Speech that is allusive, indirect, or contains undisclosed meaning and therefore requires further interpretation.

Celestial buddha of infinite life, another name for the Buddha Amitābha.

A bodhisattva. The name of one of the thirty-five confessional buddhas.

A wealthy merchant in the town of Śrāvastī, famous for his generosity to the poor, who became a patron of the Buddha Śākyamuni. He bought Prince Jeta’s Grove (Skt. Jetavana), to be the Buddha’s first monastery, a place where the monks could stay during the monsoon.

Inauguration through sprinkling water on the head; a custom used for anointing kings in ancient India.

A type of nonhuman being whose precise status is subject to different views, but is included as one of the six classes of beings in the sixfold classification of realms of rebirth. In the Buddhist context, asuras are powerful beings said to be dominated by envy, ambition, and hostility. They are also known in the pre-Buddhist and pre-Vedic mythologies of India and Iran, and feature prominently in Vedic and post-Vedic Brahmanical mythology, as well as in the Buddhist tradition. In these traditions, asuras are often described as being engaged in interminable conflict with the devas (gods).

The pride of showing off. It is one of seven types of pride, which include (1) pride (Tib. nga rgyal; Skt. māna), (2) excessive pride (Tib. lhag pa’i nga rgyal; Skt. adhimāna), (3) outrageous pride (Tib. nga rgyal las kyang nga rgyal; Skt. mānātimāna), (4) egoistic pride (Tib. nga’o snyam pa’i nga rgyal; Skt. asmimāna), (5) blatant pride (Tib. mngon pa’i nga rgyal; Skt. abhimāna), (6) pride of feeling inferior (Tib. cung zad snyam pa’i nga rgyal; Skt. ūnamāna), and (7) unfounded pride (Tib. log pa’i nga rgyal; Skt. mithyāmāna).

King of Pañcāla. A name for a number of different kings who appear in Buddhist scripture.

An incantation, spell, or mnemonic formula that distills essential points of the Dharma and is used by practitioners to attain mundane and supramundane goals. It also refers to the capacity to grasp or remember the words and meanings of the Dharma without forgetting them. A function of mindfulness and wisdom.

Gain (Tib. rnyed pa; Skt. lābha) and loss (Tib. ma rnyed pa; Skt. alābha), fame (Tib. snyan pa; Skt. yaśas) and lack of fame (Tib. ma snyan pa; Skt. ayaśas), praise (Tib. bstod pa; Skt. praśaṃsā) and blame (Tib. smad pa; Skt. nindā), pleasure (Tib. bde ba; Skt. sukha), and sorrow (Tib. sdug bsngal; Skt. duḥkha).

The pride of overestimating one’s accomplishments. It is one of seven types of pride, which include (1) pride (Tib. nga rgyal; Skt. māna), (2) excessive pride (Tib. lhag pa’i nga rgyal; Skt. adhimāna), (3) outrageous pride (Tib. nga rgyal las kyang nga rgyal; Skt. mānātimāna), (4) egoistic pride (Tib. nga’o snyam pa’i nga rgyal; Skt. asmimāna), (5) blatant pride (Tib. mngon pa’i nga rgyal; Skt. abhimāna), (6) pride of feeling inferior (Tib. cung zad snyam pa’i nga rgyal; Skt. ūnamāna), and (7) unfounded pride (Tib. log pa’i nga rgyal; Skt. mithyāmāna).

Supernatural knowledge or powers, including the ability to remember past lives.

The head, arms, and legs.

Volitional construction or mental fabrication that leads to the accumulation of karma.

The four truths the Buddha realized at his enlightenment: the truth of suffering, the truth of the origin of suffering, the truth of the cessation of suffering, and the truth of the path.

A class of generally benevolent nonhuman beings who inhabit the skies, sometimes said to inhabit fantastic cities in the clouds, and more specifically to dwell on the eastern slopes of Mount Meru, where they are ruled by the Great King Dhṛtarāṣṭra. They are most renowned as celestial musicians who serve the gods. In the Abhidharma, the term is also used to refer to the mental body assumed by sentient beings during the intermediate state between death and rebirth. Gandharvas are said to live on fragrances (gandha) in the desire realm, hence the Tibetan translation dri za, meaning “scent eater.”

