A monastic preceptor. Usually refers either to the abbot of a monastery or to the preceptor from whom one receives monastic ordination.

Hatred, aggression, and/or aversion. One of the affective behavior patterns or “afflictions” known as the three poisons.

In Buddhist literature, this is an epithet applied to buddhas, most often to Śākyamuni. The Sanskrit term generally means “possessing fortune,” but in specifically Buddhist contexts it implies that a buddha is in possession of six auspicious qualities (bhaga) associated with complete awakening. The Tibetan term‍—where bcom is said to refer to “subduing” the four māras, ldan to “possessing” the great qualities of buddhahood, and ’das to “going beyond” saṃsāra and nirvāṇa‍—possibly reflects the commentarial tradition where the Sanskrit bhagavat is interpreted, in addition, as “one who destroys the four māras.” This is achieved either by reading bhagavat as bhagnavat (“one who broke”), or by tracing the word bhaga to the root √bhañj (“to break”).

Those “great beings” who have the intention to achieve the complete enlightenment of a buddha in order to liberate all sentient beings from cyclic existence. An epithet of a bodhisattva.

Collections of the Buddha’s teachings.

The cycle of transmigrations through which sentient beings revolve and suffer.

Dedication of the merit at the end of a spiritual practice or virtuous action, usually for the attainment of full enlightenment by all sentient beings. In this way the actions thus dedicated contribute to the purpose of attaining enlightenment for the sake of all sentient beings.

Literally, “to flow” or “to ooze.” Mental defilements or contaminations that “flow out” toward the objects of cyclic existence, binding us to them. Vasubandhu offers two alternative explanations of this term: “They cause beings to remain (āsayanti) within saṃsāra” and “They flow from the Summit of Existence down to the Avīci hell, out of the six wounds that are the sense fields” (Abhidharma­kośa­bhāṣya 5.40; Pradhan 1967, p. 308). The Summit of Existence (bhavāgra, srid pa’i rtse mo) is the highest point within saṃsāra, while the hell called Avīci (mnar med) is the lowest; the six sense fields (āyatana, skye mched) here refer to the five sense faculties plus the mind, i.e., the six internal sense fields.

Passion, attachment, and/or lust. One of the affective behavior patterns or “afflictions” known as the three poisons.

Diligence or perseverance. One of the six perfections of the bodhisattva.

Correct and unhindered discriminating knowledge. See also the four discernments.

Eighteen special features of a buddha’s behavior, realization, activity, and wisdom that are not shared by other beings. They are generally listed as: (1) he never makes a mistake, (2) he is never boisterous, (3) he never forgets, (4) his concentration never falters, (5) he has no notion of distinctness, (6) his equanimity is not due to lack of consideration, (7) his motivation never falters, (8) his endeavor never fails, (9) his mindfulness never falters, (10) he never abandons his concentration, (11) his insight (prajñā) never decreases, (12) his liberation never fails, (13) all his physical actions are preceded and followed by wisdom (jñāna), (14) all his verbal actions are preceded and followed by wisdom, (15) all his mental actions are preceded and followed by wisdom, (16) his wisdom and vision perceive the past without attachment or hindrance, (17) his wisdom and vision perceive the future without attachment or hindrance, and (18) his wisdom and vision perceive the present without attachment or hindrance.

This refers to the miraculous power of the buddhas, and bodhisattvas at a certain stage of spiritual development, to project emanations of themselves in order to develop and teach sentient beings.

A term meaning acceptance, forbearance, or patience. As the third of the six perfections, patience is classified into three kinds: the capacity to tolerate abuse from sentient beings, to tolerate the hardships of the path to buddhahood, and to tolerate the profound nature of reality. As a term referring to a bodhisattva’s realization, dharmakṣānti (chos la bzod pa) can refer to the ways one becomes “receptive” to the nature of Dharma, and it can be an abbreviation of anutpattikadharmakṣānti, “forbearance for the unborn nature, or nonproduction, of dharmas.”

Morally virtuous or disciplined conduct and the abandonment of morally undisciplined conduct of body, speech, and mind. One of the six perfections of the bodhisattva. Also rendered here as “ethical rules” and “ethical discipline.” See also n.­6.

