Not Forsaking the Buddha

This sutra, Not Forsaking the Buddha (Skt. Buddhākṣepaṇa; Tib. སངས་རྒྱས་མི་སྤང་བ།, Wyl. sangs rgyas mi spang ba) takes place while the Buddha Shakyamuni is on Vulture's Peak Mountain with a large community of monks, along with numerous bodhisattvas. Ten of the bodhisattvas present in the retinue have become discouraged because they have failed to make progress despite exerting themselves for seven years. The bodhisattva Undaunted therefore requests the Buddha to bestow upon them an instruction that will enable them to generate wisdom. In response, the Buddha reveals the cause of their inability to make progress—a specific negative act they performed in the past—and he goes on to explain the importance of respecting Dharma teachers and reveal how these ten bodhisattvas can purify their karmic obscurations.

Text

There seems to be no extant Sanskrit version of this text. In addition to the Tibetan translation the sutra was translated twice into Chinese.

Tibetan Translation

The Tibetan translation of this sutra can be found in the General Sutra section of the Tibetan Dergé Kangyur, Toh 276. The translation, according to the colophon, was produced by the Indian preceptors Jinamitra and Prajñāvarman and the Tibetan translator-editor Yeshé Dé.

• English translation: Dharmachakra Translation Committee, Not Forsaking the Buddha