The Sanskrit literally means “attainment,” and is used to refer specifically to meditative attainment and to particular meditative states. The Tibetan translators interpreted it as sama-āpatti, which suggests the idea of “equal” or “level”; however, they also parsed it as sam-āpatti, in which case it would have the sense of “concentration” or “absorption,” much like samādhi, but with the added sense of “attainment.”

Lit. “Immovable.” The eighth level of accomplishment pertaining to bodhisattvas. See “ten bodhisattva levels.”

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. Also rendered here as afflictive emotion.

Lit. a “heap” or “pile.” The five aggregates of form , feeling, perception, volitional factors, and consciousness. On the individual level the five aggregates refer to the basis upon which the mistaken idea of a self is projected.However, in this text, five pure or uncontaminated aggregates are also listed, namely: the aggregate of morality, the aggregate of meditative stabilization, the aggregate of wisdom, the aggregate of liberation, and the aggregate of knowledge and seeing of liberation.

A major śrāvaka disciple and personal attendant of the Buddha Śākyamuni during the last twenty-five years of his life. He was a cousin of the Buddha (according to the Mahāvastu, he was a son of Śuklodana, one of the brothers of King Śuddhodana, which means he was a brother of Devadatta; other sources say he was a son of Amṛtodana, another brother of King Śuddhodana, which means he would have been a brother of Aniruddha).Ānanda, having always been in the Buddha’s presence, is said to have memorized all the teachings he heard and is celebrated for having recited all the Buddha’s teachings by memory at the first council of the Buddhist saṅgha, thus preserving the teachings after the Buddha’s parinirvāṇa. The phrase “Thus did I hear at one time,” found at the beginning of the sūtras, usually stands for his recitation of the teachings. He became a patriarch after the passing of Mahākāśyapa.

Literally, “infinite,” but here used to refer to a very large number.

The extreme philosophical view that rejects rebirth and the law of karma by considering that causes (and thus actions) do not have effects and that the self, being the same as one or all of the aggregates (skandhas), ends at death. Commonly translated as “nihilism” or, more literally, as “view of annihilation.” It is often mentioned along with its opposite view, the extreme of eternalism or permanence.

See “four applications of mindfulness.”

dmigs (pa) translates a number of Sanskrit terms, including ālambana, upalabdhi, and ālambate. These terms commonly refer to the apprehending of a subject, an object, and the relationships that exist between them. The term may also be translated as “referentiality,” meaning a system based on the existence of referent objects, referent subjects, and the referential relationships that exist between them. As part of their doctrine of “threefold nonapprehending/nonreferentiality” (’khor gsum mi dmigs pa), Mahāyāna Buddhists famously assert that all three categories of apprehending lack substantiality.

This term, although commonly translated as “appropriation,” also means “grasping” or “clinging,” but it has a particular meaning as the ninth of the twelve links of dependent origination, situated between craving (tṛṣṇā, sred pa) and becoming or existence (bhava, srid pa). In some texts, four types of appropriation (upādāna) are listed: that of desire (rāga), view (dṛṣṭi), rules and observances as paramount (śīla­vrata­parāmarśa), and belief in a self (ātmavāda).

A buddhafield.

See “noble being.”

The quality or condition of things as they really are, which cannot be conveyed in conceptual, dualistic terms. Akin to other terms rendered here as “suchness,” “the real,” and so on.

Asaṃkhyeya and other specific, extremely large numbers that have separate values and are not actually synonymous with “infinite” are left untranslated in contexts where the difference between them is a salient factor. On the number asaṃkhyeya (“incalculable”), see also Abhidharmakośa 3.93.

Indian commentator from the late fourth– early fifth centuries; closely associated with the works of Maitreya and the Yogācāra philosophical school.

Lit. “Eighth level,” sometimes rendered “Eighth Lowest.” The third of the ten levels traversed by all practitioners, from the level of an ordinary person until reaching buddhahood. See “ten levels.”

A type of nonhuman being whose precise status is subject to different views, but is included as one of the six classes of beings in the sixfold classification of realms of rebirth. In the Buddhist context, asuras are powerful beings said to be dominated by envy, ambition, and hostility. They are also known in the pre-Buddhist and pre-Vedic mythologies of India and Iran, and feature prominently in Vedic and post-Vedic Brahmanical mythology, as well as in the Buddhist tradition. In these traditions, asuras are often described as being engaged in interminable conflict with the devas (gods).

The lowest and most severe among the eight hot hell realms. It is characterized as endless not only in terms of the torment undergone there, but also because of the ceaseless chain of actions and effects experienced, the long lifespan of its denizens, and their being so intensely crowded together that there is no physical space between them.

See “intrinsic nature.”

The meaning of this term is made clear in chapter 33, when the value of a bodhisattva practicing the perfection of wisdom is compared with other meritorious acts; cf. Mppś 2248, Mppś English p. 1858.As an example: a gold coin is a “basis.” Given into the hand of a pauper (the “action”) it becomes a basis for action that makes merit (puṇya­kriyā­vastu). It becomes that because of the giver’s aim‍—stopping the pauper’s hunger. The same gold coin (the basis, Skt vastu), remaining in a person’s pocket, remains a basis as the term is used in the fundamental Buddhist scriptures‍—a place (vastu) where the renunciant is to avoid attachment, but not a basis of meritorious action (puṇya­kriyā­vastu). The bsod nams bya ba (puṇyakriyā), “meritorious action” or work that produces merit, makes the basis into something (the basis) that now is achieving the aim.

One of the five or six classes of sentient beings. Birth in hell is considered to be the karmic fruition of past anger and harmful actions. According to Buddhist tradition there are eighteen different hells, namely eight hot hells and eight cold hells, as well as neighboring and ephemeral hells, all of them tormented by increasing levels of unimaginable suffering.

A being who is dedicated to the cultivation and fulfilment of the altruistic intention to attain perfect buddhahood, traversing the ten bodhisattva levels (daśabhūmi, sa bcu). Bodhisattvas purposely opt to remain within cyclic existence in order to liberate all sentient beings, instead of simply seeking personal freedom from suffering. In terms of the view, they realize both the selflessness of persons and the selflessness of phenomena.

The ninth of the ten levels traversed by all practitioners, from the level of an ordinary person until reaching buddhahood. When rendered in the plural, it is understood as a reference to all levels of accomplishment pertaining to bodhisattvas. See “ten levels” and “ten bodhisattva levels.”

A high-ranking deity presiding over a divine world; he is also considered to be the lord of the Sahā world (our universe). Though not considered a creator god in Buddhism, Brahmā occupies an important place as one of two gods (the other being Indra/Śakra) said to have first exhorted the Buddha Śākyamuni to teach the Dharma. The particular heavens found in the form realm over which Brahmā rules are often some of the most sought-after realms of higher rebirth in Buddhist literature. Since there are many universes or world systems, there are also multiple Brahmās presiding over them. His most frequent epithets are “Lord of the Sahā World” (sahāṃpati) and Great Brahmā (mahābrahman).

A collective name for the first three heavens of the form realm, which correspond to the first concentration (dhyāna): Brahmakāyika, Brahmapurohita, and Mahābrahmā (also called Brahmapārṣadya). These are ruled over by the god Brahmā, who believes himself to be the creator of the universe. According to some sources, it can also be a general reference to all the heavens in the form realm and formless realm.

A member of the highest of the four castes in Indian society, which is closely associated with religious vocations.

The tenth and last of the ten levels traversed by all practitioners, from the level of an ordinary person until reaching buddhahood. See “ten levels.”

The term can mean “teachings of the Buddha” or “buddha qualities.” In the latter sense, it is sometimes used as a general term, and sometimes it refers to sets such as the ten powers, the four fearlessnesses, the four detailed and thorough knowledges, the eighteen distinct attributes of a buddha, and so forth; or, more specifically, to another set of eighteen: the ten powers; the four fearlessnesses; mindfulness of body, speech, and mind; and great compassion.

The Tibetan translates both stūpa and caitya with the same word, mchod rten, meaning “basis” or “recipient” of “offerings” or “veneration.” Pali: cetiya.A caitya, although often synonymous with stūpa, can also refer to any site, sanctuary or shrine that is made for veneration, and may or may not contain relics.A stūpa, literally “heap” or “mound,” is a mounded or circular structure usually containing relics of the Buddha or the masters of the past. It is considered to be a sacred object representing the awakened mind of a buddha, but the symbolism of the stūpa is complex, and its design varies throughout the Buddhist world. Stūpas continue to be erected today as objects of veneration and merit making.

Refers to the meditative practice of calming the mind to rest free from the disturbance of thought. One of the two basic forms of Buddhist meditation, the other being insight.

One of the heavens of Buddhist cosmology, lowest among the six heavens of the desire realm (kāmadhātu, ’dod khams). Dwelling place of the Four Great Kings (caturmahārāja, rgyal chen bzhi), traditionally located on a terrace of Sumeru, just below the Heaven of the Thirty-Three. Each cardinal direction is ruled by one of the Four Great Kings and inhabited by a different class of nonhuman beings as their subjects: in the east, Dhṛtarāṣṭra rules the gandharvas; in the south, Virūḍhaka rules the kumbhāṇḍas; in the west, Virūpākṣa rules the nāgas; and in the north, Vaiśravaṇa rules the yakṣas.

A causal sign is the projected reality that functions as the objective support of a cognitive state. It cannot be separated out from the cognitive state and to that extent may enjoy a modicum of conventional reality. To “practice with a causal sign” means to look at an apparent phenomenon within accepting that it has more reality than it actually does.

The clairvoyances are listed as either five or six. The first five are the divine eye, divine ear, performance of miraculous power, recollection of past lives, and knowing others’ thoughts. A sixth, knowing that all outflows have been eliminated, is often added. The first five are attained through concentration (dhyāna) and are sometimes described as worldly, as they can be attained to some extent by non-Buddhist yogins, while the sixth is supramundane and attained only by realization‍.

Clear light or luminosity refers to the subtlest level of mind, i.e., the fundamental, essential nature of all cognitive events. Though ever present within all sentient beings, this luminosity becomes manifest only when the gross mind has ceased to function. It is said that such a dissolution is experienced naturally by ordinary beings at the time of death, but it can also be experientially cultivated through certain meditative practices.

A samaya is a coming together, in this case of an object known and something that knows it; the abhi means “toward” or else adds an intensity to the act.

Dhyāna is defined as one-pointed abiding in an undistracted state of mind, free from afflicted mental states. Four states of dhyāna are identified as being conducive to birth within the form realm. In the context of the Mahāyāna, it is the fifth of the six perfections. It is commonly translated as “concentration,” “meditative concentration,” and so on.

A mental function that tends to superimpose upon reality, either relative or ultimate, a conceptualized dualistic perspective fabricated by the subjective mind. It is often opposed to direct perception (pratyakṣa, mngon sum).

One of the three natures, used in the sense of “other-powered.”

Pratibhāna is the capacity for speaking in a confident and inspiring manner.

One of the three poisons (triviṣa), together with greed and hatred, that bind beings to cyclic existence.

Consciousness is generally classified into the five sensory consciousnesses and mental consciousness. Fifth of the five aggregates and third of the twelve links of dependent origination.

In the context of Buddhist philosophy, one way to describe experience in terms of eighteen elements (eye, form, and eye consciousness; ear, sound, and ear consciousness; nose, smell, and nose consciousness; tongue, taste, and tongue consciousness; body, touch, and body consciousness; and mind, mental phenomena, and mind consciousness).This also refers to the elements of the world, which can be enumerated as four, five, or six. The four elements are earth, water, fire, and air. A fifth, space, is often added, and the sixth is consciousness.Also rendered here as “element.”

Also rendered here as sustaining power.

Conveys the relative or conventional view of the world according to the understanding of ordinary unawakened beings. This is distinguished from the ultimate truth, which conveys the understanding of phenomena as they really are. Saṃvṛti literally means “covered” or “concealed,” implying that the relative reality seen by ordinary beings seems to be convincingly real, but it is ultimately, in its actual state, illusory and unreal.

Eighth of the twelve links of dependent origination. Craving is often listed as threefold: craving for the desirable, craving for existence, and craving for nonexistence.

