A term referring to all the primary and secondary afflictive emotions that completely disturb the mind.

Hatred, aggression, and/or aversion. One of the affective behavior patterns known as the three poisons.

A declaration of one’s aspirations and vows, and/or an invocation and request of the buddhas, bodhisattvas, etc.

Paltsek (eighth to early ninth century), from the village of Kawa north of Lhasa, was one of Tibet’s preeminent translators. He was one of the first seven Tibetans to be ordained by Śāntarakṣita and is counted as one of Guru Rinpoché’s twenty-five close disciples. In a famous verse by Ngok Lotsawa Loden Sherab, Kawa Paltsek is named along with Chokro Lui Gyaltsen and Zhang (or Nanam) Yeshé Dé as part of a group of translators whose skills were surpassed only by Vairotsana.

He translated works from a wide variety of genres, including sūtra, śāstra, vinaya, and tantra, and was an author himself. Paltsek was also one of the most important editors of the early period, one of nine translators installed by Tri Songdetsen (r. 755–797/800) to supervise the translation of the Tripiṭaka and help catalog translated works for the first two of three imperial catalogs, the Denkarma (ldan kar ma) and the Samyé Chimpuma (bsam yas mchims phu ma). In the colophons of his works, he is often known as Paltsek Rakṣita (rak+Shi ta).

The senior editor-translator who edited and finalized this text.

Translator of this text.

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 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.

Those “great beings” who have the intention to achieve the complete enlightenment of a buddha in order to liberate all sentient beings from cyclic existence. An epithet of a bodhisattva.

Sometimes also translated as “mental quiescence.” Refers to a calm state without thought, or the meditative practice of calming the mind to rest free from the disturbance of thought. One of the two basic forms of Buddhist meditation, the other being transcendent insight (vipaśyanā, lhag mthong).

Dedication of the merit at the end of a spiritual practice or virtuous action, usually for the attainment of full enlightenment by all sentient beings. In this way the actions thus dedicated contribute to the purpose of attaining enlightenment for the sake of all sentient beings.

Literally, “to flow” or “to ooze.” Mental defilements or contaminations that “flow out” toward the objects of cyclic existence, binding us to them. Vasubandhu offers two alternative explanations of this term: “They cause beings to remain (āsayanti) within saṃsāra” and “They flow from the Summit of Existence down to the Avīci hell, out of the six wounds that are the sense fields” (Abhidharma­kośa­bhāṣya 5.40; Pradhan 1967, p. 308). The Summit of Existence (bhavāgra, srid pa’i rtse mo) is the highest point within saṃsāra, while the hell called Avīci (mnar med) is the lowest; the six sense fields (āyatana, skye mched) here refer to the five sense faculties plus the mind, i.e., the six internal sense fields.

Passion, attachment, and/or lust. One of the affective behavior patterns known as the three poisons.

Also “perseverance.” One of the six perfections of the bodhisattva.

Correct and unhindered discriminating knowledge.

A word that can refer, in different formulations, to the fundamental constituents of material and/or mental phenomena, or to the realms of existence, it also has the general meaning of the nature of something.

A term meaning acceptance, forbearance, or patience. As the third of the six perfections, patience is classified into three kinds: the capacity to tolerate abuse from sentient beings, to tolerate the hardships of the path to buddhahood, and to tolerate the profound nature of reality. As a term referring to a bodhisattva’s realization, dharmakṣānti (chos la bzod pa) can refer to the ways one becomes “receptive” to the nature of Dharma, and it can be an abbreviation of anutpattikadharmakṣānti, “forbearance for the unborn nature, or nonproduction, of dharmas.”

Morally virtuous or disciplined conduct and the abandonment of morally undisciplined conduct of body, speech, and mind. One of the six perfections of the bodhisattva.

The practice of giving or making offerings to others. One of the six perfections of the bodhisattva.

The Buddhadharma or the Buddha’s teachings.

Delusion, stupidity, closed-mindedness, and/or mental darkness. One of the affective behavior patterns known as the three poisons.

The inherent nature of a phenomenon; in the present text, this is possibly a reference to the buddha-nature, tathāgatagarbha.

Obscurations or obstructions caused by past deeds.

