The Rain of Wisdom

This Glossary contains most of the technical terminology appearing in The Rain of Wisdom, whether in Sanskrit, Tibetan, or English. Also included are many names and places. Most points covered in the Afterword are not included here, particularly biographical information concerning the authors of the many songs compiled in The Rain of Wisdom. Please note that the definitions given here are particular to the usage of the term in The Rain of Wisdom, and should not be construed as the single or even most common meaning of a specific term.

Abhirati (T: mngon-par-dga’-ba; higher joy) The eastern buddha field of Akṣobhya.

abhiṣeka (T: dbang-skur; a sprinkling, anointment, empowerment, or initiation) A ceremony in which a student is ritually entered into a maṇḍala of a particular tantric deity by his vajra master. He is thus empowered to practice the sādhana of that deity. In anuttarayogayāna there are four principal abhiṣekas: (1) vase abhiṣeka (kalaśābhiṣeka) which includes the abhiṣekas of the five buddha families: water (vajra), crown (ratna), vajra (padma), bell (karma), and name (buddha); (2) secret abhiṣeka (guhyābhiṣeka); (3) prajñājñāna-abhiṣeka; and (4) fourth abhiṣeka (caturthābhiṣeka).

An abhiṣeka is usually accompanied by a reading transmission (T: lung) and a tri. The lung authorizes the student to read and practice the text. The tri is the master’s oral instructions on how to practice. See also reading transmission, tri.

ācārya (T: slob-dpon) An accomplished master of meditation practice and study. An official position in a monastery.

accumulations, two The accumulation of merit (S: puṇya-sambhāra; T: bsod-nams-kyi-tshogs) is creating favorable conditions for following the path, by means of surrendering ego-oriented approaches, and exerting oneself toward dharma practice. The accumulation of wisdom (S: jñāna-sambhāra; T: ye-shes-kyi-tshogs) is the resulting realization.

Ādityabandhu (T: nyi-ma’i-gnyen: kinsman or friend of the sun) An epithet of Śākyamuni Buddha. Āditya (sun) is the gotra name of Śākyamuni’s family.

Ajita (T: mi-pham; unconquerable) An epithet of Maitreya, the future buddha.

Akaniṣṭha (T: ’og-min) The highest of the rūpadhātu deva realms, but usually used to mean the highest buddha realm.

Akṣobhya (T: mi-bskyod-pa; immoveable) The sambhogakāya buddha of the vajra family. See also buddha family.

ālaya-vijñāna (T: kun-gzhi-rnam-par-shes-pa; store-house consciousness) The root of dualistic consciousness, and hence of saṃsāra. It is the eighth consciousness according to the Yogācāra abhidharma exposition of mind. From a vajrayāna perspective, this term is also used as a synonym for dharmatā, the absolute, primordial basis of both saṃsāra and nirvāṇa. Ālaya-vijñāna can be abbreviated to ālaya.

Amitābha (T: ’od-dpag-med; boundless light) The sambhogakāya buddha of the padma family. See also buddha family.

Amoghasiddhi (T: don-yod-grub-pa; unerring accomplishment) The sambhogakāya buddha of the karma family. See also buddha family.

amṛta (T: bdud-rtsi; deathless) Blessed liquor, used in vajrayāna meditation practices. More generally, spiritual intoxication.

anuttarayoga (T: rnal-’byor-bla-med; none higher yoga) The practice of the anuttarayogayāna, the highest of the four tantric yānas, according to the New Translation school of Marpa and his contemporaries. The first three yānas are kriyā, upa (caryā), and yoga.

ārya (T: ’phags-pa; noble one) An epithet of the enlightened ones: arhats, bodhisattvas, and buddhas.

āryan riches, seven (T: ’phags-pa’i-nor-bdun) The seven riches of a bodhisattva: faith, discipline, generosity, learning, decorum, modesty, and knowledge.

Asaṅga (T: thogs-med-pa) A fourth-century Buddhist teacher, one of the founders of the Yogacara school of Buddhism.

aspects of supreme union, seven (T: kha-sbyor-yan-lag-bdun-ldan) These seven aspects define the virtues of the sambhogakāya buddhas. According to Dilgo Khyentse, Rinpoche, these are the following:

Whatever manifestations of realms, palaces, and forms there are, peaceful and wrathful qualities, they do not exist on a gross level. They are forms of śūnyatā endowed with all the supreme qualities. Therefore, they are known as possessing the aspect of being without self-nature.

The mind of those buddhas are completely filled with the wisdom of unchanging nondual bliss-emptiness. Therefore, they are known as possessing the aspect of union.

Their body, speech, and mind are eternally filled with the taste of great bliss, free from increase and decrease. Therefore, they are known as possessing the aspect of great bliss.

In the realm and palace, none of the chief and retinue, devas and devīs, have ever known suffering. They are completely endowed with all the good qualities of saṃsāra and nirvāṇa. Therefore, they are known as possessing the aspect of complete enjoyment.

Their wisdom of great bliss is free from meditation and postmeditation, neither increases nor decreases, and is without change or cessation. Therefore, they are known as possessing the aspect of freedom from interruption.

As for themselves, they achieved such virtues, but through compassion, they eternally care for confused sentient beings. Therefore, they are known as possessing the aspect of having a mind completely filled with great compassion.

Their buddha activity tames others at all times in all directions throughout the three times. Therefore, they are known as possessing the aspect of continuity.

ati (T: rdzogs-pa-chen-po) The highest of the six tantric yānas of the Nyingma school of Tibet (Old Translation school). The six are kriya, upa (cārya), yoga, mahayoga, anu, and ati. Ati teachings are the final statement of the fruition path of vajrayāna.

auspicious coincidence (T: rten-’brel; S: pratītya-samutpāda; dependent co-origination) The coming together of factors to form a situation. The Tibetan word has an additional connotation of auspiciousness. From the view of sacred outlook, coincidence gives rise to fitting, proper situations.

avadhūti (T: kun-’dar-ma, dbu-ma) The central nāḍī of the illusory body. See also nāḍī, prāṇa, and bindu.

Avalokiteśvara (T: spyan-ras-gzigs-dbang-phyug) The bodhisattva of compassion. The Gyalwa Karmapa is said to be an incarnation of this bodhisattva; so also is the Dalai Lama.

Avataṃsaka (T: me-tog-rna-rgyan-phal-mo-che; flower ornament) An important mahāyāna sūtra associated with the Yogācāra school.

āyatana (T: skye-mched; sense-field) A category of the abhidharma, including the six sense organs (eye, ear, etc.) and their objects.

basic rules, four (S: catvarāḥ pārājikā-dharmāḥ; T: phas-pham-par-’gyur-ba’i-chos-bzhi) The four most serious violations of monastic discipline: sexual intercourse, theft, murder, and claiming greater realization than what one has attained.

benefits, two (T: don-gnyis) Benefit for oneself and for others; in particular, attaining enlightenment oneself and liberating others.

Bhagavat (T: bcom-ldan-’das) The blessed one—referring to the Buddha. Can also refer to a peaceful male yidam.

bhagavatī (T: bcom-ldan-’das-ma) A general term for a peaceful female yidam.

bhūmi (T: sa; earth, stage, level) Usually refers to the ten stages on the path of a bodhisattva.

black crown The crown exclusively worn by the Gyalwa Karmapas. The first black crown was given to the fifth Karmapa, Teshin Shekpa, by Emperor Yung Lo of China. The emperor, through his devotion to Karmapa, was able to perceive the self-existing crown above his teacher’s head, the symbol of Avalokiteśvara’s compassion. He made a replica so that all might be inspired to perceive Karmapa’s true nature.

blackline hell (S: saṃghāta; T: bsdus-’jams, thig-nag) One of the hot hells primarily reserved for thieves.

blessings (S: adhiṣṭhāna; T: byin-rlabs; S: standing over, resting upon; T: splendor wave—conveying the sense of atmosphere descending or coming toward the practitioner) One’s root guru and lineage gurus are said to be the source of blessings. When the student can open himself with uncontrived devotion, the grace of the lineage manifests as blessings, which dissolve into and awaken him to a sense of greater reality.

bodhicitta (T: byang-chub-kyi-sems; heart of awakened mind) Absolute bodhicitta, according to Gampopa, is emptiness indivisible with compassion—radiant, unshakable, and impossible to formulate by concepts. Relative bodhicitta arises from a glimpse of ultimate bodhicitta, and is the aspiration to practice the pāramitās and to deliver all sentient beings from saṃsāra, out of one’s compassion.

bodhisattva (T: byang-chub-sems-dpa’) One who has committed himself to the mahāyāna path of compassion and the practice of the six pāramitās. The bodhisattva’s vow, taken in the presence of one’s spiritual friend (S: kalyāṇamitra), is one of relinquishing one’s personal enlightenment to work for all sentient beings. The vow is continually renewed in order to mix one’s being with the mahāyāna mind of bodhicitta. Bodhisattva deities represent qualities of enlightened mind active in our life.

bodhisattva name The name given to the bodhisattva-to-be during the bodhisattva vow ceremony.

brahmarandhra (T: tshangs-bug; aperture of Brahmā) An opening at the crown of the head at the top of the avadhūti.

buddha (T: sangs-rgyas; awakened, enlightened) May refer to the principle of enlightenment or to any enlightened being, in particular to Śākyamuni Buddha, the historical Buddha.

buddha activity (S: karman; T: ’phrin-las) The activity of an enlightened one.

buddha families (S: buddhakula; T: sangs-rgyas-kyi-rigs) The maṇḍala of the five tathāgatas or jinas (victorious ones). They embody the five wisdoms, but in saṃsāra, these energies arise as the five confused emotions. Everything in the world is said to possess a predominant characteristic of one of these five. Thus, they are called families. The five families, tathāgatas, wisdoms, confused emotions, directions, and colors, respectively, are as follows: (1) buddha, Vairocana, dharmadhātu wisdom, ignorance, center, white; (2) vajra, Akṣobhya, mirror-like wisdom, aggression, east, blue; (3) ratna (jewel), Ratnasambhava, wisdom of equanimity, pride, south, yellow; (4) padma (lotus), Amitābha, discriminating-awareness wisdom, passion, west, red; (5) karma (action), Amoghasiddhi, wisdom that accomplishes all actions, envy, north, green. Some of these qualities vary in different tantras, especially those of buddha and vajra.

buddha field (S: buddha-kṣetra; T: sangs-rgyas-zhing) The realm of existence of a buddha.

cakra (T: ’khor-lo; circle, wheel) Often used in a technical sense to refer to the primary centers of the illusory body: head, throat, heart, and navel.