Acquainting the mind with a virtuous object. Often translated as “meditation” and “familiarization.”

A state of involuntary existence conditioned by afflicted mental states and the imprint of past actions, characterized by suffering in a cycle of life, death, and rebirth. On its reversal, the contrasting state of nirvāṇa is attained, free from suffering and the processes of rebirth.

A late eighth or early ninth century Kashmiri scholar, considered to be the author of at least one of the two “bṛhaṭṭīkā” commentaries on the long Prajñāpāramitā sūtras. The spellings Daṃṣṭrasena and Daṃṣṭrāsena are both found, as well as several alternatives such as Daṃṣṭasena and Diṣṭasena.

Lit. “Seeing level.” The fourth of the ten levels traversed by all practitioners, from the level of an ordinary person until reaching buddhahood. It is equivalent to the level of a stream enterer. See “ten levels.”

A term meaning defilement, impurity, and pollution, broadly referring to cognitive and emotional factors that disturb and obscure the mind. As the self-perpetuating process of affliction in the minds of beings, it is a synonym for saṃsāra. It is often paired with its opposite, vyavadāna, meaning “purification.”

In its most general sense, this term refers to the state of freedom from suffering and cyclic existence, or saṃsāra, that is the goal of the Buddhist path. More specifically, the term may refer to a category of advanced meditative attainment known as the “eight deliverances.”

One of the three natures. Also rendered here as “other-powered.”

The relative nature of phenomena, which arise in dependence on causes and conditions. Together with the four noble truths, this was the first teaching given by the Buddha. When this appears as plural in the translation, it refers to dharmas as dependently originated.

In Buddhist cosmology, this is our own realm, the lowest and most coarse of the three realms of saṃsāra. It is called this because beings here are characterized by their strong longing for and attachment to the pleasures of the senses. The desire realm includes hell beings, hungry ghosts, animals, humans, asuras, and the lowest six heavens of the gods‍—from the Heaven of the Four Great Kings (cāturmahā­rājika) up to the Heaven of Making Use of Others’ Emanations (para­nirmita­vaśa­vartin). Located above the desire realm is the form realm (rūpadhātu) and the formless realm (ārūpyadhātu).

The term dhāraṇī has the sense of something that “holds” or “retains,” and so it can refer to the special capacity of practitioners to memorize and recall detailed teachings. It can also refer to a verbal expression of the teachings‍—an incantation, spell, or mnemonic formula‍—that distills and “holds” essential points of the Dharma and is used by practitioners to attain mundane and supramundane goals. The same term is also used to denote texts that contain such formulas.

As a magical formula, a dhāraṇī constitutes a gateway to the infinite qualities of awakening, the awakened state itself, and the various forms of buddha activity. Also rendered here as “dhāraṇī door.” See also “dhāraṇī.”

The term dharma conveys ten different meanings, according to Vasubandhu’s Vyākhyā­yukti. The primary meanings are as follows: the doctrine taught by the Buddha (Dharma); the ultimate reality underlying and expressed through the Buddha’s teaching (Dharma); the trainings that the Buddha’s teaching stipulates (dharmas); the various awakened qualities or attainments acquired through practicing and realizing the Buddha’s teaching (dharmas); qualities or aspects more generally, i.e., phenomena or phenomenal attributes (dharmas); and mental objects (dharmas).

An early term used to denote the Buddha’s teaching. “Dharma” refers to the sūtras and “Vinaya” to the rules of discipline.

In distinction to the form body (rūpakāya) of a buddha, this is the eternal, imperceptible realization of a buddha. In origin it was a term for the presence of the Dharma and has become synonymous with the true nature.

One of the eighteen constituents, referring to mental phenomena.

Speaker or reciter of scriptures. In early Buddhism a section of the saṅgha would consist of bhāṇakas, who, particularly before the teachings were written down and were only transmitted orally, were a key factor in the preservation of the teachings. Various groups of dharmabhāṇakas specialized in memorizing and reciting a certain set of sūtras or vinaya.

Dharma-dhātu is a synonym for emptiness or the ultimate nature of phenomena ( dharmatā ). This term is interpreted variously‍—given the many connotations of dharma /chos‍—as the sphere, element, or nature of phenomena, suchness, or truth. In this text it is used with this general, Mahāyāna sense, not to be confused with dharma constituent (Tib. chos kyi khams), also called in Sanskrit dharma­dhātu, which is one of the eighteen constituents. See also “dharma constituent.”

Lit. “Cloud of Dharma.” The tenth level of accomplishment pertaining to bodhisattvas. See “ten bodhisattva levels.”

See “thirty-seven dharmas on the side of awakening.”

See “true nature of dharmas.”

A great bodhisattva, residing in a divine city called Gandhavatī, who teaches the Prajñāpāramitā three times a day. He is known for becoming the teacher of the bodhisattva Sadāprarudita, who decides to sell his flesh and blood in order to make offerings to him and receive his teachings. This story is told in The Perfection of Wisdom in Eighteen Thousand Lines (Toh 10, ch. 85–86). It can also be found quoted in several works, such as The Words of My Perfect Teacher (kun bzang bla ma’i zhal lung) by Patrul Rinpoche.

A previous buddha who gave Śākyamuni the prophecy of his buddhahood. In depictions of the buddhas of the three times, he represents the buddhas of the past, while Śākyamuni represents the present, Maitreya the future.

See “eighteen distinct attributes of a buddha.”

See “gateways to liberation.”

A series of progressively more subtle states of meditative realization or attainment. There are several presentations of these found in the canonical literature. One of the most common is as follows: (1) One observes form while the mind dwells at the level of the form realm. (2) One observes forms externally while discerning formlessness internally. (3) One dwells in the direct experience of the body’s pleasant aspect. (4) One dwells in the realization of the sphere of infinite space by transcending all conceptions of matter, resistance, and diversity. (5) Transcending the sphere of infinite space, one dwells in the realization of the sphere of infinite consciousness. (6) Transcending the sphere of infinite consciousness, one dwells in the realization of the sphere of nothingness. (7) Transcending the sphere of nothingness, one dwells in the realization of the sphere of neither perception nor nonperception. (8) Transcending the sphere of neither perception nor nonperception, one dwells in the realization of the cessation of conception and feeling.The eight deliverances are explained in 4.­942–4.­946 on khri brgyad 16.­64–16.­70.

Thinking that one will (1) eliminate the suffering of beings, (2) lead beings to wealth and affluence, (3) benefit beings with one’s own flesh and blood, (4) benefit beings even if it means remaining in the hells for a long time, and (5) never be reborn with wealth or power that does not benefit beings, that focuses solely on the ultimate, or that causes harm to beings; (6) that beings’ negative actions will ripen upon oneself, and one’s positive actions will ripen upon them; (7) that one will fulfill the wishes of beings through great worldly and supramundane riches; and (8) that one will become a buddha and thus deliver beings from suffering.

The eight “worldly dharmas” (lokadharmāḥ) are the conditions that operate like laws of nature ( dharma ) ruling an ordinary person’s life (loka). They are explained at (4.­833) as “attaining, fame, pleasure, and praise, which give rise to mental attachment in an ordinary person; and the four of not attaining, infamy, blame, and pain, which give rise to depression.”

To refrain from (1) killing, (2) stealing, (3) sexual activity, (4) false speech, (5) intoxication, (6) singing, dancing, music, and beautifying oneself with adornments or cosmetics, (7) using a high or large bed, and (8) eating at improper times. Typically, this observance is maintained by lay people for twenty-four hours on new moon and full moon days, as well as other special days in the lunar calendar.

The eighteen constituents through which sensory experience is produced: the six sense faculties (indriya); the six corresponding sense objects (ālambana); and the six sensory consciousnesses (vijñāna).When grouped these are: the eye constituent, form constituent, and eye consciousness constituent; the ear constituent, sound constituent, and ear consciousness constituent; the nose constituent, smell constituent, and nose consciousness constituent; the tongue constituent, taste constituent, and tongue consciousness constituent; the body constituent, touch constituent, and body consciousness constituent; the thinking-mind constituent, dharma constituent, and thinking-mind consciousness constituent.See also “constituents.”

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.

These are enumerated as: (1) inner emptiness, (2) outer emptiness, (3) inner and outer emptiness, (4) the emptiness of emptiness, (5) great emptiness, (6) the emptiness of ultimate reality, (7) the emptiness of the compounded, (8) the emptiness of the uncompounded, (9) the emptiness of what transcends limits, (10) the emptiness of no beginning and no end, (11) the emptiness of nonrepudiation, (12) the emptiness of a basic nature, (13) the emptiness of all dharmas, (14) the emptiness of its own mark, (15) the emptiness of not apprehending, (16) the emptiness of a nonexistent thing, (17) the emptiness of an intrinsic nature, and (18) the emptiness that is the nonexistence of an intrinsic nature.

The noble eightfold path comprises (1) right view, (2) right idea, (3) right speech, (4) right conduct, (5) right livelihood, (6) right effort, (7) right mindfulness, and (8) right meditative stabilization.

Literally “one who is stable” and usually translated as “elder,” a senior monk in the early Buddhist communities. Pali: thera.

Also rendered here as “constituent.”

Knowledge of suffering, knowledge of origination, knowledge of cessation, knowledge of the path, knowledge of extinction, knowledge of nonproduction, knowledge of dharma, subsequent realization knowledge, conventional knowledge, knowledge of mastery, and knowledge in accord with sound.

Emptiness denotes the ultimate nature of reality, the total absence of inherent existence and self-identity with respect to all phenomena. According to this view, all things and events are devoid of any independent, intrinsic reality that constitutes their essence. Nothing can be said to exist independent of the complex network of factors that gives rise to its origination, nor are phenomena independent of the cognitive processes and mental constructs that make up the conventional framework within which their identity and existence are posited. When all levels of conceptualization dissolve and when all forms of dichotomizing tendencies are quelled through deliberate meditative deconstruction of conceptual elaborations, the ultimate nature of reality will finally become manifest. It is the first of the three gateways to liberation.

One of the fourteen emptinesses and eighteen emptinesses.

One of the eighteen emptinesses.

One of the fourteen emptinesses and eighteen emptinesses.

One of the eighteen emptinesses.

One of the fourteen emptinesses and eighteen emptinesses

One of the fourteen emptinesses and eighteen emptinesses.

One of the fourteen emptinesses and eighteen emptinesses.

One of the fourteen emptinesses and eighteen emptinesses.

One of the eighteen emptinesses.

One of the fourteen emptinesses and eighteen emptinesses.

One of the fourteen emptinesses and eighteen emptinesses.

One of the fourteen emptinesses and eighteen emptinesses.

One of the fourteen emptinesses and eighteen emptinesses.

One of the eighteen emptinesses.

Here, to practice an enactment means to get tied up in, or to settle down on, what is not ultimately real as real.

This refers to the conflagration that is the twentieth of the twenty “sub-eons” making up the third (destruction eon) of the four subdivisions of a “great eon” (mahākalpa). The other three major divisions of a great eon are the eon of arising, of duration, and (after the eon of destruction) of voidness.

The antidote to attachment and aversion; a mental state free from bias toward sentient beings and experiences. One of the thirty-seven dharmas on the side of awakening, one of the four practices of spiritual practitioners, and one of the four immeasurables (the others being loving-kindness or love, compassion, and sympathetic joy).

Like “dharma-constituent” (dharmadhātu) and “true nature of dharmas” ( dharmatā ), a name for the ultimate.

Denotes the whole of existence, i.e., the five forms of life or the three planes of existence‍—all the possible kinds and places of karmic rebirth. It is also the tenth of the twelve links of dependent origination (often translated as “becoming”).

Also rendered as “real thing,” “something that exists,” and “real basis.”

See “five faculties” when part of the thirty-seven dharmas on the side of awakening and “six faculties” as in the sense faculties. In some contexts indriya is rendered as “dominant.”

Someone who follows his or her goal out of trust in someone else. According to the Mahāyāna, one of the seven types of noble beings (āryapudgala), and also one of the twenty types of members of the saṅgha (viṃśatiprabhedasaṃgha).

See “four fearlessnesses” or 1.­31.

