BARRIERS AND BLOCKS: Terms used to describe modes of thinking, emotional patterns or behavioral patterns that prevent the individual from releasing limiting emotional and mental patterns and habits. These were created by the individual in the present and prior existences in order to complete their purpose in that existence.

BILOCATION: The appearance of an individual in two different places at once. Prevailing theory suggests that it is the projection of a double which may be perceived by others as a solid physical form or may appear ghostly. Many Christian saints and monks were famous for bilocation.

BIOENERGY: (Click here)

BIOENERGETICS: (Click here)

BIOFEEDBACK: An electronic measurement and presentation of information concerning brain-wave rhythms, heart rate, blood pressure, skin temperature , and muscular tension. The information is then used to control those processes. Since the 1960's, it has been used based on the principles that behavior can be changed by making changes in environment, and that by mentally recognizing a biological function, control may be gained over it.

BODHISATTVA: A Buddhist term meaning an enlightened being who postpones or renounces nirvana in order to remain in the universe to give spiritual guidance to all beings still in the physical world and on the wheel of rebirth. They are generally less advanced than buddhas; however, buddhas are sometimes referred to as bodhisattvas.

BODIES: This term is used to indicate the group of vibrations within the aura that are the same and vibrate at the rate of the particular chakra. For example, the Kundalini root chakra has 4 smaller vortices which comprise it and, therefore, vibrates at a rate of 4. All the energies coming from this chakra throughout the aura will vibrate at that rate and make up a “body” of vibrations. Each of these levels have a “personality”, a means of expression. All of these are parts of your total personality which is the ultimate expression of the total you. Throughout history information has been gathered about the 7 physical Kundalini chakras which generate the 7 “bodies” that are always talked about. Those bodies, in descending order of vibration, are called: Outer Causal (God(Dess)/Oversoul Self) Body, Inner Causal Body (Essence/Star Self), Spiritual Body, Mental Body, Emotional/Astral Body (Astral Twin), Etheric Body (Etheric Double) and Physical Body. Now that we are evolving, the higher vibrating 13 Hara Line chakras, often listed among the “minor” chakras are coming into awareness and being studied. These chakras will support the higher physical vibrations necessary for our evolution.

BODYWORK:Health therapies that involve manipulation of the body and its bioelectrical energy field. It takes into account the role of the mind and emotions in physical health and the individual's overall interaction with their environment and universal life energies. Bodywork therapy involves a high degree of intuitive awareness on the part of the therapist.

Included here are different forms of bodywork: Bodywork involves the manipulation of both the physical body and it's bioelectrical energy fields. It also involves, and at times requires, a high level of intuitive awareness that can be developed over time by the practitioner. These therapies assume the existence of a Universal Life Force that has many names and affects physical well-being through stimulating the existing self-healing capacity within everyone. Some types of body work are well known like massage therapy and physical therapy, however, there are many other modalities, some anchient, which have developed, are being developed, or been rediscovered since Freud's 1886 paper on male hysteria, a physical disorder. Based on that paper, Wilhelm Reich developed a therapy combining body work with psychoanalysis that bears his name, Reichian Massage. It was this that marks the beginning of the bodywork movement.

Bodywork takes into account the interaction among the 1) physical individual, 2) their own life force energies 3) environment, and 4) the individual's overall interaction mentally and emotionally within themselves, to create a balance within the individual which leads to and maintains physical well-being.

BIOENERGETICS: It is a bodywork therapy of difficult postures, muscle manipulations, breathing techniques and releasing emotions by screaming, crying and kicking combined with psychoanalysis of both childhood expereinces and dream imagery based on the theories of Wilhelm Reich developed by one of Reich's students, Alexander Lowe

CHIROPRACTIC: The manipulation of the spine and joints by hand to re-balance or repair the body's neurological functions and restore the body's energies.

ACUPUNCTURE: An ancient Chinese therapy, dating to circa 3000 B.C. and based on the principle that there is a nervous connection between the body's organs and the body's surface. Needles are inserted under the skin at various points to treat various conditions by manipulating the Universal Life Force or Ch'i.

ACUPRESSURE: Stimulation of the acupuncture points by finger and hand pressure instead of needles.

FELDENKRAIS THERAPY: Based on the ancient premise that the body is a mirror of the mind, Russian-born Israeli Moshe Feldenkrais, developed a modern movement and posture therapy. The aim is to improve posture through self- awareness of stance, gesture and movement which then improves self-image, vitality and creativity.

POLARITY THERAPY: A therapy developed by Dr. Randolph Stone to balance the energy flow within the body. Polarity therapy uses gentle manipulations, exercise, diet (usually vegetarian), positive thoughts and attitudes and love.

REFLEXOLOGY: Ancient therapy of finger and thumb pressure applied to the feet, the surfaces of which correspond to various organs of the body.

REICHIAN MASSAGE: Based on Wilhelm Reich's belief that neuroses and most physical disorders are caused by blockages in the flow of emotional and sexual energy which manifests as "body armor", defensive contractions of muscles that run in horizontal bands across the eyes, mouth, jaws, diaphragm, abdomen and pelvis. Using forceful massage, intuition and other techniques such as eye movements, the gag reflex, facial expressions, screaming, kicking and crying, the individual dissolves the "armor". After the physical therapy comes psychoanalysis.

REIKI: An Oriental energy transfer therapy in which the Universal Life Force is channeled through a healer to the patient. Reiki was developed in the late nineteenth century by Dr. Mikao Ushui a Japanese scholar and minister, allegedly based upon ancient Sanskrit texts. Originally the energy was transferred by touching parts of the body and brushing the aura in downward fluttering movements. Therapists are now using visualization of secret symbols and sound as well as brushing.

ROLFING: (Also called structural integration). Modern physical therapy developed by Swiss biochemist Ida Rolf. Rolfing seeks to realign the human body in a straight line. Misalignment causes thickened fachia, the connective tissue between muscles. The faschia is stretched in deep massage which at times can be quite painful.

SEIKI-JUTSU: A Japanese therapy of transferring seiki, universal healing energy, to the patient through a healer. The therapist sometimes places the hands on top of the head and the knee against the sacrum and then brings the universal energy in through the head to travel down the spine to the sacrum and fill the body.

SHIATSU: A Japanese therapy of finger pressure, similar to accupressure, and massage, which further stimulates and balances the Universal Life Force.

THERAPEAUTIC TOUCH: Modern energy transfer therapy developed by Dora van Belder Kunz, a clairvoyant, meditation teacher and a nurse. Universal life Force is transmitted through the touch of the hands over the afflicted area or by brushing the patient's energy field in strokes.

BUDDHISM: Religion of the "awakened one" based on the teachings of the historical Buddha. Buddhism is one of the world's great religions although some argue that it is a philosophy and not a religion. It originated in India where it died out in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries and spread through Asia and eventually to the West.

The words in italics within the definitions indicate that they are another word that is defined elsewhere. The items all in caps at the end are also things defined elsewhere. Needless to say this is in alphabetical order. (T) = Tibetan Buddhism.

Acceptance(T): (bzod pa) One of the four aspects of ascertainment attained on the path of joining.

Acceptance of the Profound Dharma(T): (zab mo’i chos la bzod pa) Acceptance of emptiness; that dharmas are unproduced.

Accomplishment(T): (1) (dngos grub, siddhi) See Siddhi (2) (sgrub pa),. See FOUR ASPECTS OF APPROACH AND ACCOMPLISHMENT.

Accumulation of Merit(T): (bsod nams kyi tshogs) Virtuous actions with concepts.

Accumulation of Wisdom(T): (ys shes kyi tshogs) Virtuous actions embraced by the discriminating knowledge (shes rab) of insight into emptiness.

Accumulations(T): (tshogs) The provisions for journeying along the path of enlightenment. See TWO ACCUMULATIONS

Agitation:(T) (rgod pat) The state of mind disturbed by thoughts and emotions

Akanishta(T): (‘og min) The highest; the realm of Vajradhara, the dharmakaya buddha. For a discussion of the various types of Akanishthat, see Gyurme Dorje’s forthcoming translation of Longchen Rabjam’s Phyogs bCu Mun Sel, entitled Dispelling the Darkness of the Ten Directions.

