Derge Kangyur/Tengyur e-text, Esukhia/Barom edition — public domain (mechanical reproduction)
The Commentary on the Praise of Limitless Good Qualities (Guṇāparyantastotraṭīkā) provides a systematic exegesis of a praise poem dedicated to the Buddha. The text functions as a hermeneutic bridge, translating poetic imagery into technical Buddhist doctrine. It analyzes the process of benefiting sentient beings by breaking down the causal stages of intention and application, while mapping specific poetic phrases to the perfections (pāramitās) of diligence, concentration, and wisdom. The author argues that the Buddha's unfathomable qualities are manifested through a precise sequence of spiritual causes, including the role of the spiritual family (gotra) and the spiritual friend (kalyāṇamitra). By interpreting metaphors—such as birds gathering at ripened fruit—as indicators of the recipient's excellence and the perfection of generosity, the work commits the reader to a rigorous, analytical understanding of the path to fruition. The text culminates in a description of the state of fruition, characterizing the Protector's attainment as contradictory to the coexistence of afflictions.
Provenance
About this text
A commentary on the praise of infinite qualities, the Guṇāparyantastotraṭīkā is a work of the classical Tibetan tradition attributed to the Indian author Dignāga. The text was translated into Tibetan by Sarvajñādeva and the lo tsa ba Ban+de Rin chen mchog. It is preserved in the Tengyur, volume ཀ, where it comprises six pages and is situated within the Eulogy collection. The work provides a systematic analysis of the Buddha's unfathomable qualities, arguing that these are manifested through a precise sequence of spiritual causes. Specifically, it examines the stages of acting for the benefit of sentient beings—ranging from the turning of the wheel of Dharma to the point where the teaching vanishes—and details the causal stages of intention, application, and the exercising of power. A reader consults this text to understand how specific poetic phrases map onto technical Buddhist concepts, such as the role of the spiritual friend (kalyāṇamitra), the existence of the spiritual family (gotra), and the nature of compassion, which is likened to the turbulent river of afflictions.
Cite thisAnuvāda, “Commentary on the Praise of Limitless Good Qualities” (Toh 1156), machine draft, 2026.https://naxiai.com/tibetan/works/toh1156
Summary & commentary
Significance
This work is significant for its method of extracting a comprehensive soteriological framework from a devotional praise poem. It demonstrates how Indo-Tibetan scholarship utilizes commentary to transform liturgical poetry into a pedagogical tool for studying the perfections and the nature of Buddhahood.
Structure
Passages
Section
Description
1
Introduction
Opening homage to Mañjuśrī and the introduction of the four summarized points regarding the Victor's qualities.
2-3
Causal Stages and Requirements
Analysis of the stages of acting for the benefit of beings and the fourfold causes, including gotra and the spiritual friend.
4-5
The Perfections
Mapping poetic phrases to the perfections of diligence, concentration, wisdom, and generosity.
6
Mastery of Afflictions
Discussion on the mastery over afflictions and the role of mindfulness and knowledge in bringing beings to maturity.
7
The State of Fruition
Examination of the fifth chapter concerning the attainment of qualities and the state of the Protector's fruition.
Themes
The Perfections (Pāramitās) (4-5)
Causality and Spiritual Development (2-3)
The Nature of Buddhahood and Fruition (1, 6-7)
Summary, significance and provenance note generated by gemma4:31b from the translation and the catalogue record.
AnuvādaCommentary on the Praise of Limitless Good Qualities·
In the language of India: Guṇāparyantastotraṭīkā. In the language of Tibet: Yon tan mtha' yas par bstod pa'i 'grel pa (A Commentary on the Praise of Infinite Qualities). Homage to the noble Mañjuśrī!
This opening verse, "The qualities of the Victor are unfathomable," presents four summarized points: the complete unknowability of the qualities, the absence of exaggeration, the absence of pride, and the accomplishment of the intended purpose. Among these, the first demonstrates the complete unknowability of the qualities. The phrase "Even though this world has offered praise to you" indicates the absence of exaggeration. The phrase "Though it be very small" indicates the absence of pride. The phrase "In this matter, although my intellect is very small, I am diligent" demonstrates the accomplishment of the intended purpose.
Then, with fifty verses beginning with "Even if one is in the states of the lower realms," the praise is composed. In this context, "praise" refers to the expression of uncommon qualities. Furthermore, these qualities are possessed of three stages: the causal stage, the resultant stage, and the stage of acting for the benefit of sentient beings. Regarding these, the causal stage consists of everything from the generation of the mind of awakening (bodhicitta) up until sitting at the seat of awakening (bodhimaṇḍa). The resultant stage is the generation of the wisdom of perfectly complete awakening, the state in which all faults have been abandoned and all qualities have been attained.
The stages of acting for the benefit of sentient beings consist of everything from the teaching of the turning of the wheel of Dharma (dharmacakra) and so forth, up to the point when the teaching has vanished. In that regard, the causal stages are the stage of intention, the stage of application, and the stage of exercising power.
The stage of intention is the aspiration to engage in the welfare of others. Its proximate indications are also fourfold: the discernment of the production of suffering, the discernment of the conferring of benefit, the discernment of having acted as a companion, and the discernment of authentic enjoyment. Regarding the causes of that aspiration for awakening (bodhicitta), it is said:
"Family, a spiritual friend, compassion,
And not turning back due to sufferings—
By these four causes and conditions,
The mind of awakening is thoroughly engaged."
