Lapis ← Back
Lapis

Language
Chinese mural
Chinese mural · 618–649 · Mogao Cave 322, Dunhuang

Library of texts

27 canonical texts and about forty texts and early versions in all, in Sanskrit, Chinese, Tibetan, Khotanese, Sogdian and Tangut, with links to online editions. Modern texts and practices are listed separately.

In short

  • The Medicine Buddha comes from a single text, an ancient Sanskrit sūtra, later translated into many languages.
  • This page lists its ancient versions, then rituals, commentaries and modern texts.
  • Each entry shows the title and its date; the summary and links to the full text open with one click.

Go to

The sūtra and its translations

The sūtra describes twelve vows made by the Medicine Buddha for the sake of all beings; they are presented here as a whole, as the religious content of the text.

Why these languages?

Sanskrit: the original language of the sūtra; early fragments were found among the Gilgit manuscripts.

Classical Chinese: most translations and rituals; Xuanzang’s translation (650) became the reference version in East Asia.

Tibetan: translations kept in the Tibetan canon (Kangyur).

Khotanese and Sogdian: languages of Silk Road oases: these versions show how the text travelled along these routes.

Tangut: the language of the Xixia kingdom (11th–13th c.), into which the Buddhist canon was translated.

Korean and Japanese: early commentaries and ritual collections (Yaksa, Yakushi).

  1. Sūtra · Classical Chinese

    佛說藥師如來本願經

    Fo shuo Yaoshi rulai benyuan jing

    Sūtra of the Original Vows of the Tathāgata Master of Medicine

    Dharmagupta 達摩笈多 · 615 · T0449

    Summary and online editions

    The first independent Chinese translation of the sūtra. Śākyamuni introduces to Mañjuśrī the Buddha Bhaiṣajyaguru, his eastern pure land of beryl (Vaiḍūryanirbhāsa) and the twelve great vows he made as a bodhisattva. The text then describes the merits attributed to reciting his name and the offering rite, and ends with the oath of the twelve yakṣa generals.

  2. Sūtra · Classical Chinese

    藥師琉璃光如來本願功德經

    Yaoshi liuliguang rulai benyuan gongde jing

    Sūtra of the Merits of the Original Vows of the Tathāgata Master of Medicine, Lapis-Lazuli Light

    Xuanzang 玄奘 · 650 · T0450

    Summary and online editions

    The reference translation in East Asia, the most recited in China, Korea, Japan and Vietnam. It follows the same plan as T0449: the Buddha and his pure land, the twelve vows, the merits of remembering his name, worship and votive lamps, and the twelve generals. It served as the model for the Sogdian translation.

  3. Sūtra · Classical Chinese

    藥師琉璃光七佛本願功德經

    Yaoshi liuliguang qifo benyuan gongde jing

    Sūtra of the Merits of the Original Vows of the Seven Buddhas, including the Master of Medicine

    Yijing 義淨 · 707 · T0451

    Summary and online editions

    A long version in which Bhaiṣajyaguru is the seventh of a group of seven Buddhas of the East, each with his own vows and pure land. It corresponds to the Tibetan sūtra Toh 503 and contains more incantatory formulas (dhāraṇī). It was translated into Tangut.

  4. Sūtra · Classical Chinese

    佛說灌頂經 卷十二

    Fo shuo guanding jing, juan 12

    Consecration Sūtra, scroll 12: deliverance from faults, birth and death

    attributed to Śrīmitra 帛尸梨蜜多羅 · 317–322 (?) · T1331

    Summary and online editions

    The oldest known form of the text in Chinese, included as the twelfth scroll of a collection of 'consecration sūtras'. Its content (vows, pure land, worship, yakṣa generals) is close to the later versions. Many scholars think it was composed in China; according to Loukota (2019), the oldest Khotanese version derives from it.