All-Ground(T): (kun gzhi; Skt. Alaya) Literally it means the foundation of all things. The basis of mind and both pure and impure phenomena. This word has different meanings in different contexts and should be understood accordingly. Sometimes it is synonymous with buddha nature or dharmakaya, sometimes it refers to a neutral state of dualistic mind that has not been embraced by innate wakefulness.

Amitabha Sanskrit (Ami-to-fo Chinese, Amida Japanese): Buddha of "unlimited light;" a supreme personification of compassion, who is said to have created a pure "Buddha Land," the "Western Paradise," beyond the realm of samsara and free of all obstacles to the attainment of Enlightenment, such that whoever calls upon Amitabha's help and meditates upon Amitabha and his Pure land will be reborn there. Pure land Buddhists revere Amitabha as a kind of intermediary, a source of help and grace, between humanity and the ultimate reality, to assist and enable them to attain at-onement with it. (T) (snang ba mtha’ yas) The chief buddha of the Lotus family. The manifestation of discriminating wisdom.

Anatman Sanskrit (anatta Pali): Literally, "no self," "absent of selfhood," "having no self-being." One of the Three Marks of existence, along with anitya Sanskrit (annica Pali) (transitory, in flux, ever changing) and duhkha Sanskrit and Pali (sorrow producing to an ego-centric perspective). Specifically, the Buddhist teaching that all things lack a permanent, enduring, substantial self; that they lack autonomous existence; that considered unto themselves they have no reality. Contrariwise, it implies that what reality they do have is ultimately interdependent or relational in a continuous flux.

Appearance and Existence(T): (snang srid) Whatever can be experienced (the five elements) and has a possibility of existence (the five aggregates). This term usually refers to the world and sentient beings.

Approach(T): (bsnyen pa) See FOUR ASPECTS OF APPROACH AND ACCOMPLISHMENT.

Approach and Accomplishment(T): (bsnyen sgrub) Two aspects of sadhana practice. Especially phases in the recitation stage according to Mahayoga Tantra.

Arhant Sanskrit (arahant Pali): Literally, "one who is deserving of reverence, worthy." A person who has attained enlightenment through following the Eightfold path and reached absolute holiness; the ideal of Theravada Buddhism. (T) (dgra bcom pa) “Foe destroyer”; someone who has conquered the four Maras and attained the fourth and final result of the Hinayana path.

Ati Yoga(T): (shin tu rual ‘byor) The third of the three inner tantras. Same as dzogchen.

Bardo(T): (bar do; Skt, antarabhava) Intermediate state. Usually refers to the period between death and the next rebirth. For details of the four bardos, see The Mirror of Mindfulness (Boston: Shambhala Publications, 1989)

Bhiksu / bhikkhu: Buddhist monk.

Bhiksuni / bhikkhuni: Buddhist nun.

Bhumi(T): (sa) The levels of stages of the bodhisattvas; the ten stages of the last three of the five bodhisattva paths. See THREE BHUMIS.

Billionfold Universe(T): (stong gsum ‘jig rten gyi khams) The domain of a supreme nirmanakaya consisting of one billion Mount Sumerus each surrounded by four continents and rings of mountains.

Bindu(T): (thig le) In the context of deity yoga, a tiny sphere of light, often the size of a pea.

Bliss, Clarity and Nonthought(T): (bde gsal mi rtog pa) Three temporary meditations experiences. Fixation on them plants the seeds for rebirth in the three realms. Without fixation, they are the adornments of the three kayas.

Bodhicitta(T): (byang sems, byang chub kyi sems) (1) The aspirations to attain enlightenment for the sake of all beings. (2) In the context of Dzogchen, the innate wakefulness of awakened mind.

Bodhicitta of Application(T): (‘jiug pa’i byang chub kyi sems) It is comprised chiefly of the six paramitas.

Bodhicitta of Aspiration(T): (smon pa’i byang chub kyi sems) It is comprised chiefly of the four immeasurables.

Bodhicitta of Undivided Emptiness and Compassion(T): (stong nyid snying rje dbyer med byand chub kyi sems) Same as “ultimate bodhicitta.”

Bodhisattva: Literally, an "enlightened being." A Buddha-to-be whose primary virtue is compassion and who deliberately chooses to be reborn into samsara rather than enter fully into nirvana in order to work tirelessly for the sake of other living beings. Particularly important in Mahayana Buddhism, for whom the ideal of the bodhisattva is set in contrast to the Theravada Buddhist ideal of the arhant, whose primary goal is liberation and enlightenment for himself. The most famous bodhisattva figure is Avalokitesvara, who became Kuan-yin in China and Kannon in Japan. (T) (byang chub sems dpa’) Someone who has developed bodhicitta, the aspiration to attain enlightenment in order to benefit all sentient beings. A practitioner of the Mahayana path; especially one who has attained the first bhumi.

Bodily Form of Mahamudra(T): (phyag rgya chen po’i sku) The “body of mahamudra” refers to the rainbowlike form of one’s personal yidam

Bon/Bonpo

Tibet's oldest spiritual tradition is Bön. According to Bönpo accounts, eighteen enlightened teachers will appear in this aeon and Tönpa Shenrab, the founder of the Bön religion, is the enlightened teacher of this age. He is said to have been born in the mythical land of Olmo Lung Ring, whose location remains something of a mystery. The land is traditionally described as dominated by Mount Yung-drung Gu-tzeg (Edifice of Nine Swastikas), which many identify as Mount Kailash in western Tibet. Due to the sacredness of Olmo Lung Ring and the mountain, both the counter-clockwise swastika and the number nine are of great significance in the Bön religion.

It is believed that Tönpa Shenrab first studied the Bön doctrine in heaven, at the end of which he pledged at the feet of the god of compassion, Shenla Okar, to guide the people of this world. Accordingly, at the age of thirty one he renounced the world and took up a life of austerity, spreading the doctrine in order to help the beings immersed in an ocean of misery and suffering. In his effort to spread the doctrine, he arrived in Tibet, in the region of Mount Kailash, which is known as the land of Zhang Zhung, historically the principal seat of Bön culture and doctrine. Accounts of Tönpa Shenrab's life are to be found in three major sources; mDo-'dus, gZer-migand gZi-brjid. The first two are believed to be Treasure texts (gTer-ma) discovered according to Bön history in the tenth or eleventh century. The third belongs to the whispered lineage (sNyan-brgyud) transmitted amongst adepts

Brahma(T): (tshang pa) The ruler of the gods of the realm of form.

Brahma-like Voice(T): (tshangs pa’i dbyangs) The voice endowed with the perfect qualities of Brahma, the king of the gods.

Buddha: Literally, "awakened." Traditionally, a fully enlightened being who has realized the truth of Dharma and attained nirvana. The title given to Gautama after his enlightenment. As realized in Gautama, it is the first of the Three Treasures in which all Buddhists "take refuge." In Mahayana Buddhism, Buddhas come to be seen less as humans who have achieved enlightenment than as manifestations or expressions of the Dharmakaya or Buddha nature at the heart of the universe, which said to be none other than our deepest and truest self. (T) (sangs rgyas) Enlightened or Awakened One, who has completely abandoned all obscurations and perfected every good quality. A perfected bodhisattva, after attaining true and complete enlightenment, is known as a buddha. The buddha generally referred to is shakyamuni Buddha, the buddha of this era, who lived in India around the sixth century B.C.E. There have been innumerable buddhas in past aeons who have manifested the way to enlightenment. In the current Good Aeon, there will be one thousand buddhas, of which Buddha Shakyamuni is the fourth.

Buddha, Dharma and Sangha(T): (sangs rgyas chos dge ‘dun) The Three Jewels. The true objects of refuge. For more details, see Thrangu Rinpoche’s book Buddha Nature (Rangjung Yeshe Publications, 1988)

Buddha Families (For more information See http://64.233.161.104/search?q=cache:eAthQ3Dlg3oJ:www.rinpoche.com/nbp/PDFCHAPTERS/E.%2520Five%2520Buddha%2520Families%25201999.pdf+five+buddha+families&hl=en )

The Order of O:N:E: tends toward the Bonpo allocation of elements and directions which allots yellow and earth to the East and Blue and Water to the South, and the North as the closest direction to the center.

