Translator’s Note:
The Preface and Commentary included here originally appear before the first volume of The Great Jewel Heap (Mahāratnakūṭa ). I initially did not plan to translate them, because compared to the sūtra proper, both of these texts are written in a more formal and profound style of Classical Chinese. Rendering them into modern English would inevitably lose much of the distinctive rhythm and allusions found in the original language.
My original plan was to update the Wikipedia entry for the Mahāratnakūṭa Sūtra after the first chapter, The Three Vows, was published, and include citations from these two introductory texts. However, after I added a link to our new translation of The Three Vows in the article, I was immediately and permanently banned by Wikipedia because they claimed I was posting promotional content. So instead, I will share both the Preface and Commentary here.
In the corpus of Chinese Buddhist scriptures, the Mahāratnakūṭa Sūtra (T0310 大寶積經) is the second longest complete sutra collection, surpassed only by Xuanzang’s 600-volume Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra (T0220 大般若經). Its total word count is approximately 1.08 million characters—50% longer than the third-ranked Avataṃsaka Sūtra (T0279 華嚴經). It is a compilation of various Mahāyāna sutras. The entire collection comprises 49 chapters, each of which stands alone and can be regarded as an independent sutra.
The Chinese version is itself a compilation of translations from different eras—ranging from the Wei-Jin period in 3rd centry AD (chapters 3, 4, 19, 33, 38, 47) to parts translated during the mid-Tang dynasty by Bodhiruci. Entries T0311 to T0354 in the Taishō Tripiṭaka are alternate translations of different chapters from this collection.
The name of this scripture, ratnakūṭa (寶積), can be understood as “Jewel Heaps” or “Heap of Jewels.” However, it is also interpreted as a “treasury that produces various precious jewels.” As described in T0355:
Mañjuśrī asked the Buddha, “For what reason is this samādhi called ‘ratnakūṭa’?”
The Buddha replied, “It is like a great maṇi jewel. Once it is polished to brilliance and placed in a pure setting, it produces all sorts of treasures depending on the place—treasures that are inexhaustible.”
Overall, the text of T0310 predates the extant Sanskrit manuscripts of the Heap of Jewels preserved in the Tibetan canon (See: https://84000.co/canon-sections/heap-of-jewels). While the general meaning is similar, there are some significant differences in detail between the versions. These differences cannot all be attributed to the translators’ styles—some passages even convey entirely opposite meanings in the Chinese and Tibetan versions. The Dharma Torch project does not intend to engage in doctrinal debates on these discrepancies but will translate based on the original Chinese wording.
The Tibetan version’s English translation has been extensively undertaken by the 84000 Project. Their translations are elegant and include thorough explanations of Buddhist terminology and metaphor. A few chapters of English translations based on the Chinese text have already been published—for example here and here. Therefore, this project will currently focus on the chapters that have not yet been rendered into English. We intend to retain technical terms, original Sanskrit words, and metaphors, even at the cost of some readability in English.
Preface to The Great Jewel Heap Sūtra
by the Retired Emperor of the Great Tang (Emperor Ruizong, Li Dan)
WE have heard that Heaven is called “great” because of its vast height, whose expansive reach from top to bottom can be described. Earth is called “great” because of its broadness, whose dimensions across length and width can be measured. From this, we can understand that the Dharma is beyond coming and going, beyond birth and cessation. It rescues sentient beings lost in as many kalpas as grains of sand, and it delivers those tormented within the burning house of the world. The fierce poisonous dragons tremble before the awe-inspiring brilliance of the Buddha; wild, maddened elephants cower in fear before the power of his presence. The Dharma is so vast it can contain the entire universe, yet so subtle it can vanish into the tip of a hair. The seventy-two sage-kings of ancient times governed the world like a potter spinning a wheel; even eighteen thousand years pass like the blink of an eye.
During the Han dynasty, the light of the Dharma shone like the sun; in the Zhou dynasty, the stars heralded the Buddha’s descent. The Buddha once expounded his sublime teachings beneath Vulture Peak and manifested auspicious radiance upon Mount Kukkutapāda. Without wielding weapons, he defeated the sharp doctrines of non-Buddhist Brahmins; without donning armor, he shattered the demonic armies of Māra. He established a realm of radiant purity and opened the gates of meditation and expedient means for the salvation of all. His wisdom is like sunlight, illuminating the dark paths of the world; his compassion is like auspicious clouds, bringing coolness to homes worn and troubled by decay. Truly, what cannot be fully praised or extolled in words must be the Perfect and Complete Enlightenment itself.
