The Nectar of Speech

In this sutra, The Nectar of Speech (Skt. Amṛtavyāharaṇa; Tib. བདུད་རྩི་བརྗོད་པ།, Wyl. bdud rtsi brjod pa), in answer to a question put by Maitreya, Buddha Shakyamuni teaches five qualities that bodhisattvas should have in order to live a long life free of obstacles and attain awakening quickly: (1) giving the Dharma; (2) giving freedom from fear; (3) practicing great loving kindness, great compassion, great joy, and great equanimity; (4) repairing dilapidated stupas; and (5) causing all beings to aspire to bodhichitta. Maitreya praises the benefits of this teaching and vows to teach it himself in future degenerate times. Both Maitreya and the Buddha emphasize the positive effects on beings and the environment that upholding, preserving, and teaching The Nectar of Speech will bring about. At the end, the Buddha emphasizes the importance of this teaching and instructs Ananda to uphold and preserve it. The Buddha names the teaching The Nectar of Speech and also gives it an alternative title, The Question of Maitreya.

It should be noted that there are three sutras elsewhere in the Kangyur whose main titles are The Question of Maitreya (Skt. Maitreyaparipṛcchā, Wyl. byams pas zhus pa): Toh 85, Toh 86, and Toh 149.

Text

The Tibetan translation of this sutra can be found in the General Sutra section of the Tibetan Kangyur, Toh 197

• English translation: The Nectar of Speech