twelve_deeds
Table of Contents
| frame | '''The Twelve Deeds of the Buddha''' The twelve deeds (Skt. dvadaśabuddhakārya; Tib. མཛད་པ་བཅུ་གཉིས་, dzepa chunyi, Wyl. mdzad pa bcu gnyis) carried out by a nirmanakaya | supreme nirmanakaya buddha, such as the Buddha Shakyamuni, are:
- the descent from Tushita, the Joyous pure land (dga' ldan gyi gnas nas 'pho ba),
- entering the mother’s womb (lhums su zhugs pa),
- taking birth<ref>In the case of Buddha Shakyamuni, this was in the Lumbini garden.</ref> (sku bltams pa),
- becoming skilled in various arts (bzo yi gnas la mkhas pa),
- delighting in the company of royal consorts (btsun mo'i 'khor dgyes rol ba),
- developing renunciation and becoming ordained (rab tu byung ba),
- practicing austerities for six years (dka' ba spyad pa),
- proceeding to the foot of the bodhi tree (byang chub snying por gshegs pa),
- overcoming Mara’s hosts (bdud btul ba),
- becoming fully enlightenment | enlightened (mngon par rdzogs par sangs rgyas pa),
- turning the wheel of Dharma (chos kyi 'khor lo bskor ba), and
- passing into parinirvana | mahaparinirvana <ref>In the case of Buddha Shakyamuni, this was in the city of Kushinagara.</ref> (mya ngan las 'das pa)
Alternative Lists
- The description of Buddha's life in twelve deeds appeared later, in the first centuries of the common era within Mahayana sources. The Theravadin tradition lists only eight deeds:
- the descent from Tushita,
- entering the mother’s womb,
- taking birth,
- leaving his family,
- overcoming Mara,
- turning the wheel of Dharma and
- passing into nirvana or parinirvana.<ref>Philippe Cornu, Manuel de bouddhisme — Philosophie, pratique et histoire. Tome I, Bouddhisme ancien et Theravāda (Editions Rangdröl, 2019), page 39.</ref>
Alternative Translations
- Twelve Acts [of the Buddha]
Notes
<small><references/></small>
Teachings Given to the [[About Rigpa]] | [[Rigpa]] Sangha
- Dzogchen Rinpoche, Lerab Ling, 6-7 June 1998
Further Reading
- Lobsang Dhargyay, 'The Twelve Deeds of the Buddha—A Controversial Hymn ascribed to Nagarjuna' in The Tibet Journal, Vol.IX, No.2, Summer 1984
- Philippe Cornu, Manuel de bouddhisme — Philosophie, pratique et histoire. Tome I, Bouddhisme ancien et Theravāda (Editions Rangdröl, 2019), pages 37-58.
External Links
twelve_deeds.txt · Last modified: 2025/02/01 06:24 by 127.0.0.1