Twelve deeds

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 supreme nirmanakaya buddha, such as the Buddha Shakyamuni, are:

1. the descent from Tushita, the Joyous pure land (dga' ldan gyi gnas nas 'pho ba),
2. entering the mother’s womb (lhums su zhugs pa),
3. taking birth (sku bltams pa),
4. becoming skilled in various arts (bzo yi gnas la mkhas pa),
5. delighting in the company of royal consorts (btsun mo'i 'khor dgyes rol ba),
6. developing renunciation and becoming ordained (rab tu byung ba),
7. practicing austerities for six years (dka' ba spyad pa),
8. proceeding to the foot of the bodhi tree (byang chub snying por gshegs pa),
9. overcoming Mara’s hosts (bdud btul ba),
10. becoming fully enlightened (mngon par rdzogs par sangs rgyas pa),
11. turning the wheel of Dharma (chos kyi 'khor lo bskor ba), and
12. passing into mahaparinirvana (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:

1. the descent from Tushita,
2. entering the mother’s womb,
3. taking birth,
4. leaving his family,
5. overcoming Mara,
6. turning the wheel of Dharma and
7. passing into nirvana or parinirvana.

Alternative Translations

• Twelve Acts [of the Buddha]

Teachings Given to the 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

• Praise of the Twelve Acts of the Buddha by Jigme Lingpa
• Tibetan terms related to the life of the Buddha