The second of the five aggregates: pleasant, unpleasant, or neutral feelings as a result of sensory experiences.

See “aggregate.”

This refers to the five aggregates as the bases upon which a nonexistent self is mistakenly projected. That is, they are the basis of “appropriation” (upādāna) insofar as all grasping arises on the basis of the aggregates.

See “clairvoyances.”

These are the degeneration due to afflictions, degeneration due to the time in the eon, degeneration in lifespan, degeneration in views, and degeneration in beings. These are explained in detail in 1.­186–1.­194.

The flesh eye, divine eye, wisdom eye, dharma eye, and buddha eye.

The faculties of faith, perseverance, mindfulness, meditative stabilization, and wisdom. They are the same as the five powers, only at a lesser stage of development. See also 4.­882.

These comprise the gods and humans in the higher realms within saṃsāra, plus the animals, ghosts, and denizens of hell in the lower realms.

Five impediments to meditation (bsam gtan, dhyāna): sensory desire (’dod pa la ’dun pa, kāmacchanda), ill will (gnod sems, vyāpāda), drowsiness and torpor (rmugs pa dang gnyid, styānamiddha), agitation and regret (rgod pa dang ’gyod pa, auddhatya­kaukṛtya), and doubt (the tshom, vicikitsā).

The six perfections excluding the perfection of wisdom: giving, morality, patience, perseverance or effort, and concentration.

Faith, perseverance, mindfulness, meditative stabilization, and wisdom. These are among the thirty-seven dharmas on the side of awakening. Although the same as the five faculties, they are termed “powers” due to their greater strength (on their difference, see 4.­882). See also “ten powers.”

Desirable objects of the five senses: form, sound, smell, taste, and touch.

The five clairvoyances are called “undiminished” when they don’t decline at death and in all subsequent rebirths, whatever the form of life. See 4.­57.

This word is also understood as equivalent to niyāma (“certain”).

A cāmara is a whisk made from the tail of a yak to whisk away insects. It is an emblem of royalty.

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.”Also rendered here as “patience.”

The bodhisattvas’ realization that all phenomena are unproduced and empty. It sustains them on the difficult path of benefiting all beings so that they do not succumb to the goal of personal liberation. Different sources link this realization to the first or eighth bodhisattva level (bhūmi).

The first of the five aggregates: the subtle and manifest forms derived from the material elements.

The visible form of a buddha that is perceived by other beings, in contrast to his “dharma body,” the dharmakāya, which is the eternal, imperceptible realization of a buddha.

One of the three realms of saṃsāra in Buddhist cosmology, it is characterized by subtle materiality. Here beings, though subtly embodied, are not driven primarily by the urge for sense gratification. It consists of seventeen heavens structured according to the four concentrations of the form realm (rūpāvacaradhyāna), the highest five of which are collectively called “pure abodes” (śuddhāvāsa). The form realm is located above the desire realm (kāmadhātu) and below the formless realm (ārūpya­dhātu).

See “four formless absorptions.”

The highest and subtlest of the three realms of saṃsāra in Buddhist cosmology. Here beings are no longer bound by materiality and enjoy a purely mental state of absorption. It is divided in four levels according to each of the four formless concentrations (ārūpyāvacaradhyāna), namely, the Sphere of Infinite Space (ākāśānantyāyatana), the Sphere of Infinite Consciousness (vijñānānantyāyatana), the Sphere of Nothingness (a­kiñ­canyāyatana), and the Sphere of Neither Perception nor Non-perception (naiva­saṃjñā­nāsaṃjñāyatana). The formless realm is located above the other two realms of saṃsāra, the form realm (rūpadhātu) and the desire realm (kāmadhātu).

The name of the current eon, so-called because one thousand buddhas are prophesied to appear during this time.

The application of mindfulness to the body, the application of mindfulness to feeling, the application of mindfulness to mind, and the application of mindfulness to dharmas.

The four progressive levels of concentration of the form realm that culminate in pure one-pointedness of mind and are the basis for developing insight. These are part of the nine serial absorptions.

A world system formed by four great island continents. In this world system, a central mountain, Sumeru, is surrounded in the four cardinal directions by Jambudvīpa (our world) in the south, Godānīya in the west, Uttarakuru in the north, and Pūrvavideha in the east.

The knowledge of the meaning, the knowledge of phenomena, the knowledge of interpretation, and the knowledge of eloquence.

Taking what is impermanent to be permanent, what is suffering to be happiness, what is unclean to be clean, and what is not self to be a self.

The four fearlessnesses are the confidence to make the declaration, “I am a buddha”; the declaration that “greed and so on are obstacles to awakening”; the confidence to explain “bodhisattvas go forth on the paths of all-knowledge and so on”; and the declaration, “the outflows are extinguished.”

See “four concentrations.”

These comprise the absorptions of (1) the station of endless space, (2) the station of endless consciousness, (3) the station of the nothing-at-all absorption, and (4) the station of neither perception nor nonperception.

The four positive qualities of loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity, which may be radiated towards oneself and then immeasurable sentient beings.

The four are desire-to-do (or yearning) (chanda), perseverance (vīrya), concentrated mind (citta), and examination (mīmāṃsā).

Four gods who live on the lower slopes (fourth level) of Mount Meru in the eponymous Heaven of the Four Great Kings (Cāturmahā­rājika, rgyal chen bzhi’i ris) and guard the four cardinal directions. Each is the leader of a nonhuman class of beings living in his realm. They are Dhṛtarāṣṭra, ruling the gandharvas in the east; Virūḍhaka, ruling over the kumbhāṇḍas in the south; Virūpākṣa, ruling the nāgas in the west; and Vaiśravaṇa (also known as Kubera) ruling the yakṣas in the north. Also referred to as Guardians of the World or World Protectors (lokapāla, ’jig rten skyong ba).

These are “robes, alms, beds and seats, and medicines for sicknesses.”

The four truths that the Buddha transmitted in his first teaching: (1) suffering, (2) the origin of suffering, (3) the cessation of suffering, and (4) the path to the cessation of suffering.

Four types of effort consisting in abandoning existing negative mind states, abandoning the production of such states, giving rise to virtuous mind states that are not yet produced, and letting those states continue.

See “four noble truths.”

Giving gifts, kind words, beneficial actions, and consistency between words and deeds.

These comprise the first fourteen of the eighteen emptinesses: (1) inner emptiness, (2) outer emptiness, (3) inner and outer emptiness, (4) the emptiness of emptiness, (5) great emptiness, (6) the emptiness of ultimate reality, (7) the emptiness of the compounded, (8) the emptiness of the uncompounded, (9) the emptiness of what transcends limits, (10) the emptiness of no beginning and no end, (11) the emptiness of nonrepudiation, (12) the emptiness of a basic nature, (13) the emptiness of all dharmas, and (14) the emptiness of its own mark.

A class of generally benevolent nonhuman beings who inhabit the skies, sometimes said to inhabit fantastic cities in the clouds, and more specifically to dwell on the eastern slopes of Mount Meru, where they are ruled by the Great King Dhṛtarāṣṭra. They are most renowned as celestial musicians who serve the gods. In the Abhidharma, the term is also used to refer to the mental body assumed by sentient beings during the intermediate state between death and rebirth. Gandharvas are said to live on fragrances (gandha) in the desire realm, hence the Tibetan translation dri za, meaning “scent eater.”

The Gaṅgā, or Ganges in English, is considered to be the most sacred river of India, particularly within the Hindu tradition. It starts in the Himalayas, flows through the northern plains of India, bathing the holy city of Vārāṇasī, and meets the sea at the Bay of Bengal, in Bangladesh. In the sūtras, however, this river is mostly mentioned not for its sacredness but for its abundant sands‍—noticeable still today on its many sandy banks and at its delta‍—which serve as a common metaphor for infinitely large numbers.According to Buddhist cosmology, as explained in the Abhidharmakośa, it is one of the four rivers that flow from Lake Anavatapta and cross the southern continent of Jambudvīpa‍—the known human world or more specifically the Indian subcontinent.

The name of a nun who commits to the practice of the six perfections and worships the Buddha with golden-colored flowers. The Buddha predicts her future awakening as the buddha Suvarṇapuṣpa, during the eon called Tārakopama.

In Indian mythology, the garuḍa is an eagle-like bird that is regarded as the king of all birds, normally depicted with a sharp, owl-like beak, often holding a snake, and with large and powerful wings. They are traditionally enemies of the nāgas. In the Vedas, they are said to have brought nectar from the heavens to earth. Garuḍa can also be used as a proper name for a king of such creatures.

A set of three points associated with the nature of phenomena that when contemplated and integrated lead to liberation. The three are emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness.Also rendered here as “doors to liberation.”

One of the five or six classes of sentient beings, into which beings are born as the karmic fruition of past miserliness. As the term in Sanskrit means “the departed,” they are analogous to the ancestral spirits of Vedic tradition, the pitṛs, who starve without the offerings of descendants. It is also commonly translated as “hungry ghost” or “starving spirit,” as in the Chinese 餓鬼 e gui.They are sometimes said to reside in the realm of Yama, but are also frequently described as roaming charnel grounds and other inhospitable or frightening places along with piśācas and other such beings. They are particularly known to suffer from great hunger and thirst and the inability to acquire sustenance. Detailed descriptions of their realm and experience, including a list of the thirty-six classes of pretas, can be found in The Application of Mindfulness of the Sacred Dharma, Toh 287, 2.­1281– 2.1482.

The first of the six perfections. Also translated here as “generosity.”

The Sanskrit pravrajyā literally means “going forth,” with the sense of leaving the life of a householder and embracing the life of a renunciant. When the term is applied more technically, it refers to the act of becoming a male novice (śrāmaṇera; dge tshul) or female novice (śrāmaṇerikā; dge tshul ma), this being a first stage leading to full ordination.

In the most general sense the devas‍—the term is cognate with the English divine‍—are a class of celestial beings who frequently appear in Buddhist texts, often at the head of the assemblies of nonhuman beings who attend and celebrate the teachings of the Buddha Śākyamuni and other buddhas and bodhisattvas. In Buddhist cosmology the devas occupy the highest of the five or six “destinies” (gati) of saṃsāra among which beings take rebirth. The devas reside in the devalokas, “heavens” that traditionally number between twenty-six and twenty-eight and are divided between the desire realm (kāmadhātu), form realm (rūpadhātu), and formless realm (ārūpyadhātu). A being attains rebirth among the devas either through meritorious deeds (in the desire realm) or the attainment of subtle meditative states (in the form and formless realms). While rebirth among the devas is considered favorable, it is ultimately a transitory state from which beings will fall when the conditions that lead to rebirth there are exhausted. Thus, rebirth in the god realms is regarded as a diversion from the spiritual path.

The buddhadharma, or the Buddha’s teachings.

Lit. “Lineage level.” The second of the ten levels traversed by all practitioners, from the leve of an ordinary person until reaching buddhahood. See “ten levels.”

The Gṛdhra­kūṭa, literally Vulture Peak, was a hill located in the kingdom of Magadha, in the vicinity of the ancient city of Rājagṛha (modern-day Rajgir, in the state of Bihar, India), where the Buddha bestowed many sūtras, especially the Great Vehicle teachings, such as the Prajñāpāramitā sūtras. It continues to be a sacred pilgrimage site for Buddhists to this day.

The term can be understood to mean “great courageous one” or "great hero,” or (from the Sanskrit) simply “great being,” and is almost always found as an epithet of “bodhisattva.” The qualification “great” in this term, according to the majority of canonical definitions, focuses on the generic greatness common to all bodhisattvas, i.e., the greatness implicit in the bodhisattva vow itself in terms of outlook, aspiration, number of beings to be benefited, potential or eventual accomplishments, and so forth. In this sense the mahā- (“great”) is close in its connotations to the mahā- in “Mahāyāna.” While individual bodhisattvas described as mahāsattva may in many cases also be “great” in terms of their level of realization, this is largely coincidental, and in the canonical texts the epithet is not restricted to bodhisattvas at any particular point in their career. Indeed, in a few cases even bodhisattvas whose path has taken a wrong direction are still described as bodhisattva mahāsattva.Later commentarial writings do nevertheless define the term‍—variably‍—in terms of bodhisattvas having attained a particular level (bhūmi) or realization. The most common qualifying criteria mentioned are attaining the path of seeing, attaining irreversibility (according to its various definitions), or attaining the seventh bhūmi.This term is explained in 3.­5.

