The Eleven Perceptions
Buddhist Philosophy › Dying & the Bardos | Literary Genres › Testament | Collections & Cycles › Kangyur | Words of the Buddha
Buddha Śākyamuni
Courtesy of Himalayan Art Resources
The Noble Sūtra Teaching the Eleven Perceptions
from the Words of the Buddha
In the language of India: Āryasaṃjñānaikādaśanirdeśasūtra
In the language of Tibet: Pakpa düshé chuchik tenpé do ('phags pa 'du shes bcu gcig bstan pa'i mdo)
[In the English language: The Noble Sūtra Teaching the Eleven Perceptions]
Homage to the Three Jewels!
Thus did I hear at one time. The Blessed One was dwelling in the dwelling in the Grove of Twin Sāl-Trees in the vicinity of the Malla town of Kuśinagara. As the time came for his mahāparinirvāṇa, he addressed the monks:
“O monks, at the time of death, a monk should engender the eleven perceptions. What are these eleven? They are:
- The perception of non-attachment to this life
- The perception of love for all beings
- The perception of relinquishing all grudges
- The perception of confessing all debauched discipline
- The perception of genuinely taking all the vows of discipline
- The perception of lightness towards even major wrongdoing
- The perception of greatness towards even minor roots of virtue
- The perception of fearlessness towards the next world
- The perception of impermanence towards all conditioned things
- The perception of selflessness toward all phenomena
- The perception of understanding nirvāṇa to be peace
As soon as the Blessed One had said this, all the monks rejoiced and praised the words of the Blessed One. This completes Teaching the Eleven Perceptions, the final testament of the Blessed One.
| Samye Translations (trans. Lowell Cook, ed. Stefan Mang), 2020.
Version 1.2-20211116
