Words of My Perfect Teacher Glossary

Chapter List

Abbot – in general means someone who gives monastic vows. This title is also given to a person who has attained a high degree of knowledge of the Dharma and is in charge of teaching it. It can also simply be the title given to the eldest monk during a traditional summer retreat.
Abhidharma – one of the three pitakas, The foundation of Buddhist psychology and logic. It describes the universe, the different kinds of beings, the steps on the path to enlightenment, refutes mistaken beliefs, etc.
Absolute Space – Skt, dharmadhatu. The expanse of reality. From the point of view of realization, all phenomena appear as the expanse of emptiness.
Absolute truth – actual truth perceived through wisdom, without mental fabrications. Its characteristic is to be “beyond mind, unthinkable, inexpressible”.
Acarya – Lopon, 1) teacher. 2) equivalent of spiritual master or lama. See vajra master.
Acarya Padma – The master Padma, see Padmasambhava.
Accomplishment – 1) Skt, siddhi. “The fruit wished for and obtained through the practice of the instructions.” Common accomplishments can be simply supernatural powers, but in this book the term “accomplishment” almost always refers to the supreme accomplishment, which is enlightenment. 2) In the context of the recitation of mantras, see approach and accomplishment.
Adamantine – having the qualities of vajra.
Adhicitta – the previous incarnation, in the celestial realms, of Garab Dorje.
Akanistha – “nothing above it.” The highest paradise or Buddhafield. There are six different places bearing this name, from the eighth paradise of the gods of the Fourth Concentration up to the absolute Akanistha, a Buddhafield beyond anything conceivable.
Aksobhya – mi bskyod pa, the Buddha of the Vajra Family. See five families.
All victorious banner – one of the eight auspicious signs. It corresponds to the body of the Buddha and symbolizes the indestructibility of his teaching.
All Victorious Palace – the palace of the god Indra.
Ambrosia – Skt. amrita, lit. the immortal. The nectar which conquers the demon of death. It is a symbol of wisdom.
Amitabha – lit. immeasurable light. The Buddha of the Locus Family. See five families.
Amitayus – lit. immeasurable life. The Buddha of longevity.
Amoghasiddhi – lit. he who accomplishes that which is meaningful. The Buddha of the Action Family. See five families.
Ananda – a cousin of the Buddha who became his attendant. He was instrumental in the preservation of the teachings after the Buddha had left this world, as he was able to remember everything that he had heard the Buddha say.
Anandagarbha – another name of Adhicitta.
Ancient Tradition – Nyingmapa, the followers of the first teachings of Secret Mantra propagated in Tibet by the great master Padmasambhava in the 8th century. Patrul Rinpoche belonged to this school.
Ancient Translations – name given to the first teachings translated from Sanskrit and propagated in Tibet, those of the Ancient, or Nyingmapa Tradition, as opposed to the teachings that were translated and propagated from the 10th century onwards and which gave birth to the New Tradition of Tibetan Buddhism.
Angulimala – one of the Buddha’s disciples, who despite having killed nine hundred and ninety nine people, was able, by purifying his negative actions, to attain the level of Arhat. His name means “Garland of Fingers.”
Anuyoga – second of the three inner yogas and eighth of the nine vehicles, according to the classification of the Nyingmapa school. In this yoga the main stress is put on the perfection phase, particularly meditation on the channels and energies.
Aperture of Brahma – point on the top of the head where the central channel ends.
Appearances – see perceptions.
Approach and accomplishment – two steps in practices involving the recitation of a mantra. In the first, practitioners approach the deity that they are visualizing by reciting the deity’s mantra. In the second they are familiar enough to identify themselves with the deity.
Arhat – To become an Arhat is the final goal of the Sravakayana. It is a kind of nirvana, beyond rebirth, but falls short of Buddhahood. The Tibetan word literally means one who has subdued the enemies, i.e. negative emotions.
Arura and kyurura – Terminalia chebula and Emblica officinalis, chebulic and emblic myrobolan, medicinal plants. Arura is the emblem of the Medicine Buddha.
Aryadeva – (2nd century), the most famous disciple of Nagarjuna, whose teaching he commented upon in several treatises on Madhyamika philosophy. See Middle Way.
Asanga – one of the Six Ornaments, founder of the Yogachara school and author of many important sastras, in particular the five teachings he received from Maitreya.
Atisa – (982-1054), also known as Dipamkara or Jowo Atisa. This great Indian master and scholar, one of the main teachers at the famous university of Vikrarnasila, was a strict follower of the monastic rule. He received the bodhicitta teachings from many important masters, and in particular from the Lord of Suvarnadvipa (Dharmakirti), under whom he studied in Indonesia. He spent the last ten years of his life in Tibet, teaching and taking part in the translation of Buddhist texts. His disciples founded the Kadampa school.
Atiyoga – the highest of the three inner yogas, the summit of the Nine Vehicles according to the classification of the Nyingmapa School. See Great Perfection.
Avalokitesvara – (Chenrezi), one of the Eight Great Close Sons. Essence of the speech of all the Buddhas, incarnation of their compassion.
Awareness – rigpa, the original state of the mind, fresh, vast, luminous, and beyond thought.
Becoming – the process of samsaric existence. The Tibetan word is often used in the sense of “possibility,” and represents all the concepts which we project onto reality and which become the illusory world that we perceive. It is often used as synonym for samsara as opposed to the peace of nirvana.
Beginning – We have used this word to translate ye in expressions like “from the very beginning” or “pure from the beginning.” However it should be understood that this does not refer to a first moment of origin or creation in the distant past, but rather to the fact that the pure nature has always been intrinsically present.
Bell – dril bu, Skt. ghanta. See vajra.
Bhagavan – an epithet of the Buddha. He who has vanquished the four demons, possesses all the qualities of realization, and is beyond samsara and nirvana.
Bhrikuti – one of the forms of Tara, the female Bodhisattva of compassion. The name means literally “She who has a wrathful frown.”
Bile – one of the three humours of the body, whose imbalance creates the different kinds of illness. See also wind, phlegm.
Bindu – thigle, lit. a circle, sphere, point or drop, but also with a range of more abstract meanings. We have used this Sanskrit term in the chapter on the transference of consciousness to underline the fact that the levels of meaning are multiple; in other contexts we have translated the same word as essence.
Bliss (experience) – one of the three types of experience in meditation. See experiences.
Bliss and emptiness – bliss experienced without attachment, as being empty.
Blissful Pure Land – Skt, Sukhavati, the Buddhafield of the West, that of Buddha Amitabha.
Bodhicitta – lit. the mind of enlightenment. On the relative level, it is the wish to attain Buddhahood for the sake of all beings, as well as the practice of the path of love, compassion, the six transcendent perfections, etc., necessary for achieving that goal. On the absolute level, it is the direct insight into the ultimate nature.
Bodhisattva – 1. a being who has decided to bring all beings to enlightenment and is practising the Bodhisattva path. 2. a sublime Bodhisattva who has attained one of the ten Bodhisattva levels.
Bodhisattva Abbot – the title by which Santaraksita is sometimes known.
Bodhisattva levels – lit. sublime levels, Skt. bhumi. The ten levels of realization reached by Bodhisattvas on the paths of seeing, meditation and beyond learning. In some classifications additional levels are added. “These levels are sublime because they are far beyond ordinary beings.”
Bodhnath (stupa) – pronounced “Jarungkashor”, one of the two great stupas in the Kathmandu valley. The story of its construction is related to the advent of Buddhism in Tibet and described in the History of the Jarungkashor Stupa, a terma discovered by Sakya Zangpo. (Translated by Keith Dowman as The Legend of the Great Stupa, Berkeley, Dharma Publishing, 1973).
Body, speech, mind, qualities and activity -five aspects of Buddhahood. Sometimes referred to as the five kayas. See also five families.
Bonpo – follower of Bon, the religious tradition prevailing in Tibet before the introduction of Buddhism.
Border country – a region in which the teachings are unknown.
Brahma – In Buddhism Brahma is not considered as an eternal deity but as the ruler of the gods of the World of Form.
Brahma-world – Skt. brabmaloka, in general, all the form and formless worlds.
Brahmin – one of the four castes in ancient Indian society, the priestly caste.
Buddha – One who has dispelled the darkness of the two obscurations and developed the two kinds of omniscience (knowing the nature of phenomena and knowing the multiplicity of phenomena).
Buddha Nature – Skt. tathagatagarbha, the potential of Buddhahood present in every being. Essence of Buddhahood.
Burnt offering – gsur, an offering made by burning food on coals. It is offered to the Buddhas, the protectors, all beings in general and in particular to wandering spirits and those towards whom we have karmic debts. The usual white gsur is prepared with the three white foods and the three sweet foods. The red gsur is prepared with meat.
Calling the teacher from afar – a type of prayer of yearning to one’s spiritual teacher.
Camaradvipa – one of the eight sub-continents in ancient Indian cosmology, to the west of Jambudvipa. This is the south-western continent referred to as the Buddhafield of the Glorious Copper coloured Mountain.
Central channel – Skt, avadhuti, the central axis of the subtle body. Its exact description varies according to the particular practice. It represents non-dual wisdom.
Chagme Rinpoche – see Karma Chagme.
Chakshingwa, (Geshe) – a Kadampa geshe, disciple of Langri Thangpa.
Channel – Skt. nadi, subtle vein in which the subtle energy (Tib: rlung, Skt. prana) circulates. The left and right principal channels run from the nostrils to just below the navel, where they join the central channel.
Channels and energies (exercises of) – exercises combining visualization, concentration and physical movements, in which the flow of subtle energies through the subtle channels is controlled and directed. These practices should only be attempted with the proper transmission and guidance, after completing the preliminaries and achieving some stability in the generation phase.
