A bodhisattva’s attainment of forbearance toward all phenomena as being nonarising or unborn (
The fourth of the six perfections, it is a state of mind characterized by joyful perseverance when engaging in virtuous activity. Diligence becomes a perfection practice when it is accompanied by the view of emptiness.
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.
Lit. a “heap” or “pile.” The five aggregates of form, feeling, perception, karmic formation, and consciousness. On the individual level the five aggregates refer to the basis upon which the mistaken idea of a self is projected.
A term, gesture, appellation, or symbol through which meaning is conveyed.
A major śrāvaka disciple and personal attendant of the Buddha Śākyamuni during the last twenty-five years of his life. He was a cousin of the Buddha (according to the Mahāvastu, he was a son of Śuklodana, one of the brothers of King Śuddhodana, which means he was a brother of Devadatta; other sources say he was a son of Amṛtodana, another brother of King Śuddhodana, which means he would have been a brother of Aniruddha).
Ānanda, having always been in the Buddha’s presence, is said to have memorized all the teachings he heard and is celebrated for having recited all the Buddha’s teachings by memory at the first council of the Buddhist saṅgha, thus preserving the teachings after the Buddha’s parinirvāṇa. The phrase “Thus did I hear at one time,” found at the beginning of the sūtras, usually stands for his recitation of the teachings. He became a patriarch after the passing of Mahākāśyapa.
This was an important early site for the Buddha’s growing community. Anāthapiṇḍada, a wealthy patron of the Buddha, purchased the park, located outside Śrāvastī, at great cost, purportedly covering the ground with gold, and donated it to the saṅgha. It was there that the Buddha spent several rainy seasons and gave discourses that were later recorded as sūtras. It was also the site for one of the first Buddhist monasteries. (Provisional 84000 definition. New definition forthcoming.)
Practices of mindfulness, often classified as four, namely mindfulness pertaining to body, sensation, mind, and phenomena.
The Theravadin tradition lists thirteen such practices as evidenced in Visuddhimagga by Buddhagosha while in Mahāyāna tradition there are generally only twelve. Though not part of Vinaya rules, it is common for monks to strive to practice at least one of the ascetic practices such as by dwelling in the wilderness.
A declaration of one’s aspirations and vows, and/or an invocation and request of the buddhas, bodhisattvas, etc.
A stable attitude of mind that regards all beings equally, without hostility or favor.
“One Who Sees.” Here the name of a god present in the assembly of Buddha Śākyamuni when he gives the Teaching on the Great Miracle. He is prophesied to become a universal monarch by the name of Sudarśana after the full awakening of the tathāgatha Guṇarājbaprabha, and then to become a fully awakened tathāgatha himself, with the name Samantaprabha.
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 four qualities of samādhi that eliminate negative factors and are the supports for supernatural powers: aspiration, diligence, contemplation, and analysis.
The ultimate nature of phenomena as unproduced and nonarising, because birth and production can occur only on the relative, or superficial, level. The eleventh link of release from dependent origination.
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”).
The name of the past world system and buddhafield of the tathāgata Sumerukalpa.
A high-ranking deity presiding over a divine world; he is also considered to be the lord of the Sahā world (our universe). Though not considered a creator god in Buddhism, Brahmā occupies an important place as one of two gods (the other being Indra/Śakra) said to have first exhorted the Buddha Śākyamuni to teach the Dharma. The particular heavens found in the form realm over which Brahmā rules are often some of the most sought-after realms of higher rebirth in Buddhist literature. Since there are many universes or world systems, there are also multiple Brahmās presiding over them. His most frequent epithets are “Lord of the Sahā World” (sahāṃpati) and Great Brahmā (mahābrahman).
The exalted heavens of the form realm, where the brahmā deities reside.
The attitudes, usually listed as four (sometimes also referred to as the “four immeasurable states”) in which brahmā deities dwell. Namely immeasurable goodwill or loving kindness (Pali:
There are seven branches of awakening: mindfulness, discrimination, diligence, joy, pliancy, absorption, and equanimity.
Refers to the meditative practice of calming the mind to rest free from the disturbances of thought. One of the two basic forms of Buddhist meditation, the other being special insight.
In Buddhist usage, a general term for non-Buddhist religious mendicants, often occurring together with parivrājakas and nirgranthas in stock lists of followers of non-Buddhist movements.
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.
A bodhisattva’s attainment of forbearance toward phenomena in accordance with the true nature of phenomena as taught by the Dharma. Sometimes listed as an attainment on the eighth bodhisattva level. For a fuller account of this level of acceptance, see the eight verses at
Consciousness is the fifth of the five aggregates. Generally classified into the five sensory consciousnesses and the mental consciousness.
In the context of Buddhist philosophy, one way to describe experience in terms of eighteen elements (eye, form, and eye consciousness; ear, sound, and ear consciousness; nose, smell, and nose consciousness; tongue, taste, and tongue consciousness; body, touch, and body consciousness; and mind, mental phenomena, and mind consciousness).
