Twelve deeds Page
Image:Buddha12deeds.jpg|frame|The Twelve Deeds of the Buddha
The twelve deeds (Skt. dvadaśabuddhakārya; Tib. མཛད་པ་བཅུ་གཉིས་, dzepa chunyi, Wyl. mdzad pa bcu gnyis) carried out by a nirmanakaya|supreme nirmanakaya buddha, such as the Buddha Shakyamuni, are:
#the descent from Tushita, the Joyous pure land (dga' ldan gyi gnas nas 'pho ba),
#entering the mother’s womb (lhums su zhugs pa),
#taking birth[In the case of Buddha Shakyamuni, this was in the Lumbini garden.] (sku bltams pa),
#becoming skilled in various arts (bzo yi gnas la mkhas pa),
#delighting in the company of royal consorts (btsun mo'i 'khor dgyes rol ba),
#developing renunciation and becoming ordained (rab tu byung ba),
#practicing austerities for six years (dka' ba spyad pa),
#proceeding to the foot of the bodhi tree (byang chub snying por gshegs pa),
#overcoming Mara’s hosts (bdud btul ba),
#becoming fully enlightenment|enlightened (mngon par rdzogs par sangs rgyas pa),
#turning the wheel of Dharma (chos kyi 'khor lo bskor ba), and
#passing into parinirvana|mahaparinirvana [In the case of Buddha Shakyamuni, this was in the city of Kushinagara.] (mya ngan las 'das pa)
Alternative Lists
*The description of Buddha's life in twelve deeds appeared later, in the first centuries of the common era within Mahayana sources. The Theravadin tradition lists only eight deeds:
#the descent from Tushita,
#entering the mother’s womb,
#taking birth,
#leaving his family,
#overcoming Mara,
#turning the wheel of Dharma and
#passing into nirvana or parinirvana.[Philippe Cornu, Manuel de bouddhisme — Philosophie, pratique et histoire. Tome I, Bouddhisme ancien et Theravāda (Editions Rangdröl, 2019), page 39.]
Alternative Translations
*Twelve Acts [of the Buddha]
Notes
*Dzogchen Rinpoche, Lerab Ling, 6-7 June 1998
Further Reading
*Lobsang Dhargyay, 'The Twelve Deeds of the Buddha—A Controversial Hymn ascribed to Nagarjuna' in The Tibet Journal, Vol.IX, No.2, Summer 1984
*Philippe Cornu, Manuel de bouddhisme — Philosophie, pratique et histoire. Tome I, Bouddhisme ancien et Theravāda (Editions Rangdröl, 2019), pages 37-58.
External Links
*{{LH|tibetan-masters/jigme-lingpa/praise-twelve-acts-buddha|Praise of the Twelve Acts of the Buddha}} by Jigme Lingpa
*:Category:Life of the Buddha|Tibetan terms related to the life of the Buddha
Category:Buddha Shakyamuni
Category:The Twelve Deeds
Category:Enumerations
Category:12-Twelve