|
(Skt
=Sanskrit; Tib = Tibetan) |
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A |
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Abhidhama
(Skt; Tib: chö-ngön- pa) |
One of
the three baskets (tripitaka) of the Buddhist canon, the others being
the Vinaya and the Sutra; the systematized philosophical and
psychological analysis of existence that is the basis of the Buddhist
systems of tenets and mind training. |
Akshobhya
(Skt; Tib: Mi-kyö-pa "Imperturbable") |
One of
the five dhyani buddhas, or heads of the five buddha families, who
represent the fully purified skandhas, or aggregates, of form,
feeling, recognition, compositional factors, and consciousness.
Akshobhya is blue in color, represents the fully purified aggregate of
consciousness, and is lord of the vajra family. |
Ajatashatru
(Skt) |
Early
Indian king who imprisoned and killed his father, Bimbisara. Realizing
the enormity of this sin and guided by the Buddha, he purified this
negativity and became an arhat. |
Angulimala
(Skt) |
A
character in a classic Dharma story of choosing the wrong guru and
committing horrendous actions. In this case, he killed 399 people and
made a rosary out of their thumbs. He was prevented by the Buddha from
killing his thousandth victim, which, according to the wrong guru,
would have led him to liberation. He was able to purify and become an
arhat. |
arhat
(Skt) |
Literally,
"foe destroyer." A person who has destroyed his or her
delusions and attained liberation from cyclic existence. |
Avalokiteshvara
(Skt; Tib: Chenrezig) |
The
buddha of compassion. A male meditational deity embodying fully
enlightened compassion. |
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B
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bodhicitta
(Skt) |
The altruistic
determination to reach enlightenment for the sole purpose of
enlightening all sentient beings. |
bodhisattva
(Skt) |
Someone whose
spiritual practice is directed toward the achievement of
enlightenment. One who possesses the compassionate motivation of
bodhicitta. |
buddha
(Skt) |
A fully
enlightened being. One who has removed all obscurations veiling the
mind and has developed all good qualities to perfection. The first of
the Three Jewels of refuge. See also enlightenment. |
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Central channel |
See
shushuma. |
chakra
(Skt) |
Energy wheel.
A focal point of energy along the central channel (shushuma) upon
which one's concentration is directed, especially during the
completion stage of highest yoga tantra. The main chakras are the
crown, throat, heart, navel, and secret. |
channels
(Skt: nadi) |
A constituent
of the vajra body through which energy winds and drops flow. The
central, right, and left are the major channels; the channels total
72,000 in all. |
chu-len
(Tib) |
Literally,
"taking the essence." Chu-len pills are made of essential
ingredients; taking but a few each day, accomplished meditators can
remain secluded in retreat for months or years without having to
depend upon normal food. |
compassion
(Skt: karuna) |
The wish for
all beings to be separated from their mental and physical suffering. A
prerequisite for the development of bodhicitta. Compassion is
symbolized by the meditational deity Avalokiteshvara. |
completion stage
(Tib: dzok- rim) |
The second of
the two stages of highest yoga tantra, during which control is gained
over the vajra body through such practices as inner fire. |
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D
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daka
(Skt; Tib: kha- dro) |
Literally, a
"sky-goer." A male being who helps arouse blissful energy in
a qualified tantric practitioner. |
dakini
(Skt; Tib: kha-dro- ma) |
Literally, a
"female sky-goer." A female being who helps arouse blissful
energy in a qualified tantric practitioner. |
|
damaru
(Skt) |
A small hand
drum used in tantric practice. |
delusion
(Skt: klesha;
Tib: nyön- mong) |
An obscuration
covering the essentially pure nature of the mind, being thereby
responsible for suffering and dissatisfaction; the main delusion is
ignorance, out of which grow desirous attachment, hatred, jealousy,
and all the other delusions. |
Dharma
(Skt) |
Spiritual
teachings, particularly those of the Buddha. Literally, that which
holds one back from suffering. The second of the Three Jewels of
refuge. |
dharmakaya
(Skt) |
The
"truth body." The mind of a Fully enlightened being, which,
free of all coverings, remains meditatively absorbed in the direct
perception of emptiness while simultaneously cognizing all phenomena.
