Acacia catechu.

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.

See n.­314 for this term in the translation.

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 principal nāga kings.

A haunt of the ancestor spirits and a place where rites can be performed to them. A cemetery or charnel ground.

Identification uncertain. In other contexts, this refers to Śākymuini’s cousin who was counted as one of the ten great śrāvaka disciples, famed for his meditative prowess and superknowledges.

“Subsequent yoga,” the second of four stages in the practice of Black Yamāri.

A class of celestial female beings known for their great beauty.

In this text, referring to the tree 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).

Ficus religiosa, the “bodhi tree.”

“Highest yoga,” the third of four stages in the practice of Black Yamāri.

The 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.

An offering of various types of food, drink, and other substances that one presents to a specific deity or class of deities.

An epithet of Kāmadeva or Vajrānaṅga.

Tentatively, the line that demarcates the outer circumference of the maṇḍala palace.

In this text, it mostly refers to the female sexual and reproductive organs. However, this term encompasses several meanings, including “good fortune,” “happiness,” and “majesty.” It forms the root of the word bhagavat (Blessed One). A number of Buddhist esoteric scriptures are set within the bhaga of a female deity from the Buddhist pantheon.

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 deity in the maṇḍala of Jāṅgulī.

Aegle marmelos, commonly known as bel fruit.

A substance used for the preparation of ink in tantric rituals.

The principal deity of this tantra.

In Mahāyāna doctrine, bodhicitta refers to the aspiration for awakening, in both its relative and absolute aspects. In tantric literature, it frequently refers to semen.

A deity in Vajraḍākinī’s maṇḍala.

Toponym of an unidentified place.

The name of one of the lowest castes in India’s caste system.

A mythical precious stone which is made up of the rays of the moon that shines only in moonlight and then exudes a cool liquid.

A deity in the maṇḍala of Black Yamāri.

A cremation ground or place for discarded corpses. Also becomes synonymous in tantra with a type of power place where yogins and yoginīs congregate.

A type of convex molding. The term kapola literally means “cheek,” and is used in this technical sense in classical Indian architecture.

A term for bodhisattvas.

A deity in Ekajaṭā’s maṇḍala.

An ornament of the maṇḍala palace.

One of the eight siddhis.

Used as an adjective, the term sampuṭa indicates two bowls, skull cups, etc. that are joined at the mouth to form an enclosed interior space. As a noun, sampuṭa can refer to an earthenware bowl or to the sphere created by conjoined bowls.

In classical Indian architecture, this refers to the crest or crest ornaments that decorate doors, gates, thrones, and so forth.

Aa ritual implement that looks like two crossed vajras with a common sphere in the center. This implement is also known as a viśvavajra in Sanskrit and sna tshogs rdo rje in Tibetan.

In the Tantra of Back Yamāri, the first in a series of four initiations.

A deity in Mañjuvajra’s maṇḍala.

A class of powerful nonhuman female beings who play a variety of roles in Indic literature in general and Buddhist literature specifically. Essentially synonymous with yoginīs, ḍākinīs are liminal and often dangerous beings who can be propitiated to acquire both mundane and transcendent spiritual accomplishments. In the higher Buddhist tantras, ḍākinīs are often considered embodiments of awakening and feature prominently in tantric maṇḍalas.

One sixtieth of a sidereal day, which roughly corresponds to a period of twenty four hours (ahorātra).

“Cudgel Yamāri,” A deity in the maṇḍala of Black Yamāri.

Another name for Daṇḍa Yamāri.

A tooth-stick, a small piece of wood which is chewed for cleaning one’s teeth. In the Tantra of Black Yamāri this represents the syllable da.

A Tibetan monk and translator; identified as an editor / reviser of The Tantra of Black Yamāri.

Epithet of Kāmadeva or Vajrānaṅga.

Datura metel.

“Intense seeds,” a term for the seeds of Datura metel.

Name of a yakṣiṇī in the maṇḍala of Ekajaṭā.

