A term used both for the vital winds that circulate through the right channel of the rasanā and for the exhalation of breath. The path of the vital wind of exertion is thus the right nostril. +
Each of the four initiations is further classified into four, such as the vase initiation of the vase initiation, the vase initiation of the secret initiation, the vase initiation of the initiation of primordial awareness dependent on an embodiment of wisdom, and the vase initiation of the fourth initiation. +
The warmths are various key experiences that arise along the path. These are precursors or foretastes of the actual signs that arise later. The warmths are like smoke and the signs are like fire. Smoke appears first, indicating the imminent arising of fire. The warmths arise on the mundane path and the signs arise on the transcendent path. +
This obscure term refers to the total release of knots in the channels, of pains and so forth in the channels, and of attachment to various experiences. It refers to definitive techniques for the elimination of these hindrances so that they are permanently removed. +
The four maṇḍalas are the channels of the body, the channel syllables, the essential constituent nectars (enlightenment mind, drops), and the vital wind of primordial awareness. These are the supports that transform into the four kāyas. The universal ground consciousness, or mind, is supported by these four and transforms into the fifth kāya. +
The Tibetan word ''rgyud'' was used to translate the two Sanskrit words ''tantra'' and ''saṃtāna'', which are not synonyms in Sanskrit. The word ''tantra'' is primarily used for certain scriptures, systems of practice, and so forth. The word ''saṃtāna'' is used to mean "continuum," in the sense of the stream of being, mindstream, or continuum that constitutes a living being. In Tibetan, the word ''rgyud'' was used for both meanings. In this book ''continuum'' means the continuity, or continuum, of a living being. Furthermore, the terms ''root continuum (rtsa rgyud)'' and ''explanatory continuum (bshad rgyud)'' have an additional resonance in Tibetan because of the dual meaning of the Tibetan word ''rgyud''. In the context of its meaning as "tantra" or "tantric scripture," a root tantra such as the ''Hevajra Tantra'' is clarified by other scriptures referred to as ''explanatory tantras'', such as the ''Vajrapañjara'' and the ''Sampuṭa''. +
These are the nine uncommon preliminary practices for all the yogas of the path. They are explained fully in Lama Dampa's commentary in the section on the path of the secret initiation. Briefly, these are three purifications of body, speech, and mind; three key points of body, speech, and mind; and three preliminary meditations. +
A Sanskrit term that literally means "seal," but also has many other uses. In the translated texts, perhaps the most common meaning of the term is "female consort," whether imagined or actual. In other contexts the word is used to mean "seal," "ornament," "ritual gesture," "formal position," "yogic technique," and more. Keeping these possible meanings in mind, a careful reader will be able to understand the intended meaning of the term in each specific instance. +
The translation "seminal drop" has been used for the physical reproductive fluids. The term "drop" has been used in other contexts involving the visualization of drops not related to the reproductive fluids. +
Four vast domains are associated with the four kāyas. In this context alone, the English translation "vast domain" has been used to clearly distinguish between this specific meaning and the more common general meaning of "paradise" or "pure realm." +
This term is oft en used in the tantric sense in the Tibetan texts translated in this book. It can refer to semen, to the reproductive fluids in both males and females, and to the clear essences of the essential constituents. Context dictates meaning. Often several layers of meaning exist simultaneously. +