More typical Tibetan pattern. Transcendent (or Dhyani) Buddhas

1. Vairochana – center, white, tathagata family, ignorance and wisdom, the primordial Buddha.

2. Akshobhya -- east, blue, vajra (diamond) family, aggression and mirrorlike wisdom.

3. Ratnasambhava – south, yellow, ratna (jewel) family, pride and equanimity.

4. Amitabha – west, red, padma (lotus) family, passion and discriminating awareness, governs the present age.

5. Amoghasiddhi – north, green, karma family, envy and all-accomplishing wisdom.

The Bonpo and Nazorean arrangement is as follows:

1. Living Zephyr (White Buddha "Kun-nang Cha-ba" - mind and heart channels; heart)

2. Living Air (Green Buddha "Ge-lha Gar-cug" - inner wind; lungs)

3. Living Fire (Red Buddha "Che-drang Ngo-med"- body heat; liver)

4. Living Water (Blue Buddha "Ga-wa Don-drup" - blood flow; kidneys)

5. Living Earth (Yellow Buddha "Sal-wa Rang-jung" - body flesh; spleen)

Buddha Nature(T): (bde gshegs snying po) Sugatagarbha, the essence of the sugatas; the potential for enlightenment or enlightened nature that is inherently present in each sentient being. For a detailed discussion, see Thrangu Rinpoche’s Buddha Nature.

Buddhahood(T):(sangs rgyas) The perfect and complete enlightenment of dwelling in neither samsara nor nirvana.

Buddhahood of Omniscience(T): (rnam mkhyen sangs rgyas kyi sgo’phang) The state of complete enlightenment endowed with the perfect wisdom of seeing the nature of things as they are and with the wisdom of perceiving all that exists.

Chan Chinese, (Zen Japanese): Literally, "meditation" school or lineage -- translating dhyana Sanskrit. A traditional lineage of Mahayana Buddhism finding fullest expression in China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam, particularly known for emphasizing meditation and direct intuitive insight into one's own Buddha nature in contrast with other practices. Apparently influenced a great deal by the indigenous Chinese religious context, especially Daoism.

Chimpu(T): (chims phu) The hermitage of caves above Samye in central Tibet, Guru Rinpoche spent several years there in retreat.

Coemergent Wisdom (T): (lhan cig skyes pa’i ye shes) The innate wakefulness potentially present in all sentient beings. Wisdom here means the primordially undeluded wakefulness.

Compassion (karuna): One of the primary virtues of an enlightened being, according to all lineages of Buddhism, but particularly stressed in Mahayana Buddhism and the figure of the bodhisattva. Accordingly, all Buddhists are encouraged to practice compassion. The Dalai lama has gone so far as to say that compassion is the main or chief practice of Buddhism. Some teachings of Mahayana Buddhism also claim that the Dharmakaya, the ultimate reality at the heart of the universe which is manifest above all in the various Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, is characterized by compassion.

Completion Stage (T): (rdzongs rim) “Completion stage with marks” means yogic practices such as tummo. “Completion stage without marks” is the practice of Dzogchen.

Conceptual Mind (T): (blo) In this context, the act of our intellect that discerns and classifies phenomena is a hindrance for the naked state of awakened mind that can operate unimpededly without concepts.

Consecration and Empowerment(T): (byin brlab dbang bskur) A phase in the development stage at the end of having created the visualization of the yidam deity that involves consecrating one’s three higher chakras with enlightened body, speech and mind as well as empowering the deity with the crown of the five buddha families.

Dakini(T): (mkha’ ‘gro ma) One of the three roots. Spiritual beings who fulfill the enlightened activities, female tantric deities who protect and serve the Buddhist doctrine and practitioners.

Dalai Lama: Leader of Gelukpa lineage of Tibetan Vajrayana Buddhism, and spiritual leader of the Tibetan people. Lama means "spiritual master" of Tibetan Vajrayana practice; dalai means "ocean of wisdom." The current Dalai Lama is believed to be the 14th reincarnation in a row of Dalai Lamas dating back to the 14th century, all of whom are revered as an incarnation of the Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara.

Dark Age of Degeneration(T): (snyigs ma’i dus) The present age, when the five degenerations are rampant – those of life span, the era, beings, views, and disturbing emotions. See also FIVE DEGENERATIONS

Deity With Attributes (T): (mtshan bcas kyi lha) The ultimate deity is the dharmakaya of our own mind. In order to realize this natural state, we use the support of an enlightened being with face, arms, legs, ornaments, et cetera.

Devas : Devas are part of the Angelic Kingdom and are in direct service to the world of nature expressing themselves as one of the 4 elements. They exist in the ethereal world which runs parallel to our own. They can be seen or felt intuitively or through the lens of a camera. The Jews call them Shedim. The Egyptians called them Afries. Africans named them Yowahoos. Persians called them Devas. They were created to help restore the balance of nature as humanity is bi-polar and can be in a constant state of destruction.

Development and Completion(T): (bskyed rdzogs) The means and knowledge of Vajrayana practice. The development stage is fabricated by mind. Completion stage means resting in the unfabricated nature of mind. See DEVELOPMENT STAGE, COMPLETION STAGE

Development Stage (T): (bskyed rim; Skt, utpattikrama) One of the two aspects of Vajrayana practice that is to create pure images mentally in order to purify habitual tendencies. The essence of the development sage is “pure perception” or “sacred outlook,” which means to perceive sights, sounds, and thoughts as deity, mantra, and wisdom. See also DEVELOPMENT AND COMPLETION
Dharma Sanskrit (Dhamma Pali): This word has different meanings in different Buddhist texts. First of all, it is the Teaching of the Buddha, the Truth that he realized in his enlightenment and the path to enlightenment. In this sense, it is the second of the Three Treasures in which all Buddhists "take refuge." Second, it is the nature and structure of Reality. Third, it is the moral law, what is right and just, how we should live. Fourth, in Theravada Buddhism, it is the immediate constituents (dharmas) of all phenomena (including all things, mental and physical) in the realm of samsara. (T) (chos) The Buddha’s teachings; sometimes dharma can mean phenomena of mental objects, as well as attributes or qualities.

Dharma Protectors (T): (chos skyong) The guardians of the Buddhist teachings.

Dharmadhatu(T): (chos kyi dbyings) The realm of phenomena; the suchness in which emptiness and dependent origination are inseparable. The nature of mind and phenomena that lies beyond arising, dwelling, and ceasing.

Dharmakaya: Literally, "Dharma-body." In Mahayana Buddhist teaching, the Dharmakaya is said to be the ultimate Buddha-reality at the heart of the entire universe, of which the universe is itself the expression or manifestation, yet which is most clearly manifest in Buddhas. This conception is part of the Three bodies (of the Buddha) teaching, which identifies the ultimate Buddha nature common to all Buddhas as the Dharmakaya. (T) (chos shu) Of the three kayas, it is the mental or unmanifest aspect. Can be understood differently according to the context of ground, path, fruition. In this book, it mainly refers to the empty, cognizant, and uncompounded aspect of one’s mind at the time of the path. See also THREE KAYAS OF FRUITION

Dharmapala (T): (chos skyong) Non-humans who vow to protect and guard the teachings of the Buddha and its followers. Dharmapalas can be either “mundane,” i.e., virtuous samsaric beings, or “wisdom Dharma protectors” who are emanations of buddhas or bodhisattvas.

Dharmata(T): (chos nyid) The innate nature of phenomena and mind.

Dhyana Realms of the Gods(T): (lha’i bsam gran gyi ris) A meditative state of concentrated mind with fixation leads not to liberation but to being reborn as a god in the realm of form produced through such mental concentration.

Disciplines(T): (tshul khrims) See VOWS AND PRECEPTS

Disturbing Emotion(T): (nyon mongs pa) The five poisons of desire, anger, delusion, pride, and envy, which tire, disturb, and torment one’s mind.

Dualistic Fixation(T): (gnyis ‘dzin) Experience structured as “perceiver” and “object perceived.”

Duhkha Sanskrit and Pali: Literally, "suffering" and "sorrow;" also "dislocated" and "off center." One of the Three Marks of existence, along with anitya Sanskrit (annica Pali) (transitory, in flux, ever changing) and anatman Sanskrit (anatta Pali) (lacking permanent, enduring, autonomous or separate selfhood). Specifically, the Buddhist teaching that all things are such as to produce unhappiness and suffering for an ego-centric perspective, which by reactive response tends to produce even more unhappiness and suffering for oneself and others.

