In Buddhism mara symbolizes the
passions
that overwhelm human beings as well as everything that hinders the arising ofwholesome roots and progress on the path to enlightenment.
Khenchen-Thrangu-Rinpoche-The-Spiritual-Song-of-Lodro-Thaye
Yelpa Kagyu was founded by Yelpa Drupthop Yeshe Tsekpa.
8.
Martsang Kagyu was founded by Martsang Sherab Senge
Eight mental constructs or complexities are mental formulations that phenomena have such attributes as arising and ceasing, being singular or plural, coming and going, and being the same or being different.
Eight worldly concerns. (Tib. jik ten chogysh) These keep one from the path; they are attachment to gain, attachment to pleasure, attachment to praise, attachment to fame, aversion to loss, aversion to pain, aversion to blame and aversion to a bad reputation.
Emptiness. (Tib. tongpa nyi Skt. shunyata) A central theme in Buddhism. It should not lead one to views of nihilism or the like, but is a term indicating the lack ofany truly existing independent nature ofany and all phenomena. Positively stated, phenomena do exist, but as mere
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appearances, interdependent manifestations ofmind with no limitation. It is not that it is just your mind, as mind is also free ofany true existence. This frees one from a solipsist view. This is interpreted differently by the individual schools.
Empowerment. (Skt. abhisheka) The conferring of power or authorization to practice the Vajrayana teachings, the indispensable entrance door to tantric practice. To do a Vajrayana practice one must receive the empowerment from a qualified lama. One should also receive the practice instruction (Tib. trt) and the textual reading (Tib. lung).
Eternalism. The belief that there is a permanent and causeless creator of everything; in particular, that one's identity or consciousness has a concrete essence which is independent, everlasting and singular.
Experience and realization. (Tib. myamtog) An expression used for insight and progress on the path. "Experience" refers to temporary meditation experiences and "realization" to unchanging understanding ofthe nature of things.
Fivepaths. According to the sutras there are five paths: the path ofaccumulation, the path ofapplication, the path ofseeing/insight (attainment ofthe first bodhisattva level), the path ofmeditation and the path ofno more learning (Buddhahood). The five paths cover the entire process from beginning dharma practice to complete enlightenment.
Five wisdoms. The dharmadhatu wisdom, mirror-like wisdom, wisdom of equality, discriminating wisdom and all-accomplishing wisdom. They should not be understood as separate but rather as different functions ofone's enlightened essence.
Form realm. God realms of subtle form.
Formless realm. The abode ofan unenlightened being who has practiced the
four absorptions: infinite space, infinite consciousness, nothing
whatsoever, and neither presence nor absence (of conception).
Four common foundations. These are the four thoughts that turn the mind toward dharma. They are reflection on precious human birth, impermanence and the inevitability of death, karma and its effects,
and the pervasiveness of suffering in samsara.
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Four empowerments. The empowerments ofvase, secret, wisdom-knowledge and precious word.
Four extremes. (Tib. tha shz) Existence, non-existence, both and neither. Four joys. (Tib. dga' ba bzhz) These are joy, supreme joy, transcendent joy,
and co-emergent joy.
Four Kagyu Lineages. From Gampopa's disciple Phagmo Drupa, the Phagmo
Kagyu; from Baram Dharma Wangchuk, the Baram Kagyu; from Dusum Khyenpa, (the first Gyalwang Karmapa), the Kamtsang Kagyu, and; Ghampo Tsultrim Nyingpo's disciple Tsondru Trakpa, the Tshalpa Kagyu. These four are known as the four greater or senior schools.
Four uncommon foundations. (Tib. Ngondro and pronounced "nundro") Tibetan for preliminary practice. One usually begins the Vajrayana path by doing the four preliminary practices which involve about 100,000 refuge prayers and prostrations, 100,000 Vajrasattva mantras, 100,000 mandala offerings, and 100,000 guru yoga practices.
Four Yogas o f Mahamudra. Four stages in Mahamudra practice: one- pointedness, simplicity, one taste and non-meditation.
Gampopa. (1079-1153 C. E. ) One ofthe main lineage holders ofthe Kagyu lineage in Tibet. A student of Milarepa, he established the first Kagyu monastic monastery and is known also for writing the jewel Ornament o f Liberation.
Garuda. A mythical bird that hatches fully grown.
Guru. (Tib. lama) A teacher in the Tibetan tradition who has reached
realization.
Guru yoga. A practice of devotion to the guru culminating in receiving his
blessing and blending indivisibly with his mind. Also refers to the fourth
practice o f the preliminary practices o f Ngondro.
Habitualpatterns. (Skt. vasana. Tib. bakchak) Patterns ofconditional response
that exist as traces or tendencies stored in the alaya-vijnana, the eighth consciousness sometimes called the store-house or all-base consciousness. So called because it is a repository ofall karmically conditioned patterns. All dualistic or ego-oriented experiences leave a residue, which is stored in rhe alaya-vijnana until a later time when some conscious occurrence
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activates the habitual pattern. The pattern then generates a response in the form of a perception or an action. This response leaves its own karmic residue, stored again in the unconscious repository, and the cycle continues. The explanation of this system is a central teaching of the Chittamatrin tradition of Mahayana Buddhism.