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.

A goddess in the maṇḍala of Heruka.

The offering goddess of incense.

The offering goddess of light or lamps.

A famous Bengali Buddhist tantric master and scholar who visited Tibet from 1042–54. He is also known as Atīśa. His disciples established the Kadampa (bka’ gdams pa) tradition whose teachings were later absorbed into main schools of Tibetan Buddhism, such as the Geluk and the Kagyü schools.

The deities who are visualized standing in and thus guarding the doors of a given maṇḍala.

The accomplished translator and tantric master Ra Lotsāwa Dorjé Drakpa (rwa lo tsA ba rdo rje grags pa, c. 1016–1128) who is credited with having established the dmar nag ’jigs gsum “The three [cycles] of red [Yamāri], black [Yamāri], and [Vajra-]Terrifier,” and particularly the third, in Tibet. Ralo, as he is often called, was notorious as a tantric sorcerer who used black magic and his yogic powers attained through Vajrabhairava practice to overcome and even kill some of his opponents. His biography, written by his grandnephew Ra Yeshé Sengé (rwa ye shes seng ge), flourished c. 1150 ᴄᴇ), is translated in Cuevas 2015. The colophon of The Tantra of Black Yamāri dates that he was the editor who last revised the translation from Sanskrit.

Tibetan means literally “round drum.”

“Hatred Yamāri,” a deity in the maṇḍala of Black Yamāri. Also known as Yamāri Dveṣavajra.

In the Tantra of Back Yamāri, the fourth in a series of four initiations.

Also spelled Ekajaṭī. A deity in the maṇḍala of Black Yamāri and other tantric maṇḍalas.

The implements, weapons, insignia, etc., in the hands of a tantric deity. Some of the implements in the hands of deities are shared (such as different kinds of weapons, etc.) and some are characteristic attributes of certain deities‍—often having a symbolic function indicating the deity’s function or activity‍—and can help to identify them.

The term conveys the notions of transferring authority, power, or control to a person or object. The term can in some contexts be translated as “blessing.”

A ritual activity for gathering and enhancing wealth and prosperity; one of the four main categories of ritual activity.

A ritual activity for bringing human and non-human beings under one’s control, for a variety of purposes; one of the four main ritual activities.

A ritual activity for driving away hostile or obstructive beings and forces.

The name of a meditative absorption.

The name of a meditative absorption.

The casting of a prescribed offering into a ritual fire. The practice of homa is first attested in pre-Buddhist Vedic literature and serves as a core, pervasive ritual paradigm in exoteric and esoteric rites in both Buddhist and non-Buddhist traditions into modern times. In Buddhist esoteric rites, the ritual offerings are made repeatedly, with each throw accompanied by a single repetition of the respective mantra.

Literally, “without an interval,” meaning that the result of these actions is rebirth in hell at the very instant of death. The five are: killing one’s mother, killing one’s father, killing an arhat, dividing the saṅgha, or wounding a buddha so that he bleeds.

Dung (lci ba), urine (chu), milk (’o ma), curd (zho), and butter (mar).

Typically the meats of a human, cow, dog, elephant, and horse.

The five accoutrements worn by wrathful deities, associated with charnel grounds. They are the diadem, earrings, necklace, bracelets and the waist chain.

The five include feces, urine, phlegm, semen, and menstrual blood. Alternate substances can be prescribed to represent them symbolically.

The five sense pleasures are pleasing visual objects, sounds, fragrances, tastes, and tactile sensations.

The name of a siddhi.

A musical (wind) instrument, flute.

The offering goddess of fragrance.

A deity in the maṇḍala of Black Yamāri.

A yakṣiṇī in Ekajaṭā’s maṇḍala.

An offering goddess.

The offerings that are made specifically to one’s guru.

Epithet of Buddha Śākyamuni.

A protective deity in Heruka’s maṇḍala.