One of the three bodies of a buddha (see also nirmanakaya and
sambhogakaya). |
|
Divine pride |
The strong
conviction that one has achieved the state of a particular
meditational deity. Cf. generation stage. |
dorje
(Tib; Skt: vajra) |
The magical
weapon of the Vedic god Indra, made of metal and very sharp and hard;
adamantine. A thunderbolt. A tantric implement symbolizing method
(compassion or bliss), held in the right hand (the male side), usually
in conjunction with a bell, which symbolizes wisdom and is held in the
left hand (the female side). |
Dorje Khadro
(Tib; Skt: Vajradaka) |
A deity who
functions to purify negativities through his specific fire puja (jin-sek).
See also ngön-dro. |
|
drops |
A constituent
of the vajra body used in the generation of great bliss. Of the two
types, at conception, the red drops are received from one's mother and
the white drops from one's father. |
|
dualistic view |
The ignorant
view characteristic of the unenlightened mind in which all things are
falsely conceived to have concrete self-existence. To such a view, the
appearance of an object is mixed with the false image of its being
independent or self-existent, thereby leading to further dualistic
views concerning subject and object, self and other, this and that,
etc. |
|
dzok-rim
(Tib) |
See completion
stage. |
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ego-grasping |
The ignorant
compulsion to regard one's self, or I, as permanent, selfexistent, and
independent of all other phenomena. |
|
empowerment |
See
initiation. |
|
emptiness |
See
sunyata. |
enlightenment
(Skt: bodhi) |
Full
awakening; buddhahood. The ultimate goal of Buddhist practice,
attained when all limitations have been removed from the mind and all
one's positive potential has been realized. It is a state
characterized by unlimited compassion, skill, and wisdom. |
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four classes of
tantra |
The division
of tantra into kriya (action), carya (performance), yoga, and anuttara
yoga (highest yoga). |
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Geluk
(Tib) |
The Virtuous
Order. The order of Tibetan Buddhism founded by Lama Tsong Khapa and
his disciples in the early fifteenth century. |
generation stage
(Tib: kye- rim) |
The first of
the two stages of highest yoga tantra, during which one cultivates the
clear appearance and divine pride of one's chosen meditational deity. |
graduatedpath
(Tib:
lam- rim) |
A presentation
of Shakyamuni Buddha's teachings in a form suitable for the
step-by-step training of a disciple. The lam-rim was first formulated
by the great Indian teacher Atisha (Dipankara Shrijnana, 982-1055)
when he came to Tibet in 1042. |
Guhyasamaja
(Skt; Tib: Sang-wa Dü- pa) |
Male
meditational deity from the father class of highest yoga tantra; a
manifestation of the Buddha Akshobhya. |
guru
(Skt; Tib:
lama) |
A spiritual
guide or teacher. One who shows a disciple the path to liberation and
enlightenment. In tantra, one's teacher is seen as inseparable from
the meditational deity and the Three Jewels of refuge. See also root
guru. |
|
guru yoga
(Skt) |
The
fundamental tantric practice, whereby one's guru is seen as identical
with the buddhas, one's personal meditational deity, and the essential
nature of one's own mind. |
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Heruka
Chakrasamvara
(Skt; Tib: Kor-lo Dem-chog) |
Male
meditational deity from the mother tantra class of highest yoga tantra.