The four correct and unhindered discriminating knowledges of the doctrine or Dharma, of meaning, of language, and of brilliance or eloquence. These are the essential means by which the buddhas impart their teachings.

The four sinful or nonvirtuous verbal actions, namely telling lies, using abusive language, slandering others, and indulging in irrelevant talk. Their counterparts are the four wholesome or virtuous actions of speech, namely, not telling falsehoods, not using abusive language, not slandering others, and not indulging in irrelevant talk.

The fourfold fearlessness or the four assurances proclaimed by the tathāgatas: fearlessness in declaring that one has awakened, that one has ceased all illusions, that one has taught the obstacles to awakening, and that one has shown the way to liberation.

The term bhikṣu, often translated as “monk,” refers to the highest among the eight types of prātimokṣa vows that make one part of the Buddhist assembly. The Sanskrit term literally means “beggar” or “mendicant,” referring to the fact that Buddhist monks and nuns‍—like other ascetics of the time‍—subsisted on alms (bhikṣā) begged from the laity. In the Tibetan tradition, which follows the Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya, a monk follows 253 rules as part of his moral discipline. A nun (bhikṣuṇī; dge slong ma) follows 364 rules. A novice monk (śrāmaṇera; dge tshul) or nun (śrāmaṇerikā; dge tshul ma) follows thirty-six rules of moral discipline (although in other vinaya traditions novices typically follow only ten).

The practice of giving or making offerings to others. One of the six perfections of the bodhisattva.

A reference to the last three of the ten bhūmis, (Tib. sa bcu); the bhūmis, often called the “grounds” or “levels,” are the successive stages through which a bodhisattva’s realization evolves.

The Buddhadharma or the Buddha’s teachings.

Delusion, stupidity, closed-mindedness, and/or mental darkness. One of the affective behavior patterns or “afflictions” known as the three poisons.

The inherent nature of a phenomenon; in the present text, this is possibly a reference to the buddha-nature, or tathāgatagarbha.

Habitual impulses or subconscious habit patterns that underlie emotions such as desire and hatred. These are also causes for the perpetuation of cyclic existence.

Karmic traces or residues imprinted by past actions and constituting tendencies that predispose one to particular patterns of behavior.

In this context, this refers to a category of advanced meditative attainments.

One of the synonyms for meditation, referring specifically to states of mental stability or one-pointed abiding in an undistracted state of mind free from afflicted mental states. bsam gtan/dhyāna can refer to the specific states of absorption of the form and formless realms (eight in total). One of the six perfections of the bodhisattva.

Meditative equipoise or evenness of mind. Another synonym for meditation, this also refers to a category of advanced meditative attainments.

A general term for states of deep concentration. One of the synonyms for meditation, referring in particular to a state of complete concentration or focus.

Virtuous thoughts, words, and actions that produce positive results, or merit. In Mahāyāna practice, these are to be dedicated for the benefit of all sentient beings. Also rendered here as “meritorious deeds.”

See “merit.”

The ability to make manifest miraculous displays evident to ordinary beings.

Defilements that obstruct liberation and omniscience. This term refers both to affective (or “afflictive”) and cognitive obscurations.

This refers to the gnosis or omniscience of the Buddha, the “All-Knowing” or “Omniscient” One.

Literally “to have crossed over” or “transcended”; typically this refers to the specific practices of the bodhisattva that are motivated by bodhicitta and embraced by wisdom.

A “solitary enlightened one,” or “buddha on one’s own,” this refers to one who has attained liberation but does not teach the path to liberation to others. Pratyekabuddhas are said to appear in universes and at times in which there is no fully enlightened buddha who has rediscovered the path and taught it to others.

A declaration of one’s aspirations and vows, and/or an invocation and request of the buddhas, bodhisattvas, etc.

The essentially pure nature of mind is obscured and afflicted by various psychological defilements, which destroy the mind’s peace and composure and lead to unwholesome deeds of body, speech, and mind, acting as causes for continued existence in saṃsāra. Included among them are the primary afflictions of desire (rāga), anger (dveṣa), and ignorance (avidyā). It is said that there are eighty-four thousand of these negative mental qualities, for which the eighty-four thousand categories of the Buddha’s teachings serve as the antidote. Kleśa is also commonly translated as “negative emotions,” “disturbing emotions,” and so on. The Pāli kilesa, Middle Indic kileśa, and Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit kleśa all primarily mean “stain” or “defilement.” The translation “affliction” is a secondary development that derives from the more general (non-Buddhist) classical understanding of √kliś (“to harm,“ “to afflict”). Both meanings are noted by Buddhist commentators.