Hevajra. This is the "mother tantra" of the Anuttarayoga tamra, which is the highest of the four yogas. Hevajra is said to be an exclamation of joy. Hevajra transforms sense pleasures into joy through the realization ofthe identity ofform and emptiness. Hevajra is depicted in two, four, six, twelve, and sixteen-armed forms, dancing in union with his consort, usually Nairatmya.
jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Thaye. A great non-sectarian master o f the nineteenth century and author of more than one hundred volumes of books.
jnana. (Tib. yeshe) Enlightened wisdom that is beyond dualistic thought. Kagyu. (Tib. ) Ka means oral and gyu means lineage; the lineage of oral transmission. One of the four major schools of Buddhism in Tibet. It was founded in Tibet by Marpa and is headed by His Holiness Karmapa. The other three are the Nyingma, the Sakya and the Gelugpa schools. Karma Kagyu. (Tib. ) One of the eight schools of the Kagyu lineage ofTibetan
Buddhism which is headed by His Holiness Karmapa.
Karmapa. The name means Buddha activities. The Karmapas are the head of the Kagyu school of Buddhism and were the first to implement the tradition of incarnate lamas. Karmapas are thought to be an emanation
of the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara.
Karmic latencies or imprints. (Skt. vasana, Tib. bakchag) Every action that a
person does has an imprint which is stored in the eighth consciousness. These latencies express themselves later by leaving the eighth consciousness and entering the sixth consciousness upon being stimulated by external experience.
Kayas, three. There are three bodies of the Buddha: the nirmanakaya, sambhogakaya and dharmakaya. The dharmakaya, also called the "truth body," is the complete enlightenment or the complete wisdom of the Buddha that is unoriginated wisdom beyond form and manifests in the
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sambhogakaya and the nirmanakaya. The sambhogakaya, also called the "enjoyment body," manifests only to bodhisattvas. The nirmanakaya, also called the "emanation body," manifests in the world and in this context manifests as the Shakyamuni Buddha. The fourth kaya is the svabhavikakaya, which is the "essence body," the unity ofthe other three.
King Indrabhuti. An Indian king during the time o f the Buddha who become an accomplished master. He symbolizes the person ofthe highest caliber who can use sense pleasures as the path of practice.
Klesha. (Tib. nyon mong) Also called the "disturbing emotions," these are the emotional afflictions or obscurations (in contrast to intellectual obscurations) that disturb the clarity of perception. These are also translated as "poisons. " They include any emotion that disturbs or distorts consciousness. The three main kleshas are desire, anger and ignorance. The five kleshas are the three above plus pride and envy/jealousy.
Lama. (Skt. guru) La means nobody above himself or herself in spiritual experience and ma means expressing compassion like a mother. Thus the union ofwisdom and compassion, feminine and masculine qualities. Lama is also a title given to a practitioner who has completed some extended training.
Lineagegurus. The lineage gurus are the gurus of the line of transmission of what we study and practice. These transmissions date from the teachings of the Buddha himself. All of the line of gurus in that transmission from the Buddha, who first gave the teachings, up until the present time constitute what we call the lineage gurus.
Lotsawa. Sanskrit for "translator. "
Lower realm. The three lower realms are birth as a hell being, hungry ghost
and animal.
Luminosity. (Tib. selwa) In the third turning of the wheel of dharma, the
Buddha taught that everything is void, but this voidness is not completely empty because it has luminosity. Luminosity or clarity allows all phenomena to appear and is a characteristic of and inseparable from emptiness (Skt. shunyata).
Luminosity. (Tib. osel) Literally "free from the darkness of unknowing and
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endowed with the ability to cognize. " The two aspects are "empty luminosity," like a clear open sky; and "manifest luminosity," such as colored light images, and so forth. Luminosity is the uncompounded nature present throughout all of samsara and nirvana.
Madhyamaka. The most influential of the four schools of Indian Buddhism founded by Nagarjuna in the second century C. E. The name comes from the Sanskrit word meaning "the Middle-way" meaning that it is the middle way between eternalism and nihilism. The main postulate of this school is that all phenomena - both internal mental events and external physical objects - are empty of any true nature. The school uses extensive rational reasoning to establish the emptiness of phenomena. This school does, however, hold that phenomena do exist on the conventional or relative level of reality.
Mahamudra. (Tib. cha ja chm po) Literally means "great seal" or "great symbol," meaning that all phenomena are sealed by the primordially perfect true nature. This form of meditation is traced back to Saraha (tenth century) and was passed down in the Kagyu school through Marpa. This meditative transmission emphasizes perceiving mind directly rather than through rational analysis. It also refers to the experience ofthe practitioner where one attains the union ofemptiness and luminosity and also perceives the non-duality of the phenomenal world and emptiness; also the name of Kagyupa lineage.
Mahapandita. Maha means great and pandita Buddhist scholar. Mahasiddha. A practitioner who has a great deal o f realization. Maha means great and siddha refers to an accomplished practitioner. These were particularly Vajrayana practitioners who lived in India between the eight and twelfth century and practiced tantra. The biography ofsome ofthe
most famous is found in The Eighty-four Mahasiddhas.
Mahayana. (Tib. tek pa chen po) Literally, the "Great Vehicle. " These are the teachings ofthe second turning ofthe wheel ofdharma, which emphasize shunyata (see shunyata), compassion and universal Buddha nature. The purpose ofenlightenment is to liberate all sentient beings from suffering as well as oneself. Mahayana schools of philosophy appeared several
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151
hundred years after the Buddha's death, although the tradition is traced
to teachings he gave at Rajgriha, or Vulture Peak Mountain. Maitripa-was a guru ofMarpa, the Tibetan forefather of the Kagyu lineage. Thus it is through Maitripa that Maitreya and Asanga's crucial work on Buddha nature, the Uttaratantrashastra (Anuttara), became widely followed in Tibet. It is said that he had been a student ofNaropa when the latter was head of Nalanda monastic university. Maitripa also transmitted to Marpa the esoteric aspect of Buddha nature embodied in the Mahamudra teachings, which treat the topic of mind in great detail and provide a wide range of progressive, highly refined meditations. Maitripa was brought to enlightenment through Mahamudra under his guru Savari, who received the complete teachings ofMahamudra from Nagarjuna, who received them from Sahara, whom
Marpa encountered in his dream state.