Chekawa Yeshe Dorje – (1101-1175), a famous Kadampa geshe. He systematized the teachings of the Mind Training into seven points, and rendered them more accessible. See The Great Path of Awakening, Jamgon Kongtrul, Shambhala, 1987, and Enlightened Courage, Dilgo Khyentse, Editions Padmakara, 1992 (worldwide except N. America) and Snow Lion, 1993 (North America only).
Chengawa, (Geshe) – (1038-1103), disciple of Drom Tonpa, started the transmission lineage of the Kadampa oral instructions.
Chenrezi – the Tibetan name for Avalokitesvara.
Cho – lit. cutting, destroying. Method of meditation in which one offers one’s own body to cut the four demons within. Machik Labdron received the Cho teachings from the Indian teacher Padampa Sangye and from Kyoton Sonam Lama, and propagated them in Tibet.
Chogyal Pakpa – (1235-1280), one of the five great scholars of the Sakya school known as the Sakya Gongma. He became the preceptor of Mongolian emperor Kublai Khan and regent of Tibet.
Circumambulation – act of veneration consisting in walking clockwise, concentratedly and with awareness, around a sacred object, e.g. a temple, stupa, holy mountain, or the house, and even the person, of a spiritual master.
Clarity (experience) – one of the three types of experience in meditation. See experiences.
Clarity, increase and attainment – three experiences which occur successively at the moment of death.
Clear light – Skt. prabhasvara, spontaneous, luminous (or knowing) aspect of the nature of the mind-or awareness.
Clear light of the moment of the ground – “nature of the mind of all beings, pure from the beginning and spontaneously luminous; fundamental continuum (of awareness), potential of Buddhahood.” It can be “introduced” by a realized master to a disciple, who then stabilizes and develops that experience through the profound practices of the Great Perfection. Ordinary beings perceive it only for a flash at the moment of death.
Clear Light, (gods of) – Skt, Abhasvara the highest level of the gods of the Second Concentration (in the World of Form).
Clinging – lit. holding, also means to have a belief. Thus “ego clinging” can also be interpreted as “believing in an I.”
Common accomplishments – supernatural powers coming from meditation, not exclusive to Buddhism, but common to other paths as well. See accomplishment.
Concentration – Skt. dhyana, meditative absorption, a state of mind without any distraction. Although it is vital for the meditative practices of the Buddhist path at all levels, it is not sufficient on its own, but must be combined with the correct motivation and view. See also four concentrations.
Concept or Conceptual reference – any notion of a subject, an object and an action.
Conceptual obscurations – Skt, jneyavarana. These are the concepts of subject, object and action, which prevent one from attaining omniscience.
Conditioned – Skt, samskrita, produced by a combination of causes and conditions. “Conditioned positive actions are all those done without realizing emptiness.”
Conditioning effect – the effect of actions on the environment in which one lives in a future life.
Conqueror – Skt. jina, a Buddha.
Consort – 1. yum, feminine deity represented in union with a male deity (yab). She symbolizes wisdom inseparable from skilful means, symbolized by the male. They also symbolize the space of emptiness inseparable from awareness. 2. gsang yum, lit. secret mother. The wife of a great lama.
Cosmos of a billion universes – Skt. trisahasra, a cosmos composed of one billion universes like ours and corresponding to the area of activity of one Buddha.
Creativity of awareness – awareness’s inherent and spontaneous ability to manifest phenomena.
Crown protuberance – Skt. usnisa, a prominence on the head of a Buddha, one of the thirty-two major marks.
Dagpo Rinpoche – (1079-1153), also known as Gampopa, the most famous disciple of Milarepa and founder of the Kagyupa monastic order.
Daka – it. moving through space, or pawo, hero. Tantric equivalent of Bodhisattva. Male equivalent of dakini.
Dakini – lit. moving through space. The feminine principle associated with wisdom. This term has several levels of meaning. There are ordinary dakinis who are beings with a certain degree of spiritual power, and wisdom dakinis who are fully realized. See three roots.
Damchen – a protector of the Dharma, bound under oath by Padmasambhava.
Darsaka – another name of Ajatasatru, the son of King Bimbisara, king of Magadha and the most important patron of Sakyamuni Buddha. Although he had killed his father, he later repented and purified his negative actions to such an extent that he attained the level of a Bodhisattva.
Degenerate age – Skt. kaliyuga, a period of the five degenerations.
Deity – lha, Skt. deva, this term designates a Buddha or wisdom deity, or sometimes a wealth deity or Dharma protector. See also gods.
Demigod – lha ma yin, Skt, asura. One of the six classes of beings, with jealousy as their predominant emotion.
Demon – bdud, Skt, mara, term used for terrifying or malevolent energies. However, “what is called a demon is not someone with a gaping mouth and staring wide eyes. It is that which produces all the sufferings of samsara and prevents one from reaching liberation beyond suffering. In short it is that which harms body and mind.” See also four demons.
Destroyer-of-Samsara – the Buddha Krakucchanda, the first of the thousand Buddhas of this Good Kalpa.
Determination to be free – Skt. nihsarana defined as “the mind that wishes to achieve liberation from samsara.” This term is often translated as “renunciation.”
Devadatta – a cousin of the Buddha, whose jealousy prevented him from deriving any benefit from the teachings.
Dharani – mantra blessed by a Buddha or Bodhisattva which has the power to help beings. There are many in the sutras, often quite long.
Dharma – This term has a number of different meanings. In its widest sense it means all that can be known. In this text the term Dharma is used exclusively to indicate the teaching of the Buddha. It has two aspects: the Dharma of transmission , namely the teachings which are actually given, and the Dharma of realization, or the states of wisdom, etc., which are attained through the application of the teachings. It is often referred to as the “Sublime Dharma” because it liberates beings from suffering. Dharma or chos can also simply mean “phenomena.” When it has this meaning it has been translated as such.
Dharma protector – Skt. dharmapala. The Dharma protectors protect the teaching from being diluted and its transmission from being disturbed or distorted. Protectors are sometimes emanations of Buddhas or Bodhisattvas, and sometimes spirits, gods or demons who have been subjugated by a great spiritual master and bound under oath.
Dharmakaya – lit. Dharma Body. The emptiness aspect of Buddhahood. It can be translated as body of truth, absolute dimension.
Dharmata – “the void nature.”
Dharmodgata – “Sublime Dharma,” Bodhisattva from whom Sadaprarudita received the teachings on transcendent wisdom.
Dipamkara – Atisa’s ordination name.
Directions – see ten directions.
Dissolution (process of) – a succession of phenomena which occur at the moment of death: the dissolution of the elements, and the three experiences called clarity, increase and attainment.
Distinguishing, clear decision and self-liberation – three essential points in the Trekcho meditation. Usually they are explained only during the transmission of Great Perfection teachings by a qualified Lama.
Doha – a song in which a siddha (for example, Saraha or Virupa) expresses his or her realization.
Downfall – “a fault due to the transgression of a rule (monastic or other).”
Drikung Kyobpa – (1143-1217), the founder of Drikung Monastery and of the Drikung Kagyu school.
Drom Tonpa – (1005-1064), Atisa’s principal Tibetan disciple, one of the first teachers of the Kadampa school and founder of Radreng Monastery (often pronounced “Reting”).
Druk Perna Karpo – (16th century), the 3rd Drukchen Rinpoche, great master and writer of the Drukpa Kagyu school and founder of Sangak Choling Monastery.
Dualistic – lit. grasping at or apprehending two. The concept of “I” and “other.”
Ecumenical (movement) – lit. without partiality. Spiritual movement made famous by the great lama Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo as well as Jamgon Kontrul Lodro Thaye, Lama Mipham, Chogyur Lingpa and Patrul Rinpoche. It is characterized by an attitude of respect for all the teachings and schools of Buddhism.
Effects of actions, Skt. phala. See karma.
Ego-clinging – see clinging.
Egolessness – Skt. anatman, nairatmya, absence of independent or intrinsic existence, either of oneself or of external phenomena.
Eight auspicious signs – eight symbols (corresponding to the different parts of the Buddha’s body): eternal knot, lotus, canopy, conch, wheel, banner, vase, and golden fish.
Eight Great Charnel-grounds – places of frightening aspect where dakas and dakinis meet. Internally they correspond to the eight consciousnesses.
Eight Great Close Sons – the main Bodhisattvas in the retinue of Buddha Shakyamuni: Manjusri, Avalokitesvara, Vajrapani, Maitreya, Ksitigarbha, Sarvanivaranaviskambhin, and Samantabhadra. Each fulfils a particular role to help beings. Symbolically they represent the pure state of the eight consciousnesses.
Eight offering goddesses – the Lady of Beauty (Skt: Lasya, the Lady of Garlands (Mala), the Lady of Song (Gita), the Lady of Dance (Nrtya), the Lady of Flowers (Puspa), the Lady of Incense (Dhupa), The Lady of Lamps (Aloka) and the Lady of Perfume (Gandha). In the mandala of the peaceful sambhogakaya deities, they are also the consorts of the eight Bodhisattvas (see Eight Great Close Sons), and symbolize, respectively, the pure state of the four objects of the sense organs (form, smell, sound and taste) and of the four aspects of thoughts (past, present, future and of undetermined time).
Eight ordinary concerns – the normal preoccupations of unrealized people without a clear spiritual perspective. They are: gain and loss, pleasure and pain, praise and criticism, fame and infamy.
Eight perverse acts – i) criticizing good, ii) praising evil, iii) interrupting the accumulation of merit of a virtuous person, iv) disturbing the minds of those who have devotion, v) giving up one’s spiritual master, vi) giving up one’s deity, vii) giving up one’s vajra brothers and sisters, viii) desecrating a mandala.
