See Dharmachakra Translation Committee, trans., The Questions of the Nāga King Sāgara (1) (Toh 153), 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2021.
See Dharmachakra Translation Committee, trans., The Questions of the Nāga King Sāgara (2) (Toh 154), 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2020.
See Dharmachakra Translation Committee, trans., The Questions of the Nāga King Anavatapta (Toh 156), 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2024.
Sanskrit in Lévi 1907, 1911, tome I, p. 149. For an English translation, see Jamspal et al. 2004 (the commentary is to verse XVIII.81 in that translation). Note that saṃskāra / ’du byed in these contexts and in the four seals is not being used to mean “formative factors” or “karmic conditioning,” but seems to be used in the same sense as saṃskṛta / ’dus byas, i.e., “compounded phenomena.” Edgerton had noticed this usage of saṃskāra. See Edgerton 1985, s.v. saṃskāra, saṃskṛta. Cf. also Jamspal et al. 2004, who translate the term as “creations.”
Sanskrit in Dutt 1978 and Wogihara 1978. For a recent English translation, see Engle 2016, pp. 454–63.
Note that the Pāli Dhammapada includes the first three concepts in verses 277, 278, and 279: sabbe saṅkhārā aniccā’ ti...sabbe saṅkhārādukkhā’ ti...sabbe saṅkhārā anattā’ ti....
The Chinese version was translated during the Tang dynasty by Yijing (635–713; his name is also variously transliterated as I-Tsing, I-Ching, and Yi-Tzing). An English translation of the Chinese version by an unattributed translator is posted on the internet by Fodian (see bibliography).
The Western Xia (Xixia), or Tangut Empire (1038–1227), was a Buddhist empire located in what are now the Chinese provinces of Ningxia, Gansu, Eastern Qinghai, and Northern Shaanxi, as well as parts of Xinjiang and Inner Mongolia. It was known as Minyak (mi nyag) in Tibetan. The Tanguts adopted Buddhism from both Chinese and Tibetan sources. The language, which has its own very elaborate script, has been partially deciphered by modern scholarship.
The term bhikṣu, often translated as “monk,” refers to the highest among the eight types of prātimokṣa vows that make one part of the Buddhist assembly. The Sanskrit term literally means “beggar” or “mendicant,” referring to the fact that Buddhist monks and nuns—like other ascetics of the time—subsisted on alms (bhikṣā) begged from the laity.
In the Tibetan tradition, which follows the Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya, a monk follows 253 rules as part of his moral discipline. A nun (bhikṣuṇī; dge slong ma) follows 364 rules. A novice monk (śrāmaṇera; dge tshul) or nun (śrāmaṇerikā; dge tshul ma) follows thirty-six rules of moral discipline (although in other vinaya traditions novices typically follow only ten).
The phenomena of saṃsāra. Contaminated phenomena are those influenced by the defilements (kleśa, nyon mongs) and karma. Thus, e.g., even virtues that are under the influence of defilements, like ignorance, are categorized as contaminated in this way.
A synonym for the “four aphorisms of the Dharma,” q.v. Often seen in Tibetan in the expanded form bka’ rtags kyi phyag rgya bzhi (“the four seals of the [Buddha’s] teaching”), the nearest Sanskrit equivalent being dṛṣṭinimittamudrā (“the seals that are the marks of the [Buddhist] view”).
The main topic of this sūtra; known also in Tibetan by the synonym bka’ rtags kyi phyag rgya bzhi (“the four seals of the [Buddha’s] teaching”), in Sanskrit caturmudrā (“the four seals”) or dṛṣṭinimittamudrā (“the seals that are the marks of the [Buddhist] view”).
A synonym for the “four aphorisms of the Dharma,” q.v. Often seen in Tibetan in the expanded form bka’ rtags kyi phyag rgya bzhi (“the four seals of the [Buddha’s] teaching”), the nearest Sanskrit equivalent being dṛṣṭinimittamudrā (“the seals that are the marks of the [Buddhist] view”).