Mantra. (Tib. ngags) 1) A synonym for Vajrayana. 2) A particular combination
of sounds symbolizing the nature of a deity, for example OM MANI PEME HUNG. These are invocations to various meditation deities which are recited in Sanskrit. These Sanskrit syllables, representing various energies, are repeated in different Vajrayana practices.
Mara. Difficulties encountered by the practitioner. The Tibetan word means heavy or thick.
In Buddhism mara symbolizes the passions that overwhelm human beings as well as everything that hinders the arising ofwholesome roots and progress on the path to enlightenment. There are four kinds: skandha-mara, which is incorrect view of self; klesha- mara, which is being overpowered by negative emotions; matyu-mara, which is death and interrupts spiritual practice; and devaputra-mara, which is becoming stuck in the bliss that comes from meditation.
Marpa. (1012-1097 C. E. ) Marpa was known for being aTibetan who made three trips to India and brought back many tantric texts, including the Six Yogas of Naropa, the Guyhasamaja, and the Chakrasamvara practices. His root teacher was Tilopa, the founder of the Kagyu lineage and the teacher of Naropa. Marpa initiated and founded the Kagyu lineage in Tibet.
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Mental consciousness. The sixth consciousness is the faculty of thinking which produces thoughts based upon the experiences of the five sense- consciousnesses or its own previous content. (see eight consciousnesses).
Mentalfactors. Mental factors are contrasted to mind in that they are more long-term propensities of mind including eleven virtuous factors such as faith, detachment and equanimity; the six root defilements such as desire, anger and pride; the rwenty secondary defilements such as resentment, dishonesty and harmfulness.
Middle-way or Madhyamaka school. A philosophical school founded by Nagarjuna and based on the Prajnaparamita sutras ofemptiness. Milarepa. (1040-1123 C. E. ) Milarepa was a student ofMarpa who attained
enlightenment in one lifetime. Mila, named by the deities and repa means white cotton. His student Gampopa established the (Dakpo) Kagyu lineage in Tibet.
Mind-only school. Also called Chittamatra school. This is one of the major schools in the Mahayana tradition founded in the fourth century by Asanga that emphasized everything is mental events.
Mudra. In this book it is a "hand seal" or gesture that is performed in specific tantric rituals to symbolize certain aspects of the practice being done. Also can mean spiritual consort, or the "bodily form" of a deity.
Nadi. The channels in the vajra body through which the winds flow. Nagarjuna. An Indian master of philosophy. Founder of the Madhyamaka school and author of the Knowledge ofthe Middle "Way and other
important works. (second - third century)
Naropa. (956-1 040 C. E. ) An Indian master best known for transmitting
many Vajrayana teachings to Marpa who took these back to Tibet before
the Moslem invasion of India.
Nihilism. (Tib. chad Ita) Literally, "the view ofdiscontinuance. " The extreme
view ofnothingness: no rebirth or karmic effects, and the non-existence
of a mind after death.
Nirmanakaya. (Tib. tulku) There are three bodies of the Buddha; the
nirmanakaya or "emanation body" manifests in the world and in this context manifests as the Shakyamuni Buddha. (see kayas, three. )
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153
Nirvana. Literally, "extinguished. " Individuals live in samsara and with spiritual practice can attain a state ofliberation in which all false ideas and conflicting emotions have been extinguished. This is called nirvana. The nirvana ofa Hinayana practitioner is freedom from cyclic existence as an arhat. The nirvana of a Mahayana practitioner is Buddhahood, free from extremes ofdwelling in either samsara or the perfect peace of an arhat.
Sometimes it is categorized as three types: nirvana of naturalness, which is ground nirvana; nirvana ofcessation, which is path nirvana; and non-abiding nirvana, which is the reward or fruition nirvana.
Non-distraction. (Tib. yeng me) Not straying from the continuity of the practice.
Non-fabrication. (Tib. zo me) The important key point in meditation of Mahamudra and Dzogchen; that innate wakefulness is not created through intellectual effort.
Non-meditation. (Tib. gom me) The state of not holding on to an object meditated upon nor a subject who meditates. Also refers to the fourth stage of Mahamudra in which nothing further needs to be meditated upon or cultivated.
Non-thought. (Tib. mi tog) A state in which conceptual thinking is absent. Obscurations. There are two categories ofobscuration or defilement that cover one's Buddha nature: the defilement ofdisturbing emotions (see afflictive obscurations); and the defilement of latent tendencies sometimes called the obscuration of dualistic perception, or the intellectual/cognitive obscurations (see cognitive obscurations). The first category prevents sentient beings from freeing themselves from samsara, while the second
prevents them from gaining accurate knowledge and realizing truth. Occurrence. The period when thoughts are arising in the mind. Compare
with "stillness. "
One-pointedness. The first stage in the practice ofMahamudra.
One taste. The third stage in the practice ofMahamudra.
Ordinary Mind. (Tib. tamal kyi shepa) There is no need to do anything to
your present wakefulness at the moment of recognizing; it is already as
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it is. That is the true meaning of naked ordinary mind, a famous term in Tibetan. It means not tampered with. There is no "thing" which needs to be accepted or rejected; it is simply as it is. The term 'ordinary mind' is the most immediate and accurate term to describe the nature of mind. No matter what terminology is being utilized within the Middle-way, Mahamudra or Dzogchen, naked ordinary mind is the simplest term.