  5. Sūtra · Classical Chinese

    佛說灌頂章句拔除過罪生死得度經

    Fo shuo guanding zhangju bachu guozui shengsi dedu jing

    The same text, independent version in the stone canon of Fangshan

    attributed to Śrīmitra 帛尸梨密多羅 · 317–420 · F0088

    Summary and online editions

    An independent witness of the twelfth scroll of the Consecration Sūtra, preserved on the Buddhist steles of Fangshan near Beijing. It allows comparison with the text transmitted in the printed editions of the canon.

  6. Sūtra · Classical Chinese · lost text

    藥師琉璃光經

    Yaoshi liuliguang jing

    Sūtra of the Lapis-Lazuli Light of the Master of Medicine (lost)

    Huijian 慧簡 · 457

    Summary and online editions

    A translation mentioned by the early Chinese Buddhist catalogues and now lost. The sources count it among the four historical translations; some link it to scroll 12 of the Consecration Sūtra.

  7. Sūtra · Classical Tibetan

    འཕགས་པ་དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པ་བདུན་གྱི་སྔོན་གྱི་སྨོན་ལམ་གྱི་ཁྱད་པར་རྒྱས་པ་ཞེས་བྱ་བ་ཐེག་པ་ཆེན་པོའི་མདོ།

    ’Phags pa de bzhin gshegs pa bdun gyi sngon gyi smon lam gyi khyad par rgyas pa (Saptatathāgatapūrvapraṇidhānaviśeṣavistara)

    The Detailed Account of the Previous Vows of the Seven Tathāgatas

    Jinamitra, Dānaśīla, Śīlendrabodhi, Ye shes sde · 800–830 · Toh 503

    Summary and online editions

    The Tibetan version of the sūtra of the seven Buddhas, parallel to T0451. Each Buddha of the East is presented with his pure land and vows, Bhaiṣajyaguru last. A complete English translation is freely available from 84000.

  8. Sūtra · Classical Tibetan

    འཕགས་པ་བཅོམ་ལྡན་འདས་སྨན་གྱི་བླ་བཻ་ཌཱུརྱའི་འོད་ཀྱི་སྔོན་གྱི་སྨོན་ལམ་གྱི་ཁྱད་པར་རྒྱས་པ་ཞེས་བྱ་བ་ཐེག་པ་ཆེན་པོའི་མདོ།

    ’Phags pa bcom ldan ’das sman gyi bla bai ḍū rya’i ’od kyi sngon gyi smon lam gyi khyad par rgyas pa

    The Detailed Account of the Previous Vows of the Blessed Bhaiṣajyaguruvaiḍūryaprabha

    Jinamitra, Dānaśīla, Ye shes sde · 800–830 · Toh 504

    Summary and online editions

    The Tibetan version of the sūtra centred on Bhaiṣajyaguru alone, parallel to the Chinese translations T0449 and T0450 and to the Sanskrit of Gilgit. It sets out the twelve vows, the pure land, the worship and the twelve generals.

  9. Dhāraṇī · Classical Tibetan

    Vaiḍūryaprabhadhāraṇī

    The Dhāraṇī of Beryl Light

    700–899 (?) · Toh 505

    Summary and online editions

    A short incantatory formula transmitted by the seven Tathāgatas. The text describes the benefits that tradition attributes to its recitation (purification of karma, protection). English translation by 84000 (2021).

    • 84000 full English translation

  10. Sūtra · Sanskrit

    भैषज्यगुरुवैडूर्यप्रभराजसूत्र

    Bhaiṣajyaguruvaiḍūryaprabharājasūtra

    Sūtra of the King Bhaiṣajyaguru, Light of Beryl

    200–499 (?) · Gilgit · Bāmiyān

    Summary and online editions

    The only surviving Indian version, in manuscripts found at Gilgit (Pakistan) and Bāmiyān (Afghanistan). Three recensions are distinguished. The sūtra is also quoted in Śāntideva's Śikṣāsamuccaya. Editions: Dutt 1939, Vaidya 1961, Schopen 1978.

