Ten sūtras said to have been recommended to the Tibetan king Tri Songdetsen by the Indian master Padmasambhava. Their mention in the Padma Kathang takes the form only of a brief list of their abbreviated titles and functions, and in some cases does not allow their certain identification with the canonical texts that have survived in the Kangyur. (1) as aspiration, Bhadracaryāpraṇidhāna (bzang spyod smon lam, the concluding verses in Chapter 56 in Toh 44-45, The Stem Array) and also The Prayer of Good Conduct, Toh 1095; (2) as ablution, Vajravidāraṇādhāraṇī (rdo rje rnam ’joms pa, Toh 750, Vajra Conqueror); (3) as view, Prajñāpāramitāhṛdaya (shes rab snying po, Toh 21 and Toh 531, The Heart of the Perfection of Wisdom, the Blessed Mother); (4) as cultivation, Atyayajñāna (’da’ ka ye shes, Toh 122, The Sūtra on Wisdom at the Hour of Death); (5) as purification of karmic obscuration, bya ba ltung bshags from the Vinayaviniścayopāliparipṛcchā (Toh 68, Determining the Vinaya: Upāli’s Questions, 1.43–1.52); (6) for longevity, Aparimitāyurjñāna (tshe dang ye shes dpag tu med pa’i mdo, most likely Toh 675, The Aparimitāyurjñāna Sūtra [2]); (7) for protection, gos sngon can gyi gzungs, one of the several texts on this form of Vajrapāṇi but possibly the Nīlāmbaradharavajrapāṇikalpa (Toh 748, The Dhāraṇī of Blue-Clad Vajrapāṇi); (8) for averting, Sitātapatrāparājitā (gdugs dkar gzhan gyis mi thub pa, most probably Toh 592, The Invincible Sitātapatrā [1]); (9) for increasing resources, Vasudhārādhāraṇī (nor rgyun ma’i gzungs, Toh 662, 663, or 664, The Dhāraṇī of Vasudhārā); and (10) as the essence, Ekākṣarīmātāprajñāpāramitā (sher phyin yi ge gcig ma, Toh 23, The Perfection of Wisdom Mother in One Syllable).

Introduction

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