The Gaṅgā, or Ganges in English, is considered to be the most sacred river of India, particularly within the Hindu tradition. It starts in the Himalayas, flows through the northern plains of India, bathing the holy city of Vārāṇasī, and meets the sea at the Bay of Bengal, in Bangladesh. In the sūtras, however, this river is mostly mentioned not for its sacredness but for its abundant sands‍—noticeable still today on its many sandy banks and at its delta‍—which serve as a common metaphor for infinitely large numbers.

According to Buddhist cosmology, as explained in the Abhidharmakośa, it is one of the four rivers that flow from Lake Anavatapta and cross the southern continent of Jambudvīpa‍—the known human world or more specifically the Indian subcontinent.

The Sanskrit term śrāvaka, and the Tibetan nyan thos, both derived from the verb “to hear,” are usually defined as “those who hear the teaching from the Buddha and make it heard to others.” Primarily this refers to those disciples of the Buddha who aspire to attain the state of an arhat seeking their own liberation and nirvāṇa. They are the practitioners of the first turning of the wheel of the Dharma on the four noble truths, who realize the suffering inherent in saṃsāra and focus on understanding that there is no independent self. By conquering afflicted mental states (kleśa), they liberate themselves, attaining first the stage of stream enterers at the path of seeing, followed by the stage of once-returners who will be reborn only one more time, and then the stage of non-returners who will no longer be reborn into the desire realm. The final goal is to become an arhat. These four stages are also known as the “four results of spiritual practice.”

The name of the southern continent in Buddhist cosmology, which can signify either the known human world, or more specifically the Indian subcontinent, literally “the jambu island/continent.” Jambu is the name used for a range of plum-like fruits from trees belonging to the genus Szygium, particularly Szygium jambos and Szygium cumini, and it has commonly been rendered “rose apple,” although “black plum” may be a less misleading term. Among various explanations given for the continent being so named, one (in the Abhidharmakośa) is that a jambu tree grows in its northern mountains beside Lake Anavatapta, mythically considered the source of the four great rivers of India, and that the continent is therefore named from the tree or the fruit. Jambudvīpa has the Vajrāsana at its center and is the only continent upon which buddhas attain awakening.

See “Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍada’s Park.”

One of the first Buddhist monasteries, located in a park outside Śrāvastī, the capital of the ancient kingdom of Kośala in northern India. This park was originally owned by Prince Jeta, hence the name Jetavana, meaning Jeta’s grove. The wealthy merchant Anāthapiṇḍada, wishing to offer it to the Buddha, sought to buy it from him, but the prince, not wishing to sell, said he would only do so if Anāthapiṇḍada covered the entire property with gold coins. Anāthapiṇḍada agreed, and managed to cover all of the park except the entrance, hence the name Anāthapiṇḍadasyārāmaḥ, meaning Anāthapiṇḍada’s park. The place is usually referred to in the sūtras as “Jetavana, Anāthapiṇḍada’s park,” and according to the Saṃghabhedavastu the Buddha used Prince Jeta’s name in first place because that was Prince Jeta’s own unspoken wish while Anāthapiṇḍada was offering the park. Inspired by the occasion and the Buddha’s use of his name, Prince Jeta then offered the rest of the property and had an entrance gate built. The Buddha specifically instructed those who recite the sūtras to use Prince Jeta’s name in first place to commemorate the mutual effort of both benefactors.

Anāthapiṇḍada built residences for the monks, to house them during the monsoon season, thus creating the first Buddhist monastery. It was one of the Buddha’s main residences, where he spent around nineteen rainy season retreats, and it was therefore the setting for many of the Buddha’s discourses and events. According to the travel accounts of Chinese monks, it was still in use as a Buddhist monastery in the early fifth century ᴄᴇ, but by the sixth century it had been reduced to ruins.

A buddha.

A future buddha.

An ancient Indian kingdom, in present day Uttar Pradesh. Śrāvastī was its capital.

The absolute limit or extent of reality. The term is most often used as a synonym for the ultimate state.