  11. Sūtra · Khotanese

    Khotanese versions of the sūtra

    Bailey, Khotanese Texts III–V · Emmerick 1985

    Summary and online editions

    Fragments of several Khotanese versions that do not exactly follow any known version. According to Loukota (2019), the oldest was translated from the Chinese Consecration Sūtra (T1331).

  12. Sūtra · Sogdian

    Sogdian version of the sūtra

    700–999 · Benveniste 1940 · Turfan T ia = 10402

    Summary and online editions

    A fragment published by Benveniste that closely follows Xuanzang's Chinese translation (T0450). A second fragment, from Turfan, may come from another Chinese version.

  13. Sūtra · Tangut

    Tangut version of the sūtra of the seven Buddhas (after Yijing)

    1000–1299 · IOM Inv. 7827 · British Library Or.12380 · BnF Pelliot Xixia 924

    Summary and online editions

    A Tangut translation of Yijing's version (T0451), preserved in manuscripts and woodblock prints from Khara-Khoto and Dunhuang, mostly fragmentary.

Rituals and liturgies

  1. Ritual · Classical Chinese

    藥師琉璃光如來消災除難念誦儀軌

    Yaoshi liuliguang rulai xiaozai chunan niansong yigui

    Recitation ritual of the Master of Medicine for averting calamities and obstacles

    Yixing 一行 · 727 · T0922

    Summary and online editions

    An esoteric ritual manual: setting up the ritual space, visualising the Buddha, gestures (mudrā) and formulas to recite. It shows how the cult of Bhaiṣajyaguru entered the tantric Buddhism of the Tang.

  2. Ritual · Classical Chinese

    藥師如來觀行儀軌法

    Yaoshi rulai guanxing yigui fa

    Ritual method for contemplating the Tathāgata Master of Medicine

    attributed to Vajrabodhi 金剛智 · 723–736 · T0923

    Summary and online editions

    A meditation and recitation ritual attributed to the Indian master Vajrabodhi, who worked in China. It describes the steps of a practice of visualising the Buddha and his formulas.

  3. Ritual · Classical Chinese

    藥師如來念誦儀軌

    Yaoshi rulai niansong yigui

    Recitation ritual of the Tathāgata Master of Medicine (version A)

    attributed to Amoghavajra 不空 · 746–774 · T0924A

    Summary and online editions

    A short esoteric ritual attributed to Amoghavajra: preparation, invocation, offerings and recitation of the Buddha's formula.

  4. Ritual · Classical Chinese

    藥師如來念誦儀軌

    Yaoshi rulai niansong yigui

    Recitation ritual of the Tathāgata Master of Medicine (version B)

    attributed to Amoghavajra 不空 · 618–907 · T0924B

    Summary and online editions

    A brief, distinct version of the same ritual, transmitted separately in the Taishō canon.

  5. Ritual · Classical Chinese

    藥師儀軌一具

    Yaoshi yigui yiju

    A set of rituals of the Master of Medicine

    T0924C

    Summary and online editions

    An anonymous collection of ritual procedures devoted to the Buddha, transmitted after the rituals attributed to Amoghavajra.

  6. Ritual · Classical Chinese

    藥師琉璃光王七佛本願功德經念誦儀軌

    Yaoshi liuliguang wang qifo benyuan gongde jing niansong yigui

    Recitation ritual of the sūtra of the Seven Buddhas, including the King of Lapis-Lazuli Light

    Shaluoba 沙囉巴 · 1314 · T0925

    Summary and online editions

    A ritual of the seven Buddhas translated from Tibetan under the Mongols. It corresponds to the Tibetan ritual D 3133 attributed to Śāntarakṣita and organises the reading of the sūtra, the offerings and the vows.

