A Variety of Inset Jewels that Beautifully Adorn the

Dharmakya 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, Indra
and the other great beings,
To the ocean of all the aspects of the melody of his speech, which we never tire of
hearing, which has the four confidences and leads all beings out of the
darkness of ignorance;
To the ocean of the wisdom of his completely pure mind’s knowledge, which is
unstained 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 Brahma

To 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
ynas.

I pay homage to the dharmakya-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 Beautifully
Adorn the Dharmakya 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 to

teach.

The unequalled Buddha has great kindness, immeasurably great compassion and
great skill in methods. He is an unsurpassable medicine that uproots and eliminates the
 2

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 the
ignorance of every being in the three realms. He is a guide for the blind,1 leading to the
city of omniscience and liberation the beings who are wandering by the precipice of
samsara, who have no sight in their eyes of wisdom, which should see what is and is not
to be done.
He is the unique, great friend who constantly looks on every being with eyes of
love, holding them in his compassion.
His activity brings four kinds of liberation; it is the essence of the five kinds of
relics and creates the dharmakya-caityas. If with one-pointed faith, aspiration and
rejoicing, you circumambulate, offer to, or prostrate to a dharmakya-caitya, you will
attain limitless temporary and ultimate qualities. This is because the teaching of the
Sugata is certain and never deceives. Even someone who has merely a good, bad or
neutral 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 dedicating
themselves to the building of these superior, supreme bases for purification and
accumulation, and who make homage to it, make offerings to it, and circumambulate
them. I shall write what is taught in the sutras, tantras and shastras concerning the
benefits 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 dharmakya
caitya of the Sugata.
5. The benefit derived from building a dharmakya 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 dharmakya caitya].
7. How all those who see, hear, remember or touch [the dharmakya
caitya] gain the four kinds of liberation.

1. The Characteristics of the Caitya

In general, the word caitya [or stpa; Tibetan: mchod-rten] can mean ‘an
accumulation’ or ‘a memorial’. The Tathgata’s dharmakya has qualities such as the
four mindfulnesses, the four true eliminations, the four bases of enlightenment, the five
powers, the five strengths and so on, that have been accumulated by particular methods
over a long period of time, or are remembered [because of it].

1
The texts has smegs bu in error for dmigs bu.
 3

Those qualities are represented by the caitya, which is therefore known as ‘the
representation of the dharmakya’. 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 harmik
support (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’. The
Sanskrit word is caitya, the meaning of which as already explained, is either an
accumulation 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 maala.
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 a
special field for merit. This is like life entering into a human body.
There are five kinds of relics:
a) The dharmakya relics.
b) The relics of the Tathgata’s body.
c) The relics of that body’s articles.
d) The relics that are like mustard seeds.
e) The Dharma relics.

a) The dharmakya relics.

These are satsas (clay casts) that portray caityas.

b) The relics of the Tathgata’s body.

These are the bones, brain, and so on of the Tathgata 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.
 4

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 bhmis.

e) The Dharma relics.

These are dhra-mantras and volumes of the Bhagavan’s teaching.
The Dharma relics are the countless classes of dhra-mantras that are taught in
the sutras and tantras. Any of these can be inserted [into the caitya]. In particular, there
are ‘the five great dhras’ that were greatly praised by the Buddha. They are the root
for whatever is inserted into statues and caityas.

i) Uavijaya: ‘Victorious Ua’ [gTsug-tor rnam-rgyal].

ii) Uavimala: ‘Stainless Ua’ [gtsug-tor dir-med].
iii) Guhya-dhtu: ‘The Secret relic’ [Tib: gsang-ba ring-bsrel].2
iv) Bodhigarbhlakara-laka ‘A Hundred thousand adornments of the
essence of enlightenment’ [Tib: byang-chub rgyan-‘bum].3
v) Prattya-samutpda-garbha ‘The essence of dependent origination’ [rten-
‘brel snying-po; prattya-samutpda-garbha].

The Ramivimala [‘Od-zer dri-med] dhra should also be inserted into a caitya
and 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 texts
and should be inserted the correct way up.

One must insert the dharmakya relics, the Dharma relics and the mustard seed-
like relics. The other two kinds can be inserted if they are available, but they are not
essential.

If one interprets the word mchod-rten (‘basis for offerings’) in its most general
sense, then is good to insert an axis pole into a statue, but it is crucial, indispensable and
of 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 a
caitya. Ideally, it should be made of white sandalwood, red sandalwood, or aloe wood. At
the very least, it should be made of juniper or the wood of a good, fruit-yielding tree.

2
This dhra is from The Mahyana Stra of the Dhra named ‘The Receptacle of Secret
Relics: The Essence of the Blessing of all the Tathgatas’ (Sanskrit: rya-sarva-
tathgata-dhihna-hdaya-guhya-dhtu-karaa-nma-dhra-mahaynastra;
Tibetan: ‘Phags-pa bde-bzhin-gshegs-pa thams-cad kyi byin-gyis-brlabs kyi snying-po
gsang-ba ring-bsrel gyi za-ma-tog ches bya-ba’i gzungs theg-pa chen-po’i mdo.
3
This dhra is from The Dhra that is a Hundred Thousand Adornments of the Essence of
Enlightenment; Sanskrit: Bodhigarbhlakaralaka-dhra; Tibetan: Byang-chub kyi
snying-po’i rgyan ‘bum gyi gzungs.
 5

The wood should not be hollow, cracked, thorny, eaten by insects, crooked, or have other
such faults.
Ideally the wood is from a tree that has grown on a good mountain, but, wherever
the tree is found, it must be obtained directly from the owners of that land and permission
from 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 auspicious
day, 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 becoming
thinner 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 end
of the axis pole into a beautiful half-vajra with its prongs pointing into the four principal
directions. If you can, coat these carvings thickly with ‘cold gilt’, making them very
bright. 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 uia;
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 similar
it. 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 for
writing 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 herbal
poultice, colour, and so on.
Before you paint an axis pole for a caitya, carve a smooth dhra-container in its
upper end. Place inside it the Vijaya-dhra and the Ramivimala-stra-dhra that are
written 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 the
axis pole, cut out dhra-containers, roughly at the same level on all four sides. Insert
into these ninety-nine ‘axis pole mantras’ and ninety-nine Nivaraavikambhin-dhras.
Insert twenty-five of each dhra into each of three sides, and insert twenty-four of each
dhra into the dhra-container on the remaining side.
Alternatively, you may cut out just one dhra-container in the lower end and
insert the Ramivimala and ‘the essence of dependence’ into it.
Before placing the dhras inside, coat the dhra 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 dhras of the axis pole and the offering dhras can be bound
around the axis pole instead of being inserted into the carved dhra-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 avoid
confusion.
 6

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 end
of the axis pole.

There are also dhra mantras that must be written on the surface of the axis
pole.