Dzogchen(T): (rdzogs pa chen po, rdzogs chen; Skt, mahasandhi, maha ati, Great Perfection) The teachings beyond the vehicles of causation, the highest of the inner tantras of the Nyingma School, first taught in the human world by the great vidyadhara Garab Dorje. Dzogchen is the ultimate of all the eighty-four thousand profound and extensive sections of the Dharma. It is the realization of Buddha samantabhadra, exactly as it is. The aspects of means and knowledge of Dzogchen are known as trekcho and thogal.

Ego-Clinging(T): (bdag ‘dzin) The habitual clinging to the mistaken idea that the “I” is an independent, singular, and permanent entity. Ego-clinging is the source of disturbing emotions and the basis for all negative karmic actions leading to endless samsaric existence.

Egolessness(T): (bdag med) The absence or lack of a self-entity in the individual person as well as in matter and mind. Egolessness is not an achievement but the natural state of things. Practitioners of the lower vehicles, the shravakas and pratyekabuddhas, attain a partial realization of egolessness, but it is the bodhisattva who through practicing the six paramitas discovers reality as it is.

Eight Branches(T): (yan lag brgyad) The seven branches in addition to arousing bodhicitta. See also SEVEN BRANCHES

Eight Charnel Grounds(T): (dur khrod brgyad) (1) Cool Grove, Sitavana (bsil ba tshal), in the east; (2) Perfected in Body (sku la rdzogs) to the south; (3) Lotus Mound (pad ma brtsegs) to the west; (4) Lanka Mound (lan ka brtsegs) to the north; (6) Display of Great Secret (gsang chen rol pa) to the southwest; (7) Pervasive Great Joy (he chen brdal ba) to the northwest; (8) World Mound (‘jig rten brtsegs) to the northeast. There are also numerous other lists of charnel grounds.

Eight Classes of Gods and Demons(T): (lha srin sde brgyad) There are various descriptions but the most general is: devas, nagas, yakshas, gandharvas, asuras, garudas, kinnaras and mahorages.

Eight Collections of Consciousness(T): (rnam shes tshogs brgyad) The all-ground consciousness, mind-consciousness, defiled mind-consciousness and the five sense-consciousnesses.

Eightfold Path: A summary of the Middle way that the Buddha taught as the path to nirvana or enlightenment. It involves three components: wisdom (prajna), moral practice (shila), and meditative concentration (samadhi). Wisdom includes right views or right understanding and right intent or right motivation. Moral Practice includes right speech, right conduct, and right livelihood. Meditative Concentration includes right effort or right endeavor, right mindfulness, and right concentration. The eight components are often depicted as the eight spokes of the wheel of Dharma, and progress in the Eightfold Path is construed as a spiraling movement from the circumference to the center, in which each of the components is attended to as one moves closer to enlightenment.

Eight Worldly Concerns(T): (‘jig rten chos brgyad) Attachment to gain, pleasure, praise and fame and aversion to loss, pain, blame and bad reputation.

Eighteen Constituents(T): (khams bco brgyad) The six collections of consciousness, the six senses and the six sense objects,

Eighty-Four Thousand Doors to the Dharma(T): (chos kyi sgo me brgyad khri bzhi stong) Twenty-one thousand teachings each on vinaya, sutra, Abhidharma and their combination, sometimes referred to as Vahrayana. Their purpose is to eliminate the eighty-four thousand different types of disturbing emotions latent in one’s mind.

Empowerment(T): (dbang) The conferring of power or authorization to practice the Vajrayana teachings, the indispensable entrance door to tantric practice.

Empowerment of Awareness-Display(T): (rig pa’i rtsal gyi dbang) The empowerment for practicing Dzogchen. Sometimes it also refers to the realization achieved through Dzogchen practice.

Emptiness (shunyata (T) stong pa nyid): The teaching that all things are empty of substantial independent being, empty of self-being. The favorite Mahayana explanation of the older anatman doctrine; the claim is that, while on the surface (to an ego-centric viewpoint) things appear substantial, to the enlightened viewpoint of prajna-paramita they are found to be empty inside, without independent reality or enduring substantiality. Yet this negative characterization is seen not as negative but rather as positive and good. I.e., In their ultimate reality, all things are non-self-centered, non-selfish, not turned in upon themselves, but interconnected and interdependent. (T) The fact that phenomena and the ego are empty of, or lack, independent true existence.

Enlightened Ones (T): (sangs rgyas) Same as BUDDHAS.

Enlightenment (T): (byang chub; Skt. bodhi) Usually the same as the state of buddhahood characterized by perfection of the accumulation of merit and wisdom, and by the removal of the two obscurations, sometimes also the lower stages of enlightenment of an arhant or a pratyekabuddha.

Essence Kaya (T): (ngo bo nyid kyi sku; Skt. svabhavikakaya) The “essence body.” Sometimes counted as the fourth kaya, the unity of the three kayas. Jamgon Kongtrul defines it as the aspect of dharmakaya that is “the nature of all phenomena, emptiness devoid of all constructs and endowed with the characteristic of natural purity.”

Essence Mantra (T): (snying po’i sngags) The short form of the mantra of a yidam deity as opposed to the longer dharani mantra; for example, OM MANI PADME HUNG.

Eternalism (T): (rtag lta) The belief that there is a permanent and causeless creator of everything; in particular, that one’s identity or consciousness has a concrete essence that is independent, everlasting and singular.

Exaggeration and Denigration (T): (sgro btags + skur ‘debs) Attaching existence or attributes to something that does not have them, and underestimating the existence or attributes of something that does have them.

Extracting Essences (T):(bcud len; Skt, rasayana) A yogic practice of living off the essences of medicinal plants, minerals, and elemental energy in order to purify the body, heighten concentration, and avoid the diversions of seeking ordinary material food.

Five Aggregates (T): (phung po lnga) The five aspects that comprise the physical and mental constituents of a sentient being; physical forms, sensations, conceptions, formations and consciousnesses.

Five Deeds with Immediate Result (T): (mtshams med pa lnga) The five immediate karmas, sins, or evil acts are killing one’s mother, one’s father, or an arhant, causing schism in the sangha of bhiksus, and drawing blood from a tathagata with evil intent. The five misdeeds close to or approaching them (de dang nye be lnga) are defiling one’s mother who is an arhanti, killing a bodhisattva on the Definite Stage (niyata-bhumi), killing a noble being on the path of training (i.e., not yet an arhant), robbing the sangha of means of livelihood, and destroying a stupa.

Five Degenerations (T): (snyigs ma lnga) (1) The degeneration of views due to the decline in the virtue of renunciants means wrong views. (2) The degeneration of disturbing emotions due to the decline in the virtue of householders means coarse-natured minds in which coarseness refers to strong and long-lasting kleshas. (3) The degeneration of times due to the decline in enjoyments means the decreasing Aeon of Strife. (4) The degeneration of life span due to the decline of the sustaining life force means a decreasing life span until finally reaching the length of ten years. (5) The degeneration of sentient beings means the decline of body due to inferior shape and lesser size, the decline of merit due to lesser power and splendor, the decline of mind due to lesser sharpness of intellect, power of recollection, and diligence. Thus, the degeneration of sentient beings in whom the three types of decline have come together means that their minds are difficult to tame.

Five Disturbing Emotions (T): (nyon mongs pa lnga) Anger, desire, delusion, pride, and envy.

Five Families (T): (rigs lnga) The five buddha families of tathagata, vajra, ratna (jewel), padma (lotus), and karma. They represent the innate qualities of our enlightened essence.

Five Kayas (T): (sku lnga) The five aspects of buddhahood: dharmakaya, sambhogakaya, nirmanakaya, essence kaya, and great bliss kaya.

Five Kinds of Offerings(T): (nyer spyod lnga) The desirable objects of the five senses.

Five Paths (T): (lam lnga) The paths of accumulation, joining, seeing, cultivation, and no-learning

Five Precepts: The basic moral precepts for all Buddhists: to refrain from destroying life, from taking what is not given, from wrongful sexual behavior, from wrongful speech, and from drugs and alcohol.

