accumulations (tshogs, sambhāra). Sometimes translated also as collections, accumulations refer to the two principal classes of conditions to be cultivated for the attainment of buddhahood. The two are the accumulation of merit—which includes all the practices of compassion—and the accumulation of wisdom, the insight into emptiness.
adverse conditions/adversities (rkyen ngan). Refers to all types of conditions, circumstances, and events that are detrimental to well-being. These include ill health, tragic events, and harm from others. The mind training teachings focus on how to creatively turn these adversities into conditions favorable to spiritual practice.
afflictions (nyon mongs, kleśa). A class of dissonant mental states, including both thoughts and emotions, that have their root in ignorance. They are referred to as “afflictions” because they afflict the individual from deep within. The classical Abhidharma texts list six root afflictions—(1) attachment, (2) aversion, (3) conceit, (4) afflicted doubt, (5) ignorance, and (6) afflicted view—and twenty afflictions that are derivative of these root afflictions.
Akaniṣṭha (’og min). The highest realm of the form realms, where, according to Mahayana scriptures, the buddhas remain present in their enjoyment bodies.
antidote (gnyen po). Just as a specific medicine is seen as the antidote for a specific illness, in mind training practice, mental states such as compassion and loving-kindness are identified as antidotes against specific mental ills. Since one of the principal objectives of mind training practice is the purification of your mind, applying antidotes is an important recurrent theme in the mind training texts. The Tibetan term gnyen po is sometimes translated also as “remedy” or “counter factor” as well.
aspiration (’dun pa, chanda). In the context of mind training teaching, the term refers to a fundamental form of aspiration, such as your life’s aspiration. One of the mind training precepts is to avoid misplaced aspiration, which means viewing the advantages of this life as admirable and aspiring for them.
aspiration prayer (smon lam, praṇidhāna). In the literary context, aspirational prayers in Tibetan are easily recognized by the presence of their ending particle shog, which is translated as “may such and such be.” The Tibetan term smon lam is also sometimes translated simply as “prayer” or “prayer of aspiration.”
aspiring awakening mind (smon pa byang sems). See awakening mind
awakening mind (byang chub kyi sems, bodhicitta). An altruistic intention to attain buddhahood for the benefit of all beings. The awakening mind is characterized by an objective, the full awakening of budhahood, and a purpose, the fulfillment of others’ welfare.
Following the Indian Mahayana classics, the mind training texts speak of “training in the two awakening minds”—the conventional awakening mind and the ultimate awakening mind. The former refers to altruistic intention as defined above, while the latter refers to a direct realization of the emptiness of the fully awakened mind. In general usage, the term awakening mind is a synonym for the conventional awakening mind, which is in turn understood in terms of two levels. First is the aspiring awakening mind, which is likened to the intention of a person who wishes to travel somewhere; and the second is the engaging awakening mind, likened to the intention of the person who has actually embarked on the journey. This second level is realized when the aspirant commits him or herself, by means of a vow, to the actual fulfillment of the aim of bringing about others’ welfare.
basis-of-all (kun gzhi, ālaya). There are two principal interpretations of what is meant by basis-of-all in the context of mind training. One interpretation is that it refers to an uncontrived mind (sems ma bcos pa), while the second interpretation maintains that it refers to the mind’s emptiness. In its classical usage in Indian Buddhism, the term ālaya is assocated with the Yogacāra theory of mind, where basis-of-all consciousness (kun gzhi rnam shes, ālayavijñāna) refers to a foundational consciousness that is thought to be the repository of all our karmic imprints, propensities, and habitual tendencies.
bodhisattva (byang chub sems dpa’). A person who has cultivated the awakening mind and is on the path to buddhahood.
clear light (’od gsal, prabhāsvara). The term clear light is used in two senses in the present collection. It sometimes refers simply to the mind’s ultimate empty nature, the emptiness of the stream of consciousness. In other contexts, it is used in a more Vajrayana sense as the subtlest and most constant aspect of the mind. The archetypal example is the “clear light of death” where all mental processes have ceased and only the subtlest, clear-light level of consciousness remains.
clinging (zhen pa). A mind or action that grasps to an object, quality, or a mental state.