If there is a victory-caitya at the upper end of the axis pole, write Bhr on its
vase; O Bhr svh 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 the
southern 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 northern
sides, 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 Klacakra tradition, write Ha at the level of the ua,
O at the forehead,  at the throat, H at the heart, Ho at the navel and Ka at the
genital area.

Write the mahvidy mantra O sarva-vidy svh6 at the level of the harmik of
the caitya, the vowels and consonants at the level of the harmik neck (bre mgul),7 O
vajra-yue svh8 at the level of the vase, and O supratiha-vajraye svh9 at the
bottom of the axis pole.
On the axis pole for a large caitya, write the long dhras of Vijaya and the
others. On the axis pole for a small caitya, where there is not much room, one can write
the short dhras instead.
Whether the dhras are long or short, write the Vijaya-dhra on the eastern
side, the Uavimala on the southern, the Guhya-dhtu on the western, and the
Bodhigarbhlakaralaka-dhra on the northern side. Follow each of them with the
Prattya-samutpda-garbha.
If there is room, add the entire poada10 verses of the seven buddhas; if there is no
room, write out the poada of Buddha Vipayin: “Patience is a holy hardship…” etc.,
(bzod-pa dka’-thub dam-pa…) followed by an prayer for good fortune.
When the five dhras have been written, wrap yellow cloth around them and
beautify it by binding it with threads of five different colours.

The necessary qualities of the master who writes out the dhra-mantras will be
described later, but, at this time, he should eat only white foods that are unpolluted by

5
Corresponding to crown or ua, 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 Vajryue.
9
Om! Supremely stable vajra! Svaha!
10
gSo-sbyong (healing and purification).
 7

meat, alcohol, garlic, onions, and so on. He should wash, be very clean and never let his
breath or stains from his hands come into contact with the axis pole. Therefore, when
writing out the dhras, he should place either paper or pure white cotton on the pole to
prevent 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 height
and so on.
Although not absolutely compulsory, it is good to bury vases of treasure that have
been correctly made and blessed.

It is essential, as described above, that the axis pole have the correct length and
qualities.
The maalas of the two Vimalas are placed inside the caitya. They should ideally
be 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 maalas, first collect the
necessary substances and implements.
Most importantly, satsas, which are the embodiment of the dharmakya relics,
must be placed inside a caitya.
On the maala of Uavimala, arrange a hundred and eight white satsas that
contain both the long and the short dhras of Uavimala.
On the Ramivimala maala, arrange ninety-nine yellow satsas that contain both
the long and short dhras of Ramivimala.
Place as many satsas as one can make inside the vase, according to the size of the
caitya: a thousand, ten thousand, a hundred thousand, or more. Ideally they should
contain both the long and the short dhras of both Vimalas. Otherwise, the short
dhras will suffice.
The satsas will be prefect if they contain the five great mantras and the Prattya-
samutpda-garbha in particular.
The Tantra requested by Arya Subhu11 states, on page 119b in volume Wa of the
Tantra 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 Prattya-samutpda-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 music
To a statue or caitya that contain relics.

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

11
Sanskrit: Arya Subhuparipccha-nma-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 taught
in Lochen Dharmashri’s ritual recitation text, in Jamgön Lodrö Tayé’s abbreviated
ritual—Entering the Stainless Path (Dri-med lam-‘jug)— and in The Stainless
Illumination (Dri-med kun-snang), which is the ritual practice for making tsatsas with the
dhras of Uavimala, and and so on.

Clearly print on paper, without omission or addition, the five great dhras,
dhras of the buddhas and bodhisattvas, the three roots, and the wealth deities, and the
prayers for good fortune and the fulfilment of wishes. Anoint them with scented water
roll them, cover them with cloth and bind them with thread as is traditionally done.
Recite the specified number of mantras for blessing the dhras.
Ideally place the dhras inside precious receptacles, or if they are unavailable,
inside clean glass or clay vessels that have lids, so as to preserve the dhras for a long
time. 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 drawings
of various offerings, such as the auspicious signs and the auspicious substances. Arrange
them in a circle around the maalas of the two Vimalas. Alternatively, determine the
size of the caitya, and arrange the individual dhras, in accordance with their order, in
the empty spaces within the caitya. This is the tradition of the true lamas and therefore
should 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 the
stras it is taught that the caitya that contained the Buddha’s relics was a yojana12 in
extent. The Kutagara Stra13 describes a caitya that is the size of an emblic myrobalan
fruit, 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 relic
is a dharmakya-caitya. Nevertheless, it is very important that the caitya should not be
unpleasant to the sight but be universally attractive. Therefore, build a caitya on the basis
of the proportions that have been perfectly established by the great scholars and siddhas
of the past.
There are minor differences between the proportions of the caityas as taught by
the great scholars and siddhas of the Kagyu, Nyingma, Sakya and Gelug traditions. It is
not possible to conclusively identify one of these as only legitimate form.
However, this is the form as given in The Mirror of Brahma: A detailed
presentation of the proportions of the mahbodhi caitya, the supreme representation of
the Sugata’s dharmakya14 by the lord of buddhas, the fifteenth glorious Karmapa
Khakhyab Dorje (1871-1923).

12
Roughly seven miles.
13
Khang-bu brtsegs-pa’i mdo
14
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.
 9

Here, is a complete offering of the Sugata’s

Unsurpassable, supreme representation:
I will write The Mirror of Brahma; the proportions
Of the sacred Dharmakya caitya.

For this one draws well the ‘diameter lines’.

The right and left [halves] of the diameter line
Are 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 height
And forty units wide.

The first refuge16 is one unit in height.

And thirty-four units wide.
The second and the third
Are both one unit high and in width
Are successively one unit narrower.

The lotus [level] is one unit in height

And twenty-eight units wide.17

The lion throne18 is six units in height

And twenty-six units wide.

The lotus level19 upon it, is one [unit] high

And twenty-eight units wide.

The ‘great lotus’20 is one unit in height

And 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.
 10

The ‘great face’22 is three in height

And thirty-two units wide.

The virtuous foundation’s lotus is one in height

And twenty-eight units wide.

The four immeasurables are each

Two 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 height

And 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 top
Connected 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 left
Of the central line, at the foot of the vase,
Place marks as uncganging indications.
The upper point is six up on the central line
Extending five units to the right and left.
From those tips take lines down
To meet the previously made marks.
Above the six, go upwards three units.
From that high point on the central line go downwards diagonally
To 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 door
Should be established by an analysis using ones intelligence;
Avoid making it very large, as that will be a defect.

22
gDong-chen.
 11

Above the vase is the harmik seat, a half unit in height

And seven units in width.

