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.

Another name for Caṇḍa­mahā­roṣaṇa.

An accomplishment that is the goal of sādhana.

One of the five wisdoms corresponding to the tathāgata Amoghasiddhi.

Trachyspermum ammi.

One of the five buddhas; in the system followed in the CMT, he is at the center of the maṇḍala.

The eleventh bodhisattva level.

One of the five buddhas.The buddha of the western buddhafield of Sukhāvatī, where fortunate beings are reborn to make further progress toward spiritual maturity. Amitābha made his great vows to create such a realm when he was a bodhisattva called Dharmākara. In the Pure Land Buddhist tradition, popular in East Asia, aspiring to be reborn in his buddha realm is the main emphasis; in other Mahāyāna traditions, too, it is a widespread practice. For a detailed description of the realm, see The Display of the Pure Land of Sukhāvatī, Toh 115. In some tantras that make reference to the five families he is the tathāgata associated with the lotus family.Amitābha, “Infinite Light,” is also known in many Indian Buddhist works as Amitāyus, “Infinite Life.” In both East Asian and Tibetan Buddhist traditions he is often conflated with another buddha named “Infinite Life,” Aparimitāyus, or “Infinite Life and Wisdom,”Aparimitāyurjñāna, the shorter version of whose name has also been back-translated from Tibetan into Sanskrit as Amitāyus but who presides over a realm in the zenith. For details on the relation between these buddhas and their names, see The Aparimitāyurjñāna Sūtra (1) Toh 674, i.9.

One of the five buddhas.

Unidentified; occurs in a mantra of enthrallment.

One of the eight nāga kings.

One of the five vital airs, centered in the anus.

Celestial nymph.

There are two versions of ardhaparyaṅka posture‍—one sitting, the other dancing. In the CMT, this term refers to the former.

Terminalia arjuna.

The name of a star.

Ferula nartex (Boiss.), Ferula foetida (Regel.)

Seventh lunar asterism.

Saraca indica.

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 ninth bodhisattva level.

The prāṇa channel in the centre of the body.

One of the “eight close sons of the Buddha,” he is also known as the bodhisattva who embodies compassion. In certain tantras, he is also the lord of the three families, where he embodies the compassion of the buddhas. In Tibet, he attained great significance as a special protector of Tibet, and in China, in female form, as Guanyin, the most important bodhisattva in all of East Asia.

Pentapetes Phoenicea; bandhūka flower because of its rich red color is a standard of comparison for anything colored red.

Dalbergia lanceolaria.

This seems to be either another name for Caṇḍa­mahā­roṣaṇa, or an epithet referring to him, meaning “youth”.

Psoralea corylifolia , Psoralea plicata, Vernonia anthelmintica.

The third bodhisattva level.

Aegle marmelos.

Terminalia bellirica.

Piper betle.

In this text, it mostly refers to the female sexual and reproductive organs, however, this terms encompasses several meanings, including “good fortune,” “happiness,” and “majesty”; and forms the root of the word bhagavān (Blessed One).

Same as bhūmisphoṭa (?); Agaricus campestris (?)

This term in its broadest sense can refer to any being, whether human, animal, or nonhuman. However, it is often used to refer to a specific class of nonhuman beings, especially when bhūtas are mentioned alongside rākṣasas, piśācas, or pretas. In common with these other kinds of nonhumans, bhūtas are usually depicted with unattractive and misshapen bodies. Like several other classes of nonhuman beings, bhūtas take spontaneous birth. As their leader is traditionally regarded to be Rudra-Śiva (also known by the name Bhūta), with whom they haunt dangerous and wild places, bhūtas are especially prominent in Śaivism, where large sections of certain tantras concentrate on them.

A female bhūta.

Acala corresponding to Buddha Akṣobhya in the center of the maṇḍala.

A type of soil (?)

Solanum nigrum.

Piper nigrum.

Syzygium cumini.

Nymphaea caerulea (?)

Ficus religiosa, the species of fig tree under which the Buddha attained awakening.

Level of the realization of a bodhisattva; according to the general Mahāyāna, there are ten bodhisattva levels; according to Vajrayāna, thirteen.

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).

Enhydra fluctuans.

Clitoria ternatea.

Consort of Yellow Acala.

Cinnamomum camphora.

Normally regarded as a Hindu goddess (a form of Durgā), in the CMT she is invoked to protect from theft.

The chief deity of the CMT.

Another name for Caṇḍa­mahā­roṣaṇa’s consort.