Cakrasaṃvara (T: ’khor-lo-sdom-pa, bde-mchog; binding or union of the cakras) A heruka of the mother order of anuttara tantra, belonging to the padma family; he is a particularly important yidam in the Kagyü lineage.

cakravartin (T: ’khor-los-bsgyur-ba; turner of the wheel [of dharma]) A universal monarch. When Prince Gautama was born, it was foretold that he would become either a world-enlightened one or a universal monarch, a king who propagates the dharma. This can be seen as a secular equivalent of enlightenment—one whose reign ushers in a golden age of civilization and culture.

caṇḍālī (T: gtum-mo; fierce, wrathful) A vajrayāna term for a kind of psychic heat generated and experienced through certain meditative practices. This heat serves to burn up all types of obstacles and confusion. One of the six yogas of Nāropa.

Candraprabhakumārabhūta (T: zla-’od-gzhon-nu) A disciple of Śākyamuni, whose request is the occasion for the Buddha’s uttering of the Samādhirāja-sūtra. Gampopa is said to have been an incarnation of him.

celestial realm (S: khecara; T: mkha’-spyod; moving in the air) A realm of the ḍākinīs.

chang (T: chang) Tibetan barley-beer. This term is also used in a general sense, referring to any liquor.

chö (T: chod; cutting) A vajrayāna meditation practice where one visualizes the cutting up and offering of one’s body. Lord Atīśa said that surrendering and offering one’s own ego-clinging is the most effective way to overcome the four māras. This practice was often performed in fearsome places. Chö teachings were introduced into Tibet by Pha-dam-pa-sangs-rgyas, and were spread by his chief disciple, the great woman teacher Ma-gcig-labs-sgron-ma.

coemergent wisdom (S: sahajajñāna; T: lhan-cig-skyes-pa’i-ye-shes) A key term in vajrayāna referring to the simultaneous arising of saṃsāra and nirvāṇa, naturally giving birth to wisdom.

compassion (S: karuṇā; T: snying-rje) A key principle of mahāyāna Buddhism, describing the motivation and action of a bodhisattva, i.e., the practice of the pāramitās. Compassion is said to arise from experiencing the suffering of sentient beings, including ourselves; insight into the four noble truths; seeing the suffering inherent in bewilderment about cause and effect; clinging to solid and permanent existence; and spontaneously, from śūnyatā.

corruptions, five (T: snyigs-ma-lnga) The five corruptions of the dark age: decrease in the length of life, perverted views and no faith in spirituality, the five kleśas being rampant, sentient beings are difficult to convert, and warfare and degraded society.

ḍāka (T: dpa’-bo; S: one who goes in the sky, T: hero, warrior) Specifically, a masculine semiwrathful yidam. More generally, it can refer to a type of messenger or protector. See also yidam.

ḍākinī (T: mkha’-’gro-ma; one who goes in the sky) A wrathful or semiwrathful female yidam, signifying compassion, emptiness, and prajñā. The ḍākinīs are tricky and playful, representing the basic space of fertility out of which the play of saṃsāra and nirvāṇa arises. They inspire the union of skillful means and prajñā. More generally, a ḍākinī can be a type of messenger or protector. See also yidam.

ḍamaru A type of hand drum, usually two-headed, made of either skulls or wood, and used frequently in vajrayāna practice.

dark age (S: kaliyuga; T: snyigs-ma’i-dus) The present world age marked by the degeneration of all discipline, morality, and wisdom. See also corruptions, five.

deva realm of thirty-three (S: trāyāstriṃśāḥ; T: sum-cu-rtsa-gsum) The god realm over which Indra presides.

dharma (T: chos; truth, law) Specifically, the Buddha’s teaching. Lower dharma is how things work on the mundane level, e.g., how water boils. Higher dharma is the subtle understanding of the world—how mind works, how saṃsāra perpetuates itself and how it is transcended, and so on. More technically, in the abhidharma it refers to the most simple, ultimate elements of existence, which were enumerated in differing numbers by various schools.

dharmacakra (T: chos-kyi-’khor-lo; wheel of dharma) Generally, this term is used as in dharmacakra pravartana (“turning the wheel of dharma”), which refers to teaching the dharma. More technically, it can refer to the heart cakra.

dharmadhātu (T: chos-kyi-dbyings; space, realm, or sphere of dharma) All-encompassing space, unconditional totality—unoriginating and unchanging—in which all phenomena arise, dwell, and cease.

Dharmakāya Buddha, sixth This refers to Vajradhara, who is said to be the dharmakāya level of the sambhogakāya. The five jinas or tathāgatas are more purely sambhogakāya emanations. Hence, Vajradhara is the sixth.

dharmapāla (T: chos-skyong; protector of the dharma) A type of deity whose function is to protect the practitioner from deceptions and sidetracks. Oath-bound to the dharma, not bound to the six realms, the dharmapālas fulfill the four karmas or enlightened actions of pacifying, enriching, magnetizing, and destroying, thus serving and protecting the integrity of the teachings and practice.

dharmarāja (T: chos-kyi-rgyal-po; dharma king) An epithet applied to either a great ruler who realized and fulfilled the vision of the Buddha’s teaching, or to great teachers themselves.

dharmas, eight worldly (S: aṣṭau lokadharmāḥ; T: ’jig-rten-gyi-chos-brgyad) Gain (S: lābha; T: rnyed-pa) and loss (S: alābha; T: ma-rnyed-pa), fame (S: yaśas; T: snyan-grags) and disgrace (S: ayaśas, T: ma-grags), praise (S: praśaṃsā; T: bstod-pa) and blame (S: nindā; T: smad-pa), pleasure (S: sukha; T: bde-ba) and pain (S: duḥkha; T: sdug-bsngal).

dharmatā (T: chos-nyid; dharma-ness) The essence of reality, completely pure nature.

dhātu (1) The three realms of saṃsāra: realm of desire (S: kāmadhātu; T: ’dod-pa’i-khams), realm of form (S: rūpadhātu; T: gzugs-kyi-khams), and formless realm (S: ārūpyadhātu; T: gzugs-med-khams). (2) The eighteen elements classified in the abhidharma: the six sense organs, sense objects, and their corresponding consciousnesses.

dhyānas, four (T: bsam-gtan-bzhi; meditation) Refers to the four meditation states of the rūpadhātu attained by advanced practitioners. However, these are still within the deva realm of saṃsāra.

dohā A type of verse or song spontaneously composed by vajrayāna practitioners as an expression of their realization.

Do-Kham (T: mdo-khams) Another name for Kham, a province of East Tibet where the Kagyü lineage enjoyed great popularity.

Ḍombī Heruka One of the eighty-four mahāsiddhas of the Indian vajrayāna tradition. He was a disciple of Virūpa and a master of the Hevajratantra.

dön (T: gdon) A type of malevolent spirit, usually of the preta realm, who tends to cause disease—physical or psychological—due to a lack of mindfulness on the part of the practitioner.

Drepung (T: ’bras-spungs) One of the three main Gelukpa monasteries, located north of Lhasa.

E and VAṂ E is the seed syllable for the feminine principle—emptiness, prajñā; VAṂ is the seed syllable for the masculine principle—form, upāya. EVAṂ is the union of prajñā and upāya—space and indestructibility.

ejection of consciousness (T: ’pho-ba) A yogic practice in which consciousness leaves the body. One of the six yogas of Nāropa.

elements (S: mahābhūta; T: ’byung-ba-chen-po) According to the abhidharma, all materiality can be seen as having the aspects of earth (solidity, tangibility), water (cohesion), fire (radiation, sustaining), and air (movement).

enlightenment (S: bodhi; T: byang-chub) According to the buddhadharma, theistic and mystical experiences of all kinds still fall within saṃsāra, as long as they confirm the experiencer or solidify his experience, even in the most subtle way. Buddhist norms of experience are: universal impermanence, existence as suffering, egolessness, and peace as absence of struggle to attain or maintain anything.

According to the hīnayāna tradition, enlightenment (also S: nirvāṇa; extinguished) means the cessation of ignorance and of conflicting emotions, and therefore freedom from the compulsive rebirth in saṃsāra. Its degrees of attainment were graded by the four levels: stream enterer (S: srotāpanna), once-returner (S: sakṛdāgāmin), nonreturner (S: anāgāmin), and arhat.

According to mahāyāna tradition, hīnayāna nirvāṇa is a way station, like an illusory city in the desert created by the Buddha to encourage travelers. Enlightenment requires not only cessation of ignorance but also compassion and skillful means to work with the bewilderment of all sentient beings. The arhat does not attain complete enlightenment because of his underdeveloped compassion.

According to vajrayāna tradition, hīnayāna and mahāyāna attainment are necessary, but they contain dogma. It is necessary for the yogin to develop complete partnership with the phenomenal world and to experience a more penetrating unmasking of the root of ego. In presenting the final fruition, the vajrayāna teaches either four or six tantric yānas. The term nirvāṇa can have the utmost positive sense when referring to enlightenment; or it can have a limiting or pejorative sense when referring to a limited goal of cessation.

enter the action (T: spyod-pa-la-gshegs-pa) A technical term in vajrayāna referring to the stage of practice where one abandons all concepts of meditation and nonmeditation and directly encounters the phenomenal world.

equalizing the elements (T: ’byimg-ba-ro-snyoms) Another term for the practice of “one taste,” one of the four yogas of mahāmudrā.

evil deeds (S: pāpa; T: sdig-pa) Actions which tend to lead one away from enlightenment. The Buddhist equivalent to “sin.”

faiths, three (T: dad-pa-gsum) There are several traditional expositions of the stages of faith on the spiritual path. The most relevant here is: (1) sincere interest (T: dang-ba) in the three jewels as the source and guide on the path, (2) longing (T: dod-pa), being eager to pursue the path, and (3) trust: (T: yid-ches-pa) arising from conviction in the cause and effect of karma and in the four noble truths. Here the student knows the dharma to be true.

families, three (T: rigs-gsum) The three families or groupings of Buddhists according to their allegiance to the hīnayāna, mahāyāna, or vajrayāna.

fearlessnesses, four (S: vaiśāradya; T: mi-’jigs-pa) There are four fearlessnesses of grounds of confidence of a buddha—two fearlessnesses concerning oneself: having abandoned all limitations or faults and being the complete embodiment of realization; and two fearlessnesses concerning others: fearless in showing the path and fearless in pointing out the obscurations and obstacles.

free and well-favored (S: kṣaṇa-sampad; T: dal-’byor) A technical term describing the very special situation of a human birth that allows one to hear and practice the dharma. See also Afterword.

gaṇacakra (T: tshogs-kyi-’khor-lo) A feast offering; a practice in which desire and sense perceptions are made part of the path. By celebrating the phenomenal world, the practitioner simultaneously extends his understanding of sacredness and further surrenders ego.

gandharva (T: dri-za) A class of deities said to live off of smells. They are celestial musicians.

garuḍa (T: khyung) A bird of Indian mythology said to hatch fully grown and hence symbolizes the awakened state of mind.

gates, three (T: sgo-gsum) Body, speech, and mind. The three gates or modes through which one relates to the phenomenal world.

gems, three (T: nor-bu-rnam-gsum) The three teachings that Tilopa received from Vajrayoginī: the tsakali of body, the seed syllable of speech, and the mudrā of mind. These correspond to the lineage holder, the path that ripens, and the path that frees.

geshe (T: dge-bshes; abbreviation for dge-ba’i-bshes-gnyen; S: kalyānamitra; spiritual friend) A title given in recognition of scholarly and meditative accomplishment primarily by the Gelukpa school of Tibetan Buddhism.

gods of desire (S: kāmāvacara; T: ’dod-pa-na-spyod-pa) The six levels of gods that dwell in the kāmadhātu, the realm of desire.

good qualities, eight (T: yon-tan-brgyad) Qualities of Vajradhara, very similar to the seven aspects of supreme union.

grasping and fixation (T: gzung-ba-dang-’dzin-pa) The two processes that constitute the ego of self and the ego of dharmas. Objects are fixated on (T: gzung-ba’i-yul) as solid independent existences, and the mind then grasps them (T: ’dzin-pa’i-sems).