Five Superknowledges (T): (mngon shes lnga) The capacities for performing miracles, divine sight, divine hearing, recollection of former lives, and cognition of the minds of others.

Five Wisdoms (T): (ye shes lnga) The dharmadhatu wisdom, mirrorlike wisdom, wisdom of equality, discriminating wisdom, and all-accomplishing wisdom.

Fixation (T): (‘dzin pa) The mental act of holding on to a material object, experience, concept of set of philosophical ideas.

Fixation of Concreteness (T): (dngos ‘dzin) The habitual tendency to cling to self and outer things as being real, solid, and lasting.

Focus (T): (dmigs pa) A conceptual object held in mind or the act of apprehending (understanding or perceiving) such an object. The practice called “accumulation of merit” involves holding in mind and cultivating a virtuous focus, while the “accumulation of wisdom” is cultivated by sustaining awareness totally free from holding any conceptual focus or reference point whatsoever.

Form Kayas (T): (gzugs sku) The sambhogakaya and nirmanakaya that have perceptible form as opposed to the formless dharmakaya.

Form Realm (T): (gzugs khams; Skt. rupa-dhatu) Seventeen samaric heavenly abodes consisting of the threefold four dhyana realms and the five pure abodes. A subtle divine state of samsaric existence between the desire realm and the formless realm. Where sense of smell, sense of taste, and sexual organs are absent. The beings there have bodies of light, long lives, and no painful sensations. Unwholesome mental factors such as attachment cannot arise.

Formless Realm (T): (gzugs med khams; Skt. arupya-dhatu) The most subtle state of samsaric existence , without anything physical at all, lacking even mental pleasure. The abode of an unenlightened being who has practiced the four absorptions. Its beings dwell in unchanging equanimity for long durations of time, after which they again return to lower states within samsara.

Four Activities (T): (las bzhi) Pacifying, increasing, magnetizing, and subjugating.

Four Aspects of Approach and Accomplishment (T): (bsnyen sgrub kyi yan lag bzhi) Approach, full approach, accomplishments, and great accomplishment. Four important aspects of Vajrayana practice, especially the recitation stage of yidam practice. These four aspects; however, can apply to any level of meaning within the tantras. Their traditional analogy is to invite the ruler of a country, to present him with gifts and make a specific request, to obtain his permission to carry out one’s aim, and to use one’s authority to accomplish the welfare of self and others. In the context of recitation practice, approach is to visualize the yidam deity with the mantra in its heart center, full approach is the spinning garland of mantra syllables that emanates light rays making offerings to all the buddhas in the ten directions, accomplishment is to receive their blessings that purify all one’s obscurations and great accomplishment transforms the world into the mandala of buddha-field, the beings into male and female deities, sounds into mantra and all thoughts and emotions into a pure display of innate wakefulness.

Four Aspects of Daily Activities (T): (spyod lam bzhi) Walking, moving about, lying down or sitting. Being connected to the deity during these is the path of the person of the highest mental capacity. It is extremely difficult and is the domain of someone who possesses the residual karma of former training.

Four Classes of Dakinis (T): (mkha’ ‘gro sde bahir) The dakinis of the four families of vajra, ratna, padma, and karma. They are spiritual beings who carry out the four activities of pacifying, increasing, magnetizing, and subjugating.

Four Empowerments (T): (dbang bzhi) The empowerments of vase, secret, wisdom-knowledge, and precious word. Padmasambhava says in the Lamrim Yeshe Nyingpo:

The vase empowerment which purifies the body and the nadis

Is the seed of the vajra body and nirmanakaya.

The secret empowerment which purifies the speech and the pranas

Is the seed of the vajra speech and sambhogakaya.

The phonya empowerment which purifies the mind and the bindus.

Is the seed of the vajra mind and dharmakaya.

The ultimate empowerment which purifies the habitual patterns of the all-ground.

Is the seed of the vajra wisdom and svabhavikakaya.

Four Immeasurables (T): (tshad med bzhi) Compassion, love, joy, and impartiality.

Four Magical Powers (T): (rdzu ‘phrul bzhi) In the general vehicles, the four legs of miraculous action (rdzu ‘phrul gyi rkang pa bzhi) are mentioned as intention, determination, diligence, and discernment; four causes for achieving the power of superknowledge. In Vajrayana, four magical displays (cho ‘phrul bzhi) are mentioned as being samadhi, consecration, conferring empowerment, and making offerings.

Four Means of Magnetizing (T): (bsdu ba’i dngos po bzhi) Being generous, uttering kind words, giving appropriate teachings, and keeping consistency between words and actions. Padmasambhava says in the Lamrim Yeshe Nyingpo:

Having ripened your own being, gather followers through generosity,

Delight them with pleasing words, and comfort them by being consistent.

Through giving them counsel to meaningful conduct, establish them temporarily and ultimately.

In the full splendor of benefit and well-being.

Four Noble Truths: The core or central teaching of Buddhism put in the formula of a physician's
diagnosis of disease, statement of cause, forecast of cure, and prescription. In content, it states that human life is pervasively characterized by duhkha; that the cause of duhkha is tanha; that tanha can be rooted out or extinguished (which is the condition of nirvana); and that the means of attaining nirvana is the Eightfold path.

Four Paramitas (T): (phar phyin bzhi) The last four of the ten paramitas: skillful means, strength, aspiration, and wisdom.

Four Vidyadhara Levels (T): (rig ‘dzin rnam pa bzhi ‘I go ‘phang) The four stages of attainment of knowledge holders, masters of the four stages of the tantric path of mahayoga. The four vidyadhara levels are full maturation, life mastery, mahamudra, and spontaneous presence (rnam smin, tshe dbang, phyag chen, lhun grub).

Fourfold Spheres of Perception (T): (skye mched mu bzhi) Same as the four formless realms. The four unenlightened meditative states of dwelling on the thoughts: infinite space, infinite consciousness, nothing whatsoever, and neither presence nor absence of conception.

Freedoms and Riches (T): (dal ‘byor) The conditions for being able to practice the sacred Dharma in a human body.

Fruition of the Two Kaya (T): (sku gnyis kyi ‘bras bu) The state of complete and perfect buddhahood comprised of dharmakaya and rupakaya, of which rupakaya, the form body, refers to both sambhogakaya and nirmanakaya.

Full Approach (T): (nye bar bsnyen pa) See FOUR ASPECTS OF APPROACH AND ACCOMPLISHMENT.

Ganachakra (T): (tshogs kyi ‘khor lo). See WHEEL OF GATHERING..

Garuda Bird (T): (bya khung) A mythological bird, able to travel from one end of the universe to the other with a single movement of its wings. It is also said to hatch from the egg fully developed and ready to soar through the sky. In the Dzogchen teachings, the Garuda symbolizes the inner accomplishment of a meditator for whom the spontaneously present qualities of the buddha nature become fully manifest at the moment of death; the attainment of buddhahood occurs simultaneously with leaving the physical body behind.

Gathering Accumulations (T): (tshogs bsags pa) The virtuous practices of perfecting the two accumulations of merit and wisdom.

Gautama Sanskrit (Gotama Pali) (563-483 BCE): The historical founder of Buddhism. (Strictly speaking, this is the surname of the historical Buddha. His personal name was Siddartha. His clan name was Shakya, which led to the title, Shakyamuni, "sage of the Shakya clan.")

Glorious Samye at Red Rock (T): (brag dmar dpal gyi bsam yas) The fabulous temple complex of Samye in Central Tibet built by King Trisong Deutsen (790-844). The mountain slope behind Samye is of a bright red color.

Great Accomplishment (T): (sgrub pa chen po) The fourth of the four aspects of approach and accomplishment.

Great Accomplishment Practice (T): (sgrub chen) A sadhana practice undertaken by a group of people that goes on uninterruptedly for seven days.

Great Bliss Kaya (T): (bde ba chen po’i sku; Skt. mahasukhakaya) Among the five kayas, the uncompounded quality of changelessness.

Great Perfection (T): (rdzogs pa chen po) Same as Dzogchen. The third of the three inner tantras of the Nyingma School.