A type of bloodthirsty, charnel ground-dwelling being considered threatening to people and practitioners. In the higher classes of Buddhist tantra, the central deity of many maṇḍalas takes the form of a heruka. His practice is taught in The Tantra of Black Yamāri.

The category of violent rites directed at adversaries or harmful forces; one of the four main categories of ritual activity.

A seal, in both the literal and metaphoric sense. Mudrā is also the name given to an array of symbolic hand gestures, which range from the gesture of touching the earth displayed by the Buddha upon attaining awakening to the numerous gestures used in tantric rituals to symbolize offerings, consecrations, etc. Iconographically, mudrās are used as a way of communicating an action performed by the deity or a specific aspect a deity or buddha is displaying, in which case the same figure can be depicted using different hand gestures to signify that they are either meditating, teaching, granting freedom from fear, etc. In Tantric texts, the term is also used to designate the female spiritual consort in her various aspects.

Blue dye extracted from the Indigo plant.

Literally “sprinkling” in Sanskrit, an abhiṣeka is a ritual consecration that often functions as an initiation into a particular deity maṇḍala and its practices.

“Jealousy Yamāri,” a deity in the maṇḍala of Black Yamāri. Also known as Īrṣyāvajra Yamāri Īrṣyāvajra

“Vajra Jealousy,” a deity in the maṇḍala of Black Yamāri. Also known as Īrṣyā Yamāri and Yamāri Īrṣyāvajra.

A deity in Ekajaṭā’s maṇḍala.

A deity in Ekajaṭā’s maṇḍala.

A deity whose practice is taught in The Tantra of Black Yamāri.

A deity in Vajrānaṅga’s maṇḍala.

Epithet of Kāmadeva or Vajrānaṅga.

A deity in Vajraḍākinī’s maṇḍala.

An alternative name for Īrṣyā Yamāri.

A deity in Mañjuvajra’s maṇḍala.

“Sword Yamāri.” An attendant figure/ deity in the maṇḍala of Black Yamāri.

Another name for Khaḍgapāṇi.

A staff with a single or three-pointed tip and a freshly decapitated head, a rotting head and a skull skewered on its shaft.

A ritual activity for eliminating enemies, both human and non-human; also, one of the four main categories of ritual activity.

The name of a meditative absorption.

An epithet of the deity Paramāśva.

A yakṣiṇī in the maṇḍala of Ekajaṭā.

A deity in the maṇḍala of Yamāri. Her practice is taught in The Tantra of Black Yamāri.

The resinous secretion of the coccid or scale insect, which can be used for dyeing and as a wax.

A ritual implement.

An offering goddess.

The stages a bodhisattva must traverse before reaching perfect buddhahood; traditionally ten in number, though some systems present more.

A mark, symbol, or sign. The term is perhaps most widely used to refer to the physical representation of the god Śiva in the form of his penis planted in a circular base representing a vagina. The term can so refer to genitalia generally.

A deity in the maṇḍalas of Śumbhavajra and Heruka.

An epithet of Vajrapāṇi.

One of the four immeasurables (tshad med bzhi), also known as the “sublime states” or “Brahmā states” (brahmavihāra; tshags pa’i gnas). This term describes the wish that all living beings have happiness and the causes of happiness.

Indian lute. A musical instrument.

A deity in Vajrānaṅga’s maṇḍala.

A deity in Vajrānaṅga’s maṇḍala.

Though the term has a range of meanings depending on the context in which it used, it is often used to denote one of the highest accomplishments of tantric practice.

An epithet or name of a bhagavat in The Tantra of Black Yamāri.

“Great yoga,” the fourth of four stages in the practice of Black Yamāri.

The central space of the maṇḍala palace.

A door guardian in Vajrānaṅga’s maṇḍala. Also another name for Kāmadeva.

An offering goddess.

A deity in the maṇḍalas of Śumbhavajra and Heruka.

A mythical mountain which was used by the Suras and Asuras to churn the ocean in order to retrieve the divine nectar of immortality (amṛta).