  7. Ritual · Classical Chinese

    藥師琉璃光王七佛本願功德經念誦儀軌供養法

    Yaoshi liuliguang wang qifo benyuan gongde jing niansong yigui gongyang fa

    Offering method of the same ritual

    Shaluoba 沙囉巴 · 1314 · T0926

    Summary and online editions

    A version centred on offerings to the seven Buddhas. It contains a Chinese translation of the verses of praise to the eight Tathāgatas (cf. D 1166).

  8. Ritual · Classical Chinese

    藥師七佛供養儀軌如意王經

    Yaoshi qifo gongyang yigui ruyiwang jing

    Offering ritual to the Seven Medicine Buddhas, 'The Wish-Fulfilling King'

    Gongbu chabu 工布查布 (Mgon po skyabs) · 1742 · T0927

    Summary and online editions

    A Chinese translation of the ritual composed by the Fifth Dalai Lama (see below). This long ritual, still practised in the Tibetan schools, includes the observance of the eight precepts.

  9. Ritual · Classical Chinese

    修藥師儀軌布壇法

    Xiu Yaoshi yigui butan fa

    Method for arranging the altar for the ritual of the Master of Medicine

    Awang zhashi 阿旺扎什 (Ngag dbang bkra shis) · 1824 · T0928

    Summary and online editions

    Practical instructions for arranging the ritual space and the offerings of the seven-Buddha ritual, complementing T0927.

  10. Liturgy · Classical Chinese

    藥師三昧行法

    Yaoshi sanmei xingfa

    Practice of the samādhi of the Master of Medicine

    Shoudeng 受登 · 1368–1644 · X1483

    Summary and online editions

    A liturgy of repentance and meditation in the Tiantai tradition, organised in stages (purification, offerings, recitation, contemplation).

  11. Liturgy · Classical Chinese

    慈悲藥師寶懺

    Cibei Yaoshi baochan

    Precious compassionate repentance liturgy of the Master of Medicine

    1644–1911 · X1484

    Summary and online editions

    A repentance liturgy in three scrolls, still celebrated in Chinese monasteries, alternating invocations of the Buddhas, confession and vows.

  12. Liturgy · Classical Chinese

    佛說消災延壽藥師灌頂章句儀

    Fo shuo xiaozai yanshou Yaoshi guanding zhangju yi

    Ritual of the consecration formulas of the Master of Medicine

    Ruoyu 若愚 · Hou Chong 侯沖 · ZW0062

    Summary and online editions

    A liturgy found outside the printed canons and recently edited. In six scrolls, it develops a celebration based on the sūtra.

  13. Ritual · Classical Tibetan

    De bzhin gshegs pa bdun gyi sngon gyi smon lam gyi khyad par rgyas pa’i mdo sde’i man ngag

    Saptatathāgatapūrvapraṇidhānaviśeṣavistarasūtrāntopadeśa

    Instructions on the sūtra of the previous vows of the seven Tathāgatas

    attributed to Śāntarakṣita · 725–788 · D 3132

    Summary and online editions

    Ritual instructions for celebrating the cult of the seven Tathāgatas based on the sūtra (inviting the Buddhas, offerings, vows). They closely parallel the Dunhuang manuscript IOL Tib J 433.

  14. Ritual · Classical Tibetan

    De bzhin gshegs pa bdun gyi sngon gyi smon lam gyi khyad par rgyas pa’i gzungs bklag pa’i cho ga mdo sde las btus pa

    Saptatathāgatapūrvapraṇidhānaviśeṣavistarakalpavacanavidhisūtrāntasaṃkṣepa

    Ritual for reciting the dhāraṇī of the seven Tathāgatas, drawn from the sūtras

    attributed to Śāntarakṣita · 725–788 · D 3133

    Summary and online editions

    A ritual for reciting the formula of the seven Tathāgatas. It is the source of the Chinese ritual T0925 translated in the 14th century.

