Glossary - The Crystal Garland of Faultless Practice
This glossary is mainly a compilation of information received as oral teachings from Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche, Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche, and other Buddhist masters of the present times. Some of the entries are short and contam no definition, but since the Tibetan equivalents are included, the reader can seek further clarification from other sources. Some of the English terms were coined exclusively for use in this book and may have been phrased differently in another context.
ACCEPTANCE (bzod pa) One of the four aspects of ascertainment attained on the path of joming.
Acceptance of the profound dharma (zab mo'i chos la bzod pa) Acceptance of emptiness; that dharmas are unproduced.
(1) (dngos grub, siddhi) See Siddhi.
(2) (sgrub pa). See Four aspects of approach and accomplishment.
ACCUMULATION of MERIT (bsod nams kyi tshogs) Virtuous actions with concepts.
ACCUMULATION of WISDOM (ye shes kyi tshogs) Virtuous actions embraced by the discriminating knowledge (shes rab) of insight into emptiness.
ACCUMULATIONS (tshogs) The provisions for journeying along the path of enlightenment. See Iwo accumulations.
AGITATION (rgod pa) The state of mind disturbed by thoughts and emotions.
AKANISHTHA ('og min) The highest; the realm of [[Vidyadhara], the dharmakaya buddha. For a discussion of the various types of Akanishtha, see Gyurme Doijc's forthcoming translation of Longchen Rabjam's Phyogs bCu Mun Sei, entitled Dispelling the Darkness of the Ten Directions.
ALL-GROUND (kun gzhi; Skt. alaya) Literally it means the foundation of all things. The basis of mind and both pure and impure phenomena. This word has different meanings in different contexts and should be understood accordingly. Sometimes it is synonymous with buddha nature or dharmakaya, sometimes it refers to a neutral state of dualistic mind that has not been embraced by innate wakefulness.
Amitabha (snang ba mtha yas) The chief buddha of the lotus family. The manifestation of discriminating wisdom.
Amitabha (Skt. Amitābha; Tib. འོད་དཔག་མེད་, Öpamé or སྣང་བ་མཐའ་ཡས་, Nangwa Tayé; སྣང་བ་མཐའ་ཡས་, Wyl. snang ba mtha' yas) — the Buddha of Boundless Light, belonging to the lotus family (one of the five buddha families).
APPEARANCE AND existence (snang srid) Whatever can be experienced (the five elements) and has a possibility of existence (the five aggregates). This term usually refers to the world and sentient beings.
APPROACH (bsnyen pa) See Four aspects of approach and accomplishment.
APPROACH AND ACCOMPLISHMENT (bsnyen sgrub) Iwo aspects of sadhana practice. Especially phases in the recitation stage according to Mahayoga Tantra.
ARHANT (dgra bcom pa) "Foe destroyer"; someone who has conquered the four Maras and attained the fourth and final result of the Mahayana path.
ATI YOGA (shin tu rnal by or) The third of the three inner tantras. Same as Dzogchen.
BARDO (bar do; Skt. antarabhava) Intermediate state. Usually refers to the period between death and the next rebirth. For details of the four bardos,
BHUMI (sa) The levels or stages of the bodhisattvas; the ten stages of the last three of the five bodhisattva paths. See len bhumis.
BILLIONFOLD UNIVERSE (stong gsum jig rten gyi khams) The domain of a supreme nirmanakaya consisting of one billion Mount Sumerus each surrounded by four contments and rings of mountains.
BlNDU (thig le) In the context of deity yoga, a tiny sphere of light, often the size of a pea.
BLISS, clarity AND NON THOUGHT (bde gsal mi rtog pa) Three temporary meditation experiences. Fixation on them plants the seeds for rebirth in the three realms. Without fixation, they are the adornments of the three kayas.
BODHICITIA (byang sems, byang chub kyi sems)
(1) The aspiration to attain enlightenment for the sake of all beings.
(2) In the context of Dzogchen, the innate wakefulness of awakened mind.
BODHICITIA OF APPLICATION ('jug pa'i byang chub kyi sems) It is comprised chiefly of the six paramitas.
BODHICITIA OF ASPIRATION (smon pa'i byang chub kyi sems) It is comprised chiefly of the four immeasurables.
BODHICITIA OF UNDIVIDED EMPTINESS AND COMPASSION (stong nyid snying ije dbyer med byang chub kyi sems) Same as "ultimate bodhicitta.
BODHISATTVA (byang chub sems dpa) Someone who has developed bodhicitta, the aspiration to attain enlightenment in order to benefit all sentient beings. A practitioner of the Mahayana path; especially one who has attained the first bhumi.
BODY FORM OF MAHAMUDRA (phyag rgya chen po'i sku) The "body of mahamudra^^ refers to the rainbowlike form of one's personal yidam. See the chapter on the four vidyadhara levels, The Vajra Master and the Yidam Deity."
BRAHMA (tshangs pa) The ruler of the gods of the realm of form.
BRAHMA-LIKE VOICE ([[tshangs pa'i dbyangs]) The voice endowed with the perfect qualities of Brahma, the king of the gods.
BUDDHA (sangs rgyas) Enlightened or Awakened One, who has completely abandoned all obscurations and perfected every good quality. A perfected bodhisattva, after attaining true and complete enlightenment, is known as a
buddha. The buddha generally referred to is Shakyamuni Buddha, the buddha of this era, who lived in India around the sixth century B C E. There have been innumerable buddhas in past aeons who have manifested the way to enlightenment. In the current Good Aeon, there will be one thousand buddhas, of which Buddha Shakyamuni is the fourth.
BUDDHA, DHARMA, AND SANGHA (sangs rgyas chos dge Mun) The Three Jewels. The true objects of refuge. For more details, see Thrangu Rinpoche's book Buddha Nature (Rangjung Ye she Publications, 1988).
BUDDHA nature (bde gshegs snymg po) Sugatagarbha, the essence of the sugatas; the potential for enlightenment or enlightened nature that is inherently present in each sentient being. For a detailed discussion, see Thrangu Rinpoche's Buddha Nature.
BUDDHAHOOD (sangs rgyas) The perfect and complete enlightenment of dwelling in neither samsara nor nirvana.
BUDDHAHOOD OF OMNISCIENCE (rnam mkhyen sangs rgyas kyi sgo5phang) The state of complete enlightenment endowed with the perfect wisdom of seeing the nature of things as they are and with the wisdom of perceiving all that exists.
CHIMPHU (chims phu) The hermitage of caves above Samye in central Tibet. Guru Rinpoche spent several years there in retreat.
CO EMERGENT WISDOM (lhan cig skyes pa'i ye shes) The innate wakefulness potentially present in all sentient beings. Wisdom here means the primordially undeluded wakefulness.
COMPLETION STAGE (rdzogs rim) Completion stage with marks means yogic practices such as tummo. Completion stage without marks is the practice of Dzogchen. See also Development and completion.
CONCEPTUAL mind (bio) In this context, the act of our intellect that discerns and classifies phenomena is a hindrance for the naked state of awakened mmd that can operate unimpededly without concepts.
CONSECRATION AND empowerment (byin brlab dbang bskur) A phase in the development stage at the end of having created the visualization of the yidam deity that involves consecrating one's three higher chakras with enlightened body, speech, and mind as well as empowering the deity with the crown of the five buddha families.
DAKINI (mkha 'gro ma) One of the three roots. Spiritual beings who fulfill the enlightened activities, female tantric deities who protect and serve the Buddhist doctrine and practitioners.
DARK AGE of DEGENERATION (snyigs ma'i dus) The present age, when the five degenerations are rampant—those of life span, the era, beings, views, and disturbing emotions. See also Five degenerations.
DEITY WITH ATTRIBUTES (mtshan bcas kyi lha) The ultimate deity is the dharmakaya of our own mmd. In order to realize this natural state, we use the support of an enlightened being with face, arms, legs, ornaments, et cetera.
Development and completion (bskyed rdzogs) The means and knowledge of Vajrayana practice. The development stage is fabricated by mind. Completion stage means resting in the unfabricated nature of mind. See Development stage, Completion stage.
DEVELOPMENT stage (bskyed rim; Skt, utpattikrama) One of the two aspects of Vajrayana practice that is to create pure images mentally in order to purify habitual tendencies. The essence of the development stage is "pure perception^^ or "sacred outlook," which means to perceive sights, sounds, and thoughts as deity, mantra, and wisdom. See also Development and completion.
DHARMA (chos) The Buddhas teachings; sometimes dharma can mean phenomena or mental objects, as well as attributes or qualities.
DHARMA PROTECTORS (chos skyong) The guardians of the Buddhist teachings.