A name of Mañjuśrī, he is deity in Yamāri’s maṇḍala whose practice is taught in The Tantra of Black Yamāri.

(1) The demon who assailed Śākyamuni prior to his awakening. (2) The deities ruled over by Māra who do not wish any beings to escape from saṃsāra. (3) Any demonic force, the personification of conceptual and emotional obstacles. They are also symbolic of the defects within a person that prevent awakening.

A deity in Mañjuvajra’s maṇḍala.

A deity in Jāṅgulī’s maṇḍala.

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.

“Ignorance Yamāri,” a deity in the maṇḍala of Black Yamāri. Also known as Mohavajra and Yamāri Mohavajra.

“Vajra Ignorance,” a deity in the maṇḍala of Black Yamāri. Also known as Mohayamāri and Yamāri Mohavajra.

A band or fillet that decorates walls, columns, etc.

Moringa oleifera.

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.

One of the eight siddhis.

“Hammer Yamāri,” a deity in the maṇḍala of Black Yamāri.

Another name for Mudgara Yamāri.

A seal, in both the literal and metaphoric sense. Mudrā is also the name given to an array of symbolic hand gestures, which range from the gesture of touching the earth displayed by the Buddha upon attaining awakening to the numerous gestures used in tantric rituals to symbolize offerings, consecrations, etc. Iconographically, mudrās are used as a way of communicating an action performed by the deity or a specific aspect a deity or buddha is displaying, in which case the same figure can be depicted using different hand gestures to signify that they are either meditating, teaching, granting freedom from fear, etc. In Tantric texts, the term is also used to designate the female spiritual consort in her various aspects.

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.

The name of one of Kubera’s sons.

The divine nectar that prevents death, often used as a metaphor for the Dharma.

Azadirachta indica A. Juss. Used for the preparation ink in tantric rituals.

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.

An offering goddess

An ancient kingdom, most likely located in the Swat Valley of present-day Pakistan.

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

A ritual activity pacifying hostile and obstructive forces, as well as disease and ill omens; one of the four main categories of ritual activity.

“Lotus Yamāri.” A deity in the maṇḍala of Black Yamāri. Also known as Padmapāṇi and Padmavajra.

A deity in Vajraḍākinī’s maṇḍala.

“Lotus-in-hand.” Another name for Padma Yamāri.

Another name for Padma Yamāri.

A deity in the maṇḍalas of Śumbhavajra and Heruka.

A ritual activity for paralyzing enemies and other hostile forces.

“Supreme Horse,” a deity whose practice is taught in The Tantra of Black Yamāri. He is also one of the primary deities in the maṇḍala taught in the Sarvabuddha­samāyoga Tantra.

Name of a paradisiacal tree that is said to stem from the time of the mythical churning of the ocean of milk.

An attendant deity in the maṇḍalas of Mañjuvajra and Jāṅgulī.

The six perfections of generosity, conduct, patience, diligence, meditation, and wisdom. The trainings of the bodhisattva path.

One of the eight siddhis.

“Miserliness Yamāri,” a deity in the maṇḍala of Black Yamāri. Also known as Piśunavajra and Yamāri Piśunavajra.

“Vajra Miserliness,” a deity in the maṇḍala of Black Yamāri. Also known as Piśuna Yamāri and Yamāri Piśunavajra.

A deity in Heruka’s maṇḍala.

A period of formal practice, often time delimited or involving a set number of mantra recitations, that must be completed before a practitioner can employ a specific mantra or engage in a specific ritual or meditative activity.

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.

In The Tantra of Black Yamāri, a visualized wheel, the spokes of which consist of sharp blades.

The offering goddess of flowers.

This can refer to any worn out or soiled cloth, often derived from an impure source. It can serve as the surface on which a diagram or image is drawn, a mantra is written, or it can be a material ingredient for a specified rite.

“Desire Yamāri,” a deity in the maṇḍala of Black Yamāri. Also known as Rāgavajra and Yamāri Rāgavajra.