The largest universe described in Buddhist cosmology. This term, in Abhidharma cosmology, refers to 1,000³ world systems, i.e., 1,000 “dichiliocosms” or “two thousand great thousand world realms” (dvi­sāhasra­mahā­sāhasra­lokadhātu), which are in turn made up of 1,000 first-order world systems, each with its own Mount Sumeru, continents, sun and moon, etc.

One of the fourteen emptinesses and eighteen emptinesses.

Someone who will become a buddha or a cakravartin, whose bodies are adorned with the thirty-two major marks and the eighty minor signs.

When the Buddhist teachings are classified according to their power to lead beings to an awakened state, a distinction is made between the teachings of the Lesser Vehicle (Hīnayāna), which emphasizes the individual’s own freedom from cyclic existence as the primary motivation and goal, and those of the Great Vehicle (Mahāyāna), which emphasizes altruism and has the liberation of all sentient beings as the principal objective. As the term “Great Vehicle” implies, the path followed by bodhisattvas is analogous to a large carriage that can transport a vast number of people to liberation, as compared to a smaller vehicle for the individual practitioner.

One of the three poisons (triviṣa), together with hatred and confusion, that bind beings to cyclic existence.

A spiritual teacher, in particular one with whom one has a personal teacher–student relationship.

A measure of length. One unit is the distance from the elbow to the tips of the fingers, about eighteen inches.

One of the three poisons (triviṣa), together with greed and confusion, that bind beings to cyclic existence.

One of the three natures. Same as “conceptualized.”

See “four immeasurables.”

The lord of the Trāyastriṃśa heaven on the summit of Mount Sumeru. As one of the eight guardians of the directions, Indra guards the eastern quarter. In Buddhist sūtras, he is a disciple of the Buddha and protector of the Dharma and its practitioners. He is often referred to by the epithets Śatakratu, Śakra, and Kauśika.

One of the fourteen emptinesses and eighteen emptinesses.

One of the fourteen emptinesses and eighteen emptinesses.

This term denotes the ontological status of phenomena, according to which they are said to possess existence in their own right‍—inherently, in and of themselves, objectively, and independent of any other phenomena such as our conception and labelling. The absence of such an ontological reality is defined as the true nature of reality, emptiness.

Isolation is traditionally categorized as being of three types: (1) isolation of the body (kāyaviveka), which refers to remaining in solitude free from desirous or disturbing objects; (2) isolation of the mind (cittaviveka), which is mental detachment from desirous or disturbing objects; and (3) isolation from the “substrate” (upadhiviveka), which indicates detachment from all things that perpetuate rebirth, including the five aggregates, the afflictions, and karma.

Literally “lord,” this term is an epithet for the god Śiva, but functions more generally in Buddhist texts as a generalized “supreme being” to whom the creation of the universe is attributed.

The name of the southern continent in Buddhist cosmology, which can signify either the known human world, or more specifically the Indian subcontinent, literally “the jambu island/continent.” Jambu is the name used for a range of plum-like fruits from trees belonging to the genus Szygium, particularly Szygium jambos and Szygium cumini, and it has commonly been rendered “rose apple,” although “black plum” may be a less misleading term. Among various explanations given for the continent being so named, one (in the Abhidharmakośa) is that a jambu tree grows in its northern mountains beside Lake Anavatapta, mythically considered the source of the four great rivers of India, and that the continent is therefore named from the tree or the fruit. Jambudvīpa has the Vajrāsana at its center and is the only continent upon which buddhas attain awakening.

A type of bird, often identified as the Grey Peacock Pheasant.

In Buddhist literature refers to a mythical bird whose call is said to be far more beautiful than that of all other birds, and so compelling that it can be heard even before the bird has hatched. The call of the kalaviṅka is thus used as an analogy to describe the sound of the discourse of bodhisattvas as being far superior to that of śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas, even before bodhisattvas attain awakening. In some cases, the kalaviṅka also takes on mythical characteristics, being depicted as part human, part bird. It is also the sixteenth of the eighty designs on the palms and soles of a tathāgata.While it is equated to an Indian bird renowned for its beautiful song, there is some uncertainty regarding the identity of the kalaviṅka; some dictionaries declare it to be a type of Indian cuckoo (probably Eudynamys scolopacea, also known as the asian koel) or a red and green sparrow (possibly Amandava amandava, also known as the red avadavat).

Meaning “action” in its most basic sense, karma is an important concept in Buddhist philosophy as the cumulative force of previous physical, verbal, and mental acts, which determines present experience and will determine future existences.

“One who belongs to the Kuśika lineage.” An epithet of the god Śakra, also known as Indra, the king of the gods in the Trāyastriṃśa heaven. In the Ṛgveda, Indra is addressed by the epithet Kauśika, with the implication that he is associated with the descendants of the Kuśika lineage (gotra) as their aiding deity. In later epic and Purāṇic texts, we find the story that Indra took birth as Gādhi Kauśika, the son of Kuśika and one of the Vedic poet-seers, after the Puru king Kuśika had performed austerities for one thousand years to obtain a son equal to Indra who could not be killed by others. In the Pāli Kusajātaka (Jāt V 141–45), the Buddha, in one of his former bodhisattva lives as a Trāyastriṃśa god, takes birth as the future king Kusa upon the request of Indra, who wishes to help the childless king of the Mallas, Okkaka, and his chief queen Sīlavatī. This story is also referred to by Nāgasena in the Milindapañha.

A class of nonhuman beings that resemble humans to the degree that their very name‍—which means “is that human?”‍—suggests some confusion as to their divine status. Kinnaras are mythological beings found in both Buddhist and Brahmanical literature, where they are portrayed as creatures half human, half animal. They are often depicted as highly skilled celestial musicians.

The last of the ten perfections. See 1.­126.

Lit. “Have Done the Work to Be Done.” The seventh of the ten levels traversed by all practitioners, from the level of an ordinary person until reaching buddhahood. It is equivalent to the level of a worthy one. See “ten levels.”

See “four legs of miraculous power.”

Literally, the class, caste or lineage. In this context, it is the basic disposition or propensity of an individual which determines which kind of vehicle (śrāvaka, pratyekabuddha, or bodhisattva) they will follow and therefore which kind of awakening they will obtain. However, in Buddhist literature of the third turning, this same term is used instead as a synonym of buddha-nature ( tathāgata­garbha ), ie, that all the beings are in fact endowed with the potential or geniture of a buddha’s awakening.

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”).For a definition given in this text, see 1.­14.

Literally “great serpents,” mahoragas are supernatural beings depicted as large, subterranean beings with human torsos and heads and the lower bodies of serpents. Their movements are said to cause earthquakes, and they make up a class of subterranean geomantic spirits whose movement through the seasons and months of the year is deemed significant for construction projects.

The bodhisattva Maitreya is an important figure in many Buddhist traditions, where he is unanimously regarded as the buddha of the future era. He is said to currently reside in the heaven of Tuṣita, as Śākyamuni’s regent, where he awaits the proper time to take his final rebirth and become the fifth buddha in the Fortunate Eon, reestablishing the Dharma in this world after the teachings of the current buddha have disappeared. Within the Mahāyāna sūtras, Maitreya is elevated to the same status as other central bodhisattvas such as Mañjuśrī and Avalokiteśvara, and his name appears frequently in sūtras, either as the Buddha’s interlocutor or as a teacher of the Dharma. Maitreya literally means “Loving One.” He is also known as Ajita, meaning “Invincible.”For more information on Maitreya, see, for example, the introduction to Maitreya’s Setting Out (Toh 198).

The thirty-two primary physical characteristics of a “great being,” mahāpuruṣa, which every buddha and cakravartin possesses. They are considered “major” in terms of being primary to the eighty minor marks or signs of a great being.

Mañjuśrī is one of the “eight close sons of the Buddha” and a bodhisattva who embodies wisdom. He is a major figure in the Mahāyāna sūtras, appearing often as an interlocutor of the Buddha. In his most well-known iconographic form, he is portrayed bearing the sword of wisdom in his right hand and a volume of the Prajñā­pāramitā­sūtra in his left. To his name, Mañjuśrī, meaning “Gentle and Glorious One,” is often added the epithet Kumārabhūta, “having a youthful form.” He is also called Mañjughoṣa, Mañjusvara, and Pañcaśikha.

A māra is a demon, in the sense of something that plagues a person. The four māras are (1) māra as the five aggregates (skandhamāra, phung po’i bdud), māra as the afflictive emotions (kleśamāra, nyon mongs pa’i bdud), māra as death (mṛtyumāra, ’chi bdag gi bdud), and the god māra (devaputramāra, lha’i bu’i bdud).

The deities ruled over by Māra. The term can also refer to the devas in his paradise, which is sometimes identified with Paranirmitavaśavartin, the highest paradise in the realm of desire. This is distinct from the four personifications of obstacles to awakening, also known as the four māras (devaputramāra, mṛtyumāra, skandhamāra, and kleśamāra).

A frequent epithet of Māra.

One of the principal śrāvaka disciples of the Buddha, paired with Śāriputra. He was renowned for his miraculous powers. His family clan was descended from Mudgala, hence his name Maudgalyā­yana, “the son of Mudgala’s descendants.” Respectfully referred to as Mahā­maudgalyā­yana, “Great Maudgalyāyana.”

A state of deep concentration in which the mind is absorbed in its object to such a degree that conceptual thought is suspended. It is sometimes interpreted as settling (āhita) the mind in equanimity (sama).

In a general sense, samādhi can describe a number of different meditative states. In the Mahāyāna literature, in particular in the Prajñāpāramitā sūtras, we find extensive lists of different samādhis, numbering over one hundred.In a more restricted sense, and when understood as a mental state, samādhi is defined as the one-pointedness of the mind (cittaikāgratā), the ability to remain on the same object over long periods of time. The Drajor Bamponyipa (sgra sbyor bam po gnyis pa) commentary on the Mahāvyutpatti explains the term samādhi as referring to the instrument through which mind and mental states “get collected,” i.e., it is by the force of samādhi that the continuum of mind and mental states becomes collected on a single point of reference without getting distracted.

See “meditative stabilization.”

In Buddhism more generally, merit refers to the wholesome karmic potential accumulated by someone as a result of positive and altruistic thoughts, words, and actions, which will ripen in the current or future lifetimes as the experience of happiness and well-being. According to the Mahāyāna, it is important to dedicate the merit of one’s wholesome actions to the awakening of oneself and to the ultimate and temporary benefit of all sentient beings. Doing so ensures that others also experience the results of the positive actions generated and that the merit is not wasted by ripening in temporary happiness for oneself alone.

This is the faculty that enables the mind to maintain its attention on a referent object, counteracting the arising of forgetfulness, which is a great obstacle to meditative stability. The root smṛ may mean “to recollect” but also simply “to think of.” Broadly speaking, smṛti, commonly translated as “mindfulness,” means to bring something to mind, not necessarily something experienced in a distant past but also something that is experienced in the present, such as the position of one’s body or the breath.Together with alertness (samprajāna, shes bzhin), it is one of the two indispensable factors for the development of calm abiding (śamatha, zhi gnas).

The eighty secondary physical characteristics of a buddha and of other great beings (mahāpuruṣa), which include such details as the redness of the fingernails and the blackness of the hair. They are considered “minor” in terms of being secondary to the thirty-two major marks or signs of a great being.

The supernatural powers of a śrāvaka correspond to the first abhijñā: “Being one he becomes many, being many he becomes one; he becomes visible, invisible; goes through walls, ramparts and mountains without being impeded, just as through air; he immerses himself in the earth and emerges from it as if in water; he goes on water without breaking through it, as if on [solid] earth; he travels through the air crosslegged like a winged bird; he takes in his hands and touches the moon and the sun, those two wonderful, mighty beings, and with his body he extends his power as far as the Brahma world” (Śūraṃgamasamādhisūtra, trans. Lamotte 2003). The great supernatural powers (maharddhi) of bodhisattvas are “causing trembling, blazing, illuminating, rendering invisible, transforming, coming and going across obstacles, reducing or enlarging worlds, inserting any matter into one’s own body, assuming the aspects of those one frequents, appearing and disappearing, submitting everyone to one’s will, dominating the supernormal power of others, giving intellectual clarity to those who lack it, giving mindfulness, bestowing happiness, and finally, emitting beneficial rays” (Śūraṃgamasamādhisūtra, trans. Lamotte 2003).