The second class of tantra in most systems of tantra classification (the other classes being, in the fivefold classification, Kriyātantra, Yogatantra, Yogottaratantra, and Yoganiruttaratantra).

Ricinus communis.

Achyranthes aspera.

A prāṇa channel in the subtle body.

A method of generating a deity in visualization (out of male and female sexual fluids mixed in the vagina).

God of wealth.

The twelfth (sometimes the fourteenth) lunar asterism.

Citrus medica.

Citrus medica.

Strychnos potatorum.

The tenth bodhisattva level.

Ficus glomerata.

Euphorbia neriifolia.

Saussurea costus.

Sida cordifolia.

Mucuna pruriens.

Tabernaemontana coronaria.

Piper cubeba florence.

Cuminum cyminum.

A cupola covering each of the four gates of the maṇḍala.

Acacia catechu.

A class of female deities; a class of female nonhuman beings.

A staff; punishment; the duration of a single breath (from the moment of inhalation until the moment of the next inhalation).

Phoenix sylvestre Roxb.

Transformation; in the context of a sādhana, this is the dedication of merit.

Consort of White Acala.

Butea monosperma, Butea frondosa.

A magical formula invoking a particular deity for a particular purpose; dhāraṇīs are longer than most mantras, and their application is more specialized.

The “body of phenomena,” one of the three (sometimes four) bodies of the Buddha.

Cynodon dactylon.

Two crossed vajras.

Datura metel.

A type of magical activity aiming to render a person homeless, or drive away non-human beings.

Leucas cephalotes.

Moringa oleifera.

Zingiber officinale.

A class of nonhuman beings; the name literally means “messenger,” which could imply that these beings can be employed as messengers through magical rites.

Evolvulus alsinoides.

An effigy used in sympathetic magic.

Metaphor, from the Purāṇas, for the world or universe.

Limonia elephantianum (Correa), Feronia limonia (Linn).

Phyllanthus emblica.

One of the four main types of enlightened activity.

One of the four main types of enlightened activity.

One of the four main types of enlightened activity.

Consort of Green ‌Acala.

The sixth bodhisattva level.

Embelia ribes, or Embelia tsjeriam-cottam.

Eclipta prostrata.

A ritual observance involving fasting.

This seems to be an epithet of Caṇḍa­mahā­roṣaṇa.

The five “aggregates” comprising a living being.

The five, in the CMT system, are Akṣobhya (in the centre), Vairocana (in the east), Ratnasambhava (in the south), Amitābha (in the west), and Amoghasiddhi (in the north).

Refers to the five fundamental precepts of abstaining from killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, lying, and consuming intoxicants.

Milk, curds, butter, urine and dung.

The five supernatural abilities attained through realization and yogic accomplishment: divine sight, divine hearing, knowing how to manifest miracles, remembering previous lives, and knowing the minds of others. (Provisional 84000 definition. New definition forthcoming.)

Albizzia lebbeck Benth. (Acacia Sirissa).

Four gazes employed for the four activities: enthralling, summoning, killing, and paralyzing.

Immeasurable loving kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and impartiality.

The four types of bliss arising during sexual intercourse, the full understanding of which leads to liberation.

The four Noble Truths as taught by the Buddha, i.e. the truth of suffering, and so forth.

Free from concepts or mental fabrications.

Zingiber officinale

Scindapsis officinalis.

The solidified resin of Garcinia morella.

A ritual feast for different classes of nonhuman beings.

One of the Hindu gods, often identified with Gaṇeśa.

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.”

Female gandharva.

A mantra that surrounds the central item in a diagram or magical drawing.

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.

Calotropis gigantea.

Consort of Caṇḍa­mahā­roṣaṇa. See also “Vajra realm.”

The seventh bodhisattva level.

The name of Buddha’s wife as found in some texts, including the Lalitavistara; the name of Buddha’s tantric consort.

Eclipse; a class of spirits causing possession.

Acala corresponding to Buddha Amoghasiddhi in the north of the maṇḍala.

A unit of weight equal to about 125 milligrams, or one eighth of a māṣa.

A species of snake, or the poison from this snake.

A yakṣiṇī; after conversion to Buddhadharma she became the protectress of children.

Hand (body part); cubit (unit of length); the eleventh (sometimes thirteenth) lunar asterism.

Consort of Black ‌Acala.

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.

Boerhaavia diffusa.

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 eighth bodhisattva level; see also Acala (the masculine form), another name of the deity Caṇḍa­mahā­roṣaṇa.

To imbue something with power by reciting the mantra over it.

