Yogacarabhumi

Yogacarabhumi or the Stages of Spiritual Practice (Skt. Yogācārabhūmi; Tib. རྣལ་འབྱོར་སྤྱོད་པའི་ས་, Wyl. rnal 'byor spyod pa'i sa), also called the Five Sections on the Stages (Tib. ས་སྡེ་ལྔ་, Wyl. sa sde lnga) — a major commentary by Asanga, which includes the famous chapter called the ‘Bodhisattva Bhumis’.

The five sections, from which the text receives its second name, are as follows:

1. The Main Treatise on the Stages (Skt. Bahubhūmika or Bhūmivastu; Wyl. sa'i dngos gzhi). This represents the central work of the text and comprises seventeen stages. The remaining four works are considered to be supplementary.
2. A Collection of Determinations (Skt. Viniścayasaṃgrahaṇī; Wyl. rnam par gtan la dbab bdsdu ba), which presents discussions of additional topics that pertain to each of the seventeen sections of the Main Treatise on the Stages.
3. A Collection of Topics (Skt. Vastusaṃgraha; Wyl. gzhi bsdu ba), which contains subject matter related to the Three Pitakas; the Sutras, Vinaya and Matrika or Abhidharma.
4. A Collection of Canonical Expressions (Skt. Paryāyasaṃgraha; Wyl. rnam grangs bsdu ba ), which contains explanations of a broad range of canonical terms and expressions.
5. A Collection on Exegesis (Skt. Vyākhyānasaṃgrahaṇī; Wyl. rnam par bshad pa bsdu ba), which addresses a variety of principles that pertain to explaining the Dharma in an effective manner.

Alternative Translations

• Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism

1. Multiple Stages
2. Compendium of Resolving [Questions]
3. Compendium of Interpretation
4. Compendium of Synonyms
5. Compendium of Topics

Further Reading

• The introduction to The Bodhisattva Path to Unsurpassed Enlightenment: A Complete Translation of Bodhisattvabhumi, translated by Artemus B. Engle (Ithaca: Snow Lion, 2016).