Eighteen unshared qualities of a buddha

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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:

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. [2]

References

  1. Tibetan-English Dictionary of Buddhist Terminology, Tsepak Rigdzin, Library of Tibetan Works and Archives.
  2. 84000 Translating the Words of the Buddha.

Alternative Translations

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

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