Sansevieria roxburghiana.

Heliotropium indicum (?)

Heliotropium indicum.

Abrus precatorius.

Abutilon indicum.

Nerium indicum.

Bacopa monnieri.

Sesbania sesban.

Nardostachys jatamansi, Nardostachys grandiflora.

Traquia involucrata.

Valeriana wallichii (more likely), Tabernaemontana crispa (less likely).

Indigofera tinctoria.

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.

Although referred to as the “fourth” in the fourfold division of the joys, the innate joy does not fit into a sequential order in quite the same way as the other three joys. It is first discerned when the supreme joy gives way to the joy of cessation, and is gradually extended through practice until it becomes ever present.

Refers to unconventional practices of a tantric yogin.

The fifth bodhisattva level.

Holarrhena pubescens.

God of wealth.

Jasminum grandiflorum.

Joy in general; the first of the four joys of sexual experience.

The third of the four types of joy.

The first bodhisattva level.

God of love; the name of a vetāla .

A class of wandering ascetics.

A unit of weight equal to 280 grains troy, or sometimes 176 grains troy.

A ritual knife meant for flaying skin.

A comet or a falling star personified.

Vetiveris zizanioides.

Phaseolus mungo, Vigna mungo.

One of the four main types of enlightened activity.

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.

A female kinnara.

An asura in one of the variants of the maṇḍala of Caṇḍa­mahā­roṣaṇa.

The first class of tantra in most systems of tantra classification (the other classes being, in the fivefold classification, Caryātantra, Yogatantra, Yogottaratantra, and Yoganiruttaratantra).

The god of wealth.

Inhalation (one of the four stages during a single breath).

A class of nonhuman beings.

The Buddhist goddess of enthrallment related to or emanating from Tārā.

The Hindu goddess of prosperity.

The prāṇa channel on the left side of the body.

Solanum indicum.

Plumbago zeylanica.

A female deity in one of the variants of the maṇḍala of Caṇḍa­mahā­roṣaṇa; also the name of the consort of Ratna­sambhava.

Piper longum.

Luffa aegyptiaca.

The lotus flower or plant; euphemistic name for the female genital organ.

A very advanced practice that combines wisdom and means.

One of the epithets of Śiva.

A vetāla in one of the variants of the maṇḍala of Caṇḍa­mahā­roṣaṇa.

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.

A goddess invoked in a mantra to cure blindness.

Justicia adhatoda.

Consort of Ratnasambhava.

A maṇḍala created with colored powders.

Mangifera indica

God of wealth.

The deified bodhisattva of wisdom; one of the original sixteen bodhisattvas.

The “Mantra Vehicle,” which is another name for Vajrayāna.

Māra, literally “death” or “maker of death,” is the name of the deva who tried to prevent the Buddha from achieving awakening, the name given to the class of beings he leads, and also an impersonal term for the destructive forces that keep beings imprisoned in saṃsāra: (1) As a deva, Māra is said to be the principal deity in the Heaven of Making Use of Others’ Emanations (paranirmitavaśavartin), the highest paradise in the desire realm. He famously attempted to prevent the Buddha’s awakening under the Bodhi tree‍—see The Play in Full (Toh 95), 21.1‍—and later sought many times to thwart the Buddha’s activity. In the sūtras, he often also creates obstacles to the progress of śrāvakas and bodhisattvas. (2) The devas ruled over by Māra are collectively called mārakāyika or mārakāyikadevatā, the “deities of Māra’s family or class.” In general, these māras too do not wish any being to escape from saṃsāra, but can also change their ways and even end up developing faith in the Buddha, as exemplified by Sārthavāha; see The Play in Full (Toh 95), 21.14 and 21.43. (3) The term māra can also be understood as personifying four defects that prevent awakening, called (i) the divine māra (devaputra­māra), which is the distraction of pleasures; (ii) the māra of Death (mṛtyumāra), which is having one’s life interrupted; (iii) the māra of the aggregates (skandhamāra), which is identifying with the five aggregates; and (iv) the māra of the afflictions (kleśamāra), which is being under the sway of the negative emotions of desire, hatred, and ignorance.

Semecarpus anacardium.

Hygrophila auriculata.

A unit of weight equal to 17 grains troy.

Phaseolus radiatus.

A unit of weight equal to 26 grains of rice.

The twelfth bodhisattva level.

Buddha’s mother.

See “skillful means.”

Any type of dualistic concept or idea.

Oroxylum indicum.