Buddhism originated in India, and its teachings gradually flowed eastward to China. Aśvaghoṣa and Nāgārjuna were among the first to illuminate the treasures of the Dharma. Later, Kumārajīva and Master Dao’an inherited and expanded upon these precious teachings. In the Guanzhong region, both monastics and laypeople followed the scriptural tradition inscribed on palm leaves, yet in the south of the Yangtze, the populace still had not deeply grasped the profound truths of the Lotus-like Dharma. In the Northern Wei period, the interpretation of scriptures became flawed, and during the Northern Zhou under the reign of the Yuwen family, a movement to destroy the Dharma arose. In the early Kaihuang(開皇) era of the Sui dynasty, Buddhism saw a brief revival, but by the end of the Daye(大業) period, it again fell into decline and disarray.
When the Great Tang attained rule over the world, the brilliant light of sagely rulers once again illuminated the realm. They governed with civil virtue and transformed society through moral example. Suppressing rebellion was as effortless as water swallowing sand; their achievements were as wondrous as Nüwa(女媧) repairing the heavens with stones. Even the ancient sages—Youchao(有巢), Suiren(燧人)—would have served them with whip in hand; even Fuxi(伏羲) and Shennong(神農) would have received them holding brooms in reverence. We raised high the mirror of the Dharma King and turn the wheel of the Brahmā King. The correct doctrine was spread even to the realms of immortal peaches, and script and law were unified across distant frontiers.
Tripiṭaka Master Bodhiruci, originally a pure Brahmin from Southern India, bore the surname Kāśyapa. At the age of twelve, he left home to join a non-Buddhist school, studying under the teacher Palaśala(波羅奢羅). He learned phonology, Sāṃkhya philosophy, astronomy, mantras, and occult arts such as astrology and geomancy. After the age of sixty, he turned his mind to the Buddha’s teaching. He saw the errors in the non-Buddhist doctrines and awakened to the profound wisdom of the Dharma. He secluded himself in famous mountains, undertaking long and austere ascetic practices. He first studied the sūtras and treatises under Tripiṭaka master Yasaghoṣa(耶舍瞿沙) and later traveled extensively throughout the five regions of India.
Emperor Gaozong of the Great Tang heard of his great reputation and admired his virtue. In the second year of Yongchun (683 CE), he dispatched envoys to invite him to China.
The Empress (Wu Zetian), enlightened and divinely ordained, rose to rule the realm. She ordered Bodhiruci to reside at Fuxian Monastery(福先寺) in the Eastern Capital (Luoyang), where he translated eleven sūtras, including The State of Buddhahood (T0340 文殊師利所說不思議佛境界經), Treasure Rain, and Avataṃsaka.
When Emperor Zhongzong inherited the throne in due time, he issued an edict in the second year of Shenlong (706 CE), instructing Bodhiruci to stay in Chang’an’s Chongfu Monastery(崇福寺) and translate the Mahāratnakūṭa Sūtra.
Before long, however, the nation suffered misfortune, and the borders met with calamity. The immortal on the high mountain passed away, and the imperial carriage to Maoling(茂陵) departed, never to return.
WE, lacking talent and of shallow merit, have nonetheless wrongly inherited this great task. Respectfully following the decree of the late emperor, WE encouraged the completion of this translation. Master Bodhiruci examined ancient texts closely and newly rendered the meanings into Chinese, never ceasing whether in cold or heat, working day and night without rest. The newly translated and previously translated texts were compiled together, forming forty-nine chapters in total, arranged into one hundred and twenty volumes. On the eighth day of the sixth month in the second year of Xiantian (713 CE), the work was fully completed and submitted to the court.
The Master, as pure in his precepts as one holding a luminous pearl, shone like a torch of wisdom within the sangha—a pillar of the Buddhist community and a beacon to the monastics. WE sincerely pray that this sūtra may serve to benefit the ancestral temples of the Tang dynasty for seven generations and extend the nation’s destiny for eight hundred years. May it bless all lands and myriad peoples, bringing them enduring peace and happiness. May tranquility reach both near and far, joy fill both court and countryside. Let it lead a society of shallow customs back to its pure source, and guide deluded beings toward the land of long life.
During a brief respite from state affairs, WE have written this modest preface in front of these pale yellow scrolls. The names of each chapter have been fully listed in the table of contents. Thus, let this be recorded.
Commentary on The Great Jewel Heap Sūtra
by Xu E, Master for Deliberative Counsel, Court Gentleman for Consultation of Gaocheng County in Henan Prefecture
The sun and moon rise, shining their light upon the ten directions. Timely rain descends, cleansing and nourishing all beings. How much more so the Dharma body of the Buddha—eternal, blissful, pure, and true. Like the essence of empty space, it is clear and boundless. Its wondrous awareness is luminous and unobstructed, penetrating to the root of all sentient beings’ minds and actions. How radiant, how profound! This is the ultimate realm—birthless and ceaseless.