The main topic of this sūtra; known also in Tibetan by the synonym bka’ rtags kyi phyag rgya bzhi (“the four seals of the [Buddha’s] teaching”), in Sanskrit caturmudrā (“the four seals”) or dṛṣṭinimittamudrā (“the seals that are the marks of the [Buddhist] view”).
Name of a king of a race of supernatural serpents who protect the doctrine.
In Sanskrit, the term nirvāṇa literally means “extinguishment” and the Tibetan mya ngan las ’das pa literally means “gone beyond sorrow.” As a general term, it refers to the cessation of all suffering, afflicted mental states (kleśa), and causal processes (karman) that lead to rebirth and suffering in cyclic existence, as well as to the state in which all such rebirth and suffering has permanently ceased.
More specifically, three main types of nirvāṇa are identified. (1) The first type of nirvāṇa, called nirvāṇa with remainder (sopadhiśeṣanirvāṇa), is the state in which arhats or buddhas have attained awakening but are still dependent on the conditioned aggregates until their lifespan is exhausted. (2) At the end of life, given that there are no more causes for rebirth, these aggregates cease and no new aggregates arise. What occurs then is called nirvāṇa without remainder ( anupadhiśeṣanirvāṇa), which refers to the unconditioned element (dhātu) of nirvāṇa in which there is no remainder of the aggregates. (3) The Mahāyāna teachings distinguish the final nirvāṇa of buddhas from that of arhats, the nirvāṇa of arhats not being considered ultimate. The buddhas attain what is called nonabiding nirvāṇa (apratiṣṭhitanirvāṇa), which transcends the extremes of saṃsāra and nirvāṇa, i.e., existence and peace. This is the nirvāṇa that is the goal of the Mahāyāna path.
The first of the four truths of the noble ones. The term “suffering” includes all essentially unsatisfactory experiences of life in cyclic existence, whether physical or mental. These comprise (1) the suffering of suffering, i.e., the physical sensations and mental experiences that are self-evident as suffering and toward which spontaneous feelings of aversion arise; (2) the suffering of change, i.e., all experiences that are normally recognized as pleasant and desirable, but which are nonetheless suffering in that persistent indulgence in these always results in changing attitudes of dissatisfaction and boredom; and (3) the suffering of the pervasive conditioning underlying the round of birth, aging, and death.
’phags pa klu’i rgyal po rgya mtshos zhus pa zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo (Āryasāgaranāgarājaparipṛcchānāmamahāyanasūtra), Toh 155, Degé Kangyur vol. 58 (mdo sde, pha), folios 205.a–205.b.
’phags pa klu’i rgyal po rgya mtshos zhus pa zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo. bka’ ’gyur (dpe bsdur ma) [Comparative Edition of the Kangyur], krung go’i bod rig pa zhib ’jug ste gnas kyi bka’ bstan dpe sdur khang (The Tibetan Tripitaka Collation Bureau of the China Tibetology Research Center). 108 volumes. Beijing: krung go’i bod rig pa dpe skrun khang (China Tibetology Publishing House), 2006–9, vol. 58, pp. 557–58.
Sāgaranāgarājaparipṛcchānāmamahāyānasūtra, Fo wei hai long wang shuo fa yin jing (佛為海龍王說法, “The Dharma-Seal Sūtra Spoken by the Buddha for the Nāga King Sāgara”). Taishō 599.
The Dharma-Seal Sutra Spoken by the Buddha for Ocean Dragon King. (English translation from Chinese). Retrieved October 12, 2011, from fodian.net.
Dhammapada. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: Selangor Buddhist Vipassana Society, 2004.
Dharmachakra Translation Committee, trans. The Questions of the Nāga King Sāgara (2) (Sāgaranāgarājaparipṛcchā, Toh 154). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2020.
Dharmachakra Translation Committee, trans. The Questions of the Nāga King Sāgara (1) (Sāgaranāgarājaparipṛcchā, Toh 153). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2021.
Dharmachakra Translation Committee, trans. The Questions of the Nāga King Anavatapta (Anavataptanāgarājaparipṛcchā, Toh 156). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2024.