The ‘harmik neck’ is one unit in height

And 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 wheel

Is 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 wide
The thirteenth [wheel] is two units [wide]
Connect the two and the eight with a straight line.
Again from that line measure inwards
A quarter of an unit
To 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 height
And 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 to
An 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 high

The moon tips are, on the upper level, at two units

23
Zar-tshag
 12

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 curve
One 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 appeared

When the Jina Baghavan
Truly attained great enlightenment.
Make this the root and then know,
Through analysis, without error, and in detail,
The particular features of the individual proportions
Of 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 as
described 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 wise

In these kinds of places:
Uneven, thorny,
Littered with potsherds,
A ravine, a place with bones, tree stumps,
Anthills, ashes, salt,
Pebbles, stones, dust, hair
Many 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-maala-smnya-vidhina-guhya-tantra;
dKyil-‘khor thams-cad kyi spyi’i cho-ga gsang-ba’i rgyud; The Tantra of the Secret
Rituals for all Maalas in General. Volume Wa pages 281-334 or 141a-167b.
27
The quotation begins on 141a and ends on 141b.
 13

This kind of ground will be auspicious for all actions:

Level, clean and rich earth,
Free of pain and harm
Facing the east and north.

Some texts teach that it is inappropriate to be to the east, to the south, or above, a
monastery or town.
Although it is necessary and important that a place have these features, a caitya is
principally a basis upon which all beings can gather accumulations and purify
themselves; it has the marvellous activity of the buddhas and bodhisattvas; it brings the
four kinds of liberation, and it plants the seed of liberation within all who make a
connection with it. Therefore, it is taught that a caitya should be built where many beings
live or at a place such as a crossroads.
In the Ramivimala Stra,28 on page 17b in volume Na of the Tantra section of the
Kangyur, it is said

…erects a caitya at a crossroads or road junction where many people pass

in different directions…

Thus, the essential instruction is to find a place where there are few obstacles and
a 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 who
has great faith, aspiration, diligence, compassion, has turned away from sasra,
genuinely wishes to gain liberation and omniscience, has generosity, rejoices in good
actions, 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 and
aspiration, 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 good
actions and has no respect for the deities or craftsmen.

28
The text occurs in the bKa’-‘gyur twice. It occurs in the Dhra 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 Vidykarasiddhi
and Zhu-chen gyi Locchva dPal-gyi lHun-po, with the mantras later revised (in the
eleventh century) by Atia and ‘Brom-ston.,
 14

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

2.5. The characteristics of the vajra master, who is the lord of the maala.

It is very important to build statues, caityas, and so on, correctly. Therefore, it is

absolutely necessary to have a maala master with the necessary qualifications for the
beginning, middle and conclusion of this practice.
The best master would be a fully ordained Vajradhara, a medium master is a
ramanera, 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 for
the maala and keep its commitments. He should have completed the propitiatory
practice [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 and
emptiness, be unpolluted by thoughts of the eight worldly concerns, have conviction in
the law of karma, wish to attain liberation from sasra, have little interest in this life, be
very 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 in
the 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 is
Respectful, controlled, grateful,
Continually rejoices in the Dharma,
Has aspiration for the mahyana,
Is trained in the activity of the vajrayna,
Knows the particulars of the maalas.
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 maalas,
Makes offerings to the mantras,
To the gurus and to unexpected guests.
The master should be skilled in
The binding of mudrs, and so on,
In the activity of drawing maalas,
And in the offerings within mantrayna activities.
 15

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

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

When the building of the stupa has been completed, it should be consecrated
immediately.
It is said in The Tantra of Consecration29 on page 146b in volume Ta [of the
Tantra 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 to

An image that has not been consecrated
Will be the same as the fruitless ashes of homa rites
Performed 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 to
bless 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 the
ultimate consecration, which does not depend on ritual.
A vajra master who has the characteristics described earlier should practice for an
appropriate number of days and enter a mantra-maala that accords with the view of the
sutras, the bodhicitta and the tantras.
He should teach clearly and in detail the Vimala Sëtras and the benefits of
circumambulating a stupa to the sponsors and the others who have assembled.

29
Supratiha-tantra-sagraha; Rab tu gnas pa mdor bsdud pa’i rgyud; The Brief Tantra of
Consecration. 146b-150a. Translated by the Kashmiri Mahpandita Jñnavajara and the
Lo-ts-ba Bhiku 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.
 16

He should conclude with an aspiration prayer and sincerely dedicate every excellent
maculate or immaculate positive action within sasra and nirva —represented by the
building 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 that
represent 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 so
on. In the general yna tradition, in the vinaya, and elsewhere, there are descriptions of
caityas for ordinary beings, ravakas, pratyekabuddhas, bodhisattvas and tathgatas.
This text concerns building the caityas of the Sugata. There are different kinds of
Sugata caityas. The glorious Lord Arya Nagrjuna described the famous ‘eight caityas of
the Sugata’ in A Praise of the Caityas of the Eight Great Places.32
The Teacher, the perfect Buddha, manifested principal, special activities in places
where the inhabitants then built caityas, establishing a tradition that commemerates those
episodes. Thus, the eight caityas were successively built in eight areas.

1) The Sugata caitya or Magalam33 caitya in Kapilavastu commemorates when our

Teacher was born. It has four or seven round tiers that have lotus petals and it is also
decorated by lotus petals.
2) The Mahbodhi34 caitya commemorates the enlightenment of the Buddha in the
Magadh;35 it has four square tiers.
3) The Wisdom-caitya or Dharmacakra-caitya, or ‘the caitya of many doors of good
fortune’ commemorates the Buddha turning the wheel of the Dharma in Vranasi. It has
four square tiers, projections, and ideally a hundred and eight doors, or a medium number
of fifty-six, or at least sixteen.
4) The ‘caitya of the defeat of the trthikas’ or the ‘caitya of miracles’
commemorates the Buddha manifesting miracles in the Jeta Grove at ravasti; it has four
square tiers and a projection in each direction. Alternatively, this has four tiers that have
lotus petals.

32
Sanskrit: Aa-mah-sthna-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 to
praises (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 Rjagha, which was the capital of
Magadh during the Buddha’s lifetime. The Nagrjuna text has Magadh and is clearly
referring to the site of the Buddha’s enlightenment: Vajrsana or Bodhgaya. Rjagha
occurs later in the list, and therefore in Kongtrul Rjagha appears twice as the locatin
for two of the caityas. Perhaps Kongtrul was glossing the Magadh in the original as [the
kingdom of] Rjagha. Magadh has been used in the translation, with the Khenpo’s
permission, so as to avoid confusion.
 17

5) The ’caitya of the descent from the deities’ or the ‘caitya of the tritrima devas’
commemorates the Buddha spending a rains retreat in the Tritrima paradise, where he
established his mother in the truth, formally ended the retreat in the morning and
descended in the afternoon to to Sakaya 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 in
Rajghir 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 the
Buddha blessing his composite body to live for a further three months in Vail. It has
three round tiers.
8) The nirva caitya commemorates the Buddha’s passing into nirva in
Kuingara. It has no tiers; the vase seat is directly upon the throne.

