A Abhidharma (Skt.) lit. 'special teaching;' one of the compilation of the Tripitaka or the three scriptural collections, in which the Buddhist philosophy and psychology are presented in a systematic order. Ani (Tib.) lit. 'auntie' in Tibetan but also a polite way to address a Buddhist nun of Tibetan Buddhist tradition. Acharya (Skt.) a teacher or master. Arhat (Skt.) a Hinayana practitioner who has attained the state of nirvana by eliminating all emotional defilements and obscurations, therefore no longer bound by samsaric existence. His main aim is self-salvation without leading to the salvation of others. Arya (Skt.) a realized being who has understood the Ultimate Truth. B Bhadra Kalpa (Skt.) the current fortunate age within which one thousand Buddhas will be appearing, and Buddha Shakyamuni is the fourth. Bhavachakra (Skt.) lit. 'the Wheel of Life;' a representation of the cycle of existence, i.e. samsara. In the samsara, there are the realms of the gods (devas), the demi-gods (or jealous gods, i.e. asuras), human beings, animals, hungry ghosts and hell beings. Bhikshu (Skt.) a fully ordained Buddhist monk. Bhikshuni (Skt.) a fully ordained Buddhist nun. Bodhicitta (Skt.) the awakened mind or the enlightened mind. Bodhisattva (Skt.) lit. 'enlightened being;' a being who practices the Mahayana Buddhism and attains enlightenment through the practice of the perfections (the Six Paramitas or the Ten Paramitas), but delays complete entry into nirvana until all beings are liberated. Bon (Tib.) the traditional Shamanistic religion in Tibet , popularly practiced before the introduction of Buddhism by Guru Padmasambhava during the reign of King Trisong Detsan. Buddha (Skt.) the fully enlightened being, who has awakened from the sleep of ignorance and accomplished the realization of transcendental wisdom; also the main refuge object. Buddhist Flag a flag with six colors, i.e. blue, golden yellow, red, white, orange and a color that blends all the above five colors which turns out to be white; the colors were taken from the rays radiated from the body of the Buddha when he attained Full Enlightenment under the Bodhi tree at Bodhgaya. D Dakini (Skt.) male ~ Daka; lit. a sky-dweller, one who realizes the nature of Emptiness, and who therefore moves in the ultimate level of reality; also known as dharma protector. A Dakini is generally a representation of wisdom and a Daka, a representation of method or compassion. The inner and secret meanings are too profound to be discussed openly. Dharma (Skt.) the second object of refuge; the teachings of Buddha; the Ultimate Truth. Dharmadhatu (Skt.) the Dharma element, factor or realm; a general name for anything noumenal or phenomenal; the unifying underlying spiritual reaity regarded as the groud or cause of all things. Dharmakaya (Skt.) one of the three bodies of Buddha; the truth body; the true nature of Buddha, which is the transcendental reality and the Universal Truth. Dharmapala (Skt.) Dharma protectors; generally the wrathful deities who are responsible for protecting and preserving the Dharma. Dzogchen (Tib.) Dzogpa Chhenpo; the Great Perfection; the primary teaching of the Nyingma tradition; considered as the most secret teaching of Buddha Shakyamuni. E Eight Auspicious Symbols fish, parasol, conchshell, lotus blossom, banner of victory, vase of sacred water, wheel of Dharma and knot of eternity. Eight Offerings in Tib., argham (water for drinking), padaim (water for washing), pushpe (flowers), dhupe (incense), aloke (lamps), gendhe (perfume), newidya (food) and shapta (music) Eightfold Path the path leading to the cessation of sufferings; i.e. right view, right motivation, right speech, right activities, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness and right concentration. Eight Wordly Dharma gain and loss, fame and disgrace; praise and blame; happiness and suffering. F First Council council of 500 Arhats convened at Rajagrha after the Buddha's parinirvana to authenticate his teachings. Five Wisdoms mirror-like wisdom; wisdom of equanimity; wisdom of discrimination; wisdom of simultaneous accomplishment; wisdom of Dharmadhatu. Four Foundations (Tib. Ngondro) preliminary practices in the Vajrayana tradition, which generally include prostrations, recitation of Vajrasattva purification mantra, mandala offering and guru yoga, each to be performed at least 100,000 times (to be considered as one complete cycle). Four Immeasurable Thoughts the vows of a Bodhisattva; i.e. immeasurable love, compassion, love and equanimity Four Noble Truths suffering; the origin of suffering; the cessation of suffering; and the path to the cessation of suffering. G Gelong (Tib.) Bhikshu; a fully ordained monk Gelongma (Tib.) Bhikshuni; a fully ordained nun Guru (Skt.) spiritual master H Hinayana the lesser vehicle; unlike Mahayana Buddhism, Hinayana Buddhism only aims at self-salvation without leading to the liberation of others; originally comprised eighteen schools, however out of which only the Theravadin tradition survives today. K Kalachakra (Skt.) lit. 