Dutt, Nalinaksha, ed. Bodhisattvabhūmiḥ. Patna: K. P. Jayaswal Research Institute, 1978.
Edgerton, F. Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Dictionary. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1985.
Engle, Artemus B., trans. The Bodhisattva Path to Unsurpassed Enlightenment: A Complete Translation of the Bodhisattvabhūmi. Tsadra Foundation Series. Boston: Snow Lion, 2016.
Grinstead, E.D. “The Dragon King of the Sea.” The British Museum Quarterly 31 (3/4, 1967): 96–100.
Jamspal, L. et al. The Universal Vehicle Discourse Literature (Mahāyānasūtrālaṃkāra) by Maitreyanātha/Āryāsaṅga Together with its Commentary (Bhāṣya) by Vasubandhu. Translated from the Sanskrit, Tibetan, and Chinese by L. Jamspal, R. Clark, J. Wilson, L. Zwilling, M. Sweet, R. Thurman. Tanjur Translation Initiative. Treasury of Buddhist Sciences Series. New York: American Institute of Buddhist Studies at Columbia University, 2004.
Keown, D. (2004). “I-Ching.” In A Dictionary of Buddhism. Retrieved 12, 2011, from encyclopedia.com.
Khyentse, Dzongsar Jamyang. What Makes You Not a Buddhist. Boston: Shambhala Publications, 2007.
Lévi, Sylvain. Asaṅga. Mahāyāna-Sūtrālaṃkāra, Exposé de la doctrine du grand véhicule selon le système Yogācāra, édité et traduit par Sylvain Lévi. Bibliothèque de l’École des Hautes Études, sciences historiques et philologiques, fascicules 159 et 190, Tome I - Texte (1907), Tome II - Traduction, introduction, index (1911). Paris: Librairie Honoré Champion, 1907, 1911.
Lhakdor, Geshe. (2010). Short Sutra on the Four Seals. The Foundation for Universal Responsibility of His Holiness the Dalai Lama (www.furhhdl.org). Retrieved October 12, 2011, from furhhdl.org.
Nie Hongyin 聂鸿 (2007). “Ying zang xixiawen ‘Hai long wang jing’ kaobu” (英藏西夏文《海龙王经》考补). In Ningxia Shehui Kexue 宁夏社会科学, Social Sciences in Ningxia 1: 90–92. Retrieved October 12, 2011, from Social Sciences in Ningxia.
Skilling, Peter. Questioning the Buddha: A Selection of Twenty-Five Sutras. Somerville: Wisdom Publications, 2021.
Stanley, D. P. The Threefold Formal, Practical, and Inclusive Canons of Tibetan Buddhism in the Context of a Pan-Asian Paradigm. Unpublished doctoral dissertation. University of Virginia, 2009.
Wogihara, Unrai, ed. Bodhisattvabhūmiḥ. Reprint edition. Tokyo: Sankibo Buddhist Book Store, 1978.
C Choné Kangyur
D Degé Kangyur
K Peking Kangyur
N Narthang Kangyur
T Taishō Tripiṭaka (Chinese Buddhist canon)
In this very short sūtra, the Buddha explains to a nāga king and an assembly of monks that reciting the four aphorisms of the Dharma is equivalent to recitation of all of the 84,000 articles of the Dharma. He urges them to make diligent efforts to engage in understanding the four aphorisms (also called the four seals), which are the defining philosophical tenets of the Buddhist doctrine: (1) all compounded phenomena are impermanent; (2) all contaminated phenomena are suffering; (3) all phenomena are without self; (4) nirvāṇa is peace.
Translated by the Sakya Pandita Translation Group (Tsechen Kunchab Ling Division), comprising Venerable Khenpo Kalsang Gyaltsen and Reverend Dr. Chodrung Kunga Chodron.
This translation has been completed under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.
