The god of the sun; the sun personified.

The god of fire.

‟Unconquered,” one of the eight bhūta kings.

Aloeswood used as incense.

“One with the Face of Ananta.” One of the eight nāga queens.

One of the eight great yakṣiṇīs.

‟Never Conquered by Another,” one of the eight bhūta kings.

A celestial nymph.

One of the eight bhūta kings.

‟Horse-Faced,” one of the six kinnara queens.

An offering of edibles to nonhuman beings, usually including lower orders of spirits.

The name of an apsaras.

A class of spirits; in the Bhūta­ḍāmara Tantra this term can refer to all nonhuman beings, including gods.

‟Tamer of Spirits,” the titular deity of the Bhūtaḍāmara Tantra; a wrathful form of Vajrapāṇi.

‟Lord of Bhūtas,” one of the eight bhūta kings.

‟Prosperity,” one of the eight goddesses of offerings in the Bhūtaḍāmara maṇḍala. Note that the Tibetan translation does not accord with the Sanskrit Bhūti.

A female bhūta or any nonhuman female being; in some mantras it seems to be used as a proper name.

Mutual pledge or bond between the master and the disciple; also that between the practitioner and the deity or spirit.

A dye or paint prepared from the gall stones of cattle.

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).

One of the eight “queens of spirits.”

An oblation offered into the fire a prescribed number of times.

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.

‟Fierce Kātyāyanī,” one of the eight kātyāyanī spirits.

The god of the moon; the moon personified.

Son of the goddess Diti.

‟Terrible One with Bared Fangs,” one of the eight demonesses who inhabit the eight great charnel grounds.

One of the eight great bhūtinīs.

‟Impetuous One,” one of the eight demonesses who inhabit the eight great charnel grounds.

“Incense Mouth.” One of the eight nāga queens.

A gold coin of considerable value.

‟Sun Faced,” one of the six kinnara queens.

‟Lord of gaṇas,” an epithet of Gaṇeśa, the elephant-headed god invoked to remove obstacles.

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.”

Female gandharva.

In Indian mythology, the garuḍa is an eagle-like bird that is regarded as the king of all birds, normally depicted with a sharp, owl-like beak, often holding a snake, and with large and powerful wings. They are traditionally enemies of the nāgas. In the Vedas, they are said to have brought nectar from the heavens to earth. Garuḍa can also be used as a proper name for a king of such creatures.

Female garuḍa.

‟One with the Terrible Face,” one of the eight demonesses who inhabit the eight great charnel grounds.

An epithet of Caṇḍakātyāyanī.

One of the epithets of Bhūtaḍāmara.

Semidivine beings closely related to or identical with yakṣas, who, like them, live in the realm of Kubera.

‟Laughing One,” one of the eight great bhūtinīs.

The lord of the gods in the Heaven of the Thirty-Three (trāyastriṃśa). Alternatively known as Indra, the deity that is called “lord of the gods” dwells on the summit of Mount Sumeru and wields the thunderbolt. The Tibetan translation brgya byin (meaning “one hundred sacrifices”) is based on an etymology that śakra is an abbreviation of śata-kratu, one who has performed a hundred sacrifices. Each world with a central Sumeru has a Śakra. Also known by other names such as Kauśika, Devendra, and Śacipati.

‟Ruler,” an epithet of Rudra.

‟Protectress of the World,” one of the eight great bhūtinīs.

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.

‟One with an Aged Face,” one of the eight demonesses who inhabit the eight great charnel grounds.