The power to create displays or emanations, here divided as wonder-working by means of magical creation and wonder-working by means of sustaining power (adhiṣṭhāna, byin gyi rlabs).

Morally virtuous or disciplined conduct and the abandonment of morally undisciplined conduct of body, speech, and mind. In a general sense, moral discipline is the cause for rebirth in higher, more favorable states, but it is also foundational to Buddhist practice as one of the three trainings (triśikṣā) and one of the six perfections of a bodhisattva. Often rendered as “ethics,” “discipline,” and “morality.”

The eight branches are the same as the eight precepts, the upavasatha or upavāsa vows, namely: to refrain from (1) killing, (2) stealing, (3) sexual conduct, (4) lying or divisive speech, (5) intoxication, (6) eating at inappropriate times, (7) entertainment such as singing, dancing, seeing shows, and beautifying oneself with adornments or cosmetics, and (8) using a high bed.

The five branches are the same as the five precepts, namely: abstaining from killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, lying, and consuming intoxicants.

The Mother of Victors, the Perfection of Wisdom (prajñāpāramitā), is variously (1) the ultimate truth, the knowledge of the ultimate truth, or a nondual knowledge of the ultimate truth; (2) a complex of the three knowledges of buddhas, bodhisattvas, and śrāvakas; (3) the knowledge-path that leads to (1) and (2); (4) books with any or all of (1) (2) and (3) as subject matter; and (5) the iconographic representation of all those. See also “perfection of wisdom.”

A class of nonhuman beings who live in subterranean aquatic environments, where they guard wealth and sometimes also teachings. Nāgas are associated with serpents and have a snakelike appearance. In Buddhist art and in written accounts, they are regularly portrayed as half human and half snake, and they are also said to have the ability to change into human form. Some nāgas are Dharma protectors, but they can also bring retribution if they are disturbed. They may likewise fight one another, wage war, and destroy the lands of others by causing lightning, hail, and flooding.

Fourth of the twelve links of dependent origination.

The dung dkar tshig mdzod chen mo lists the nine as (1) among those with different (tha dad) bodies and perceptions, such as humans and some gods, (2) among those with different bodies and a single perception, such as the Brahmakāyika gods, (3) among those with a single body and different perceptions, such as the Ābhāsvara gods, (4) among those with a single body and a single perception, such as the Śubhakṛtsna gods, and (5) among beings in Asaṃjñisattva, (6) in the station of endless space, (7) in the station of endless consciousness, (8) in the station of nothing-at-all, and (9) in the station of neither perception nor nonperception.

The nine perceptions of the repulsive state of the body after death are here listed as the perception of a bloated corpse, the perception of it chopped in half or the cleaned-out-by-worms perception, the perception of it as putrid, the bloodied perception, the black-and-blue perception, the savaged perception, the torn-asunder perception, the bones perception, and the burnt-bones perception.

The dung dkar tshig mdzod chen mo lists the nine as (1) among those with different (tha dad) bodies and perceptions, such as humans and some gods, (2) among those with different bodies and a single perception, such as the Brahmakāyika gods, (3) among those with a single body and different perceptions, such as the Ābhāsvara gods, (4) among those with a single body and a single perception, such as the Śubhakṛtsna gods, and (5) among beings in Asaṃjñisattva, (6) in the station of endless space, (7) in the station of endless consciousness, (8) in the station of nothing-at-all, and (9) in the station of neither perception nor nonperception. See also n.­288.

Nine states of concentration that one may attain during a human life, namely the four concentrations corresponding to the form realm, the four formless absorptions, and the attainment of the state of cessation.

In Sanskrit, the term nirvāṇa literally means “extinguishment” and the Tibetan mya ngan las ’das pa literally means “gone beyond sorrow.” As a general term, it refers to the cessation of all suffering, afflicted mental states (kleśa), and causal processes (karman) that lead to rebirth and suffering in cyclic existence, as well as to the state in which all such rebirth and suffering has permanently ceased.More specifically, three main types of nirvāṇa are identified. (1) The first type of nirvāṇa, called nirvāṇa with remainder (sopadhiśeṣanirvāṇa), is the state in which arhats or buddhas have attained awakening but are still dependent on the conditioned aggregates until their lifespan is exhausted. (2) At the end of life, given that there are no more causes for rebirth, these aggregates cease and no new aggregates arise. What occurs then is called nirvāṇa without remainder ( anupadhiśeṣanirvāṇa), which refers to the unconditioned element (dhātu) of nirvāṇa in which there is no remainder of the aggregates. (3) The Mahāyāna teachings distinguish the final nirvāṇa of buddhas from that of arhats, the nirvāṇa of arhats not being considered ultimate. The buddhas attain what is called nonabiding nirvāṇa (apratiṣṭhitanirvāṇa), which transcends the extremes of saṃsāra and nirvāṇa, i.e., existence and peace. This is the nirvāṇa that is the goal of the Mahāyāna path.

A term of exaltation. See also “noble being.”

The Sanskrit ārya has the general meaning of a noble person, one of a higher class or caste. In Buddhist literature, depending on the context, it often means specifically one who has gained the realization of the path and is superior for that reason. In particular, it applies to stream enterers, once-returners, non-returners, and worthy ones (arhats) and is also used as an epithet of bodhisattvas. In the five-path system, it refers to someone who has achieved at least the path of seeing (darśanamārga).

See “eightfold noble path.”

See “four noble truths.”

The third of the four attainments of śrāvakas, this term refers to a person who will no longer take rebirth in the desire realm (kāmadhātu), but either be reborn in the Pure Abodes (śuddhāvāsa) or reach the state of an arhat in their current lifetime. (Provisional 84000 definition. New definition forthcoming.)

dmigs (pa) translates a number of Sanskrit terms, including ālambana, upalabdhi, and ālambate. These terms commonly refer to the apprehending of a subject, an object, and the relationships that exist between them. The term may also be translated as “referentiality,” meaning a system based on the existence of referent objects, referent subjects, and the referential relationships that exist between them. As part of their doctrine of “threefold nonapprehending/nonreferentiality” (’khor gsum mi dmigs pa), Mahāyāna Buddhists famously assert that all three categories of apprehending lack substantiality.

The obscurations to liberation and omniscience. They are generally categorized as two types: affective obscurations (kleśāvaraṇa), the arising of afflictive emotions; and cognitive obscurations (jñeyāvaraṇa), those caused by misapprehension and incorrect understanding about the nature of reality. The term is used also as a reference to a set five hindrances on the path: longing for sense pleasures (Skt. kāmacchanda), malice (Skt. vyāpāda), sloth and torpor (Skt. styānamiddha), excitement and remorse (Skt. auddhatyakaukṛtya), and doubt (Skt. vicikitsā).

One who has achieved the second of the four levels of attainment on the śrāvaka path and who will attain liberation after only one more birth. (Provisional 84000 definition. New definition forthcoming.)

Manu being the archetypal human, the progenitor of humankind, in the Mahā­bhārata, the Purāṇas, and other Indian texts, “child of Manu” (mānava) or “born of Manu” (manuja) is a synonym of “human being” or humanity in general.

A person who has not had a perceptual experience of the truth and has therefore not achieved the state of a noble being.

One of the three natures. Also rendered here as “dependent.”

One of the fourteen emptinesses and eighteen emptinesses

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.For a definition given in this text, see 1.­21.

Śāriputra’s name when he becomes a buddha.

Lit. “Endowed with Lotuses.” The buddhafield of the tathāgata Samantakusuma where Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta and the god Susthitamati also live.

A non-Buddhist religious mendicant who literally “roams around.” Historically, they wandered in India from ancient times, including the time of the Buddha, and held a variety of beliefs, engaging with one another in debate on a range of topics. Some of their metaphysical views are presented in the early Buddhist discourses of the Pali Canon. They included women in their number. See also “religious mendicant.”

Generally found within the limits of a town or city, an ārāma was a private citizen’s park, a pleasure grove, a pleasant garden‍—ārāma, in its etymology, is somewhat akin to what in English is expressed by the term “pleasance.” The Buddha and his disciples were offered several such ārāmas in which to dwell, which evolved into monasteries or vihāras. The term is still found in contemporary usage in names of Thai monasteries.

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.”Also rendered here as “forbearance.”

The third of the five aggregates. The mental processes of recognizing and identifying the objects of the five senses and the mind.

This term is used to refer to the main trainings of a bodhisattva. Because these trainings, when brought to perfection, lead one to transcend saṃsāra and reach the full awakening of a buddha, they receive the Sanskrit name pāramitā, meaning “perfection” or “gone to the farther shore.” They are listed as either six or ten. For an explanation of the term given in this text, see 5.­1158.See “six perfections.”

The sixth of the six perfections, it refers to the profound understanding of the emptiness of all phenomena, the realization of ultimate reality. It is often personified as a female deity, worshiped as the “Mother of All Buddhas” (sarva­jina­mātā).

The fourth of the six perfections, it is also among the seven limbs of awakening, the five faculties, the four legs of miraculous power, and the five powers. Also translated here as “effort.”

Fifth among the branches or limbs of awakening (Skt. bodhyaṅga); a condition of calm, clarity, and composure in mind and body that serves as an antidote to negativity and confers a mental and physical capacity that facilitates meditation and virtuous action.

Depending on the context, it may refer to the “five powers” or the “ten powers” of a tathāgata or a bodhisattva, or to the ninth of the ten perfections‍—for details of this aspect, see 1.­124.

Lit. “Joyful.” The first level of accomplishment pertaining to bodhisattvas. See “ten bodhisattva levels.”

Literally, “buddha for oneself” or “solitary realizer.” Someone who, in his or her last life, attains awakening entirely through their own contemplation, without relying on a teacher. Unlike the awakening of a fully realized buddha (samyaksambuddha), the accomplishment of a pratyeka­buddha is not regarded as final or ultimate. They attain realization of the nature of dependent origination, the selflessness of the person, and a partial realization of the selflessness of phenomena, by observing the suchness of all that arises through interdependence. This is the result of progress in previous lives but, unlike a buddha, they do not have the necessary merit, compassion or motivation to teach others. They are named as “rhinoceros-like” (khaḍgaviṣāṇakalpa) for their preference for staying in solitude or as “congregators” (vargacārin) when their preference is to stay among peers.

The eighth of the ten levels traversed by all practitioners, from the level of an ordinary person until reaching buddhahood. See “ten levels” and “pratyekabuddha.”

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

A person’s particular preceptor within the monastic tradition. They must have at least ten years of standing in the saṅgha, and their role is to confer ordination, to tend to the student, and to provide all the necessary requisites, therefore guiding that person for the taking of full vows and the maintenance of conduct and practice. This office was decreed by the Buddha so that aspirants would not have to receive ordination from the Buddha in person, and the Buddha identified two types: those who grant entry into the renunciate order and those who grant full ordination. The Tibetan translation mkhan po has also come to mean “a learned scholar,” the equivalent of a paṇḍita, but that is not the intended meaning in Indic Buddhist literature.

Prophecies usually made by the Buddha or another tathāgata concerning the perfect awakening of one of their followers. A literary genre or category of works that contain such prophecies, listed as one of the twelve aspects of the wheel of Dharma.

A term meaning purity or purification and broadly referring to the process of purifying the mind of what obscures it in order to attain spiritual awakening. It is often paired with its opposite saṃkleśa, rendered here as “defilement.”

One of the ten principal śrāvaka disciples of the Buddha, he was the greatest in his ability to teach the Dharma.

A past buddha.

Son of Prince Siddhārtha Gautama, who, when the latter attained awakening as the Buddha Śākyamuni, became a monk and eventually one of his foremost śrāvaka disciples.