Eighty Siddhas – 1. eighty (or eighty four) great siddhas of ancient India whose lives have been recounted by Abhayadatta (see Buddha’s Lions, Emeryville, Dharma Publishing, 1979). 2. the eighty siddhas of Yerpa in Tibet, disciples of Padmasambhava who attained the supreme accomplishment.
Emotions – see negative emotions.
Empowerment – Skt. Abhiseka, lit. transfer of power. The authorization to hear, study and practise the teachings of the Vajrayana. This takes place in a ceremony which may be extremely elaborate or utterly simple. See four empowerments.
Emptiness – Skt. sunyata, the absence of true existence in all phenomena.
Energy – rlung, Skt. prana, vayu, lit. wind. Its characteristic is to be “light and mobile.” The mind is described as riding on the rlung like a rider on a horse. Five different types of rlung regulate the functions of the body: i) the ascending energy, ii) the energy of evacuation, iii) the fiery energy, iv) all-pervading energy, and v) the life-supporting energy.
Enjoying the Emanations of Others – the sixth and highest level of the gods of the World of Desire, in which the gods enjoy the things miraculously produced by other gods. See three worlds.
Enlightenment – Skt. bodhi, purification of all obscurations and realization of all qualilties.
Enlightenment Tree – the tree under which Buddha Shakyamuni attained enlightenment.
Equality -Skt. samata, All things equally have the nature of emptiness.
Essence – thigle, Skt. bindu, lit. drop. “Essence or seed of the great bliss; in the channels there are different kinds, pure or degenerate.” The term thigle has a number of different meanings according to the context and type of practice.
Essential nature, natural expression and compassion – View of the Great Perfection: the essential nature of the mind and all phenomena is emptiness; the expression of that nature is clarity; its compassion is all-pervasive.
Eternalism – the belief in an eternally existing entity, a soul for instance. Considered an extreme philosophical tendency. See nihilism.
Excellent Words – the words of the Buddha.
Exhaustion of phenomena in the real nature – one of the four visions or experiences on the path of Thogal. “All phenomena being purified in the mandala of the sole great essence, all things invented by the mind are exhausted in the real nature. Not even grasping to the real nature remains.”
Expedient meaning – The expedient meaning refers to teachings intended to lead unrealized beings towards the truth of the real meaning.
Experiences (meditative) – experiences of bliss, clarity, and nonthought. One should not be attached to such experiences or confuse them with the final goal.
Extracting the essences – a method which makes it possible to consume only certain substances and elements in minute quantities, without having to use ordinary food.
Feast offering – Skt. ganacakra, a ritual in which one blesses, offers and consumes food and drink as wisdom nectar.
Field of merit – the focus, or object, of one’s offering, devotion, prayer, prostrations, etc., through which one can perform the necessary accumulations of merit and wisdom. The term usually implies a visualized focus of practice such as the refuge deities, the teacher in Guru Yoga, etc. The fact that one’s practice and positive actions are directed towards such an embodiment of the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha gives them a much greater power.
Five crimes which are almost as grave (as the five crimes with immediate
retribution) – i) acting impurely with a female Arhat; ii) killing a Bodhisattva; iii) killing someone training towards the supreme level; iv) stealing the sustenance of the Sangha; v) destroying a stupa.
Five crimes with immediate retribution – i) killing one’s father or ii) one’s mother or iii) an Arhat; iv) creating a split in the Sangha; v) malevolently causing a Buddha to bleed. Someone who has committed one of these five actions takes rebirth in the hell of Ultimate Torment immediately after death, without going through the intermediate state.
Five degenerations – they are the degeneration of i) lifespan ii) negative emotions (the five poisons increase) iii) beings (it is difficult to help them) iv) times (wars and famines proliferate) v) views (false beliefs spread).
Five energies – see energy.
Five Families – the Buddha, Vajra, Jewel, Lotus and Action families. The five Buddha Families represent the real nature of all things. For example, the Five Conquerors are the real nature of the five aggregates, their Five Consorts the real nature of the five elements, the five wisdoms the real nature of the five poisons, and so on.
Five hundred thousand preliminaries – five traditional preliminary practices: refuge, bodhicitta, Vajrasattva, mandala and guru yoga, performed one hundred thousand times each.
Five kayas – the three kayas to which are added the Unchanging Vajra Kaya (Skt. vajrakaya) and the Kaya of Perfect Enlightenment. The expression can also refer to the five Buddha families: body, speech, mind, qualities and activity.
Five paths – five successive stages in the path to enlightenment: the paths of accumulating, joining, seeing, meditation, and the path beyond learning.
Five perfections – the perfect teacher, teaching, place, disciples and time.
Five poisons – the five negative emotions: 1) bewilderment, (AT: ignorance, confusion), 2) attachment, (AT: desire), 3) aversion, (including hatred, anger, etc.) 4) jealousy, 5) pride
Five samayas of relishing – five secondary samayas in the Great Perfection. They are concerned with the enjoyment of the five meats and the five nectars, substances used by tantric practitioners which are ordinarily considered impure or taboo.
Five sciences – the five branches of learning that a pandita must master: 1) the making of things, 2) the repairing of things (includes medicine), 3) philology, 4) logic, 5) philosophy.
Five wisdoms – five aspects of the wisdom of Buddhahood: the wisdom of the absolute space, mirror-like wisdom, the wisdom of equality, discriminating wisdom, and all-accomplishing wisdom. See five families.
Four activities – four types of activity performed by realized beings to help others and eliminate unfavourable circumstances: pacifying, increasing, controlling and fierce subduing.
Four boundless qualities – unlimited love, compassion, joy, and equanimity.
Four concentrations – four levels of meditative absorption, the fruit of which is to be reborn in four kinds of god realms in the World of Form. However they can also be used on the path of enlightenment.
Four elements – earth, water, fire and wind or air, as principles of solidity, liquidity, heat and movement.
Four empowerments – the vase empowerment, the secret empowerment, the wisdom empowerment and the precious word empowerment.
Four formless states – four concentrations called infinite space, infinite consciousness, nothing at all , and neither existing nor non-existing; four god realms corresponding to these concentrations.
Four Great Kings – four gods who are traditionally the protectors of the four directions. Their realm is the first of the six god realms in the World of Desire. See three worlds.
Four great streams of suffering – birth, sickness, old age and death.
Four joys – four increasingly subtle experiences of bliss beyond ordinary feelings, connected with the practice of the third, or wisdom, empowerment.
Four kayas – the three kayas plus the svabhavikakaya, the kaya of the nature as it is, representing the inseparability of the first three.
Four metaphors – Thinking of oneself as someone who is sick, of the spiritual friend as the doctor, of the Dharma as the remedy, and of practising his instructions as the way to recover.
Four obscurations – the obscurations of i) negative emotions, ii) karmic obscurations, iii) conceptual obscurations and iv) obscurations of habitual tendencies. See obscurations.
Four or six tantra sections – classification of the tantras either into four groups: Kriya, Carya (or Upa), Yoga and Anuttarayoga (this classification is usual in the New Translations schools); or into six groups: Kriya, Upayoga, Yoga, Mahayoga, Anuyoga and Atiyoga (usual in the Ancient Tradition).
Four Visions – four successive stages in the practice of thogal in the Great Perfection: i) dharmata actually appearing, ii) increase of experiences and appearances, iii) the ultimate reach of awareness , iv) exhaustion of phenomena beyond mind.
Four ways of attracting beings – the four ways in which a Bodhisattva attracts disciples: 1) being generous (Skt. dana), 2) speaking in a pleasant manner, 3) teaching in accordance with individuals’ needs, 4) acting in accordance with what he teaches.
Fruit empowerment – the empowerment that takes place at the moment of attaining full enlightenment.
Full effect – the point at which an action has its maximum effect, for instance a rebirth in hell.
Gampopa – see Dagpo Rinpoche.
Gandharva – lit. smell eaters. Spirit feeding on smells. Also used for beings in the intermediate state.
Garab Dorje – better known by his Tibetan name than by his Sanskrit names, Pramudavajra, Prahevajra, Surativajra or Prajnabhava. The first human teacher in the lineage of the Great Perfection.
Garuda – a mythical bird of very large size which is able to fly as soon as it is hatched, symbolizing primal wisdom. The five colours in which it is sometimes represented symbolize the five wisdoms. It is the enemy of the nagas, and is depicted with a snake in its beak, symbolizing consuming the negative emotions.
Gelugpa – one of the schools of the New Tradition, founded by Je Tsongkhapa (1357-1419) and at first called the Gandenpa after his seat, the monastery of Ganden.
Generation phase – meditation yoga through which one purifies oneself of one’s habitual clingings to the four kinds of birth and in which one meditates on forms, sounds and thoughts as having the nature of deities, mantras and wisdom.
Generosity – Skt. dana, lit. giving.
Geshe – spiritual friend. The usual term for a Kadampa teacher. Later it came to be used for a doctor in philosophy in the Gelugpa school.
Ghost – ‘dre, spirit of a dead person or, more generally, harmful spirit.
Glorious Copper-coloured Mountain – a Buddhafield manifested by Padmasambhava, to which he departed when he left Tibet and where he is now still said to be.
Gods –lha, the beings of one of the six realms, dominated by pride. To avoid confusion we have translated lha as “deity” when it means a Buddha or wisdom deity.
Gods and demons – refers in general to all the different classes of spirits, whether helpful (lha) or harmful (‘dre).
Gods without perception – gods in the Formless World.
Good Kalpa – the present kalpa, called good because it is a kalpa in which one thousand Buddhas appear.
Gotsangpa (Gonpo Dorje) – (1189-1258), Kagyupa master, disciple of Tsangpa Gyare, founder of a branch of the Drukpa Kagyu school and of many monasteries.
Great Compassionate One – epithet of Avalokitesvara.
Great Exuberant Lakes – seven lakes encircling Mount Meru, in which the naga kings live and play.