DHARMADHATU (chos kyi dbyings) The realm of phenomena; the suchness in which emptiness and dependent origination are inseparable. The nature of mind and phenomena that lies beyond arismg, dwelling, and ceasing.
DHARMAKAYA (chos sku) Of the three kayas, it is the mental or unmanifest aspect. Can be understood differently according to the context of ground, path, or fruition. In this book, it mainly refers to the empty, cognizant, and uncompounded aspect of one's mind at the time of the path. See also Three kayas of fruition.
DHARMAPALA (chos skyong) Non Humans who vow to protect and guard the teachings of the Buddha and its followers. Dharmapalas can be either mundane,i.e., virtuous samsaric beings, or "wisdom Dharma protectors,who are emanations of buddhas or bodhisattvas.
DHARMAIA (chos nyid) The innate nature of phenomena and mind.
DHYANA REALMS OF THE GODS (lha'i bsam gtan gyi ris) A meditative state of concentrated mind with fixation leads not to liberation but to being reborn as a god in the realm of form produced through such mental concentration.
DISCIPLINES (tshul khrims) See Vows and precepts.
DISTURBING EMOTION (nyon mongs pa). The five poisons of desire, anger, delusion, pride, and envy, which tire, disturb, and torment one's mind.
DUALISTIC FIXATION (gnyis 'dzin) Experience structured as "pcrccivcr and "object perceived.^^
DZOGCHEN (rdzogs pa chen po, rdzogs chen; Skt, mahasandhi, maha ati, Great Perfection) The teachings beyond the vehicles of causation, the highest of the inner tantras of the Nyingma School, first taught in the human world by the great vidyadhara Garab Dorje. Dzogchen is the ultimate of all the eighty-four thousand profound and extensive sections of the Dharma. It is the realization of Buddha Samantabhadra, exactly as it is. The aspects of means and knowledge of
Dzogchen are known as trekcho and thogal.
EGO-CLINGING (bdag 'dzin) The habitual clinging to the mistaken idea that the 'T' is an independent, singular, and permanent entity. Ego-clinging is the source of disturbing emotions and the basis for all negative karmic actions leading to endless samsaric existence.
EGOLESSNESS (bdag med) The absence or lack of a sell-entity in the individual person as well as in matter and mind. Egolessness is not an achievement but the natural state of things. Practitioners of the lower vehicles, the shravakas and pratyekabuddhas, attain a partial realization of egolessness, but it is the bodhisattva who through practicing the six paramitas discovers reality as it is.
EIGHT BRANCHES (yan lag brgyad) The seven branches in addition to arousing bodhicitta. See also Seven branches.
EIGHT charnel GROUNDS (dur khrod brgyad)
(1) Cool Grove, Sitavana (bsil ba tshal), in the east; (
2) Perfected in Body (sku la rdzogs) to the south;
(3) Lotus Mound (pad ma brtsegs) to the west;
(4) Lanka Mound (lan ka brtsegs) to the north;
(5) Spontaneously Accomplished Mound (lhun grub brtsegs) to the southeast;
(6) Display of Great Secret (gsang chen rol pa) to the southwest;
(7) Pervasive Great Joy (he chen brdal ba) to the northwest;
(8) World Mound ('jig rten brtsegs) to the northeast.
There are also numerous other lists of charnel grounds.
EIGHT CLASSES of GODS AND DEMONS (lha srin sde brgyad) There are various descriptions but the most general is: devas, nagas, yakshas, gandharvas, asuras, garudas, kinnaras, and mahoragas. All of them were able to receive and practice the teachings of the Buddha. These eight classes can also refer to various types of mundane spirits who can cause either help or harm.
EIGHT COLLECTIONS of CONSCIOUSNESS (rnam shes tshogs brgyad) The allground consciousness, mind-consciousness, defiled mind-consciousness, and the five sense-consciousnesses.
EIGHT WORLDLY CONCERNS ('jig rten chos brgyad) Attachment to gain, pleasure, praise, and fame, and aversion to loss, pain, blame, and bad reputation.
EIGHTEEN CONSTITUENTS (khams bco brgyad) The six collections of consciousness, the six senses, and the six sense objects.
EIGHTY-FOUR THOUSAND DOORS TO THE DHARMA (chos kyi sgo mo brgyad khri bzhi stong) Twenty-one thousand teachings each on vinaya, sutra, Abhidharma, and their combination, sometimes referred to as Vajrayana. Their purpose is to eliminate the eighty-four thousand different types of disturbing emotions latent in one's mind.
EMPOWERMENT (dbang) The conferring of power or authorization to practice the Vajrayana teachings, the indispensable entrance door to tantric practice.
Empowerment of awareness-display ([[[rig pa'i rtsal gyi dbang]]]]) The empowerment for practicing Dzogchen. Sometimes it also refers to the realization
achieved through Dzogchen practice.
EMPTINESS (stong pa nyid) The fact that phenomena and the ego are empty of or lack, dependent true existence.
ENLIGHTENED ONES (sangs rgyas) Same as buddhas.
ENLIGHTENMENT ([[[byang chub]]]]; Skt. bodhi) Usually the same as the state of buddhahood characterized by perfection of the accumulations of merit and wisdom, and by the removal of the two obscurations, but sometimes also the lower stages of enlightenment of an arhat or a pratyekabuddha.
ESSENCE KAYA (ngo bo nyid kyi sku; Skt. svabhavikakaya) The "essence body.^^ Sometimes counted as the fourth kaya, the unity of the three kayas. Jamgon Kongtrul defines it as the aspect of dharmakaya that is "the nature of all phenomena, emptiness devoid of all constructs and endowed with the characteristic of natural purity."
ESSENCE MANTRA (snying po'i sngags) The short form of the mantra of a yidam deity as opposed to the longer dharani mantra; for example, om mani padme hung.
ETERNALISM (rtag lta) The belief that there is a permanent and causeless creator of everything; in particular, that one's identity or consciousness has a concrete essence that is independent, everlasting, and singular.
[EXAGGERATION AND denigration]] ([[sgro btags + skur debs) Attaching existence or attributes to something that does not have them, and underestimating the existence or attributes of something that does have them.
EXPERIENCE AND REALIZATION (nyams rtogs) An expression used for insight and progress on the path. Experience refers to temporary meditation experiences and realization to unchanging understanding of the nature of things.
EXTRACTING ESSENCES (bcud len, Skt. rasayana) A yogic practice of living off the essences of medicinal plants, mmerals, and elemental energy in order to purify the body, heighten concentration, and avoid the diversions of seeking ordinary material food.
FIVE AGGREGATES (phung po Inga) The five aspects that comprise the physical and mental constituents of a sentient being: physical forms, sensations, conceptions, formations, and consciousnesses.
FIVE deeds with immediate result (mtshams med pa Inga) The five immediate karmas, sins, or evil acts are killing one's mother, one's father, or an arhat, causmg schism in the sangha of bhikshus, and drawing blood from a tathagata with evil intent. The five misdeeds close to or approaching them (de dang nye ba Inga) are defiling one's mother who is an arhanti, killing a bodhisattva on the Definite Stage (niyatabhumi), killing an noble bemg on the path of training (i.e., not yet an arhat), robbing the sangha of means of livelihood, and destroying a stupa.
FIVE DEGENERATIONS (snyigs ma Inga)
(1) The degeneration of views due to the decline in the virtue of renunciants means wrong views.
(2) The degeneration of disturbing emotions due to the decline in the virtue of householders means coarse-natured minds in which coarseness refers to strong and long-lasting kleshas.
(3) The degeneration of times due to the decline in enjoyments means the decreasing Aeon of Strife.
(4) The degeneration of life span due to the decline of the sustaining life force means a decreasing life span until finally reaching the length of ten years.
(5) The degeneration of sentient be mgs means the decline of body due to inferior shape and lesser size, the decline of merit due to lesser power and splendor, the decline of mind due to lesser sharpness of intellect, power of recollection, and diligence. Thus, the degeneration of sentient beings in whom the three types of decline have come together means that their mmds are difficult to tame.
FIVE DISTURBING EMOTIONS (nyon mongs pa Inga) Anger, desire, delusion, pride, and envy.
FIVE families (rigs Inga) The five buddha families of tathagata, vajra, ratna, padma, and karma. They represent the mnate qualities of our enlightened essence.
FIVE KAYAS (sku Inga) In this book the five kayas or aspects of buddhahood are dharmakaya, sambhogakaya, nirmanakaya, essence kaya, and great bliss kaya. They are defined in the chapter "Wjrayana Mind Training.
FIVE kinds OF offerings (nyer spyod Inga) The desirable objects of the five senses.