Great Compassionate One (T: lha-thugs-rje-chen-po) An epithet of Avalokiteśvara.

Great Eastern Sun (T: shar-chen-nyi-ma) An important image in the Shambhala tradition, representing indestructible wakefulness. Being spontaneously present, it radiates peace and confidence. Being brilliant, it illuminates the way of discipline. Since it shines over all, heaven, earth, and man find their proper place.

Guhyasamāja (T: gsang-ba-’dus-pa; secret assembly) A heruka of the father order of anuttara tantra. Belonging to the vajra family, he exemplifies the penetrating quality of transmuted anger. Blue, sitting in the vajrāsana, he has six arms and four faces. With two arms he clasps his prajñā (consort) with his vajra and ghanta; the other four hands hold the mudrās of the other four buddha families: a dharmacakra, a flaming jewel, a lotus, and a crossed vajra.

Guṇa Sāgara (T: yon-tan-rgya-mtsho; ocean of good qualities) The monastic name of Jamgön Kongtrül Lodrö Thaye.

haṭha yoga (T: ’khrul-’khor) Advanced practice in the vajrayāna unifying visualization, prāṇayāma (control of prāṇa) and physical posture. By working with the mind and body maṇḍalas together, the mind can be controlled. See also nāḍī, prāṇa, and bindu.

Hayagrīva (T: rta-mgrin) A wrathful heruka of the padma family belonging to the anuyoga tantra of the Old Translation school. He is usually depicted with three faces, six arms, and four legs, with the wings of a heruka, in union with his consort. His special attribute is a horse’s head surmounting his principal head.

hearing lineage (T: snyan-brgyud) An epithet for the Kagyü lineage, whose tradition emphasized the oral instructions passed from teacher to student. See also oral instructions.

heruka (T: khrag-’thung) A wrathful male yidam, the masculine principle of energy and skillful means that makes situations powerful and creative. The Tibetan word means “blood-drinker,” that which drinks the blood of ego-clinging, doubt, and dualistic confusion. In the tantras, Śrī Heruka (an epithet, usually of Cakrasaṃvara) is explained as follows: “Śrī (glorious) is nondual wisdom; he means cause and effect are śūnyatā; ru means free from accumulation; ka is not dwelling anywhere.”

Hevajra (T: kye’i-rdo-rje) A semiwrathful heruka. “He” is an exclamation of joy. Hevajra transforms sense pleasures and form into joy through realizing the identity of form and emptiness. He is depicted in four, six, and twelve-armed forms, dancing in union with his consort. Nairātmyā (T: bdag-med-ma; nonego). Hevajra was the yidam of Marpa the Translator. Marpa’s nine consorts were said to comprise the Hevajra maṇḍala itself. His wife’s name was Dagmema, Tibetan for Nairatmya, the name of Hevajra’s chief consort.

higher perception (S: abhijñā; T: mngon-shes) Certain abilities that the Buddha possessed and which may be attained through meditation practice. There are several lists of abhijñās, which include the ability to hear and see for great distances, reading others’ minds, and so on. These are more mundane compared to the final abhijñā, the wisdom of the termination of defilements (S: āśravakṣayajñāna), marking the attainment of the arhat.

hīnayāna (T: theg-pa-dman-pa or theg-chung; lesser vehicle) The first of the three yānas, which is subdivided into the śrāvakayāna and pratyekabuddhayāna. See also śrāvaka and pratyekabuddha.

holy days of the Victorious One, four (T: sangs-rgyas-kyi-dus-chen-bzhi) Four important days in the life of Śākyamuni: when the māras tried to seduce him, his enlightenment and death (occurred on the same day), his first teaching, and when he returned from teaching his mother in the god realm.

immeasurables, four (S: apramāṇa; T: tshad-med-pa) Maitrī (friendliness), karuṇā (compassion), muditā (joy), and upekṣā (impartiality). These are a catalyst to the bodhisattva’s attitude. When these have a conditional reference point, they are also referred to as the “dwelling places of Brahmā” (S: brahmaviharā). The bodhisattva sees these as indivisible with śūnyatā, and in this case, they are called “immeasurables.” As Longchenpa says,

[Herbert V. Guenther, trans. Kindly Bent to Ease Us, Vol. I, Emeryville, CA: Dharma Publishing, 1975, p. 113]

individual liberation (S: prātimokṣa; T: so-sor-thar-pa) A term that refers to the monastic discipline of the vinaya, which supports the individual liberation of the monk or nun. More generally, the nontheistic attitude of taking responsibility for one’s own liberation from saṃsāra.

Jambudvīpa (T: dzam-bu-gling) The southern continent or island of the Buddhist world-system named after the jambu (rose-apple) tree. The entire known world was regarded as Jambudvīpa. Since the buddhadharma is taught there, it is an auspicious place.

jetsün (T: rje-btsun) An honorific Tibetan term applied to revered teachers.

jewels, three (S: triratna; T: dkon-mchog-gsum) Buddha, dharma, and saṅgha—the three objects of refuge. Buddha is an example of a human being who transcended confusion, and also refers to enlightenment itself. Dharma includes the teachings that are told and written, as well as their realization—the dharma that is experienced. Saṅgha is the community of practitioners and also the assembly of realized ones.

jñāna (T: ye-shes; wisdom) The wisdom-activity of enlightenment, transcending all dualistic conceptualization. One’s being is spontaneously wise, without needing to seek for it. The Tibetan term means “primordial knowing.”

Jowo Śākya (T: jo-bo-śā-kya; Lord Śākya) Refers to Śākyamuni. The two brothers, Jowo Śākya, refers to the two statues of Śākyamuni brought to Lhasa by the Chinese and Nepalese wives of Srong-btsan-sgam-po.

joys, four (S: ānanda; T: dga’-ba) The four joys are associated with the third abhiṣeka: joy (S: ānanda), perfect joy (S: paramānanda), joy of cessation (S: viramānanda), and coemergent joy (S: sahajānanda).

Kadampa (T: bka’-gdams-pa) The Kadam tradition was brought to Tibet in the eleventh century by Atīśa Dīpaṅkara Srījñāna, the great Indian teacher and reformer. The Kadampas placed great emphasis on monastic discipline, training in compassion, and study. This emphasis was incorporated into the Kagyü lineage by Gampopa who studied with Kadampa teachers prior to studying with Milarepa. The Kadam tradition is also carried on by the Geluk lineage.

Kagyü (T: bka’-brgyud; command lineage) “Ka” refers to the oral instructions of the guru. It carries a sense of enlightened vision, and therefore often has the connotation of command. See also Afterword: The Lineage and Its Teachings.

Kalāpa and Candra Kalāpa-sūtra (Peking Tripitaka No. 5775) and Candra-vyākarana-sūtra-nāma (P. T. No. 5767) are the names of Indian grammatical texts.

kapāla (T: thod-pa; skull cup) Used in vajrayāna rituals; usually contains amṛta.

karma (S: karman; T: las; action) According to the doctrine of action and result, one’s present experience is a product of previous actions and volitions, and future conditions depend on what we do in the present. Actions may be classified in three ways: (1) wholesome—tending toward higher realms of saṃsāra, or in the presence of an enlightened attitude, toward liberation; (2) unwholesome—tending to perpetuate confusion and pain; and (3) neutral.

Karma originates from the false belief in an ego, which prompts a chain reaction of seeking to protect territory and maintain security. Virtuous action can lead to better states, but the chain reaction process itself can only be cut and transcended by insight and discipline. Karma is precise down to the minute details of body, mind, and environment. There is a “group karma” of families and nations, as well as individual karma.

Karma Kagyü (T: ka-rma-bka’-brgyud) That branch of the Kagyü lineage that traces back to Gampopa through Tüsum Khyenpa, the first Karmapa. The Karmapa is the head of the Karma Kagyü. See also Afterword: The Lineage and Its Teachings.

Karma Kaṃtsang (T: ka-rma-kaṃ-tshang) Another name for the Karma Kagyü, originating from a vision of Rangjung Dorje, Karmapa III.

Karma Vihāra of Akaniṣṭha (T: ’og-min-ka-rma’i-gtsug-lag-khang) An epithet of Tsurphu, the monastery of the Karmapa.

kriyā yoga (T: bya-ba; action) The first tantric yāna, which emphasizes purity and the understanding that all phenomena are inherently pure, naturally sacred, and beyond fixation. The deities are visualized as external and the practitioner emphasizes purification and ritual action. See also sacred outlook.

kṣetrapāla (T: zhing-skyong; protector of the land, field) A kind of local deity often associated with charnel grounds.

Kungthangpa (T: gung-thang-pa) An epithet of Milarepa—the person from Kungthang (a region in southwestern Tibet along the Nepalese border).

Lady Dorje Kundrak (T: jo-mo-rdo-rje-kun-grags-ma) One of the twelve tenma goddesses (T: bstan-ma-bcu-gnyis), subjugated by Padmākara (Padmasambhava).

lalanā (T: rkyang-ma) The main left nāḍī. See also nāḍī, prāṇa, and bindu.

learning, contemplation, and meditation (T: thos-bsam-sgom) Three aspects of developing prajñā, which describe how the practitioner comes to a true understanding of the teachings. First, one hears or learns what the teachings are. Second, one contemplates or thinks about what this means. Finally, one comes to an intuitive, nonconceptual understanding through meditation.

Lhotrakpa (T: lho-brag-pa) An epithet for Marpa, who was from the southern region of Lhotrak.

local goddesses, twelve (T: bstan-ma-bcu-gnyis) Local deities subjugated by Padmākara. They are associated with the months of the year, the realms, and the nidānas.

Lokeśvara (T: ’jig-rten-dbang-phyug; lord of the world) An epithet for Avalokiteśvara.

lotsāwa (translator; said to be a corruption from Sanskrit) Usually an epithet of Marpa.