This is clearly described in Lord Nagrjuna’s A Praise of the Caityas of the Eight
Great 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 Lumbin39
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 banks
Of what is known as ‘the Nairañjana river’
Before the Bodhi-tree in Magadh.40

I pay homage to the four caityas of the wisdom

That totally destroyed the defilements and obscurations:
The wonderful liberation through the Wheel of Dharma
In Vras in Kka.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 Vail-Kya (yangs-pa-can gsal-ldan), whereas
Vail is nowhere near Kya, aka Saksya, which is to the west of Bihar and presently
has a ruined stpa said to mark the site where Buddha descended to the earth. Vail
occurs correctly later in the list. Vail has been left out of the translation to avoid
confusion. gSal-ldan is confusingly was also used to translate Kka, the ancient
kingdom of Vras, which is listed in untranslated transliteration in the praise by
Nagrjuna 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 Vras was the capital.
 18

I pay homage to the caitya of the defeat of the Trthikas:

The supreme establishment of his view of the three levels [of existence],
The destruction of the [miraculous] powers of others in rvast
And the manifestation of great miracles in the Jeta Grove.

I pay homage to the caitya that was offered by the Trayastria deities
In the supreme holy city of Sakya.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 love

In the Bamboo Grove43 of Rjagha,44
Where the schism in the sangha was healed and the disciples
Of the Teacher were in greater harmony than ever.

I pay homage to the caitya of blessing,

Of liberation, in Vail,
Where, instead of discarding his composite life,
He blessed again the life span of his body.

I pay homage to the caitya of nirva

Between two groves in the unrivalled land of the Mallas
Where, in Kungar,45 he exhorted
All beings to the practice of virtue.

I bow down to the eight caityas of kyamuni,

And to all the dharmakyas that reside
In 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 samdhi, bliss, realisation and
enlightenment
As a result of the merit, as white as the colour of the snow mountains, that
I have accumulated within my being
Through paying perfect homage in this way to the Buddha Dharmakya,
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 Kka, the ancient kingdom of Vras, which was
given left untranslated in an earlier verse.
43
Veuvana; ‘Od-ma’i Tshal.
44
Present-day Rajghir.
45
Also called Kuinr and, in the present day, Kuinagara or Kuinagar.
 19

There are many descriptions of caityas taught in the special mantrayna of the
Nyingma and Sarma tantras. There is the Klacakra Wisdom Caitya that is taught in the
wisdom chapter of the Klacakra.
There is also ‘the Untouchable Glorious Supreme Caitya’. Its history is as
follows: in the past, in the south of India, on the shore of the ocean in the land of
Kokuna,46 amongst the greatly famed caityas in the place called Caitya-town, there was
one that was superior because of its many wonderful qualities. It did not touch the
ground, but floated in the air as a rainbow. It was called ‘the untouchable glorious
supreme caitya’ or the Jñnabimbakya, which means ‘the body of the form of wisdom’.
The whole area beneath the caitya was renowned as being where Vajravrh
drew in all the alcohol that was in the three existences; each time combined alcohol and
grain alcohol were combined [there] they were greatly increased47 and when they lost
their power, if they were laid there for a little while, they became like new again up to
seven times. On all special days, the entire country was pervaded by the smell of
alcohol.48
In that place there was a large stone statue of Arya Mañjur, named Jñnakya
(Wisdom-Body), lying down in a great lake. On special days, everyone could hear and
see many things at the statue and the caitya: a variety of music, the smell of incense and
the 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 in
space, as if it was made of smoke, and therefore was also known as ‘the smoky caitya’
According to Lord Gua [Yon-tan]50, a description of its form is found in Jonang
Jetsun’s lJags-bkod-ma*** and Rigdzin Tsewang Norbu*** determined its proportions.

4. An explanation of what is represented by the dharmakya 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 Gua 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 stpa is practically verbatim from the Shes-bya Kun-khyab, his encyclopaedia
of 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. In
the 1982 Szechwan paperback edition, this passage occurs in volume two, page 285. It is
itself a quotation. Apparently from The Mirror of the Great Sun (Nyi-ma chen-poi me-
 20

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. Unfortunately
Kongtrul 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 Dharmari text and gsung-sne in
the 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: varatra). Though this is synonymous with ‘parasol’ (gdugs; chatra) in
terms of the structure of the caitya, the ‘rain-cover is sometimes distinct from and above
the ‘parasol’.
70
Zla-phyed.
71
Nor-bu tog.
 21

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 is
the [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 of
the Caitya (mChod-rten gyi cha dbye-ba ‘dul-ba las byung-ba’i mdo) by nitgarbha
(incorrectly written in the Tibetan edition as ntagarbha) who lived in the eighth
century. In ther Derge bsTan-gyur itself, there is n author’s colophon, but the text, which
is in fact the last in a series of stpa related texts, is apparently attributed to him in the
index. However, this verse explanation by the eighth Situ does not coincide with the
simplified form of Indian stpa described in the bsTan-‘gyur text. However it omits the
first three levels: base, three steps and lion throne.
73
rJes-su dran-pa: Anusmti. 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 (lha
rjes su dran pa).
74
Bad chen (i.e. Pad-chen)
75
Tshad-med; Aprama: 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-[sdhana]-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 also
represent the nirmakya.
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’ is
meant as a synonym for chos-shes, which could be translated as ‘phenomenological
 22

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 dharmakya.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 mras,
The garlands of flowers are the brilliance of the major and minor signs,82
The four lokaplas 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 the
text originally read rjes chos, which is an unusual grouping of words and was replaced by
the familiar term rjes dran.
79
Dran nye, which is short for dran pa nye bar gzhag pa. The Buddha’s three applications of
mindfulness are 1) the mind’s mindfulness that is without attachment to pupils listening
to the teachings with reverence; 2) that is without aversion to pupils not listening to the
teachings with reverence; 3) that is without either when pupils are both listening and not
listening with reverence to the teachings. (De bzhin gshegs pa'i dran pa nye bar bzhag pa
gsum ste, gus pas chos nyan pa la'ng chags pa med par thugs dran pa nye bar bzhag pa
dang, ma gus pas mi nyan pa la'ng sdang ba med par thugs dran pa nye bar bzhag pa
dang, 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 it
should be ‘jig-rten skyong-ba as is evident from the bsTan-‘gyur text. Perhaps the error
was in the original text as the metre allows only for two syllables. Perhaps it was phyogs-
skyong; dikpla.
84
This classification is also from ntigarbha’s Caitya-[sdhana]-vidhi, where he also says that
these qualities represent the Dharmakya. Other various precious adornments, which are
not specified apart from strings of precious stones, are both causal and resultant qualities
and represent the sabhogakya.
 23