compassion (snying rje, karuṇā). A mental state that wishes others to be free of suffering. Compassion is often used in mind training literature as a synonym for “great compassion” (snying rje chen po), a universal, nondiscriminatory compassion that wishes all beings to be free of suffering.
conceptual elaboration (spros pa, prapañca). A proliferation of thoughts that includes all forms of dichotomizing conceptualization, such as subject-object duality, as well as grasping at objects and their characteristics. The direct realization of emptiness is marked by total freedom from all such conceptual elaborations.
conceptualization (rnam rtog, vicāra). The Tibetan term rnam rtog has been translated as “conceptualization” and carries numerous connotations. (1) It can refer simply to thoughts, which unlike direct sensory experiences are mediated by language and concepts. (2) However, it can also refer specifically to dichotomizing thoughts that lead to the objectification and reification of things and events. (3) Sometimes, the term may be used in the negative sense of “false conceptualization.” In the context of this volume, rnam rtog carries more the second and third meaning.
confession/purification (bshags pa, deśanā). The practice for cleansing your past negative karma. A successful practice of purification must involve the application of antidotes endowed with four powers: (1) the power of eradication (by means of repentance), (2) the power of applying antidotes, (3) the power of turning away from the errors, and (4) the power of the basis (refuge in the Three Jewels).
conventional awakening mind (kun rdzob byang chub sems). See awakening mind
conventional truth (kun rdzob bden pa, saṃvṛtisatya). See two truths
cyclic existence (’khor ba, saṃsāra). The perpetual cycle of birth, death, and rebirth within an existence conditioned by karma and afflictions. Freedom from cyclic existence is characterized as nirvana, the “transcendence of sorrow.”
defilement (sgrib pa, āvaraṇa). Literally “obscuration,” defilement refers to the factors (such as mental and emotional states as well as their imprints, propensities, and habitual tendencies) that obstruct us from attaining liberation or the full omniscience of buddhahood. There are two main categories of defilements. The first, “defilements in the form of the afflictions and their seeds,” obstructs the attainment of liberation. And the second, “defilements in the form of subtle propensities of these mental states and the deep habitual tendencies for dualistic perceptions,” obstructs the attainment of buddhahood.
dharmakāya (chos sku). One of the three bodies of buddhahood. Dharmakāya, which literally means “truth body,” refers to the ultimate reality of a buddha’s enlightened mind—unborn, free from the limits of conceptual elaboration, empty of intrinsic existence, naturally radiant, beyond duality, and spacious like the sky. The other two buddha bodies, the buddha body of enjoyment (saṃbhogakāya) and the buddha body of emanation (nirmāṇakāya), are progressively grosser bodies that arise naturally from the basic dharmakāya state.
emptiness (stong pa nyid, śūnyatā). According to the Perfection of Wisdom scriptures of Mahayana Buddhism, all things and events, including our own existence, are devoid of any independent, substantial, and intrinsic reality. This emptiness of independent existence is phenomena’s ultimate mode of being—the way they actually are. The theory of emptiness is most systematically developed in the writings of the second-century Indian thinker Nāgārjuna, who demonstrated the emptiness of all things and events, both external and internal, through logical reasoning. Since our deeply ingrained tendency is to perceive and grasp a substantial reality in all phenomena, we engender a cycle of conceptualization, objectification, grasping, and bondage. Only through bringing an end to this cycle, Nāgārjuna argues, can we begin the path to liberation.
five aggregates (phung po lnga, pañca skandha). The five key physical and mental elements that, according to Buddhist psychology, constitute the basis of the identity of a person. The five are form, feeling, discrimination, mental formations, and consciousness, each of which is referred to as an aggregate to underscore their composite nature.
five heinous acts (mtshams med lnga). Literally meaning “without a break,” these deeds are of such heinous nature that the perpetrator will depart to the lowest forms of existence with no break at all after death. The five are killing one’s father, killing one’s mother, killing an arhat, wounding the body of a buddha, and creating a schism within the monastic community.
five poisons (dug lnga). The afflictions of attachment, anger, delusion, pride, and jealousy, which are often characterized as “poisons” of the mind. This is a slightly more extended list of the three poisons—attachment, anger, and delusion.