Madhyamaka (T: dbu-ma) A mahāyāna school, founded by Nāgārjuna, which emphasized the doctrine of śūnyatā. Vajrayāna has many of its philosophical roots in Madhyamaka. Some of the principal texts of this tradition are the Mūlamādhyamikakārikā and Vigrahavyāvartanī by Nāgārjuna, the Bodhicaryāvatāra by Śāntideva, and the Prasannapadā and Madhyamakāvatāra by Candrakīrti.

magnetizing, four means of (S: saṅgraha-vastūni; T: bsdu-ba-rnam-bzhi) The four ways a bodhisattva gathers students and spreads the dharma: (1) generosity, providing necessities so that students will be attracted to the dharma; (2) praise, being generous in a pleasing and kind way; (3) acting in accord with local customs, so that students will understand the bodhisattva’s actions; and (4) actions that benefit students.

mahākāla (T: nag-po-chen-po; great black one) Mahākālas are the chief dharmapālas, protectors of the dharma. They are either black or dark blue in color and wrathful. See also dharmapāla.

Mahāmāyā (T: sgyu-ma-chen-mo; great illusion) A tantra of the anuttara tantra.

mahāmudrā (T: phyag-rgya-chen-po; great seal, symbol, or gesture) The meditative transmission handed down especially by the Kagyü school, from Vajradhara Buddha to Tilopa up to the present lineage holders. In this state, all experiences are transformed into transcendental knowledge and skillful means. From the primordial intelligence and energy that arise, there comes great luminosity, so that the vividness of experience becomes the display of the maṇḍala.

According to the Cakrasaṃvara Tantra: phyag is the wisdom of emptiness, rgya is freedom from saṃsāra, and chenpo is their indivisibility; therefore, it is called chagyachenpo (S: mahāmudrā). Or, as Saraha declared,

Having no shape or colour, being all-encompassing,

Unchanging, and stretching across the whole of time.

Like celestial space without end or beginning,

With no real meaning as when a rope is seen to be a snake,

Being the indivisibility of Dharmakāya, Sambhogakāya, and Nirmāṇakāya,

Its actuality transcends the regions of the intellect.

Mahāmudrā which is instantaneous experience of Buddhahood

Manifests itself in Sambhogakaya and Nirmanakaya for the benefit of sentient beings.

[from Herbert V. Guenther, The Life and Teachings of Nāropa, London: Oxford University Press, 1963, p. 223]

mahāpaṇḍita (great scholar, teacher)

mahāsattva (T: sems-dpa’-chen-po; great being) A term that refers to great bodhisattvas.

mahāsiddha See siddha.

mahāyāna (T: theg-pa-chen-po; greater vehicle) The mahāyāna schools appeared in literary form several hundred years after the Buddha’s death, although traditionally the transmission lineage goes back to Śākyamuni himself, who is said to have first presented mahāyāna teachings on Vulture Peak mountain near Rajagrha to a celestial assembly. Going beyond the somewhat nihilistic emptiness of the hīnayāna schools and the preoccupation with individual liberation, the greater vehicle presents greater vision based on śūnyatā, compassion, and the acknowledgment of universal buddha nature. It introduced the ideal of the bodhisattva, who lives in the world to deliver sentient beings, while dwelling neither in the struggle of saṃsāra nor in a quietistic nirvāṇa. Socially, the mahāyāna expanded the buddhadharma beyond the monastic communities to the lay population.

mahāyāna vow See bodhisattva.

Maheśvara (T: dbang-phyug-chen-po; great lord) Name of a god.

Maitreya (T: byams-pa) The name of the next buddha. It is said that Maitreya presides over Tuṣita heaven.

maitrī (T: byams; friendliness) Friendliness to oneself, the prerequisite for compassion for others. Maitrī also means the intention that subsequently manifests as compassion.

Manasarovar (T: ma-pham-g.yu-mtsho) A lake in western Tibet, near Mt. Kailasa, sacred to Cakrasaṃvara.

maṇḍala (T: dkyil-’khor; circle, sphere, group, society) The Tibetan word dkyil-’khor means “center and periphery.” It is the unification of many vast elements into one, through the experience of meditation. Seeming complexity and chaos are simplified into a pattern and natural hierarchy.

A maṇḍala is usually represented by a diagram with a central deity, a personification of the basic sanity of buddha nature. The outer world, one’s body and state of mind, and the totality can all be seen as maṇḍala. The constructed form of a maṇḍala has as its basic structure a palace with a center and four gates in the cardinal directions. They may be painted, made of colored-sand, heaps of rice, or represented by three-dimensional models.

mandārava (coral tree) Considered to be quite beautiful, it is said to grow in Sukhavatl (T: bde-ba-can). Also the name of one of Padmākara’s consorts.

maṅgalam (auspiciousness)

Maṅgalaraśmi (T: bkra-shis-’od-zer; auspicious ray of light) Trashi Öser’s name in Sanskrit.

Mañjughoṣa (soft or sweet-voiced) A common epithet of Mañjuśrī.

Mañjuśrī (T: ’jam-dpal-dbyangs; gentle or soft and glorious) One of the chief bodhisattvas, Mañjuśrī is depicted with a sword and book. The sword represents prajñā. He is known as the bodhisattva of knowledge and learning and generally considered to be of the vajra family.

Mañjuśrimitra (T: ’jam-dpal-bshes-gnyen) An Indian master, accomplished in all nine yānas. He was the successor to Garap Dorje (dga’-rab-rdo-rje), the first human guru in the Nyingma ati lineage. Milarepa is said to be an emanation of Mañjuśrīmitra.

mantra (T: sngags) Mantra is explained in the tantras as that which protects the cohesiveness of the vajra mind. It is a means of transforming energy through sound, expressed by speech, breathing, and movement. Mantra is always done in conjunction with visualization and mudrā, according to the prescriptions of a sādhana transmitted by one’s guru. Mantras are Sanskrit words or syllables. They express the quintessence of various energies, whether or not the mantra has conceptual content.

From the view of fruition, the practitioner should recognize all sound as mantra, all appearance as the deity’s presence, and all thoughts as wisdom.

mantrayāna (T: sngags-kyi-theg-pa; vehicle of mantra) Another term for vajrayāna, whose meditation practices make extensive use of mantra.

Māra (T: bdud; death) The tempter of Śākyamuni Buddha, who appeared just prior to his attaining enlightenment. More generally, māras are difficulties that the practitioner may encounter, often classified as: skandha-māra, misunderstanding the five skandhas as a self; kleśamara, being overpowered by the kleśas; mṛtyu-mara, death, which interrupts one’s practice unless the yogin knows how to make it part of the path; and devaputra-māra, seduction by the bliss of meditation—still dwelling in the god realms of saṃsāra.

Mila Thöpaga (T: mi-la-thos-pa-dga’; Mila—joyful to hear) The name of Milarepa, given to him by his father.

Mön (T: mon) Name for lands to the south and southwest of Tibet.

mudrā (T: phyag-rgya; sign, symbol, gesture) A mudrā may be any sort of symbol. For instance, the white dharmacakra is a mudrā of Vairocana; the hooked knife is a mudrā of Vajravārāhī. Specifically, mudrās are symbolic hand gestures that accompany sādhana practices to state the quality of different moments of meditation.

More generally, mudrā is the provocative color of apparent phenomena. Mudrā is self-evidencing, and the symbol and symbolized are inseparable.

nāḍī, prāṇa, and bindu (T: rtsa, rlung, thig-le) According to the yogic teachings of the path of upāya, one way of attaining realization is to synchronize body and mind. This is done by meditating on nāḍī, prāṇa, and bindu in the illusory body. By analogy, prāṇa is like a horse, mind-consciousness like the rider, and nāḍīs are like the pathways. The bindu is mind’s nourishment.

Because of lasping into duality, the prāṇa functions in the left and right channels, lalanā and rasana, corresponding to the activities of subject and object and to karmic activity. Through practice, the prāṇas can be brought back into the central channel (S: avadhūti), and therefore transformed into wisdom-prāṇa, and mind can recognize its fundamental nature, realizing all dharmas as unborn.

This belongs to advanced practice and can only be learned through direct oral transmission from an accomplished guru. When the meditator is well-established in the fundamental nature of mind, he meditates with this directly, having dissolved nāḍī, prāṇa, and bindu into sampannakrama. This is known as the attainment of vajra body, speech, and mind. These stages of meditation technically belong to the category of “sampannakrama with signs and without signs.”

nāga (T: klu; snake) A class of deities with human torsos and serpent-like lower bodies, said to inhabit low-lying marshy areas and bodies of water. They are associated with jewel-treasures and with knowledge. They are said to have guarded the Prajñāramitā-sūtras until the great teacher Nāgārjuna took custody of them.

Nāgārjuna A famous Indian master of the first century A.D., and founder of the Madhyamaka school. There is also a tantric master of the same name who was a teacher of Tilopa. Traditional sources claim that these two are one and the same. His name comes from the legend that he retrieved the Prajñāpāramitā literature from the nāgas.

Nairātmyā Devī (T: bdag-med-ma-lha-mo; goddess of nonego) The consort of Hevajra.

namaḥ (homage) Often used in the beginning of a song to pay homage. Hence: nama uttarebhyaḥ (homage to the superior ones), namaḥ śrī gurave (homage to the glorious guru), namo gurave (homage to the guru), namo buddhaya (homage to the Buddha), namo guru-guna-sagaraya (homage to the guru, the ocean of virtue), namo guru-padmakaraya (homage to the guru, Padmākara), namo guru-vajradharaya (homage to the guru, Vajradhara), namo guru-vajresvaraya (homage to the guru, the vajra lord).

natural state (T: gnas-lugs) Synonymous with “things as they are.” A mahāmudrā term for the basic nature, and therefore the natural state—fresh, unfabricated, and spontaneous.

nirmāṇakāya See trikāya.

nirvāṇa (T: mya-ngan-las’das-pa) See enlightenment.

nyagrodha tree A fig tree.

Nyatri Tsenpo (T: gnya’-khri-btsan-po) Said to be the name of the first king of Tibet, who descended from the sky to Yarlha Shampo mountain.

Nyenchen Tanglha (T: gnyan-chen-thang-lha) Name of a mountain range north of Lhasa, the abode of a deity of the same name. Subjugated by Padmākara (Padmasambhava), he is an important protector of the teachings.

Nyingma (T: rnying-ma; ancient ones) One of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism. The Nyingmas adhere to the original (“old”) form of vajrayāna Buddhism brought to Tibet in the eighth century by Padmākara (Padmasambhava) and others. This lineage stems from the primordial Buddha Samantabhadra, through Vajrasattva, to the human gurus Garap Dorje (b. 55 A.D.), Mañjuśrimitra, Śrī Siṃha (b. 289), and Jñānasūtra, and from them to Vimalamitra and Padmākara, who had twenty-five major Tibetan disciples including his consort Yeshe Tsogyal, King Trisong Detsün, and Vairocana the translator.

