Eighteen unshared qualities of a buddha

The eighteen unshared qualities of a buddha (Skt. aṣṭādaśāveṇikabuddhadharma; Tib. སངས་རྒྱས་ཀྱི་ཆོས་མ་འདྲེས་པ་བཅོ་བརྒྱད་, Wyl. sangs rgyas kyi chos ma ‘dres pa bco brgyad) according to the Abhidharma tradition, are:

• 1-10: the ten powers
• 11-14: the four fearlessnesses
• 15-17: the three close-mindfulnesses
• 18: great compassion

There is another list of eighteen unshared qualities according to the sutras where these eighteen―the special features of a buddha’s physical state, realization, activity, and wisdom that are not shared by ordinary beings―are generally given as:

1. their actions are consistent;
2. their speech is not jarring;
3. they are not forgetful;
4. their state of cessation is not a state of indifference;
5. their perception is not discursive;
6. their minds are always composed;
7. their diligence never wanes;
8. their recollection never wanes;
9. their effort never wanes;
10. their meditative absorption never wanes;
11. their insight never wanes;
12. their liberation never wanes;
13. their physical actions are guided by wisdom and are in alignment with wisdom;
14. their verbal actions are guided by wisdom and are in alignment with wisdom;
15. their mental actions are guided by wisdom and are in alignment with wisdom;
16. their wisdom vision is unobstructed and unaffected by the past;
17. their wisdom vision is unobstructed and unaffected by the future;
18. their wisdom vision is unobstructed and unaffected by the present.

Alternative Translations

• Eighteen distinctive qualities (Padmakara Translation Group)
• Eighteen unique qualities (Dharmachakra Translation Committee)

Internal Links

• Enlightened qualities