A monk living in the world system in which the Dharma of the Buddha Jñānaprabhā proliferated.

According to ancient Buddhist cosmology, this is the great mountain forming the axis of the universe. At its summit is Sudarśana, home of Śakra and his thirty-two gods, and on its flanks live the asuras. The mount has four sides facing the cardinal directions, each of which is made of a different precious stone. Surrounding it are several mountain ranges and the great ocean where the four principal island continents lie: in the south, Jambudvīpa (our world); in the west, Godānīya; in the north, Uttarakuru; and in the east, Pūrvavideha. Above it are the abodes of the desire realm gods. It is variously referred to as Meru, Mount Meru, Sumeru, and Mount Sumeru.

One of the major North Indian kingdoms in the Buddha's time, it was located to the west of the kingdom of Kośala and east of Kuru.

Indian paṇḍita and translator.

The real nature, true quality, or condition of things. Throughout Buddhist discourse this term is used in two distinct ways. In one, it designates the relative nature that is either the essential characteristic of a specific phenomenon, such as the heat of fire and the moisture of water, or the defining feature of a specific term or category. The other very important and widespread way it is used is to designate the ultimate nature of all phenomena, which cannot be conveyed in conceptual, dualistic terms and is often synonymous with emptiness or the absence of intrinsic existence.

A synonym for emptiness or the ultimate nature of things. This term is interpreted variously‍—given the many connotations of dharma/chos‍—as the sphere, element, or nature of phenomena, reality, or truth.

The fortnightly ceremony during which ordained monks and nuns gather to recite the prātimokṣa vows and confess faults and breaches. The term is also sometimes used in reference to the taking of eight vows by a layperson for just one day, a full-moon or new-moon day.

The ruling caste in the traditional four-caste hierarchy of India, associated with warriors, the aristocracy, and kings.

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.

As defined in the Bodhisattvabhūmi, this is a bodhisattva’s determined, deeply informed enthusiasm for the Buddhist teachings that is grounded in faith and careful study of the Dharma.

Practices of the bodhisattva path: generosity (Tib. sbyin pa; Skt. dāna), discipline (Tib. tshul khrims; Skt. śīla), patience (Tib. bzod pa; Skt. kṣānti), diligence (Tib. brtson ’grus; Skt. vīrya), concentration (Tib. bsam gtan; Skt. dhyāna), and wisdom (Tib. shes rab; Skt. prajñā).

The capital of the ancient Indian kingdom of Kośala, where the Buddha spent many summers and gave numerous teachings. The city was ruled by King Prasenajit, who makes frequent appearances in the sūtras. It is also the site of Jeta’s Grove, which was gifted to the Buddha by his patron Anāthapiṇḍada.

The Buddha Amitābha’s buddha field known as the Land of Bliss.

One of the Indian teachers invited to Tibet in the time of Emperor Ralpachan (early ninth century).

The court priest of King Brahmadatta of Pañcāla.

The Buddha, Dharma, and Saṅgha.

Higher kind of dhāraṇī that involves remembering every syllable of teachings heard. This kind of dhāraṇī can only be possessed by advanced bodhisattvas.

A town in time and world system of the Buddha Jñānaprabha.

The heaven of Brahmā, usually located just above the desire realm (kāmadhātu) as one of the first levels of the form realm (rūpadhātu) and equated with the state that one achieves in the first meditative absorption (dhyāna).

Yeshé Dé (late eighth to early ninth century) was the most prolific translator of sūtras into Tibetan. Altogether he is credited with the translation of more than one hundred sixty sūtra translations and more than one hundred additional translations, mostly on tantric topics. In spite of Yeshé Dé’s great importance for the propagation of Buddhism in Tibet during the imperial era, only a few biographical details about this figure are known. Later sources describe him as a student of the Indian teacher Padmasambhava, and he is also credited with teaching both sūtra and tantra widely to students of his own. He was also known as Nanam Yeshé Dé, from the Nanam (sna nam) clan.

The longest unit of distance in classical India. The lack of a uniform standard for the smaller units means that there is no precise equivalent, especially as its theoretical length tended to increase over time. Therefore it can mean between four and ten miles.