He is the principal deity connected with the Heruka Vajrasattva
practice and was Lama Yeshe's yidam. |
Highest yoga
tantra
(Skt: anuttara-yoga tantra) |
The fourth and
supreme division of tantric practice, consisting of the generation and
completion stages. Through this practice, one can attain full
enlightenment within one lifetime. |
Hinayana
(Skt) |
Literally, the
"Small Vehicle." It is one of the two general divisions of
Buddhism. Hinayana practitioners' motivation for following the Dharma
path is principally their intense wish for personal liberation from
conditioned existence, or samsara. Cf Mahayana; see also Theravada. |
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initiation |
Transmission
received from a tantric master allowing a disciple to engage in the
practices of a particular meditational deity. It is also referred to
as an empowerment |
inner
fire
(Tib: tum- mo) |
The energy
residing at the navel chakra, aroused during the completion stage of
highest yoga tantra and used to bring the energy winds into the
central channel. It is also called inner or psychic heat. |
inner
offering
(Tib: nang- chö) |
A tantric
offering whose basis of transformation is one's five aggregates
visualized as the five meats and the five nectars. |
insight
meditation
(Pali: vipassana) |
The principal
meditation taught in the Theravada tradition and is based on the
Buddha's teachings on the four foundations of mindfulness. It is
sometimes called mindfulness meditation. In the Mahayana, Vipasyana
(Skt) has a different connotation, where it means investigation of
and familiarization with the actual way in which things exist and is
used to develop the wisdom of emptiness. |
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jor-chö
(Tib) |
The
preparatory rites (see Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand pp.
131- 247, and Sopa, Geshe Lhundup, and Hopkins, Jeffrey, Cutting
Through Appearances, Ithaca: Snow Lion, 1989). |
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Kagyu
(Tib) |
The order of
Tibetan Buddhism founded in the eleventh century by Marpa, Milarepa,
Gampopa, and their followers. |
|
Kalarupa
(Skt) |
Wrathful male
meditational deity connected with Yamantaka. |
|
kapala
(Skt; Tib: tö- pa) |
Skull cup,
e.g., the one held by Yum Dorje Nyem- ma. |
karma
(Skt; Tib: lä) |
Action; the
working of cause and effect, whereby positive actions produce
happiness and negative actions produce suffering. |
|
kriya
(Skt) |
First of the
four classes of tantra (q.v.); action tantra. |
|
kundalini
(Skt) |
Blissful
energy dormant within the physical body, aroused through tantric
practice and used to generate penetrative insight into the true nature
of reality. |
|
kusha
(Skt) |
Kind of
long-stranded grass used under the retreat seat, during tantric
initiations, and for making brooms in India. Shakyamuni Buddha made a
seat out of kusha grass when he meditated under the bodhi tree at
Bodhgaya and attained enlightenment. |
|
kye-rim
(Tib) |
See generation
stage. |
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lama
(Tib) |
See guru. |
|
lam-rim
(Tib) |
See graduated
path. |
|
liberation |
See nirvana. |
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Madhyamaka
(Skt) |
The middle
way; a system of analysis founded by Nagarjuna, based on the prajñaparamita
sutras of Shakyamuni Buddha, and considered to be the supreme
presentation of the wisdom of emptiness. |
maha-anuttara
(Skt) |
Also called
anuttara. See four classes of tantra and highest yoga tantra. It is
divided into generation and completion stages. |
Mahakala
(Skt) |
Wrathful male
meditational deity connected with Heruka; a Dharma protector favored
by Lama Yeshe. |
mahamudra
(Skt; Tib: chag- chen) |
The great
seal. A profound system of meditation upon the mind and the ultimate
nature of reality. |
|
Mahayana
(Skt) |
Literally, the
"Great Vehicle." It is one of the two general divisions of
Buddhism. Mahayana practitioners' motivation for following the Dharma