FIVE PATHS (lam Inga) The paths of accumulation, joinmg, seemg, cultivation, and no-learning. The five paths cover the entire process from beginning Dharma practice to complete enlightenment.
FIVE SUPERKNOWLEDGES (mngon shes Inga) The capacities for performing miracles, divme sight, divine hearing, recollection of former lives, and cognition of the minds of others.
FIVE WISDOMS (ye shes Inga) The dharmadhatu wisdom, mirrorlike wisdom, wisdom of equality, discriminating wisdom, and all-accomplishmg wisdom.
FIXATION ('dzin pa) The mental act of holdmg on to a material object, experience, concept, or set of philosophical ideas.
FIXATION on CONCRETENESS (dngos 5dzin) The habitual tendency to cling to self and outer thmgs as being real, solid, and lasting.
FOCUS (dmigs pa) A conceptual object held in mind or the act of apprehendmg such an object. The practice called "accumulation of merit" mvolves holdmg in mmd and cultivating a virtuous focus, while the "accumulation of wisdom^^ is cultivated by sustaming awareness totally free from holding any conceptual focus or reference point whatsoever.
FORM KAYAS (gzugs sku) The sambhogakaya and nirmanakaya that have perceptible form as opposed to the formless dharmakaya.
FORM REALM (gzugs khams; Skt. rupa-dhatu) Seventeen samsaric heavenly abodes consisting of the threefold four dhyana realms and the five pure abodes. A subtle divme state of samsaric existence between the desire realm and the formless realm, where sense of smell, sense of taste, and sexual organs are absent. The beings there have bodies of light, long lives, and no painful sensations. Unwholesome mental factors such as attachment cannot arise.
FORMLESS realm (gzugs med khams; Skt. arupya-dhatu) The most subtle state of samsaric existence, without anything physical at all, lackmg even mental pleasure. The abode of an unenlightened being who has practiced the four absorptions. Its be mgs dwell in unchanging equanimity for long durations of time, after which they agam return to lower states withm samsara.
FOUR ACTIVITIES (las bzhi) Pacifying, increasmg, magnetizing, and subjugatmg.
FOUR ASPECTS OF APPROACH AND ACCOMPLISHMENT (bsnyen sgrub kyi yan lag bzhi) Approach, full approach, accomplishment, and great accomplishment. Four important aspects of Vajrayana practice, especially the recitation stage of yidam practice. These four aspects, however, can apply to any level of meanmg withm the tantras. Their traditional analogy is to mvite the ruler of a country, to present him with gifts and make a specific request, to obtain his permission to carry out one's aim, and to use one's authority to accomplish the welfare of self and others. In the context of recitation practice, approach is to visualize the yidam deity with the mantra in its heart center, full approach is the spinnmg garland of mantra syllables that emanates light rays makmg offerings to all the buddhas in the ten directions, accomplishment is to receive their blessings that purify all one's obscurations, and great accomplishment transforms the world into the mandala of buddha-field, the beings mto male and female deities, sounds into mantra, and all thoughts and emotions into a pure display of innate wakefulness.
FOUR CLASSES of DAKINIS (mkha5 'gro sde bzhi) The dakinis of the four families of vajra, ratna, padma, and karma. They art spiritual beings who carry out the four activities of pacifying, increasmg, magnetizing, and subjugating.
FOUR DAHY ACTIVITIES (spyod lam bzhi) Walking, moving about, lying down, and sitting.
FOUR empowerments (dbang bzhi) The empowerments of vase, secret, wisdomknowledge, and precious word. Padmasambhava says in the Lamrim Yeshe Nyingpo:
The vase empowerment which purifies the body and the nadis
Is the seed of the vajra body and nirmanakaya.
The secret empowerment which purifies the speech and the pranas
Is the seed of the vajra speech and sambhogakaya.
The phonya empowerment which purifies the mind and the bindus Is the seed of the vajra mind and dharmakaya.
The ultimate empowerment which purifies the habitual patterns of the all-ground
Is the seed of the vajra wisdom and svabhavikakaya.
FOUR IMMEASURABLES (tshad med bzhi) Compassion, love, joy, and impartiality.
FOUR MAGICAL POWERS (rdzu 'phml bzhi) In the general vehicles, the four legs of miraculous action (rdzu 5phrul gyi rkang pa bzhi) are mentioned as intention, determmation, diligence, and discernment; four causes for achieving the power of superknowledge. In Vajrayana, four magical displays (cho 5phrul bzhi) are mentioned as being samadhi, consecration, conferring empowerment, and making offerings.
FOUR MEANS of MAGNETIZING (bsdu ba'i dngos po bzhi) Being generous, uttermg kind words, giving appropriate teachings, and keeping consistency between words and actions. Padmasambhava says in the Lamrim Yeshe Nyingpo:
Having ripened your own being, gather followers through generosity, Delight them with pleasing words, and comfort them by being consistent. Through givmg them counsel to meaningful conduct, establish them temporarily and ultimately,
In the full splendor of benefit and well-bemg.
FOUR PARAMnAS (phar phyin bzhi) The last four of the ten paramitas: skillful means, strength, aspiration, and wisdom.
FOUR VIDYADHARA LEVELS (rig 'dzin rnam pa bzhi 'i go 5phang) The four stages of attainment of knowledge holders, masters of the four stages of the tantric path of mahayoga. The four vidyadhara levels are the full maturation, life mastery, mahamudra, and spontaneous presence (rnam smin, tshe dbang, phyag chen, lhun grub).
FOURFOLD SPHERES of PERCEPTION (skye mched mu bzhi) Same as the four formless realms. The four unenlightened meditative states of dwellmg on the thoughts: infinite space, in行nite consciousness, nothing whatsoever, and neither presence nor absence of conception.
FREEDOMS AND RICHES (dal 5 by or) The conditions for being able to practice the sacred Dharma in a human body.
FRUITION of the TWO KAYAS (sku gnyis kyi 5bras bu) The state of complete and perfect buddhahood comprised of dharmakaya and rupakaya, of which rupakaya, the form body, refers to both sambhogakaya and nirmanakaya.
FULL APPROACH (nye bar bsnyen pa) See Four aspects of approach and accomplishment.
GANACHAKRA (tshogs kyi 'khor lo). See Wheel of gathering.
GARUDA BIRD (bya khyung) A mythological bird, able to travel from one end of the universe to the other with a single movement of its wings. It is also said to hatch from the egg fully developed and ready to soar through the sky. In the Dzogchen teachings, the garuda symbolizes the inner accomplishment of a
meditator for whom the spontaneously present qualities of the buddha nature become fully manifest at the moment of death; the attainment of buddhahood occurs simultaneously with leaving the physical body behmd.
Gathering accumulations (tshogs bsags pa) The virtuous practices of perfecting the two accumulations of merit and wisdom.
GLORIOUS SAMYE AT RED rock (brag dmar dpal gyi bsam yas) The fabulous temple complex of Samye in central Tibet built by King Trisong Deutsen (790-844). The mountam slope behind Samye is of a bright red color.
GREAT accomplishment (sgrub pa chen po) The fourth of the four aspects of approach and accomplishment.
GREAT accomplishment practice (sgrub chen) A sadhana practice undertaken by a group of people that goes on unmterruptedly for seven days.
GREAT bliss KAYA (bde ba chen po'i sku; Skt, mahasukhakaya) Among the five kayas, the uncompounded quality of changelessness.
GREAT PERFECTION (rdzogs pa chen po) Same as Dzogchen. The third of the three inner tantras of the Nyingma School.
GREATER AND LESSER VEHICLES (theg pa che chung) Mahayana and Hinayana. Mahayana includes the tantric vehicles. Hinayana is comprised of the teachings for shravakas and pratyekabuddhas. The connotation of "greater or "lesser" refers to the scope of aspiration, the methods applied, and the depth of insight.
GURU (bla ma) Spiritual teache r.
GURU, YIDAM AND DAKINI (bla ma yi dam mkha5，gro) The three roots of Vajrayana practice: the guru is the root of blessings, the yidam, the root of accomplishments, and the dakini, the root of activities.
HABITUAL TENDENCIES (bag chags) Subtle inclinations imprinted in the all-ground consciousness.
HEARING LINEAGE (nyan brgyud) The lineage of oral teachings from master to disciple.
HEAT (drod) The first of the four aspects of ascertainment on the path of joinmg. Gettmg close to the flamelike wisdom of the path of seemg by possessmg concentration concurrent with discriminating knowledge.
HERETICAL PEOPLE (mu stegs pa) People holdmg wrong views, that there is no consequence from negative actions, no past or future lives, no result from practicing the path, and so forth.