  15. Ritual · Classical Tibetan

    De bzhin gshegs pa bdun gyi sngon gyi smon lam gyi khyad par rgyas pa shes bya ba’i mdo sde bklag cing de bzhin gshegs pa bdun mchod de smon lam gdab pa’i cho ga mdo sde las btus te rim par bklag pa

    Reading the sūtra, offering to the seven Tathāgatas and ritual of vows, recited in order

    attributed to Śāntarakṣita · 725–788 · D 3134 · Q 3955

    Summary and online editions

    A complete ritual linking the reading of the sūtra, offerings to the seven Buddhas and the making of vows.

  16. Hymn · Classical Tibetan

    De bzhin gshegs pa brgyad la bstod pa

    Aṣṭatathāgatastotra

    Praise of the Eight Tathāgatas

    attributed to Śāntarakṣita · 725–788 · D 1166

    Summary and online editions

    A hymn of praise to the eight Buddhas (the seven Tathāgatas and Śākyamuni). Its verses were translated twice into Chinese (T0926 and T0927).

  17. Liturgy · Old Tibetan

    Liturgy of the seven Tathāgatas, including Bhaiṣajyaguru

    800–999 · IOL Tib J 433 · IOL Tib J 434 · Pelliot tibétain 179

    Summary and online editions

    Manuscripts dispersed between London and Paris, brought together and edited for the first time by Hu Enbo (2025). They show the early form of the ritual cult of the seven Buddhas in Tibet. Their association with Śāntarakṣita is debated.

  18. Ritual · Classical Tibetan

    བདེར་གཤེགས་བདུན་གྱི་མཆོད་པའི་ཆོག་བསྒྲིགས་ཡིད་བཞིན་དབང་རྒྱལ།

    bDer gshegs bdun gyi mchod pa’i chog bsgrigs yid bzhin dbang rgyal

    The Wish-Fulfilling Sovereign: offering ritual to the seven Sugatas

    Ngag dbang blo bzang rgya mtsho (1617–1682) · 1600–1699 · BDRC MW1PD107937_12F37A

    Summary and online editions

    The main Tibetan ritual of the seven Buddhas, composed by the Fifth Dalai Lama and still celebrated today; translated into Chinese in 1742 (T0927). An English translation by J. Newman exists (FPMT, 2009).

  19. Liturgy · Tangut

    Liturgy of the seven Tathāgatas

    tsə̣ dzji̱j nia̱ ɣjiw bji njij śjạ …

    1100–1299 · IOM Inv. 5167

    Summary and online editions

    The only known Tangut liturgy of the cult of the seven Buddhas, preserved in a complete manuscript from Khara-Khoto. It follows the structure of the Tibetan rituals attributed to Śāntarakṣita.

  20. Hymn · Classical Chinese

    藥師琉璃光如來讚 幷序

    Yaoshi liuliguang rulai zan bing xu

    Praise of the Tathāgata Master of Medicine, with a preface

    800–999 · Pelliot chinois 3551

    Summary and online editions

    A hymn of praise to the Buddha preceded by a preface, copied at Dunhuang among local notables (the manuscript mentions a dignitary named Zhang 張). The manuscript also appears in the collection of works.

  21. Ritual compendium · Classical Chinese

    阿娑縛抄

    Asabashō

    Asabashō, sections on Yakushi and the seven Yakushi

    Sonchō 尊澄 · Shōchō 承澄 · 1200–1299 · Taishō Zuzō 8–9

    Summary and online editions

    A great encyclopaedia of Tendai esoteric rites, with chapters on the rites of Yakushi and of the seven Yakushi (procedures, iconography, oral traditions).

Commentaries

  1. Commentary · Classical Chinese

    本願藥師經古迹

    Bonwon Yaksa-gyeong gojeok / Benyuan Yaoshi jing guji

    Ancient traces on the sūtra of the original vows of the Master of Medicine

    Taehyeon 太賢 · 753 · T1770

    Summary and online editions

    The oldest surviving Korean commentary on the sūtra. It explains the title, structure and vows according to the scholarly exegesis of the time.