Great Omniscient One – the title by which Longchenpa is frequently known.
Great Outer Oceans – the great oceans which surround Mount Meru and the four continents in the ancient Indian cosmology.
Great Perfection – other name of Atiyoga, the summit of the nine vehicles. Perfection means that the mind, in its nature, naturally contains all the qualities of the three bodies: its nature is emptiness, the dharmakaya; its natural expression is clarity, the sambhogakāya, and its compassion is all encompassing, the nirmaṇakaya. Great means that this perfection is the natural condition of all things. AT: great completeness. The teachings of the Great Perfection are classified in three sections: the mind section, the space section, and the pith-instruction section. See also Introduction.
Great Vehicle – Skt. Mahayana, vehicle of the Bodhisattvas, great because it aims at full Buddhahood for the sake of all beings.
Ground-of-all – Skt. alaya, the ground consciousness in which the habitual tendencies are stored. It is the basis for the other consciousnesses. Occasionally, in certain teachings, is used for the original nature, the primordial purity.
Guru Rinpoche – the name by which Padmasambhava is most commonly known in Tibet.
Guru yoga – practice of mixing one’s mind with the teacher’s mind.
Gyalse Rinpoche – lit. the Precious Son of the Conquerors. A title given to Thogme Zangpo (1295 1369), a great master of the Nyingma and Sakya traditions and author of the Thirty Seven Elements of a Bodhisattva’s Practice.
Gyelgong – a class of malignant spirits.
Habitual tendencies – habitual patterns of thought, speech or action created by what one has done in past lives. Habits, inclinations, impregnations.
Hearing lineage of ordinary beings – lineage of transmission in which it is necessary for the teacher to use words and the disciple to hear them, rather than transmitting the teachings mind-to-mind or using symbols.
Hell – Skt. naraka, one of the six realms, in which one experiences intense suffering. In the hell realm one generally experiences the effects of actions rather than creating new causes.
He Who Proclaims the Dharma with Inexhaustible Melodious Voice – name of a Buddha.
Hundred Families – the forty-two peaceful and fifty-eight wrathful deities.
Hundred Syllables – the mantra of Vajrasattva, representing the essence of the Hundred Families.
Illustrative wisdom – wisdom attained through spiritual practice which serves as a pointer to introduce true primal wisdom.
Impervious practitioner – lit. Dharma bear. “Someone who has not been tamed by the Dharma, who knows the Dharma but does not practise it, so that his mind has become stiff …” Someone who only has an intellectual understanding, without any real experience, but considers that he or she knows all about the Dharma.
Indra – king of the god realm of the Thirty-three.
Infinite Aspiration – a future Buddha, the last of the thousand Buddhas who will appear in this present Good Kalpa.
Innate (wisdom, joy, etc.) – lit. born together, meaning that wisdom, joy, and nirvana in general are latently present even as we experience ignorance, suffering and samsara. The two aspects of one and the same nature are “born together”, but perceived as opposites by unenlightened minds.
Inseparable Universe – our world, the field of activity of Sakyamuni.
Intermediate state – bardo, term used for the various stages of experience between death and the next rebirth, with a wider interpretation that includes the various states of consciousness in life. Four intermediate states are distinguished: 1) the natural intermediate state of this life, 2) the intermediate state of the moment of death, 3) the intermediate state of absolute reality, and 4) the intermediate state of becoming; or, to make six intermediate states, two more particular states, within the first, can be added: 5) the intermediate state of dream and 6) the intermediate state of meditative concentration.
Intermediate state of absolute reality – intermediate state during which absolute reality manifests as pure forms of peaceful or wrathful aspect, according to one’s own individual tendencies.
Intermediate state of becoming – the intermediate state during which the force of karma propels one towards one’s next rebirth in samsara. Intermediate state of possibilities, intermediate state of existence.
Jambudvipa – the southern continent, one of the four main “continents” in ancient Indian cosmology, the one in which we live. In some contexts this name refers to South Asia, and in others to the world in a general sense.
Jamgon Kongtrul (the Great), Lodro Thaye – (1813-1899) was a great teacher of the non-sectarian movement and was responsible, with Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo, for compiling several great collections of teachings and practices from all traditions, including the Treasury of Rediscovered Teachings (Rinchen Terdzo).
Jetsun Mila – (1040-1123), Tibet’s great yogi and poet, whose biography and spiritual songs are among the best loved works in Tibetan Buddhism. One of the foremost disciples of Marpa, he is among the great masters at the origin of the Kagyupa school.
Jigme Lingpa – (1729-1798), see the introduction of this book. He is considered to be a combined emanation of Vimalamitra, King Trisong Detsen and Gyalse Lharje. Patrul Rinpoche is often considered to be the emanation of Jigme Lingpa’s speech.
Jowo – lit. lord. A title often used by Tibetans for the Indian pandita Atisa.
Jowo and Sakya – Jowo Mikyo Dorje and Jowo Sakyamuni, two statues of the Buddha brought to Tibet respectively by the Nepalese and Chinese princesses whom King Songtsen Gampo married in the 7th century.
Jowo Rinpoche – a statue representing Buddha Sakyamuni at the age of 12, in the Jokhang temple in Lhasa.
Joyful Magic – a god realm in the World of Desire (on the fifth level of Gods of Desire) in which the gods can magically produce whatever they need. See three worlds.
Joyous Realm – see Tusita heaven.
Jungpo – a class of malignant spirits.
Kadampa – the first of the schools of the New Tradition, which followed the teachings of Atisa. It stressed compassion, study and pure discipline. Its teachings were continued by all the other schools, in particular the Gelugpa, which is also known as the New Kadampa school.
Kagyupa – one of the schools of the New Tradition, which followed the teachings brought to Tibet from India by Marpa the Translator in the 11th century and transmitted to Milarepa. There are several branches of the Kagyu school.
Kalpa – A great kalpa, which corresponds to a cycle of formation and destruction of a universe, is divided into eighty intermediate kalpas. An intermediate kalpa is composed of one small kalpa during which the span of life, etc., increases and one small kalpa during which it decreases.
Kapala – a bowl made with the top of a skull.
Karma – We have generally preferred to say “the effects of actions,” “actions and their effects” or the “principle of cause and effect.” Karma literally means simply “action,” but is often used loosely to mean the result produced by past actions.
Karma Chagme – (16th century), famous lama of the Kagyupa school who united the teaching of his school and those of the Nyingmapas and was the tutor of the treasure-discoverer Namcho Mingyur Dorje.
Karmapa – name of a series of great lamas of the Kagyupa school, whose lineage of reincarnations goes back to Dusum Khyenpa (1110- 1193). The Karmapas were the first tulkus recognised in Tibet.
Karmic energy – energy determined by one’s karma, as opposed to the energy connected with wisdom.
Karmic obscurations (obscurations of past actions) – obscurations created by negative actions. See obscurations.
Kasyapa – the third of the thousand Buddhas of this present kalpa, the one before Sakyamuni. Kasyapa is also the name of one of Sakyamuni’s Sravaka disciples.
Katyayana – Indian Arhat who was a disciple of the Buddha and wrote down one section of the Abhidharma.
Kaya – see three kayas, four kayas, five kayas.
Kharak Gomchung (Geshe) – an 11th century Kadampa lama, disciple of Geshe Potowa. His name means “Little Meditator of Kharak,” and he was famous for his perseverance and strict application of the teachings. It is said that he received the teachings of the Great Perfection and achieved the rainbow body.
Khampa Lungpa – (1025-1115), a Kadampa lama, one of Dram Tonpa’s principal disciples.
Khatvanga – a trident with many symbolic ornaments.
Khu, Ngok and Drom – the three main disciples of Atisa, Their full names are Khuton Tsondru Yungdrung, Ngok Lekpai Sherab, and Drom Gyalwai Jungne (Drom Tonpa).
Kila – phurba, wrathful deity, the activity aspect of all the Buddhas, a manifestation of Vajrasattva. Practice related to this deity is based on the four aspects of Kila, those of the ritual object, compassion, Bodhicitta and awareness-wisdom.
King, Subject and Friend – King Trisong Detsen, the great translator Vairotsana and the dakini Yeshe Tsogyal.
Krisnacarya – one of the eighty-four Mahasiddhas of India.
Kriya (yoga) – the first of the three outer tantras, the fourth of the nine vehicles. In this type of practice the stress is mainly put on correct external behaviour and cleanliness.
Ksatriya – one of the four classes of the ancient Indian social system, the class of kings and warriors.
Kusa – a kind of grass considered auspicious, because the Buddha sat on a cushion of it when he attained enlightenment.
Lakhe – kind of tree with a sweet bark.
Lama – Skt. guru, 1. spiritual teacher, explained as the contraction “nothing superior.” 2. often used loosely for Buddhist monks or yogis in general.
Langri Thangpa, (Geshe) – (1054-1123), Kadampa geshe, disciple of Geshe Potowa, author of the Mind Training in Eight Verses and founder of the Langthang Monastery.
Lay disciple – Skt. upasaka, someone who has taken the refuge vows and five other vows (or only some of them): not killing, not lying, not stealing, not indulging in improper sexual conduct, and not taking intoxicants. It is one of the eight categories vows of the Pratimoksa.
Level of union – the level of Vajradhara. The union is that of dharmakaya and rupakaya.
Levels – see Bodhisattva levels.
Liberation – Skt. moksa, 1. freedom from samsara, either as an Arhat or as a Buddha. 2. occasionally, performing the action of liberation, a practice to liberate the consciousness of a malignant being into a Buddhafield.
Lingje Repa – (1128-1188), founder of the Drukpa Kagyu school.
