Property:Gloss-term
From Buddha-Nature
This is a property of type Text.
T
dha na ko sha;Dhanakosha;Treasury of Wealth. An island in Oddiyana, or present-day western India, encircled by many sublime kinds of trees, which is why it is called Treasury of Wealth. +
gter ma;terma;terma;Literally, "treasures." The transmission through concealed treasures hidden by Guru Rinpoche and Yeshe Tsogyal that are to be revealed at the proper time by a treasure revealer for the benefit of future disciples. It is one of the two chief traditions of the Nyingma school, the other being the Kahma tradition. This tradition is said to continue even long after the Vinaya of the Buddha will have disappeared. +
rdo rje theg pa;Vajrayana;The corpus of teachings and practices based on the tantras, scriptures that discourse upon the primordial purity of the mind. See Secret Mantra. +
rgyal 'gong;Spirit King;spirit king;A mischievous male spirit of a class of spirits born of the union of the ''rgyal po'' and '' 'gong po''. +
mDo sde za ma tog bkod pa;Sutra Designed Line a Jewel Chest;sutra designed line a jewel chest;Karandavyuha-sutra;A scripture on Avalokiteshvara that comes in the Mani Kahbum of King Songtsen Gampo. +
theg pa brgyad;eight vehicles;eight vehicles;Of the nine vehicles these are the first eight, which depend on cause and effect. The nine vehicles comprise the three vehicles of the sutras — those of the shravakas, pratyekabuddhas, and bodhisattvas — and the six vehicles of Kriya, Upa, Yoga, Maha Yoga, Anu Yoga, and Ati Yoga tantras. They can also be grouped into three vehicles: Hinayana, which includes the first two;Mahayana, the third one;and Vajrayana, the last six. +
bstan gnyis;two doctrines;two doctrines;The Hinayana and Mahayana doctrines. +
ni gu;nigu;nigu;A female soothsayer. +
mkhan po rab snang;Abbot Rabnang;abbot rabnang;One of the Indian Dzogchen lineage masters, who was a disciple of the prostitute Barani and the teacher of abbot Maharaja. +
lha min;asura;Demi-god, one of the six classes of beings in samsara. The asuras are usually considered to be similar to the gods with whom they are sometimes classified. Their dominant emotional characteristic is envy, and they are constantly at war with the gods, of whom they are jealous. +
Evocation;evocation;sādhana;Evocation, viz. the envisaging and calling forth of a divinity normally by means of repetitive recitation (japa) of the appropriate formula (mantra) and by meditation (dhyāna) upon his formal representa- tion. Thus a written sādhana of a divinity usually provides a full description of his form and attributes together with his special formula. +
sdom pa;Bond,Union;bond,union;saṃvara;'Bond' or 'Union', translated by Tibetan sdom-pa, which has the same meaning. It may be used in the sense of religious observation (I. vi. 24 and II. iii. 29), but more commonly in that of mystic union. Thus the Innate is described as the 'single union of all forms' (I. x. 41) and Vajrasattva, supreme buddha-being, as the 'single union of all elements' (II. x. 1). Samvara has a special technical use in the sense of the union within theyogin's body, the 'internal maṇḍala' (see I. i. 21 ff. and II. iv. 48 ff.). Here it can refer to the union of macrocosm and microcosm as well as to the union of the two coefficients (represented by the two outer veins) in the central vein of the body, which is also the centre and union of all phenomenal forms. This unity is conceived of as a consuming by cosmic fire and this consuming is the consummation of the yogin's practice, his reintegration with the Innate, the supreme buddha-being. One may note in this respect the Tibetan translation of Saṃvara (= Śaṃvara, a form of Heruka) as 'Supreme Bliss' (bde- mchog). +
japa;Repetitive recitation of set formulas (mantra), which has the effect of directing the mind one-pointedly upon the divine form, with which the particular formula is traditionally related. Beads are normally em- ployed for counting. +
Moment;moment;kṣaṇa;Moment. There are four moments, marking the stages of the four joys: Variety vicitra<br> Development vipāka<br> Consummation vimarda<br> Blank vilaksana<br> My use of 'consummation' for vimarda represents an interpretation and not a translation. Vimarda, which actually means 'rubbing' is regularly glossed by ālocana, łreflection', viz. the reflection that bliss has been experienced oneself (see pp. 35 and 95). +
vidyā;'Spell' in the special sense of the formula (mantra), which is the verbal expression of a divinity. Like 'speech' (vāk) it is considered as the feminine aspect and thus becomes one of the names for the feminine partner (see Buddhist Himalaya, pp. 288, 289). It is used in the Hevajra- tantra exclusively in the sense of 'feminine partner', i.e. as a synonym for prajñā. +
vajra;In early (Vedic) times the vajra was the divine weapon of Indra, god of the sky and lord of thunder and storm. In this context the obvious translation is 'thunderbolt,. The Tibetans use the term rdo-rje, literally 'lord of stones,. It symbolizes pre-eminently whatever is be- lieved to be indestructible;thus it also.has the meaning of 'diamond'. In the tantras vajra indicates the absolute nature of whatever it may be referred to. Thus Vajrasattva means 'Absolute Being,, viz. supreme buddha-being. Vajraganthā means 'bell of the absolute', viz. the bell used in the rite of supreme realization. Everything associated with this intention assumes vajra-nature and the word is scattered freely through- out the texts. As an epithet I have used 'adamantine'. Vajradhātu, 'adamantine sphere' is the Absolute itself, personified as the Supreme Buddha Vajrasattva, 'Adamantine Being'. Also in use is the adjective vajrin, used in our text either of Hevajra himself or by the pupil addres- sing his master (vajraguru or vajrācārya). See vajrin in the Index. The concealed meaning of vajra is male organ;as such it pairs with 'lotus' (padma). +
mahāmudrā;See mudrā. +
maṇḍala;Sphere of divinity, mystic circle, idealized representation of existence. It may be produced mentally (see bhāvanā and utpattikrama), marked out temporarily on the ground, or painted in permanent form. +
Vajrasattva;See vajra. +
