four that need no guarding,The victory-banners are victory in the battle with the four mras,The garlands of flowers are the brilliance of the major and minor signs,82

The four lokaplas 83 are the meaning of the four truths,The bells are the sixty voices of Brahma,The sun and moon are the brilliance of wisdom,The mirrors are the possession of the four wisdoms,The ribbons are the attainment of the kingdom of the Dharma,The flags are the spreading of the fame of the Dharma.Those are the resultant qualities.84

The many doors85 represent the four truths, the eight liberations.

knowledge’ or ‘truthful knowledge’. It is quite possible that this is a scribal error and thetext originally read rjes chos, which is an unusual grouping of words and was replaced bythe familiar term rjes dran.

79 Dran nye, which is short for dran pa nye bar gzhag pa. The Buddha’s three applications ofmindfulness are 1) the mind’s mindfulness that is without attachment to pupils listeningto the teachings with reverence; 2) that is without aversion to pupils not listening to theteachings with reverence; 3) that is without either when pupils are both listening and notlistening with reverence to the teachings. (De bzhin gshegs pa'i dran pa nye bar bzhag pagsum ste, gus pas chos nyan pa la'ng chags pa med par thugs dran pa nye bar bzhag padang, ma gus pas mi nyan pa la'ng sdang ba med par thugs dran pa nye bar bzhag padang, nyan pa dang, mi nyan pa gnyis ka med par thugs dran pa nye bar bzhag pa'o(from the Tshig-mdzod Chen-mo)

80 Char khebs.81 In the Indian versions, both these qualities are represented by the parasol.82 This symbology does not agree with that of the bsTan-gyur text, which is quoted later, which

states that they represent unsurpassable conduct.83 ‘World guardians’. Both Khenpo Lodrö Dönyö’s text and its source, Kongtrul’s Treasury of

Knowledge have an error here. They repeat rgyal-mtshan ‘victory banner, whereas itshould be ‘jig-rten skyong-ba as is evident from the bsTan-‘gyur text. Perhaps the errorwas in the original text as the metre allows only for two syllables. Perhaps it was phyogs-skyong; dikpla.

84 This classification is also from ntigarbha’s Caitya-[sdhana]-vidhi, where he also says thatthese qualities represent the Dharmakya. Other various precious adornments, which arenot specified apart from strings of precious stones, are both causal and resultant qualitiesand represent the sabhogakya.

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[The twelve links of] dependent [origination] and the sixteen emptinesses.

The projections86 represent the accomplishment of the benefit of beingsBy the especially superior emanations.

The stairways87 represent the Buddhas coming for the benefit others.

The lotuses88 represent being unstained by the faults of samsara

Not having tiers89 represents freedom from involvement withExistence and being free of its complications.

The healing of division [caitya] represents the eight liberations,The cutting through of the causal three poisons and [wrong] views.90

Alternatively, in Upadhyya Bodhisattva’s The Recitation of the Arya Dhranamed ‘The all pervading light-rays that stainlessly illuminate the Ua’: The ritualsfor creating hundred and eight caityas or five caityas as compiled from the stras, onpage 163a of volume Pu in the Tantra section of the Tengyur,91 it is said:

The container for the relics92 that are the tiny pieces of the Body,Is both cause and result, in terms of the Dharma;It is a basis that can be offered to by beings,I pay homage to and I praise the Body that is an image.

85 These are on ‘the auspicious many doors caitya’ (bkra-shis sgo-mang), or more simply the

Dharmacakra caitya, which is one of the eight caityas. It commemorates the Buddha’sfirst teaching. The Treasury of Knowledge edition has sgom-mang in error for sgo-mang.

86 These are found on three of the eight caityas: the Dharmacakra caitya, the Miracles caitya, andthe ‘caitya of the descent from the deities’.

87 These are found on the ‘caitya of the descent from the deities’.88 This refers to the Sugata caitya that commemorates the Buddha’s birth. It has tiers of lotus

petals. The text has pad-ma’i in error for pad-ma. Kongtrul’s Treasury of Knowledge, thesource, is correct.

89 This refers to the nirva caitya, which commemorates the Buddha’s passing.90 The text and its source both have lto bcad, which does not make sense (lTog means ‘food’).

Khenpo Lodro Donyo believes this was an error for lta bcad as an abbreviated form of ltaba ngan pa gcod pa (cutting through bad views).

91 Volume Pu. Pages153a-168a. Text 3069. Its Tibetan title is ‘Phags pa kun nas sgor ‘jug pa’i‘od zer gtsug tor dri ma med par snang ba’i gzungs bklag cing mchod rten brgya rtsabrgyad dam / mchod rten lnga gdab pa’i cho ga mdo sde las bsdus pa. The Author isgiven as Bodhisattva, an alternative name for antarakita (eighth century). No translatoris credited.

92 The text has rin-chen snod (precious container), while the bsTan-‘gyur edition, which isfollowed here, has ring-bsrel snod. Earlier in the bsTan-gyur text (on 161b, line 5) thereis the line ‘phags-pa’i sku-gdung rin-chen ring-bsrel snod (the vessel of the relics of theprecious body of the rya), which may have contributed to the confusion.

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Through possessing a continuum of great prayers of the past,There are the thirty-seven qualities of the aspects of enlightenment93

Represented in form by the tiers, vase, and axis pole;I pay homage to and praise that which is present as the causal qualities.

