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.

In this text the Blessed One is Heruka.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”).

A channel in the subtle body conducting prāṇa.

A drop (as of liquids); a “drop” of concentrated energy in the channels of the subtle body.

The five wisdoms that constitute a Buddha’s awakened state of mind. The five wisdoms are the transformations of the five afflictive emotions. The wisdoms are as follows: mirror-like wisdom, wisdom of discrimination, wisdom of equality, all-accomplishing wisdom, and the wisdom of the dharmadhātu.

Literally “sprinkling,” Skt. abhiṣeka is a ritual initiation that often functions as a deity initiation. Tantric initiation in Buddhism qualifies the initiand for the meditative practice of tutelary deities and their maṇḍalas. Historically, different systems of initiation have developed, and the particulars of any initiation ritual depend on the specific tantric system, the individual transmission, and the class of tantra. The four initiations of the highest yoga-tantra class are the so-called vase initiation, secret initiation, insight-wisdom or wisdom-consort initiation, and the fourth initiation.

Gayādhara, c. 994–1043; Indian (possibly Bengali) paṇḍita who visited Tibet three times; teacher of Drokmi Śākya Yeshé; a complex personality and a key figure in the transmission to Tibet of the Hevajra materials later incorporated in the Lamdré (lam ’bras) tradition.

Generally, a type of wrathful deity associated with charnel grounds. In the higher classes of Buddhist tantra, the central deity of many maṇḍalas takes the form of an heruka.

The fourth of the four joys experienced during the initiatory process and subsequent tantric practice. It is equated with the realization of nondual bliss.

The third of the four initiations in the higher tantras.

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.

Śākya Yeshé, commonly known as Drokmi Lotsāwa (’brog mi lo tsā ba), was a Tibetan translator from Lhatsé in Western Tsang and an important figure in the Lamdré (Tib. lam ’bras) lineage. Drokmi’s dates are uncertain, but Tibetan literature offers a range of possible dates, beginning in 990 ᴄᴇ and ending in 1074 ᴄᴇ. One of his principal teachers was the Indian paṇḍita Gayādhara.

The second of the four initiations in the higher tantras.

The three realms that contain all the various kinds of existence in saṃsāra: the desire realm, the form realm, and the formless realm.

This term generally indicates indestructibility and stability. In the sūtras, vajra most often refers to the hardest possible physical substance, said to have divine origins. In some scriptures, it is also the name of the all-powerful weapon of Indra, which in turn is crafted from vajra material. In the tantras, the vajra is sometimes a scepter-like ritual implement, but the term can also take on other esoteric meanings.

Name of a tantric bodhisattva. He is the interlocutor of the Blessed One in many tantras of the Unexcelled yoga class, most prominently in the Hevajra Tantra. He is also the bodhisattva who teaches The Ten Bhūmis .

The first of the four initiations in the higher tantras.

Subtle “energy” that moves in the channels of the tantric subtle body.