The system of nine yānas originates from the Nyingma tradition. In addition to the four tantric yānas of the New Translation tradition—kriya, upa or cārya, yoga, and anuttara—they subdivide anuttara tantra into mahayoga, anu, and ati yoga yānas. These all stem from the perspective of ati tantra (T: rdzogs-chen; great perfection). The anuttara yoga tantra, the highest tantra of the New Translation school, can be considered the culmination of path tantra and the gateway to the fruition tantra perspective of mahayoga. From the time of Karma Pakshi and Rangjung Dorje (Karmapas II and III), Kagyü masters have practiced the ati teachings in addition to those of mahāmudrā.

obscurations (S: āvaraṇa; T: sgrib-pa) There are two classes of obscurations or veils—kleśāvaraṇa and jñeyāvaraṇa (conflicting emotions and primitive beliefs about reality). The first stems from belief in “me” and “mine” and the resulting emotional reactions. The second obscuration stems from more subtle conceptualization, and corresponds to the ego of dharmas—believing that objects of experience are substantial and possess an independent existence. Both obscurations can be seen through by means of prajñāpāramitā.

offerings (T: mchod-pa) The principle of offering has several levels of application, generally based on generosity and surrendering one’s ego-clinging. Outer (material) offerings of anything desirable in the world are given as expressions of gratitude, appreciation, and nonattachment. Inner offering is giving up the attachment to one’s body. Secret offering is surrendering the ego reinforcement that we derive from dualistic emotions. The “fourth” offering is recognizing the inseparability of offerer, offering, and the recipient in things as they are. All the above offerings are referred to as “faith offerings” (T: dad-zas) and are made out of devotion to a guru or a deity.

Other types of offerings are made for the benefit of others. The merit of “food offerings” (T: gshin-zas) is dedicated to benefit dead persons in need. “Ransom offerings” (T: sku-glud) are made in instances where a person is possessed by a spirit, with the intent that the spirit will accept the ransom offering in lieu of the possessed person.

oral instructions (S: upadeśa; T: gdams-ngag, man-ngag) In vajrayāna, the guru personally communicates the essence of meditation practice to his students. In this manner, both the literal instructions and their intuitive sense are conveyed to the student. Even if the student came across the instructions in written form, it would still be necessary for him to receive them directly from the mouth of his teacher. See also hearing lineage.

ordinary mind (T: tha-mal-gyi-shes-pa) A key term in vajrayāna referring to the naked simplicity of things as they are, raw and rugged. Here there is nothing to abandon and nothing to cultivate. It is synonymous with the fourth moment (S: vilakṣaṇa; T: mtshan-nyid-dang-bral-ba) which cuts through the web of past, present, and future.

Padmākara (T: pad-ma-‘byung-gnas) Another name for Padmasambhava, who brought vajrayāna to Tibet in the eighth century. He is also referred to as Guru Rinpoche, the precious teacher.

pāramitā (T: pha-rol-tu-phyin-pa; transcendent, perfection, gone to the other shore) There are several traditional enumerations, the most common of which is the six practices of the mahāyāna path: dāna (T: sbyin-pa; generosity), śīla (T: tshul-khrims; discipline), kṣānti (T: bzod-pa; patience), vīrya (T: brtson-’grus; exertion), dhyāna (T: bsam-gtan; meditation), and prajñā (T: shes-rab; knowledge). They are called “transcendent” or “gone to the other shore” actions because they carry us across the river of saṃsāra and because they are based on prajñā, therefore acknowledging the bodhisattva’s realization of twofold egolessness. For this reason, they transcend karmic entanglements of conventional conceptualized virtue.

pardo (S: antarābhava; T: bar-do; existing in between) The intermediate state after death and before the next rebirth. It is said usually to last forty-nine days.

parinirvāṇa (T: yongs-su-mya-ngan-las-’das-pa; complete cessation) The death and hence the end of the stream of rebirths of Śākyamuni Buddha, or any enlightened being.

Parvata, Śrī A monastic center of southern India, located in the presentday state of Madras. Nāgārjuna is among the well-known Buddhists who visited there.

paths (S: mārga; T: lam) The practitioner’s way to enlightenment, traditionally arranged into five paths: sambhāramārga (T: tshogs-lam; path of accumulation), prayogamarga (T: sbyor-lam; path of unification), darśanamārga (T: mthong-lam; path of seeing), bhāvanāmārga (T: sgom-lam; path of meditation), and niṣṭhāmārga or aśaikṣamārga (T: mthar-phyin-pa’i-lam, mi-slob-pa’i-lam; path of fulfillment or of no more learning).

On the path of accumulation, the meditator brings his being to the dharma by practicing the four foundations of mindfulness, and through insight (S; vipaśyanā; T: lhag-mthong), understanding what to cultivate and what to refrain from. The practitioner begins to transcend any notion of external savior and is able to cut the causes of rebirth in the lower realms.

On the path of unification, the meditator expands his vipaśyanā investigation of saṃsāra by developing a profound understanding of the four noble truths. He is able to cut the root of the desire realm (S: kāmadhātu).

On the path of seeing, the meditator accepts and understands the real significance of the four noble truths. Seeing the unsatisfactory nature of even the god realms of form (S: rūpadhātu), he begins to transcend them, entering the first level of attainment (S: bhūmi) of the bodhisattva.

On the path of meditation, the meditator practices and remains in the insight of the path of seeing. He attains to the second bhūmi onwards.

On the path of fulfillment or no more learning, the meditator attains vajra-like samādhi, entering the eleventh bhūmi—buddhahood.

Other important descriptions of the path include the exposition of the bodhisattva bhūmis or stages, and the four yogas of mahāmudrā.

perfection See pāramitā.

permission-blessing (T: rjes-su-gnang-ba) A type of empowerment for a student to practice or study a particular text or sādhana. It is often given for an abbreviated sādhana or for a practice that has no abhiṣeka connected with it. A permission-blessing is often given as a reading transmission. See also reading transmission.

Phagmotrupa (T: phag-mo-grub-pa) A student of Gampopa. His students founded the eight lesser lineages within the Kagyü lineage. He is also known as Khampa Dorgyal or Dorje Gyalpo (T: rdo-rje-rgyal-po).

poisons, five, three (T: dug) Poison is synonymous with kleśa. The three root poisons are raga (T: ’dod-chags; passion), dveṣa (T: zhe-sdang; aggression), and moha (T: gti-mug; delusion). The five poisons include the above three plus mānas (T: nga-rgyal; arrogance) and īrṣyā (T: phrag-dog; envy). See also realms, lower or higher.

Pön (T: bon) The native religion of Tibet, according to Tibetan Buddhists. It was first promulgated in Shangshung (T: zhang-zhung), an ancient name of the province of Guge in western Tibet, west of lake Manasarovar.

Potala The name of a mountain where Avalokiteśvara resides. Later, the name of the Dalai Lama’s residence.

powers, ten (S: bala; T: stobs) The ten powers of a tathāgata: (1) knowing what is possible and what is not possible, (2) knowing the results of actions, (3) knowing the aspirations of men, (4) knowing the elements, (5) knowing the higher and lower powers of men, (6) knowing the path that leads everywhere, (7) knowing the origin of kleśas, which leads to meditation, liberation, samādhi, and equanimity, (8) knowing previous lives, (9) the knowledge of transference and death, (10) knowing that the defilements are exhausted.

Practice Lineage (T: sgrub-brgyud) A name for the Kagyü lineage, which emphasizes their strong allegiance to meditation practice. This epithet can be applied to the Nyingma lineage.

prajñā (T: shes-rab; knowledge) Prajñā is the natural sharpness of awareness that sees, discriminates, and also sees through conceptual discrimination. “Lower prajñā” includes any sort of worldly knowledge (e.g., how to run a business, how to cook a meal). “Higher prajñā” includes two stages: seeing phenomena as impermanent, egoless, and suffering; and a higher prajñā that sees śūnyatā—a direct knowledge of things as they are. See also prajñāpāramitā.

prajñāpāramitā (T: shes-rab-kyi-pha-rol-tu-phyin-pa; perfection of knowledge) The sixth pāramitā. Prajñā is considered to be the eye without which the other five transcendent actions would be blind. According to Gampopa, prajñāpāramitā is the awareness that the whole of reality is without origination or basis. It sees through any solid existence as well as through any nihilistic interpretation of reality. Even the duality between saṃsāra and nirvāṇa is transcended, and therefore, prajñā gives birth to more active and energetic upāya (seventh pāramitā).

Prajñāpāramitā is called the mother of all the buddhas, and is sometimes depicted as a youthful, smiling deity. The Prajñāpāramitāsūtras describe prajñā and the other pāramitās.

In vajrayāna, prajñā corresponds to the feminine principle of space, the mother of all wisdom and manifestation. See also ḍākinī, prajñā.

prāṇa (T: rlung; wind) See nāḍī, prāṇa, and bindu.

prāṇayāma A form of yoga practiced in the vajrayāna, which involves working with the illusory body of nāḍī, prāṇa, and bindu by means of controlling mind, breath, and body.

prātimokṣa See individual liberation.

pratyekabuddha (T: rang-sangs-rgyas; solitary buddha) In the early texts, one who attains liberation from saṃsāra without the benefit of a teacher and does not teach others. In the Tibetan tradition, the pratyekabuddha became a symbol of a certain stage of enlightenment. He concentrates on individual liberation through examining the twelvefold chain of dependent co-origination, pratītyasamutpāda. It is also the name of the second of the nine yānas.

Regarded positively, he is worthy of veneration as among the awakened ones. Regarded negatively, his spiritual arrogance and fear of saṃsāra prevent him from completely developing skillful means and compassion. Hence, his enlightenment is only partial.

precious substances, six (T: bzang-drug) Various medicinal substances: yellow myrobalan (T: a-ru; Terminalia chebula), beleric myrobalan (T: ba-ru; Terminalia belerica), emblic myrobalan (T: skyu-ru; Emblica officinalis), bamboo manna (T: cu-gang), musk (T: gla-rtsi), and solidified elephant bile (T: gi-wang).

preta (T: yi-dvags; hungry ghost) Pretas inhabit one of the three lower realms of saṃsāra. They suffer the obsession of hunger and craving. It is said that even if they came upon a lake of pure fresh water, due to their heavy karmic obscurations, they would experience it as an undrinkable pool of pus. Pretas are depicted with very large bellies and very thin necks.

primitive beliefs about reality (S: jñeyāvaraṇa; T: shes-bya’i-sgrib-pa) See obscurations.

Rāhu (T: sgra-gcan) One of the heavenly bodies of Indian cosmology. Rāhu originally was a demon who tried to capture the sun and moon but was subdued and is now said to be one of the planets. He is responsible for eclipses.

rainbow body (T:’ja’-lus) A term in fruition tantra. This refers to a yogin who has completely transmuted physical experience into basic space. Though he retains an apparent body during his lifetime, at death his body may dissolve into luminosity. It is said that sometimes only hair and nails remain.

rakta (T: khrag; blood) The feminine counterpart of śukra (T: khu-ba; semen, sperm). It is symbolic of bodhicitta.

Rangjung Gyalmo (T: rang-byung-rgyal-mo) A mahākālī, consort of Pernakchen (T: ber-nag-can), the central mahākāla of the Karma Kagyü.

rasanā (T: ro-ma) The main right nāḍī. See also nāḍī, práṇa, and bindu.

rasāyana (T: bcud-len) An ascetic practice in which one takes only prepared food pills as sustenance. The food pills form a graded regimen. One starts with pills made of vegetable matter and gradually works up to pills made entirely of minerals.