The possession of the Tathgata’s strengths,94 distinct qualities,95

And immeasurable great compassion,Are represented by the wheels and the parasol;I pay homage and praise that which is present as the resultant qualities.

The fearlessnesses, the unguarded, victory over the mras,The possession of Brahma’s voice, and the possession of true wisdom,Are represented by the stone columns, the stairways, the victory banners,

the bells and the crest.96

I pay homage to and praise that which is present as a representation of thedharmakya.97

The meaning of that passage is briefly explained in the summary of contents inThe Classification of the Sections of the Caitya98 in the Tengyur, Tantra section, VolumePu, page 173b.

The first tier99 is the four mindfulnesses:100 mindfulness of thebody, sensations, mind and phenomena.

The second tier symbolises the four perfect eliminations101:diligence in eliminating bad, non-virtuous phenomena that havebeen created102; diligence in not creating bad, non-virtuous

93 Saptatrimat-bodhi-pakaka-dharma. Byang-chub phyogs-chos sum-cu-rtsa-bdun. These are

the four mindfulnesses, four eliminations, four bases of miracles, five powers, fivestrengths, seven aspects of enlightenment and the eight aspects of the path, which arerepresented in the caitya. Although in the explanation in the earlier text, the axis pole didnot represent any of the thirty-seven.

94 According to the earlier explanation, these would be the ‘ten strengths’.95 According to the earlier explanation, these would be the ‘three distinct mindfulnesses’.96 In the bsTan-‘gyur text, this is represented by the moon, and in the Taisitu text by a sun and

moon.97 The quotation is on page 162b lines 3-6.98 mChod rten gyi cha dbye ba ‘dul ba las byung ba’i mdo. This is text number 3078 and is on

pages 173b-175b. The reconstructed Sanskrit title is Vibhaga-vinayoddhta-stra. Thetext is credited to ntigarbha, an Indian master who came to Tibet. This passage is from173b, line 7 to 179b, line 1.

99 Vedi. Bang-rim.100 Catvri-smtyupasthna. Dran-pa nye-bar gzhag-pa bzhi.101 Catvri-samyakpraha. Yang-dag-par spong-ba bzhi.102 The text has a negative here, which is an error.

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phenomena that have not been created; diligence in creatingvirtuous phenomena that have not been created; and diligence tomaintain virtuous phenomena that have been created.

The third tier symbolises the four bases of miracles:103 the basis ofmiracles that is the samdhi of aspiration, which has the mentalactivity of eliminating; similarly, there are the bases of miraclesthat are the samdhis of diligence, of mind, and of analysis, whichpossess the activity of elimination.

The fourth tier symbolises the five powers:104 the powers of faith,diligence, mindfulness, samdhi and wisdom.

The ‘vase base’ symbolises the five strengths:105 the strengths offaith, diligence, mindfulness, samdhi, and wisdom.

The vase symbolises the seven aspects of enlightenment:106

mindfulness, wisdom, diligence, joy, proficiency, samdhi, andequanimity.

The harmik [bre “capital”] or ‘railings’ [pu-shu] or ‘border’ [khakhyer] are the eight aspects of the noble path:107 correct view,correct thought, correct speech, correct actions, correct livelihood,correct effort, correct mindfulness, and correct samdhi.

The axis pole symbolises the ten knowledges:108 knowledge of therelative, knowledge of others’ minds, knowledge of phenomena,knowledge of subsequent realisation, knowledge of suffering,knowledge of origination, knowledge of cessation, knowledge ofthe path, knowledge of extinction, and knowledge of birthlessness.

The wheels symbolise the ten strengths109 and the three distinctmindfulnesses: 110111

The first wheel symbolises the strength of knowing the correct andthe incorrect.112

103 Catvri-ddhi-pda. rDzu-‘phrul gyi rkang-pa bzhi.104 a-indriya; dBang-po drug.105 Pañca-bala. sTobs-lnga.106 Bodhyaga. Byang-chub yan-lag.107 Aaga-marga. ‘Phags-lam yan-lag brgyad.108 Daa-jñna. Shes-pa bcu.109 Daa-bala. sTobs-bcu.110 Try-aveika-smtyupasthna. Ma-‘dres-pa’i dran-pa nye-bar gzhag-pa gsum.111 This sentence is an addition by Khenpo Lodrö.

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The second wheel symbolises the strength of knowing that karmais ones own.113

The third wheel symbolises the strength of the knowledge ofdhyn, liberation, samdhi and sampatti.114

The fourth wheel symbolises the strength of the knowledge ofsuperior and non-superior powers.115

The fifth wheel symbolises the strength of the knowledge ofvarious aspirations.116

The sixth wheel symbolises the strength of the knowledge of thevariety of natures.117

The seventh wheel symbolises the strength of knowing where allpaths lead.118

The eighth wheel symbolises the strength of the knowledge ofremembering previous lifetimes.119

The ninth wheel symbolises the strength of the knowledge ofdeath, transference and birth.120

The tenth wheel symbolises the strength of the knowledge of theextinction of the pollutions.121

The eleventh wheel symbolises the first distinct mindfulness: thatthere is no arising of joy when the Tathagata‘s pupils listen withreverence when he teaches his followers.122

112 gNas dang gnas ma yin-pa: knowing that karma and defilments create beings, not iva, and so

on; that good karma brings high rebirths not low rebirths, and bad karma brings lowrebirths not high rebirths.