Thus, the intention is shown by means of ten points. In that context, the phrase "even while in the states of the lower realms" indicates the aspiration to engage in the welfare of others. Its four proximate discernments are as follows: the phrase "sentient beings who are wounded by sufferings" refers to the discernment of the production of suffering. The phrase "blinded by ignorance" refers to the discernment of the conferring of benefit. The phrase "previously in saṃsāra" refers to the discernment of having acted as a companion. The phrase "having enjoyed and passed beyond" refers to the discernment of authentic enjoyment. The phrase "because beings have not passed beyond sorrow" is the aspiration for awakening.
The causes for that are also fourfold. In this regard, the phrase "at the stage of disparagement" indicates the very existence of the spiritual family (gotra). The phrase "if it depends on oneself" indicates reliance upon a spiritual friend (kalyāṇamitra). The phrase "the turbulent river of afflictions" indicates compassion. The phrase "these worlds, even for themselves" indicates not turning back due to suffering. Thus, ten verses have been taught to demonstrate ten points. This is the first chapter, the Stage of Intention.
The so-called "Stage of Application" also consists of as many teachings on the perfections (pāramitā) as there are. That, too, is twofold: that of those practicing through aspiration and that of those who have attained the stages (bhūmi). Regarding that, first, the perfections of those practicing through aspiration are ten: namely, the perfections of generosity, discipline, acceptance, diligence, concentration, insight, skillful means, aspiration, power, and wisdom.
In this context, the phrase "when one sees people who are lowly, destitute, and full of hope" teaches the perfection of generosity. The phrase "even when speaking words endowed with reason" teaches the perfection of discipline. The phrase "for the sake of which the wise [abandon] even non-virtuous actions" teaches the perfection of acceptance by way of abandoning the discordant factors.
The phrase "for the sake of pacifying oneself" teaches the perfection of diligence. The phrase "without abandoning the desire to give" teaches the perfection of concentration by way of abandoning the discordant factors. The phrase "without praising oneself" teaches the perfection of wisdom by way of abandoning the discordant factors. The two verses beginning with "through weariness with existence and afflictions" and "the qualities such as wisdom" teach the perfection of skillful means, including both the objection and the response. The phrase "never at any time occurred" teaches the perfection of aspiration, which brings about the completion of excellence. The phrase "the autumn moon of the night" teaches the perfection of power. The phrase "when the world is wounded by sufferings" teaches the perfection of primordial wisdom.
This concludes the second chapter, the stage of application for those practicing through aspiration.
Regarding the generosity of those who have attained the bhūmis, it is endowed with four types of excellence: excellence of intention, excellence of application, excellence of the recipient, and excellence of the gift. The phrase "wealthy and prosperous" refers to the excellence of intention. The phrase "without the enthusiasm to give" refers to the excellence of application.
The lines "like birds [gathering] at trees on a mountain slope with ripened fruit" indicate the excellence of the recipient. The lines "wealth, subjects, and queens" indicate the excellence of the gift to be given; this is the perfection of generosity. The lines "harm arises in this world" indicate the perfection of discipline, which is naturally pure. The lines "just as a physician [treats] one seized by a graha" indicate the perfection of patience, which is free from conceptual construction. The lines "you always [show] respect for the wealth of qualities" indicate the perfection of diligence, which is expanded by skillful means. The lines "just as a nurse [tends to] her own body" teach the perfection of concentration, which is empty of birth. The lines "your intelligence" indicate the perfection of insight, which is the thorough realization of reality just as it is through effort accompanied by skillful means. The two verses beginning with "you do not desire to possess activity" and "because insight is the ultimate" present the perfection of skillful means through both objection and response. Thus, by these eleven verses, the seven perfections of those who have attained the bhūmis are taught. This is the third chapter, the stage of application for those who have attained the bhūmis. In that regard, there are five masteries: over afflictions, birth, action, skillful means, and...
...and those who bring sentient beings to full maturity. In this regard, the phrase "awakening through the afflictions" demonstrates mastery over the afflictions. The phrase "grasped by mindfulness and knowledge" indicates the purpose of that. The phrase "beings have become afflicted" demonstrates mastery over birth. The phrase "having destroyed the subtle latent tendencies, the subject, by means of the sphere of nothingness" indicates the purpose of that. The phrase "former non-virtuous actions" demonstrates mastery over karma. Similarly, the phrase "non-virtuous" indicates the purpose of that. The phrase "never separated from compassion, like a mother" demonstrates mastery over skillful means. The phrase "by means of various methods" indicates the purpose of that. The phrase "some have entered the three types of awakening according to their respective intellects" demonstrates mastery over the ripening of sentient beings. The phrase "those who definitely seek liberation" indicates the purpose of that. The phrase "because you have cut off the birth of beings" indicates the perfection of the causes. This is the fourth chapter, which teaches the state of the causes for demonstrating mastery. The phrase "the world, blinded by ignorance" demonstrates the generation of the wisdom of the path. The phrase "by many suns" demonstrates the abandonment of the afflictions.
By the phrase "contradictory to coexistence," the attainment of qualities is shown. By these [verses], the praise of the state of the Protector’s fruition is shown. This is the fifth chapter, which teaches the state of fruition.
Regarding that, by the phrase "in the center of the sky," the turning of the wheel of Dharma is correctly shown. By the phrase "this is the pervasion of suffering," the nature of teaching the Dharma is shown. By the phrase "as long as the light of the sun," the long-term endurance is correctly shown. Thus, by possessing these three points, the state of acting for the benefit of sentient beings is shown. This is the sixth chapter, which teaches the state of acting for the benefit of sentient beings.
Finally, the dedication is shown. Thus, through the causes, the fruition, and the aspiration for the state of acting for the benefit of sentient beings, [the Buddha] does not pass into parinirvāṇa as long as [samsāra] endures.
The Commentary on the Praise of Infinite Qualities, composed by the great master Dignāga, is complete.