Longchenpa – (1308-1363), also called the Omniscient Sovereign or King of Dharma, one of the most extraordinary spiritual masters and scholars of the Nyingmapa school. He wrote more than 250 treatises covering almost all of Buddhist theory and practice up to the Great Perfection, of which he was among the greatest exponents. Among those that have survived are the famous Seven Treasures, the Nyingtik Yabzhi, the Trilogy of Rest, the Trilogy of Natural Freedom, the Trilogy of Dispelling Darkness and the Miscellaneous Writings.
Lord of Death – Yama.
Lord of Secrets – an epithet of Vajrapani.
Lotus Born – see Padmasambhava.
Lover of the Stars – name of a Bodhisattva. He is an example of someone whose selfless aspiration enabled him to accumulate merit in spite of his committing what would normally be considered a
negative act.
Lower realms – the hells, the realms of pretas and of animals.
Machik Labdron – (1031-1129), a disciple of Padampa Sangye, she became the holder of his instructions on the Cho practice.
Madhyamika – see Middle Way.
Mahayana – see Great Vehicle.
Maha (yoga) – the first of the three higher yogas according to the classification of the Dharma into nine vehicles. In this yoga, the main stress is put on the generation phase.
Mahakasyapa – one of the foremost sravaka disciples of Buddha Sakyamuni, and chief among the first compilers of the Abhidharma. After the Buddha had left this world, he became the first patriarch of the Dharma, entrusted with the responsibility for maintaining the teachings and the Sangha.
Mahamudra – lit. Great Seal. The Great Seal means that the seal of the absolute nature is on everything, that all phenomena belong to the wisdom mandala. This term can be used to denote the teaching, meditation practice or supreme accomplishment.
Mahasiddha – a yogi who has reached the supreme accomplishment.
Maitreya – the Buddha to come, the fifth in this present kalpa. He is also one of the Eight Great Close Sons.
Maitriyogi – one of Atisa’s three principal teachers.
Major and minor marks – thirty-two major marks Skt. and eighty minor ones characteristic of a Buddha.
Mamo – Skt. matrika, a kind of dakini.
Mandala – lit. centre and circumference. 1. The universe with the palace of the deity at the centre, as visualized in the practice of the generation phase. 2. The visualized ideal universe as an offering.
Mandarava – a dakini, daughter of the King of Zahor, in India. One of the five principal disciples and consorts of Padmasambhava and one of the main holders of his teaching.
Mandhatri – a previous incarnation of the Buddha who became extremely powerful through the power of his past merit, but lost his power due to some evil thoughts.
Mani – the mantra of Avalokitesvara (Chenrezi), om mani padme hum.
Manifest Joy – Skt. Abhirati, name of a kalpa and of the Buddhafield of Buddha Aksobhya.
Mantra – manifestation of supreme enlightenment in the form of sounds. Syllables which, in the sadhanas of the Secret Mantrayana, protect the mind of the practitioner from ordinary perceptions and invoke the wisdom deities.
Manjusri – a tenth level Bodhisattva. He embodies the knowledge and wisdom of all the Buddhas.
Manjusrimitra – second human master in the lineage of the Great Perfection, a great pandita of Nalanda and disciple of Garab Dorje.
Mara – bdud, demon, the tempter in general, that which makes obstacles to spiritual practice and enlightenment.
Marpa – (1012-1097), great Tibetan master and translator, disciple of Drogmi, Naropa, Maitripa and other great siddhas. He brought many tantras from India to Tibet and translated them. These teachings were passed down through Milarepa and his other disciples, and are the basis of the teachings of the Kagyu lineage.
Maudgalyayana – one of the two foremost sravaka disciples of Sakyamuni Buddha. He was said to be the one who had the greatest miraculous powers.
Means – see skilful means.
Meditate, meditation – to let the mind rest on an object of contemplation or reflection, or to maintain the flow of the authentic view.
Melong Dorje – (1243-1303), Tibetan mahasiddha, the teacher of Kumaradza, Longchenpa’s teacher.
Merit – Skt. punya, good karma, the energy generated by positive actions of body, speech and mind.
Meru, Mount – immense mountain, wider at the top than at the bottom, around which the four continents of the world are disposed, according to ancient Indian cosmology.
Middle Way – teaching on emptiness first expounded by Nagarjuna and considered to be the basis of the Secret Mantrayana. “Middle” means that it is beyond the extreme points of view of nihilism and eternalism.
Milarepa – see Jetsun Mila.
Mind lineage of the Conquerors – lineage of transmission of the teachings from mind to mind.
Muni – lit. the Mighty One. An epithet for a Buddha.
Nada – the spontaneous sound of dharmata. In the syllable hum it is represented by a little flame above the circle on top, symbolizing the state of enlightenment, the sole essence, awakened awareness.
Naga – a kind of snakelike being living in the depths of water or under the ground. Although they have miraculous powers they are classified as belonging to the animal realm. See three worlds.
Nagarjuna – (1st – 2nd century), Indian master, one of the Six Ornaments. He expounded the teachings of the Middle Way and composed numerous philosophical and medical treatises.
Nalanda – the birthplace near Rajagriha of the Buddha’s disciple Sariputra, which much later, starting in the time of the Gupta kings (5th century), became one of the great centres of learning in Buddhist India. It was destroyed around 1200 A.D.
Namcho Mingyur Dorje – a famous treasure discoverer of the 16th century.
Nanda – a cousin of the Buddha who became one of his foremost disciples.
Naropa – (1016-1100), Indian pandita and siddha, the disciple of Tilopa and teacher of Marpa the Translator.
Natural state – lit. way of abiding. “The nature or condition of everything.”
Nectar – see ambrosia.
Negative action – “That which produces suffering”. Harmful action, unwholesome act, evil.
Negative emotions – Skt. klesa, “mental phenomena which assail body and mind and lead to harmful actions, creating a state of mental torment.” Afflictive emotions, passions, afflictions. Synonym of poison. See five poisons.
New Tradition – the followers of the tantras that were translated and propagated from the time of the translator Rinchen Zangpo (958 – 1055) onwards. It designates all the schools of Tibetan Buddhism except for the Nyingmapa, or Ancient Tradition.
New Translations – see New Tradition.
Nihilism – materialism, the view which denies the existence of past and future lives, the principle of cause and effect, and so on.
Nine Expanses – nine subdivisions of the Expanse Section in the teachings of the Great Perfection.
Nirmanakaya – body of manifestation, the aspect of Buddhahood which manifests out of compassion to help ordinary beings.
Nirvana – the state beyond suffering. The conception of nirvana differs in the Sravakayana, Mahayana and Vajrayana.
Non-action – acting without conceptualizing, from the state of realization that the actor, the action and the object acted upon are all without intrinsic reality.
Non-dwelling nirvana – total enlightenment, beyond both samsara and nirvana, not “dwelling” in either of them.
Non-thought (experience) – one of the three types of experience in meditation. A calm state in which there are no thoughts. See experiences.
Novice – A novice monk holding fewer vows than a fully ordained monk (Skt. bhiksu).
Nyingmapa – see Ancient Tradition.
Obscurations – factors which veil one’s Buddha-nature. See also: two obscurations, four obscurations.
Obscurations of habitual tendencies – the habitual tendencies imprinted on the ground-of-all. See obscurations.
Obscurations of negative emotions – “thoughts (of hatred, attachment etc); they prevent one from attaining liberation.” See obscurations.
Omniscient Dharma-King – epithet of Longchenpa.
Once-Come-King – a Buddha in the first kalpa.
Orgyenpa (Rinchen Pal) – (1230-1309), a great siddha of the Drukpa Kagyu tradition, disciple of Gotsangpa. He travelled widely, visiting Oddiyana, Bodhgaya and China. Among his disciples were Karmapa Rangjung Dorje, Kharchupa and Dawa Senge.
Owner of the ground – Skt. bhumipati, a spirit occupying a place.
Padampa Sangye – (11th-12th century), Indian siddha who established the teachings of the Shijepa school. Teacher of Machik Labdron, to whom he transmitted the Cho teachings. He travelled to Tibet several times.
Padma – the name by which Padmasambhava refers to himself. The name
means “lotus.”
Padma Thotreng – lit. Padma garlanded with skulls. One of the names of Padmasambhava.
Padmasambhava of Oddiyana – the Lotus-born Teacher from Oddiyana, often known as Guru Rinpoche. During the reign of King Trisong Detsen, the great master subjugated the evil forces hostile to the propagation of Buddhism in Tibet, spread the Buddhist teaching of Vajrayana in that country and hid innumerable spiritual treasures for the sake of future generations. He is venerated as the Second Buddha whose coming was predicted by the first one, Buddha Sakyamuni, to give the special teachings of Vajrayana.
Palace of Lotus Light – the palace of Padmasambhava in the Buddhafield of the Glorious Copper coloured Mountain.
Palmo (nun) – famous Indian nun who propagated the practice of Nyung-ne (one-day fast and vow of silence) and attained the supreme accomplishment through the practice of Avalokitesvara.
Palyul (monastery) – one of the six great monasteries of the Nyingmapa school.
Pandita – a scholar, someone learned in the five traditional sciences (see: five sciences). Particularly used to refer to Indian scholars.
Path of accumulating – the first of the five paths towards total enlightenment, according to the Bodhisattva vehicle. On this path one accumulates the causes which will make it possible to proceed towards enlightenment.
Path of joining– the second of the five paths. On this path one connects oneself to or prepares oneself for seeing the two kinds of absence of self.
Path of seeing – the third of the five paths, according to the Bodhisattva vehicle. It is called this because on it one really sees the two kinds of absence of ‘self’ (i.e. of true, independent existence), that of the individual and that of phenomena.
