See: physical sensations

Something that derives from a disturbing emotion or attitude, or is related in some way with a disturbing emotion or attitude. According to Vasubandhu, they give rise to further tainted phenomena; while according to Asanga, only some do that. Also translated as "mixed with confusion. Some translators render this term as "contaminated."

The five aggregate factors of experience that derive from a disturbing emotion or attitude, or are related in some with a disturbing emotion or attitude. Some translators render the term as "contaminated aggregates."

See: take safe direction

To put a direction in one's life, which, when one goes in it, protects one from true suffering and its true causes and which, when one reaches its endpoint, allows one to avoid true suffering and its true causes forever. Some translators render this as "take refuge," but it has no connotation of merely opening up and passively receiving protection.

To turn toward the direction indicated by the Three Rare and Supreme Gems (Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha) and to put that safe direction in one's life. Some translators render this as "go for refuge to the Three Gems."

See: attention

See: caring attitude

See: causal taking of safe direction

See: mere taking of safe direction

See: resultant taking of safe direction

See: special taking of safe direction

See: attention

Ethical behavior with which one both restrains oneself from destructive actions and engages in constructive ones.

The collection of the Tibetan translations of the Indian Buddhist treatises.

See: Tangyur

(1) An everlasting stream of continuity. On the causal level, the mental continuum, with its various aspects of Buddha-nature. On the pathway level, the continuity of practices involving Buddha-figures. On the resultant level, the continuity of the various corpuses or bodies of a Buddha. (2) The texts that discuss the above topics.

See: nondual tantra

See: mantra mahamudra

A spiritual mentor who confers on disciples tantric vows. According to some commentaries, a spiritual mentor who confers on disciples empowerments and subsequent permissions from any of the classes of tantra.

See: Thusly Gone One

See: spiritual teacher

See: definitive teaching

See: interpretable teaching

See: karmic tendency

A set of principles or assertions of a particular traditional Indian school of philosophy or of astronomical calculations.

also translated as: ten bhumi minds

See: treasure text

The relationship between two sets, A and B, is a tetralemma if there are four possibilities. There are phenomena that are members of (1) both set A and set B, (2) neither set A nor set B, (3) only set A, but not set B, or (4) only set B, but not set A.

A set of eight actions that, at either a yoga or anuttarayoga empowerment, one vows to avoid and which, if committed, weaken meditation practice and hamper progress along the tantra path. Also called: secondary tantric vows.

See: referent thing

See: distorted antagonistic thinking

See: distorted antagonistic thinking

Also translated as: thirty-two major marks

(1) In the context of the Mahayana tenet system, a synonym for deepest truths. Specifically, in the Chittamatra system, the various voidnesses, true stoppings, and nirvana. (2) In the Buddhist medical system, hereditary, congenital diseases; genetic disorders.

(1) A class of divine beings (gods) on the plane of sensory desires that live on fragrances and are musicians. Also translated as "heavenly musicians." (2) Beings in the state of bardo existence inbetween death and rebirth onto the plane of sensory desires. Such beings live on either pleasant fragrances during fortunate eons or unpleasant odors during unfortunate eons.

See: Three Corpuses of a Buddha

Three aspects of an action that are all equally void of true existence: (1) the individual performing the action, (2) the object upon or toward which the action is committed, and (3) the action itself. Occasionally, as in the case of the action of giving, the object may refer to the object given. The existence of each of these is established dependently on the others. Sometimes translated as "the three spheres" of an action.

(1) A Corpus of Emanations (Nirmanakaya), (2) Corpus of Full Use (Sambhogakaya), and (3) Corpus Encompassing Everything (Dharmakaya) of a Buddha.

See: Three Rare and Supreme Gems

See: Three Rare and Supreme Gems

See: Three Rare and Supreme Gems

See: three planes of samsaric existence

A threefold division of samsaric rebirth states: the planes of (1) sensory desires, (2) ethereal forms, and (3) formless beings. Sometimes called "the three realms."

The three states of bodhi; the three states of a shravaka arhat, a pratyekabuddha arhat, and a Buddha.

The Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha. Also called "The Three Gems," "The Triple Gem," "The Three Jewels," and "The Three Jewels of Refuge."

See: three planes of samsaric existence

Also translated as: near attainment, black appearance

A epithet of a Buddha -- one who has gone to the goal of enlightenment through nonconceptual cognition of voidness, the very nature of reality (thusness).

See: very nature of reality

See: offering of the very nature of reality

An interval imputed or measured in the continuum of the occurrence of a sequence of cause and effect. Since time is conceptually imputable, time is a function of and therefore relative to the mind that conceptually imputes it.

See: giving and taking

A state of mind having the joined pair of shamatha and vipashyana, and in which absorbed concentration is focused single-pointedly on a voidness that is like space. It may be either conceptual or nonconceptual. Sometimes translated as "meditative equipoise."