Thus, the Buddha established the path of non-learning in the Bamboo Grove Monastery at Kalanda, and at the Deer Park he opened the ferry of awakening beyond words. Bodhisattvas of supreme wisdom set forth skillful means to deliver sentient beings; devas of the Pure Abode heavens exerted their power to fulfill the Buddha’s mission. All of these efforts point toward the inexpressible ultimate truth.
Since the night the star fell and rainbow light appeared by day, the blue alms bowl has conveyed the Buddha’s compassionate face, and within the jeweled coffin, his golden arms were revealed. Though the towering mountain of the Dharma seemed to collapse, it had already destroyed the demonic arrows aimed at beings. Though the torrent of worldly desires raged, the raft of compassion had already reached the farther shore.
Alas! The treasure of the sublime Dharma cannot remain hidden forever. The wheel of precepts will not cease to turn eternally. Though the Buddha manifested parinirvāṇa beneath the twin śāla trees, after a thousand years, the Dharma was destined to spread widely. Dragons carried the palm-leaf scriptures urgently to Magadha; elephants bore the Lotus Sūtra across the lands to China. The thirty-seven factors of enlightenment spread compassion through the burning house of the world; the twelve divisions of scripture guided beings in realms as numerous as the sands of the Ganges.
This Great Jewel Heap Sūtra was transmitted from Western India by Kāśyapa Mātaṇga and Dharmaratna in the Later Han dynasty, and later by eminent masters like Xuanzang and Bodhiruci of our own Tang dynasty. In ancient times, the Tathāgata on Vulture Peak devoted himself to establishing the Dharma of equality. The golden words he spoke were like an ocean, inexhaustible. His precious teachings were like silken threads—once untangled, their meaning could be grasped in full.
Yet this radiant scripture lay buried long in the capital. With the changing tides of time and shifting dynasties, its presence faded from view. Rulers of various eras sincerely initiated translation efforts, but the great work prophesied by Bhadra was rarely brought to completion.
Then came the Great Tang, unifying the realm. Its martial prowess shook the Iron Encircling Mountains; its moral teachings reached even to the heaven of the Thirty-Three. The imperial gardens embraced the vast trichiliocosm, governing all regions under heaven. It opened wide the four methods of gathering beings, welcoming all sentient beings with compassion. It tamed the six realms of rebirth and secretly aided the deluded masses.
The Grand Emperor (Ruizong) possessed wisdom as vast as the sea, holding in his palm a luminous pearl of meditative clarity. The Sagely Emperor (Xuanzong) achieved merit aligned with the Buddha-lands, upholding in his heart the seal of Dharma. They solemnly advanced the profound teachings, radiating light across the great ocean of Dharma. They carefully selected virtuous monks and faithfully entrusted them with the sacred translation. They diligently examined the similarities and differences among various versions, initiating the task of compilation and restoration. With courage they revived the near-lost structure of the Dharma, and with discipline they preserved its most vital treasures.
The Sanskrit texts were translated by the great śramaṇa as Sīzhong and the chief Brahmin minister Īśāna from East India. They abided firmly in dependent origination, awakened to the unborn patience, and brought great learning and memory to the task.
Prajñāgupta and the śramaṇa Dharma verified the meanings of the Sanskrit. They opened the grounds of patience, shattered the demons of affliction, and worked with the assembly of translators to clarify the meaning of the sūtras.
The great śramaṇas Lüfang, Zongyi, Pujing, and Huijue acted as scribes, renowned for their dignity and composure. They held the brush like a divine wand, recording the Sanskrit meanings spoken by the translators into Chinese.
The great śramaṇas Shenliang, Shengzhuang, Chenwai, Wuzhuo, and Huidi served as meaning-verifiers. They were national teachers and staunch defenders of the Dharma, investigating the ultimate truths and confirming the correct interpretations.
The great śramaṇas Chenglǐ, Yunguan, Shenjian, and Daoben worked on organizing the text, residing in various pure monasteries and dedicating themselves to the order and clarity of the scripture.
There were also imperial officials who polished the language:
Lu Can, Silver and Blue Glorious Minister (Grade 3b) and mentor to Prince Bin, Supreme Pillar of the Country, founding Earl of Gu’an County (銀青光祿大夫 邠王傅 上柱國 固安縣開國伯 盧粲);
Xu Jian, Silver and Blue Glorious Minister (Grade 3b), Chamberlain of the Crown Prince, Academician of the Chongwen Institute,Director of the National History Commission, Supreme Pillar of the Country, founding Duke of Donghai County (銀青光祿大夫 太子詹事 崇文館學士 兼修國史 上柱國 東海縣開國公 徐堅);
Su Jin, Grand Master for Deliberative Counsel, Central Secretariat Drafter, Academician of the Chongwen Institute, Supreme Pillar of the Country, founding Baron of Yewang County (朝議大夫 守中書舍人 崇文館學士 上柱國 野王縣開國男 蘇晉);
Cui Qu, Master for Deliberative Counsel, Supervising Secretary (Jishizhong), Inner Attendant (朝議郎 給事中 內供奉 崔璩).