'the Wheel of Time;' the last and the most complex Buddhist tantra taught by the Buddha to the mythical king Suchandra of Shambala kingdom, based on which the Tibetan calendar is designed. Karma (Skt.) all intended voluntary actions, producing consequences that determine conditions and circumstances of sentient beings; including all good and bad actions and their results. Khenpo (Tib.) learned abbot. L Lama (Tib.) a religious master or guru in Tibetan Buddhism, venerated by students; but it is now used as a polite form of addressing any Tibetan monk, regardless of the level of spiritual development. Lam-Dre (Tib.) path-and-fruit teaching, practiced by the Sakya tradition. Lam-Rim (Tib.) stages of the path to enlightenment; a group of doctrines that describe the individual stages of the spiritual path; a practice of the Gelug tradition. M Mahamudra (Skt.) the Great Seal; one of the profound teachings of Vajrayana; taught in the Kagyud tradition, which is described as the realization of emptiness. Mahasiddha (Skt.) great master of perfect capabilities; in Vajrayana, it refers to an ascetic who has mastered the tantric teachings completely. Mahayana (Skt.) the great vehicle of realization followed by all Samyak Sambuddhas; it involves the practice of Bodhicitta which is the liberation of oneself leading to the liberation of others. Maitreya (Skt.) the coming Buddha, now a Bodhisattva residing in Tushita Heaven. Mandala (Skt.) a symbolic representation of the cosmic system, which is used in Tibetan Buddhism as a form of support for meditation. Mantra (Skt.) a syllable or a series of syllables that manifest certain powerful cosmic forces and various aspects of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas; sometimes containing the name of a Buddha or Bodhisattva. Mara (Skt.) the lord of illusion; ruler of desire realm, who the Buddha defeated before attaining enlightenment; the main illusion disturbing the practitioner, making meditation impossible. N Nirmanakaya (Skt.) one of the three bodies of Buddha; the body of transformation, in which the Buddhas appear as sentient beings to guide all beings to liberation. Nirvana (Skt.) the extinction of samsara; permanent cessation of samsaric sufferings and therefore attaining ultimate bliss and liberation. P Pandita (Skt.) the Indian title conferred on especially learned masters. Parinirvana (Skt.) the final entry into nirvana; the passing away of a fully accomplished master. Prajna Paramita (Skt.) the teaching of complete omniscience; the heart of the Buddha's realization; associated with the Second Turning. Pratyeka Buddha (Skt.) lit. 'solitary realizer;' one who has attained his own enlightenment due to his gaining insight into the twelve niddanas; the enlightenment is solely for himself. R Rinpoche (Tib.) lit. 'the precious jewel;' usually refers to an incarnate tulku or high spiritual being. Root Guru the guru who is responsible for one's genuine spiritual realization. S Sadhana (Tib.) the tantric prayer texts Samaya (Skt.) the tantric vows in Vajrayana Buddhism; breaking the vows would have immensely negative results; details to be available in the Teachings section of this web currently under construction. Sambhogakaya (Skt.) one of the three bodies of Buddha; the enjoyment body; the body which enjoys the truth that the Buddha embodies. Samyak Sambuddha (Skt.) the Fully Awakened One; a being who has rediscovered the truth and attained complete and omniscient enlightenment; thereafter, he proclaims to the world so as to liberate others from the samsara. Sangha (Skt.) the third object of refuge; the Buddhist community; in the strict sense, it only consists of monks, nuns and novices; but in the broader sense, it includes all spiritual practitioners, lay and ordained. Sastras (Skt.) another term for 'Abhidharma;' a commentary on a root text or treatise illuminating an aspect of the teaching. Second Council council of 700 Arhats convened at Vaishali 100 years after the Buddha's parinirvana to resolve questions on Vinaya practice. Shunyata (Skt.) emptiness, void; central notion of Buddhism and focus of the Prajna Paramita teachings. Siddha (Skt.) a tantric master who has attained direct realization beyond the conventional course of study, with perfect mastery of powers of body and nature. Siddhi (Skt.) the perfect abilities achieved by the Siddhas. Six Perfections (Skt. Paramitas) the practice of Bodhisattva; i.e. generosity, morality and ethics, patience, effort, meditation, and wisdom. Sixteen Arhats the