Property:Gloss-term
From Buddha-Nature
This is a property of type Text.
T
gzungs;Dharani;The term is used to refer to the accomplishment of different kinds of unfailing memory. It is also a verbal formula, often quite long, blessed by a Buddha or a Bodhisattva, belonging to the sutra tradition and similar to the mantras of the Vajrayana. +
mngon shes lnga;Five Kinds Of Preternatural Knowledge;five kinds of preternatural knowledge;These are: (1) the knowledge and ability to perform wonders;(2) the knowledge of births and deaths of all beings;(3) the ability to hear all sounds throughout the three-thousandfold universe;(4) the knowledge of one's own and others' past lives;and (5) the knowledge of the minds of others. +
don dam dpyod byed kyi rigs pa;Absolutist Reasoning;absolutist reasoning;This is reasoning that investigates the absolute or ultimate status of phenomena, employing the four or five Madhyamika arguments. +
skye mched;sense fields;sense fields;Ayatana;sense fields. The six inner ayatanas refer exclusively to the sense organs (the mind being the sixth);the twelve ayatanas comprise these six plus their outer corresponding objects. (The outer and inner ayatana of the mind is the mental sense organ and mental objects. In this case, the mental organ is the immediately preceding moment of consciousness.) From the interaction of the six sense organs and their six objects, the six consciousnesses are engendered. +
rang mtshan;Specifically Characterized Phenomena;specifically characterized phenomena;Concrete individual phenomena characterized by impermanence and ability to function. See also Generally characterized phenomena. +
don dam bden pa;Ultimate Truth;ultimate truth;The ultimate nature of the mind and the true status of all phenomena, the state beyond all conceptual constructs which can be seen only by the primordial wisdom in a nondual manner. This is the so-called ultimate truth in itself (''rnam grangs ma yin pa'i don dam''). The Svatantrika Madhyamikas speak also of the approximate ultimate truth (''rnam grangs pa'i don dam''), which is the conceptual assessment of and an approach to the ultimate truth in itself. The approximate ultimate truth is a mental image posited in contrast with conventional truth. +
spangs rtogs kyi yon tan;Qualities Of Elimination And Realization;qualities of elimination and realization;Spiritual qualities (e.g., the realization of the five kinds of enlightened vision) that shine forth in proportion as the emotional and cognitive veils are removed from the mind's nature. +
Atmyavada;A general term for the traditions of Indian philosophy that assert the existence of the self, or atman-that is, the orthodox schools of Hinduism. It is opposed by the ''nairatmyavada'' (in other words, Buddhadharma), which denies the atman. +
srid pa'i rtse mo;Peak Of Existence;peak of existence;The highest level in the formless realm and thus the summit of all possible states in the dimension of samsaric existence. +
ka thog si tu chos kyi rgya mtsho;Kathok Situ Chokyi Gyamtso;kathok situ chokyi gyamtso;(1880-1925). A nephew and disciple ofJamyang Khyentse Wangpo (in the transmission of whose teachings he was instrumental) and a disciple of Mipham Rinpoche. +
ma rig pa;Ignorance;ignorance;avidya;In a Buddhist context, ignorance is not mere nescience but mistaken apprehension. It is the incorrect understanding of, or failure to recognize, the ultimate nature of the person and phenomena, and the false ascription of true existence to them. +
'khor lo sgyur ba'i rgyal po;The wheel-turning king;the wheel-turning king;Chakravartin;The wheel-turning king. The name given to a special kind of exalted being who has dominion over a greater or smaller part of the three-thousandfold universe, so called because he is said to possess a great wheel-shaped weapon with which he subdues his enemies. According to traditional cosmology, such beings appear only when the human life span surpasses eighty thousand years. By analogy, the word is also used as a title for a great king. +
drang don;Expedient Meaning;expedient meaning;The teachings of expedient meaning are, for example, the instructions on the Four Noble Truths, the aggregates, the dhatus, and so forth, which insofar as they do not express the ultimate truth are of provisional validity only. They are nevertheless indispensable in that their purpose is to lead beings gradually on the path, bringing them to greater understanding and final accomplishment. Contrasted with the ultimate or definitive meaning (''nges don''). +
phung po;Aggregates;aggregates;skandhas;These are the five psychophysical constituents of the individual person: form, feelings, perceptions, conditioning factors, and consciousness. +
chos kyi grags pa;Dharmakirti;(seventh century C.E.). One of the greatest masters of logic in the tradition of Dignaga. He was the author of numerous works, the most celebrated of which is the ''Pramanavarttika (tshad ma rnam 'grel)''. +
'phags pa;superior,sublime,noble one;superior,sublime,noble one;Arya;lit. superior, sublime, or noble one. One who has transcended samsaric existence. There are four classes of sublime beings: Arhats, Pratyekabuddhas, Bodhisattvas, and Buddhas. +
kun bzang dpal ldan;Kunzang Pelden;kunzang pelden;(c.1870-c.1940). A greatly respected Nyingma master in eastern Tibet, also known as Khenpo Kunpel. He was a disciple of both Patrul Rinpoche and Mipham Rinpoche. He wrote a commentary on the latter's ''Beacon of Certainty (nges shes sgron me)'' and on Shantideva's ''Bodhicharyavatara'' in which he closely follows the interpretation of Mipham Rinpoche. He founded the ''shedra'', or college of higher studies, at Kathok monastery. +
tshong kha pa;Tsongkhapa;tsongkhapa;(1357-1419). Also known as Lozang Drakpa and, more honorifically, as Je Rinpoche. A major scholar and master of the Tibetan tradition, considered to be an emanation of the Bodhisattva Mañjushri. He was the founder of the Gelug school. +
tshad ma;Valid Cognition;valid cognition;A cognition that correctly knows its object, a nondeceptive cognition that brings about certainty regarding its object. +
dbu ma'i gtan tshigs bzhi;Four Arguments;four arguments;The four great Madhyamika arguments used to prove that phenomena are without intrinsic being. The first is the so-called diamond splinters argument. This addresses the question of causes and shows that it is impossible for phenomena to arise produced from themselves, from something else, from both self and other or uncaused. The second argument deals with effects and demonstrates that it is impossible for effects, whether existent or nonexistent, to be produced. The third examines both cause and effect together and refutes the production from any of the four alternatives. The fourth investigates the nature of phenomena and is divided in two separate arguments: the argument of dependent arising and the argument of neither one nor many. +