Greater and Lesser Vehicles (T): (theg pa che chung) Mahayana and Hinayana. Mahayana includes the tantric vehicles. Hinayana is comprised of the teachings for shravakas and pratyekabuddhas. The connotation of “greater” or “lesser” refers to the scope of aspiration, the methods applied, and the depth of insight.

Guru (T): (bla ma) Spiritual teacher.

Guru, Yidam and Dakini (T): (bla ma yi dam mkha’ ‘gro) The three roots of Vajrayana practice: the guru is the root of blessings, the yidam, the root of accomplishments, and the dakini, the root of activities.

Habitual Tendencies (T): (bag chags) Subtle inclinations imprinted in the all-ground consciousness.

Hearing Lineage (T): (nyan brgyud) The lineage of oral teachings from master to disciple.

Heat (T): (drod) The first of the four aspects of ascertainment on the path of joining . Getting close to the flamelike wisdom of the path f seeing by possessing concentration concurrent with discriminating knowledge.

Heretical People (T): (mu stegs pa) People holding wrong views, that there is no consequence from negative actions, no past or future lives, no result from practicing the path, and so forth.

Higher or Lower Vehicles (T): (theg pa mtho dman) Same as GREATER AND LESSER VEHICLES.

Higher Perceptions (T): (mngon par shes pa) See SUPERKNOWLEDGE

Higher Realms (T): (mtho ris) The three higher realms of humans, demigods, and gods.

Hinayana (T): (theg pa dman pa) The vehicles focused on contemplation of the four noble truths and the twelve links of dependent origination for the sake of individual liberation.

Hungry Ghosts (T): (theg pa dman pa) One of the six classes of sentient beings. Such beings are tormented by their own impure karmic perception causing them to suffer tremendously from craving, hunger, and thirst.

Individual Liberation (T): (so sor that pa; Skt. pratimoksha) The seven sets of precepts for ordained and lay people according to the vinaya of Hinayana. The vows of laymen and laywomen; the vows of male and female novices; additional vows taken by probational nuns as a step toward becoming full nuns; the discipline of the full nun (bhikshumi); that of the full monk (bjolsji). There are eight types when including fasting vows, taken for one day only. The precepts of individual liberation are the basic code of morality that are the common foundation for all Buddhist practice.

Individual Self (T): (gang zag gi bdag) The mistaken idea that there exists an “I” that is an independent, singular, and permanent entity.

Indra (T): (brgya byin) The chief god in the realm of desire. He resides on the summit of Mount Sumeru in the Palace of Complete Victory and is also known as Shakra, the ruler of the devas.

Jambudvipa (T): (dzam bu gling) The continent situated to the south of Mount Sumeru, the center of the world in Buddhist cosmology.

Karma Sanskrit (kamma Pali): First, action performed by body, speech, or mind, which, according to the intention it embodies, will have a set consequence, to be experienced in this life or a future rebirth. Generally, negative consequences are accrued from actions motivated by tanha. Second, the law of moral consequences of human action. Third, the moral credit / debit accrued to a person according to his or her actions motived by tanha, which must be expended in the person's next life in one of the six realms of existence. (See also "merit.")

Karmic Continuity of Former Practice (T): (sngon sbyangs kyi las ‘phro) The continuity of Dharma practice from the previous life.

Kaya (T): (sku) Body in the sense of a body or embodiment of numerous qualities.

Kilaya (T): (phur ba) Sacred dagger used in tantric rituals.

Kleshas (T): (nyon mongs pa) Same as disturbing emotions.

Knowing One that Frees All (T): (gcig shes kun grol) Insight into one’s buddha nature, the basic state within all thoughts and emotions, will automatically liberate fixation on those occurrences.

Knowledge (T): (shes rab) See MEANS AND KNOWLEDGE.

Kuan Yin Chinese (Kannon Japanese): Female version of the Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara (which is in part the result of a mistranslation of the name into Chinese). As the embodiment of compassion, she is a very popular focus of Buddhist devotion in China and Japan. A frequent subject of sculpture and painting.

Lady Tsogyal (T): (jo mo mtsho rgyal) Also known as Khandro Yeshe Tsogyal, she was the close disciple of Guru Rinpoche, and complied the major part of his teachings.

Liberation (T): (Thar pa) Emancipations from samsaric existence.

Lineage: The line of unbroken connection or descent by which different Buddhist traditions claim authority for the authenticity of their teaching and practice.

Lord of the Family (T): (rigs kyi bdag po) The chief buddha of the family to which one’s particular yidam deity belongs. For example, Avalokiteshvara’s crown buddha is Amitabha.

Lower Philosophical Schools (T): (grub mtha’ dman pa) The two main Hinayana schools, Vaibhashika and Sautrantika. Compared to Mahayana they are called lower in that they fail to establish the emptiness of all phenomena.

Lower Realms (T): (ngan song) The three abodes of hell beings, hungry ghosts, and animals.

Lower Vehicles (T): (theg pa ‘og ma) Compared to Vajrayana, the lower vehicles are those of shravakas, pratyekabuddhas, and bodhisattvas.

Luminosity (T): (‘od gsal) Literally “free from the darkness of unknowing and endowed with the ability to cognize.” The two aspects are empty luminosity, like a clear open sky, and manifest luminosity, such as five-colored lights, images, and so forth. Luminosity is the uncompounded nature present throughout all of samsara and nirvana.

Luminous Dharma (T): (chos nyid ‘od’gsal) The inner wakefulness that is the nature of mind of all sentient beings.

Magical Samadhi (T): sgyu ma lta by’i ting nge ‘dzin) The second of the three samadhis, the nature of which is luminosity and compassion, spontaneous like the light of the sun shining in the sky. See also THREE SAMADHIS

Mahadeva (T): (lha chen) A form of Shiva.

Mahamudra (T): (phyag rgya chen po) This refers either to the supreme attainment of mahamudra, which is synonymous with complete enlightenment, or to the mahamudra form of the yidam deity, mentioned below.

Mahamudra Form of the Yidam Deity: (yidam lha’i phyag chen kyi lus) The attainment, chiefly through Mahayoga Tantra, of the illusory wisdom body on the vidyahara level of mahamudra, which corresponds to the path of cultivation. It is a divine form of a deity endowed with the complete major and minor marks and through with the yogi is able to benefit beings in an extent that is equal to the sambhogakaya.

Mahanirvana (T): (mya ngan las ‘das pa chen po) The state of final buddhahood that swells neither in samsaric existence nor in the passive nirvana of an arhant.

Mahasandhi (T): (Skt., rdzogs pa chen po) See DZOGCHEN

Mahayana: Literally, "great vehicle." The inclusive term for those Buddhist traditions which arose in India but spread North and East into China and the Far East, which emphasized the ideal of the bodhisattva over that of the arhant, did not lay such a strong stress upon needing to become a monk or a nun to pursue enlightenment, and which hold to the Sanskrit canon of Buddhist scriptures. (T): (theg pa chen po) The vehicle of bodhisattvas striving for perfect enlightenment for the sake of liberating all sentient beings. Mahayana has two aspects: sutra, emphasizing the extensive teachings, and mantra, emphasizing the profound. For a detailed explanation of sutrayana, see Maitreya’s Abhisamayalamkara or Gampopa’s The Jewel Ornament of Liberations by sGam.po.pa, trans. Herber V. Guenther (Boston: Shambhala Publications, 1986)

Mahayana Teachings (T): (theg pa chen po’i chos) The Buddha’s teachings comprised of the second and third turning of the wheel of Dharma as well as the commentaries upon them by the great scholars of India and Tibet.

Major and Minor Marks (T): (mtshan dpe) The thirty-two major and eighty minor marks of excellence that characterize the perfect physical for of a nirmanakaya or sambhogakaya buddha. A universal ruler is also said to possess a resemblance to these marks.

Maitreya: The next or future Buddha, who is said to be currently alive as a bodhisattva and high god in his present birth, able to respond to the prayers of his worshippers. The only bodhisattva in the present age recognized by Theravada Buddhists.

Mandala (T): (dkyil ‘khor) Literally means “center and surrounding.” Usually a deity along with its surrounding environment. Mandala is a symbolic representation of a tantric deity’s realm of existence, an entire universe visualized as an offering, and also the arrangement of offerings in tantric ritual.