path is principally their intense wish for all mother sentient beings
to be liberated from conditioned existence, or samsara, and to attain
the full enlightenment of buddhahood. The Mahayana has two divisions:
Paramitayana, or Sutrayana, and Vajrayana. Cf Hinayana. |
mandala
(Skt; Tib: khyil- khor) |
A circular
diagram symbolic of the entire universe. The abode of a meditational
deity. |
Manjushri
(Skt; Tib: Jam-päl- yang) |
The buddha of
wisdom. A male meditational deity embodying fully enlightened wisdom. |
|
mantra
(Skt) |
Literally,
protection of the mind. Mantras are Sanskrit syllables recited in
conjunction with the practice of a particular meditational deity that
embody the qualities of that deity. |
|
mantra rosary |
A mantra
visualized as a rosary, its syllables representing beads; usually
circular, as in the syllables of the one hundred syllable mantra
standing around the edge of the moon disc. |
|
Mara
(Skt) |
Personification
of the delusions that distract us from Dharma practice; what Buddhists
might call the "devil"; what Shakyamuni Buddha overcame
under the bodhi tree as he strove for enlightenment. |
Marpa
(Tib;
1012-96) |
Founder of the
Kagyu tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. He was a renowned tantric master
and translator, a disciple of Naropa, and the guru of Milarepa. |
|
middle way |
The view
presented in Shakyamuni Buddha's prajñaparamita sutras and elucidated
by Nagarjuna that all phenomena are dependent arisings, thereby
avoiding the mistaken extremes of self-existence and non-existence, or
eternalism and nihilism. Cf Madhyamaka. |
Milarepa
( Tib;
1040- 1123) |
Foremost
disciple of Marpa, famous for his intense practice, devotion to his
guru, attainment of enlightenment in his lifetime, and his many songs
of spiritual realization. |
mudra
(Skt; Tib: chag- gya) |
Literally,
seal, token. A symbolic hand gesture, endowed with power not unlike a
mantra. A tantric consort. |
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Nagarjuna
(Skt) |
The second
century AD Indian Buddhist philosopher who propounded the Madhyamaka
philosophy of emptiness. |
|
nang-chö
(Tib) |
See inner
offering. |
ngön-dro
(Tib) |
Preliminary
practice(s) found in all schools ofTibetan Buddhism, usually done
100,000 times each; the four main ones are recitation of the refuge
formula, mandala offerings, prostrations, and Vajrasattva mantra
recitation. The Geluk tradition adds five more: guru yoga, water bowl
offerings, Damtsig Dorje purifying meditation, making tsa-tsas
(small sacred images, usually made of clay), and the Dorje Khadro
burnt offering (jin-sek). |
nirmanakaya
(Skt) |
The
"emanation body"; the form in which the enlightened mind
appears in order to benefit ordinary beings. One of the three bodies
of a buddha. See also dharmakaya and sambhogakaya. |
nirvana
(Skt; Tib: thar- pa) |
The state of
complete liberation from samsara; the goal of a practitioner seeking
his or her own freedom from suffering (see Hinayana). "Lower
nirvana" is used to refer to this state of self-liberation, while
"higher nirvana" refers to the supreme attainment of the
full enlightenment of buddhahood. |
|
Nyingma
(Tib) |
The
"ancient" order of Tibetan Buddhism, which traces its
teachings back to the time of Padma Sambhava, the eighth century AD
Indian tantric master invited to Tibet by King Trisong Detsen to clear
away the influences obstructing the establishment of Buddhism. This
school includes in its canon works and translations dating from the
early period of the dissemination of Buddhism in Tibet. |
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pandit
(Skt) |
Scholar;
learned man. |
Paramitayana
(Skt) |
The
"Perfection Vehicle"; one of the two divisions of the
Mahayana. This is the gradual path to enlightenment traversed by
bodhisattvas practicing the six perfections of charity, morality,
patience, effort, concentration, and wisdom, through the ten
bodhisattva levels (bhumis) over countless eons of rebirths in samsara
for the benefit of all sentient beings. It is also called Sutrayana.