Pandita. A great scholar.
Path ofLiberation. The path of Mahamudra practice.
Path ofMeans. Refers to the Six Yogas of Naropa as well as to the stages of
creation and completion with attributes.
Prana. Life supporting energy. The "winds" or energy-currents of the vajra
body.
Prajna. (Tib. she rab) In Sanskrit it means "perfect knowledge" and can
mean wisdom, understanding or discrimination. Usually it means the
wisdom ofseeing things from a high (i. e. , non-dualistic) point ofview. Prajnaparamita. Transcendent perfect knowledge. The Tibetan literally means, "gone to the other side" or "gone beyond" as expressed in the Prajnaparamita mantra, "Om gate gate paragate parasamgate bodhi svaha. " The realization ofemptiness in the Prajnaparamita Hridaya or
Heart Sutra, made possible by the extraordinarily profound dharma of the birth ofShakyamuni Buddha in the world and the practices that came from it, such as the Vajrayana tantras, which make use of visualization and the control of subtle physical energies.
Prajnaparamita sutras. Used to refer to a collection of about 40 Mahayana sutras that all deal with the realization of prajna.
Pure realm. Realms created by Buddhas which are totally free from suffering and dharma there can be received directly. These realms are presided over by various Buddhas such as Amitabha, Avalokiteshvara, and Maitreya who presides over Tushita.
Rangjung Dorje. (1284-1339 C. E. ) The Third Karmapa, especially well known for writing a series of texts widely used in the Kagyu school.
Rtzngtongschool. The Madhyamaka or Middle-way is divided into two major
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155
schools; Rangtong {empty of self) and Shentong {empty of other). Rangtong is from the second turning ofthe wheel ofdharma and teaches that reality is empty of self and beyond concepts.
Recognition. In this context it means "recognizing the nature of mind. " Red element. The residual seed essence of the mother's ovum, obtained at conception, which remains present in the centre of the body below the
navel for the duration ofa person's life.
Relative truth. (Tib. kunsop) There are two truths: relative and absolute or
ultimate truth. Relative truth is the perception of an ordinary {unenlightened) being who sees the world with all his or her projections based on the false belief in "! " and "other. "
Rigpa. The primordial, non-dual awareness in the Dzogchen teachings. Rinpoche. Literally, "very precious" and is used as a term of respect for a
Tibetan guru.
Root lama. A practitioner ofVajrayana can have several types of root guru:
the vajra master who confers empowerment, who bestows reading transmission, or who explains the meaning ofthe tantras. The ultimate root guru is the master who gives the "pointing out instructions" so that one recognizes the nature of mind.
Sakya Pandita. A hereditary head o f the Sakya lineage. A great scholar ( 1181- 1251 C. E. )
Samadhi. A state of meditation that is non-dualistic. There is an absence of discrimination between selfand other. Also called meditative absorption or one-pointed meditation, this is the highest form of meditation.
Samaya. The vows or commitments made in the Vajrayana to a teacher or to a practice. Many details exist but essentially it consists of outwardly, maintaining a harmonious relationship with the vajra master and one's dharma friends and inwardly, not straying from the continuity of the practice.
Sambhogakaya. There are three bodies of the Buddha, the sambhogakaya, also called the "enjoyment body," is a realm of the dharmakaya that only manifests to bodhisattvas {see kayas, three).
Samsara. "Cyclic existence. " The conditioned existence ofordinary life in which
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suffering occurs because one still possesses attachment, aggression and ignorance. It is contrasted to nirvana. Through the force of karma motivated by ignorance, desire and anger one is forced to take on the impure aggregates and circle the wheel ofexistence until liberation.
Sentient beings. With consciousness; an animated being as opposed to an inanimate object. All beings with consciousness or mind who have not attained the liberation ofBuddhahood. This includes those individuals caught in the sufferings of samsara as well as those who have attained the levels ofa bodhisattva.
Shamatha. (Tib. shinay) See tranquility meditation.
Shamatha with support. The practice of calming the mind while using an
object of concentration, material or mental, or simply the breath. Shamatha without support. The act of calming the mind without any particular object, resting undistractedly. This practice serves as a prelude
for Mahamudra and should not be mistaken for the ultimate result. Shentong school. The Madhyamaka or Middle-way is divided into two major schools, Rangtong (empty of self) and Shentong (empty of other). Shentong is from the third turning ofthe wheel ofdharma and explains
that ultimate reality is emptiness and luminosity inseparable. Shunyata. See emptiness.
Siddha. An accomplished Buddhist practitioner.
Siddhi. "Accomplishment. " The spiritual accomplishments ofaccomplished
practitioners. Usually refers to the "supreme siddhi" of complete enlightenment, but can also mean the "common siddhis," eight mundane accomplishments.
Simplicity. I) The absence of creating mental constructs or conceptual formations about the nature ofthings. 2) The second stage in the practice of Mahamudra.
Six Dharmas (Yogas} ofNaropa. These six special yogic practices were transmitted from Naropa to Marpa and consist of the subtle heat practice, the illusory body practice, the dream yoga practice, the luminosity practice, the ejection ofconsciousness practice and the bardo practice.
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Six realms. The realms of the six classes of beings: gods, demigods, humans, animals, hungry ghosts and hell beings. These are the possible types of births for beings in samsara and are: the god realm in which gods have great pride, the jealous god realm in which the jealous gods try to maintain what they have, the human realm which is the best realm because one has the possibility of achieving enlightenment, the animal realm characterized by stupidity, the hungry ghost realm characterized by great craving, and the hell realm characterized by aggression.
Spiritual song. See doha.
Stillness. Absence of thought activity and disturbing emotions, but with subtle
fixation on this stillness.