HIGHER OR lower vehicles (theg pa mtho dman) Same as "greater and lesser vehicles.^^
HIGHER PERCEPTIONS (mngon par shes pa) See Superknowledge.
HIGHER REALMS (mtho ris) The three higher realms of humans, demigods, and gods.
HlNAYANA (theg pa dman pa) The vehicles focused on contemplation of the four noble truths and the twelve links of dependent origmation for the sake of individual liberation.
HUNGRY ghosts (yid dvags) One of the six classes of sentient bemgs. Such beings are tormented by their own impure karmic perception, causing them to suffer tremendously from craving, hunger, and thirst.
INDIVIDUAL liberation (so sor thar pa; Skt. pratimoksha) The seven sets of precepts for ordained and lay people according to the vinaya of Hinayana. The vows of laymen and laywomen; the vows of male and female novices; additional vows taken by probational nuns as a step toward becommg full nuns; the discipline of the full nun (bhikshuni); that of the full monk (bhikshu). There are eight types when includmg fasting vows, taken for one day only. The precepts of individual liberation are the basic code of morality that are the common foundation for all Buddhist practice.
INDIVIDUAL self (gang zag gi bdag) The mistaken idea that there exists an 'T' that is an mdependent, singular, and permanent entity.
INDRA (brgya byin) The chief god in the realm of desire. He resides on the summit of Mount Sumeru in the Palace of Complete Mctory and is also known as Shakra, the ruler of the devas.
JAMBUDVIPA (dzam bu gling) The continent situated to the south of Mount Sumeru, the center of the world in Buddhist cosmology.
KARMIC CONTINUITY OF FORMER PRACTICE (sngon sbyangs kyi las 5phro) The continuity of Dharma practice from the previous life.
KAYA (sku) Body in the sense of a body or embodiment of numerous qualities.
KlLAYA (phur ba) Sacred dagger used in tantric rituals.
KLESHAS (nyon mongs pa) Same as 44 disturb mg emotions.^^
KNOWING ONE THAT FREES ALL (gcig shes kun grol) Insight into one's buddha nature, the basic state within all thoughts and emotions, will automatically liberate fixation on those occurrences.
KNOWLEDGE (shes rab) See Means and knowledge.
LADY TSOGYAL (jo mo mtsho rgyal) Also known as Khandro Ye she Tsogyal, she was the close disciple of Guru Rmpoche, and compiled the major part of his teachings.
LIBERATION (thar pa) Emancipation from samsaric existence.
LORD of the FAMIIY (rigs kyi bdag po) The chief buddha of the family to which one's particular yidam deity belongs. For example, Avalokiteshvara5s crown buddha is Amitabha.
LOWER PHILOSOPHICAL SCHOOLS (grub mtha5 dman pa) The two main Hinayana schools, Vaibhashika and Sautrantika. Compared to Mahayana they are called lower in that they fail to establish the emptiness of all phenomena.
LOWER REALMS (ngan song) The three abodes of hell be mgs, hungry ghosts, and animals.
LOWER vehicles (theg pa 'og ma) Compared to Wjrayana, the lower vehicles are those of shravakas, pratyekabuddhas, and bodhisattvas.
LUMINOSITY Cod gsal) Literally "free from the darkness of unknowing and endowed with the ability to cognize.The two aspects are empty luminosity, like a clear open sky, and manifest luminosity, such as five-colored lights, images, and so forth. Lummosity is the uncompounded nature present throughout all of samsara and nirvana.
LUMINOUS DHARMAIA (chos nyid 'od gsal) The mnate wakefulness that is the nature of mind of all sentient beings.
MAGICAL SAMADHI (sgyu ma lta bu'i ting nge 'dzin) The second of the three samadhis, the nature of which is lummosity and compassion, spontaneous like the light of the sun shinmg in the sky. See also Three samadhis.
MAHADEXA (lha chen) A form of Shiva.
MAHAMUDRA (phyag rgya chen po) In the context of this book, mahamudra refers either to the supreme attainment of mahamudra, which is synonymous with complete enlightenment, or to the mahamudra form of the yidam deity, mentioned below.
MAHAMUDRA FORM of the YIDAM DEITY (yidam lha'i phyag chen kyi lus) The attainment, chiefly through Mahayoga lantra, of the illusory wisdom body on the vidyadhara level of mahamudra, which corresponds to the path of cultivation. It is a divine form of a deity endowed with the complete major and minor marks and through which the yogi is able to benefit beings in an extent that is equal to the sambhogakaya.
MAHANIRXANA (mya ngan las Mas pa chen po) The state of final buddhahood that dwells neither in samsaric existence nor in the passive nirvana of an arhant.
MAHASANDHI (Skt., rdzogs pa chen po) See Dzogchen.
MAHAYANA (theg pa chen po) The vehicle of bodhisattvas striving for perfect enlightenment for the sake of liberatmg all sentient beings. Mahayana has two aspects: sutra, emphasizmg the extensive teachings, and mantra, emphasizmg the profound. For a detailed explanation of sutrayana, see Maitreya5s Abhisamayalamkara or Gampopa's The Jewel Ornament of Liberation by sGam.po.pa, trans. Herbert V Guenther (Boston: Shambhala Publications, 1986).
MAHAYANA teachings (theg pa chen po'i chos) The Buddha5s teachmgs comprised of the second and third turnmg of the wheel of Dharma as well as the commentaries upon them by the great scholars of India and Tibet.
MAHESHXARA (dbang phyug chen po) One of the chief Hindu divinities.
MAJOR AND MINOR MARKS (mtshan dpe) The thirty-two major and eighty minor marks of excellence that characterize the perfect physical form of a nirmanakaya or sambhogakaya buddha. A universal ruler is also said to possess a resemblance to these marks.
MANDALA (dkyil 5khor) Literally means "center and surrounding.Usually a deity along with its surroundmg environment. Mandala is a symbolic representation of a tantric deity's realm of existence, an entire universe visualized as an offering, and also the arrangement of offerings in tantric ritual.
MANTRA (sngags) (1) A synonym for Wjrayana. (2) A particular combmation of sounds symbolizing and communicating the nature of a deity, which leads to purification and realization; for example, OM MANI PADME HUNG. There are chiefly three types: guhya mantra, vidya mantra, and dharani mantra.
MANTRA AND Philosophy. Mantra means Vajrayana, while the vehicle of philosophy includes both Hinayana and Mahayana.
MANTRADHARA (sngags 5 chang) An adept of tantric rituals.
MARA (bdud) Demon or demonic influence that creates obstacles for practice and enlightenment. Mythologically said to dwell in the highest abode in the realm of desire, Mara is a master of illusion who attempted to prevent the Buddha from attaining enlightenment at Bodh Gaya. For the Dharma practitioner, Mara symbolizes one's own ego-clinging and preoccupation with the eight worldly concerns.
MARA of MERITORIOUS ACTION (bsod nams kyi las kyi bdud) The seductive tendency to aim one's spiritual practice toward selfish ends. Virtuous deeds that are not embraced by renunciation or bodhicitta.
MASTER (bla ma, slob dpon) Title given to spiritual teachers and learned scholars. In this book, master often refers to Guru Rinpoche.
MEANS (thabs; Skt. upaya) The methods or skillful means that are the practical application of the Buddhist teachings. Can also refer to the seventh of the ten paramitas.
MEANS AND knowledge (thabs dang shes rab; Skt. upaya and prajna) Buddhahood is attained by uniting means and knowledge; in Mahayana, they are compassion and emptiness, relative and ultimate bodhicitta. In Wjrayana, means and knowledge are the stages of development and completion. According to the Kagyu schools, means refers specifically to the "path of means,the six doctrmes of Naropa, and knowledge to the "path of liberation,the actual practice of mahamudra. According to Dzogchen, knowledge is the view of primordial purity, the trekcho practice of realizmg the heart of enlightenment in the present moment, while means is the meditation of spontaneous presence, the thogal practice of exhaustmg defilements and fixation through which the rainbow body is realized within one lifetime.
MEDITATOR (sgom chen) A person all of whose time is spent on meditation practice, often in mountain retreats. The special connotation is a full-time practitioner of ordinary mind or unfabricated naturalness.
MERIT (bsod nams) The positive karmic result from virtuous actions.
MIDDLE Way (dbu ma; Skt. madhyamaka) The highest of the four Buddhist schools of philosophy. The Middle Way means not holding any extreme views, especially those of eternalism or nihilism.
MIND-ESSENCE (sems nyid) The nature of one's mind, which is taught to be identical with the essence of all enlightened beings, the sugatagarbha. It should be distinguished from mind (sems), which refers to ordinary discursive thmking based on ignorance of the nature of thought.