The ancient capital of Magadha prior to its relocation to Pāṭaliputra during the Mauryan dynasty, Rājagṛha is one of the most important locations in Buddhist history. The literature tells us that the Buddha and his saṅgha spent a considerable amount of time in residence in and around Rājagṛha‍—in nearby places, such as the Vulture Peak Mountain (Gṛdhrakūṭaparvata), a major site of the Mahāyāna sūtras, and the Bamboo Grove (Veṇuvana)‍—enjoying the patronage of King Bimbisāra and then of his son King Ajātaśatru. Rājagṛha is also remembered as the location where the first Buddhist monastic council was held after the Buddha Śākyamuni passed into parinirvāṇa. Now known as Rajgir and located in the modern Indian state of Bihar.

A buddha in a world system called Ratnāvatī, in the eastern direction.

Lit. “Bejeweled.” A world system in the eastern direction, where the buddha Ratnākara now dwells.

Also rendered here as “confident readiness.”

Also rendered as “existent thing,” “real thing,” and “something that exists.”

Also rendered as “existent thing,” “something that exists,” and “real basis.”

See also “parivrājaka.”

See “four right efforts.”

The ruling caste in the traditional four-caste hierarchy of India, associated with warriors, the aristocracy, and kings.

The ruling caste in the traditional four-caste hierarchy of India, associated with warriors, the aristocracy, and kings.

A bodhisattva famous for his quest for the Dharma and for his devotion to the teacher. It is told that Sadāprarudita, in order to make offerings to the bodhisattva Dharmodgata and request the Prajñāpāramitā teachings, sets out to sell his own flesh and blood. After receiving a first set of teachings, Sadāprarudita waits seven years for the bodhisattva Dharmodgata, his teacher, to emerge from meditation. When he receives signs this is about to happen, he wishes to prepare the ground for the teachings by settling the dust. Māra makes all the water disappear, so Sadāprarudita decides to use his own blood to settle the dust. He is said to be practicing in the presence of Buddha Bhīṣma­garjita­nirghoṣa­svara. His name means "Ever Weeping", on account of the numerous tears he shed until he found the teachings. His story is told in detail by the Buddha in The Perfection of Wisdom in Eighteen Thousand Lines (Toh 10, ch. 85–86), and can be found quoted in several works, such as The Words of My Perfect Teacher (kun bzang bla ma’i zhal lung) by Patrul Rinpoche.

Lit. “Auspicious Intellect.” The ninth level of accomplishment pertaining to bodhisattvas. See “ten bodhisattva levels.”

A bodhisattva, protagonist of the The Questions of Sāgaramati (Sāgara­mati­paripṛcchā), Toh 152, his name can be translated as “Oceanic Intelligence,” which is referenced in the omen of the flooding of the trichiliocosm at the beginning of that sūtra.

The name for our world system, the universe of a thousand million worlds, or trichiliocosm, in which the four-continent world is located. Each trichiliocosm is ruled by a god Brahmā; thus, in this context, he bears the title of Sahāṃpati, Lord of Sahā. The world system of Sahā, or Sahālokadhātu, is also described as the buddhafield of the Buddha Śākyamuni where he teaches the Dharma to beings. The name Sahā possibly derives from the Sanskrit √sah, “to bear, endure, or withstand.” It is often interpreted as alluding to the inhabitants of this world being able to endure the suffering they encounter. The Tibetan translation, mi mjed, follows along the same lines. It literally means “not painful,” in the sense that beings here are able to bear the suffering they experience.

An epithet for the historical Buddha, Siddhārtha Gautama: he was a muni (“sage”) from the Śākya clan. He is counted as the fourth of the first four buddhas of the present Good Eon, the other three being Krakucchanda, Kanakamuni, and Kāśyapa. He will be followed by Maitreya, the next buddha in this eon.

Lit. “king of meditative stabilizations.” Name of a meditative stabilization.

The fact that while all phenomena appear differently, they nonetheless share an identical nature.

One of the three great divisions of Brahmanical philosophy.

A state of involuntary existence conditioned by afflicted mental states and the imprint of past actions, characterized by suffering in a cycle of life, death, and rebirth. On its reversal, the contrasting state of nirvāṇa is attained, free from suffering and the processes of rebirth.

Though often specifically reserved for the monastic community, this term can be applied to any of the four Buddhist communities‍—monks, nuns, laymen, and laywomen‍—as well as to identify the different groups of practitioners, like the community of bodhisattvas or the community of śrāvakas. It is also the third of the Three Jewels (triratna) of Buddhism: the Buddha, the Teaching, and the Community. Also rendered here as “community.”

A bodhisattva, and the main interlocutor of the sūtra, The Secrets of the Realized Ones , Tathāgatācintya­guhya­nirdeśa, Toh 47. His name is also attested as Śāntimati.

Śāntarakṣita (725-788) was an Indian Buddhist monk, scholar, and author who played a pivotal role in the introduction of Buddhism to Tibet. At the invitation of King Tri Songdetsen, he traveled to Tibet and assisted in the foundation of Samyé Monastery, presided over the ordination of the first Tibetan monks, and established a system of scholastic education modelled on the great monastic universities of Nālandā and Vikramaśīla. His philosophical writings were among the most influential in late Indian Buddhism.

One of the principal śrāvaka disciples of the Buddha, he was renowned for his discipline and for having been praised by the Buddha as foremost of the wise (often paired with Maudgalyā­yana, who was praised as foremost in the capacity for miraculous powers). His father, Tiṣya, to honor Śāriputra’s mother, Śārikā, named him Śāradvatīputra, or, in its contracted form, Śāriputra, meaning “Śārikā’s Son.”

Lit. “not grasping at any phenomena at all.” Name of a meditative stabilization.

Lit. “gone beyond all dharmas.” Name of a meditative stabilization.

The lord of the gods in the Heaven of the Thirty-Three (trāyastriṃśa). Alternatively known as Indra, the deity that is called “lord of the gods” dwells on the summit of Mount Sumeru and wields the thunderbolt. The Tibetan translation brgya byin (meaning “one hundred sacrifices”) is based on an etymology that śakra is an abbreviation of śata-kratu, one who has performed a hundred sacrifices. Each world with a central Sumeru has a Śakra. Also known by other names such as Kauśika, Devendra, and Śacipati.

The subsidiary afflictive emotions that arise in dependence upon the six root afflictive emotions (attachment, hatred, pride, ignorance, doubt, and wrong view); they are (1) anger (krodha, khro ba), (2) enmity/malice (upanāha, ’khon ’dzin), (3) concealment (mrakśa, ’chab pa), (4) outrage (pradāsa, ’tshig pa), (5) jealousy (īrśya, phrag dog), (6) miserliness (matsarya, ser sna), (7) deceit ( māyā , sgyu), (8) dishonesty (śāṭhya, g.yo), (9) haughtiness (mada, rgyags pa), (10) harmfulness (vihiṃsa, rnam par ’tshe ba), (11) shamelessness (āhrīkya, ngo tsha med pa), (12) non-consideration (anapatrāpya, khril med pa), (13) lack of faith (aśraddhya, ma dad pa), (14) laziness (kausīdya, le lo), (15) non-conscientiousness (pramāda, bag med pa), (16) forgetfulness (muśitasmṛtitā, brjed nges), (17) non-introspection (asaṃprajanya, shes bzhin ma yin pa), (18) dullness (nigmagṇa, bying ba), (19) agitation (auddhatya, rgod pa), and (20) distraction (vikṣepa, rnam g.yeng) (Rigzin 329, 129).

The six sense faculties of eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind.

Twelve sense fields: the six sensory faculties (the eyes, nose, ear, tongue, body, and mind), which form in the womb and eventually have contact with the external six bases of sensory perception (form, smell, sound, taste, touch, and phenomena). In another context in this sūtra, āyatana refers to the four formless absorptions and its stations .

The seven emptinesses are of the aggregates, sense fields, constituents, truths, dependent origination, all dharmas in the sense of dharmas taken as a totality, and compounded and uncompounded dharmas.

The set of seven factors or aspects that characteristically manifest on the path of seeing: (1) mindfulness (smṛti, dran pa), (2) examination of dharmas (dharma­pravicaya, chos rab tu rnam ’byed/shes rab), (3) perseverance (vīrya, brtson ’grus), (4) joy (prīti, dga’ ba), (5) mental and physical pliability (praśrabdhi, shin sbyangs), (6) meditative stabilization (samādhi, ting nge ’dzin), and (7) equanimity (upekṣā, btang snyoms).

The seven riches of noble beings: faith, morality, generosity, learning, modesty, humility, and wisdom.

Lit. “lion’s play.” Name of a meditative stabilization.

The place where the Buddha Śākyamuni achieved awakening and where every buddha will manifest the attainment of buddhahood. In our world this is understood to be located under the Bodhi tree, the Vajrāsana, in present-day Bodhgaya, India. It can also refer to the state of awakening itself.

The six kinds of contact that occur based on the six sense faculties.

The six feelings or sensations resulting from contact between the six sense faculties and their objects.

The six sense faculties of eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind.

The six practices or qualities that a follower of the Great Vehicle perfects in order to transcend cyclic existence and reach the full awakening of a buddha. They are giving, morality, patience, perseverance or effort, concentration, and wisdom. See also “perfection.”

See 4.­59.

Fifth of the twelve links of dependent origination, it consists of the six sense organs (eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and thinking mind) together with their respective objects (forms, sounds, smells, tastes, touch, and dharmas).

These are sweet, salty, sour (like a lemon), bitter like the bitter gourd (Hindi karela), astringent (like an unripe banana), and pungent (like chili).

These include writing and mathematics, and also different sports, crafts, dancing, acting, and the playing of various instruments. MW s.v. kalā gives the sixty-four Skt names as they are found in the Śaivatantra starting with the art of singing, speaking, dancing, writing, drawing and so on.

The sixty-two false views, as enumerated in the Brahma­jāla­sūtra (tshangs pa’i dra ba’i mdo, Toh 352), comprise eighteen speculations concerning the past, based on theories of eternalism, partial eternalism, extensionism, endless equivocation, and fortuitous origination, as well as forty-four speculations concerning the future, based on percipient immortality, non-percipient immortality, neither percipient nor non-percipient immortality, annihilationism, and the immediate attainment of nirvāṇa in the present life.

The concept of skillful or expedient means is central to the understanding of the Buddha’s enlightened deeds and the many scriptures that are revealed contingent on the needs, interests, and mental dispositions of specific types of individuals. It is, therefore, equated with compassion and the form body of the buddhas, the rūpakāya. According to the Great Vehicle, training in skillful means collectively denotes the first five of the six perfections when integrated with wisdom, the sixth perfection. It is therefore paired with wisdom (prajñā), forming the two indispensable aspects of the path. It is also the seventh of the ten perfections. (Provisional 84000 definition. New definition forthcoming.)

Also translated often as “self” or “I.”

An important form of Buddhist meditation focusing on developing insight into the nature of phenomena. Often presented as one of a pair of meditation techniques, the other being “calm abiding.”

A spiritual teacher who can contribute to an individual’s progress on the spiritual path to awakening and act wholeheartedly for the welfare of students.

A general term applied to spiritual practitioners who live as ascetic mendicants. In Buddhist texts, the term usually refers to Buddhist monastics, but it can also designate a practitioner from other ascetic/monastic spiritual traditions. In this context śramaṇa is often contrasted with the term brāhmaṇa (bram ze), which refers broadly to followers of the Vedic tradition. Any renunciate, not just a Buddhist, could be referred to as a śramaṇa if they were not within the Vedic fold. The epithet Great Śramaṇa is often applied to the Buddha.

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.”

A mendicant whose encounter with the Buddha and acceptance of him as the tathāgata features in the Prajñāpāramitā sūtras as evidence that the Buddha’s omniscience is not something to be understood through signs or characteristics. Also known as Śreṇika Vatsagotra. The three different renderings of his name in Tibetan‍—sde can, phreng ba can, and bzo sbyangs (which may correspond to Skt. Seniṣka, Prakniṣka, and Śaniṣka)‍—are taken as markers for three different Tibetan translations of the Aṣṭa­sāhasrikā­prajñā­pāramitā, as mentioned in the catalog of the Phukdrak (phug brag) Kangyur and the Thamphü (tham phud) of the Fifth Dalai Lama, Ngawang Lozang Gyatso.A religious mendicant, a śrāvaka, who gained nirvāṇa by listening to this teaching on the perfection of wisdom.