Subtle channels. (Skt. nadi, Tib. tsa) These refer to the subtle channels which
are not anatomical ones but ones in which psychic energies or "winds"
(Skt. prana, Tib.
Eight mental constructs or complexities are mental formulations that phenomena have such attributes as arising and ceasing, being singular or plural, coming and going, and being the same or being different.
Eight worldly concerns. (Tib. jik ten chogysh) These keep one from the path; they are attachment to gain, attachment to pleasure, attachment to praise, attachment to fame, aversion to loss, aversion to pain, aversion to blame and aversion to a bad reputation.
Emptiness. (Tib. tongpa nyi Skt. shunyata) A central theme in Buddhism. It should not lead one to views of nihilism or the like, but is a term indicating the lack ofany truly existing independent nature ofany and all phenomena. Positively stated, phenomena do exist, but as mere
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appearances, interdependent manifestations ofmind with no limitation. It is not that it is just your mind, as mind is also free ofany true existence. This frees one from a solipsist view. This is interpreted differently by the individual schools.
Empowerment. (Skt. abhisheka) The conferring of power or authorization to practice the Vajrayana teachings, the indispensable entrance door to tantric practice. To do a Vajrayana practice one must receive the empowerment from a qualified lama. One should also receive the practice instruction (Tib. trt) and the textual reading (Tib. lung).
Eternalism. The belief that there is a permanent and causeless creator of everything; in particular, that one's identity or consciousness has a concrete essence which is independent, everlasting and singular.
Experience and realization. (Tib. myamtog) An expression used for insight and progress on the path. "Experience" refers to temporary meditation experiences and "realization" to unchanging understanding ofthe nature of things.
Fivepaths. According to the sutras there are five paths: the path ofaccumulation, the path ofapplication, the path ofseeing/insight (attainment ofthe first bodhisattva level), the path ofmeditation and the path ofno more learning (Buddhahood). The five paths cover the entire process from beginning dharma practice to complete enlightenment.
Five wisdoms. The dharmadhatu wisdom, mirror-like wisdom, wisdom of equality, discriminating wisdom and all-accomplishing wisdom. They should not be understood as separate but rather as different functions ofone's enlightened essence.
Form realm. God realms of subtle form.
Formless realm. The abode ofan unenlightened being who has practiced the
four absorptions: infinite space, infinite consciousness, nothing
whatsoever, and neither presence nor absence (of conception).
Four common foundations. These are the four thoughts that turn the mind toward dharma. They are reflection on precious human birth, impermanence and the inevitability of death, karma and its effects,
and the pervasiveness of suffering in samsara.
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Four empowerments. The empowerments ofvase, secret, wisdom-knowledge and precious word.
Four extremes. (Tib. tha shz) Existence, non-existence, both and neither. Four joys. (Tib. dga' ba bzhz) These are joy, supreme joy, transcendent joy,
and co-emergent joy.
Four Kagyu Lineages. From Gampopa's disciple Phagmo Drupa, the Phagmo
Kagyu; from Baram Dharma Wangchuk, the Baram Kagyu; from Dusum Khyenpa, (the first Gyalwang Karmapa), the Kamtsang Kagyu, and; Ghampo Tsultrim Nyingpo's disciple Tsondru Trakpa, the Tshalpa Kagyu. These four are known as the four greater or senior schools.
Four uncommon foundations. (Tib. Ngondro and pronounced "nundro") Tibetan for preliminary practice. One usually begins the Vajrayana path by doing the four preliminary practices which involve about 100,000 refuge prayers and prostrations, 100,000 Vajrasattva mantras, 100,000 mandala offerings, and 100,000 guru yoga practices.
Four Yogas o f Mahamudra. Four stages in Mahamudra practice: one- pointedness, simplicity, one taste and non-meditation.
Gampopa. (1079-1153 C. E. ) One ofthe main lineage holders ofthe Kagyu lineage in Tibet. A student of Milarepa, he established the first Kagyu monastic monastery and is known also for writing the jewel Ornament o f Liberation.
Garuda. A mythical bird that hatches fully grown.
Guru. (Tib. lama) A teacher in the Tibetan tradition who has reached
realization.
Guru yoga. A practice of devotion to the guru culminating in receiving his
blessing and blending indivisibly with his mind. Also refers to the fourth
practice o f the preliminary practices o f Ngondro.
Habitualpatterns. (Skt. vasana. Tib. bakchak) Patterns ofconditional response
that exist as traces or tendencies stored in the alaya-vijnana, the eighth consciousness sometimes called the store-house or all-base consciousness. So called because it is a repository ofall karmically conditioned patterns. All dualistic or ego-oriented experiences leave a residue, which is stored in rhe alaya-vijnana until a later time when some conscious occurrence
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activates the habitual pattern. The pattern then generates a response in the form of a perception or an action. This response leaves its own karmic residue, stored again in the unconscious repository, and the cycle continues. The explanation of this system is a central teaching of the Chittamatrin tradition of Mahayana Buddhism.
Hevajra. This is the "mother tantra" of the Anuttarayoga tamra, which is the highest of the four yogas. Hevajra is said to be an exclamation of joy. Hevajra transforms sense pleasures into joy through the realization ofthe identity ofform and emptiness. Hevajra is depicted in two, four, six, twelve, and sixteen-armed forms, dancing in union with his consort, usually Nairatmya.
jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Thaye. A great non-sectarian master o f the nineteenth century and author of more than one hundred volumes of books.
jnana. (Tib. yeshe) Enlightened wisdom that is beyond dualistic thought. Kagyu. (Tib. ) Ka means oral and gyu means lineage; the lineage of oral transmission. One of the four major schools of Buddhism in Tibet. It was founded in Tibet by Marpa and is headed by His Holiness Karmapa. The other three are the Nyingma, the Sakya and the Gelugpa schools. Karma Kagyu. (Tib. ) One of the eight schools of the Kagyu lineage ofTibetan
Buddhism which is headed by His Holiness Karmapa.