MONKHA SENGA DZONG. A cave situated to the east of Bumthang in Bhutan that was used by Padmasambhava and later by Ye she Tsogyal as a sacred place for sadhana.
MOUNT Sumeru (ri rab lhun po) The mythological giant mountain at the center of the world system, where the two lowest classes of gods of the desire realm live. It is surrounded by chams of lesser mountains, lakes, continents, and oceans and is said to rise eighty-four thousand leagues above sea level.
NAGA (klu) Powerful, long-lived, serpentlike be mgs who inhabit bodies of water and often guard great treasure. They belong half to the animal realm and half to the god realm. They generally live in the form of snakes, but many can change into human form and they are often depicted as human from the waist up, with a serpent5s tail below. They are supposed to control the weather, especially rain.
NAMO (phyag 5tshal lo) Homage or salutation.
NIHILISM (chad lta) Literally, "the view of discontinuance.The extreme view of nothingness: no rebirth or karmic effects, and the nonexistence of a mind after death.
NINE gradual vehicles (theg pa rim pa dgu) Shravaka, pratyekabuddha, bodhisattva, kriya, upa, yoga, maha, anu, and ati.
NlRMANAKAYA (sprul sku) Emanation body. The third of the three kayas. The aspect of enlightenment that tames, and can be perceived by, ordinary beings.
NlRMANAKAYA MASTER (slob dpon sprul pa'i sku) A respectful way of addressing Guru Rinpoche showing that he is a manifestation of an enlightened bemg.
NlRXANA (mya ngan las Mas pa) The extmguishing of the causes for samsaric existence. The lesser nirvana refers to the liberation from cyclic existence attained by a Hinayana practitioner. When referring to a buddha, nirvana is the great nondwelling state of enlightenment that falls neither into the extreme of samsaric existence nor into the passive state of cessation attained by an arhant.
NOBLE beings (skyes mchog) Great masters, bodhisattvas, or arhants, who have attained the path of seeing, the third of the five paths.
NOBLE SANGHA (5phags pa'i dge Mun) The congregation of practitioners who
have attained the path of seemg, the third of the five paths.
NON-BUDDHISTS (phyi pa, mu stegs pa; Skt. tirthika) Teachers of philosophy adhering to the extreme views of eternalism or nihilism, especially a Hmdu, Jain, or lokyata (materialist).
NONARISING (skye ba med pa) In the aspect of ultimate truth, all phenomena are devoid of an independent, concrete identity and have therefore no basis for such attributes as arismg, dwelling, or ceasmg.
NONCONCEPTUAL SELF-COGNIZANCE (rtog med rang gsal) The basic state of mind that is pointed out by the root guru, free from thoughts and yet naturally cognizing whatever is present.
Nonconceptualization of the three spheres ('khor gsum dmigs med) Not holdmg on to the concepts of subject, object, and action.
NONDHARMIC (chos min) Any attribute or action that is in conflict with the Dharma, especially the eight worldly concerns.
NONMEDITATION (sgom med) The state of not holdmg on to an object meditated upon nor to a subject who meditates. Also refers to the fourth stage of mahamudra, in which nothing further needs to be meditated upon or cultivated.
NONTHOUGHT (mi rtog) A state in which conceptual thinking is absent. It can refer to nonconceptual wakefulness, but usually it is one of the three temporary meditation experiences: bliss, clarity, and nonthought.
Obscuration of DUALISTIC KNOWLEDGE (shes bya'i sgrib pa) The subtle obscuration of holding on to the concepts of subject, object, and action.
OBSCURATIONS (sgrib pa) The veils that cover one's direct perception of the nature of mind. In the general Buddhist teachings several types are mentioned: the obscuration of karma preventing one from entering the path of enlightenment, the obscuration of disturbing emotions preventmg progress along the path, the obscuration of habitual tendencies preventmg the vanishing of confusion, and the final obscuration of dualistic knowledge preventmg the full attainment of buddhahood.
OMNISCIENCE (rnam mkhyen, thams cad mkhyen pa) Same as complete enlightenment or buddhahood.
OMNISCIENT ones (thams cad mkhyen pa) As opposed to the scholastic tradition, the oral mstructions of the practice lineage are concise and pithy so they can always be kept in mind; they are practical and to the pomt so they are effective means to deal directly with the practices of purifying one's obscurations and gathermg the two accumulations.
ORDINARINESS (tha mal) The state of mind of an ordinary person that is not embraced by renunciation or insight mto egolessness nor by the bodhicitta aspiration, pure perception, or recognition of the nature of mind. In that state one's thoughts and emotions will arise unchallenged and automatically accumulate the karma for further samsaric existence.
ORDINARY mind (tha mal gyi shes pa) Mmd in the state of unfabricated naturalness. A key word in vajrayana practice.
ORDINARY PERCEPTION (tha mal gyi snang ba) The way an ordinary person experiences. See also Ordinarmess.
ORGYEN (o rgyen; Skt. Uddiyana) Also known as Uddiyana or Odiyan, it is the home of many dakinis, and the birth place of Padmasambhava; thought to be located in the Swat valley northwest of India, which borders on modern Ai^hanistan. In prehistoric times, the great demon of ego-clinging was subdued and liberated by Hayagriva and Wjra Yogmi. As his body fell to the ground, the heart landed in the country of Uddiyana, forming the special auspicious coincidence for the spread of the Vajrayana teachings.
OUTER AND INNER VEHICLES (phyi nang gi theg pa) Same as higher and lower vehicles. Hmayana and Mahayana.
PADMAKARA (pad ma 5byung gnas) "Lotus-bom" Same as Guru Rinpoche. The names Padmakara and Padmasambhava are used mterchangeably in Tibetan literature, sometimes in the Tibetan version, sometimes in Sanskrit.
PARAMIIA (pha rol tu phyin pa) "Reaching the other shore.Transcending concepts of subject, object, and action. See also Six paramitas, len paramitas.
PATH of ACCUMULATION (tshogs lam) The first of the five paths, which forms the foundation for the journey toward liberation and involves gathermg a vast accumulation of merit dedicated toward this attamment. On this path one gains an intellectual and conceptual understandmg of egolessness through learning and reflection. By means of cultivating the four applications of mindfulness, the four right endeavors, and the four legs of miraculous action, one succeeds in eliminating the gross defilements that cause samsaric suffering and in attainmg the virtuous qualities of the superknowledges and the "samadhi of the stream of Dharma^^ leading to the path of accumulation.
PATH of CON SUMMATION (thar phyin pa'i lam) The fifth of the five paths and the state of complete and perfect enlightenment.
PATH of CULriX^TION (sgom lam) The fourth of the five paths on which one cultivates and trams in the higher practices of a bodhisattva, especially the eight aspects of the path of noble bemgs.
PATH of JOINING (sbyor lam) The second of the five paths, on which one grows closer to and jobs with the realization of the truth of reality.
PATH of SEEING (mthong lam) The third of the five paths, which is the attainment of the first bhumi, liberation from samsara, and realization of the truth of reality.
PATHS (lam) The five paths or stages on the way to enlightenment: the paths of accumulation, joining, seemg, cultivation, and no more learning. They can be explained differently according to each of the three vehicles.
PATHS AND BHUMIS (sa lam) The five paths and the ten bodhisattva levels.
PEACEFUL AND WRATHFUL BUDDHAS (zhi khro) The forty-two peaceful buddhas: Samantabhadra and Samantabhadri, the five male and female buddhas, the eight male and female bodhisattvas, the six munis, and the four male and female gatekeepers; the fifty-eight wrathful buddhas: the five male and female herukas, the eight yoginis, the eight tramen goddesses, the four female gatekeepers, the twenty-eight shvaris. For further details see The Tibetan Book of the Dead: Hearing through Liberation in the Bardo, trans. Francesca Fremantle & Chogyam Trungpa (Boston: Shambhala Publications, 1987).
PERCEPTION-spheres (skye mched) Refers here to the states of mind of the four formless realms. See also Fourfold spheres of perception.
PHENOMENA (chos, snang ba) Anythmg that can be experienced, thought of or known.
PHILOSOPHICAL SCHOOLS (grub mtha5) The four Buddhist schools of thought are: Vaibhashika, Sautrantika, Cittamatra, and Madhyamaka. The former two are Hinayana and the latter two Mahayana.
PHILOSOPHICAL VEHICLE (mtshan nyid kyi theg pa) A collective name for Hinayana and Mahayana.