113 Las bdag gir mkhyen pa. However, this is normally listed as las kyi rnam-smin (the ripening ofkarma) and defines as knwing actions to be good, bad or mixed and knowing their results.

114 bSam-gtan dang rnam-par thar-pa ting-nge-'dzin dang snyoms-par-'jug-pa mkhyen-pa:knowledge of the four dhyns ‘mental stabilities’, the eight liberations (vimoka), thevarious samdhis and the nine successive stages of sampatti ‘resting in evenness’.

115 dBang-po mchog dang mchog min mkhyen-pa; usually written as dBang-po mchog dmanmkhyen-pa (superior and inferior powers): knowing the lesser, medium and greater levelsof such powers as faith within beings.

116 Mos-pa sna-tshogs-pa mkhyen-pa: the knowledge of which ynas and which practicesindividual beings aspire to.

117 Khams sna-tshogs mkhyen-pa: the knowledge of which five classes beings in relation to theirlatencies and worthiness they have, and also knowledge of the of their sensory faculties,consciousnesses and sensory objects.

118 Thams-cad du 'gro-ba'i lam mkhyen-pa: knowledge of the results that are attained from allkinds of spiritual paths.

119 sNgon gyi gnas rjes-su dran-pa mkhyen-pa: knowledge of where and as what oneself and allothers have been born in all previous lives.

120 'Chi 'pho-ba dang skye-ba mkhyen-pa: knowledge of the future deaths and births of all beings.121 Zag-pa zad-pa mkhyen-pa: knowledge of the extinction of the defilements, etc., in other

beings.122 Ma ‘dres pa’i dran pa nye bar gzhag-pa

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The twelfth wheel symbolises the second distinct mindfulness: thatthere is no arising of anger when the Tathagata‘s pupils do notlisten with reverence when he teaches his followers.The thirteenth wheel symbolises the third distinct mindfulness: thatthere is no arising of joy and anger when some of the Tathagata‘spupils listen with reverence and some do not when he teaches hisfollowers.

The rain-cover123 represents the Tathgata’s great compassion,which examines the benefit for his pupils who are ripened, who arenot ripened, and are presently ripening, also which, in order tobenefit the world, and perfectly possesses, at all particular times,every dharmakya, without exception, of the Tathgata.

That is the nature of the caitya.

Also, there are the stone pillars, stairways, makara124 victorybanners, flower garlands, lokaplas, bells, parasols, the sun andmoon, silk ribbons, flags, and so on, which are articles that are thebasis for the Tathgata’s dharmakya.

The stone pillars symbolise the four fearlessnesses125 inunmistakenly teaching the exhaustion of the polluted; truecomplete buddhahood; obstructing phenomena; and the path ofrenouncing samsara.

The stairways symbolise the four that do not require guarding:126

the completely pure activity of the body; the completely pureactivity of the speech; the completely pure activity of the mind;and completely pure livelihood.

The makara victory banners symbolise the falling down of thevictory banners of the mras: the falling down of the victorybanners of the defilement mra; the divine mra; the skandha mra;and the Lord of Death mra.

The flower garlands symbolise the aggregate of unsurpassableconduct.

123 Varatra. Char-khebs.124 ‘Sea monster’; a leviathan that is the largest and strongest being in the world.125 Catvri-vairadya. Mi-‘jigs-pa bzhi.126 Catvry-arakya. Srung-ba med-pa bzhi.

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The lokaplas symbolise that the teaching of the four truths bringsbenefit to the four peoples: benefit for ordinary beings, for ‘stream-entrants’, for ‘once-returners’ and for non-returners.

The bells symbolise the speech of Brahma, by which the Tathgata,with little effort, fills the great universe of a billion worlds with thesound of the Dharma teaching.

The parasols symbolise that he is above all beings: the Tathgata issupreme amongst beings without legs, with two legs, with manylegs, with form and without form .127

The moons128 symbolise the light of unsurpassable wisdom, bywhich the Tathgata opens the eyes of unsurpassable wisdom in theworlds of darkness.

The silk ribbons symbolise wearing the crown of unsurpassable,truly complete enlightenment, by which the Tathgata bringsunimpeded wisdom to all.

The flags symbolise the sound of the unsurpassable Dharma,129 bywhich the Tathgata, through the sound of the turning of theDharma wheel, overcomes the maala of the world.

5. The benefits of building a dharmakya caitya of the Sugata, which is anunsurpassable basis for accumulation and purification.

In general, any small action done in relation to the Jewels brings a measurelessbenefit, as its result increases until the attainment of enlightenment. Therefore, make thecaityas with faith and ideally from a precious material, or a medium kind from medicinalor good wood, or the least kind from earth, stone, clay, and so on. Even if one only drawsas a game a caitya one a wall with a stick, that will bring unsurpassable enlightenment.These infinite benefits were taught at length by the Buddha himself from his gloriousthroat. As the Buddha’s teaching are infallible, this can be believed by everyone.

In the rya-rasmi-vimala Stra (The Noble Sutra of Stainless Light-rays),130 onpage 9b131 of Volume Na in the Tantra section of the Kangyur,132 the Buddha taught

127 Khenpo Lodrö shortened this sentence by deliberately omitting the last part of the sentence:

“…the Tathgata is supreme amongst beings without legs, with two legs, with many legs,with form and without form.” It has been reinstated here, to maintain the consistency ofproviding the original quotation in full.