Ratnakūṭa (T: dkon-mchog-brtsegs-pa) Also known as the Mahāratnakūta-sūtra, an important collection of forty-nine mahāyāna sūtras.

Ratnasambhava (T: rin-chen-’byung-ldan; jewel-origin) The sambhogakáya buddha of the ratna family. See also buddha family.

reading transmission (T: lung) A ceremony in which a master reads through a sádhana or liturgy, usually quite rapidly, thereby empowering the disciples to practice it. It is a type of permission-blessing. A lung may also be given on a text to be studied. See also abhiṣeka, permission-blessing, tri.

realms, lower or higher (S: ṣaḍgati; T: ’gro-ba-rigs-drug) All beings of samsára belong to one of the six gates or realms. The higher realms include: deva (T: lha; god), asura (T: lha-ma-yin; jealous god), and nara (T: mi; human). The lower realms include: tiryak (T: dud-’gro; animal), preta (T: yi-dvags; hungry ghost), and naraka (T: dmyal-ba; hell).

In each realm, there is a typical psychophysical pattern of recreating your experience, based on a predominant kleśa: pride (god), paranoia or jealousy (asura), passion or dissatisfaction (human), ignorance (animal), craving (preta), and aggression (hell). The karmic momentum in most of the realms is so intense and overlapping that exiting from the realms only comes about when a being’s karma in that realm happens to wear thin. Our human realm is considered very fortunate because the maintenance of ego is somewhat haphazard. Therefore, there is the possibility of altering our situation by cutting the cycle of saṃsára.

refuge (S: śaraṇa; T: skyabs) Generally, in the buddhadharma the practitioner takes the refuge vow, where he commits himself to the Buddha as example, the dharma as teaching, and the sañgha as fellow practitioners on the path. The refuge vow marks the practitioner’s formal entry into the dharma. In the vajrayāna, the refuge is fourfold, including the root guru, or sixfold, including the three roots and the three jewels.

renunciation (T: nges-’byung; arising of certainty) Renunciation arises from insight into the hopelessness and poison of saṃsāra. It is often said in the nontheistic tradition that: renunciation is not something you do; rather, out of your experience, renunciation comes to you. See also revulsion.

repa (T: ras-pa; cotton clad) This term refers to those yogins who were accomplished in candall practice and so might have worn a single cotton cloth, in spite of Tibet’s cold winters. The most famous of these is Milarepa, also known as the Great Repa.

revulsion (T: zhen-log; reversing attachment, nausea) A strong sense of disgust for saṃsāra. It is nausea combined with clear seeing, rather than aggressive disgust. Revulsion leads to renunciation. See also renunciation.

rinpoche (T: rin-po-che; precious one) An honorific term for a Tibetan guru.

root downfalls, fourteen (S: mūlāpatti; T: rtsa-ba’i-ltung-ba) See Afterword.

roots, three (T: rtsa-gsum) Guru, yidam, and dharmapāla. These three are objects of refuge in the vajrayāna in addition to the three jewels. The lineage gurus are the root or source of blessings (S: adhiṣṭhāna). The yidams are the root of attainment (S: siddhi). The dharmapālas are the root of enlightened action (the four karmas: pacifying, enriching, magnetizing, and destroying). The root guru embodies them all.

royal treasures of a universal monarch, seven (T: rin-chen, rgyal-strid-sna-bdun) These are the precious: wheel (S: cakra; T: ’khor-lo), wish-fulfilling gem (S: cintāmani; T: yid-bzhin-nor-bu), queen (S: strīratna; T: btsun-mo), minister (S: gṛhapati; T: blon-po), elephant (S: hasti; T: glang-po), steed (S: aśva; T: rta-mchog), and general (S: pariṇāyaka; T: dmag-dpon).

Rudra Originally a Hindu deity, an emanation of Śiva. In the vajrayāna, Rudra is the personification of the destructive principle of ultimate ego. Traditionally, Rudra was a student who perverted the teachings, eventually killing his guru. Rudrahood is the complete opposite of buddhahood.

rūpakāya (T: gzugs-kyi-sku; form-body) The Buddha in human form. Originally used to refer to Śākyamuni Buddha. It often refers to the sambhogakāya and nirmāṇakāya together. In vajrayāna, it can refer to any enlightened being, anyone who embodies and manifests the essence of the Buddha.

sacred outlook (T: dag-snang) Awareness and compassion lead the practitioner to experience śūnyatā. From that comes luminosity, manifesting as the purity and sacredness of the phenomenal world. Since the sacredness comes out of śūnyatā, the absence of preconceptions, it is neither a religious nor a secular vision—that is, spiritual and secular vision could meet. Moreover, sacred outlook is not conferred by any god. Seen clearly, the world is self-existingly sacred.

Sadāprarudita (ever-weeping) The name of a bodhisattva, renowned for his unwavering perseverance in seeking enlightenment. He appears in the Prajñāpāramitā literature. His teacher was Dharmodgata, whom he met in the city of Gandhavatl.

Saddharma-smṛtyupasthāna-sūtra (T: dam-pa’i-chos-dran-pa-nye-bar-bshag-pa’i-mdo; the foundations of mindfulness of the true dharma sūtra) A famous sūtra of the Buddha where he elucidates the practice of mindfulness.

sādhana (T: sgrub-thabs) A type of vajrayāna ritual text, as well as the actual meditation practice it sets out.

saffron robes Since the time of Śākyamuni, Buddhist monks have worn saffron-colored robes. Hence, saffron robes have come to be known as a mark of a Buddhist monk.

Sahor (T: za-hor) A region located in the vicinity of present-day Bengal.

Śākya A tribe of ancient India into which Gautama, the historical Buddha, was born. The Buddha is known as Śākyamuni (sage of the Śākyas), and also lord of the Śākyas and king of the Śākyas.

samādhi (T: ting-nge-’dzin; fixing the mind, meditative absorption, concentration) A state of total involvement in which the mind rests unwaveringly, and the content of the meditation and the meditator’s mind are one. There are many different kinds of samādhi, depending on whether the meditation is developed with a certain mental image, a principle such as compassion, or with the mind itself as the object of meditation, for example.

Samadhi refers to the principle of absorption in meditation, but does not specify the degree of insight (vipaśyanā, prajñā) that is present. Thus, it could refer to a conditioned state of concentration in the six realms in which the sense faculties are halted, or to an unconditioned, flowing, and unobstructed experience.

Samādhirājasūtra (T: ting-nge-’dzin-gyi-rgyal-po’i-mdo) An important mahāyāna sūtra.

Samantabhadra (T: kun-tu-bzang-po; all-good) The primordial, dharmakāya buddha, blue in color and naked, often depicted in consort with Prajñā, who is white in color.

śamatha (T: zhi-gnas; peaceful, calming) A basic meditation practice common to most schools of Buddhism, whose aim is the taming and sharpening of the mind by means of coming back again and again to meditative discipline. Śamatha is developed as a springboard for insight, seeing the transparency of experiences, rather than solidifying them.

Many Buddhist schools teach one to accomplish śamatha first, and only then how to cultivate vipaśyanā. Some lineages, including that of the Kagyü mahāmudrā, teach the possibility of developing simultaneous śamatha and vipaśyanā, as a stage in the experience of śūnyatā and mahāmudrā.

samaya (T: dam-tshig; S: coming together; T: sacred word or vow) The vajrayāna principle of commitment, whereby the disciple’s total experience is bound to the path. When the vajra master performs abhiṣeka, the disciple’s being is bound together with the master and the deities of the maṇḍala. The disciple becomes irrevocably committed to regard his master as an embodiment of enlightenment, and to retain sacred outlook in all his experience. During the abhiṣeka ceremony, the disciple formally takes the samaya oath. However, in some sense, the samaya principle becomes active as soon as master and student establish a vajrayāna relationship.

The samaya vow is experiential and can be violated in a moment of thought. As Atīśa said, “keeping samaya is like keeping a mirror polished—as soon as you have cleared it, dust begins to alight.” The most important samaya is a proper attitude toward one’s root guru. Besides that, the principal points are maintaining the essence of hīnayāna and mahāyāna discipline, and extending sacred outlook throughout one’s experience. See also root downfalls, fourteen.

sambhogakāya See trikāya.

Sambuddha (T: rdzogs-pa’i-sangs-rgyas; perfect buddha) Superlative for “buddha.”

sampannakrama (T: rdzogs-pa’i-rim-pa; completion, perfection stage or practice) One of the two stages of sādhana practice. In sampannakrama, the practitioner dissolves the visualization of the sādhana and meditates formlessly. This breaks any fixation that may have developed from the visualization. Sampannakrama is the key practice which defines the nontheistic approach. Utpattikrama arises from sampannakrama. Visualization being based on nonego allows the deities to naturally arise from the practitioner’s mind. See also utpattikrama.

saṃsāra (T: ’khor-ba) In contrast to nirvāṇa, saṃsāra is the vicious cycle of transmigratory existence. It arises out of ignorance and is characterized by suffering.

Samye (T: bsam-yas) The first monastery built in Tibet, Samye was modeled after the Indian monastery Odantapurī. However, Samye’s actual design is a combination of Indian, Chinese, and Tibetan styles.

saṅgha (T: dge-’dun) The third of the three jewels of refuge. In the narrow sense, saṅgha refers to Buddhist monks and nuns. In a mahāyāna sense, the mahasaṅgha or greater saṅgha also includes the lay community. The vajra saṅgha includes vajrayāna practitioners who may be living as householders or as solitary yogins. The noble saṅgha, as an object of refuge, may also refer to the assembly of bodhisattvas and arhats, those who have attained realization.

Śāntibhadra Another name for Kukkurīpā, a mahāsiddha and one of the main teachers of Marpa.

sarva maṅgalam (all auspiciousness)

śāstra (T: bstan-bcos; treatise) A type of Buddhist text; generally a commentary or a philosophical treatise.

sattvāsana (T: sems-dpa’i-skyil-krung) A type of cross-legged meditation posture in which the legs are very loosely crossed, the right leg being slightly extended out in front.

siddha (T: grub-thob; accomplished) A term for enlightened masters in the tantric tradition. Siddha has the connotation of one who, besides being realized on the absolute level, is in tune with the magical possibilities of the phenomenal world. The eighty-four mahāsiddhas were a group of Indian yogins important to the Kagyü lineage in that they were the source of the vajrayāna that was brought to Tibet. Some were kings, some prostitutes, some wine-sellers, some humble tradesmen, some monks, some especially lazy. All were distinguished by their style of transforming unconventional circumstances into the path of realization. Tilopa, Nāropa, and Maitrīpa are among the eighty-four mahāsiddhas. “Mahāsiddha” has also come to refer generally to an accomplished or enlightened being.

siddhi (T: dngos-grub; accomplishment) Siddhis or accomplishments are either ordinary or supreme. The eight ordinary siddhis involve mastery over the phenomenal world. An example is the siddhi of the sword, the touch of which is said to grant whatever is wished. Supreme siddhi is enlightenment.

skandha (T: phung-po; heap) The five skandhas are aggregates of dharmas, which make up the individual and his experience. They are form (S: rūpa; T: gzugs), feeling (S: vedanā; T: tshor-ba), perception (S: saṃjñā; T: ’du-shes), formation (S: saṃskāra; T: ’du-byed), and consciousness (S: vijñāna; T: rnam-par-shes-pa)

In the confused state, we cling to one or another aspect of these five as a concrete self. When the skandhas are actually seen, no self is found in them, singly or taken together. Moreover, one does not find an individual apart from them. In vajrayāna, they are correlated to the five buddhas of the maṇḍala.