Mantra (T): (sngags) (1) A synonym for Vajrayana. (2) A particular combination of sounds symbolizing and communicating the nature of a deity, which leads to purification and realization; for example, om mani padme hung. There are chiefly three types: guhya mantra, vidya mantra, and darani mantra.

Mantra and Philosophy (T): Mantra means Vajrayana, while the vehicle of philosophy includes both Hinayana and Mahayana.

Mantradhara (T): (sngags ‘chang) An adept of tantric rituals.

Mara (T): (bdud) Demon or demonic influence that creates obstacles for practice and enlightenment. Mythologically said to dwell in the highest abode in the realm of desire, Mara is a master of illusion who attempted to prevent the Buddha from attaining enlightenment at Godh Gaya. For the Dharma practitioner, Mara symbolizes one’s own ego-clinging and preoccupation with the eight worldly concerns.

Mara of Meritorious Action (T): (bsod nams kyi las kyi bdud) The seductive tendency to aim one’s spiritual practice toward selfish ends. Virtuous deeds that are not embraced by renunciation of bodhicitta.

Master (T): (bla ma, clob dpon) Title given to spiritual teachers and learned scholars.

Means (T): (thabs; Skt. upaya) The methods or skillful means that are the practical application of the Buddhist teachings. Can also refer to the seventh of the ten paramitas.

Means and Knowledge (T): (thabs dang shes rag; Skt. upaya and prajna) Buddhahood is attained by uniting means and knowledge; in Mahayana, they are compassion and emptiness, relative and ultimate bodhicitta. In Vajrayana, means and knowledge are the stages of development and completion. According to the Kagyu schools, means refers to specifically to the “path of means,” the six doctrines of Naropa, and knowledge to the “path of liberation,” the actual practice of mahamudra. According to Dzogchen, knowledge is the view of primordial purity, the trekcho practice of realizing the heart of enlightenment in the present moment, while means is the meditation of spontaneous presence, the thogal practice of exhausting defilements and fixation through with the rainbow body is realized within one lifetime.

Meditator (T): (sgom chen) A person all of whose time is spent on meditation practice, often in mountain retreats. The special connotation is a full-time practitioner of ordinary mind or unfabricated naturalness.

Merit (punya): Merit in the Buddhist conception is a kind of spiritual credit that accrues to the doer of any truly good, unselfish deed, word, or thought. Good merit is believed to bring good consequences to the doer or to anyone to whom he "transfers" his merit. It is believed able to directly contribute to the effort to attain enlightenment. Good deeds of a mundane nature produce limited merit. Supramundane deeds produce unlimited merit. (T): (bsod nams) The positive karmic result from virtuous actions.

Middle Way (T): (dbu ma; Skt. madhyamaka) The highest of the four Buddhist schools of philosophy. The Middle Way means not holding any extreme views, especially those of eternalism or nihilism.

Mind-essence (T): (sems nyid) The nature of one’s mind, which is taught to be identical with the essence of all enlightened beings, the sugatagarbha. It should be distinguished from mind (sems), which refers to ordinary discursive thinking based on ignorance of the nature of thought.

Mindfulness (or mindfulness meditation; vipashyana Sanskrit [vipassana Pali]): One of the most
fundamental characteristic practices involved in Buddhist meditation (identified as one of the components making up the Eightfold path). It specifically involves a step-by-step heightening of one's awareness, sensitivity, and clarity of attentiveness toward everything that is going on in one's life, inside and outside.

Monkha Senga Dzong (T): A cave situated to the east of Bunthang in Bhutan that was used by Padmasambhava and later by Yeshe Tsogyal as a sacred place for sadhana.

Mount Sumeru (T): (ri rab lhun po) The mythological giant mountain at the center of the world system, where the two lowest classes of gods of the desire realm live. It is surrounded by chains of lesser mountains, lakes, continents, and oceans and is said to rise eighty-four thousand leagues (84 X 15, 840') above sea level.

Naga (T): (klu) Powerful, long-lived, serpentlike beings who inhabit bodies of water and often guard great treasure. They belong half to the animal realm and half to the god realm. They generally live in the form of snakes, but many can change into human form and they are often depicted as human from the waist up, with a serpent’s tail below. They are supposed to control the weather, especially rain.

Nagarjuna (ca. 150-250 CE): One of the greatest Buddhist philosophers of the Mahayana tradition, specifically of the Madhyamika school of thought, which emphasized prajna-paramita, how all attempts to put what is ultimate reality into ordinary language must fail, and that ultimately nirvana is none other than samsara rightly seen for what it truly is.

Namo (T): (phyag ‘tshal lo) Homage or salutation.

Nihilism (T): (chad lta) Literally, “the view of discontinuance.” The extreme view of nothingness; no rebirth or karmic effects, and the nonexistence of a mind after death.

Nine Gradual Vehicles (T): (theg pa tim pa dgu) Shrayaka, pratvekabuddha, bodhisattva, kriya, upa, yoga, maha, anu, and ati.

Nirmanakaya (T): (sprul sku) Emanation body. The third of the three kayas. The aspect of enlightenment that tames, and can be perceived by ordinary beings.

Nirmanakaya Master (T): (slob dpon sprul pa’i sku) A respectful way of addressing Guru Rinpoche showing that he is a manifestation of an enlightened being.

Nirvana Sanskrit (nibbana Pali): Literally, the "blowing out" or "extinguishing" of tanha, the source of human suffering or duhkha in a person and of the ego-centric self, which binds one to the wheel of rebirth or samsara. Nirvana's positive meaning is enlightenment, at-onement with ultimate reality beyond all name and form, and interdependent unity or oneness with all things. (T): (mya ngan las ‘das pa) The extinguishing of the causes for samsaric existence. The lesser nirvana refers to the liberation from cyclic existence attained by a Hinayana practitioner. When referring to a buddha, nirvana is the great nondwelling state of enlightenment that falls neither into the extreme of samsaric existence nor into the passive state of cessation attained by an arhant

Noble Being (T): (skyes mchog) Great masters, bodhisattvas, or arhants, who have attained the path of seeing, the third of the five paths.

Noble Sangha (T): (‘phags pa’i dge ‘dun) The congregation of practitioners who have attained the path of seeing, the third of the five paths.. .

Non-Buddhists (T): (phyi pa, mu stegs pa; Skt. tirthika) Teachers of philosophy adhering to the extreme views of eternalism or nihilism, especially a Hindu, Jain, or lokyata (materialist)

Nonarising (T): (skye ba med pa) In the aspect of ultimate truth, all phenomena are devoid of an independent, concrete identity and have therefore no basis for such attributes as arising, dwelling, or ceasing.

Nonconceptual Self-cognizance (T): (rtog med rang gsal) The basic state of mind that is pointed out by the root guru, free from thoughts and yet naturally cognizing whatever is present.

Nonconceptualization of the Three Spheres (T): (‘khorgsum dmigs med) Not holding on to the concepts of subject, object, and action.

Nondharmic (T): (chos min) Any attribute or action that is in conflict with the Dharma, especially the eight worldly concerns.

Nonmeditation (T): (sgom med) The state of not holding on to an object meditated upon nor to a subject who meditates. Also refers to the fourth stage of mahamudra, in which nothing further needs to be meditated upon or cultivated.

Nonthought (T): (mi rtog) A state in which conceptual thinking is absent. It can refer to nonconceptual wakefulness, but usually it is one of the three temporary meditation experiences: bliss, clarity, and non-thought.

Obscuration of Dualistic Knowledge (T): (shes bya’i sgrib pa) The subtle obscuration of holding on to the concepts of subject, object, and action.

Obscurations (T): (sgrib pa) The veils that cover one’s direct perception of the nature of mind. In the general Buddhist teachings several types are mentioned: the obscuration of karma preventing one from entering the path of enlightenment, the obscuration of disturbing emotions preventing progress along the path, the obscuration of habitual tendencies preventing the vanishing of confusion, and the final obscuration of dualistic knowledge preventing the full attainment of buddhahood.

Omniscience (T): (rnam mkhyen, thams cad mkhyen pa) Same as complete enlightenment or buddhahood.

Omniscient Ones (T): (thams cad mkhyen pa) As opposed to the scholastic tradition, the oral instructions of the practice lineage are concise and pithy so they can always be kept in mind; they are practical and to the point so they are effective means to deal directly with the practices of purifying one’s obscurations and gathering the two accumulations.

