Derge Kangyur/Tengyur e-text, Esukhia/Barom edition — public domain (mechanical reproduction)
The Triratnastotram is a concise ritual praise that functions as a formal act of homage to the Three Jewels. The text is structured as a direct address to the three dimensions of the Trikāya doctrine, systematically mapping the practitioner's devotion onto the ontological levels of the Buddha's existence. It begins by acknowledging the dharmakāya as the ultimate, non-referential reality, moves to the saṃbhogakāya, and concludes with the nirmāṇakāya, emphasizing the Buddha's capacity for diverse manifestations in the empirical world. By aligning the act of homage with these specific categories, the text commits the reader to a conceptual framework where the divine is understood not as a single entity, but as a tiered manifestation of wisdom and compassion. The brevity of the work suggests its use as a preliminary liturgical invocation intended to orient the practitioner's mind toward the nature of enlightenment before further practice.
Provenance
About this text
A stotra in praise of the Three Jewels, the Triratnastotra is a work of the Indo-Tibetan tradition. It is attributed to the Indian author Vasubandhu. The work is preserved in the classical Tibetan period within the Tengyur, specifically in volume ཀ, where it occupies two pages as part of the Eulogy collection. Under the Tibetan title dkon mchog gsum gyi bstod pa, the text enacts a formal act of homage to the Three Jewels. It systematically addresses the three dimensions of the Trikāya doctrine, beginning with the non-referential dharmakāya, proceeding to the saṃbhogakāya, and concluding with the nirmāṇakāya and its diverse manifestations. By aligning devotion with these ontological levels and referencing the eightfold noble path of accomplishment, the work functions as a liturgical invocation. A scholar or serious reader consults this text today to examine how the practitioner's mind is oriented toward the Buddha's existence through a tiered manifestation of wisdom and compassion, utilizing a concise conceptual framework to map the relationship between the practitioner and the divine.
Cite thisAnuvāda, “Praise of the Three Jewels” (Toh 1146), machine draft, 2026.https://naxiai.com/tibetan/works/toh1146
Summary & commentary
Significance
This work is significant for its distillation of complex Mahayana cosmology into a brief liturgical formula. For the modern reader, it illustrates how the Trikāya doctrine is transitioned from a theoretical philosophical framework into a lived ritual practice.
What the commentary adds
The existing commentary provides a verse-by-verse analysis of the text, expanding upon the technical definitions of the three bodies of the Buddha. It clarifies the philosophical implications of the dharmakāya's lack of reference points and the mechanics of nirmāṇakāya manifestation.
Structure
Passages
Section
Description
1
Homage to the Three Jewels
A concise eulogy addressing the Three Jewels with specific focus on the attributes of the dharmakāya and the manifestations of the nirmāṇakāya.
Themes
Trikāya Doctrine (1)
Ritual Homage (Namaskāra) (1)
Reading notes
The text utilizes standard Indo-Tibetan terminology regarding the 'signless' nature of the dharmakāya (dmigs med), a key concept in Madhyamaka and Yogācāra epistemologies.
The mention of the nirmāṇakāya's protean nature (cir yang) aligns with classical descriptions of skillful means (upāya).
Limitations
The provided text is a fragment, cutting off during the description of the saṃbhogakāya.
Due to the extreme brevity of the excerpt, a comprehensive analysis of the full stotra's rhetorical structure is not possible.
Commentary by gemma4:31b, verified by buddhist-nlp/mitra-qwen35-translate; 1 high · 0 medium · 0 low confidence; 0 unsupported unit(s) removed.
In the language of India: Triratnastotram
In the language of Tibet: Dkon mchog gsum gyi bstod pa (Praise to the Three Jewels)
Homage to the Three Jewels!
To the dharmakāya, which is without reference point,
To the saṃbhogakāya,
And to the nirmāṇakāya, which manifests in any way whatsoever—
I pay homage with devotion.
To the utterly pure dharmadhātu,
To the eightfold noble path of accomplishment,
And to the scriptures of the teachings—
I pay homage with devotion.
To the bodhisattvas,
To the arhats and so forth,
And to the pratyekabuddhas—
I pay homage with devotion.
The Praise to the Three Jewels, composed by the master Vasubandhu, is complete.
Commentary·
1
Literal: In the language of India: Triratnastotram. In the language of Tibet: Praise of the Three Jewels. Homage to the Three Jewels! To the signless dharmakāya, the saṃbhogakāya, and the nirmāṇakāya in whatever form, I pay homage with devotion. To the pure dharmadhātu, the eightfold noble path of realization, and the revealed scriptures, I pay homage with devotion. To the bodhisattvas, the arhats and others, and the pratyekabuddhas, I pay homage with devotion. The Praise of the Three Jewels composed by the ācārya Vasubandhu is complete.
text
The dharmakāya is qualified as 'signless' (dmigs med), referring to its lack of conceptual characteristics.
lemma: དམིགས་མེད
text
The phrase 'in any way' (cir yang) describes the protean nature of the nirmāṇakāya's manifestations.
lemma: ཅིར་ཡང་
text
The 'eightfold noble path' refers to the standard Buddhist path to liberation (āryāṣṭāṅgapathika).
lemma: འཕགས་ལམ་བརྒྱད
text
The term 'arhat' (dgra bcom) is used here as a collective noun for those who have attained liberation.
lemma: དགྲ་བཅོམ
text
The author is identified as Vasubandhu (dbyig gnyen), a central figure in the development of Abhidharma and Yogācāra.
རང་སངས་རྒྱས rang sangs rgyas · pratyekabuddha — pratyekabuddha
Ambiguities:
The term བྱང་ཆུབ་སེམས (byang chub sems) usually denotes 'bodhicitta' (the mind of enlightenment), but in this context, it is read as a shorthand for བྱང་ཆུབ་སེམས་དཔའ (bodhisattva) to maintain the list of sentient beings.