In the Tibetan canon there are three sūtras entitled The Questions of the Nāga King Sāgara (Sāgaranāgarājaparipṛcchā): a long version (Toh 153), one of middle length (Toh 154), and a short sūtra (Toh 155). They have quite different contents and are all to be found in a group of sūtras in the Kangyur entitled “The Questions of…” (…paripṛcchā), including The Questions of Brahmā, The Questions of Mañjuśrī, The Questions of an Old Lady, and several others. There is also another nāga king whose questions were the occasion for a sūtra in this group, entitled The Questions of the Nāga King Anavatapta (Anavataptanāgarājaparipṛcchā), Toh 156.
The text translated here is the shortest of the three Sāgaranāgarājaparipṛcchā sūtras. The Buddha’s teaching of this very brief sūtra to an assembly of monks is presumed—from the title—to be in response to a question or questions put to him by a king of the supernatural beings known as nāgas, serpents who guard the Dharma, although in this sūtra the questions themselves are not explicitly stated. The Buddha explains that recitation of the four aphorisms of the Dharma is equivalent to recitation of all of the 84,000 articles of the Dharma, and that they constitute the inexhaustible doctrine of the bodhisattvas. The four are:
all compounded phenomena are impermanent (anitya); all contaminated phenomena are suffering (duḥkha); all phenomena are without self (anātman); nirvāṇa is peaceful/peace (śānta/śānti).
These four aphorisms, or tenets—also called the four seals—are central to Buddhist philosophy and characterize the Buddhist view of the nature of reality. The Buddha stated that any doctrine characterized by these four seals is genuinely in accord with the philosophical view of Buddhism, just as a document purportedly written by a king that has the proper seals is known as genuine. Because the concepts of anitya(tva), duḥkha, anātman, and nirvāṇa are central to the Buddhist philosophical view, over the centuries, countless commentaries and elaborations on these concepts have been written by scholars from every Buddhist tradition. Various sūtras and commentaries focus on one, two, three, or all four of the concepts.
Indian texts speak of the four aphorisms of the Dharma as well as of the four seals. The Sanskrit of the four aphorisms can be extracted from Vasubandhu’s commentary to verse XVIII.80 of the Mahāyānasūtrālaṃkāra of Asaṅga (fifth century
sarvasaṃskārā anityāḥ (all compounded phenomena are impermanent); sarvasaṃskārā duḥkhāḥ (all compounded phenomena are suffering); sarvadharmā anātmānaḥ (all phenomena are without self); śāntaṃ nirvāṇaṃ (peaceful is nirvāṇa).
The same four aphorisms are listed and described in chapter 17 of Asaṅga’s Bodhisattvabhūmi. The only minor difference in these formulations of them, compared to the four aphorisms as set out in the present sūtra, is that here the second aphorism does not speak of “all contaminated phenomena,” but simply “all compounded phenomena.”
Although this sūtra’s Sanskrit original is no longer extant, the colophon to the Tibetan translation of the sūtra tells us that it was translated from Sanskrit to Tibetan by the Indian preceptor Surendrabodhi and the Tibetan editor-translator Yeshé Dé (ye shes sde). We can thus infer that this sūtra was translated from Sanskrit to Tibetan sometime during the late eighth to early ninth century.
This sūtra is also included in the Chinese Buddhist canon (Taishō 599). Both the Tibetan and Chinese versions of the sūtra are very similar in their brevity, meaning, and story line, although there are a few minor differences between them. A twelfth-century fragment containing this sūtra in the Tangut, or Xixia, language was discovered, among other pieces of the Tangut canon, at Khara-khoto along the ancient Silk Road by the British explorer Sir Aurel Stein during his 1913–16 journey. Now in the British Museum, the Tangut version is very close to the Chinese version, indicating that it was likely translated from the Chinese.
There are two other notable English translations from the Tibetan: one by Geshe Lhakdor in 2010 for a workshop presented at the India Habitat Centre in Delhi under the auspices of the Foundation for Universal Responsibility, and the most recent translation by Peter Skilling, along with helpful notes, in his 2021 anthology Questioning the Buddha: A Selection of Twenty-Five Sutras.
The present translation from Tibetan is based on the version in the Degé (sde dge) Kangyur, with reference to the differences between this and various other versions noted in the Pedurma (dpe bsdur ma) comparative edition of the Degé Kangyur.