Karmapa. The name means Buddha activities. The Karmapas are the head of the Kagyu school of Buddhism and were the first to implement the tradition of incarnate lamas. Karmapas are thought to be an emanation
of the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara.
Karmic latencies or imprints. (Skt. vasana, Tib. bakchag) Every action that a
person does has an imprint which is stored in the eighth consciousness. These latencies express themselves later by leaving the eighth consciousness and entering the sixth consciousness upon being stimulated by external experience.
Kayas, three. There are three bodies of the Buddha: the nirmanakaya, sambhogakaya and dharmakaya. The dharmakaya, also called the "truth body," is the complete enlightenment or the complete wisdom of the Buddha that is unoriginated wisdom beyond form and manifests in the
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sambhogakaya and the nirmanakaya. The sambhogakaya, also called the "enjoyment body," manifests only to bodhisattvas. The nirmanakaya, also called the "emanation body," manifests in the world and in this context manifests as the Shakyamuni Buddha. The fourth kaya is the svabhavikakaya, which is the "essence body," the unity ofthe other three.
King Indrabhuti. An Indian king during the time o f the Buddha who become an accomplished master. He symbolizes the person ofthe highest caliber who can use sense pleasures as the path of practice.
Klesha. (Tib. nyon mong) Also called the "disturbing emotions," these are the emotional afflictions or obscurations (in contrast to intellectual obscurations) that disturb the clarity of perception. These are also translated as "poisons. " They include any emotion that disturbs or distorts consciousness. The three main kleshas are desire, anger and ignorance. The five kleshas are the three above plus pride and envy/jealousy.
Lama. (Skt. guru) La means nobody above himself or herself in spiritual experience and ma means expressing compassion like a mother. Thus the union ofwisdom and compassion, feminine and masculine qualities. Lama is also a title given to a practitioner who has completed some extended training.
Lineagegurus. The lineage gurus are the gurus of the line of transmission of what we study and practice. These transmissions date from the teachings of the Buddha himself. All of the line of gurus in that transmission from the Buddha, who first gave the teachings, up until the present time constitute what we call the lineage gurus.
Lotsawa. Sanskrit for "translator. "
Lower realm. The three lower realms are birth as a hell being, hungry ghost
and animal.
Luminosity. (Tib. selwa) In the third turning of the wheel of dharma, the
Buddha taught that everything is void, but this voidness is not completely empty because it has luminosity. Luminosity or clarity allows all phenomena to appear and is a characteristic of and inseparable from emptiness (Skt. shunyata).
Luminosity. (Tib. osel) Literally "free from the darkness of unknowing and
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endowed with the ability to cognize. " The two aspects are "empty luminosity," like a clear open sky; and "manifest luminosity," such as colored light images, and so forth. Luminosity is the uncompounded nature present throughout all of samsara and nirvana.
Madhyamaka. The most influential of the four schools of Indian Buddhism founded by Nagarjuna in the second century C. E. The name comes from the Sanskrit word meaning "the Middle-way" meaning that it is the middle way between eternalism and nihilism. The main postulate of this school is that all phenomena - both internal mental events and external physical objects - are empty of any true nature. The school uses extensive rational reasoning to establish the emptiness of phenomena. This school does, however, hold that phenomena do exist on the conventional or relative level of reality.
Mahamudra. (Tib. cha ja chm po) Literally means "great seal" or "great symbol," meaning that all phenomena are sealed by the primordially perfect true nature. This form of meditation is traced back to Saraha (tenth century) and was passed down in the Kagyu school through Marpa. This meditative transmission emphasizes perceiving mind directly rather than through rational analysis. It also refers to the experience ofthe practitioner where one attains the union ofemptiness and luminosity and also perceives the non-duality of the phenomenal world and emptiness; also the name of Kagyupa lineage.
Mahapandita. Maha means great and pandita Buddhist scholar. Mahasiddha. A practitioner who has a great deal o f realization. Maha means great and siddha refers to an accomplished practitioner. These were particularly Vajrayana practitioners who lived in India between the eight and twelfth century and practiced tantra. The biography ofsome ofthe
most famous is found in The Eighty-four Mahasiddhas.
Mahayana. (Tib. tek pa chen po) Literally, the "Great Vehicle. " These are the teachings ofthe second turning ofthe wheel ofdharma, which emphasize shunyata (see shunyata), compassion and universal Buddha nature. The purpose ofenlightenment is to liberate all sentient beings from suffering as well as oneself. Mahayana schools of philosophy appeared several
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hundred years after the Buddha's death, although the tradition is traced
to teachings he gave at Rajgriha, or Vulture Peak Mountain. Maitripa-was a guru ofMarpa, the Tibetan forefather of the Kagyu lineage. Thus it is through Maitripa that Maitreya and Asanga's crucial work on Buddha nature, the Uttaratantrashastra (Anuttara), became widely followed in Tibet. It is said that he had been a student ofNaropa when the latter was head of Nalanda monastic university. Maitripa also transmitted to Marpa the esoteric aspect of Buddha nature embodied in the Mahamudra teachings, which treat the topic of mind in great detail and provide a wide range of progressive, highly refined meditations. Maitripa was brought to enlightenment through Mahamudra under his guru Savari, who received the complete teachings ofMahamudra from Nagarjuna, who received them from Sahara, whom
Marpa encountered in his dream state.
