preliminary practices

In Sanskrit: Ratnavali
In English: Precious Garland
In Tibetan: rin chen phreng ba

Ratnavali was written by Nagarjuna, mainly intended for his friend, king Satavahana. This text clarifies the Buddhist exposition of emptiness based on the [[Perfection of Wisdom] [[Sutra]s. The Ten Bodhisattva stages are presented based on the Sutra called The Sutra on the Ten Stages, or Dasabhumika.

The text also includes specific instructions how to rule a kingdom.

Translations

• Jeffrey Hopkins translation, part of the book The Buddhism of Tibet, His Holiness Dalai Lama, ISBN 0-937938-48-3

Bibliographic Information

rin po che'i phreng ba zhes bya ba. ratnamālā nāma. bstan 'gyur: Peking no. 5297, dbu ma, ha 65a1-70a5, vol.101, p. 144-146. Dergé no. 3901, mdo 'grel, a 72a5-72a5. Narthang: ha 59b6-65a3. Kinsha: 3296, ha 83b2. p. 43-2-2.