PRAJNAPARAMIIA (shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa) Transcendent knowledge. The Mahayana teachmgs on insight into emptiness, transcending the fixation of subject, object, and action. Associated with the second turning of the Wheel of Dharma.
PRANA (Skt., rlung) The energy currents in the body.
PRANA-MIND (rlung sems) Prana here is the "wind of karma^ and mind is the dualistic consciousness of an unenlightened bemg. The two are closely related.
PRATYEKABUDDHA (rang rgyal, rang sangs rgyas) Solitarily enlightened one. A Hinayana arhant who attains nirvana chiefly through contemplation on the twelve links of dependent origination in reverse order, without needing teachings in that lifetime, but lacks the complete realization of a buddha and so cannot benefit limitless sentient be mgs as a buddha does.
PRECIOUS MIND of ENLIGHTENMENT (byang chub kyi sems rin po che) See Bodhicitta.
PRECIOUS ONES (dkon mchog) Same as the Three Jewels. See also Three Precious Ones. For further details of their qualities, see Buddha Nature by Thrangu Rinpoche (Rangjung Ye she Publications, 1988).
PRINCESS OF KHARCHEN (mkhar chen bza5) Same as Ye she Tsogyal.
PURE perception (dag snang) Regarding the environment as a buddha-field, self and others as deities, sounds as mantras, and thoughts as wisdom.
PURIFYING the OBSCURATIONS (sgrib sbyong) The spiritual practices of clearmg away what obscures the sugatagarbha; for example, the meditation and recitation of vajrasattva according to the special prelimmaries.
QUALIFIED MASTER (bla ma mtshan nyid dang ldan pa) Someone with the correct view and genuine compassion. For details see Longchempa, Kindly Bent to Ease Us, Vol. I, trans. Herbert V Guenther (London: Dharma Publishing).
RAINBOW body ('ja' lus) At the time of death of a practitioner who has reached the exhaustion of all grasping and fixation through the Dzogchen practice of thogal, the five gross elements that form the physical body dissolve back mto their essences, five-colored light. Sometimes only the hair and the nails are left behmd.
RAKSHAS (srin po) An evil being or demon.
RASAYANA (bcud len) See Extractmg essences.
REALM of FORM (gzugs kyi khams) See Form realm.
RECITATION (bzlas pa) The part of sadhana practice that covers recitation of a mantra.
RESULTANT SYSTEM of SECRET MANTRA ('bras bu gsang sngags) The Vajrayana system of taking the fruition as the path by regardmg buddhahood as inherently present and the path as the act of uncovering one's basic state. This is different from the "causal philosophical vehicles^^ of Mahayana and Hinayana that regard the path as that which leads to and produces the state of buddhahood. Ultimately, these two approaches are not in conflict. See also Secret Mantra.
ROOTS OF virtue (dge ba'i rtsa ba) Good deeds.
RUDRAS (ru dra) (1) A type of unruly hall-god, hall-demon. (2) The demon of ego-clmging.
RUPAKAYA (gzugs kyi sku) Form body. A collective term for both sambhogakaya and nirmanakaya.
SADHANA (sgrub thabs) Means of accomplishment. Tantric liturgy and procedure for practice usually emphasizing the development stage.
SAHA (Skt., mi mjed) The name of our present world system. It means "enduring" because the sentient beings here endure unbearable suffering.
SAMADHI (ting nge 'dzin) Adhering to continuity or evenness. Usually translated as concentration or meditative absorption.
SAMADHI of SUCHNESS (de bzhin nyid kyi ting nge 5dzin) The first of the three samadhis.
SAMANIABHADRA (kun tu bzang po) The Ever-Excellent One. (1) The primordial dharmakaya buddha. (2) The bodhisattva Samantabhadra used as the example for the perfection of increasing an offering infinitely.
SAMAYA (dam tshig) (1) The sacred pledge, precepts, or commitment of Vajrayana practice. Many details exist, but the samayas essentially consist of outwardly, maintaining harmonious relationships with the vajra master and one's Dharma
friends and, inwardly, not straymg from the continuity of the practice. (2) At the end of a chapter, the smgle word samaya is an oath that what has been stated is true.
SAMAYA being (dam tshig sems dpa\ dam tshig pa) The deity visualized by oneself.
SAMBHOGAKAYA (longs spyod rdzogs pa'i sku) The body of perfect enjoyment. Of the five kayas of fruition, this is the semi-manifest form of the buddhas endowed with the five perfections of perfect teacher, retinue, place, teaching, and time, which is perceptible only to bodhisattvas on the ten bhumis.
SAMSARA ('khor ba) Cyclic existence, vicious circle, or round of birth and death and rebirth within the six realms of existence, characterized by suffering, impermanence, and ignorance. The state of ordmary sentient be mgs fettered by ignorance and dualistic perception, karma, and disturbing emotions. Ordinary reality: an endless cycle of frustration and suffering generated as the result of karma.
SAMSARIC EXISTENCE ('khor ba, srid pa) See Samsara.
SAMYE (bsam yas) The temple built by King Trisong Deutsen and consecrated by Guru Rinpoche. It is situated in central Tibet close to Lhasa. See also Glorious Samye at Red Rock.
SANGHA (dge 5dun) The community or congregation of practitioners. In "taking refuge in the Noble Sangha,^ it means those who have achieved the path of seeing among the five paths and therefore are liberated from samsara.
SECRET MANTRA (gsang sngags; Skt. Guhyamantra) Synonymous with Vajrayana or tantric teachings. Guhya means secret, both concealed and sell-secret. Mantra in this context means eminent, excellent, or praiseworthy.
SELF of PHENOMENA (chos kyi bdag) An independent entity or inherently existent identity in phenomena.
SELF of the INDIVIDUAL (gang zag gi bdag) See Individual self.
SELF-ENTITY (rang bzhin) An inherently existent and independent entity of the individual self or of phenomena.
SELF-NATURE (rang bzhin) An inherently existent and independent substance of the individual self or of phenomena. Somethmg that can serve as a valid basis for individual attributes.
SELFLESSNESS (bdag med) The innate absence of a sell-entity in the individual person as well as in matter and mind.
SENTIENT BEING (sems can) Any living being in one of the six realms who has not attained liberation.
SEVEN branches (yan lag bdun pa) The seven-branch practice of prostratmg to the Three Jewels, confessmg negative actions, makmg offerings, rejoicing in the virtue of others, requestmg to turn the wheel of Dharma, beseeching to not pass into nirvana, and dedicating the merit to the enlightenment of all sentient beings.
SEVEN POINTS of MEDITATION POSTURE (sgom tshul gyi gnad bdun) The legs in cross-legged position, with the spine straight, the shoulders extended, the neck slightly bent, the hands in the gesture of equanimity, the tip of tongue touchmg the palate, and the gaze placed in the direction of the nose.
SEVEN pure aspects (bdun rnam dag) Same as the seven branches.
SEVEN PURITIES (dag pa bdun) Same as the seven branches.
SHAKYAMUNI (sha kya thub pa) The sage of the Shaky as, Buddha Shakyamuni, our historical buddha.
SHAMATHA (zhi gnas) Calm abiding or remaining in quiescence after thought activity has subsided; or, the meditative practice of calming the mind in order to rest free from the disturbance of thought.
SHRAXAKA (nyan thos) Hearer or listener. Hinayana practitioner of the first set of teachings given by the Buddha, which presents the four noble truths, who realizes the suffering inherent in samsara and focuses on understanding that there is no mdependent self. By conquering disturbing emotions, he liberates himself attaining first the stage of stream enterer on the path of seemg, followed by the stage of once-returner who will be reborn only one more time, and the stage of nonreturner who will no longer be reborn into samsara. The final goal is to become an arhant.
SHRAXAKA'S STATE OF CESSATION (zhi gnas 4gog pa) In the context of Mahayana or Vajrayana practice, this state is used in a derogatory sense and is renowned as a severe sidetrack from the path of the enlightenment of the buddhas. The mistake comes from regardmg meditation practice as being the act of cultivatmg and fixating on a state in which sensations and thoughts are absent.
SHUNYATA MANTRA (shu nya ta'i sngags) The mantra OM SXABHAXA SHUDDHO SARXA DHARMA S\ABHA\A SHUDDHO 5 HAM.
SlDDHA (grub thob, grub pa) Perfected one, realized one, adept who has attained siddhi.
SlDDHI (dngos grub) Accomplishment. The attainment resulting from Dharma practice, usually referring to the supreme siddhi of complete enlightenment. It can also mean the common siddhis, eight mundane accomplishments such as clairvoyance, clairaudiance, flying in the sky, becoming mvisible, everlastmg youth, or powers of transmutation; the ability to control the body and the external world. The most eminent attamments on the path are, however, renunciation, compassion, unshakable faith, and realization of the correct view.