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

The projections86 represent the accomplishment of the benefit of beings

By 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 with

Existence 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 Upadhyya Bodhisattva’s The Recitation of the Arya Dhra

named ‘The all pervading light-rays that stainlessly illuminate the Ua’: The rituals
for creating hundred and eight caityas or five caityas as compiled from the stras, on
page 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’s
first 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, and
the ‘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, the
source, is correct.
89
This refers to the nirva 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 lta
ba 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 rtsa
brgyad dam / mchod rten lnga gdab pa’i cho ga mdo sde las bsdus pa. The Author is
given as Bodhisattva, an alternative name for antarakita (eighth century). No translator
is credited.
92
The text has rin-chen snod (precious container), while the bsTan-‘gyur edition, which is
followed here, has ring-bsrel snod. Earlier in the bsTan-gyur text (on 161b, line 5) there
is the line ‘phags-pa’i sku-gdung rin-chen ring-bsrel snod (the vessel of the relics of the
precious body of the rya), which may have contributed to the confusion.
 24

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 Tathgata’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 mras,

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 the
dharmakya.97

The meaning of that passage is briefly explained in the summary of contents in

The Classification of the Sections of the Caitya98 in the Tengyur, Tantra section, Volume
Pu, page 173b.

The first tier99 is the four mindfulnesses:100 mindfulness of the

body, sensations, mind and phenomena.

The second tier symbolises the four perfect eliminations101:

diligence in eliminating bad, non-virtuous phenomena that have
been created102; diligence in not creating bad, non-virtuous

93
Saptatrimat-bodhi-pakaka-dharma. Byang-chub phyogs-chos sum-cu-rtsa-bdun. These are
the four mindfulnesses, four eliminations, four bases of miracles, five powers, five
strengths, seven aspects of enlightenment and the eight aspects of the path, which are
represented in the caitya. Although in the explanation in the earlier text, the axis pole did
not 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 Vibhaga-vinayoddhta-stra. The
text is credited to ntigarbha, an Indian master who came to Tibet. This passage is from
173b, line 7 to 179b, line 1.
99
Vedi. Bang-rim.
100
Catvri-smtyupasthna. Dran-pa nye-bar gzhag-pa bzhi.
101
Catvri-samyakpraha. Yang-dag-par spong-ba bzhi.
102
The text has a negative here, which is an error.
 25

phenomena that have not been created; diligence in creating

virtuous phenomena that have not been created; and diligence to
maintain virtuous phenomena that have been created.

The third tier symbolises the four bases of miracles:103 the basis of
miracles that is the samdhi of aspiration, which has the mental
activity of eliminating; similarly, there are the bases of miracles
that are the samdhis of diligence, of mind, and of analysis, which
possess the activity of elimination.

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

The ‘vase base’ symbolises the five strengths:105 the strengths of

faith, diligence, mindfulness, samdhi, and wisdom.

The vase symbolises the seven aspects of enlightenment:106

mindfulness, wisdom, diligence, joy, proficiency, samdhi, and
equanimity.

The harmik [bre “capital”] or ‘railings’ [pu-shu] or ‘border’ [kha

khyer] 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 samdhi.

The axis pole symbolises the ten knowledges:108 knowledge of the

relative, knowledge of others’ minds, knowledge of phenomena,
knowledge of subsequent realisation, knowledge of suffering,
knowledge of origination, knowledge of cessation, knowledge of
the path, knowledge of extinction, and knowledge of birthlessness.

The wheels symbolise the ten strengths109 and the three distinct
mindfulnesses: 110111

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

103
Catvri-ddhi-pda. rDzu-‘phrul gyi rkang-pa bzhi.
104
a-indriya; dBang-po drug.
105
Pañca-bala. sTobs-lnga.
106
Bodhyaga. Byang-chub yan-lag.
107
Aaga-marga. ‘Phags-lam yan-lag brgyad.
108
Daa-jñna. Shes-pa bcu.
109
Daa-bala. sTobs-bcu.
110
Try-aveika-smtyupasthna. Ma-‘dres-pa’i dran-pa nye-bar gzhag-pa gsum.
111
This sentence is an addition by Khenpo Lodrö.
 26

The second wheel symbolises the strength of knowing that karma

is ones own.113
The third wheel symbolises the strength of the knowledge of
dhyn, liberation, samdhi and sampatti.114
The fourth wheel symbolises the strength of the knowledge of
superior and non-superior powers.115
The fifth wheel symbolises the strength of the knowledge of
various aspirations.116
The sixth wheel symbolises the strength of the knowledge of the
variety of natures.117
The seventh wheel symbolises the strength of knowing where all
paths lead.118
The eighth wheel symbolises the strength of the knowledge of
remembering previous lifetimes.119
The ninth wheel symbolises the strength of the knowledge of
death, transference and birth.120
The tenth wheel symbolises the strength of the knowledge of the
extinction of the pollutions.121
The eleventh wheel symbolises the first distinct mindfulness: that
there is no arising of joy when the Tathagata‘s pupils listen with
reverence 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 low
rebirths not high rebirths.
113
Las bdag gir mkhyen pa. However, this is normally listed as las kyi rnam-smin (the ripening of
karma) 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 dhyns ‘mental stabilities’, the eight liberations (vimoka), the
various samdhis and the nine successive stages of sampatti ‘resting in evenness’.
115
dBang-po mchog dang mchog min mkhyen-pa; usually written as dBang-po mchog dman
mkhyen-pa (superior and inferior powers): knowing the lesser, medium and greater levels
of such powers as faith within beings.
116
Mos-pa sna-tshogs-pa mkhyen-pa: the knowledge of which ynas and which practices
individual beings aspire to.
117
Khams sna-tshogs mkhyen-pa: the knowledge of which five classes beings in relation to their
latencies 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 all
kinds of spiritual paths.
119
sNgon gyi gnas rjes-su dran-pa mkhyen-pa: knowledge of where and as what oneself and all
others 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
 27

The twelfth wheel symbolises the second distinct mindfulness: that

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

The rain-cover123 represents the Tathgata’s great compassion,

which examines the benefit for his pupils who are ripened, who are
not ripened, and are presently ripening, also which, in order to
benefit the world, and perfectly possesses, at all particular times,
every dharmakya, without exception, of the Tathgata.

That is the nature of the caitya.

Also, there are the stone pillars, stairways, makara124 victory

banners, flower garlands, lokaplas, bells, parasols, the sun and
moon, silk ribbons, flags, and so on, which are articles that are the
basis for the Tathgata’s dharmakya.

The stone pillars symbolise the four fearlessnesses125 in

unmistakenly teaching the exhaustion of the polluted; true
complete buddhahood; obstructing phenomena; and the path of
renouncing samsara.

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

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

The makara victory banners symbolise the falling down of the

victory banners of the mras: the falling down of the victory
banners of the defilement mra; the divine mra; the skandha mra;
and the Lord of Death mra.

The flower garlands symbolise the aggregate of unsurpassable

conduct.

