The celestial realm of the tathāgata Akṣobhya in the east.
In a general sense, samādhi can describe a number of different meditative states. In the Mahāyāna literature, in particular in the Prajñāpāramitā sūtras, we find extensive lists of different samādhis, numbering over one hundred.
In a more restricted sense, and when understood as a mental state, samādhi is defined as the one-pointedness of the mind (cittaikāgratā), the ability to remain on the same object over long periods of time. The Drajor Bamponyipa (sgra sbyor bam po gnyis pa) commentary on the Mahāvyutpatti explains the term samādhi as referring to the instrument through which mind and mental states “get collected,” i.e., it is by the force of samādhi that the continuum of mind and mental states becomes collected on a single point of reference without getting distracted.
Third of the six perfections. Also translated here as “acceptance.”
A bodhisattva in the retinue of the Buddha.
Meaning “action” in its most basic sense, karma is an important concept in Buddhist philosophy as the cumulative force of previous physical, verbal, and mental acts, which determines present experience and will determine future existences.
The means of winning over beings; traditionally there are four of them—generosity, kind talk, meaningful action, and impartiality.
Mental and emotional traits that bind one to saṃsāra; the fundamental three are ignorance, desire, and anger. When the term refers to the fundamental three, it tends to be translated as “the afflictions.”
One of the māras.
See “five aggregates.”
The elephant of Indra.
One of the gods’ realms.
A bodhisattva in the retinue of the Buddha.
In the Ratnaketudhāraṇī, he is one of the six “directional” tathāgatas.
In the Ratnaketudhāraṇī, he is one of the six “directional” tathāgatas.
At the time of the Buddha, the countries of Aṅga and Magadha were referred to as a single entity.
The name of a lunar asterism. Its chief star is known as Delta Scorpii in the occidental tradition.
See “correct applications of mindfulness.”
The name of a lunar asterism. Its chief star is known as Alpha Orionis in the occidental tradition.
A bodhisattva in the retinue of the Buddha.
The name of a lunar asterism. Its chief star is known as Alpha Hydrae in the occidental tradition.
A class of titans or demigods.
One of the five ascetics, the companions of the Buddha during his early practice of austerities.
The name of a lunar asterism. Its chief star is known as Beta Arietis in the occidental tradition.
One of the five yakṣa generals.
I.e., awakening to the reality of phenomena (inner and outer) as they actually are.
A mythical horse.
See “four bases of supernatural power.”
One of the twelve links of dependent origination.
The name of a lunar asterism. Its chief star is known as 35 Arietis in the occidental tradition.
One of the five yakṣa generals.
One of the great brahmās.
The army, divisions, or factions of Māra, the deity who personifies spiritual death; from Māra’s point of view, this is the “white faction.” Also refers to the dark fortnight of the lunar month.
In Buddhist literature, this is an epithet applied to buddhas, most often to Śākyamuni. The Sanskrit term generally means “possessing fortune,” but in specifically Buddhist contexts it implies that a buddha is in possession of six auspicious qualities (bhaga) associated with complete awakening. The Tibetan term—where bcom is said to refer to “subduing” the four māras, ldan to “possessing” the great qualities of buddhahood, and ’das to “going beyond” saṃsāra and nirvāṇa—possibly reflects the commentarial tradition where the Sanskrit bhagavat is interpreted, in addition, as “one who destroys the four māras.” This is achieved either by reading bhagavat as bhagnavat (“one who broke”), or by tracing the word bhaga to the root √bhañj (“to break”).
A buddha field in the future where the bodhisattva Saffron Color attains buddhahood as Precious Light.
One of the māras.
A being who is dedicated to the cultivation and fulfilment of the altruistic intention to attain perfect buddhahood, traversing the ten bodhisattva levels (daśabhūmi, sa bcu). Bodhisattvas purposely opt to remain within cyclic existence in order to liberate all sentient beings, instead of simply seeking personal freedom from suffering. In terms of the view, they realize both the selflessness of persons and the selflessness of phenomena.
One of the trinity of Hindu gods, a protagonist and ally of the Buddha; when spelled with the lower case, it denotes any god from the multiple worlds of Brahmā.
Traditionally, there are eighteen branches of knowledge; they include the great philosophical systems of India (Sāṅkhya, Yoga, etc.) as well as ordinary sciences and arts, such as arithmetic, medicine, astrology, music, archery, etc.
A fully awakened being; when spelled with a capital letter it refers to the Buddha Śākyamuni, one of the Three Jewels.
The Tibetan translates both stūpa and caitya with the same word, mchod rten, meaning “basis” or “recipient” of “offerings” or “veneration.” Pali: cetiya.
A caitya, although often synonymous with stūpa, can also refer to any site, sanctuary or shrine that is made for veneration, and may or may not contain relics.
A stūpa, literally “heap” or “mound,” is a mounded or circular structure usually containing relics of the Buddha or the masters of the past. It is considered to be a sacred object representing the awakened mind of a buddha, but the symbolism of the stūpa is complex, and its design varies throughout the Buddhist world. Stūpas continue to be erected today as objects of veneration and merit making.
The name of a mountain range.
The moon personified as a god.
A nobleman in the retinue of the Buddha. Also the name of a prophesied buddha.
An advanced state of meditation corresponding to the ninth anupūrvavihārasamāpatti (the attainment of (nine) successive stages); the state of the eighth vimokṣa (liberation).
One of the five yakṣa generals.
The name of a lunar asterism. Its chief star is known as Spica (alpha Virginis) in the occidental tradition.
Dhyāna is defined as one-pointed abiding in an undistracted state of mind, free from afflicted mental states. Four states of dhyāna are identified as being conducive to birth within the form realm. In the context of the Mahāyāna, it is the fifth of the six perfections. It is commonly translated as “concentration,” “meditative concentration,” and so on.
Fifth of the five aggregates.
In the Buddhist context, the ritual of consecration usually involves an initiation or empowerment.
This refers to the four types of mindfulness: the mindfulness of the body, sensations, thought, and phenomena.
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Ratnaketu Dhāraṇī—the Gilgit manuscript. National Archives of India, New Delhi.
’phags pa ’dus pa rin po che tog gi gzungs shes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo. Toh 138, Degé Kangyur vol. 56 (mdo sde, na), folios 187.b–277.b.
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