Literally “the favorite of the glorious one,” or (as translated into Tibetan) “the calf of the glorious one.” This is an auspicious mark that in Indian Buddhism was said to be formed from a curl of hair on the breast and was depicted in a shape that resembles the fleur-de-lis. In Tibet it is usually represented as an eternal knot. It is also one of the principal attributes of Viṣṇu. Together with the svastika and nandyāvarta, it forms the eightieth minor sign.

Here station refers to sucessive stages of formless absorption, namely: station of endless space, station of endless consciousness, station of nothing-at-all, and station of neither perception nor nonperception. In other contexts in this sūtra, āyatana refers to the twelve sense fields; see “sense field.”

Second of the four formless realms. The term also refers to the class of gods that dwell there, and the name of the second of the four formless absorptions. The other three realms are the station of endless space, the station of nothing-at-all, and the station of neither perception nor nonperception.

First of the four formless realms. The term also refers to the class of gods that dwell there and the name of the first of the four formless absorptions. The other three realms are the station of endless consciousness, the station of nothing-at-all, and the station of neither perception nor nonperception.

The highest of the four formless realms. The term also refers to the class of gods that dwell there and the name of the fourth of the four formless absorptions. The other three realms are the station of endless space, the station of endless consciousness, and the station of nothing-at-all.

Third of the four formless realms. The term also refers to the class of gods that dwell there and the third of the four formless absorptions. The other three realms are the station of endless space, the station of endless consciousness, and the station of neither perception nor nonperception.

One who has achieved the first level of attainment on the path of the śrāvakas, and who has entered the “stream” of practice that leads to nirvāṇa. (Provisional 84000 definition. New definition forthcoming.)

The Tibetan translates both stūpa and caitya with the same word, mchod rten, meaning “basis” or “recipient” of “offerings” or “veneration.” Pali: cetiya.A caitya, although often synonymous with stūpa, can also refer to any site, sanctuary or shrine that is made for veneration, and may or may not contain relics.A stūpa, literally “heap” or “mound,” is a mounded or circular structure usually containing relics of the Buddha or the masters of the past. It is considered to be a sacred object representing the awakened mind of a buddha, but the symbolism of the stūpa is complex, and its design varies throughout the Buddhist world. Stūpas continue to be erected today as objects of veneration and merit making.

One of the ten great śrāvaka disciples of the Buddha Śākyamuni, known for his profound understanding of emptiness. He plays a major role as an interlocutor of the Buddha in the Prajñā­pāramitā­sūtras.

The quality or condition of things as they really are, which cannot be conveyed in conceptual, dualistic terms. Also rendered here as tathatā and true reality, or simply reality.

The five Pure Abodes are the highest heavens of the Form Realm (rūpadhātu). They are called “pure abodes” because ordinary beings (pṛthagjana; so so’i skye bo) cannot be born there; only those who have achieved the fruit of a non-returner (anāgāmin; phyir mi ’ong) can be born there. A summary presentation of them is found in the third chapter of Vasubandhu's Abhidharmakośa, although they are repeatedly mentioned as a set in numerous sūtras, tantras, and vinaya texts.The five Pure Abodes are the last five of the seventeen levels of the Form Realm. Specifically, they are the last five of the eight levels of the upper Form Realm‍—which corresponds to the fourth meditative concentration (dhyāna; bsam gtan)‍—all of which are described as “immovable” (akopya; mi g.yo ba) since they are never destroyed during the cycles of the destruction and reformation of a world system. In particular, the five are Abṛha (mi che ba), the inferior heaven; Atapa (mi gdung ba), the heaven of no torment; Sudṛśa (gya nom snang), the heaven of sublime appearances; Sudarśana (shin tu mthong), the heaven of the most beautiful to behold; and Akaniṣṭha (’og min), the highest heaven.Yaśomitra explains their names, stating: (1) because those who abide there can only remain for a fixed amount of time, before they are plucked out (√bṛh, bṛṃhanti) of that heaven, or because it is not as extensive (abṛṃhita) as the others in the pure realms, that heaven is called the inferior heaven (abṛha; mi che ba); (2) since the afflictions can no longer torment (√tap, tapanti) those who reside there because of their having attained a particular samādhi, or because their state of mind is virtuous, they no longer torment (√tap, tāpayanti) others, this heaven, consequently, is called the heaven of no torment (atapa; mi gdung ba); (3) since those who reside there have exceptional (suṣṭhu) vision because what they see (√dṛś, darśana) is utterly pure, that heaven is called the heaven of sublime appearances (sudṛśa; gya nom snang); (4) because those who reside there are beautiful gods, that heaven is called the heaven of the most beautiful to behold (sudarśana; shin tu mthong); and (5) since it is not lower (na kaniṣṭhā) than any other heaven because there is no other place superior to it, this heaven is called the highest heaven (akaniṣṭha; ’og min) since it is the uppermost.

The assembly hall in the center of Sudarśana, the city in the Heaven of the Thirty-Three (Trāyastriṃśa). It has a central throne for Indra (Śakra) and thirty-two thrones arranged to its right and left for the other thirty-two devas that make up the eponymous thirty-three devas of Indra’s paradise. Indra’s own palace is to the north of this assembly hall.

One of the standard epithets of the buddhas. A recurrent explanation offers three different meanings for su- that are meant to show the special qualities of “accomplishment of one’s own purpose” (svārthasampad) for a complete buddha. Thus, the Sugata is “well” gone, as in the expression su-rūpa (“having a good form”); he is gone “in a way that he shall not come back,” as in the expression su-naṣṭa-jvara (“a fever that has utterly gone”); and he has gone “without any remainder” as in the expression su-pūrṇa-ghaṭa (“a pot that is completely full”). According to Buddhaghoṣa, the term means that the way the Buddha went (Skt. gata) is good (Skt. su) and where he went (Skt. gata) is good (Skt. su).

The realm of the Buddha Amitābha, also known as Amitāyus, which is described in the Sukhāvatīvyūha Sūtra (Toh 115, The Display of the Pure Land of Sukhāvatī ).

Lit. “Bright Insight level.” The first of the ten levels traversed by all practitioners, from the level of an ordinary person until reaching buddhahood. See “ten levels.”

According to ancient Buddhist cosmology, this is the great mountain forming the axis of the universe. At its summit is Sudarśana, home of Śakra and his thirty-two gods, and on its flanks live the asuras. The mount has four sides facing the cardinal directions, each of which is made of a different precious stone. Surrounding it are several mountain ranges and the great ocean where the four principal island continents lie: in the south, Jambudvīpa (our world); in the west, Godānīya; in the north, Uttarakuru; and in the east, Pūrvavideha. Above it are the abodes of the desire realm gods. It is variously referred to as Meru, Mount Meru, Sumeru, and Mount Sumeru.

Lit. “heroic march.” Name of a meditative stabilization.

An Indian paṇḍiṭa resident in Tibet during the late eighth and early ninth centuries.

In Sanskrit literally “a thread,” this is an ancient term for teachings that were memorized and orally transmitted in an essential form. Therefore, it can also mean “pithy statements,” “rules,” and “aphorisms.” In Buddhism it refers to the Buddha’s teachings, whatever their length. It is one of the three divisions of the Buddha’s teachings, the other two being Vinaya and Abhidharma. It is also used in contrast with the tantra teachings, though a number of important tantras have sūtra in their title. It is also classified as one of the nine or twelve aspects of the Dharma, in which context sūtra means “a teaching given in prose.”

A symbol of auspiciousness and good fortune that adorns the palms of the hands and soles of the feet of the buddhas. Together with the śrīvatsa and the nandyāvarta, it is included in the eightieth minor sign.

Lit. “Refinement level.” The fifth of the ten levels traversed by all practitioners, from the level of an ordinary person until reaching buddhahood. It is equivalent to the level of a once-returner. See “ten levels.”

A frequently used synonym for buddha. According to different explanations, it can be read as tathā-gata, literally meaning “one who has thus gone,” or as tathā-āgata, “one who has thus come.” Gata, though literally meaning “gone,” is a past passive participle used to describe a state or condition of existence. Tatha­(tā), often rendered as “suchness” or “thusness,” is the quality or condition of things as they really are, which cannot be conveyed in conceptual, dualistic terms. Therefore, this epithet is interpreted in different ways, but in general it implies one who has departed in the wake of the buddhas of the past, or one who has manifested the supreme awakening dependent on the reality that does not abide in the two extremes of existence and quiescence. It is also often used as a specific epithet of the Buddha Śākyamuni.

The term tathāgata­garbha means “matrix of the tathāgata,” “pregnant with a Realized One,” “womb or seed of a Realized One,” “containing a buddha,” “having buddha nature,” and so on. It is commonly known as buddha-nature, the potential for buddhahood, present in every sentient being.

See “suchness.”

Also rended here as “true reality.”

In this text, two sets of ten levels are mentioned. One set pertains to the progress of an individual practitioner who, starting from the level of an ordinary person, sequentially follows the path of a śrāvaka, a pratyekabuddha, and then a bodhisattva on their way to complete buddhahood (see “ten levels” for a detailed explanation of this set). The other set is more common in Mahāyāna literature, although there are variations, and refers to the ten levels traversed by an individual practitioner who has already become a bodhisattva: (1) Pramuditā (Joyful), in which one rejoices at realizing a partial aspect of the truth; (2) Vimalā (Stainless), in which one is free from all defilement; (3) Prabhākarī (Light Maker), in which one radiates the light of wisdom; (4) Arciṣmatī (Radiant), in which the radiant flame of wisdom burns away earthly desires; (5) Sudurjayā (Invincible), in which one surmounts the illusions of darkness, or ignorance, as the Middle Way; (6) Abhimukhī (Directly Witnessed), in which supreme wisdom begins to manifest; (7) Dūraṃgamā (Far Reaching), in which one rises above the states of the lower vehicles of srāvakas and pratyekabuddhas; (8) Acalā (Immovable), in which one dwells firmly in the truth of the Middle Way and cannot be perturbed by anything; (9) Sādhumatī (Auspicious Intellect), in which one preaches the Dharma unimpededly; and (10) Dharmameghā (Cloud of Dharma), in which one benefits all sentient beings with Dharma, just as a cloud rains impartially upon everything.

In this text, two sets of ten levels are mentioned. One set refers to the standard list of ten levels most commonly found in the general Mahāyāna literature; for a detailed explanation of this set, see ten bodhisattva levels. The other set, common to Prajñāpāramitā literature, charts the progress of an individual practitioner who, starting from the level of an ordinary person, sequentially follows the path of a śrāvaka, pratyekabuddha, and then a bodhisattva on their way to complete buddhahood. The first three levels pertain to an ordinary person preparing themselves for the path; the next four (4-7) chart the path of a śrāvaka; level eight aligns with the practices of a pratyekabuddha; level nine refers to the path of bodhisattvas; and finally, level ten is the attainment of buddhahood. These ten levels comprise (1) the level of Śuklavipaśyanā, (2) the level of Gotra, (3) the level of Aṣṭamaka, (4) the level of Darśana, (5) the level of Tanū, (6) the level of Vītarāga, (7) the level of Kṛtāvin, (8) the Pratyekabuddha level, (9) the Bodhisattva level, and (10) the Buddha level of perfect awakening.

This comprises the most common six perfections to which are added the four perfections of skillful means, prayer, power, and knowledge .

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. See also “five powers.”

See “ten powers.”

There are three physical unwholesome or nonvirtuous actions: killing, stealing, and illicit sex. There are four verbal nonvirtues: lying, backbiting, insulting, and babbling nonsense. And three mental nonvirtues: coveting, malice, and wrong view‍.

These are the opposite of the ten unwholesome actions. There are three physical virtues: saving lives, giving, and sexual propriety. There are four verbal virtues: truthfulness, reconciling discussions, gentle speech, and religious speech. There are three mental virtues: a loving attitude, a generous attitude, and right views.

