Property:Gloss-term
From Buddha-Nature
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mandala;The deity and his or her surrounding environment, often visualized or depicted in thangkas and sand paintings. It is usually constructed with a center and four gates, representing the four cardinal directions. One may also present a mandala representing the entire universe, with Mount Meru in the center, as an offering to the Three Jewels, in order to accumulate merit;this type of mandala is visualized, and can also be represented through mudra or through heaps of rice on a plate. +
five elements;five elements;Fire, earth, air, water, and space. +
stupa;Originally a reliquary containing the relics of the Buddha, later stupas were built to hold relics of other enlightened beings, scriptures, and statues as well. Stupas symbolize the dharmakaya, and range in size from small altar pieces to large monuments the size of buildings. +
doha;Spontaneous verse sung by Vajrayana practitioners as an expression of their realization and instruction. Milarepa is famous for his doha compositions, yet many other Indian and Tibetan masters have also composed brilliant and inspiring dohas.
:eight worldly dharmas The eight worldly dharmas are: gain and loss, pleasure and pain, fame and infamy, praise and scorn. +
siddhi;Psychic powers. There are two levels of powers or siddhis that come from doing intensive meditation: ordinary siddhis, which refer to miraculous powers such as levitation, flight, invisibility, the ability to create multiple images of oneself or to change form;and extraordinary siddhis, which mean full enlightenment, the perfection of wisdom and compassion. See also ''six psychic powers''. +
dakini;Sky-goer. A female yidam. Although they are usually depicted as wrathful or semi-wrathful, they can also be peaceful, as in the case of Yeshe Tsogyal, Padmasambhava's consort. They symbolize wisdom and emptiness, the basic, fertile space of wisdom out of which both samsara and nirvana arise. They can be playful and tricky, even dangerous, yet their essence is compassionate. There are both worldly and enlightened dakinis. +
Three Jewels The three objects of refuge are;three jewels the three objects of refuge are;the Buddha or awakened teacher, the Dharma or teachings, and the Sangha or community of fellow practitioners. These three form the essential basis for successful spiritual practice. +
Heruka;A wrathful male yidam, symbolizing the masculine principles of skillful means and energy. The Tibetan name, "trag thung," signifies one who drinks the blood of clinging to self. Chakrasamvara, Hevajra, and Hayagriva are some examples of Herukas. Heruka also refers to the wrathful and semi-wrathful deities who appear in the bardo of dharmata after death. +
six realms;six realms;The six dimensions of samsaric existence within the Desire Realm: (1) the god (deva) realm, brought about by pride;(2) the fighting or jealous god (asura) realm, brought about by jealousy or envy;(3) the human realm, brought about by desire;(4) the animal realm, brought about by ignorance and stupidity;(5) the hungry ghost (preta) realm, brought about by greed;(6) the hell realm, brought about by hatred and aggression. The first three worlds are known as the upper realms of samsara, and the last three are known as the lower realms. +
Pure Land;pure land;It often refers to the buddha field of Buddha Amitabha, known as the Pure Land of Great Bliss, Dewachen. But it can also refer to other buddha fields, or pure places where Buddhas abide. +
four powers;four powers;The four steps used to purify and eliminate negative karma: (1) the power of confession, where one admits negative actions of body, speech, and mind committed in this life and in all prior lives;(2) the power of regret, where one understands the suffering and negative karma one has created, and sincerely regrets having committed the action;(3) the power of resolution, firmly resolving never to repeat the action again, even at the cost of one's life;(4) the power of reliance, praying to the buddhas and bodhisattvas for help and support in one's effort to abandon all negative karma. +
Desire Realm;desire realm;One of three realms of existence within samsara, comprised of the gods, demi-gods, humans, animals, hungry ghosts, and hell beings. It is called the Desire Realm because beings are reborn and experience suffering within this realm due to gross attachment and desire. See also ''Form Realm'' and ''Formless Realm''. +
empowerment;empowerment;The three prerequisites for tantric practice are: empowerment or initiation into the particular tantra;the oral transmission blessing, in the form of a ritual reading of the tantric sadhana to be practiced;and the oral pith-instructions on how to correctly perform the practice.
:During an empowerment, the Vajra master goes into the various samadhis required in the practice, wherein he energetically and symbolically transmits the experience-the fruit of the practice-to the initiate. The initiate is usually unable to sustain the peak of this experience, but this transmission blessing plants a seed, or experiential frame of reference, to be deepened through continued practice, until the experience is finally stabilized and ripens into full perfect realization. +
clear light;clear light;The experience of the true, unfabricated, and uncontrived nature of mind, present throughout all of samsara and nirvana. There are two aspects to clear light: empty clear light, which is like a clear open sky;and manifest clear light, which appears as the five lights, images, and the like. +
three thousand world systems;three thousand world systems;In Buddhist cosmology the number of world systems throughout the universe is one thousand cubed, or one billion. +
Mahayana;Great Vehicle. The Mahayana teachings were first revealed by Arya Nagarjuna between the first and second century C.E., in south India. The legends say that Nagarjuna, who is sometimes called the "second Buddha," traveled to the realm of the nagas or water serpents, and there retrieved the Mahayana teachings of Buddha, which had been entrusted to the nagas' safekeeping until the world was ready to receive them.
:These teachings were named the Great Vehicle (to enlightenment) because of the greatness of the aspirations of its followers, in contrast to that of the Hinayana or "Lesser Vehicle."
:This great aspiration is characterized by the path of the bodhisattva, which has been described by E. A. Burtt, " ... the bodhisattva has transcended the state in which he is concerned for his own salvation;he is committed to the eternal weal of all living beings, and will not rest until he has led them all to the goal. On attaining enlightenment he does not leave the world behind and enter nirvana by himself;he remains in the world, appearing like an ordinary person, but devoting his compassionate skill to the aid of others. He shares and bears the burden of their sufferings, in loving union with them, instead of merely giving others an example of a person who has overcome the causes of suffering for himself." (''The Teachings of the Compassionate Buddha'', p. 130).
:For this reason the Mahayana is often called "the path of compassion." By following the path of the bodhisattva the goal of Buddhahood or full and total spiritual awakening, equal to that of the historical Buddha, can be attained. +
Formless Realm;formless realm;The highest god realms, where beings have cut off attachment to both the Desire and Form Realm objects, but are still fixated on the bliss of meditation. They have no bodies, since they have transcended form. +
buddhahood;buddhahood;Complete and perfect enlightenment. +
completion stage;completion stage;One of the two main stages of tantric practice. In the completion stage of Mahamudra, one dissolves the visualization of the deity and mandala established in the generation stage, and does formless meditation on the non-dual nature of mind.
:"Completion stage with signs" refers to the highest levels of tantric practice, where the emphasis is on working with the prana, nadis, and bindu. The goal is to change ones karmapranas into jnanapranas, transforming one's ordinary body, speech, and mind into the body, speech, and mind of a Buddha. This phase of practice is also called tsa-lung, meaning nadi-prana or channel-wind practice;it is the central focus of all Six Yo gas of Naropa. Tsa-lung practice requires prior mastery of the generation stage to achieve success.
:"Completion stage without signs" refers to the practice of Essence Mahamudra, which is the essential view of Mahamudra, introduced directly to the student without dependence on intellectual or philosophical reasoning. +
Avalokiteshvara;The bodhisattva of compassion, Chenrezig in Tibetan. Avalokiteshvara is considered to be a historical person, one of Shakyamuni Buddha's main disciples. The Dalai Lamas of Tibet are considered to be nirmanakaya emanations of Avalokiteshvara, as are the Gyalwa Karmapas of the Karma Kagyu lineage. +