Homage to all buddhas and bodhisattvas.
Thus did I hear at one time. The Bhagavān was dwelling at the place of the nāga king Sāgara together with a great assembly of 1,250 bhikṣus as well as a multitude of bodhisattva mahāsattvas. At that time the Bhagavān said to the nāga king Sāgara:
“Lord of the nāgas, if one utters these four aphorisms of the Dharma, in uttering them one is expressing all of the 84,000 articles of the Dharma. What are the four? They are as follows:
“To fully engage in understanding the inexhaustible doctrine of the bodhisattva mahāsattvas that all compounded phenomena are impermanent; to fully engage in understanding the inexhaustible doctrine of the bodhisattva mahāsattvas that all contaminated phenomena are suffering; to fully engage in understanding the inexhaustible doctrine of the bodhisattva mahāsattvas that all phenomena are without self; and to fully engage in understanding the inexhaustible doctrine of the bodhisattva mahāsattvas that nirvāṇa is peace.
“Lord of the nāgas, if one utters these four aphorisms of the Dharma, in uttering them one is expressing all of the 84,000 articles of the Dharma.”
When the Bhagavān had spoken in this way, the bhikṣus and bodhisattvas rejoiced and greatly praised the teachings of the Bhagavān.
This completes The Noble Mahāyāna Sūtra, “The Questions of the Nāga King Sāgara.”
Translated and finalized by the Indian preceptor Surendrabodhi and the senior editor-translator Bandé Yeshé Dé.
In this very short sūtra, the Buddha explains to a nāga king and an assembly of monks that reciting the four aphorisms of the Dharma is equivalent to recitation of all of the 84,000 articles of the Dharma. He urges them to make diligent efforts to engage in understanding the four aphorisms (also called the four seals), which are the defining philosophical tenets of the Buddhist doctrine: (1) all compounded phenomena are impermanent; (2) all contaminated phenomena are suffering; (3) all phenomena are without self; (4) nirvāṇa is peace.
Translated by the Sakya Pandita Translation Group (Tsechen Kunchab Ling Division), comprising Venerable Khenpo Kalsang Gyaltsen and Reverend Dr. Chodrung Kunga Chodron.
This translation has been completed under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.
In the Tibetan canon there are three sūtras entitled The Questions of the Nāga King Sāgara (Sāgaranāgarājaparipṛcchā): a long version (Toh 153), one of middle length (Toh 154), and a short sūtra (Toh 155). They have quite different contents and are all to be found in a group of sūtras in the Kangyur entitled “The Questions of…” (…paripṛcchā), including The Questions of Brahmā, The Questions of Mañjuśrī, The Questions of an Old Lady, and several others. There is also another nāga king whose questions were the occasion for a sūtra in this group, entitled The Questions of the Nāga King Anavatapta (Anavataptanāgarājaparipṛcchā), Toh 156.
The text translated here is the shortest of the three Sāgaranāgarājaparipṛcchā sūtras. The Buddha’s teaching of this very brief sūtra to an assembly of monks is presumed—from the title—to be in response to a question or questions put to him by a king of the supernatural beings known as nāgas, serpents who guard the Dharma, although in this sūtra the questions themselves are not explicitly stated. The Buddha explains that recitation of the four aphorisms of the Dharma is equivalent to recitation of all of the 84,000 articles of the Dharma, and that they constitute the inexhaustible doctrine of the bodhisattvas. The four are:
all compounded phenomena are impermanent (anitya); all contaminated phenomena are suffering (duḥkha); all phenomena are without self (anātman); nirvāṇa is peaceful/peace (śānta/śānti).
These four aphorisms, or tenets—also called the four seals—are central to Buddhist philosophy and characterize the Buddhist view of the nature of reality. The Buddha stated that any doctrine characterized by these four seals is genuinely in accord with the philosophical view of Buddhism, just as a document purportedly written by a king that has the proper seals is known as genuine. Because the concepts of anitya(tva), duḥkha, anātman, and nirvāṇa are central to the Buddhist philosophical view, over the centuries, countless commentaries and elaborations on these concepts have been written by scholars from every Buddhist tradition. Various sūtras and commentaries focus on one, two, three, or all four of the concepts.