SIDDHI of MAHAMUDRA (phyag rgya chen po'i dngos grub) Same as enlightenment. In the context of Mahayoga lantra, it can also refer to the attainment of the third vidyadhara level, in which mahamudra means the sublime body of the yidam deity.
SINGLE circle OF DHARMAKAYA (chos sku thig le nyag cig) All buddhas are one in the all-encompassing space of dharmakaya, which is round in the sense of being beyond the "comers" of thought constructs.
Six CLASSES OF beings ('gro ba rigs drug) Gods, demigods, human be mgs, animals, hungry ghosts, and hell beings.
SIX PARAMIIAS (phar phyin drug) The six transcendent actions of generosity, discipline, patience, diligence, concentration, and discriminating knowledge.
Six SENSE FACULTIES (dbang po drug) The five senses and the mental faculty.
SIX SUPERKNOWLEDGES The capacities for performing miracles, divine sight, divine hearing, recollection of former lives, cognition of the minds of others, and the cognition of the exhaustion of defilements.
SUBSTANCE of ACCOMPLISHMENT (dngos grub kyi rdzas) The shrine articles, such as amrita and torma, of which a small portion is partaken of on the morning of the last day of a retreat practice.
SUCHNESS (de bzhm nyid; Skt. tattva) Synonym for emptiness or the nature of thmgs, dharmata, it can also be used to describe the unity of dependent origination and emptiness.
SUGAIA (bde bar gshegs pa) Blissfully gone. Same as a buddha.
SUGAIA-ESSENCE (bde gshegs snying po) Another word for buddha nature, the enlightened essence inherent in sentient beings.
SUMMIT (rtse mo) One of the four aspects of ascertamment on the path of joining.
SUPERKNOWLEDGE (mngon par shes pa) Usually refers to the six higher perceptions, including clairvoyance, knowledge of other5s mmds, and so forth. See also Six superknowledges.
Supreme and common accomplishments See Siddhis.
SUPREME ATTAINMENT of MAHAMUDRA (phyag rgya chen po mchog gi dngos grub) (1) Supreme enlightenment. (2) The third of the four vidyadhara levels.
SUPREME ENLIGHTENMENT (byang chub mchog, byang chub snymg po) Same as buddhahood.
SUPREME MUNDANE ATTRIBUTE ('jig rten chos mchog) The fourth of the four aspects of ascertamment on the path of joming. The highest spiritual attainment withm samsaric existence.
SUTRA (mdo) Discourse or teaching by the Buddha. Also refers to all the causal teachings that regard the path as the cause of enlightenment. Compare with Mantra.
TAKING REFUGE (skyabs 5gro) Placing one's trust in the Three Jewels.
TANTRA (rgyud) The Wjrayana teachings given by the Buddha in his sambhogakaya form. Literally "continuity," tantra means the buddha nature, the "tantra of the expressed meaning.Generally, the extraordinary tantric scriptures that are exalted above the sutras, the "tantra of the expressmg words." Can also refer to all the resultant teachings that take the result as the path as a whole.
TANTRIC practitioner (sngags pa) A person who has received empowerment, contmues the sadhana practice, and keeps the commitments.
TANTRIC SAMAYAS of the VIDYADHARAS (rig 'dzin sngags kyi dam tshig) The commitments of a Vajrayana practitioner.
TANTRIKA (sngags pa) See Tantric practitioner.
TATHAGAIAS AND THEIR SONS (de gshegs sras bcas) The buddhas who have gone (gata) to the state of dharmata suchness (tatha). Their sons are the bodhisattvas on the ten bhumis.
Ten BHUMIS (sa bcu) The ten levels of a noble bodhisattva's development mto a fully enlightened buddha. On each stage more subtle defilements are purified and a further degree of enlightened qualities is manifested: the Joyous, the Stainless, the Radiant, the Brilliant, the Hard to Conquer, the Realized, the Reaching Far, the Unshakable, the Good Intelligence, and the Cloud of Dharma.
TEN NONVIRTUES (mi dge ba bcu) The physical misdeeds are killing, takmg what is not given, and engaging in sexual misconduct. The verbal misdeeds are lying, uttering divisive talk, harsh words, and gossiping. The mental misdeeds are harboring covetousness, ill will, and wrong views.
TEN PARAMIIAS (phar phyin bcu) The six paramitas in addition to means, strength, aspiration, and wisdom.
Ten VIRTUOUS actions (dge ba bcu) Generally, to refrain from the above ten unvirtuous actions. In particular, to engage in their opposites; for example, to save life, be generous, and so forth.
TERMA (gter ma) Treasure. The transmission through concealed treasures, hidden, mainly by Guru Rmpoche and Ye she Tsogyal, to be revealed at the proper time by a terton, a treasure revealer for the benefit of future disciples.
TERTON (gter ston) A revealer of hidden treasures, concealed mainly by Padmasambhava and Ye she Tsogyal.
THATNESS (de bzhin nyid) The nature of phenomena and mind.
THOGAL (thod rgal) Direct crossing or passing above. Dzogchen, mahasandhi, has two main sections: trekcho and thogal. The former emphasizes primordial purity (ka dag) and the latter spontaneous presence (lhun grub).
THREE FAMILIES (rigs gsum) Vajra, padma, and tathagata. When referring to the "lords of the three families," they are Manjushri, Avalokiteshvara, and Wjrapani.
THREE FIELDS of OBJECTS (yul gsum) The form of the deity appearmg as either a perceptual object, as a mental object, or in the experience of the senses by someone else (snang yul, dbang yul, yid kyi yul).
THREE JEWELS (dkon mchog gsum) The Precious Buddha, the Precious Dharma, and the Precious Sangha.
THREE KAYAS (sku gsum) Dharmakaya, sambhogakaya, and nirmanakaya. The three kayas as ground are essence, nature, and expression; as path they are bliss, clarity, and nonthought; and as fruition they are the three kayas of buddhahood.
THREE KAYAS OF fruition (5bras bu'i sku gsum) The dharmakaya is free from elaborate constructs and endowed with twenty-one sets of enlightened qualities. Sambhogakaya is of the nature of light and endowed with the perfect major and minor marks perceptible only to bodhisattvas on the bhumis. The nirmanakaya manifests in forms perceptible to both pure and impure beings.
THREE LEVELS of ENLIGHTENMENT (byang chub gsum) The attainment of the nirvana of an arhant, pratyekabuddha, and of a fully perfected buddha.
THREE levels OF existence (srid pa gsum) Usually the same as the three realms.
THREE LOWER REALMS (ngan song gsum) The worlds of hell beings, hungry ghosts, and animals.
THREE POISONS (dug gsum) Desire, anger, and delusion.
THREE Precious Ones (dkon mchog gsum) The Precious Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha.
THREE REALMS (khams gsum) The samsaric realms of desire, form and formlessness.
THREE Roots (rtsa ba gsum) Guru, yidam, and dakini. The guru is the root of blessings, the yidam of accomplishment, and the dakini of activity.
THREE SAMADHIS (ting nge 'dzin gsum) The samadhi of suchness, of illumination, and of the seed syllable. The samadhi of suchness is to rest in the composure of the mnate emptmess of all phenomena, as pointed out by one's root master, or simply to imagine that all thmgs are empty like space. The samadhi of illumination is to let natural compassion manifest like sunlight illuminating the sky, or simply to generate compassion for all the beings who fail to realize the nature of things. The samadhi of the seed syllable is the innate unity of emptiness and compassion manifestmg in the form of a syllable that is the "seed" or source from which the deity and the entire mandala will appear during the practice. These three samadhis are the mdispensable framework for the development stage of vajrayana practice. In his Lamrim Yeshe Nyingpo, Padmasambhava says:
The main part begms with the profound and vast samadhis
Which purify the manner of death, bardo, and rebirth: The great emptiness space of suchness is pure like the sky. Rest evenly in this space of the undivided two truths. Emanate the magic of compassion, an all-illuminating cloud of awareness,
Filling the space, radiant yet without fixation.
The single mudra in the manner of a subtle syllable
Is the causal seed which produces everything.
Keep this changeless wisdom essence, manifest in space, One-pointedly in mind and bring its vivid presence to perfection.
THREE SPHERES of CONCEPTS ('khor gsum gyi dmigs pa) Subject, object, and
THREE TYPES of KNOWLEDGE (shes rab gsum) The understanding and insight resulting from learnmg, reflection, and meditation practice.