sixteen disciples of the Buddha who vowed to preserve the Dharma until the coming of Maitreya. Six Yogas of Naropa one of the main practices of the Kagyupa; i.e. the yoga of psychic heat (tummo); the yoga of illusory body (gyuma); the dream yoga (milam); the yoga of clear light (odsal); the yoga of the intermediate state between death and rebirth (bardo); and the yoga of consciousness transference (phowa). Skandha (Skt.) a term for five aggregates; i.e. form, sensation, perception, mental formations and consciousness. Stupa (Skt.) one of the main symbolic architectures in Buddhism; originally memorial monuments for preserving the mortal remains or relics of the Buddha and other saints. Sutra (Skt.) one of the Tripitaka; the discourses of the Buddha, according to the three turnings. T Tantra (Skt.) the secret teachings in Vajrayana; a term for various kinds of texts, generally containing the Vajrayana systems of meditation, or the secret teachings of a lineage passed from the Buddha to the present lineage holders without interruption. Tara (Skt.) lit. 'savior;' an emanation of Avalokiteshvara, who rose from the Bodhisattva's tears to assist him in his work; she has 21 forms, of which the Green Tara and the White Tara are the most popular forms amongst practitioners. Ten Bodhisattva Grounds the results of ten perfections, i.e. joyful, stainless, illuminating, radiant, difficult to train, advancing, gone afar, unwavering, excellent wisdom, and cloud of Dharma; the last being the Buddha ground which is the omniscient light. Ten Perfections the practice of a Bodhisattva to attain Ultimate Enlightenment; this is an extended version of the 'Six Perfections;' besides the six perfections mentioned earlier, the remaining four perfections are means, power, aspirational prayers and primordial wisdom. Terma (Tib.) texts hidden by Guru Padmasambhava or sometimes other tantric masters in secret places, to be discovered at the right time and newly expounded by qualified persons, i.e. Tertons (Tib.). Theravada (Skt.) lit. 'the teachings of the elders;' one of the eighteen schools of Hinayana Buddhism that predominates in South East Asia , tracing its lineage to the early Sthaviras; it is the only Hinayana school still existing today. Third Council the third council was convened at Pataliputra 236 years after the Buddha's parinirvana; hosted by King Ashoka, the purpose of the third council was to authenticate the Tripitaka. Trikaya (Skt.) the three bodies of a Buddha according to Mahayana Buddhism, i.e. Dharmakaya, Sambhogakaya, and Nirmanakaya, in which the Sambhogakaya and the Nirmanakaya are sometimes jointly known as the Rupakaya, meaning Form Body. Tripitaka (Skt.) the three collections of the Buddh's teachings, i.e. Vinaya, Sutra and Abhidharma, with Tantra sometimes regarded as the fourth pitaka. Tri-Ratna (Skt.) the three refuge jewels in Buddhism, i.e. the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha. Tulku (Tib.) lit. 'nirmanakaya;' an incarnation of a realized being who has chosen to be reborn in the samsara to benefit sentient beings. Twelve Niddanas (Niddanas - Skt.) the links in the chain of samsaric existence, i.e. ignorance, action, consciousness, name and form, six sources, contact or touch, sensation or feeling, attachment, grasping, existence, birth or rebirth, and old age, decay and death. Two Accumulations the accumulation of merit and wisdom. Two Truths relative and ultimate; or the conventional and absolute. U Upasaka (Skt.) female -Upasika; Buddhist lay practitioner who holds the refuge of Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, and observes the five precepts of not killing, not stealing, not committing adultery, not lying and not taking intoxicants. V Vajrayana (Skt.) the indestructible Diamond vehicle or the Secret vehicle; often synonymous with Mantrayana; it was developed out of the Mahayana Buddhism, and based on highly developed ritual practices; initiation is very important in Vajrayana, it must be given by a qualified master to empower the practitioner to practice meditation and visualization connected with a specific deity. Vinaya (Skt.) one of the Tripitaka; the Buddha's teachings relating to the moral conduct and discipline of the monastic community. Y Yab-yum (Tib.) lit. 'father and mother;' in Vajrayana, it means the union of method (the male element) and wisdom (the female element), usually depicted by the sexual union of masculine and feminine deities. Yana (Skt.) a vehicle or path of realization. Yidam (Tib.) a personal deity, whose nature corresponds to the individual psychological makeup of the practitioner. Yoga (Skt.) a way to learning the Truth; usually refers to tantric practices. Yogi (Skt.) female - Yogini; a tantric practitioner; a highly realized spiritual practitioner.