Mantra. (Tib. ngags) 1) A synonym for Vajrayana. 2) A particular combination
of sounds symbolizing the nature of a deity, for example OM MANI PEME HUNG. These are invocations to various meditation deities which are recited in Sanskrit. These Sanskrit syllables, representing various energies, are repeated in different Vajrayana practices.
Mara. Difficulties encountered by the practitioner. The Tibetan word means heavy or thick.
In Buddhism mara symbolizes the passions that overwhelm human beings as well as everything that hinders the arising ofwholesome roots and progress on the path to enlightenment. There are four kinds: skandha-mara, which is incorrect view of self; klesha- mara, which is being overpowered by negative emotions; matyu-mara, which is death and interrupts spiritual practice; and devaputra-mara, which is becoming stuck in the bliss that comes from meditation.
Marpa. (1012-1097 C. E. ) Marpa was known for being aTibetan who made three trips to India and brought back many tantric texts, including the Six Yogas of Naropa, the Guyhasamaja, and the Chakrasamvara practices. His root teacher was Tilopa, the founder of the Kagyu lineage and the teacher of Naropa. Marpa initiated and founded the Kagyu lineage in Tibet.
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Mental consciousness. The sixth consciousness is the faculty of thinking which produces thoughts based upon the experiences of the five sense- consciousnesses or its own previous content. (see eight consciousnesses).
Mentalfactors. Mental factors are contrasted to mind in that they are more long-term propensities of mind including eleven virtuous factors such as faith, detachment and equanimity; the six root defilements such as desire, anger and pride; the rwenty secondary defilements such as resentment, dishonesty and harmfulness.
Middle-way or Madhyamaka school. A philosophical school founded by Nagarjuna and based on the Prajnaparamita sutras ofemptiness. Milarepa. (1040-1123 C. E. ) Milarepa was a student ofMarpa who attained
enlightenment in one lifetime. Mila, named by the deities and repa means white cotton. His student Gampopa established the (Dakpo) Kagyu lineage in Tibet.
Mind-only school. Also called Chittamatra school. This is one of the major schools in the Mahayana tradition founded in the fourth century by Asanga that emphasized everything is mental events.
Mudra. In this book it is a "hand seal" or gesture that is performed in specific tantric rituals to symbolize certain aspects of the practice being done. Also can mean spiritual consort, or the "bodily form" of a deity.
Nadi. The channels in the vajra body through which the winds flow. Nagarjuna. An Indian master of philosophy. Founder of the Madhyamaka school and author of the Knowledge ofthe Middle "Way and other
important works. (second - third century)
Naropa. (956-1 040 C. E. ) An Indian master best known for transmitting
many Vajrayana teachings to Marpa who took these back to Tibet before
the Moslem invasion of India.
Nihilism. (Tib. chad Ita) Literally, "the view ofdiscontinuance. " The extreme
view ofnothingness: no rebirth or karmic effects, and the non-existence
of a mind after death.
Nirmanakaya. (Tib. tulku) There are three bodies of the Buddha; the
nirmanakaya or "emanation body" manifests in the world and in this context manifests as the Shakyamuni Buddha. (see kayas, three. )
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Nirvana. Literally, "extinguished. " Individuals live in samsara and with spiritual practice can attain a state ofliberation in which all false ideas and conflicting emotions have been extinguished. This is called nirvana. The nirvana ofa Hinayana practitioner is freedom from cyclic existence as an arhat. The nirvana of a Mahayana practitioner is Buddhahood, free from extremes ofdwelling in either samsara or the perfect peace of an arhat.
Sometimes it is categorized as three types: nirvana of naturalness, which is ground nirvana; nirvana ofcessation, which is path nirvana; and non-abiding nirvana, which is the reward or fruition nirvana.
Non-distraction. (Tib. yeng me) Not straying from the continuity of the practice.
Non-fabrication. (Tib. zo me) The important key point in meditation of Mahamudra and Dzogchen; that innate wakefulness is not created through intellectual effort.
Non-meditation. (Tib. gom me) The state of not holding on to an object meditated upon nor a subject who meditates. Also refers to the fourth stage of Mahamudra in which nothing further needs to be meditated upon or cultivated.
Non-thought. (Tib. mi tog) A state in which conceptual thinking is absent. Obscurations. There are two categories ofobscuration or defilement that cover one's Buddha nature: the defilement ofdisturbing emotions (see afflictive obscurations); and the defilement of latent tendencies sometimes called the obscuration of dualistic perception, or the intellectual/cognitive obscurations (see cognitive obscurations). The first category prevents sentient beings from freeing themselves from samsara, while the second
prevents them from gaining accurate knowledge and realizing truth. Occurrence. The period when thoughts are arising in the mind. Compare
with "stillness. "
One-pointedness. The first stage in the practice ofMahamudra.
One taste. The third stage in the practice ofMahamudra.
Ordinary Mind. (Tib. tamal kyi shepa) There is no need to do anything to
your present wakefulness at the moment of recognizing; it is already as
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it is. That is the true meaning of naked ordinary mind, a famous term in Tibetan. It means not tampered with. There is no "thing" which needs to be accepted or rejected; it is simply as it is. The term 'ordinary mind' is the most immediate and accurate term to describe the nature of mind. No matter what terminology is being utilized within the Middle-way, Mahamudra or Dzogchen, naked ordinary mind is the simplest term.
Pandita. A great scholar.
Path ofLiberation. The path of Mahamudra practice.
Path ofMeans. Refers to the Six Yogas of Naropa as well as to the stages of
creation and completion with attributes.