128 The text has ‘sun and moon’ in accord with Tibetan stpas, misquoting the original text, whichhas only the moon.

129 Khenpo Lodrö’s text omitted the adjective ‘unsurpassable’.

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Moreover, great brahmin, if any bhiku, bhikun, upsaka,upsik, gentleman or lady133 who has a short life or many illnessesrepairs an old caitya, or even builds a new one, and writes thisdhra and places it inside and cleans the maala and makesofferings, the result will be that even if their life-span is at an end,it will be extended and they will have a long life; even if they areafflicted with illness and suffering, their illness will be overcomeand they will be freed from it; they will never go to the lowerexistences, become a hell-being, be reborn as an animal, or rebornin the land of Yama; they will not even hear the names of these[existences], let alone be reborn there.

In that same stra, on page 12b,134 the Buddha taught

If anyone makes a caitya themselves, or has others make one,whether they are restoring an old caitya or making a small caityaout of clay, or out of bricks, or out of stones, they should firstrecite that essence of the mantras a thousand and eight times.Then, if they afterwards make a caitya that covers only ground thesize of a fingernail, or one that covers a cubit, or make one thatcovers a league, because of the power of the mantra and thestrength of a one-pointed mind, that caitya will smell of incense,such as the aroma of sandalwood, camphor, musk or saffron, or itwill give out the aroma of a beautiful divine scent.The work on the caitya and the mantra recitation performed byoneself and others will cause the exact fulfilment of all wishes. Avast accumulation of good karma will be accomplished and aperfect accumulation of good qualities and excellence will beattained.Even if someone has the karma for a short life, it will be extendedand he will have a long life. When death comes, he will see thefaces of ninety-nine hundred thousand times ten million times ahundred thousand million buddhas; all those tathgatas will thinkof him and in his next life he will be reborn in the completely pure

130 Full title: rya-rasmi-vimala-viuddhe prabha-nma-dhra; Tib:‘Phag pa ‘od zer dri ma

med pa rnam par dag pa’i ‘od ces bya ba’i gzungs; ‘The Dhra named ‘The NobleIllumination from Perfectly Pure, Stainless Light-rays’. 8a-18b.

131 Lines 4 to 6.132 It is also on pp. 100a-110b of the Dharani section, Volume Wa. Both identical versions are

said to be by translated by Vidykrasiha and dPal-gyi lHun-po’i-sde, later revised byAta and ‘Brom-ston.

133 ** was a polite way of referring to men and women, equivalent in practice to these terms.134 12b line 7 to 13a line 7.

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realm of a buddha and will directly receive a prophecy [for his ownbuddhahood] from him. There he will attain a life span of tenmillion times a hundred thousand million times a hundred thousandyears; he will remember his previous lives; he will attaincompletely pure divine sight and divine hearing; he will know theminds of others and will attain knowledge of deaths and rebirths;his body will have the aroma of sandalwood and from his mouthwill come the scent of the utpala flower; he will attain the path tounsurpassable, true, complete enlightenment and will attain theirreversible state.

Also, in The Stainless Ua Stra,135 there is a lengthy teaching, such as thefollowing on page 255a136 of volume Pha in the Tantra section of the Kangyur

If you revere this essence of all the tathgatas of the three times,which is named The all-pervading light-rays; the illumination ofthe stainless ua and make caityas, a life span that is over willbe extended and life will be purified into becoming long. Even ifone dies and passes away, like a snake shedding its skin you willcast aside the body and will, with those who are equally worthy, goto the world of Sukhvat. There will be no experience of thesuffering of death. And from then on death will never again beexperienced. From then on, there will be no rebirth as a hell-being,as an animal, into the world of Yama, or into lower existences.From then on, even the sound of the word ‘hell-beings’137 willnever reach ones ears, let alone that becoming a ripened result; thatwill not happen.

Also, in The Stra of Dependent Origination,138 on page 41b139 of volume Na inthe Tantra [section of the Kangyur] the Buddha taught

135 Skt: Samanta-mukha-pravea-rami-vimaloa-prabhsa-sarva-tathgata-hdaya-samaya-

vilokita-nma-dhra. Tib: Kun nas sgor ‘jug pa’i ‘od zer gtsug tor dri ma med parsnang ba de bzhin gshegs pa thams cad kyi snying po dang dam tshig la rnam par lta bazhes bya ba’i gzungs . The text is found in the bKa’-gyur, Tantra section, Volume Pha,text 599, p.250a-259b. also in The Dharani section (gzungs-‘dus), Vol. Wa; Text 983;pages 110b-119b; 220-38.There is also a commentary Text 2688. Vol. Thu 269a-320b. Written by Sahajalalita;translated by Jayadeva and Tshul-khrims brTsegs (date unknown).

136 Lines 1 to 4.137 The text has sems-can dmyal-ba’i sgra in error for sems-can dmyal-ba-pa’i sgra as in the

bKa’-’gyur text.138 Tib: ‘Phags pa rten cing ‘brel bar ‘byung ba zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo; Skt: rya-

prattyasamutpda-nma-mahyna-stra. bKa’-gyur Tantra Vol. Na; Text 520; pages41a–42a. No translator credited.