They were honored figures, close to the imperial palace, and famous throughout scholarly circles. They skillfully balanced conventional and ultimate truths and refined the prose of the translation.
Other overseers of the translation included:
Wei Zhigu, Silver and Blue Glorious Minister (Grade 3b), Chancellor and Imperial Historian, Palace Attendant and Left Master of Crown Prince’s secondary children, Director of the National History Commission, Supreme Pillar of the Country, founding Duke of Julu County (銀青光祿大夫 守侍中 兼太子左庶子 兼修國史 上柱國 鉅鹿縣開國公 魏知古);
Guo Yuanzhen, Minister of War, Supreme Pillar of the Country (兵部尚書 上柱國 郭元振);
Zhang Yue, Silver and Blue Glorious Minister (Grade 3b), Inspector of the Central Secretariat, Supreme Pillar of the Country, founding Baron of Fanyang County (銀青光祿大夫 檢校中書令 上柱國 范陽縣開國男 張說);
Lu Xiangxian, Silver and Blue Glorious Minister (Grade 3b), Vice Minister of the Secretariat, Participant in Deliberations as a De facto Chief Minister (Tong Zhongshu Menxia Sanpin), Director of the National History Commission, Supreme Pillar of the Country, founding Marquis of Xingping County (銀青光祿大夫 行中書侍郎 同中書門下三品 監修國史 上柱國 興平縣開國侯 陸象先).
By day, they handled state affairs in the court; by night, they immersed themselves in the realm of the Dharma. They upheld the Four Kinds of Dharma and took overall responsibility for reviewing and overseeing the translation of the entire canon.
Thus, eminent monks carrying their tin staffs and gifted scholars holding their ceremonial jade tablets densely filled the translation hall, gathering like a forest in this land of Buddhist joy. Beneath the auspicious clouds, they carried out the translation work, as seasons passed unnoticed. They diligently pursued the Dharma as if drinking sweet nectar, spending long stretches of time devoted to it. The vast and essential meanings of the teachings were accurately conveyed, and even the subtle and intricate points were faithfully preserved without omission. The great task of translating the scriptures was thus completed in full! And what did the Buddha say?
The newly translated sūtra now contains forty-nine chapters and seventy-seven sections, compiled into twelve fascicles, all organized by category and completely transcribed. On the thirtieth day of the sixth month of the second year of the Xiantian (713 CE), it was respectfully presented to the Retired Emperor (Ruizong), and on the twenty-first day of the eighth month of the same year, to the reigning Emperor (Xuanzong). At dawn, the palace gates opened, and the pure teachings of Buddhism reached the ears of the heavens. The residences of both emperors were filled with joy, and their sacred hearts were thoroughly pleased. During the day, a grand ceremonial procession was arranged, and the Emperor personally visited the translation hall. Like red clouds filling the sky and sweet rain descending from above, he generously rewarded the monks involved in the translation. Both the wise and the ordinary bowed in reverence, believing they had encountered a benevolent king who protected the Dharma; monastics and lay followers alike sincerely took refuge, feeling they had secretly stepped onto the path of enlightenment.
Later, lay devotees such as Li Shiyan, former Assistant Director of the Court of the Imperial Manufactories (Shao Fu Jian). He is the son of Li Jiongxiu, the Golden and Purple Glorious Grand Master (Grade 3), Minister of War, Director of the Chancellery (awarded posthumously), Duke of Longxi (金紫光祿大夫 兵部尚書 贈侍中 隴西公 逈秀), and Xu Yao, former Right Reminder and son of Xu Gaoping, the Silver and Blue Glorious Minister (Grade 3b), Guest Mentor of the Crown Prince, Academician of the Zhaowen Institute, also showed their devotion (銀青光祿大夫 太子賓客 昭文館學士 高平). Suffering personal tragedies, they climbed distant hills to mourn their ancestors and pray for blessings. Opening their treasure chests, they practiced Dāna-Pāramitā by donating materials for the copying of this sūtra. Day and night, the writing continued, filling green-moss scroll covers with sacred words. The scrolls were then mounted on carved rollers, adorned with labels like jade. The colorful scripture mats spread like rainbows, and the jewel-studded cases bloomed like brocade. Even if fierce winds shake the mountains, these scrolls will endure. Even if the great fires at the end of the kalpa consume the skies, these precious scriptures will not perish.
Dharma Torch 