This also refers to the elements of the world, which can be enumerated as four, five, or six. The four elements are earth, water, fire, and air. A fifth, space, is often added, and the sixth is consciousness.
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.
Usually listed as four: Relinquishing negative acts in the present and the future, and enhancing positive acts in the present and the future.
The relative nature of phenomena, which arise in dependence on causes and conditions.
In Buddhist cosmology, this is our own realm, the lowest and most coarse of the three realms of saṃsāra. It is called this because beings here are characterized by their strong longing for and attachment to the pleasures of the senses. The desire realm includes hell beings, hungry ghosts, animals, humans, asuras, and the lowest six heavens of the gods—from the Heaven of the Four Great Kings (cāturmahārājika) up to the Heaven of Making Use of Others’ Emanations (paranirmitavaśavartin). Located above the desire realm is the form realm (rūpadhātu) and the formless realm (ārūpyadhātu).
See “dhāraṇī.”
Speaker or oral reciter of the Dharma. In early Buddhism, before the teachings were written down, a section of the saṅgha were
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A former buddha who prophesized the awakening of Śākyamuni.
Clairaudience, one of the six “superknowledges.” The sublime ability to understand all languages and listen to them whether they are nearby or far away.
Clairvoyance, one of the six “superknowledges” as well as one of the “five eyes.” The supernormal ability to see to an unlimited distance, observe events in other worlds, see through mountains, etc. The five eyes consist of five different faculties of vision: the physical eye (
The range of perception or experience.
A set of circumstances that do not provide the freedom to practice the Buddhist path: being born in the realms of (1) the hells, (2) hungry ghosts (pretas), (3) animals, or (4) long-lived gods, or in the human realm among (5) barbarians or (6) extremists, (7) in places where the Buddhist teachings do not exist, or (8) without adequate faculties to understand the teachings where they do exist.
These consist of the exact opposites of the eight branches of the eightfold noble path, namely, wrong view, wrong intention, wrong speech, wrong actions, wrong livelihood, wrong effort, wrong mindfulness, and wrong samādhi.
The eight-branched purification vow, which may be taken as a temporary or as a lifelong commitment, consists first of the five precepts—refraining from (1) killing, (2) stealing, (3) sexual misconduct, (4) lying, and (5) consuming intoxicants—plus three further, namely refraining from (6) resting on a high or luxurious bed, (7) wearing ornaments, makeup or perfume, and (8) eating at improper times (after midday).
The element or constituent of phenomena is one of the eighteen constituents, referring to mental phenomena.
The inspired ability and confidence to speak about the Dharma in the most appropriate way, even for very long stretches of time.
The term literally means to be killed or slain. It also means enemy, which is the most appropriate choice here.
Mvy 6503. This means entering with certainty. A technical term for a stage of spiritual development.
One of the four immeasurables (the others being loving kindness, compassion, and sympathetic joy). The antidote to attachment and aversion; a mental state free from bias toward sentient beings and experiences. Counted among the thirty-seven factors for awakening.
Literally, “where cattle (Skt.
Thirty-seven practices that lead the practitioner to the awakened state: the four applications of mindfulness, the four correct exertions, the four bases of supernatural power, the five masteries, the five powers, the eightfold path, and the seven branches of awakening.
May refer to the sense faculties (sight, smell, touch, hearing, taste, and the mental faculty). May also refer to the “five faculties” that are cultivated on the first two stages of the bodhisattva path, namely faith, diligence, mindfulness, absorption, and knowledge. When developed further these become the “five strengths.”
False conceptualization pertaining to the state of liberation that is nonconceptual in nature.
’phags pa cho ’phrul chen po bstan pa zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo (Āryamahāprātihāryanirdeśanāmamahāyānasūtra). Toh 66, Degé Kangyur vol. 43 (dkon brtsegs, ca), folios 36.a–67.b.
’phags pa cho ’phrul chen po bstan pa zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo. bka’ ’gyur (dpe bsdur ma) [Comparative Edition of the Kangyur], krung go’i bod rig pa zhib ’jug ste gnas kyi bka’ bstan dpe sdur khang (The Tibetan Tripiṭaka Collation Bureau of the China Tibetology Research Center). 108 volumes. Beijing: Krung go’i bod rig pa dpe skrun khang (China Tibetology Publishing House), 2006–9, vol. 43, pp. 101–78.
’phags pa cho ’phrul chen po bstan pa zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo. Stok Palace Kangyur vol. 39 (dkon brtsegs, ca), folios 100.b–148.b.
Butön Rinchen Drup (bu ston rin chen grub). chos ’byung (bde bar gshegs pa’i bstan pa’i gsal byed chos kyi ’byung gnas gsung rab rin po che’i gter mdzod). In The Collected Works of Bu-Ston, vol. 24 (ya), folios 1.b–212.a (pp. 633–1055). New Delhi: International Academy of Indian Culture, 1965–71. BDRC W22106.
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