123
Varatra. Char-khebs.
124
‘Sea monster’; a leviathan that is the largest and strongest being in the world.
125
Catvri-vairadya. Mi-‘jigs-pa bzhi.
126
Catvry-arakya. Srung-ba med-pa bzhi.
 28

The lokaplas symbolise that the teaching of the four truths brings
benefit 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 Tathgata,

with little effort, fills the great universe of a billion worlds with the
sound of the Dharma teaching.

The parasols symbolise that he is above all beings: the Tathgata is

supreme amongst beings without legs, with two legs, with many
legs, with form and without form .127

The moons128 symbolise the light of unsurpassable wisdom, by

which the Tathgata opens the eyes of unsurpassable wisdom in the
worlds of darkness.

The silk ribbons symbolise wearing the crown of unsurpassable,

truly complete enlightenment, by which the Tathgata brings
unimpeded wisdom to all.

The flags symbolise the sound of the unsurpassable Dharma,129 by

which the Tathgata, through the sound of the turning of the
Dharma wheel, overcomes the maala of the world.

5. The benefits of building a dharmakya caitya of the Sugata, which is an

unsurpassable basis for accumulation and purification.

In general, any small action done in relation to the Jewels brings a measureless
benefit, as its result increases until the attainment of enlightenment. Therefore, make the
caityas with faith and ideally from a precious material, or a medium kind from medicinal
or good wood, or the least kind from earth, stone, clay, and so on. Even if one only draws
as 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 glorious
throat. As the Buddha’s teaching are infallible, this can be believed by everyone.
In the rya-rasmi-vimala Stra (The Noble Sutra of Stainless Light-rays),130 on
page 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 Tathgata 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 of
providing the original quotation in full.
128
The text has ‘sun and moon’ in accord with Tibetan stpas, misquoting the original text, which
has only the moon.
129
Khenpo Lodrö’s text omitted the adjective ‘unsurpassable’.
 29

Moreover, great brahmin, if any bhiku, bhikun, upsaka,

upsik, gentleman or lady133 who has a short life or many illnesses
repairs an old caitya, or even builds a new one, and writes this
dhra and places it inside and cleans the maala and makes
offerings, 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 are
afflicted with illness and suffering, their illness will be overcome
and they will be freed from it; they will never go to the lower
existences, become a hell-being, be reborn as an animal, or reborn
in the land of Yama; they will not even hear the names of these
[existences], let alone be reborn there.

In that same stra, 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 caitya
out of clay, or out of bricks, or out of stones, they should first
recite that essence of the mantras a thousand and eight times.
Then, if they afterwards make a caitya that covers only ground the
size of a fingernail, or one that covers a cubit, or make one that
covers a league, because of the power of the mantra and the
strength of a one-pointed mind, that caitya will smell of incense,
such as the aroma of sandalwood, camphor, musk or saffron, or it
will give out the aroma of a beautiful divine scent.
The work on the caitya and the mantra recitation performed by
oneself and others will cause the exact fulfilment of all wishes. A
vast accumulation of good karma will be accomplished and a
perfect accumulation of good qualities and excellence will be
attained.
Even if someone has the karma for a short life, it will be extended
and he will have a long life. When death comes, he will see the
faces of ninety-nine hundred thousand times ten million times a
hundred thousand million buddhas; all those tathgatas will think
of him and in his next life he will be reborn in the completely pure

130
Full title: rya-rasmi-vimala-viuddhe prabha-nma-dhra; Tib:‘Phag pa ‘od zer dri ma
med pa rnam par dag pa’i ‘od ces bya ba’i gzungs; ‘The Dhra named ‘The Noble
Illumination 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 Vidykrasiha and dPal-gyi lHun-po’i-sde, later revised by
Ata 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.
 30

realm of a buddha and will directly receive a prophecy [for his own
buddhahood] from him. There he will attain a life span of ten
million times a hundred thousand million times a hundred thousand
years; he will remember his previous lives; he will attain
completely pure divine sight and divine hearing; he will know the
minds of others and will attain knowledge of deaths and rebirths;
his body will have the aroma of sandalwood and from his mouth
will come the scent of the utpala flower; he will attain the path to
unsurpassable, true, complete enlightenment and will attain the
irreversible state.

Also, in The Stainless Ua Stra,135 there is a lengthy teaching, such as the
following on page 255a136 of volume Pha in the Tantra section of the Kangyur

If you revere this essence of all the tathgatas of the three times,
which is named The all-pervading light-rays; the illumination of
the stainless ua and make caityas, a life span that is over will
be extended and life will be purified into becoming long. Even if
one dies and passes away, like a snake shedding its skin you will
cast aside the body and will, with those who are equally worthy, go
to the world of Sukhvat. There will be no experience of the
suffering of death. And from then on death will never again be
experienced. 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 will
never reach ones ears, let alone that becoming a ripened result; that
will not happen.

Also, in The Stra of Dependent Origination,138 on page 41b139 of volume Na in

the Tantra [section of the Kangyur] the Buddha taught

135
Skt: Samanta-mukha-pravea-rami-vimaloa-prabhsa-sarva-tathgata-hdaya-samaya-
vilokita-nma-dhra. Tib: Kun nas sgor ‘jug pa’i ‘od zer gtsug tor dri ma med par
snang ba de bzhin gshegs pa thams cad kyi snying po dang dam tshig la rnam par lta ba
zhes 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-
prattyasamutpda-nma-mahyna-stra. bKa’-gyur Tantra Vol. Na; Text 520; pages
41a–42a. No translator credited.
139
The quote begins on 41b line 7 and ends on 42a.
 31

Avalokitevara, it is like this: this [mantra of] ‘dependent

origination’ is the dharmakya of the tathgatas. Whoever sees the
‘dependent origination’ [mantra], sees the tathgatas.
Avalokitevara, any gentleman or lady endowed with faith who
creates, in an uninhabited place, a caitya the size of an emblic
myrobalan fruit, with an axis pole the size of a slender needle and a
parasol the size of a bakkula140 flower, and inserts the ‘dependent
origination’ as a dharmadhtu verse into it, will generate the merit
of Brahma. When the time of their death comes and they pass away
from 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 of

volume Sa of the Stra [section of the Kangyur]

Ananda, a gentleman or lady may fill the billion worlds of the great
universe with the seven precious materials and offer them to the
stream-entrants, the non-returners, the arhants, the
pratyekabuddhas and sanghas of bikshus in the four directions, but
someone who makes from clay a parinirva caitya of the
Tathgata Arhant Samyaksambuddha, the size of an emblic
myrobalan fruit, with an axis pole the size of a needle placed
inside, and covered by a parasol the size of a bakkula flower, and
places on it a statue the size of a grain of barley, and inserts a relic
the size of a mustard seed, that person, Ananda, will have
extremely much more merit than that [gentleman or woman]. If
you ask, Ananda, why that is so, it is because the Tathgata, the
Arhant, the completely perfect Buddha has immeasurable
generosity, immeasurable discipline, immeasurable patience,
immeasurable meditation, immeasurable wisdom, immeasurable
love, immeasurable compassion, immeasurable joy, immeasurable
impartiality. Ananda, the Tathgata, the Arhant, the completely
perfect Buddha possesses immeasurable qualities.