Indian texts speak of the four aphorisms of the Dharma as well as of the four seals. The Sanskrit of the four aphorisms can be extracted from Vasubandhu’s commentary to verse XVIII.80 of the Mahāyānasūtrālaṃkāra of Asaṅga (fifth century
sarvasaṃskārā anityāḥ (all compounded phenomena are impermanent); sarvasaṃskārā duḥkhāḥ (all compounded phenomena are suffering); sarvadharmā anātmānaḥ (all phenomena are without self); śāntaṃ nirvāṇaṃ (peaceful is nirvāṇa).
The same four aphorisms are listed and described in chapter 17 of Asaṅga’s Bodhisattvabhūmi. The only minor difference in these formulations of them, compared to the four aphorisms as set out in the present sūtra, is that here the second aphorism does not speak of “all contaminated phenomena,” but simply “all compounded phenomena.”
Although this sūtra’s Sanskrit original is no longer extant, the colophon to the Tibetan translation of the sūtra tells us that it was translated from Sanskrit to Tibetan by the Indian preceptor Surendrabodhi and the Tibetan editor-translator Yeshé Dé (ye shes sde). We can thus infer that this sūtra was translated from Sanskrit to Tibetan sometime during the late eighth to early ninth century.
This sūtra is also included in the Chinese Buddhist canon (Taishō 599). Both the Tibetan and Chinese versions of the sūtra are very similar in their brevity, meaning, and story line, although there are a few minor differences between them. A twelfth-century fragment containing this sūtra in the Tangut, or Xixia, language was discovered, among other pieces of the Tangut canon, at Khara-khoto along the ancient Silk Road by the British explorer Sir Aurel Stein during his 1913–16 journey. Now in the British Museum, the Tangut version is very close to the Chinese version, indicating that it was likely translated from the Chinese.
There are two other notable English translations from the Tibetan: one by Geshe Lhakdor in 2010 for a workshop presented at the India Habitat Centre in Delhi under the auspices of the Foundation for Universal Responsibility, and the most recent translation by Peter Skilling, along with helpful notes, in his 2021 anthology Questioning the Buddha: A Selection of Twenty-Five Sutras.
The present translation from Tibetan is based on the version in the Degé (sde dge) Kangyur, with reference to the differences between this and various other versions noted in the Pedurma (dpe bsdur ma) comparative edition of the Degé Kangyur.
Homage to all buddhas and bodhisattvas.
Thus did I hear at one time. The Bhagavān was dwelling at the place of the nāga king Sāgara together with a great assembly of 1,250 bhikṣus as well as a multitude of bodhisattva mahāsattvas. At that time the Bhagavān said to the nāga king Sāgara:
“Lord of the nāgas, if one utters these four aphorisms of the Dharma, in uttering them one is expressing all of the 84,000 articles of the Dharma. What are the four? They are as follows:
“To fully engage in understanding the inexhaustible doctrine of the bodhisattva mahāsattvas that all compounded phenomena are impermanent; to fully engage in understanding the inexhaustible doctrine of the bodhisattva mahāsattvas that all contaminated phenomena are suffering; to fully engage in understanding the inexhaustible doctrine of the bodhisattva mahāsattvas that all phenomena are without self; and to fully engage in understanding the inexhaustible doctrine of the bodhisattva mahāsattvas that nirvāṇa is peace.
“Lord of the nāgas, if one utters these four aphorisms of the Dharma, in uttering them one is expressing all of the 84,000 articles of the Dharma.”
When the Bhagavān had spoken in this way, the bhikṣus and bodhisattvas rejoiced and greatly praised the teachings of the Bhagavān.
This completes The Noble Mahāyāna Sūtra, “The Questions of the Nāga King Sāgara.”
Translated and finalized by the Indian preceptor Surendrabodhi and the senior editor-translator Bandé Yeshé Dé.