Perceptions – that which appears in the eyes of each individual according to his or her tendencies or spiritual development. Quoting Patrul Rinpoche, speaks of three types of perception: 1) deluded perceptions, which arise in the consciouness of the beings of the six realms due to misunderstanding; they are called the impure deluded perceptions of the universe and beings. 2) the perceptions of interdependence, magical illusions, corresponding to the eight similes of illusion which one does not apprehend as real (see page 252); these are the perceptions of the bodhisattvas of the ten levels in their post-meditation state. 3) the authentic, perfect, perceptions of wisdom; when one has realized the natural state of everything, the beings and the universe appear as the display of the kayas and wisdoms.
Perfection phase – 1. “with characteristics”, it is the meditation on the channels and energies of the body visualized as a vajra body. 2. “without characteristics”, it is the meditation phase during which the forms visualized in the generation phase are dissolved and one remains in the experience of emptiness.
Phlegm – one of the three humours according to Tibetan medicine. See also wind, bile.
Pitaka – see Tripitaka.
Pitaka, (fourth) – the pitaka of the Secret Mantrayana.
Pith-instructions – instructions explaining the most profound points of the teachings in a condensed and direct way for the purposes of practice.
Positive action – “That which produces happiness” (Dudjom Rinpoche). Beneficial act, virtue.
Potowa, (Geshe) – (1031-1105), one of the Three Brothers, the three foremost disciples of Drom Tonpa (the founder of the Kadampa school).
Pratimoksa – lit. individual liberation. The vows of individual liberation are the eight categories of vows taught in the Vinaya, from the simple one day vow up to the complete vows of fully ordained monks. See three vows.
Pratyekabuddha – “someone reaching the end of samsara without the help of a spiritual master. By studying the nature of interdependent origination, he realizes the absence of true existence of the self and half-realizes the absence of true existence of phenomena.”
Precious canopy – one of the eight auspicious signs, it corresponds to the Buddha’s head and symbolizes protection from negative actions.
Precious Master of Oddiyana – one of the names of Padmasambhava.
Precious word empowerment – the fourth empowerment “which eliminates the defilements of body, speech, mind and habitual tendencies, enables one to meditate on the natural Great Perfection and sows the seed for obtaining vajra wisdom and the svabhavikakaya.”
Preliminaries – See five hundred thousand preliminaries.
Preparation, main part and conclusion – the three supreme methods for any practice: 1) beginning by checking that one has the compassionate motivation, 2) practising without materialistic concepts, and 3) ending by dedicating the merit to the enlightenment of all beings.
Preta – hungry spirit, spirit, hungry ghost.
Primal wisdom – Skt. jnana, “the knowing that has always been present since the beginning, awareness, clarity-emptiness, naturally dwelling in the mindstream of all beings.”
Primordial purity – the nature of Buddhahood, present in all beings, the purity of which can never be spoiled.
Principle of cause and effect – lit. action, cause and fruit. Process by which every action produces a corresponding effect. See karma.
Profound insight – “to see with the eye of wisdom the particular nature of things.”
Prostration – gesture of reverence, in which the forehead, the two hands and the two knees touch the ground.
Protectors – see Dharma protectors.
Protectors of the Three Families – the Bodhisattvas Manjusri, Avalokitesvara and Vajrapani. The three families are respectively those of the body, speech and mind of the Buddha.
Puchungwa, (Geshe) – one of the Three Brothers.
Purnakasyapa – a leading tirthika master at the time of the Buddha.
Pure land – a place or world manifested by a Buddha or great Bodhisattva through the spontaneous qualities of his realization. There, beings can progress towards enlightenment without falling back into the lower realms of samsara. Also, any place whatsoever, when it is perceived as a pure manifestation of spontaneous wisdom.
Pure Land of Bliss – Skt. Sukhavati, the Buddhafield of Amitabha,
Pure levels (three) – the eighth, ninth and tenth Bodhisattva levels, thus called because Bodhisattvas on these levels are totally free from the obscuration of negative emotions.
Pure perception – “the perception of all the world and its contents as a pure Buddhafield, as the display of kayas and wisdoms.”
Raksasa – a kind of malignant spirit that eats human flesh.
Ratnasambhava – the Buddha of the Jewel Family. See five families.
Real meaning – direct expression of truth from the point of view of realized beings. See also expedient meaning.
Realm – see six realms.
Refuge – 1) the object in which one takes refuge. 2) the practice of taking refuge.
Relative truth – the apparent truth perceived and taken as real by the deluded mind.
Repa Shiwa O – one of the main disciples of Milarepa.
Rinchen Zangpo – (958-1055), the most famous translator of the second propagation of Buddhism in Tibet, when the New Tradition began.
Risi – 1) sage, hermit, saint, particularly the famous sages of Indian myth, who had enormous longevity and magical powers. 2) name of a constellation.
Root teacher – 1) the principal, or first, spiritual teacher from whom one has received empowerments, commentaries and pith instructions. 2) the teacher who has introduced one to the nature of the mind.
Royal posture – sitting posture with the right leg half stretched and the left drawn in.
Rupakaya – Body of Form, which includes the sambhogakaya and nirmanakaya together.
Sadaprarudita – a Bodhisattva whose name means “Ever Weeping”, on account of the numerous tears he shed in his quest to receive the teachings on transcendent wisdom.
Sakyamuni – the Buddha of our time, who lived around the 5th century B.C.
Sakyapa – one of the schools of the New Tradition, founded by Khan Konchok Gyalpo (1034-1102).
Samantabhadra – 1) the original Buddha (Adibuddha), he who has never fallen into delusion, the Dharmakaya Buddha represented as a naked figure, deep blue like the sky, in union with Samantabhadri, as a symbol of awareness-emptiness, the pure, absolute nature ever present and unobstructed. The source of the lineage of the tantra transmissions of the Nyingma school. 2) Bodhisattva Samantabhadra, one of the Eight Great Close Sons, renowned for the way in which, through the power of his concentration, he miraculously multiplied the offerings he made.
Samaya – lit. promise. Sacred links between teacher and disciple, and also between disciples, in the Vajrayana. The Sanskrit word samaya can mean: agreement, engagement, convention, precept, boundary, etc. Although there are many detailed obligations, the most essential samaya is to consider the teacher’s body, speech and mind as pure.
Samaya object or substance – object or ingredient which is necessary for or enhances the practices of the Vajrayana.
Sambhogakaya – Body of Perfect Enjoyment, the spontaneously luminous aspect of Buddhahood, only perceptible to highly realized beings.
Samsara – the cycle of existence in which one is endlessly propelled by negative emotions and the karmic force of one’s actions from one state of rebirth to another.
Samvarasara – one of Manjusri’s names.
Samye – the first monastery in Tibet, in the Tsangpo valley south-east of Lhasa, built during the time of King Trisong Detsen. The name means “inconceivable.”
Samye Chimpu – name of a group of hermitages situated on the mountainside above Samye Monastery, where many great Buddhist masters have attained accomplishment.
Sangha – In its broad meaning it refers to all the practitioners of the Buddha’s teaching. It can have a more restricted meaning according to the context, referring to ordained monks, Arhats, Bodhisattvas, etc.
Sankara – example of a man whose strong desire and hatred led him to kill his mother. He repented and, having purified his negative actions, was reborn in a god realm.
Santaraksita, also called the Bodhisattva Abbot. This great Indian pandita of the Mahayana school was abbot of the Buddhist university of Nalanda and author of a number of philosophical commentaries, such as the Ornament of the Middle Way. He was invited to Tibet by King Trisong Detsen to consecrate the site of the first Tibetan monastery at Samye and ordained the first Tibetan monks.
Santideva – (7th century), the great Indian poet and mahasiddha, who astounded the monks of his monastery of Nalanda with his famous poem on the practice of bodhicitta, the Bodhicaryavatara, or
The Way of the Bodhisattva.
Saraha – Indian mahasiddha, author of three cycles of dohas.
Sariputra – one of the two foremost Sravaka disciples of Buddha Sakyamuni.
Sarvanivaranaviskambhin – one of the Eight Great Close Sons of Buddha Sakyamuni.
Sastra – a commentary on the Buddha’s teachings.
Sattvavajra – a name given to Vajrapani.
Savaripa – one of the eighty-four mahasiddhas of India. He was a hunter from a hill tribe in Bengal, and along with his two wives became a disciple of Nagarjuna.
Second Buddha – an epithet of Padmasambhava.
Secret empowerment – The second empowerment, “which purifies the defilements of speech, enables one to meditate on the channels and energies and to recite mantras, and sows the seed for obtaining vajra speech and the sambhogakaya.”
Secret Mantrayana – a branch of the Great Vehicle which uses the special techniques of the tantras to pursue the path of enlightenment for all beings more rapidly. Synonym of Vajrayana.
Seven attributes of royalty – seven possessions of a universal monarch, each of which has a symbolic significance. They are the precious golden wheel, precious wishfulfilling jewel, precious queen, precious minister, precious elephant, precious horse and precious general.
Seven branches – a form of prayer which comprises seven parts: prostration, offering, confession, rejoicing, requesting the teachers to turn the wheel of Dharma, requesting them not to pass into nirvana, and dedication of merit.
Seven noble riches – faith, discipline, generosity, learning, conscientiousness, modesty and wisdom.
Seven point mandala – mandala comprising Mount Meru, the four continents, the sun and the moon.
Seven point posture of Vairocana – the seven points of the ideal meditation posture: legs crossed in the vajra posture, back straight, hands in the gesture of meditation, eyes gazing along the nose, chin slightly tucked in, shoulders well apart “like a vulture’s wings”, and the tip of the tongue touching the palate.
Shang Rinpoche – (1121-1193), a great Kagyupa lama, founder of the Tsalpa Kagyu branch.
Shapkyu – lit. foot hook. A sign in the shape of a hook which is put under consonants to represent the u sound.
Sharawa – (1070-1141), name of a Kadampa geshe, disciple of Geshe Potowa.
Shubu Palgyi Senge – one of the twenty five disciples of Padmasambhava.