“Vajra Desire,” a deity in the maṇḍala of Black Yamāri. Also known as Rāga Yamāri and Yamāri Rāgavajra.

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 deity in Vajrānaṅga’s maṇḍala.

A deity in Vajraḍākinī’s maṇḍala.

A type of arsenic sulfide.

The string of beads used to count mantra recitations. It can be made of a variety of substances depending on the deity or purpose of the recitation.

The name of a siddhi.

In the chapter colophons of The Tantra of Black Yamāri, the term samaya is used to refer to a body of rites or practices described in the preceding chapter. The Tibetan translators translated this use of samaya with cho ga, thus emphasizing the meaning “rite” or “procedure” from among samaya ’s many meanings.

Equivalent to gorocanā (gi’u wang), crystallized bile that forms in the stomach of ruminants and is held to have medicinal properties.

A category of musical scale (rāga) that consists of six notes. This term can also refer to a kind of sweet dish.

Crocus sativus.

Literally, in Sanskrit, “coming together.” Samaya refers to precepts given by the teacher, the corresponding commitment by the pupil, and the bond that results, which can also be the bond between the practitioner and the deity or a spirit. It can also mean a special juncture or circumstance, or an ordinary time or season.

“Queen of the Seven,” a yoginī in Paramāśva’s maṇḍala.

A mythical beast that is often described as a lion with eight legs.

A deity in the maṇḍala of Black Yamāri.

A goddess in the maṇḍala of Heruka.

A deity in Heruka’s maṇḍala.

An accomplishment that is the goal of sādhana practice; a supernatural power or ability.

Vitex trifolia or Vitex negundo, types of chaste tree.

The vault or calvaria of a human skull used as a cup held by some wrathful deities, often filled with blood, or a skull cup used as a ritual implement.

Another name for Kāmadeva or Vajrānaṅga.

A ritual activity for causing division between two or more individuals and to sow dissent.

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 ritual implement.

Another name of Vajrapāṭāla.

A ritual activity for bringing a person or a being into one’s presence. It is related to the activity of enthralling.

A deity in the maṇḍala of Ekajaṭā and Mañjuvajra.

An experience of yogis and yoginis after they have dissolved the visualized maṇḍala and its deities into emptiness in the (formless) completion phase.

One of the eight siddhis, once acquired one is able to travel on foot at very high speeds.

In the Tantra of Back Yamāri, the second in a series of four initiations.

A small handheld drum, like a tambourin.

A fly whisk made from a yak’s tail for fanning.

Name of a meditative absorption.

A deity in the maṇḍalas of Śumbhavajra and Heruka.

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.

A traditional Indian title denoting a person who has authority because of superior knowledge, spiritual training, or position. In the Buddhist context, it is most often used for a scholar of great renown.

Black pepper, long pepper, and dried ginger.

Dawn, midday, and dusk.

Typically gold, silver and copper.

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

A term describing ultimate reality, or the way things are in reality, which cannot be conveyed in conceptual, dualistic terms.

Lived c. 1011–64. An important early translator and lineage holder of the Tibetan Renaissance (phyi dar). He was one of the monks in the delegation that was sent to Vikramaśīla monastery to invite Atīśa Dīpaṅkaraśrījñāna to Tibet. He is identified as initial translator of The Tantra of Black Yamāri.

“Swift-moving,” a yoginī in Paramāśva’s maṇḍala.

A plant of the Ginger family. Its rhizomes are used in cooking and for dyeing for its bright orange-yellow color.

A deity in Mañjuvajra’s maṇḍala.

A deity in Vajrānaṅga’s maṇḍala.

“Mare Faced,” a yoginī in Paramāśva’s maṇḍala.

A substance used in tantric rituals. In at least one instance from The Emergence of Sampuṭa this refers to feces.

The name of a tathāgata. Vairocana is the tathāgata at the head of the tathāgata family among the five families.

