Buddhist Scriptures

Chinggis Khan In 1207 CE, news reached Tibet that Chinggis Khan (Sog-po Ching-ge-se Kh’ang) (1162 – 1227) had conquered the Tangut Empire in Gansu and Amdo. The Tibetans had a close relation with the Tanguts at this time. They had already been engaged in translating Buddhist...

The Relation between Reinforced and Enacted Karmic Impulses and Inciting and Incited Karmic Impulses  One of the main sources about karma from the Abhidharma Basket is Revealing Karma (Las gdags-pa, Skt. Karmaprajñapti) by Buddha’s disciple Maudgalyayana. In it,...

One night, without distraction, I dreamed a vivid dream: I saw a large and beautiful drum filling the world with golden light and glowing like the sun. Beaming brightly to all places, it was seen from ten directions. Everywhere buddhas were seated on thrones of precious lapis...

Tangut Thwarting of Qarakhanid Plans for Further Expansion After the fall of Khotan, the Qarakhanids could not press further eastward in their campaign to capture the rest of the southern Tarim. Mahmud of Ghazni attacked from the south and war ensued between the two Turkic...

Then the Tathagata said this to the noble goddess Bodhisattva-samucchaya: “O noble goddess, at that time, at that moment, a king called Suvarna-bhujendra, with this eulogy of all the tathagatas called the Source of Lotuses, praised past, future and present buddhas: Conquerors...

Then at that time the Tathagata spoke these verses: In numerous other inconceivable sutras, I have expounded empty phenomena in detail. Hence, here in this supreme sutra empty phenomena I will just briefly explain. As beings of slight intelligence, ignorant, are incapable of...

Then the great king Vaishravana, the great king Dhrta-rashtra, the great king Virudhaka and the great king Virupaksha rose from their seats, put their upper robes over one shoulder and knelt on their right knees. Bowing in reverence in the direction of the Tathagata, they...

The Establishment of the Jurchen Empire The Jurchen were a Tungusic Manchu people whose homeland was in northern Manchuria and the adjacent region of southeastern Siberia across the Amur River. They were for­est dwellers whom the Khitans conscripted for their ritual hunts....

Then the great goddess Sarasvati put her upper robe over one shoulder, knelt on her right knee and bowing in great reverence with her hands folded to the Tathagata, spoke thus: “O Venerable Transcendent Victor, I, the goddess Sarasvati, will also bestow eloquence in order to...

Then the great goddess Shri said this to the Tathagata: “Venerable Transcendent Victor, I the great goddess Shri will also give delight and well-being to that bhikshu who expounds the Dharma. I will offer garments, food, bedding, medicine to treat illness and many excellent...