  2. Commentary · Classical Chinese

    藥師經疏

    Yaoshi jing shu

    Commentary on the sūtra of the Master of Medicine (I)

    T2766

    Summary and online editions

    An anonymous commentary found at Dunhuang, a witness of the study of the sūtra in the monasteries of the Silk Road.

  3. Commentary · Classical Chinese

    藥師經疏

    Yaoshi jing shu

    Commentary on the sūtra of the Master of Medicine (II)

    T2767

    Summary and online editions

    A second anonymous commentary from Dunhuang, more developed than T2766; it glosses the text sentence by sentence.

  4. Commentary · Classical Chinese

    藥師經直解

    Yaoshi jing zhijie

    Direct explanation of the sūtra of the Master of Medicine

    Lingyao 靈耀 · 1644–1911 · X0381

    Summary and online editions

    A running commentary explaining the literal meaning of the sūtra for practitioners.

Modern texts and practices

Non-canonical texts: 20th-century commentaries, editions and recent practices.

  1. Commentary · Chinese · non-canonical

    藥師經講記

    Yaoshi jing jiangji

    Lectures on the sūtra of the Master of Medicine

    Yinshun 印順 · 1954 · Y0004

    Summary and online editions

    Lectures by a major modern Chinese Buddhist scholar, explaining the sūtra from the perspective of a Buddhism turned towards human life.

  2. Commentary · Chinese · non-canonical

    藥師經講記

    Yaoshi jing jiangji

    Lectures on the sūtra of the Master of Medicine

    Yanpei 演培 · 1917–1996 · YP0016

    Summary and online editions

    A detailed commentary in four scrolls, from oral teachings given by the monk Yanpei.

  3. Edition · Classical Chinese · non-canonical

    藥師琉璃光如來本願功德經

    Yaksa yurigwang yeorae bonwon gongdeok-gyeong

    Korean 1459 re-edition of Xuanzang's sūtra

    Xuanzang 玄奘 · 1459

    Summary and online editions

    A Korean woodblock edition of the translation T0450, a sign of how the sūtra spread in Korea.

  4. Practice · Tibetan · non-canonical

    Medicine Buddha Visualisation and Mantra

    sman bla'i bsgom bzlas

    Dudjom Lingpa (1835–1904) · 1835–1904

    Summary and online editions

    A short practice of visualisation and recitation of the Buddha's formula. Tibetan text and English translation under a CC BY-NC 4.0 licence (Lotsawa House).

  5. Practice · Tibetan · non-canonical

    Daily Practice of Medicine Buddha

    Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo (1820–1892) · 1820–1892

    Summary and online editions

    A short daily practice, widespread in the Tibetan schools. Tibetan text and English translation under a CC BY-NC 4.0 licence (Lotsawa House).

  6. Practice · Tibetan · non-canonical

    Medicine Buddha Meditation and Recitation

    Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo (1820–1892) · 1820–1892

    Summary and online editions

    A simple meditation and recitation from the kriyātantra section of the Nyingma Kama collection. Tibetan text and English translation under a CC BY-NC 4.0 licence (Lotsawa House).

  7. Practice · Tibetan · non-canonical

    Medicine Buddha Sādhana

    Karma Chakmé (1613–1678) · 1613–1678

    Summary and online editions

    A short sādhana centred on easing the sufferings of all beings. Tibetan text and English translation under a CC BY-NC 4.0 licence (Lotsawa House).

  8. Practice · Tibetan · non-canonical

    Medicine Buddha Practice

    Karma Chakmé (1613–1678) · 1613–1678

    Summary and online editions

    A simple practice of visualisation and mantra. Tibetan text and English translation under a CC BY-NC 4.0 licence (Lotsawa House).

Links to editions and translations published by others. Texts under a non-commercial licence (GRETIL, Lotsawa House) are not copied here: only the link is given.

Collection of works