Siddha – lit. one who has attained the accomplishments. Someone who has attained the fruit of the practice of the Secret Mantrayana.
Siddhi – see accomplishment.
Six classes of beings – see six realms of existence.
Six consciousnesses – lit. six gatherings of consciousness, meaning the gathering of a sense object, of a sense organ and of a consciousness. They are the vision, hearing, smell, taste, touch and mental consciousnesses.
Six Ornaments – the six great commentators of the Buddha’s teachings: Nagarjuna, Aryadeva, Asanga, Vasubandhu, Dignaga and Dharmakirti.
Six realms of existence – six modes of existence caused and dominated by a particular mental poison: the realms of hells (anger), of pretas (miserliness), of animals (bewilderment or ignorance), of humans (desire), of demigods or asuras (jealousy), and of gods (pride). They correspond to deluded perceptions produced by beings’ karma and apprehended as real. One also speaks of five realms counting gods and demigods together as one realm.
Six transcendent perfections – transcendent generosity, transcendent discipline, transcendent patience, transcendent diligence, transcendent concentration and transcendent wisdom. See also transcendent perfection.
Skilful Means – spontaneous, altruistic activity born from wisdom.
Skull cup – Skt. kapala. The top of a skull is used in certain rituals and by some yogis as a bowl. It symbolizes egolessness.
Small skull drum – small doublesided drum made of two skull-tops.
Smrtijnana – (10th-11th century), famous Indian master and pandita who contributed to the translation into Tibetan and correction of certain tantras and commentaries. His death, in Tibet, marks the end of the period of the Old Translations.
So, Zur and Nub – the family names of three great masters who were the early holders of the lineage of the Nyingma Kahma (long transmission from master to disciple of the Nyingma teachings, as opposed to the Terma, or spiritual treasures hidden, then revealed, sometimes a very long time later). Their full names were So Yeshe Wangchuk, Zur Shakya Jungne and Nub Chen Sangye Yeshe.
Songtsen Gampo – (617-698), 33rd king of Tibet and one of the three great religious kings. It was during his time that the first Buddhist temples were built.
Source of good – positive actions which are like the roots of merit or good.
Spiritual companions – students of the same teacher, or with whom one has received teaching. It is considered vital to have harmonious relations with such people, particularly in the Vajrayana.
Spiritual friend – a synonym for spiritual teacher.
Spiritual treasure – terma, teachings, with statues and other objects, that were hidden by Padmasambhava, Yeshe Tsogyal and others in earth, rocks, lakes and trees, or even in more subtle locations such as space or mind for the sake of future generations, and then rediscovered in miraculous ways by incarnations of Padmasambhava’s disciples, the treasure discoverers.
Sravaka – a follower of the root vehicle of Buddhism whose goal is to attain liberation from the sufferings of samsara as an Arhat. Unlike the followers of the Great Vehicle, the Sravakas do not aspire to full enlightenment for the sake of all beings.
Sravakayana – the vehicle of the Sravakas.
Sri Simha – (4th century), the third human teacher in the lineage of transmission of the Great Perfection teachings, disciple of Manjusrimitra.
Srona (Sronajat) – a vina player who became a disciple of the Buddha and gained the ability to visit other realms, notably those of the pretas.
Study – lit. listening. Traditionally, listening to the teachings was the main way of learning in Tibet. Before studying from a text, it is important to receive the aural transmission by actually hearing the teacher’s words. The term “study” should therefore be understood as rather more than simply reading a text.
Stupa – lit. support of offering, symbolic representation of the Buddha’s mind. The most typical Buddhist monument, which often has a wide square base, a rounded mid-section, and a tall conical upper section topped by a sun and moon. Stupas frequently contain the relics of enlightened beings. They vary in size from tiny clay models to the vast stupas at Borobodur in Indonesia and Bodha in Nepal.
Sublime being – “realized being who has the capacity to act for the benefit of others on a vast scale.”
Sublime Compassionate One – one of the names given to Avalokitesvara (Chenrezi), the Bodhisattva of compassion.
Sublime levels – see Bodhisattva levels.
Sugata – lit. gone to happiness: a Buddha. “Someone who, using the happy path of the Bodhisattva vehicle, reaches the happy fruit: perfect Buddhahood.”
Sunaksatra – the Buddha’s cousin, who, despite spending twenty-five years as the Buddha’s attendant and knowing all his teachings by heart, was still unable to see any good qualities in him. He died shortly after leaving the Buddha and was reborn as a preta.
Supreme accomplishment – see accomplishment.
Sustained calm – Skt. samatha, the basis of all concentrations. “The distraction of the mind by other objects having been calmed, the mind stays without wavering in concentration.”
Sutra – a concise text spoken by the Buddha; one of the Three Pitakas. See Tripitaka.
Suvarnadvipa (Lord of) – a Buddhist master, Dharmakirti, who lived in Sumatra in the 10th century. Atisa considered him as the most important of the teachers from whom he received the teachings on bodhicitta.
Svabhavikakaya – the Body of the Essential Nature; the fourth kaya, the aspect of inseparability of the first three, Dharmakaya, Sambhogakaya and Nirmanakaya.
Symbol lineage of the Vidyadharas – lineage of transmission of the teachings by means of gestures or symbols.
Tainted (action) – done with the three concepts of subject, object and action.
Tangka – a Tibetan scroll painting.
Tangtong Gyalpo – (1385 -1509), famous Tibetan siddha who travelled extensively in China, Tibet and other eastern countries, built numerous temples and metal bridges and founded monasteries at Derge and elsewhere.
Tantra – text based on the original purity of the nature of mind, whose fruit is the realization of that nature. The root texts of the Vajrayana teachings.
Tantric – related to the tantras, to the Vajrayana.
Tara – female Bodhisattva born from a tear of Avalokitesvara; female manifestation of great compassion.
Tathagata – one who has reached the real nature, a Buddha.
Ten directions – the four cardinal points, the four intermediate ones, the zenith and the nadir.
Tendencies – see habitual tendencies.
Tenma – twelve female local deities who took the vow, in the presence of Padmasambhava, to protect the Dharma.
Theurang – a kind of spirit appearing like a small dwarf with only one leg.
Thirty-five Buddhas – the Thirty-five Buddhas of Confession, representing the omnipresence of the Buddhas, ready to purify beings from their faults in all thirty-five directions of space (the four main directions, the four intermediate directions, then the eight and sixteen sub directions, the centre, the nadir and the zenith).
Thirty-three – a god realm in the World of Desire, the abode of Indra and his thirty-two ministers. See three worlds.
Thought – on general, whatever arises in the mind in a dualistic mode.
Threatening mudra – Skt. tarjani mudra, threatening gesture, pointing with the forefinger and little finger.
Three Brothers – the three principal disciples of Drom Tonpa: Potowa, Chengawa and Puchungwa.
Three concepts – subject, object and action, perceived as having a real and independent existence.
Three Jewels – Skt. triratna, the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha.
Three kayas – Skt. trikaya, lit. the Three Bodies: the three aspects of Buddhahood: dharmakaya, sambhogakaya and nirmanakaya.
Three mandalas – the mandalas of body, speech and mind as manifestations of the primordial nature: forms as deity, sounds as mantra and thoughts as wisdom.
Three poisons – the three negative emotions of bewilderment, attachment and aversion. See five poisons.
Three Roots – the lama, root or source of blessings; the yidam, source of accomplishments; and the dakini (or protectors), source of activities.
Three supreme methods – See preparation, main part and conclusion.
Three sweet foods – sugar, molasses and honey.
Three times – past, present and future.
Three vows – the vows of Pratimoksa, the precepts of the Bodhisattvas and the samayas of the Secret Mantrayana.
Three white foods – milk, butter and curd, which are traditionally considered as very pure foods.
Three worlds – 1) the world of desire, the world of form and the world of formlessness. The first contains the beings of the hell, preta, animal, human and demigod realms, and some of the god realms. The second two are god realms with a rarified experience which is the result of certain types of intense concentration (see worldly concentrations). 2) Lit. the three levels, i) above the earth, ii) on the earth and iii) below the earth; they are called respectively the realms of gods, of humans and of nagas.
Threefold training – discipline, concentration and wisdom.
Thusness – “the nature of things, emptiness.”
Tilopa – one of the eighty four mahasiddhas of India. Teacher of Naropa.
Tingdzin Zangpo (Nyang) – (9th century), Tibetan mahasiddha, disciple of Vimalamitra (from whom he received the entire teachings of the Heart-essence) and of Padmasambhava. He is said to have been the first Tibetan to attain the rainbow body of the great transference, the greatest accomplishment of the Great Perfection.
Tirthika – a proponent of extreme philosophical views such as nihilism and eternalism. Often used for the schools of philosophical and religious thought in India that were opposed to Buddhism.
Tonpa (Geshe), (1005-1064), another name of Drom Tonpa.
Torma – a ritual object, often modelled from flour and butter, which can be the symbol of a deity, a mandala, an offering, or occasionally a weapon to fight negative forces.
Total enlightenment – complete Buddhahood.
Trakpa Gyaltsen – (1147-1216), one of the five great scholars of the Sakya school, who are known as the Sakya Gongma.
Transcendent perfection – Skt. paramita. The six methods of training in the bodhicitta of application. They are transcendent because they are accompanied by the wisdom of emptiness. See also six transcendent perfections.
Transference – 1) passing from one place to another, transmigrating (after death). 2) practice for directing the transference of consciousness at the time of death.
Treasure – see spiritual treasure.
Treasure discoverer – terton, see spiritual treasure.
Tripitaka – The three collections of the Buddha’s teachings, Vinaya, Sutra and Abhidharma. The Vajrayana teachings are sometimes considered as a fourth pitaka, Tripitaka means “the three baskets,” so called because the palm-leaf folios on which the scriptures were originally written were collected and stored in baskets.