freeing the remedy too in its own place (gnyen po nyid kyang rang sar grol ba). This means that, in applying antidotes against the afflictions, you need to avoid grasping at the antidotes themselves. This instruction echoes the Mahayana exhortation to remember that emptiness, too, is empty of intrinsic existence.
hero (dpa’ bo, vira). In some of the verse texts featured in this volume, the term hero is sometimes used as an epithet for a bodhisattva, to connote the courage to willingly plunge into the world of suffering and take it upon oneself.
loving-kindness (byams pa, maitrī). As a “mental factor wishing others to achieve happiness,” loving-kindness is said to be the other facet of compassion. The mind training texts give specific instructions on cultivating loving-kindness. This loving-kindness is to be distinguished from the loving-kindness of cherishing others as dear, which is step 4 in the seven-point cause-and-effect method of cultivating the awakening mind.
Māra’s activity (bdud las). In Mahayana thought, often a detrimental thought or action is described as “Māra’s activity,” implying that it is the product of the beguiling forces of the afflictions. The concept of Māra goes back to the earliest Buddhist literature, where it is a personification of the basic obstructive forces—internal afflictions, such as anger, desire, and delusion. In fact, one of the “twelve deeds of the Buddha” is his gaining victory over the forces of Māra. Classical Buddhist texts list four such māras: (1) the māra of afflictions, (2) the māra of death, (3) the māra of conditioned aggregates, and (4) the māra of beguiling desire (literally, the “son of devas”).
meditation (sgom, bhāvanā). Both the Sanskrit and the Tibetan terms for meditation connote the notion of cultivation, such as the cultivation of certain mental habit. The Tibetan term in particular carries a strong sense of cultivating familiarity, be it with a chosen object, topic, or a particular way of thinking or being. Principally, there are two kinds of meditation: absorptive meditation (’jog sgom), which is characterized by single-pointed focus; and analytic meditation (dpyad sgom), which is characterized primarily by deep analysis. There are other types of meditation, too, such as visualization, aspiration, or cultivation. Given this diversity, different words—“contemplate,” “meditate,” “visualize,” and “cultivate”—have been used to translate the Tibetan verb sgom pa, depending upon the context.
meditative absorption (ting nge ’dzin, samādhi). Meditative absorption is the state where the mind is totally focused in single-pointed absorption on a chosen object. The Sanskrit term samādhi and its Tibetan equivalent have several different meanings in different contexts. In the context of the Abhidharma taxonomy of mental factors, the term refers to a mental factor whose primary function is to ensure the stability of the mind. This mental factor is part of a group of mental factors present in all unmistaken cognitions. Meditative absorption can also refer to a specific advanced meditative state, such as the direct single-pointed realization of emptiness. Finally, the term can refer to a specific meditation practice, such as meditative absorption on compassion.
meditative equipoise (mnyam gzhag, samāhita). A session of single-pointed fusion with the chosen object of meditation. Sometimes meditative equipoise is simply a synonym for “meditation session” in contrast to the practices pursued between sessions. In the Seven-Point Mind Training, for example, the practices of cultivating the two awakening minds are regarded as practices for the actual meditation session, while all other practices are described as those of the intervening periods.
method (thabs, upāya). Method refers to the altruistic deeds of the bodhisattva, including the cultivation of compassion and the awakening mind. In Mahayana Buddhism, the union of method and wisdom is central to understanding the path.
negative action (sdig pa/sdig pa’i las, pāpa/pāpakarma). Actions of body, speech, and mind that are actually harmful or potentially harmful. Negative actions are motivated by any of the three poisons of the mind—attachment, aversion, and delusion. Though used interchangeably in the texts with mi dge ba or mi dge ba’i las (Tibetan equivalents for the Sanskrit terms akuśala or akuśalakarma) and translated as “nonvirtuous action,” the Tibetan term sdig pa and its Sanskrit equivalent actually carry a heavier, sin-like connotation. Hence I have chosen to distinguish their usage by choosing two different English renderings: “negative” and “nonvirtuous.” The classical Buddhist texts list ten classes of negative actions: three actions of body, which are (1) killing, (2) stealing, and (3) sexual misconduct; four actions of speech, which are (4) lying, (5) engaging in divisive speech, (6) using harsh words, and (7) indulging in frivolous speech; and three actions of mind, which are (8) covetousness, (9) ill will, and (10) wrong views. See also nonvirtuous karma
noble one (’phags pa, ārya). A being on the path who has gained direct realization of the truth. Noble ones are contrasted with ordinary beings (so so’i ske bo, pṛthagjana), whose understanding of the truth remains bound by language and concepts.