See also Vajrayana. |
Phadampa Sangye
(Tib) |
Indian yogi of
unusual accomplishments; contemporary with Milarepa and disciple of
Nagarjuna and Virupa. |
prajñaparamita
(Skt) |
The
"perfection of wisdom"; the prajñaparamita sutras are the
teachings of Shakyamuni Buddha in which the wisdom of emptiness and
the path of the bodhisattva are set forth. The basis of Nagarjuna's
philosophy. |
|
pratimoksha
(Skt) |
See vows. |
|
puja
(Skt) |
Literally,
"offering." The word is often used loosely, as in
"Let's do a puja," to refer to performing a ritual, such as
the Guru Puja (Offering to the Spiritual Master; Tib: Lama Chöpa),
or reciting a sadhana. |
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refuge |
The door to
the Dharma path. A Buddhist takes refuge in the Three Jewels of
Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha, fearing the sufferings of samsara and
believing that the Three Jewels have the power to lead him or her out
of suffering, to happiness, liberation, or enlightenment. |
root guru
(Tib:
tsa-wäi lama) |
The teacher
who has had the greatest influence upon a particular disciple's
entering or following the spiritual path. |
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sadhana
(Skt) |
Method of
accomplishment; the step-by-step instructions for practicing the
meditations related to a particular meditational deity. |
|
samadhi
(Skt) |
See
single-pointed concentration. |
samaya
(Skt; Tib: dzm- tsig) |
Sacred word of
honor; the pledges and commitments made by a disciple at an initiation
to keep tantric vows for life or to perform certain practices
connected with the deity, such as daily sadhana recitation, or
offering the Guru Puja on the tenth and the twenty-fifth of
each Tibetan month. |
sambhogakaya
(Skt) |
The
"enjoyment body"; the form in which the enlightened mind
appears in order to benefit highly realized bodhisattvas. One of the
three bodies of a buddha. See also dharmakaya and nirmanakaya. |
samsara
(Skt; Tib: Rhor- wa) |
Cyclic
existence; the six realms of conditioned existence, three
lower—hell, hungry spirit (Skt: preta), and animal—and
three upper—human, demi-god, and god. It is the beginningless,
recurring cycle of death and rebirth under the control of delusion and
karma and fraught with suffering. It also refers to the contaminated
aggregates of a sentient being. |
Sangha
(Skt) |
Spiritual
community; the third of the Three Jewels of refuge. Absolute Sangha
are those who have directly realized emptiness; relative Sangha are
ordained monks and nuns. |
secret mantra
(
Tib: sang- ngak) |
See
tantra. |
|
seed syllable |
In tantric
visualizations, a Sanskrit syllable arising out of emptiness and out
of which the meditational deity in turn arises. A single syllable
representing a deity's entire mantra. |
|
sentient being |
Any
unenlightened being; any being whose mind is not completely free from
gross and subtle ignorance. |
Shakyamuni
Buddha
(563-483 B.C.) |
Fourth of the
one thousand founding buddhas of this present world age. Born a prince
of the Shakya clan in North India, he taught the sutra and tantra
paths to liberation and full enlightenment; founder of what came to be
known as Buddhism. See also buddha. |
shi-dak
(Tib) |
Landlord;
place owner. Buddhism teaches that each place has associated with it a
sentient being who considers that he owns it. Offerings are made to
this being to request the temporary use of that place for, e.g.,
retreat. |
shushuma
(or
avadhuti,
Skt; Tib: tsa uma) |
The central
channel, or nadi, which runs from the crown of the head to the secret
chakra. It is the major energy channel of the vajra body, visualized
as a hollow tube of light in front of the spine. |
single-pointed
concentration
(Skt: samadhi) |
A state of
deep meditative absorption; single-pointed concentration on the actual
nature of things, free from discursive thought and dualistic
conceptions. |
|
sunyata
(Skt) |
The absence of
all false ideas about how things exist; specifically, the lack of the
apparent independent, self-existence of phenomena. Usually translated