139 The quote begins on 41b line 7 and ends on 42a.

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Avalokitevara, it is like this: this [mantra of] ‘dependentorigination’ is the dharmakya of the tathgatas. Whoever sees the‘dependent origination’ [mantra], sees the tathgatas.Avalokitevara, any gentleman or lady endowed with faith whocreates, in an uninhabited place, a caitya the size of an emblicmyrobalan fruit, with an axis pole the size of a slender needle and aparasol the size of a bakkula140 flower, and inserts the ‘dependentorigination’ as a dharmadhtu verse into it, will generate the meritof Brahma. When the time of their death comes and they pass awayfrom this life they will be reborn in the realm of Brahma.

Similarly, it is said in The Sutra of the Tiered Mansion141 on page 263b142 ofvolume Sa of the Stra [section of the Kangyur]

Ananda, a gentleman or lady may fill the billion worlds of the greatuniverse with the seven precious materials and offer them to thestream-entrants, the non-returners, the arhants, thepratyekabuddhas and sanghas of bikshus in the four directions, butsomeone who makes from clay a parinirva caitya of theTathgata Arhant Samyaksambuddha, the size of an emblicmyrobalan fruit, with an axis pole the size of a needle placedinside, and covered by a parasol the size of a bakkula flower, andplaces on it a statue the size of a grain of barley, and inserts a relicthe size of a mustard seed, that person, Ananda, will haveextremely much more merit than that [gentleman or woman]. Ifyou ask, Ananda, why that is so, it is because the Tathgata, theArhant, the completely perfect Buddha has immeasurablegenerosity, immeasurable discipline, immeasurable patience,immeasurable meditation, immeasurable wisdom, immeasurablelove, immeasurable compassion, immeasurable joy, immeasurableimpartiality. Ananda, the Tathgata, the Arhant, the completelyperfect Buddha possesses immeasurable qualities.

Also, it is said in The Stra on the Receptacles forRelics 143 (gSang-ba Ring-bsrel-ba’i mdo] on page 5a144 of volume Na145 of the Tantra section of the Kangyur.

140 These are the minute pale white blossoms of a tree presently known in India as bakula, vakula,

bakul and vakul. Its English name is Indian Medaller. It is also known as the Elengi treeand the Red Coondoo tree. Its scientific name is Mimusops Elengi tree.

141 Kgra-stra The Sutra of the Tiered Mansion; Khang bu brtsegs pa’i mdo.142 The quote ends on 263b (526) and is the end of the stra. It begins on page263a (525). This

short stra is on 260a-263b (519-25).143 Skt: rya-sarva-tathgatdhihna-hdaya-guhya-dhtu-karaa-nma-dhra-mahyna-

stra. Tib: ‘Phags-pa de-bzhin-gshegs-pa thams-cad kyi byin-gyis-brlabs kyi snying-pogsang-ba ring-bsrel gyi za-ma-tog ces bya-ba’i gzungs theg-pa chen-po’i mdo. TheMahayana sutra dharani named ‘The receptacle of relics, [which is] the secret essence ofthe blessing of all the tathagatas’. For the abbreviated title I have not used a translation

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The Bhagavan said, “Vajrapni, if someone writes out this part ofthe Dharma and places it inside a caitya, it will become a caityathat has a relic which is the vajra essence of all the tathgatas; itwill become a caitya blessed by the secret essence of all thetathgatas; it will become the caitya of as tathgatas equal to thenumber of [seeds in] ninety-nine sesame pods; it will be blessed asa caitya of the uas and the eyes of all the tathgatas.If someone places it inside all statues or caityas, they will beblessed as statues of the Tathgata made of the seven preciousmaterials; they will be blessed as having garlands of wheels,lattices of bells and small bells, auspicious [symbols], and a parasolwith bells, all made of the seven precious materials. They will beblessed until the essence of enlightenment by the power, blessing,truth and commitment of all the tathgatas and by this part of theDharma.

Also, in The Sutra of the White Lotus of the Sacred Dharma146 on page 21b147 ofvolume Ja of the Stra section of the Kangyur, the Buddha taught

Whoever makes a caitya from stone,Whoever from aloe or from sandalwood,Whoever makes a caitya from pinewood,And those who make one from many other kinds of wood,148

And those who joyfully buildA caitya of the Jina from earth and bricks,And who, in a solitary desert, for [the Jina],Make them even from heaps of earth,And children who, here and there,In their games make heaps of sandIn order to make caityas for the Jina,They will all attain enlightenment.

The Buddha also taught in that same Sutra149

of the abbreviated Tibetan form, which could have been ‘The Relic Secret Sutra’. It weastranslated into Tibetan in the latter half of the eighth century by PaitaVidykaraprabhava and the Locchva Devendra Rakita of Tsang (gTsang), whoseTibetan name would be lHa-dbang Srung-ba.

144 The quote begins on 5a line 4, and ends on 5b line 1.145 Volume Na, pages 1 to 7b.146 Skt: Saddharma-pundarik-stra. Tib: Dam-pa’i chos Pad-ma dKar-po’i mdo. Volume Ja,

pages 1-180b (2-360).147 Lines 2-4.148 The bKa’-‘gyur has shing mang. Khenpo Lodrö’s text has shing ngam, which is probably an

error (would mean ‘some make from wood or from something else)149 Same page lines 6-7.

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Whoever paints on a wall imagesOf the completely perfect Body with a hundred signs of merit,Whether they paint them themselves or employ others to do so,They will all attain enlightenment.

