Property:Gloss-def
From Buddha-Nature
This is a property of type Text.
T
Name of a mountain range north of Lhasa, the abode of a deity of the same name. Subjugated by Padmākara (Padmasambhava), he is an important protector of the teachings. +
Another name for Kham, a province of East Tibet where the Kagyü lineage enjoyed great popularity. +
A ḍākinī, she is the consort of Cakrasaṃvara. She and Vajrayoginī are aspects of the same deity. Vajravārāhī is marked by a sow's head protruding above her left ear. The sow represents Vairocana buddha-ignorance and passion, dharmadhātu wisdom and compassion. +
The three teachings that Tilopa received from Vajrayoginī: the tsakali of body, the seed syllable of speeṣh, and the mudrā of mind. These correspond to the lineage holder, the path that ripens, and the path that frees. +
An extremely long aeon, sometimes reckoned at 4,320 million years. +
Śākyamuni Buddha, the Buddha of the present age, left Tuṣita heaven to come to the human world and teach the dharma. Maitreya, the next buddha, is said to reign in Tuṣita now and teach the dharma there. +
A sculpture made out of tsampa and molded butter, used as a shrine offering, a feast offering substance, or as a representation of deities. There are traditional designs for each of the many types of torma. +
The practice of the anuttarayogayāna, the highest of the four tantric yānas, according to the New Translation school of Marpa and his contemporaries. The first three yānas are kriyā, upa (caryā), and yoga. +
Mantra is explained in the tantras as that which protects the cohesiveness of the vajra mind. It is a means of transforming energy through sound, expressed by speech, breathing, and movement. Mantra is always done in conjunction with visualization and mudrā, according to the prescriptions of a sādhana transmitted by one's guru. Mantras are Sanskrit words or syllables. They express the quintessence of various energies, whether or not the mantra has conceptual content.<br> From the view of fruition, the practitioner should recognize all sound as mantra, all appearance as the deity's presence, and all thoughts as wisdom. +
A famous Indian master of the first century A.D., and founder of the Madhyamaka school. There is also a tantric master of the same name who was a teacher of Tilopa. Traditional sources claim that these two are one and the same. His name comes from the legend that he retrieved the ''Prajñāpāramitā'' literature from the nāgas. +
A term that refers to the monastic discipline of the vinaya, which supports the individual liberation of the monk or nun. More generally, the nontheistic attitude of taking responsibility for one's own liberation from sarṃsāra. +
A class of deities said to live off of smells. They are celestial musicians. +
The definitive, higher meaning. Texts and statements are considered as nttartha (true) or neyārtha (T: drang-don; literal) in meaning, depending on whether their meaning is ultimate-needing no qualifications or interpretation (nītārtha); or literal-a useful teaching but one that needs further qualification. +
That portion of the Buddhist canon that deals with monastic discipline and ethics in general. +
Tantra may refer to many different kinds of texts. For instance, there are medical tantras, astrological tantras, and so on. More specifically, tantra refers to the root texts of the vajrayāna and to the systems of meditation they describe. Tantras, similar to sūtras, are attributed to Śākyamuni, who sometimes manifests as Vajradhara, Vajrasattva, and so on. The "four orders of tantra" refer to the four yānas: kriyā, upa (caryā), yoga, and anuttara.<br> Tantra means continuity, and refers to continuity throughout the ground, path, and fruition of the journey. Continuity of ground means that the basic nature, whether it is called suchness, ground mahāmudrā, or tathāgatagarbha, remains like the sky, encompassing everything from sentient beings to buddhas-luminous and untainted by habitual patterns. Although never departing from its own nature, it gives birth to infinite possibilities. Thus, it is the basis for the arising of the skandhas and in general, impure saṃsāra. It is also the cause for the trikāya of buddhahood. For the practitioner, it means that body, speech, and mind, in all their confused and wakeful manifestations, are included in the path.<br> Path tantra means applying profound techniques to overcome basic ego. Because the skillful means are based on the ground perspective, they are profound and progress in stages from dealing with the crude experience of beginners up to the complete realization of Vajradhara.<br> Fruition tantra means finally realizing who and what you are. You realize your being as one with the body, speech, and mind of the tathāgatas. That is, you realize the ground that was there continuously from the beginning. +
There are two classes of obscurations or veils-kleśāvaraṇa and jñeyāvaraṇa (conflicting emotions and primitive beliefs about reality). The first stems from belief in "me" and "mine" and the resulting emotional reactions. The second obscuration stems from more subtle conceptualization, and corresponds to the ego of dharmas-believing that objects of experience are substantial and possess an independent existence. Both obscurations can be seen through by means of prajñāpāramitā. +
The monastic name of Jamgön Kongtrül Lodrö Thaye. +
An important technical term referring to the aspects of the sambhogakāya deities in their complete splendor and glory. +
The three bodies of buddha hood. The dharmakāya (T: chos-kyi-sku; body of dharma) is enlightenment itself, wisdom beyond any reference point-unoriginated, primordial mind, devoid of content.<br> The rūpakāya (T: gzugs-kyi-sku; form body) consisting of the other two kāyas of sambhogakāya (T: longs-spyod-rdzogs-sku; enjoyment body) and nirmaṇakāya (T: sprul-pa'i-sku; emanation body) is the means of communication to others. The sambhogakāya is the environment of compassion and communication. Iconographically, its splendor is represented by the five buddhas, yidams, and dharmapālas.<br> The nirmaṇakāya is the buddha that actually takes form as a human, who eats, sleeps, and shares his life with his students. In the mahāyāna tradition, this usually refers to Śākyamuni. In the vajrayāna, the root guru's body, speech, and mind are regarded as the trikāya. +