One of the five wisdoms corresponding to the tathāgata Akṣobhya or Vairocana (depending on the system).

Tinaspora cordifolia.

A position of hands, also the “source” deity visualized at the top of the head.

The root (literally and figuratively); also the seventeenth (sometimes the nineteenth) lunar asterism.

Not identified, but perhaps Nardostachys jatamansi (?).

Brassica juncea.

This plant has several edible varieties.

A class of nonhuman beings, half-human and half-snake.

Mesua ferrea; cobra’s saffron.

Female nāga.

The river where the Buddha used to meditate.

In the Tibetan, Śyāmā and Naṭi are confounded into one, sh+ya ma nu Di).

Cassia occidentalis.

The most sensitive spot of the woman’s genitals.

Azadirachta indica.

The “body of transformation,” one of the three (sometimes four) bodies of the Buddha.

Cyperus rotundus.

Vateria indica.

The mind focused one-pointedly.

This has not been identified.

Peace; one of the four main types of enlightened activity.

As a unit of weight, it equals four karṣa; as a unit of capacity, it equals about seven cubic inches, but this may vary from source to source.

Dicliptera paniculata .

A female deity in a variant of the maṇḍala of Caṇḍa­mahā­roṣaṇa.

Consort of Red Acala.

Curtains of pearl necklaces suspended from the walls of the inner rectangle of the maṇḍala.

Liṅga and vajra have many other meanings (too many to list here).

The perfection of wisdom personified.

Callicarpa macrophylla.

A class of nonhuman beings that, like several other classes of nonhuman beings, take spontaneous birth. Ranking below rākṣasas, they are less powerful and more akin to pretas. They are said to dwell in impure and perilous places, where they feed on impure things, including flesh. This could account for the name piśāca, which possibly derives from √piś, to carve or chop meat, as reflected also in the Tibetan sha za, “meat eater.” They are often described as having an unpleasant appearance, and at times they appear with animal bodies. Some possess the ability to enter the dead bodies of humans, thereby becoming so-called vetāla, to touch whom is fatal.

Pongamia pinnata.

The thirteenth bodhisattva level.

Vital air in general, and also the vital air (one of the five) centered around the heart.

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.

A period of formal practice, usually lasting six months, before the practitioner can employ the mantra for specific purposes.

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.

Worship that involves making offerings.

Retention of breath after inhalation (one of the four stages during a single breath).

The second bodhisattva level.

The pure category, usually beyond the mundane, represented by any ritual implement, iconographic feature, or any other tangible element of worship.

God of wealth.

Portulaca oleracea, Portulaca quadrifida.

The sixth (sometimes the eighth) lunar asterism.

The demon who causes an eclipse.

A particular part of the maṇḍala (?); the Tibetan reads “sand-colored ground”.

A class of nonhuman beings that are often, but certainly not always, considered demonic in the Buddhist tradition. They are often depicted as flesh-eating monsters who haunt frightening places and are ugly and evil-natured with a yearning for human flesh, and who additionally have miraculous powers, such as being able to change their appearance.

A female rākṣasa.

The name of a vetāla .

This has not been identified.

This term can be a name of various plants.

The prāṇa channel on the right side of the body.

In the Tibetan, divided into two characters, “Rati” and “Priyā.”

One of the five buddhas.

Exhalation (one of the four stages during a single breath).

Acala corresponding to Buddha Amitābha in the west of the maṇḍala.

Plumbago rosea.

The fourth bodhisattva level.

The wife of Indra; also the name of an apsaras.

One who performs a sādhana.

Practice involving mantra and visualization.

Carthamus tinctorius.

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.

One of the five vital airs, centered in the navel area.

A Buddhist deity; the name of a bodhisattva; also the name of the deity asking Vajrasattva questions at the time of the delivery of the CMT.

The bond with the master, deity, and the mantra, based on the pledge or commitment made during an empowerment.

The “body of bliss,” one of the three (sometimes four) bodies of the Buddha.

A goddess invoked to counter the effects of poison.

Unit of time related to the counting of breath.

Goddess of learning; she is visualized as part of the Perfection of Wisdom practice.

Sitting posture when the right shank is placed on top of the left shank; there is also a standing version of this posture.

Having a particular deity at the top of one’s head.

Seed of a plant; the syllable from which a deity manifests.

The word śukra may also refer to the female sexual fluid.

Mimosa pudica.

Achyranthes triandra.

Blyxa octandra (?)

An accomplished being; a class of semidivine beings.

The second of the seven buddhas of the past.

Salmalia malabarica.