THREEFOLD VOWS (sdom pa gsum) The Hinayana vows of mdividual liberation, the Mahayana trainings of a bodhisattva, and the Vajrayana samayas of a vidyadhara.
TORMA (gtor ma) An implement used in tantric ceremonies. Can also refer to a food offering to Dharmapalas or unfortunate spirits.
TOTAL PURITY of the THREE CONCEPTS ('khor gsum rnam dag) Absence of fixation on subject, object, and action.
TRAMENMA (phra men) Goddesses with human bodies and animal heads. Tramen means hybrid or alloy.
TRANSITORY COLLECTION ('jig tshogs) Refers to the continuity of the five aggregates.
TREKCHO (khregs chod) "Cutting through^^ the stream of delusion, the thoughts of the three times by revealing naked awareness devoid of dualistic fixation. To recognize this view through the oral instructions of one's master and to sustain it uninterruptedly throughout all aspects of life is the very essence of Dzogchen practice.
TRISONG Deutsen (khri srong de5u btsan) 790-844. The second great Dharma king of Tibet, who invited Guru Rinpoche, Shantarakshita, \^malamitra, and many other Buddhist teachers, includmg Jinamitra and Danashila, to Tibet. He built Samye, the great monastery and teaching center modeled after Odantapuri, and established Buddhism as the state religion of Tibet. During his reign the first monks were ordained. Panditas and lotsawas translated many texts, and large numbers of practice centers were established.
TRUE meaning (nges don) The definitive meaning as opposed to the expedient or relative meaning. The teachings of Prajnaparamita and the Middle Way. In his Treasury of Knowledge, Jamgon Kongtrul the Great defines the true, definitive meanmg in the followmg way: The topics taught to exceptional disciples that the nature of all phenomena is profound emptiness devoid of constructs such as arising and ceasing, and that the innate real condition of thmgs is by nature luminous wakefulness and lies beyond words, thoughts, and description. Moreover, it is the words of the Buddha expoundmg this meaning as well as the commentaries upon them.
TRUIY HIGH (mngon mtho) Refers to a rebirth in the three higher realms within samsara: humans, demigods, and gods.
TSA-TSA (tshva tshva) A small clay image of a buddha stamped from a mold.
TURNING the WHEEL of DHARMA (chos kyi 'khor lo skor ba) Figurative expression for giving Dharma teachmgs.
TWELVE SENSE-BASES (skye mched bcu gnyis) The five senses and the mental faculty, and the five sense objects and mental objects.
TWO ACCUMULATIONS (tshogs gnyis) The accumulation of merit with concepts and of wisdom beyond concepts.
TWOFOLD SELFLESSNESS (bdag med gnyis) The inherent absence of a sell-entity in the individual person as well as in all phenomena.
TWOFOLD SIDDHIS (dngos grub rnam gnyis) See supreme and common siddhis.
UDDIYANA (u rgyan, o rgyan) The country to the northwest of ancient India where Guru Rinpoche was born on a lotus flower. See also Orgyen.
UNCEASING \AJRA HELL (mnar med kyi dmyal ba; Skt. avichi) The lowest of the eight hot hells.
Unexcelled enlightenment (bla na med pa'i byang chub) Complete and perfect buddhahood.
Uninterrupted path (bar chad med lam) The "path" or "basis" that is the remedy for directly eradicating the defilements that are to be abandoned on one's present path and which thereby ensures that no other interruptions can hinder the arising of the wisdom that is the result of one's particular path.
UNIVERSAL MONARCH ('khor los sgyur ba'i rgyal po; Skt. chakravartin) One who rules over the four continents of human beings. He bears the thirty-two marks of a Great Be mg, and is assisted in his rule by the seven precious possessions of the precious wheel, jewel, queen, minister, elephant, horse, and general.
VAIROCANA (Skt. vai ro ca na) The great Tibetan translator at the time of Kmg Trisong Deutsen. Recognized by Padmakara as a reincarnation of an Indian pandita, he was among the first seven monks sent to India to study with Shri Singha. He is also one of the three main masters to bring the Dzogchen teachings to Tibet, the two others bemg Padmakara and Vimalamitra.
VAJRA (rdo ije) Literally, diamond, king of stones. As an adjective it means indestructible, invincible, firm, and so on. There is the ultimate vajra of emptiness, the conventional vajra of material substance with attributes, and the apparent symbolic or labeled vajra of the name.
VAJRA FRIEND (rdo ije grogs po) A fellow practitioner with whom one shares the sacred link of having the same master, practice, or havmg received teachmg togethe r.
VAJRA holder (rdo ije 'dzin pa) (1) Respectful title for an accomplished master. (2) The state of enlightenment.
VAJRA master (rdo ije slob dpon) A tantric master who is adept in the rituals and meaning of Wjrayana. The master from whom one receives tantric teachings. Can also refer to the master who presides over a tantric ritual.
VAJRA-LIKE SAMADHI (rdo ije lta bu5i ting nge 5dzin) The final stage of the tenth bhumi, which results in buddhahood.
VAJRADHARA (rdo ije 5chang) Wjra holder. The dharmakaya buddha of the Sarma schools. Can also refer to one's personal teacher of Wjrayana.
VAJRAYANA (rdo ije theg pa) The diamond vehicle. The practices of taking the result as the path. Same as Secret Mantra or Tantrayana.
VEHICLE (theg pa) The practice of a set of teachings that carries one to the level of fruition.
VICTORIOUS ones (rgyal ba, jina) Same as buddhas.
VlDYADHARA (rig pa Mzin pa) Knowledge holder. Holder (dhara) or bearer of knowledge (vidya) mantra. A realized master on one of the four stages on the tantric path of mahayoga, the tantric equivalent of the sixteen bhumis.
VlDYADHARA LEVEL OF LIFE MASTERY (tshe dbang rig Mzin)
VlDYADHARA LEVEL OF MAHAMUDRA (phyag chen rig 'dzin)
VlDYADHARA LEVEL OF MATURATION (rnam smin rig 5 dzin)
VlDYADHARA LEVEL OF SPONTANEOUS PRESENCE (lhun grub rig 5 dzin)
VlDYADHARA LEVELS (rig 5 dzin gyi sa) See Four vidyadhara levels.
VIEW (lta ba) A particular understandmg and orientation based on studies of philosophy. In the context of mahamudra and trekcho, the view refers to the state of ordinary mind or sell-existing wakefulness free from any concept, even of philosophical insight.
VIEW, meditation, AND action (lta ba sgom pa spyod pa) The philosophical orientation, the act of growmg accustomed to that一usually in sitting practice一 and the implementation of that insight durmg the activities of daily life. Each of the nine vehicles has its particular definition of view, meditation, and action.
VlPASHYANA (lhag mthong) Clear or wider seeing. Usually refers to insight mto emptiness. One of the two main aspects of meditation practice, the other bemg shamatha.
VISHNU (khyab 'jug) 44The Pervader^^; as preserver of the universe, he forms part of the Hindu triad of gods, with Brahma the creator and Shiva the destroyer.
VOWS OR PRECEPTS (sdom pa) See Three sets of vows.
WHEEL OF GATHERING (tshogs kyi，khor lo; Skt. ganachakra) In the ancient times, a feast assembly durmg which were made offermgs the value of certain measures of gold. Nowadays equivalent to a feast offering (tshogs kyi mchod pa).
WISDOM deity (ye shes sems dpa\ ye shes pa, ye shes kyi lha) The real deity abiding in dharmadhatu.
WISDOM of PERSEVERING ACTION (bya ba nan tan gyi ye shes) Equivalent to "all-accomplishmg wisdom^^ (bya ba grub pa'i ye shes).
YAKSHA (gnod sbyin) A class of semidivme be mgs, generally beneficent but
sometimes malignant. Many are local divinities of the countryside, often dwellmg in sacred trees and guardmg the treasure buried nearby. Others live on Mount Sumeru, guarding the realm of the gods. They are ruled by Kuvera, the god of wealth and guardian of the northern quarter.
YANGDAG (Tib. yang dag; Skt. vishuddha) One of the eight herukas of the Nyingma School. The wrathful deity of vajra mind.
YERPA (g.yer pa) A mountain retreat near Lhasa in central Tibet.
YlDAM (yi dam) A personal deity and the root of accomplishment among the three roots.
YOGA SADHANA (rnal 5 by or gyi sgrub thabs) The mam practice that traditionally follows the preliminaries. It includes the two stages of development and completion and is a perfect steppmg-stone for approaching the more subtle practices of mahamudra and Dzogchen.
YOGIC DISCIPLINE (rtul shugs) Additional practices for a tantrika in order to train in implementing the view of Vajrayana in daily activities; for example, feast offering.
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