Ordinariness (T): (tha mal) The state of mind of an ordinary person that is not embraced by renunciation or insight into egolessness nor by the bodhicitta aspiration, pure perception, or recognition of the nature of mind. In that state one’s thoughts and emotions will arise unchallenged and automatically accumulate the karma for further samsaric existence.

Ordinary Mind (T): (tha mal gyi shes pa) Mind in the state of unfabricated naturalness. A key word in vajrayana practice.

Ordinary Perception (T): (tha mal gyi snang ba) The way an ordinary person experiences. See also ORDINARINESS.

Orygen (T): (o rgyen; Sky. Uddiyana) Also known as Uddiyana or Odiyan, it is the home of many dakinis, and the birth place of Padmasambhava, thought to be located in the Swat valley northwest of India, which borders on modern Afghanistan. In prehistoric times, the great demon of ego-clinging was subdued and liberated by Hayagriva and Vajra Yogini. As his body fell to the ground, the heart landed in the country of Uddiyana, forming the special auspicious coincidence for the spread of the Vajrayana teachings.

Outer and Inner Vehicles (T): (phyi nang gi theg pa) Same as HIGHER AND LOWER VEHICLES: Hinayana and Mahayana.

Padmakara (T): (pad ma ‘byung gnas) “Lotus-born.” Same as Guru Rinpoche. The names Padmakara and Padmasambhava are used interchangeably in Tibetan literature, sometimes in the Tibetan version, sometimes in Sanskrit.

Paramita (T): (pha rol tu phyin pa) “Reaching the other shore.” Transcending concepts of subject, object, and action. See also SIX PARAMITAS, TEN PARAMITAS.

Path of Accumulation (T): (tshogs lam) The first of the five paths, which forms the foundation for the journey toward liberation and involves gathering a vast accumulation of merit dedicated toward this attainment. On this path one gains an intellectual and conceptual understanding of egolessness through learning and reflection. By means of cultivating the four applications of mindfulness, the four right endeavors, and the four legs of miraculous action, one succeeds in eliminating the gross defilements that cause samsaric suffering and in attaining the virtuous qualities of the superknowledges and the “samadhi of the stream of Dharma” leading to the path. of accumulation.

Path of Consummation (T): (thar phyin pa’i lam) The fifth of the give paths and the state of complete and perfect enlightenment.

Path of Cultivation (T): (sgom lam) The fourth of the five paths on which one cultivates and trains in the higher practices of a bodhisattva, especially the eight aspects of the path of noble beings.

Path of Joining (T): (sbyor lam) The second of the five paths, on which one grows closer to and joins with the realization of the truth of reality.

Path of Seeing (T): (mthong lam) The third of the five paths, which is the attainment of the first bhumi, liberation from samsara, and realization of the truth of reality.

Paths (T): (lam) The five paths or stages on the way to enlightenment: the paths of accumulation, joining, seeing, cultivation, and no more learning. They can be explained differently according to each of the three vehicles.

Paths and Bhumi (T): (sa lam) The five paths and the ten bodhisattva levels.

Peaceful and Wrathful Buddhas (T): (zhi khro) The forty-two peaceful buddhas: Samantabbhadra and Samantabhadri, the five male and female buddhas, the eight male and female bodhisattvas, the six numis, and the four male and female gatekeepers, the fifty-eight wrathful buddhas: the five male and female herukas, the eight yoginis, the eight tramenma goddesses, the four female gatekeepers, the twenty-eight shvaris. For further details see The Tibetan Book of the Dead: hearing through Liberation in the Bardo, trans. Francesca Fremantle & Chogyam Trungpa (Boston: Shambhala Publications, 1987)

Perception-spheres (T): (skye mched) Refers to the states of mind of the four formless realms. See also FOURFOLD SPHERES OF PERCEPTION.

Phenomena (T): (chos, snang ba) Anything that can be experienced, thought of, or known.

Philosophical Schools (T): (grub mtah’) The four Buddhist schools of thought are: Vaibhashika, Sautrantika, Cittamatra, and Madhyamaka. The former two are Hinayana and the latter two Mahayana.

Philosophical Vehicle (T): (mtshan nyid kyi theg pa) A collective name for Hinayana and Mahayana.

Prainaparamita (T): (shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa) Transcendent knowledge. The Mahayana teachings on insight into emptiness, transcending the fixation of subject, object, and action. Associated with the second turning of the Wheel of Dharma.

Prajna-paramita: "Perfect wisdom," the wisdom that has gone beyond" -- i.e., how things are in an ultimate perspective, from the perspective of a truly enlightened person. This is a philosophical concept developed in the Mahayana Buddhist tradition, and involves a number of paradoxical doctrines that conflict radically with ordinary and commonsense understandings of things. Ordinary and commonsense understandings (including opposites like nirvana and samsara) are said to be interpretations produced by an unenlightened ego-centric perspective to create objects for tanha. Whereas ultimate reality cannot be grasped by tanha at all. In the ultimate perspective, then, nirvana is none other than samsara but rightly seen for what it truly is. Opposites are annihilated; time and eternity are two aspects of the same whole. To experience nirvana is to be one with each moment of the life flow as it occurs, to experience the bliss of utter oneness with all things as one transcends all forms.

Prana (T): (Skt., rlung) The energy currents in the body.

Prana-mind (T): (rlung sems) Prana is the “wind of karma” and mind is the dualistic consciousness of an unenlightened being. The two are closely related.
Pratimoksha Sanskrit (Pattimokkha Pali): Literally, "Code of Unity." The 227 rules (more for nuns) to be kept by monks of the highest or full ordination, listed in order of seriousness of offence. In Theravada Buddhism, monks and nuns are committed to recite the code in unison twice a month. The most serious are the first four: to abstain from all sexual intercourse, to abstain from taking what is not given, to avoid intentionally destroying the life of any being, and to avoid attributing to oneself any superhuman condition.

Pratyekabuddha (T): (rang rgyal, rang sangs rgyas) Solitarily enlightened one. A Hinayana arhant who attains nirvana chiefly through contemplation on the twelve links of dependent origination in reverse order, without needing teachings in that lifetime, but lacks the complete realization of a buddha and so cannot benefit limitless sentient beings as a buddha does.

Precious Mind of Enlightenment (T): (byang chub kyi sems rin po che) See BODHICITTA.

Precious Ones (T): (dkon mchog) Same as the Three jewels. See also THREE PRECIOUS ONES. For further details of their qualities, see Buddha Nature by Thrangu Rinpoche (Rangjung Yeshe Publications, 1988)

Princess of Kharchen (T): (mkhar chen bza) Same as Yeshe Tsogyal. http://www.rangjung.com/authors/Yeshe_Tsogyal.htm

Pure Land: A Buddha land created by means of the boundless merit (see "merit") accumulated and compassion built up by a bodhisattva-become-Buddha, and the focus for a specific form of meditation. It is believed that Buddha lands lie beyond the conditioned realm of samsara. Persons reborn there are said to experience no obstacles to the attainment of enlightenment. Traditions of Pure Land Buddhism follow a practice of devotion (bhakti) focused on Buddhas or bodhisattvas who the scriptures identify as having created Pure Lands, in hope of receiving help in daily life and rebirth in the Pure Land.

Pure Perception (T): (dag snang) Regarding the environment as a buddha-field, self and others as deities, sounds as mantras , and thoughts as wisdom.

Purifying the Obscurations (T): (sgrib sbyong) The spiritual practices of clearing away what obscures the sugatagarbha; for example, the meditation and recitation of vajrasattva according to the special preliminaries.

Qualified Master (T): (bla ma mtshan nyid dang ldan pa) Someone with the correct view and genuine compassion. For details see Longchempa, Kindly Bent to ease Us, Vol. 1, trans. Herbert V. Guenther (London: Dharma Publishing).

Rainbow Body (T): (‘ja’ lus) At the time of death of a practitioner who has reached the exhaustion of all grasping and fixation through the Dzogchen practice of thogal, the five gross elements that form the physical body dissolve back into their essences, five-colored light. Sometimes only the hair and the nails are left behind.

Rakshas (T): (srin po) An evil being or demon.