śloka A stanza of poetry. In the Sanskrit tradition, it has a particular kind of common epic meter.

solitudes, three (T: dben-gsum) Solitudes of body, speech, and mind.

spiritual friend (S: kalyāṇamitra; T: dge-ba’i-bshes-gnyen; good, virtuous friend) The spiritual friend is the guru at the mahāyāna level. See also Preface.

śrāvaka (T: nyan-thos; hearer) Originally a disciple who actually heard the teachings of the Buddha directly. It is also the name of the first of the nine yānas, in which the practitioner concentrates on basic meditation practice and an understanding of basic Buddhist doctrines such as the four noble truths.

śrī (T: dpal; glorious) A common honorific.

stages of the path, two Utpattikrama and sampannakrama.

stages of yoga, two Utpattikrama and sampannakrama.

stūpa (T: mchod-rten) Originally, a memorial mound containing the relics of the Buddha, symbolizing the mind of the Buddha, the dharmakāya. Later, the relics of other enlightened beings, scriptures, statues, and so on were included in stūpas. Stūpas are objects of veneration and range from simple altar pieces to very large structures which may be seen for miles around.

Subhaginī A teacher of Tilopa, also known as Sumati.

suchness (S: tattva; T: de-kho-na-nyid) Things as they are. Synonomous with That and dharmatā.

sugata (T: bde-bar-gshegs-pa; well-gone) An epithet for a buddha.

sugatagarbha (T: bde-gshegs-snying-po) Roughly equivalent to tathāgatagarbha. However, sugatagarbha emphasizes buddha nature as it manifests on the path.

Sukhāvatī (T: bde-ba-can) The western buddha field of Amitābha.

śūnyatā (T: stong-pa-nyid; emptiness) A doctrine emphasized in mahāyāna, which stresses that all conceptual frameworks, including the dharma system of the hinayanists, are empty of any “reality.” As a realization, it grows out of the awakening of prajñā. First, at the hīnayāna stage, one’s personal existence is seen through. Subsequently, the experience to which one clings is also dissolved through awareness. This is the realization of egolessness of self and a portion of egolessness of dharmas. At the mahāyāna level, through prajñā and compassion, the practice of the pāramitās, the practitioner cuts through the remaining subtle watcher. In vajrayāna, śūnyatā is equivalent to the feminine principle—unborn, unceasing, like space.

supreme aspects, endowed with all the (S: sarvākāravaropeta; T: rnam-pa-kun-gyi-mchog-dang-ldan-pa) An important technical term referring to the aspects of the sambhogakāya deities in their complete splendor and glory. See also aspects of supreme union, seven.

sūtra (T: mdo; juncture) The sūtras are those hīnayāna and mahāyāna texts in the Buddhist canon that are attributed to Śākyamuni Buddha. They are found in the Kanjur (T: bka’-’gyur).

Sutra means meeting point, junction, referring to the meeting of Buddha’s enlightenment and the student’s understanding. A sūtra is usually a dialogue between the Buddha and one or more of his disciples, thus elaborating a particular topic of dharma.

Takpopa (T: dvags-po-pa; the one from Takpo) The village and mountain of Gampo lie in the region of Takpo, which is southeast of Ü. Gampopa was so-named because he took up residence at Gampo. Hence, he is also called Takpopa. The Kagyü lineage as a whole is sometimes referred to as the Takpo Kagyü.

tantra (T: rgyud; continuity) Tantra may refer to many different kinds of texts. For instance, there are medical tantras, astrological tantras, and so on. More specifically, tantra refers to the root texts of the vajrayāna and to the systems of meditation they describe. Tantras, similar to sūtras, are attributed to Śākyamuni, who sometimes manifests as Vajradhara, Vajrasattva, and so on. The “four orders of tantra” refer to the four yānas: kriya, upa (cārya), yoga, and anuttara.

Tantra means continuity, and refers to continuity throughout the ground, path, and fruition of the journey. Continuity of ground means that the basic nature, whether it is called suchness, ground mahāmudrā, or tathāgatagarbha, remains like the sky, encompassing everything from sentient beings to buddhas—luminous and untainted by habitual patterns. Although never departing from its own nature, it gives birth to infinite possibilities. Thus, it is the basis for the arising of the skandhas and in general, impure saṃsāra. It is also the cause for the trikāya of buddhahood. For the practitioner, it means that body, speech, and mind, in all their confused and wakeful manifestations, are included in the path.

Path tantra means applying profound techniques to overcome basic ego. Because the skillful means are based on the ground perspective, they are profound and progress in stages from dealing with the crude experience of beginners up to the complete realization of Vajradhara.

Fruition tantra means finally realizing who and what you are. You realize your being as one with the body, speech, and mind of the tathāgatas. That is, you realize the ground that was there continuously from the beginning.

tāntrika (T: sngags-pa; one who does mantra) One who practices tantra or vajrayāna.

Tārā (T: sgrol-ma) An emanation of Avalokiteśvara, she is said to have arisen from one of his tears. She embodies the female aspect of compassion and is a very popular deity in Tibet. Her two common iconographic forms are white and green.

tathāgata (T: de-bzhin-gshegs-pa; thus come or thus gone) An epithet for a buddha.

tathātā (T: de-bzhin-nyid; thusness) Another term for things as they are, the world as seen from sacred outlook.

That (S: tattva; T: de-kho-na-nyid) See suchness.

things as they are (T: gnas-lugs) The phenomenal world directly seen from sacred outlook, once the obscurations have been cleared.

tira Ḍākinī code-word for corpse.

torma (S: bali) A sculpture made out of tsampa and molded butter, used as a shrine offering, a feast offering substance, or as a representation of deities. There are traditional designs for each of the many types of torma.

transmissions, four special (T: bka’-babs-bzhi) The transmissions that Tilopa received from his four main teachers. These four transmissions were passed from Tilopa to Nāropa and then to Marpa. They are the yogas of the illusory body, dream, luminosity, and caṇḍālī.

tri (T: khrid) The oral commentary that a vajra master gives to his students concerning a particular abhiṣeka or sādhana. It generally is given after the reading transmission and abhiṣeka itself. See also abhiṣeka.

trikāya (T: sku-gsum; three bodies) The three bodies of buddhahood. The dharmakāya (T: chos-kyi-sku; body of dharma) is enlightenment itself, wisdom beyond any reference point—unoriginated, primordial mind, devoid of content.

The rūpakāya (T: gzugs-kyi-sku; form body) consisting of the other two kāyas of sambhogakāya (T: longs-spyod-rdzogs-sku; enjoyment body) and nirmāṇakāya (T: sprul-pa’i-sku; emanation body) is the means of communication to others. The sambhogakāya is the environment of compassion and communication. Iconographically, its splendor is represented by the five buddhas, yidams, and dharmapālas.

The nirmāṇakāya is the buddha that actually takes form as a human, who eats, sleeps, and shares his life with his students. In the mahāyāna tradition, this usually refers to Śākyamuni. In the vajrayāna, the root guru’s body, speech, and mind are regarded as the trikāya.

true meaning (S: nītārtha; T: nges-don) The definitive, higher meaning. Texts and statements are considered as nītārtha (true) or neyārtha (T: drang-don; literal) in meaning, depending on whether their meaning is ultimate—needing no qualifications or interpretation (nītārtha); or literal—a useful teaching but one that needs further qualification.

truths, two (S: paramartha-satya; T: don-dam-pa’i-bden-pa; absolute truth; and S: saṃvṛti-satya; T: kun-rdzob-kyi-bden-pa; relative truth) See Afterword.

tsampa (T: rtsam-pa) A flour used throughout Tibet as a staple food—ground, roasted barley. It is often mixed with tea and butter into a thick porridge.

Tsang (T: gtsang) One of the two central provinces of Tibet, the other being Ü.

Tsugna Rinchen (T: gtsug-na-rin-chen; crest-jewel) A nāga queen, ruler of the world of water.

tülku (S: nirmāṇakāya; T: sprul-sku) Someone who is the incarnation, manifesting the spiritual qualities of a previous enlightened teacher. From mahāyāna teachings, power over the circumstances of rebirth is said to be one of the attainments of the bodhisattva on the eighth bhūmi, providing the doctrinal foundation for the tulku phenomenon.

Karma Pakshi (Karmapa II) was the first recognized Tibetan tülku. A realized person transfers his spiritual energy to the karmic stream of another advanced but not enlightened person. This person is reborn as the tulku of that teacher. He has great potential, but it needs to be brought out by training. This is the most common type of tülku, known as “blessed” tülku.

This process reflects basic egolessness. In some cases, the energy of a previous teacher is divided into three or five incarnations. For instance, five tülkus of Jamgön Kongtrül Lodrö Thaye were recognized—of his body, speech, mind, quality, and action. Even in the case of ordinary people, their karmic stream has no ego at its core. Therefore, it is incorrect to think of successive “re-” incarnations of the “same person,” except insofar as the tendency to ignorance (the definition of ego) is reincarnated in the same karmic stream (S: santāna).

Tuṣita (T: dga’-ldan: joyful) Śākyamuni Buddha, the Buddha of the present age, left Tuṣita heaven to come to the human world and teach the dharma. Maitreya, the next buddha, is said to reign in Tuṣita now and teach the dharma there.

Ü (T: dbus) One of the two central provinces of Tibet, the other being Tsang.

Uḍḍiyāṇa (T: o-rgyan) Birthplace of Padmākara (Padmasambhava) and also said to be the region in which Tilopa resided. Geographically, Uḍḍiyāṇa probably lies in the area between Afghanistan and Kashmir. It is also regarded as the realm of the ḍākinīs.

uḍumbara flower This flower is said to bloom once every thousand years. It is an analogy for the rarity and preciousness of the human birth.

universal monarch See cakravartin.

upáya (T: thabs; skillful means) Generally, upāya conveys the sense that enlightened beings teach the dharma skillfully, taking into consideration the various needs, abilities, and shortcomings of their students. upāya is an expression of compassion. In the bodhisattva’s discipline, it corresponds to the first five pāramitās and to relative bodhicitta. By prajñā alone, without upāya, the bodhisattva is fettered to a quietistic nirvāṇa. By upāya without prajñā, one remains bound to saṃsāra. Therefore the practitioner must unify them.