nonvirtuous karma (mi dge ba/mi dge ba’i las, akuśala/akuśalakarma). Although in most Buddhist texts the term akauśalakarma (nonvirtuous action) is used interchangeably with pāpakarma (negative action), etymologically the Sanskrit term akuśala connotes an act that is unskillful rather than negative. Similarly, the Tibetan equivalent of the term mi dge ba connotes an act that is not auspicious or virtuous. See also negative action
obscuration to knowledge, subtle. See defilement
penetrative insight (lhag mthong, vipaśyanā). An advanced meditative state where the meditator has successfully attained physical and mental pliancy because of having applied analytic meditation on a basis of tranquil abiding. Sometimes the term is also used generically to embrace all analytic, as opposed to absorptive, meditation practices.
perfection of wisdom (sher phyin, prajñāpāramitā). One of the six perfections that lie at the heart of the practice of the bodhisattva. Classical Mahayana texts apply the term in three principal ways. In the context of the resultant stage, the term refers the perfected wisdom of a fully awakened buddha, who is free of all defilements and directly perceives the two truths—conventional and ultimate—of all phenomena spontaneously in a single mental act. In terms of the path, perfection of wisdom refers to the bodhisattva’s direct realization of emptiness, a wisdom that is in perfect union with the method side of the path. Finally, this term also refers to a specific subdivision of the Mahayana scriptures that outline the essential aspects of these paths and their resultant state. The Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines, the Heart Sūtra, and the Diamond Cutter are some of the most well-known Perfection of Wisdom scriptures.
pith instructions (man ngag, upadeśa). Sometimes translated simply as “instruction,” pith instruction connotes a specialized kind of advice. This Tibetan word and the term gdams ngag, which has been translated as “advice,” are both equivalents of a single Sanskrit term upadeśa. Man ngag connotes an instruction suited only to select practitioners. Often, man ngag also refers to an oral lineage.
pristine cognition (ye shes, jñāna). Often contrasted with ordinary consciousness (rnam shes), pristine cognition (ye shes) refers to a buddha’s fully awakened wisdom and also to the uncontaminated gnosis of the noble ones that is characterized by the direct realization of emptiness. Some translate the Sanskrit term and its Tibetan equivalent as “wisdom” or “gnosis.”
pratyekabuddhas (rang sangs rgyas). These “self-realized ones” aspire for their own liberation from cyclic existence and, unlike śrāvakas, seek liberation primarily on the basis of their own autonomous understanding rather than relying on instruction from others. In addition, they are said to accumulate both merit and wisdom for a much longer period than śrāvakas. The distinction between the śrāvaka and the pratyekabuddha varies among different philosophical schools.
remedy (gnyen po). See antidote
self-cherishing (rang gces ’dzin). The deeply ingrained thought that cherishes the welfare of your own self above all others and makes you oblivious to others’ well-being. This is one of the “twin demons” (’gong po gnyis) that lie within our hearts and serve as the source of all misfortune and downfall (the other twin demon being grasping at selfhood). These two thoughts—self-cherishing and self-grasping—are the primary focus of combat in the mind training practice.
self-grasping (bdag ’dzin, ātmagṛha). Instinctively believing in the intrinsic existence of your own self as well of the external world. Self here means a substantial, truly existing identity. The wisdom that realizes emptiness eliminates this self-grasping. See also self-cherishing
śrāvakas (nyan thos). Disciples of the Buddha whose primary spiritual objective is to attain liberation from the cycle of existence. The Sanskrit term and its Tibetan equivalent are sometimes translated as “hearers” (which stays close to the literal meaning) or as “pious attendants.” Śrāvakas are often paired with pratyekabuddhas, who seek liberation on the basis of autonomous practice as opposed to listening to others’ instructions.