Trisong Detsen – (790-844), 38th king of Tibet, second of the three great religious kings. It was due to his efforts that the great masters came from India and established Buddhism firmly in Tibet.
Tsampa – flour made from roasted barley or other grains. A staple food in Tibet.
Tsa-tsa – a small clay stupa, Buddha, or other figure, made with a mould.
Tulku – the Tibetan translation of the Skt. nirmanakaya, also used as an honorific title and general term for recognized incarnations of lamas, who are found, usually in childhood, and brought up to inherit the lineage and often the monastic foundations of their predecessors.
Tusita heaven – (fourth level) realm of the gods of the World of Desire, in which Buddha Sakyamuni took a final rebirth before appearing in this world. At present Maitreya, the future Buddha, is in the Tusita heaven teaching the Mahayana. See three worlds.
Twelve categories of teaching in the pitakas – lit. twelve pitakas, also called the Twelve Branches of Excellent Speech. The twelve types of teaching given by the Buddha correspond to twelve types of text: condensed, melodious, prophetic, verse, spoken with a purpose, conversatory (questions, talks, etc.), concerning his past lives, marvellous, establishing a truth, biographical or “expressing realization” historical, and very detailed.
Twelve qualities of full training – twelve ascetic practices of sravakas and pratyekabuddhas, such as eating only once a day, living in solitude, possessing only the three monastic garments, etc.
Twelve Vajra Laughs – a teaching of the Great Perfection.
Twenty One Genyen – a group of spirits who were subdued by Padmasambhava and became protectors of the Dharma.
Twenty-five disciples – the greatest Tibetan disciples of Padmasambhava. All of them attained the supreme accomplishment. The most famous were King Trisong Detsen, Yeshe Tsogyal, and Vairotsana. Many of the great masters of Tibetan Buddhism are emanations of the twenty-five disciples.
Two accumulations – the accumulation of merit and that of wisdom,
Two obscurations – the obscurations of negative emotions and conceptual obscurations. See also obscurations and four obscurations.
Two Supreme Ones – Gunaprabha and Sakyaprabha.
Two truths – the absolute and relative truths.
Twofold goal – one’s own goal, benefit or welfare and that of others. Often understood in the ultimate sense of the goal for oneself being achieved by the realization of emptiness, the dharmakaya, and the goal for others by compassion manifesting as the rupakaya.
Twofold purity – original purity, which is the Buddha nature in all beings, and purity from all adventitious stains. Only a Buddha has this second purity as well.
Oddiyana – orgyen, a dakini land which is the birthplace of Padmasambhava. According to some it is located between present-day Afghanistan and Kashmir. It is also the birthplace of Garab Dorje. The use of “Oddiyana” coupled with titles such as “Great One,” “Second Buddha,” “Great Master,” and so on invariably refers to Padmasambhava.
Unaltered – left in its original state, without manipulations or fabrications.
Unexcelled, Skt. Akanistha, see Akanistha,
Universal monarch – 1) a king ruling over a world system. 2) an emperor.
Untainted (action) – done without concepts of subject, object and action.
Vairocana – the Buddha of the Buddha family. See five families.
Vairotsana – Tibet’s greatest translator and one of the first seven monks to be ordained in Tibet. He was one of the principal disciples of Padmasambhava and of Sri Simha.
Vaisakha – the fourth month of the Tibetan lunar calendar. It is on the fifteenth of that month that the Buddha was born, attained enlightenment and passed into nirvana.
Vaisravana – one of the Four Great Kings (whose god realm is the first in the World of Desire), guardian of the North and god of wealth.
Vajra – dorje. Diamond, adamantine thunderbolt. Symbol of unchanging and indestructible wisdom capable of penetrating through everything. Ritual instrument symbolizing compassion, skilful means, awareness. Always associated with the bell, dril bu, Skt. ghanta, the symbol of wisdom, emptiness. For the vajra’s form see illustration of Vajrasattva who holds the vajra in his right hand and the bell in his left.
Vajra brothers and sisters – students of the same teacher, or with whom one has received Vajrayana teachings. See spiritual companions.
Vajra master – “the spiritual master who introduces one to a mandala of the Secret Mantrayana and gives the liberating instructions.”
Vajra of Joy – a name of Garab Dorje.
Vajra of Laughter – another name of Garab Dorje.
Vajra posture – meditation posture with the legs crossed and the feet resting on the thighs.
Vajra recitation – recitation of mantras in concert with inhalation, holding and exhalation.
Vajra Seat – the place in India (the present name is Bodh Gaya) where all the Buddhas of this kalpa are to attain enlightenment.
Vajra song – song expressing the inner experiences of a yogi, his realization of the ultimate indestructible (vajra) nature.
Vajra Yogini – a female sambhogakaya form of Buddha.
Vajradhara – lit. vajra holder. In the New Tradition, he is the primordial Buddha, source of all the tantras. In the Ancient Tradition, Vajradhara represents the principle of the Teacher as enlightened holder of the Vajrayana teachings.
Vajradhatvisvari – one of the consorts of the Buddhas of the Five Families.
Vajrapani – one of the Eight Great Close Sons.
Vajrasattva – dorje sempa. The Buddha who embodies the Hundred Families. The practice of Vajrasattva and recitation of his mantra are particularly effective for purifying negative actions. In the lineage of the Great Perfection he is the sambhogakaya Buddha.
Vajrayana – see Secret Mantrayana.
Vase empowerment – the first empowerment “that purifies the defilements of the body, enables one to meditate on the generation phase and sows the seed for obtaining the vajra body and the nirmanakaya.”
Vase of great treasure – one of the eight auspicious signs. It corresponds to the throat of the Buddha and symbolizes the teachings that fulfil all desires.
Vehicle – Skt. yana, the means for travelling the path to enlightenment.
Vidyadhara – rigdzin, knowledge holder. “One who through profound means holds the deities, mantras, and the wisdom of great bliss.” In the Nyingmapa Tradition there are four levels of vidyadhara: (i) totally matured, (ii) mastering the duration of his life, (iii) mahamudra, and (iv) spontaneously accomplished.
View – 1) point of view, belief. 2) the authentic point of view, the real knowledge of the natural state of all phenomena.
Vikramasila – one of the most famous Buddhist universities of India, destroyed in the 12th century.
Vimalamitra – one of the most learned Indian Buddhist masters. He went to Tibet in the 9th century, where he taught extensively, and composed and translated numerous Sanskrit texts. The quintessence of his teaching is known as the Vima Nyingtig, one of the Heart-essence teachings of the Great Perfection.
Vina – an Indian musical instrument, with strings that are plucked.
Vinaya – one of the Three Pitakas, containing teachings about monastic discipline and ethics in general.
Vipasyin – the first of the six Buddhas who preceded Buddha Sakyamuni.
Virupa – one of the eighty-four mahasiddhas of India. An important source of the teachings of the Sakyapa tradition.
Walking posture – standing posture with the two legs together but the right foot slightly forward (symbolizing eagerness to help other beings).
Warmth (sign of) – a sign that the practice is beginning to work. (When a fire produces heat, it means that it has started properly.) This expression does not particularly refer to an experience of physical heat.
Water torma – an offering made with water, milk and grains.
Wealth deity – a deity that one propitiates to increase wealth.
Wheel – Skt. cakra, one of the centres of energy at different points on the central channel, from which radiate the small subtle channels going to all parts of the body. Generally there are considered to be four or five of these wheels.
Wheel of Dharma – Skt. dharmacakra, the symbol of the Buddha’s teaching. To turn the wheel of the Dharma means to teach the Dharma. During his lifetime, the Buddha gave three major series of teachings, which are referred to as the first, second and third turnings.
Wind – 1. see energy. 2. one of the three humours according to Tibetan medicine. See also bile, phlegm.
Wisdom – Skt. prajna, the ability to understand correctly, usually with the particular sense of understanding emptiness. Discerning wisdom. See also primal wisdom.
Wisdom empowerment – the third empowerment “that purifies the defilements of the mind, enables one to meditate on the perfection phase and sows the seed for obtaining the vajra mind and the dharmakaya.”
Wish-fulfilling jewel – Skt, cintamani, a fabulous jewel found in realms of the gods or nagas which fulfills all one’s wishes.
Wish-fulfilling tree – magical tree which has its root in the demigod realm but bears its fruit in the realm of the gods of the Thirty-three.
Without Fighting – name of a god realm of the World of Desire, so called because it is high enough for the gods there not to have to fight with the demigods. See three worlds.
Worldly concentrations – concentrations leading not to enlightenment but only to rebirth in god realms. See four concentrations.
Wrathful Black True Mother – Skt. Krodhakali, lit. the one mother wrathful and black. A manifestation of Samantabhadri in wrathful sambhogakaya form, an aspect of Vajravarahi.
Wrong view – false belief, particularly a view that will lead one to courses of action that bring more suffering.
Yaksa – a class of spirits.
Yama – the Lord of Death.
Yamantaka – wrathful form of Manjusri.
Yellow scroll – piece of paper (not necessarily yellow) on which the texts of spiritual treasures are written.
Yeshe Tsogyal – Padmasambhava’s mystic consort and greatest disciple. She served him perfectly, and helped him to propagate his teachings, in particular concealing spiritual treasures to be rediscovered later for the sake of future disciples.
Yidam – a deity representing enlightenment, in a male or female, peaceful or wrathful form corresponding to one’s individual nature. The yidam is the source of accomplishments. See three roots.
Yoga – practice, lit. a method for uniting with the natural state.
Yogi or yogini – someone who practises yoga, a spiritual practitioner.

gonpo lekden

gonpo maning nagpo

ekajati

rahula tseringma

(It is traditional in Tibetan books to have pictures of the Dharma Protectors at the end.)

Chapter List