Habitual impulses or subconscious habit patterns that underlie emotions such as desire and hatred. These are also causes of the perpetuation of cyclic existence.

Karmic traces or residues imprinted by past actions and constituting tendencies that predispose one to particular patterns of behavior.

Hearing or listening to teachings, this refers to receiving oral instructions and studying scriptures.

In this context, this refers to a category of advanced meditative attainments.

One of the synonyms for meditation, referring specifically to states of mental stability or one-pointed abiding in an undistracted state of mind free from afflicted mental states. bsam gtan/dhyāna can refer to the specific states of absorption of the form and formless realms (eight in total). One of the six perfections of the bodhisattva.

Meditative equipoise or evenness of mind. Another synonym for meditation, this refers to a category of advanced meditative attainments.

A general term for states of deep concentration. One of the synonyms for meditation, referring in particular to a state of complete concentration or focus.

Virtuous thoughts, words, and actions that produce positive results, or merit. In Mahāyāna practice, these are to be dedicated for the benefit of all sentient beings.

There are ten nonvirtuous deeds, being the opposites of the ten virtuous deeds. The three physical misdeeds are killing, taking what is not given, and engaging in sexual misconduct. The four verbal misdeeds are lying, divisive talk, harsh speech, and gossiping. The three mental misdeeds are covetousness, ill will, and false views.

Defilements that obstruct liberation and omniscience. This term refers both to affective and cognitive obscurations.

This refers to the gnosis or omniscience of the Buddha, the “All-Knowing” or “Omniscient” One.

The essentially pure nature of mind is obscured and afflicted by various psychological defilements, which destroy the mind’s peace and composure and lead to unwholesome deeds of body, speech, and mind, acting as causes for continued existence in saṃsāra. Included among them are the primary afflictions of desire (rāga), anger (dveṣa), and ignorance (moha). It is said that there are eighty-four thousand of these negative mental qualities, for which the eighty-four thousand categories of the Buddha’s teachings serve as the antidote.

Kleśa is also commonly translated as “negative emotions,” “disturbing emotions,” and so on. The Pāli kilesa, Middle Indic kileśa, and Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit kleśa all primarily mean “stain” or “defilement.” The translation “affliction” is a secondary development that derives from the more general (non-Buddhist) classical understanding of √kliś (“to harm,“ “to afflict”). Both meanings are noted by Buddhist commentators.

The preta realm, or the realm of ghosts, where Yama, the Lord of Death, is the ruler and judges the dead. Yama is also said to rule over the hells. This term is also the name of the Vedic afterlife inhabited by the ancestors (pitṛ).

(The state of) “equality,” “equal nature,” “equanimity,” or “equalness.”

Literally, “near-afflictions,” or subsidiary afflictive emotions derivative of or related to the primary afflictions.

Any living being in one of the six realms.

A synonym for emptiness, the ultimate reality, or the ultimate nature of things. This term is interpreted variously due to the many different meanings of dharma (chos) as element, phenomena, reality, truth, and/or the teaching.

A synonym for emptiness, this term refers to the ultimate nature of things, the way things are in reality.

Traditionally there are six modes of supernormal cognition or ability, namely, clairvoyance, clairaudience, knowledge of the minds of others, remembrance of past lives, the ability to perform miracles, and the knowledge of the destruction of all mental defilements. The first five are considered mundane or worldly and can be attained to some extent by non-Buddhist yogis as well as Buddhist arhats and bodhisattvas. The sixth is considered to be supramundane and can be attained only by Buddhist yogis.

“Thus-gone one,” an epithet of a buddha. A buddha is one who has “gone” to thusness, suchness, or ultimate reality.

The three main affective behavior patterns, namely ignorance, desire, and anger.

Often translated as “insight meditation,” referring to the liberating insight into the nature of reality or the meditative practice of developing insight into the nature of reality. One of the two basic forms of Buddhist meditation, the other being calm abiding (śamatha).

A synonym for ultimate reality, and also a near-synonym for nirvāṇa.

Indian preceptor, a translator of this text.

Transcendent or discriminating awareness; the mind that sees the ultimate truth. One of the six perfections of the bodhisattva.