In Indian culture, the sound expressive of sexual excitement or pleasure.

One of the principal three Hindu gods.

Each field comprises one of the six senses with its respective sense-consciousness and the range of objects accessible to it.

The possible six types of rebirth in any of the six realms of cyclic existence.

The six are generosity, morality, patience, diligence, concentration, and wisdom.

Also refers to the male partner in sexual yoga.

Another name for Caṇḍa­mahā­roṣaṇa; he is called “sole” because, apart from his consort, he is not accompanied by the deities of the maṇḍala.

Hedychium spicatum.

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.”

The period after exhalation and before the next inhalation (one of the four stages during a single breath).

Paederia foetida.

Hymn of praise.

The realm of Amitābha.

Hyperanthera moringa.

To draw; to magically bring someone into one’s presence.

Crotalaria juncea.

The second of the four types of joy.

Acorus calamus.

Tamarindus indica.

The Buddhist goddess of compassion.

Person or being who is the target of a particular sādhana or ritual.

In the CMT system, this is the family of the buddha Akṣobhya, one of the five buddhas.

Thirteen bodhisattva levels.

The three realms of existence, namely the desire, the form, and the formless.

The three usually are gold, silver and copper.

The combination of Phyllanthus emblica, Terminala chebula, and Terminalia bellerica.

Ginger, black pepper, and long pepper.

It is not clear which syllables are meant.

Refers to the throbbing sensation in the vagina before and during orgasm; also to the throbbing of an erect penis.

A mark between the eyebrows, usually made with vermillion.

Borassus flabelifer.

A unit of weight equal to 12 māṣas.

Streblus asper.

Refuge taken in the Buddha, his teaching, and the assembly of followers.

Clerodendrum indicum (Clerodendron siphonanthus).

A unit of weight equal to 100 palas.

It is marked by the moment when the wisdom deity (jñānasattva) descends into the maṇḍala.

The accumulations of merit and wisdom.

This plant could not be identified.

One of the five vital airs, centered in the throat.

Pandanus odoratissimus.

One of the five buddhas; in the system followed in the CMT, he is in the eastern quarter of the maṇḍala.

A ritual sceptre; thunderbot; a diamond; a general term denoting an indestructible non-dual state.

The experiential sphere of nonduality.

Consort of Caṇḍa­mahā­roṣaṇa.

The Buddhist counterpart of Kāmadeva.

The Buddhist counterpart of Viṣṇu.

Wrathful aspect of Vajrasattva; the Buddhist counterpart of Indra.

The Buddhist counterpart of Śiva.

The deity delivering the CMT.

A Buddhist goddess.

She is visualized as part of the Perfection of Wisdom practice.

A snake demon.

Can be a name of several plants and substances.

In the CMT, he is the king of nāgas.

Goddess of the earth.

One of the eight nāga kings.

This substance has not been identified.

A goddess invoked in a mantra.

Vernonia cinerea.

Grewia hirsuta.

A class of spirits that haunt charnel grounds.

Literally “knowledge holder”‍—this term refers either to someone who has mastered the vidyā, i.e. the power of the mantra, or to a class of semidivine beings.

The first of the seven buddhas of the past.

One of the principal three Hindu gods.

A deity invoked in a mantra to cure blindness.

A class of mischievous spirits.

Disease or sickness; also a class of mischievous spirits.

One of the five vital airs, diffused throughout the entire body.

Convolvulus repens, Ipomoea aquatica.

A type of ordeal to test one’s veracity.

Epithet of Mañjuśrī.

Formal offering to welcome a guest consisting of water, flowers, and dūrvā grass.

Acala corresponding to Buddha Vairocana in the east of the maṇḍala.

Benincasa hispida.

A female garuḍa invoked to counter the effects of poison.

Tephrosia purpurea.

In specific contexts, it refers also to the female partner in sexual yoga.

An empowerment involving a female consort.

One of the five wisdoms corresponding to the tathāgata Amitābha.

One of the five wisdoms corresponding to the tathāgata Ratnasambhava.

One of the five wisdoms corresponding to the tathāgata in the centre of the maṇḍala (in the CMT it is the buddha Akṣobhya).

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.

A female yakṣa.

The god of death.

The wrathful aspect of Mañjuśrī.

A magical diagram; any mechanical tool or device.

Acala corresponding to Buddha Ratnasambhava in the south of the maṇḍala.

Terminala chebula.

The term refers variously to a literary genre, a period in the development of tantra, or, when written with lower case, an individual work belonging to this genre.