Therefore, in Upadhyya Bodhisattva’s150 The Recitation of the Stainless Ua:The rituals for creating Caityas,151 on page 161b152 of volume Pu in the Tantra section ofthe Tengyur, it is said:

Through the power of the special great qualities and blessings,From repairing, cleaning and making offerings toThe receptacles for the precious relics of the rya’s body,153

From building new ones, making offerings to and washing them,Praising and circumambulating them with respect,And from making profound prayers with ones mind,May we, with all our patrons and followers,And those who have assisted or rejoiced with faith and aspiration,May we, through the extremely great power of prayer,And through having built this caitya with a mind of faith,Be purified of our bad karma and obscurationsAnd may we swiftly attain unsurpassable enlightenment.

6. The benefits of circumambulations, prostrations and offerings made to a caitya.

In The Dhra of Stainless Light-rays, on page 11b [of Volume Na in the Tantrasection of the Kangyur]154 the Buddha taught

150 Better known as ntirakita, the eighth century abbot of Tibet’s first monastery, Samye.151 No Sanskrit title. Tib: ‘Phags-pa Kun nas sgor ‘jug-pa’i ’od-zer gtsug-tor dri-ma med-par

snang-ba’i gzungs bklag cing mchod-rten brgya-rtsa-brgyad dam mchod-rten lnga gdab-pa’i chog mdo sde las bsdus-pa. In the colophon, the last word of the title is btus-pa.“The recitation of the dhra of ‘The all-pervading light-rays; the illumination from thestainless Ua’ and the ritual for making five caityas or a hundred and eight caityas,compiled from the stras.” Contained within Volume Pu of the Tantra Commentaries(rgyud-‘grel) 153a-168a (305-335). The colophon states that it was authored byMahcrya Bodhisattva (slob-dpon bo-dhi-sa-tva). No translator mentioned. It may havebeen directly composed in Tibetan.

152 161b, lines 5 to 7.153 The bKa’-’gyur text has ‘phags-pa’i sku-gdung rin-chen ring-bsrel snod. Khenpo Lodrö’s text

has the accidental error (K) ‘phags-pa’sku-gdung ring-bsrel rin-chen snod.154 Khenpo Lodrö Dönyö provides a simplified version of the title, naming it a stra, not a

dhra: ‘Od-zer dri-ma med- pa’i mdo (The Stra of Stainless Light rays). The full titleof the text is ‘Phags pa ‘od zer dri ma med pa rnam par dag pa’i ‘od ces bya ba’i gzungs,

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The gentleman or lady who circumambulates that caitya, prostratesto it, or makes offerings to it, will, through the blessing of thetathgatas, be irreversibly set on the path to unsurpassableenlightenment and their obscurations from previous karma, withoutexception, will be purified.155

Also, on page 12b

Whoever circumambulates that caitya, prostrates to it, puts handstogether in homage to it, offers flowers, or perfume or incense to it,or offers bells, banners and parasols to it, they will have the samemerit as offering to ninety-nine thousand relic-containing caityasof the tathgatas. They will attain the vast power and splendour ofthe total completion of all good karma.

Also, in Verses on the Circumambulation of a Caitya,156 on page 148b of volumeSa in the Stra section of the Kangyur, the Buddha taught

Through making circumambulations of a caityaDevas, ngas, yakas, gandharvas,Asuras, garuas, kimnarasAnd mahoragas will make offerings.

Having attained the precious human existence,Making a circumambulation of a caityaFor even the duration of an instant,Will free one from the eight unfavourable existences.

Through making circumambulations of a caitya,One will have memory, intelligence,A good colour, and be wise.And will continually receive offerings.

Through making circumambulations of a caityaDevas, and similarly humans,Will attain long life,And they will attain great fame.

vol. 88 (rgyud-sde Na) Text no. 510 pp. 8a-16b [15-36]. trans. by Vidykrasiha anddPal-gyi lHun-po’i-sde, later revised by Ara and ‘Brom-ston. The text appears twice inthe Kangyur for it is also in gZungs-‘dus, volume Wa, as text no. 982 100a-110b.

155 The end of the quote differs slightly from how it is in the original text, which reads: “…and alltheir previous karma and their obscurations will be purified, without exception.”

156 Text 321, Vol Sa, p. 198b-201a. Tib: mChod-rten bskor ba’i tshigd du bcad pa; Skt: Caitya-pradakia-gth.

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Similarly, in The Verses of Prasenjit,157 on page 202a of volume Sa in the Strasection of the Kangyur, it is said

Through joyfully attachingMany huge parasols on the Sugata’s caityas,One will become like a parasol in the worlds of deities and

humans,One will become a ruler of deities and humans.

Any human who puts up a variety of beautiful flagsAt the receptacle of the essence of the Body,Which is a source of stainless merit,Will become powerful and offered to by the three existences.

In The Stra on the Receptacles for Relics, on page 5b158 of volume Na of theTantra [section of the Kangyur], it is said

Whatever being shows reverence to and honours a caitya, they willcertainly become irreversible and attain the unsurpassable,perfectly complete enlightenment of true, complete buddhahood.As a result of one prostration and one circumambulation, thosewho are going to the Avci hell, and so on, will become completelyliberated and irreversible. In whatever place this kind of caitya orstatue is present, that place will be blessed by all the tathgatas.

Also, it is said in The Stra of the White Lotus of the Sacred Dharma, on page22a159 of volume Ja of the Stra section of the Kangyur

Even those who make offerings with a disturbed mindTo images of the Sugata painted on a wall,Will eventually see ten million buddhas.Whoever puts hands together in homage to caityas,Whether completely or using just one hand,Or just by bowing the head for one instantOr bowing once with the body in that same way,Whoever, with a distracted mind, pays homageTo the location of relics, and repeats the one word,160

“Buddha” even just a few times,Will also attain supreme enlightenment.