The preta realm, or the realm of ghosts, where Yama, the Lord of Death, is the ruler and judges the dead. Yama is also said to rule over the hells. This term is also the name of the Vedic afterlife inhabited by the ancestors (pitṛ).

Literally “near-afflictions,” or the subsidiary afflictive emotions derivative of or related to the primary afflictions.

Any living being in one of the six realms.

The six practices or qualities that a bodhisattva perfects and by which a bodhisattva transcends cyclic existence. A bodhisattva practices these perfections motivated by bodhicitta, the intention to attain full enlightenment for the sake of all sentient beings, and with an awareness of the ultimate reality of all phenomena. These six perfections are generosity, ethics, endurance, diligence, meditative absorption, and wisdom.

The six modes of supernormal cognition or ability, namely, clairvoyance, clairaudience, knowledge of the minds of others, remembrance of past lives, the ability to perform miracles, and the knowledge of the destruction of all mental defilements. The first five are considered mundane or worldly and can be attained to some extent by non-Buddhist yogis as well as Buddhist arhats and bodhisattvas. The sixth is considered to be supramundane and can be attained only by Buddhist yogis.

The Sanskrit term śrāvaka, and the Tibetan nyan thos, both derived from the verb “to hear,” are usually defined as “those who hear the teaching from the Buddha and make it heard to others.” Primarily this refers to those disciples of the Buddha who aspire to attain the state of an arhat seeking their own liberation and nirvāṇa. They are the practitioners of the first turning of the wheel of the Dharma on the four noble truths, who realize the suffering inherent in saṃsāra and focus on understanding that there is no independent self. By conquering afflicted mental states (kleśa), they liberate themselves, attaining first the stage of stream enterers at the path of seeing, followed by the stage of once-returners who will be reborn only one more time, and then the stage of non-returners who will no longer be reborn into the desire realm. The final goal is to become an arhat. These four stages are also known as the “four results of spiritual practice.”

“Thus-Gone One,” an epithet of a buddha. A buddha is one who has “gone” to thusness, suchness, or ultimate reality.

Instructor or spiritual teacher. Usually refers either to an accomplished master of meditation practice or to a learned scholar. The title of an official position in a monastery.

A category of the distinctive qualities of a tathāgata. They are: knowing what is possible and what is impossible; knowing the results of actions or the ripening of karma; knowing the various inclinations of sentient beings; knowing the various elements; knowing the supreme and lesser faculties of sentient beings; knowing the paths that lead to all destinations of rebirth; knowing the concentrations, liberations, absorptions, equilibriums, afflictions, purifications, and abidings; knowing previous lives; knowing the death and rebirth of sentient beings; and knowing the cessation of the defilements.

The three sinful or nonvirtuous mental actions, namely being covetous, being malicious, and holding perverted views. Their counterparts are the three wholesome or virtuous mental actions. These are the following: not being covetous, not being malicious, and not holding perverted beliefs.

The three sinful or nonvirtuous physical actions, namely, destroying life, taking what has not been given, and engaging in improper sexual practices. Their counterparts are the three wholesome or virtuous physical actions, namely, not destroying life, not taking what has not been given, and refraining from improper sexual practices.

The three kinds of knowledge obtained by the Buddha on the night of his enlightenment. These comprise the knowledge of the death and rebirth of sentient beings, the knowledge of past lives, and the knowledge of the cessation of defilements. These are the last three of the six superknowledges or of the ten powers of the tathāgatas.

The three main affective behavior patterns, or “afflictions,” namely ignorance, desire, and anger.

The complete enlightenment of a buddha, as opposed to the attainments of arhats and pratyekabuddhas.

A spiritual mentor.

Transcendent or discriminating awareness; the mind that sees the ultimate truth. One of the six perfections of the bodhisattva.