In the Tantra of Back Yamāri, the third in a series of four initiations.

Name of a meditative absorption.

The name of a meditative absorption.

An epithet of Yamāri.

This term is primarily used in the present text as an epithet of Yamāri, but is also used to identify the deity Vajrasattva who is one of the principal deities of the esoteric Buddhist pantheon,

A deity in the maṇḍala of Black Yamāri.

A deity whose practice is taught in The Tantra of Black Yamāri.

A deity in the maṇḍala of Black Yamāri.

The Buddhist form of Kāmadeva, the Indian god of love.

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.

A deity whose practice is taught in The Tantra of Black Yamāri.

A deity in the maṇḍala of Black Yamāri.

A deity in Jāṅgulī’s maṇḍala.

Also known as Vārāhī, a deity in the maṇḍala of Black Yamāri.

Also known as Vajravārāhī, a deity in the maṇḍala of Black Yamāri.

A door guardian in the maṇḍala of Vajrānaṅga.

A deity in Ekajaṭā’s maṇḍala.

A deity in Mañjuvajra’s maṇḍala.

A red pigment made from mercury sulfide.

A harmful spirit that haunts charnel grounds and can take possession of corpses and reanimate them.

A term for obstacles to well-being and spiritual advancement in general, and specifically to a class of beings that personify obstructive forces.

A deity in Mañjuvajra’s maṇḍala.

A class of spirits who create obstacles.

Restraint from unwholesome deeds, generally engendered by observance of the three levels of vows, i.e., the prātimokṣa and bodhisattva vows, and the tantric commitments ( samaya ).

Indicating someone who has adopted a mode of religious conduct, often associated with a specific deity or maṇḍala. This type of commitment is usually time or practice specific.

Used for the preparation of ink in tantric rituals.

Sinapis alba; The seeds of a plant in the mustard family.

Although the Sanskrit term jñāna can refer to knowledge in a general sense, it is often used in Buddhist texts to refer to the mode of awareness of a realized being. In contrast to ordinary knowledge, which mistakenly perceives phenomena as real entities having real properties, wisdom perceives the emptiness of phenomena, their lack of intrinsic essence.

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 lord of death who judges the dead and rules over the hells. In the Vajrabhairavatantra, however, it seems to be used synonymously with Vajramahābhairava (dpal rdo rje ’jigs byed chen po). For the reason why Yama is used here, see Siklos 1990, 146, note 144. Also sometimes translated here as Yamāntaka when it is short for gshin rje gshed in verse.

“Yama’s enemy,” also known as Yamāntaka, “Yama’s Killer” is a wrathful form of Mañjuśrī who, in red and black forms, is a prominent deity in both the Indian and Tibetan Buddhist tantric traditions. The term yamāri is also applied to other deities in Yamāntaka's maṇḍala, specifically to the manifestations of Yamāri associated with the afflictive emotions.

“Yamāri Vajra Hatred,” a deity in the maṇḍala of Black Yamāri. Also known as Dveṣa Yamāri.

“Yamāri Vajra Jealousy,” a deity in the maṇḍala of Black Yamāri. Also known as Īrṣyāvajra and Yamāri Īrṣyāvajra.

“Yamāri Vajra Ignorance, a deity in the maṇḍala of Black Yamāri. Also known as Mohavajra and Moha Yamāri.

“Yamāri Vajra Miserliness,” a deity in the maṇḍala of Black Yamāri. Also known as Piśunavajra and Piśuna Yamāri.

“Yamāri Vajra Desire,” a deity in the maṇḍala of Black Yamāri. Also known as Rāgavajra and Rāga Yamāri.

The name of a meditative absorption.

An epithet of Yamāri.

A diagram used for a variety of ritual purposes. In The Tantra of Black Yamāri, the primary yantra consists of two concentric circles with varying numbers of cells in which mantra syllables and/or the name of the rite’s target are written. The term can also refer more broadly to a tool or device.

The first of four stages in the practice of Black Yamāri.