as emptiness or voidness. |
|
sutra
(Skt) |
A discourse of
Shakyamuni Buddha; the pre-tantric division of Buddhist teachings
stressing the cultivation of bodhicitta and the practice of the six
perfections. See also Paramitayana. |
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tantra
(Skt; Tib: gyüd) |
Literally,
thread, or continuity. The texts of the secret mantra teachings of
Buddhism; often used to refer to these teachings themselves. Cf
Vajrayana. |
tathagata
(Skt; Tib: de-zhin shek- pa) |
Literally, one
who has realized suchness; a buddha. |
|
Theravada
(Skt) |
The Doctrine
of the Elders; one of the eighteen schools into which the Hinayana
split not long after Shakyamuni Buddha's death; the dominant school
today, prevalent in Thailand, Sri Lanka, and Burma, and well
represented in the West. |
|
torma
(Tib) |
An offering
cake used in tantric rituals. In Tibet, tormas were usually made of
tsampa, but other edibles such as biscuits and so forth will suffice. |
|
tsampa
(Tib) |
Roasted barley
flour; a Tibetan staple food. |
|
tsok
(Tib) |
Literally,
gathering—a gathering of offering substances and a gathering of
disciples to make the offering. |
Tsong Khapa,
Lama je
(1357- 1417) |
Founder of the
Geluk tradition of Tibetan Buddhism and revitalizer of many sutra and
tantra lineages and the monastic tradition in Tibet. |
|
tum-mo
(Tib) |
cf inner fire. |
|
twelve links of
dependent arising (Skt pratitya samtrtpada; Tib: ten-drel chu-nyi) |
Shakyamuni
Buddha's explanation of how delusion and karma bind sentient beings to
samsara, causing them to be reborn into suffering again and again;
depicted pictorially in the Tibetan "Wheel of Life." |
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Vajradhara
(Skt;
Tib: Dorje Chanpa) |
male
meditational deity; the form through which Shakyamuni Buddha revealed
the teachings of secret mantra. |
Vajrapani
(Skt;
Tib: Chag-na Dorje) |
the buddha of
power. A male meditational deity embodying the power of all
enlightened beings to accomplish their goals. |
Vajrayogini
(Skt;
Tib: Dorje Nöl-jor- ma) |
Female
meditational deity from the mother class of highest yoga tantra;
sometimes a consort of Heruka. |
Vajrasattva
(Skt;
Tib: Dorje Sem- pa) |
Male
meditational deity symbolizing the inherent purity of all buddhas. A
major tantric purification practice for removing obstacles created by
negative karma and the breaking of vows. |
Vajravarahi
(Skt;
Tib: Dorje Phag- mo) |
female
meditational deity; consort of Heruka. |
|
Vajrayana
(Skt) |
the adamantine
vehicle; the second of the two Mahayana paths. It is also called
Tantrayana or Mantrayana. This is the quickest vehicle of Buddhism, as
it allows practitioners to attain enlightenment within one lifetime.
See also tantra. |
Vinaya
(Skt; Tib: dül- wa) |
The division
of the Buddhist scriptures concerned with monastic discipline—the
rules for the behavior of monks and nuns and the conduct of their
communal business. |
|
Vipassana
(Pali) |
see insight
meditation |
|
vows |
precepts taken
on the basis of refuge at all levels of Buddhist practice. Pratimoksha
precepts (vows of individual liberation) are the main vows in the
Hinayana tradition and are taken by monks, nuns, and lay people; they
are the basis of all other vows. Bodhisattva and tantric precepts are
the main vows in the Mahayana tradition. See also Vinaya. |
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Yamantaka
(Skt;
also Vajra Bhairava;
Tib: Doje Jig-je) |
male
meditational deity from the father tantra class of highest yoga tantra. |
|
yana
(Skt) |
Literally,
vehicle; a spiritual path that takes you from where you are to where
you want to be. See also Hinayana, Mahayana, etc. |
|
yi-dam
(Tib) |
Literally,
"mind-bound." One's own personal, main—or, as Lama Yeshe
used to say, favorite—deity for tantric practice. The deity with
which you have the strongest connection. |
|
yum
(Tib) |
literally,
"mother"; female consort of a male tantric deity (the
"father"-yab), as in Yum Dorje Nyem-ma Karmo, the consort of
Heruka Vajrasattva. |