The thirty-seven dharmas on the side of awakening describe the oldest common path of Buddhism, the path of the śrāvakas: the four applications of mindfulness, the four right efforts, the four legs of miraculous power, the five faculties, the five powers, the eightfold noble path, and the seven limbs of awakening.

One of the three natures. Also rendered as “final outcome.”

In the general Mahāyāna teachings the mind of awakening (bodhicitta) is the intention to attain the complete awakening of a perfect buddha for the sake of all beings. On the level of absolute truth, the mind of awakening is the realization of the awakened state itself.

In this text, they are described as morality, meditative stabilization, and wisdom.

See “gateways to liberation.”

The Three Jewels are the Buddha, Dharma, and Saṅgha.

The three natures provide a full description of a phenomenon, namely: the imaginary (Skt. parikalpita, Tib. kun brtags), the dependent or other-powered (Skt. paratantra, Tib. gzhan dbang), and the thoroughly established or final outcome (Skt. pariniṣpanna, Tib. yongs su grub pa); alternatively, they are imaginary, conceptualized (Skt. vikalpita, Tib. rnam par brtags pa), and true dharmic nature (Skt. dharmatā , Tib. chos nyid). This terminology is characteristic of Yogācāra discourse.

The desire realm, form realm, and formless realm.

These three aspects, literally “circles” or “provinces,” are the doer, the action, and the object of the action.

These are (1) actual suffering, (2) apparently pleasurable states that end up in a suffering state, and (3) in general, states activated and sustained by the force of earlier actions motivated by self-centeredness.

The three types of omniscience, as described in this text, are the all-knowledge of śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas; the knowledge of path aspects of bodhisattva great beings; and the knowledge of all aspects which pertain to the tathāgatas. These are explained in detail in 63.­174.

The three vehicles (yāna) are the Śrāvaka, Pratyekabuddha, and Great (mahā) Vehicles.

Those of other religious or philosophical orders, contemporary with the early Buddhist order, including Jains, Jaṭilas, Ājīvikas, and Cārvākas. Tīrthika (“forder”) literally translates as “one belonging to or associated with (possessive suffix –ika) stairs for landing or for descent into a river,” or “a bathing place,” or “a place of pilgrimage on the banks of sacred streams” (Monier-Williams). The term may have originally referred to temple priests at river crossings or fords where travelers propitiated a deity before crossing. The Sanskrit term seems to have undergone metonymic transfer in referring to those able to ford the turbulent river of saṃsāra (as in the Jain tīrthaṅkaras, “ford makers”), and it came to be used in Buddhist sources to refer to teachers of rival religious traditions. The Sanskrit term is closely rendered by the Tibetan mu stegs pa: “those on the steps (stegs pa) at the edge (mu).”

This term denotes the mode of awareness of a realized being. Although all sentient beings possess the potential for actualizing transcendental knowledge within their mind streams, mental obscurations make them appear instead as aspects of mundane consciousness.

Lit. “Thirty-Three.” It is the second of the six heavens in the desire realm; also the name of the gods living there. The paradise of Śatakratu on the summit of Sumeru where there are thirty-three leading deities, hence the name.

This is a name for the Diamond Sūtra (Vajracchedikā, toh 16).

Considered to be the second great Dharma king of Tibet, he is thought to have been born in 742, and to have reigned from 754 until his death in 797 or 799. It was during his reign that the “early period” of imperially sponsored text translation gathered momentum, as the Buddhist teachings gained widespread acceptance in Tibet, and under whose auspices the first Buddhist monastery was established.

See “true nature of dharmas.”

“True nature of dharmas” renders dharmatā (chos nyid). In dharmatā the -tā ending is the English “-ness.” The dharma is an attribute of a dharmin (an “attribute possessor”). The attribute is the ultimate, emptiness. The attribute possessors are all phenomena. So, it means “the true nature [= -ness] of the attribute [emptiness].” The issue is further complicated by the widespread use of the word dharma as phenomenon (as in “all dharmas”) and so on. In such contexts it is not a word for the ultimate attribute, but for any phenomenon. Also rendered here as “true dharmic nature” and simply as dharmatā.

See “suchness.”

Lit. “The Contented.” The fourth of the six heavens of the desire realm; also the name of the gods living there. It is the paradise in which the Buddha Śākyamuni lived as the tenth level bodhisattva Śvetaketu (dam pa tog dkar po) and regent, prior to his birth in this world, and where all future buddhas dwell prior to their awakening. At present the regent of Tuṣita is the bodhisattva Maitreya, the future buddha.

The classification of all aspects of the Buddha’s teachings into twelve types: sūtra, geya, vyākaraṇa, gāthā, udāna, nidāna, avadāna, itivṛttaka, jātaka, vaipulya, adbhutadharma, and upadeśa.Respectively, the sūtras, literally “threads,” does not mean entire texts as in the general meaning of sūtra but the prose passages within texts; the geyas are the verse versions of preceding prose passages; the vyākaraṇas are prophecies; the gāthās are stand-alone verses; the udānas are teachings not given in response to a request; the nidānas are the introductory sections; the avadānas are accounts of the previous lives of individuals who were alive at the time of the Buddha; the itivṛttakas are biographies of buddhas and bodhisattvas in the past; the jātakas are the Buddha’s accounts of his own previous lifetimes; the vaipulyas are teachings that expand upon a certain subject; the adbhutadharmas are descriptions of miracles; and the upadeśas are explanations of terms and categories.

The twelve causal links that perpetuate life in saṃsāra, starting with ignorance and ending with death.

These comprise the inner six sense fields and the outer six sense fields.

This is a name for the Vaiśeṣikas, the “Particularists,” a non-Buddhist philosophical school.

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

One of the thirty-two marks of a great being. It consists of a soft, long, fine, coiled white hair between the eyebrows capable of emitting an intense bright light. Literally, the Sanskrit ūrṇā means “wool hair,” and kośa means “treasure.”

One of the thirty-two signs, or major marks, of a great being. In its simplest form it is a pointed shape of the head like a turban (the Sanskrit term, uṣṇīṣa, in fact means “turban”), or more elaborately a dome-shaped extension. The extension is described as having various extraordinary attributes such as emitting and absorbing rays of light or reaching an immense height.

The preachers of the Vedas.

The palace of Śatakratu in the heaven of Trāyastriṃśa.

Vajrapāṇi means “Wielder of the Vajra.” In the Pali canon, he appears as a yakṣa guardian in the retinue of the Buddha. In the Mahāyāna scriptures he is a bodhisattva and one of the “eight close sons of the Buddha.” In the tantras, he is also regarded as an important Buddhist deity and instrumental in the transmission of tantric scriptures.

Lit. “diamond-like.” Name of a meditative stabilization.

Head god of the Para­nirmita­vaśa­vartin heaven.

A great fourth-century scholar and author, half-brother and pupil of Asaṅga and an important author of the Yogācāra tradition.

The great fourth century Yogācāra scholar and author (or, as one possible author of this text, perhaps an otherwise unknown later Middle Way master by the same name).

A respectful form of address between monks, and also between lay companions of equal standing. It literally means “one who has a [long] life.”

This term has three meanings: (1) the ultimate nature, (2) the experience of the ultimate nature, and (3) the quiescent state of a worthy one (arhat) to be avoided by bodhisattvas.

Lit. “seeing from the top of the head.” Name of a meditative stabilization.

Lit. “Stainless.” The second level of accomplishment pertaining to bodhisattvas. See “ten bodhisattva levels.”

The realm of Buddha Padmaprabha, ie, Śāriputra’s when he becomes a buddha.

Lit. “Desireless level.” The sixth of the ten levels traversed by all practitioners, from the level of an ordinary person until reaching buddhahood. It is equivalent to the level of non-returner. See “ten levels.”

Fourth of the five aggregates and the second of the twelve links of dependent origination. These are the formative factors, mental volitions, and other supporting factors that perpetuate future saṃsāric existence.

An ideal monarch or emperor who, as the result of the merit accumulated in previous lifetimes, rules over a vast realm in accordance with the Dharma. Such a monarch is called a cakravartin because he bears a wheel (cakra) that rolls (vartate) across the earth, bringing all lands and kingdoms under his power. The cakravartin conquers his territory without causing harm, and his activity causes beings to enter the path of wholesome actions. According to Vasubandhu’s Abhidharmakośa, just as with the buddhas, only one cakravartin appears in a world system at any given time. They are likewise endowed with the thirty-two major marks of a great being (mahāpuruṣalakṣaṇa), but a cakravartin’s marks are outshined by those of a buddha. They possess seven precious objects: the wheel, the elephant, the horse, the wish-fulfilling gem, the queen, the general, and the minister. An illustrative passage about the cakravartin and his possessions can be found in The Play in Full (Toh 95), 3.3–3.13. Vasubandhu lists four types of cakravartins: (1) the cakravartin with a golden wheel (suvarṇacakravartin) rules over four continents and is invited by lesser kings to be their ruler; (2) the cakravartin with a silver wheel (rūpyacakravartin) rules over three continents and his opponents submit to him as he approaches; (3) the cakravartin with a copper wheel (tāmracakravartin) rules over two continents and his opponents submit themselves after preparing for battle; and (4) the cakravartin with an iron wheel (ayaścakravartin) rules over one continent and his opponents submit themselves after brandishing weapons.

The sixth of the six perfections, it refers to the profound understanding of the emptiness of all phenomena, the realization of ultimate reality.

The ultimate absence of any wish, desire, or aspiration, even those directed towards buddhahood. One of the three gateways to liberation; the other two are emptiness and signlessness.

The land of the dead ruled over by the Lord of Death. In Buddhism it refers to the preta realm, where beings generally suffer from hunger and thirst, which in traditional Brahmanism is the fate of those departed without descendants to make ancestral offerings.

This can refer to one world with its orbiting sun and moon, and also to groups of these worlds in multiples of thousands, in particular a world realm of a thousand million worlds, which is said to be circular, with its circumference twice as long as its diameter.

See “eight worldly dharmas.”

According to Buddhist tradition, one who is worthy of worship (pūjām arhati), or one who has conquered the enemies, the mental afflictions (kleśa-ari-hata-vat), and reached liberation from the cycle of rebirth and suffering. It is the fourth and highest of the four fruits attainable by śrāvakas. Also used as an epithet of the Buddha.For a definition given in this text, see 1.­20.

The tenth of the ten unwholesome actions; also one of five commonly listed kinds of erroneous views, it designates the disbelief in the doctrine of karma, cause and effect, and rebirth, etc.

A class of nonhuman beings who inhabit forests, mountainous areas, and other natural spaces, or serve as guardians of villages and towns, and may be propitiated for health, wealth, protection, and other boons, or controlled through magic. According to tradition, their homeland is in the north, where they live under the rule of the Great King Vaiśravaṇa. Several members of this class have been deified as gods of wealth (these include the just-mentioned Vaiśravaṇa) or as bodhisattva generals of yakṣa armies, and have entered the Buddhist pantheon in a variety of forms, including, in tantric Buddhism, those of wrathful deities.

Daughter of Śākya Daṇḍadhara (more commonly Daṇḍapāṇi), sister of Iṣudhara and Aniruddha, she was the wife of Prince Siddhārtha and mother of his only child, Rāhula. After Prince Siddhārtha left his kingdom and attained awakening as the Buddha, she became his disciple and one of the first women to be ordained as a bhikṣunī. She attained the level of an arhat, a worthy one, endowed with the six superknowledges.

Yeshé Dé (late eighth to early ninth century) was the most prolific translator of sūtras into Tibetan. Altogether he is credited with the translation of more than one hundred sixty sūtra translations and more than one hundred additional translations, mostly on tantric topics. In spite of Yeshé Dé’s great importance for the propagation of Buddhism in Tibet during the imperial era, only a few biographical details about this figure are known. Later sources describe him as a student of the Indian teacher Padmasambhava, and he is also credited with teaching both sūtra and tantra widely to students of his own. He was also known as Nanam Yeshé Dé, from the Nanam (sna nam) clan.

A term which is generally used to refer to a wide range of spiritual practices. It literally means to be merged with or “yoked to,” in the sense of being fully immersed in one’s respective discipline. The Tibetan specifies “union with the natural state.”