(1) In the context of the Chittamatra tenet-system, all static phenomena other than the various types of voidness, true stoppings, and nirvana, plus all non-existent phenomena. (2) In the context of the Madhyamaka tenet-system, all non-existent phenomena, especially true existence.

Totally lacking something, in the sense that something never has in the past, never does in the present, and never will in the future possess a certain characteristic that is impossible for anything to possess, because that characteristic does not exist at all.

Forms of physical phenomena included only among cognitive stimulators that are all phenomena and which appear in certain mental states, such as the sensory objects appearing in dreams and the conceptually implied objects in visualizations and imaginings.

Two sets, A and B, are totally pervasive if every element in set A is also a member of set B, and vice versa

See: meditation trainer

See: ritual trainer

See: naturally abiding family-traits

See: evolving family-traits

See: supramundane

See: phowa

See: oral transmission

See: supramundane

Texts planted by Indian or Tibetan masters, either in a physical location, such as inside a pillar of a temple, or in the minds of disciples and hidden there for safekeeping during times that were not conducive for their practice. Often referred to by the transliterated Tibetan term "terma."

The relationship between two sets, A and B, is a trilemma if there are three possibilities. There are phenomena that are members of (1) both set A and set B, (2) neither set A, nor set B, or only set A, but not set B. There are no phenomena that are members of set B that are not also members of set A. In other words, all elements of set A are also members of set B, but not all elements of set B are elements of set A.

See: Three Rare and Supreme Gems

An epithet of a Buddha - one who has triumphed over the emotional and cognitive obscurations. Some translators render the term as "Victorious One."

See: true stopping

(1) An impossible mode of existence mistakenly considered to be true. Existence established or proven (a) merely by the power of something on the side of an object and not in conjunction with being something imputable on a basis, according to Gelug Svatantrika-Madhyamaka, or (b) by the power of something on the side of an object, either by itself or in conjunction with being something imputable on a basis, according to Gelug Prasangika-Madhyamaka. (2) A mode of existence that is true. Existence established or proven by (a) arising from causes and conditions, according to Jetsunpa and Kunkhyen Gelug Sautrantika, or (b) the power of something on the side of an object, according to Panchen Gelug Sautrantika and Gelug Chittamatra. Also translated as "truly established existence."

Existence established or proven by the power of something findable on the side of an object, either by itself or in conjunction with being something imputable on a basis. According to Gelug Prasangika-Madhyamaka, an impossible mode of existence mistakenly considered to be true. Also called "truly and findably established existence."

See: lack of true identities

Also translated as: true causes

Also called: true path

A nontechnical term used for what actually exists.

The elimination, forever, of some degree of either an emotional or a cognitive obscuration from a mental continuum. They occur only on the mental continuum of aryas -- those with nonconceptual cognition of voidness. Often translated as "true cessation."

Existence established or proven merely by the power of something on the side of an object and not in conjunction with being something imputable on a basis. According to Madhyamaka, an impossible mode of existence mistakenly considered to be true. Also called "truly and unimputedly established existence."

See: true findable existence

See: true unimputed existence

See: true existence

See: superficial truth

See: superficial truth

See: deepest truth

See: superficial truth

See: superficial truth

See: superficial truth

See: deepest truth

See: two truths

(1) Equivalent to "ceremonial round of offering a ritual feast." (2) The food offerings presented at a ceremonial round of offering a ritual feast.

The twelve-part mechanism whereby the existence of all samsaric phenomena, especially those of future rebirth, are established by reliance on unawareness: (1) unawareness, (2) affecting impulses, (3) loaded consciousness, (4) nameable mental faculties with or without gross form, (5) stimulators of cognition, (6) contacting awareness, (7) feeling a level of happiness, (8) craving, (9) an obtainer, (10) further existence, (11) conception, and (12) aging and dying.

The twelve classes of Buddha's scriptural (verbal) teachings divided according to a textual point of view -- namely, (1) expositions on themes of practice, (2) melodic verses, (3) revelatory accounts, (4) metered verses, (5) special verses, (6) ethical narratives, (7) illustrative accounts, (8) ancient narratives, (9) past life accounts, (10) epic presentations, (11) fabulous accounts, and (12) decisive explications.

The twelve classes of nonstatic phenomena that serve as focal and dominating conditions for the six types of cognition -- namely, (1) sights, (2) eye sensors, (3) sounds, (4) ear sensors, (5) smells, (6) nose sensors, (7) tastes, (8) tongue sensors, (9) physical sensations, (10) body sensors, (11) (all) phenomena, and (12) mnd sensors.

See: Two Corpuses of a Buddha

(1) A Corpus of Forms (Rupakaya) and (2) Corpus Encompassing Everything (Dharmakaya) of a Buddha.

(1) In Hinayana, two types of validly knowable phenomena into which all existent phenomena can be divided: superficially true and deepest true phenomena. (2) In Gelug Mahayana, two true facts that can be validly known about any existent phenomenon. (3) In non-Gelug Mahayana, all existent phenomena cognized with dualistic appearance-making and cognized without dualistic appearance-making.