157 Skt: Prasenajid-gth. Tib: gSal-byed gyi Tshigs-su-bcad-pa. Text 322, pages 201a-204a. No

translator credited.158 5b, lines 1 to 3.159 22a line 5 to 7. Khenpo Lodrö incorrectly cites this as from 22b.160 bKa’-’gyur text has sangs-rgyas shes. Khenpo Lodrö’s text has sangs-rgyas zhes, a

grammatical practice that developed in order to avoid confusion with the word shesmeaning ‘know’.

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It is said in The Uavijaya Dhra (gTsug-gtor rNam-rgyal gyi gZungs)161 onpage 232a162 of volume Pha of the Tantra section of the Kangyur

Devendra,163 even the carpenter will have great benefit, let alonethose who make offerings, render honours, and adorn it withflowers, censers, incense, flower garlands, perfumes, parasols,victory banners, flags, incense,164 and adornments, and those whobuild a caitya at a crossroads and place the dhra inside it, andplace their hands together in homage and prostrate to it andcircumambulate it. Devendra, such a person should be known to bea great being (mahsattva); he should be known to be a son of thetathgatas; he should be known to be a location of the Dharma; heshould be known to be a caitya of the tathgatas.

There are endless such quotations.

7. How all those who see, hear, remember or touch a caitya will gain the four kindsof liberation.

It is said, in The Stainless Ua Stra, on page 253b165 of volume Pha in theTantra section of the Kangyur

161 Skt: Sarva-tathgatoa-vijaya-nma-dhra-kalpa-sahita. There are three variations of the

same text. Khenp Lodrö makes his citation from the first of them. (Though the second ofthese texts has a classicaly correct Sanskrit title, which I have used, the first and third hasan absence of sandhi in tathgata-ua, though this may reflect contemporary usage asit is often found in mantras, and the first also has an uncompunded kalpa, with the panot subscribed.) Tib: De-bzhin-gshegs-pa thams-cad kyi gtsug-tor rnam-par rgyal-bazhes bya-ba’i gzungs rtog-pa dang bcas-pa. “The dharani, accompanied by its ritual,which is named ‘The Victorious Uas of all the Tathgatas’. The first (Text 594, pages230–237b) was translated by Paita Dharmasena and the Khampa Locva, Bhiku Bari.The second (Text 595; pages 237b-242a) does not have a translator’s colophon. Thethird, (Text 596; pages 242b-243b) is much shorter and also does not have a translator’scolophon.

162 Page 232a; line 2 to 5. Khenpo Lodrö incorrectly gives 232b as the page.163 ‘Lord of the deities’. This is here an epithet addressed to Avalokitevara by Amitayus (an

alternative, and in India more common name for Amitabha, though in the Tibetantradition the name has been associated with another Buddha), who is giving this teachingin Sukhvat.

164 The word spos (incense) is repeated twice, but Sanskrit has a wider vocabulary and thereforethe original may not have included a repetition. This defect is to be found in othertranslations in the bKa’-’gyur.

165 Page 253b line 6 to 254a line 3.

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Through just seeing and hearing this dhra, one will becompletely freed from bad karma, obscurations, hell existences,animal existences and all the terrors of the lower existences. All theobscurations from previous karma will be totally destroyed and allhell existences will also be destroyed,

As when grass is burned by fire,And the ashes are quickly blown away by a wind,Just so, all the bad karma accumulatedIn previous lives will be burned.

As when there is a fall of rainAnd mountain torrents descendAnd all rubbish and filthOn the ground is swept away,Just so, by merely seeing and hearingThis dhra, one will be purified of bad karma.

In The Sutra of Stainless Light-rays, on page 13a166 of Volume Na in the Tantrasection of the Kangyur, the Buddha taught

Even birds, bees and so on who are touched by the shadow of thatcaitya will be known and cared for by the Tathgata; they willattain unsurpassable, truly perfect enlightenment and will dwell inthe irreversible state. Even one who dreams of such a caitya, or sees it from afar, orhears the sound of its bells, or hears of it being built, will have alltheir karma, such as that of the five limitless actions, and all theirobscurations purified; they will be continually protected and caredfor by the tathgatas; they will attain the totally genuine path tounsurpassable, true perfect enlightenment.

He also taught, on page 16b167

Anyone who sees such a caitya or hears the sound of the caitya’sbells, will be purified of all karmic obscurations and bad karma;even if they have committed the five limitless acts, they will becompletely purified and after their death they will be reborn in theland of Sukhvat.

166 Page 13a lines 3 to 6. Khenpo Lodrö incorrectly attributes this passage to page 22b.167 Page 16b, line 5 to 7.

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Anyone who merely hears the name of such a caitya, will, aftertheir death, attain the path to unsurpassable enlightenment. Even acreature such as a bird or wild animal that sees it will, after passingaway from that life, abandon rebirth as an animal and attain ameritorious body.

He also taught, on page 17b168

If someone writes out the mantra, erects a caitya at a crossroads orroad junction where many people pass in different directions, andplaces [the mantra] inside [the caitya], then all the people, birds,bees, and even ants who see, hear or touch [the caitya], or are eventouched by earth, dust, wind, or shadow from [the caitya], will befreed from all bad karma that brings rebirth as animals, as pretas,as those who have errantly fallen into the lower existences as ahell-being; after death they will be reborn amongst the devas in thehigher realms, in the blissful existences; their previous karmicobscurations will be completely purified so that they will gain thememory of their previous lifetimes and will become an irreversibleDharma practitioner.

