Sanskrit Noun
bīja
seed
बीज
ས་བོན་
無漏種
Basic Meaning
A seed, commonly used figuratively in the sense of something which has the potential to develop or grow, and likewise as the basic cause for this development or growth.
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| Term Variations | |
|---|---|
| Key Term | bīja |
| Topic Variation | bīja |
| Tibetan | ས་བོན་ |
| Wylie Tibetan Transliteration | sa bon |
| Devanagari Sanskrit | बीज |
| Romanized Sanskrit | bīja |
| Chinese | 無漏種 |
| Chinese Pinyin | zhongzi |
| Japanese Transliteration | shuji |
| Buddha-nature Site Standard English | seed |
| Richard Barron's English Term | potential(ity) |
| Jeffrey Hopkin's English Term | seed |
| Dan Martin's English Term | seed |
| Gyurme Dorje's English Term | seed [of consciousness] |
| Ives Waldo's English Term | seed, germ |
| Term Information | |
| Source Language | Sanskrit |
| Basic Meaning | A seed, commonly used figuratively in the sense of something which has the potential to develop or grow, and likewise as the basic cause for this development or growth. |
| Term Type | Noun |
| Definitions | |
| Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism | See page 119: In Sanskrit, “seed,” a term used metaphorically in two important contexts: (1) in the theory of karman, an action is said to plant a “seed” or “potentiality” in the mind, where it will reside until it fructifies as a future experience or is destroyed by wisdom; (2) in tantric literature, many deities are said to have a “seed syllable” or seed mantra that is visualized and recited in liturgy and meditation in order to invoke the deity. |