Also, it is said in The Stra 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 tree
and the Red Coondoo tree. Its scientific name is Mimusops Elengi tree.
141
Kgra-stra 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 stra. It begins on page263a (525). This
short stra is on 260a-263b (519-25).
143
Skt: rya-sarva-tathgatdhihna-hdaya-guhya-dhtu-karaa-nma-dhra-mahyna-
stra. Tib: ‘Phags-pa de-bzhin-gshegs-pa thams-cad kyi byin-gyis-brlabs kyi snying-po
gsang-ba ring-bsrel gyi za-ma-tog ces bya-ba’i gzungs theg-pa chen-po’i mdo. The
Mahayana sutra dharani named ‘The receptacle of relics, [which is] the secret essence of
the blessing of all the tathagatas’. For the abbreviated title I have not used a translation
 32

The Bhagavan said, “Vajrapni, if someone writes out this part of

the Dharma and places it inside a caitya, it will become a caitya
that has a relic which is the vajra essence of all the tathgatas; it
will become a caitya blessed by the secret essence of all the
tathgatas; it will become the caitya of as tathgatas equal to the
number of [seeds in] ninety-nine sesame pods; it will be blessed as
a caitya of the uas and the eyes of all the tathgatas.
If someone places it inside all statues or caityas, they will be
blessed as statues of the Tathgata made of the seven precious
materials; they will be blessed as having garlands of wheels,
lattices of bells and small bells, auspicious [symbols], and a parasol
with bells, all made of the seven precious materials. They will be
blessed until the essence of enlightenment by the power, blessing,
truth and commitment of all the tathgatas and by this part of the
Dharma.

Also, in The Sutra of the White Lotus of the Sacred Dharma146 on page 21b147 of
volume Ja of the Stra 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 build
A 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 sand
In 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 weas
translated into Tibetan in the latter half of the eighth century by Paita
Vidykaraprabhava and the Locchva Devendra Rakita of Tsang (gTsang), whose
Tibetan 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-stra. 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.
 33

Whoever paints on a wall images

Of 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 Upadhyya Bodhisattva’s150 The Recitation of the Stainless Ua:

The rituals for creating Caityas,151 on page 161b152 of volume Pu in the Tantra section of
the Tengyur, it is said:

Through the power of the special great qualities and blessings,

From repairing, cleaning and making offerings to
The 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 obscurations
And may we swiftly attain unsurpassable enlightenment.

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

In The Dhra of Stainless Light-rays, on page 11b [of Volume Na in the Tantra
section of the Kangyur]154 the Buddha taught

150
Better known as ntirakita, 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 dhra of ‘The all-pervading light-rays; the illumination from the
stainless Ua’ and the ritual for making five caityas or a hundred and eight caityas,
compiled from the stras.” Contained within Volume Pu of the Tantra Commentaries
(rgyud-‘grel) 153a-168a (305-335). The colophon states that it was authored by
Mahcrya Bodhisattva (slob-dpon bo-dhi-sa-tva). No translator mentioned. It may have
been 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 stra, not a
dhra: ‘Od-zer dri-ma med- pa’i mdo (The Stra of Stainless Light rays). The full title
of the text is ‘Phags pa ‘od zer dri ma med pa rnam par dag pa’i ‘od ces bya ba’i gzungs,
 34

The gentleman or lady who circumambulates that caitya, prostrates

to it, or makes offerings to it, will, through the blessing of the
tathgatas, be irreversibly set on the path to unsurpassable
enlightenment and their obscurations from previous karma, without
exception, will be purified.155

Also, on page 12b

Whoever circumambulates that caitya, prostrates to it, puts hands

together in homage to it, offers flowers, or perfume or incense to it,
or offers bells, banners and parasols to it, they will have the same
merit as offering to ninety-nine thousand relic-containing caityas
of the tathgatas. They will attain the vast power and splendour of
the total completion of all good karma.

Also, in Verses on the Circumambulation of a Caitya,156 on page 148b of volume

Sa in the Stra section of the Kangyur, the Buddha taught

Through making circumambulations of a caitya

Devas, ngas, yakas, gandharvas,
Asuras, garuas, kimnaras
And mahoragas will make offerings.

Having attained the precious human existence,

Making a circumambulation of a caitya
For 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 caitya

Devas, 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 Vidykrasiha and
dPal-gyi lHun-po’i-sde, later revised by Ara and ‘Brom-ston. The text appears twice in
the 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 all
their 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-
pradakia-gth.
 35

Similarly, in The Verses of Prasenjit,157 on page 202a of volume Sa in the Stra

section of the Kangyur, it is said

Through joyfully attaching

Many 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 flags

At 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 Stra on the Receptacles for Relics, on page 5b158 of volume Na of the
Tantra [section of the Kangyur], it is said

Whatever being shows reverence to and honours a caitya, they will

certainly become irreversible and attain the unsurpassable,
perfectly complete enlightenment of true, complete buddhahood.
As a result of one prostration and one circumambulation, those
who are going to the Avci hell, and so on, will become completely
liberated and irreversible. In whatever place this kind of caitya or
statue is present, that place will be blessed by all the tathgatas.

Also, it is said in The Stra of the White Lotus of the Sacred Dharma, on page
159
22a of volume Ja of the Stra section of the Kangyur

Even those who make offerings with a disturbed mind

To 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 instant
Or bowing once with the body in that same way,
Whoever, with a distracted mind, pays homage
To the location of relics, and repeats the one word,160
“Buddha” even just a few times,
Will also attain supreme enlightenment.
157
Skt: Prasenajid-gth. 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 shes
meaning ‘know’.
 36

It is said in The Uavijaya Dhra (gTsug-gtor rNam-rgyal gyi gZungs)161 on

page 232a162 of volume Pha of the Tantra section of the Kangyur

Devendra,163 even the carpenter will have great benefit, let alone
those who make offerings, render honours, and adorn it with
flowers, censers, incense, flower garlands, perfumes, parasols,
victory banners, flags, incense,164 and adornments, and those who
build a caitya at a crossroads and place the dhra inside it, and
place their hands together in homage and prostrate to it and
circumambulate it. Devendra, such a person should be known to be
a great being (mahsattva); he should be known to be a son of the
tathgatas; he should be known to be a location of the Dharma; he
should be known to be a caitya of the tathgatas.

There are endless such quotations.