Prana. Life supporting energy. The "winds" or energy-currents of the vajra
body.
Prajna. (Tib. she rab) In Sanskrit it means "perfect knowledge" and can
mean wisdom, understanding or discrimination. Usually it means the
wisdom ofseeing things from a high (i. e. , non-dualistic) point ofview. Prajnaparamita. Transcendent perfect knowledge. The Tibetan literally means, "gone to the other side" or "gone beyond" as expressed in the Prajnaparamita mantra, "Om gate gate paragate parasamgate bodhi svaha. " The realization ofemptiness in the Prajnaparamita Hridaya or
Heart Sutra, made possible by the extraordinarily profound dharma of the birth ofShakyamuni Buddha in the world and the practices that came from it, such as the Vajrayana tantras, which make use of visualization and the control of subtle physical energies.
Prajnaparamita sutras. Used to refer to a collection of about 40 Mahayana sutras that all deal with the realization of prajna.
Pure realm. Realms created by Buddhas which are totally free from suffering and dharma there can be received directly. These realms are presided over by various Buddhas such as Amitabha, Avalokiteshvara, and Maitreya who presides over Tushita.
Rangjung Dorje. (1284-1339 C. E. ) The Third Karmapa, especially well known for writing a series of texts widely used in the Kagyu school.
Rtzngtongschool. The Madhyamaka or Middle-way is divided into two major
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schools; Rangtong {empty of self) and Shentong {empty of other). Rangtong is from the second turning ofthe wheel ofdharma and teaches that reality is empty of self and beyond concepts.
Recognition. In this context it means "recognizing the nature of mind. " Red element. The residual seed essence of the mother's ovum, obtained at conception, which remains present in the centre of the body below the
navel for the duration ofa person's life.
Relative truth. (Tib. kunsop) There are two truths: relative and absolute or
ultimate truth. Relative truth is the perception of an ordinary {unenlightened) being who sees the world with all his or her projections based on the false belief in "! " and "other. "
Rigpa. The primordial, non-dual awareness in the Dzogchen teachings. Rinpoche. Literally, "very precious" and is used as a term of respect for a
Tibetan guru.
Root lama. A practitioner ofVajrayana can have several types of root guru:
the vajra master who confers empowerment, who bestows reading transmission, or who explains the meaning ofthe tantras. The ultimate root guru is the master who gives the "pointing out instructions" so that one recognizes the nature of mind.
Sakya Pandita. A hereditary head o f the Sakya lineage. A great scholar ( 1181- 1251 C. E. )
Samadhi. A state of meditation that is non-dualistic. There is an absence of discrimination between selfand other. Also called meditative absorption or one-pointed meditation, this is the highest form of meditation.
Samaya. The vows or commitments made in the Vajrayana to a teacher or to a practice. Many details exist but essentially it consists of outwardly, maintaining a harmonious relationship with the vajra master and one's dharma friends and inwardly, not straying from the continuity of the practice.
Sambhogakaya. There are three bodies of the Buddha, the sambhogakaya, also called the "enjoyment body," is a realm of the dharmakaya that only manifests to bodhisattvas {see kayas, three).
Samsara. "Cyclic existence. " The conditioned existence ofordinary life in which
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suffering occurs because one still possesses attachment, aggression and ignorance. It is contrasted to nirvana. Through the force of karma motivated by ignorance, desire and anger one is forced to take on the impure aggregates and circle the wheel ofexistence until liberation.
Sentient beings. With consciousness; an animated being as opposed to an inanimate object. All beings with consciousness or mind who have not attained the liberation ofBuddhahood. This includes those individuals caught in the sufferings of samsara as well as those who have attained the levels ofa bodhisattva.
Shamatha. (Tib. shinay) See tranquility meditation.
Shamatha with support. The practice of calming the mind while using an
object of concentration, material or mental, or simply the breath. Shamatha without support. The act of calming the mind without any particular object, resting undistractedly. This practice serves as a prelude
for Mahamudra and should not be mistaken for the ultimate result. Shentong school. The Madhyamaka or Middle-way is divided into two major schools, Rangtong (empty of self) and Shentong (empty of other). Shentong is from the third turning ofthe wheel ofdharma and explains
that ultimate reality is emptiness and luminosity inseparable. Shunyata. See emptiness.
Siddha. An accomplished Buddhist practitioner.
Siddhi. "Accomplishment. " The spiritual accomplishments ofaccomplished
practitioners. Usually refers to the "supreme siddhi" of complete enlightenment, but can also mean the "common siddhis," eight mundane accomplishments.
Simplicity. I) The absence of creating mental constructs or conceptual formations about the nature ofthings. 2) The second stage in the practice of Mahamudra.
Six Dharmas (Yogas} ofNaropa. These six special yogic practices were transmitted from Naropa to Marpa and consist of the subtle heat practice, the illusory body practice, the dream yoga practice, the luminosity practice, the ejection ofconsciousness practice and the bardo practice.
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Six realms. The realms of the six classes of beings: gods, demigods, humans, animals, hungry ghosts and hell beings. These are the possible types of births for beings in samsara and are: the god realm in which gods have great pride, the jealous god realm in which the jealous gods try to maintain what they have, the human realm which is the best realm because one has the possibility of achieving enlightenment, the animal realm characterized by stupidity, the hungry ghost realm characterized by great craving, and the hell realm characterized by aggression.
Spiritual song. See doha.
Stillness. Absence of thought activity and disturbing emotions, but with subtle
fixation on this stillness.
Subtle channels. (Skt. nadi, Tib. tsa) These refer to the subtle channels which
are not anatomical ones but ones in which psychic energies or "winds"
(Skt. prana, Tib.