stages of the path (lam rim). A genre of instruction on the Mahayana Buddhist path that evolved from Atiśa’s Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment. This short text lays out the essence of the entire teachings of the Buddha within a graduated framework of practices that are geared to three levels of mental capacity. Tsongkhapa’s Great Exposition of the Stages of the Path is the most well known of the later Tibetan works inspired by Atiśa’s text.
substantial existence (bden par yod pa/bden par grub pa). A belief that things and events, including your own self, possess a true existence definable in terms of their elementary constituents (atom-like particles) or in terms of characteristics like causes, conditions, and effects.
substantial reality (bden pa’i dngos po). A belief that things and events possess substantial existence.
suchness (de bzhin nyid, tattva/tathatā). The reality of things as they are; often used as a synonym for emptiness.
sugata. Literally, “one gone to bliss”; a buddha.
supplication (gsol ’debs). An appeal or request written often in verse and directed to an object of veneration, such as the Three Jewels or your spiritual teacher.
tathāgata (de bzhin gshegs pa, tathāgata). Literally, “thus-gone one”; an epithet for a buddha.
Tengyur (bstan ’gyur). The section of the Tibetan Buddhist canon that contains primarily works of classical Indian masters translated from Sanskrit.
Three Jewels (dkon mchog gsum, triratna). The Buddha Jewel, the Dharma Jewel, and the Sangha Jewel together constitute the true object of refuge in Buddhism. You take refuge in the Buddha as the true teacher, in the Dharma as the true teaching, and in the Sangha (the spiritual community) as the true companions on the path.
torma (gtor ma). A cake for ritual offerings made from dough. Often cone-shaped and composed of yak butter and barley flour, torma can be as simple as a dough ball or elaborately crafted with colorful butter ornamentation.
tranquil abiding (zhi gnas, śamatha). An advanced meditative state where the meditator has attained a physical and mental pliancy derived from focusing the mind. It is characterized by stable single-pointed attention on a chosen object with all mental distractions calmed. Tranquil abiding is an essential basis for cultivating penetrative insight.
two truths (bden pa gnyis, satyadvaya). The concept of two levels of reality, two truths, is employed in all schools of Buddhism to explain their understanding of the nature of reality. What constitutes the conventional truth and what constitutes the ultimate truth differs among these schools. According to the Middle Way school, the perspective adopted in most of the mind training texts, ultimate truth refers to emptiness—the absence of the intrinsic existence of all phenomena. In contrast, conventional truth refers to the empirical aspect of reality as experienced through perception, thought, and language.
ultimate awakening mind (don dam byang chub sems). See awakening mind
ultimate expanse (chos dbyings, dharmadhātu). Often used as a synonym for emptiness and suchness, the term refers to the ultimate underlying truth of all things—namely their empty nature. This ultimate underlying truth constitutes the expanse from which arises the entire world of diversity, cause and effect, identity and difference, and so on, that characterizes our everyday world of existence.
ultimate nature (gnas lugs). Refers to the ultimate mode of being of things, which is emptiness. Hence the expression, “emptiness, the ultimate nature of phenomena” (chos rnams kyi gnas lugs stong pa nyid).
ultimate truth (don dam bden pa, paramārthasatya). See two truths
virtuous karma (dge ba / dge ba’i las, kuśala/kuśalakarma). Actions of body, speech, and mind motivated by wholesome states of mind, such as nonattachment, nonaversion, and nondelusion; these are actions either actually or potentially beneficial for others and one’s own self. See also nonvirtuous karma
wisdom (shes rab, prajñā). The Sanskrit term prajñā and its Tibetan equivalent shes rab have different applications depending upon the context. In the Abhidharma taxonomy of mental factors, prajñā refers to a specific mental factor that helps evaluate the various properties or qualities of an object. The term can refer simply to intelligence or mental aptitude. In the context of the Mahayana path, prajñā refers to the wisdom aspect of the path constituted primarily by deep insight into the emptiness of all phenomena. Hence the term prajñā and its Tibetan equivalent are translated variously as “wisdom,” “insight,” or “intelligence.”
yoga (rnal ’byor). Literally meaning “union,” yoga refers to advanced meditative practices, especially in the context of Buddhist tantra. The Tibetan term rnal ’byor has the added connotation of “uniting one’s mind with the nature of reality.”