It is taught, in The Stainless Ua Stra, on page 259a169 of volume Pha in theTantra section of the Kangyur

Even those who have taken rebirth as animals, any of the variouskinds of creatures that go to [the caitya] will become irreversible.Just being touched by the [caitya’s] shadow will bring completeliberation, let alone honouring it greatly. It is not possible todescribe its qualities and benefits.

It is said in The Uavijaya Dhra on page 231b170 of volume Pha of theTantra section of the Kangyur

Devendra, write out this dhra and place it at the summit of avictory banner and place it on a high hill or a tall building or insidea caitya.Devendra, if a bhiku or bhikshuni or upasaka or upasika or anyother gentleman or lady sees [the dhra] placed upon the tip ofthe victory-banner, or is near to it, or is even touched by itsshadow, or is even touched by its particles carried on the air, then,Devendra, those beings will have no bad karma and none of the

168 Page 17b, line 4 to 6.169 Page 259a, line 6 to 7. Khenpo Lodrö incorrectly gives 259b as the location of the quotation.170 Page 231b line 6 to 232a line2.

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terrors of the lower existences. Know that he will not be reborn inany of the existences as a hell being, as an animal, in the land ofYama, as a preta, or as an asura.Devendra, know that that being will be prophesied by all thetathgatas and will be known to be irreversible from true, completeenlightenment.

Such inconceivable benefits are taught in many stras and tantras. Moreover, it istaught in the instructions of the omnipresent lord, great Vajradhara, that the great beingswho have obtained the empowerment of wisdom have blessed the four elements and theatoms of the caityas with the profound, ultimate true nature, and have regarded them asgreat dharmakya caityas that possess the four liberations of appearance, sound, andthought, and have sealed them with aspirations and words of truth. Therefore, they areendowed with those benefits.

I shall always completely avoidNot knowing the reasons, following after chatter,Not knowing the practice, contradicting the texts,Not knowing the proportions, bad craftsmanship, and so on,

Competing with others, desiring fame andOther thoughts of the eight worldly concerns,And aiming for the apparent prosperity of sasra,And even wishing for liberation for oneself alone, are all polluted.

Therefore, one has conviction in the Buddhas teachings,And in the results of good and bad actions,One truly turns away from sasraAnd contemplates how all beings are afflicted by suffering.

One strives to swiftly gather the two accumulationsIn order to establish all beings in the eternal happiness of buddhahoodThrough the wonderful path of the Jinas,Which is the good that is done with bodhicitta motivation.

It is taught that one who, with a longing mind,Offers just one flower to the dharmakya caityaOr just places hands together in homage to itOr even takes the effort of making one step towards it,

Will become one who has reached the end of sasra.Therefore, what merit will there not beFor one who, with one pointed faith,

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Actually makes offerings and honours it?

At this time, in all directions on this vast earthThere are those who have the glorious fortune of faith and generosity,And are devoted to the building of the Jina’s caityas,And thus truly create a great accumulation of merit.

Oh! As I see this happening,With the lotus petals of my hands closing at my heart,I rejoice with great happinessAnd pray that I also may be able to engage in this.

However, most beingsDwell in the darkness of delusionIn terms the necessity and benefit of this.And so, in order to bring benefit to them,

May this essential meaning taught by the Jina,This brilliance of a new sun of excellent speech,Wipe away what is written in the darkened mind And cause a thousand lotuses of faith to blossom.

May it cause all the immaculate Dharma of the supreme Muni,To be gathered into one as a field of merit for pupils,Which is present in the form of a caitya,That fills the whole of sasra and nirva.

Through the power of this, may the teachings of the JinaAnd its community of beings that accomplish white actionsSpread throughout all space and time,And may beings, as endless as space, attain perfect buddhahood together.

With this as a symbol for all perfectly good actions throughout the threetimes, may it cause the accomplishment of the supreme dharmakya, whichcompletely transcends being an object of thought or words, which is totally free ofname and form, which is completely devoid of thought and mental elaboration,and is perfectly created by the immaculate accumulation of the wisdom of theJinas.

May a great accumulation of merit be created; may I become a lord of thebodhisattvas who dwell on the tenth bhumi in Akaniha, become asabhogakya, and without deviating from the purest realm, manifest everyinstant a multitude of emanations in the worlds, and possess the three kyas andthe five wisdoms.

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At the instigation of Bokar Ngodrup Tsering, who has the wide eyes of themotivation of benefiting the teachings, I, Lodrö Dönyö, who is called a Khenpo,through strong effort, perfectly completed this text at Bokar Ngedon ChokhorLing in Mirik, Darjeeling, India, in front of a precious image —which bringsliberation through sight— of noble Arya Cintamani, who is the mother of all theJinas, on the excellent date, with the congruence of four fires, of the fifteenth dayof the Caitra [Nag-pa, the third] month {April or May} in the iron male sheepyear in the seventeenth cycle [1991].

May this become the cause for all beings to attain the Sugata’s dharmakya

Sarva-magala[May there be all good fortune!]

May there be virtue!

Translation by Peter Alan Roberts;. Los Angeles and Montana 2003-4.