In vajrayāna, upāya arises from śünyatā. It is joined with prajñā and represents the male, form aspect of the union of form and emptiness.

uṣṇīṣa (T: gtsug-tor) An excrescence on the head of a buddha, which forms at the time of the attainment of enlightenment.

utpattikrama (T: bskyed-pa’i-rim-pa; arising, developing stage or practice) One of the two stages of sādhana practice. In utpattikrama the practitioner develops and meditates with the visualization that is the focus of the sādhana. This stage has an emphasis on form, so that the practitioner appreciates the luminous and active nature of emptiness. See also sampannakrama.

vaiḍūrya Lapis lazuli.

Vairocana (T: rnam-par-snang-mdzad; completely illuminating) The sambhogakāya buddha of the buddha family. See also buddha family.

Vairocana, seven characteristics of (T: rnam-par-snang-mdzad-kyi-chos-bdun). Also called the seven vajras, these are the seven points of meditation posture: (1) the legs crossed so that the feet rest on the opposite thighs, (2) the back is straight, (3) the eyes are cast diagonally downward, (4) the chin is slightly drawn in, (5) the shoulders are raised (like “the wings of a vulture”), (6) the tip of the tongue is raised to the palate, and (7) the mind is calm (“really resting”).

vajra (T: rdo-rje; adamantine, diamond, indestructible, thunderbolt) One of the five buddha families, the vajra family is associated with the buddha Akṣobhya of the eastern direction. Its quality is pristince clarity, indestructibility. In general, the term vajra conveys the sense of what is beyond arising and ceasing and hence indestructible. A vajra is also a ritual scepter used in vajrayāna practice.

vajrācārya See vajra master.

Vajradhara (T: rdo-rje-’chang; vajra holder) The name of the dharmakāya buddha. He is depicted as dark blue, and is particularly important to the Kagyü lineage as it is said that Tilopa received the vajrayāna teachings directly from Vajradhara.

vajra holder (T: rdo-rje-’dzin-pa) Can either refer to Vajradhara or to a vajrācārya.

vajra master (S: vajrācārya; T: rdo-rje-slob-dpon) One who is accomplished in the vajrayāna teachings and capable of transmitting them to others.

vajra name (T: gsang-ba’i-ming; secret name) The name given to a vajrayāna practitioner by the vajrācārya during the abhiṣeka ceremony.

Vajrapāṇi (T: phyag-na-rdo-rje; wielder of the vajra) Associated with the vajra family, Vajrapāṇi is said to be the lord of mantra, also called Lord of Secret. He is a bodhisattva and is depicted in both peaceful and wrathful form.

vajras, seven See Vairocana, seven characteristics of.

vajrāsana (T: rdo-rje-gdan; indestructible seat) A term applied to Bodhgayā, the seat or residence of Śākyamuni Buddha, and also applied to Tsurphu, the residence of the Karmapas. The implication is that the Karmapas are buddha in person. This term also can be used to mean the lotus posture used in meditation practice.

Vajrasattva (T: rdo-rje-sems-dpa’; vajra being) A buddha of the vajra family, Vajrasattva is white and is associated with purity.

Vajravārāhī (T: rdo-rje-phag-mo; diamond sow) A ḍākinī, she is the consort of Cakrasaṃvara. She and Vajrayoginī are aspects of the same deity. Vajravārāhī is marked by a sow’s head protruding above her left ear. The sow represents Vairocana buddha—ignorance and passion, dharmadhātu wisdom and compassion.

vajrayāna (T: rdo-rje-theg-pa; diamond-like, indestructible vehicle) The earliest literary evidence of vajrayāna surfaced in India around the middle centuries of the first millenium. Since this yāna consists of oral instructions and secret teachings, which would only have been given privately to a few of the most advanced students, or even to a master’s single dharma heir, it is difficult to know how far back in history the tradition goes. Professor H. V. Guenther dates Śrī Siṃha, a great master of the ati lineage, at 52 A.D. It is quite likely that the availability of literary evidence really marks a second or third stage in the spreading of vajrayāna. From great masters like Śrī Siṃha or Saraha, who lived in solitary circumstances and had only a few disciples, vajrayāna entered the monastic framework, and from there, masters began to systematize it and make the teachings more accessible to a wider range of students.

In general, vajrayāna instruction is of two kinds: instruction meant to be understood the moment that it is shown, for gifted students capable of instantaneous enlightenment; and instruction by graded stages of practice, for those who come gradually to enlightenment.

From India and Central Asia, vajrayāna spread to Tibet, China, Japan, and Southeast Asia. Although anuttarayoga tantra was taught in China, it was not widely practiced and does not survive today. The Japanese Shingon (“true word,” i.e., mantrayāna) school, transmitted by Kobo Daishi, includes teachings of the lower tantras but not those of anuttaratantra.

It is said that Śākyamuni manifested as Vajradhara in order to teach vajrayāna. The tantras do not tend to present a dialogue between wakefulness and confusion, as in the sūtras. Rather, vajrayāna presents the actuality of fruition.

Vajrayoginī (T: rdo-rje-rnal-’byor-ma) A semiwrathful yidam in the Cakrasaṃvara cycle. She is red, with one face and two arms, young and beautiful but enraged and wearing ornaments of human bones. She represents the transformation of ignorance and passion into śūnyatā and compassion. In the Kagyü tradition, her sādhana is often given as the students’ entry into anuttarayoga practice.

vehicle, greater and lesser See mahāyāna and hīnayāna.

Vetālī (T: dud-sol-ma) A māhākalī who has been a traditional protector of the Practice Lineage since the time of Nāropa and Marpa. She is dark blue, wearing the skull crown and bone ornaments. She wields in her four arms a mirror of judgment, a skull cup, a hooked knife, and a phurba. She rides on a donkey with a white blaze.

Victorious One (S: jina; T: rgyal-ba) Originally an epithet for a buddha, it has come to be used in connection with enlightened beings generally. In The Rain of Wisdom, the capitalized “Victorious One” refers to Śākyamuni Buddha and lower case “victorious ones” to buddhas generally. When “victorious one” is used in connection with a teacher’s name, the implication is that he is to be viewed as a buddha.

vinaya (T: ’dul-ba) That portion of the Buddhist canon that deals with monastic discipline and ethics in general.

vipaśyanā (T: lhag-mthong; insight) Having calmed the mind through śamatha meditation, the practitioner may begin to have insight into phenomena. This clear-seeing of the patterns of mind and its world is known as vipaśyanā. It expands into prajñāpāramitā.

vows, three (S: saṃvara; T: sdom-pa) There is a vow for each of the three yānas, which marks the practitioner’s entrance into that yāna. For the hīnayāna, it is the refuge vow; for the mahāyāna, it is the bodhisattva vow; for vajrayāna, it is the samaya vow.

what has been told and what has been experienced (T: lung-gi-chos, rtogs-pa’i-chos) The dharma that has been told are the teachings that one listens to, studies, and contemplates. The dharma that has been experienced are these same teachings fully understood and realized through meditation.

worlds, three (T: khams-gsum, srid-pa-gsum) The three worlds of saṃsāra: the heaven of the gods (T: lha), the world of humans (T: mi), and the underworlds of nāgas (T: klu).

Yama (T: gshin-rje) The lord of death, said to preside over the hells.

yāna (T: theg-pa; vehicle) The vehicle that carries the practitioner along the path to liberation. On different yānas, the landscape of the journey, the nature of the practitioner, and the mode of tránsportation are seen differently. There is a distinctive outlook, practice, action, and fruition in each yāna. Presenting a particular yāna depends on the evolutionary readiness of the student and the accomplishment of the teacher.

In vajrayāna teachings there are three yānas—hīnayāna, mahāyāna, and vajrayāna. They can be practiced simultaneously. Sometimes “one yāna” is spoken of, referring to this simultaneous practice, and to the fact that no matter what the teachings, the student must make a gradual journey from confusion to enlightenment.

According to the Rime (ecumenical) and the Nyingma traditions, there are a total of nine yānas: srāvakayāna and pratyekabuddhayāna (together comprising hīnayāna), mahāyāna, and six tantric yānas—kriyā, upa (caryá), yoga, mahāyoga, anuyoga, and atiyoga. See also hīnayāna, mahāyāna, vajrayāna.

yantra (T: srung-’khor) A protection amulet worn around the neck. Yantras contain mantras and sometimes pictures of deities.

Yarlha Shampo (T: yar-lha-sham-po) A mountain in the Yarlung valley of Central Tibet, where the first king of Tibet is said to have descended from the sky.

Yarlung (T: yar-lung) A river valley in Central Tibet, the cradle of Tibetan civilization.

yidam (T: yi-dam) The vajrayāna practitioner’s personal deity, who embodies the practitioner’s awakened nature. Yidam is explained as a contraction of yid-kyi-dam-tshig, samaya of mind. Yidams are sambhogakāya buddhas, which are visualized in accordance with the psychological makeup of the practitioner. The student first develops intense devotion toward his guru. This relationship makes it possible for the student to experience intuitive kinship with the lineage and then with his yidam. Identifying with the yidam means identifying with his characteristic expression of buddha nature, free of distortions. Through seeing his basic nature in this universalized way,, all aspects of it are transmuted into the wisdom of the spiritual path. This leads directly to compassionate action—skillful and lucid.

Peaceful yidams inspire the student’s gentleness, awakening openness. Semiwrathful yidams are the union of passion and anger in the transcendental sense—simultaneous magnetizing and destroying as an expression of the awakened state. Wrathful yidams are associated with the dynamic energy of “vajra anger,” the primordial compassion that cuts through hesitations of idiot compassion and disbelieving in one’s buddha nature. The male yidam (peaceful: bhagavat; semiwrathful ḍāka; semiwrathful and wrathful: heruka) signifies awakened energy, skillful means, and bliss. The female yidam (peaceful: bhagavat; semiwrathful and wrathful: ḍākinī) signifies compassion, emptiness, and prajñā. This emptiness is fundamental accommodation and ultimate fertility. Through union with the heruka, the ḍākinī can give birth to enlightenment.

yogas, four (T: rnal-’byor-bzhi) The four yogas of mahāmudrā: one-pointedness (T: rtse-gcig), simplicity (T: spros-bral), one taste (T: ro-gcig), and nonmeditation (T: sgom-med).

yogas of Nāropa, six (T: nā-ro-chos-drug) Six practices and the abilities that are their fruitions. Nāropa taught these to Marpa. They are the yogas of caṇḍālī (T: gtum-mo), illusory body (S: māyādeha; T: sgyulus), dream (S: svapna; T: rmi-lam), luminosity (S: prabhāsvara; T: ’od-gsal), ejection of consciousness (S: saṃkrānti; T: ’pho-ba), and the pardo (S: antarābhava; T: bar-do).

yogin (T: rnal-’byor-pa) A male practitioner.

yoginī (T: rnal-’byor-ma) A female practitioner.