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

It is said, in The Stainless Ua Stra, on page 253b165 of volume Pha in the
Tantra section of the Kangyur

161
Skt: Sarva-tathgatoa-vijaya-nma-dhra-kalpa-sahita. There are three variations of the
same text. Khenp Lodrö makes his citation from the first of them. (Though the second of
these texts has a classicaly correct Sanskrit title, which I have used, the first and third has
an absence of sandhi in tathgata-ua, though this may reflect contemporary usage as
it is often found in mantras, and the first also has an uncompunded kalpa, with the pa
not subscribed.) Tib: De-bzhin-gshegs-pa thams-cad kyi gtsug-tor rnam-par rgyal-ba
zhes bya-ba’i gzungs rtog-pa dang bcas-pa. “The dharani, accompanied by its ritual,
which is named ‘The Victorious Uas of all the Tathgatas’. The first (Text 594, pages
230–237b) was translated by Paita Dharmasena and the Khampa Locva, Bhiku Bari.
The second (Text 595; pages 237b-242a) does not have a translator’s colophon. The
third, (Text 596; pages 242b-243b) is much shorter and also does not have a translator’s
colophon.
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 Avalokitevara by Amitayus (an
alternative, and in India more common name for Amitabha, though in the Tibetan
tradition the name has been associated with another Buddha), who is giving this teaching
in Sukhvat.
164
The word spos (incense) is repeated twice, but Sanskrit has a wider vocabulary and therefore
the original may not have included a repetition. This defect is to be found in other
translations in the bKa’-’gyur.
165
Page 253b line 6 to 254a line 3.
 37

Through just seeing and hearing this dhra, one will be

completely freed from bad karma, obscurations, hell existences,
animal existences and all the terrors of the lower existences. All the
obscurations from previous karma will be totally destroyed and all
hell 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 accumulated
In previous lives will be burned.

As when there is a fall of rain

And mountain torrents descend
And all rubbish and filth
On the ground is swept away,
Just so, by merely seeing and hearing
This dhra, one will be purified of bad karma.

In The Sutra of Stainless Light-rays, on page 13a166 of Volume Na in the Tantra

section of the Kangyur, the Buddha taught

Even birds, bees and so on who are touched by the shadow of that
caitya will be known and cared for by the Tathgata; they will
attain unsurpassable, truly perfect enlightenment and will dwell in
the irreversible state.
Even one who dreams of such a caitya, or sees it from afar, or
hears the sound of its bells, or hears of it being built, will have all
their karma, such as that of the five limitless actions, and all their
obscurations purified; they will be continually protected and cared
for by the tathgatas; they will attain the totally genuine path to
unsurpassable, true perfect enlightenment.

He also taught, on page 16b167

Anyone who sees such a caitya or hears the sound of the caitya’s
bells, will be purified of all karmic obscurations and bad karma;
even if they have committed the five limitless acts, they will be
completely purified and after their death they will be reborn in the
land of Sukhvat.

166
Page 13a lines 3 to 6. Khenpo Lodrö incorrectly attributes this passage to page 22b.
167
Page 16b, line 5 to 7.
 38

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

He also taught, on page 17b168

If someone writes out the mantra, erects a caitya at a crossroads or

road junction where many people pass in different directions, and
places [the mantra] inside [the caitya], then all the people, birds,
bees, and even ants who see, hear or touch [the caitya], or are even
touched by earth, dust, wind, or shadow from [the caitya], will be
freed from all bad karma that brings rebirth as animals, as pretas,
as those who have errantly fallen into the lower existences as a
hell-being; after death they will be reborn amongst the devas in the
higher realms, in the blissful existences; their previous karmic
obscurations will be completely purified so that they will gain the
memory of their previous lifetimes and will become an irreversible
Dharma practitioner.

It is taught, in The Stainless Ua Stra, on page 259a169 of volume Pha in the
Tantra section of the Kangyur

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

It is said in The Uavijaya Dhra on page 231b170 of volume Pha of the

Tantra section of the Kangyur

Devendra, write out this dhra and place it at the summit of a

victory banner and place it on a high hill or a tall building or inside
a caitya.
Devendra, if a bhiku or bhikshuni or upasaka or upasika or any
other gentleman or lady sees [the dhra] placed upon the tip of
the victory-banner, or is near to it, or is even touched by its
shadow, 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.
 39

terrors of the lower existences. Know that he will not be reborn in

any of the existences as a hell being, as an animal, in the land of
Yama, as a preta, or as an asura.
Devendra, know that that being will be prophesied by all the
tathgatas and will be known to be irreversible from true, complete
enlightenment.

Such inconceivable benefits are taught in many stras and tantras. Moreover, it is
taught in the instructions of the omnipresent lord, great Vajradhara, that the great beings
who have obtained the empowerment of wisdom have blessed the four elements and the
atoms of the caityas with the profound, ultimate true nature, and have regarded them as
great dharmakya caityas that possess the four liberations of appearance, sound, and
thought, and have sealed them with aspirations and words of truth. Therefore, they are
endowed with those benefits.

I shall always completely avoid

Not 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 and

Other thoughts of the eight worldly concerns,
And aiming for the apparent prosperity of sasra,
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 sasra
And contemplates how all beings are afflicted by suffering.

One strives to swiftly gather the two accumulations

In order to establish all beings in the eternal happiness of buddhahood
Through 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 dharmakya caitya
Or just places hands together in homage to it
Or even takes the effort of making one step towards it,

Will become one who has reached the end of sasra.

Therefore, what merit will there not be
For one who, with one pointed faith,
 40

Actually makes offerings and honours it?

At this time, in all directions on this vast earth

There 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 happiness
And pray that I also may be able to engage in this.

However, most beings

Dwell in the darkness of delusion
In 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 sasra and nirva.

Through the power of this, may the teachings of the Jina

And its community of beings that accomplish white actions
Spread 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 three
times, may it cause the accomplishment of the supreme dharmakya, which
completely transcends being an object of thought or words, which is totally free of
name and form, which is completely devoid of thought and mental elaboration,
and is perfectly created by the immaculate accumulation of the wisdom of the
Jinas.

May a great accumulation of merit be created; may I become a lord of the

bodhisattvas who dwell on the tenth bhumi in Akaniha, become a
sabhogakya, and without deviating from the purest realm, manifest every
instant a multitude of emanations in the worlds, and possess the three kyas and
the five wisdoms.
 41

At the instigation of Bokar Ngodrup Tsering, who has the wide eyes of the
motivation of benefiting the teachings, I, Lodrö Dönyö, who is called a Khenpo,
through strong effort, perfectly completed this text at Bokar Ngedon Chokhor
Ling in Mirik, Darjeeling, India, in front of a precious image —which brings
liberation through sight— of noble Arya Cintamani, who is the mother of all the
Jinas, on the excellent date, with the congruence of four fires, of the fifteenth day
of the Caitra [Nag-pa, the third] month {April or May} in the iron male sheep
year in the seventeenth cycle [1991].
May this become the cause for all beings to attain the Sugata’s dharmakya

Sarva-magala
[May there be all good fortune!]

May there be virtue!

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